FIFA 19 Title Update 4 Patch Notes | New Starheads & Gameplay Fixes

FIFA 19 title update 4 is now live on PC, with console to follow soon. Patch notes (pitch notes) including gameplay fixes on AI shot blocking, AI tackling ability, constant pressure reduction on stamina, and well-timed tackles; as well as FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT) updates, new starheads, and 2D portraits…

As many of you will be aware, the EA SPORTS FIFA team have recently received their fair share of criticism. A large number of people throughout the FUT community have voiced their frustrations with the current state of the game, mainly focusing on glaring gameplay issues and continually failing servers.

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Electronic Arts are being more transparent regarding their methods to patching issues within the game. A detailed breakdown of this latest FIFA update patch can be found below thanks to EA’s latest Pitch Notes. FIFA 19 title update 4 is currently being rolled out for all PC players (as of Tuesday, November 20, 2018), and will arrive on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 very soon!

FIFA 19 Update 4 | Constant Pressure Stamina Nerfed Before & After (80th Min)

Since FIFA 19’s release, a large number of users have complained about AI defending mechanics being overpowered, particularly in the FUT Champions Weekend League. As a result of this fourth FIFA patch update, the effectiveness of AI shot blocking and AI tackling ability has been nerfed.

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Not only this, constant pressure will now result in a greater reduction of stamina. Well-timed tackles will also result in the ball moving further away from the player in possession. Full details on FUT fixes (Division Rivals pre-match flow & voice chat), the complete list of new starheads (player faces) and 2D portraits can be found below…

More: FUT Division Rivals Rewards for FIFA 19 Ultimate Team

Gameplay

Made the following changes:

We have made some changes to reduce the effectiveness of defending by AI Teammates.
- In order to make the shot blocking of a defender that is being controlled by an AI Teammate less effective, we have reduced the distance that an AI Teammate defender will stretch to block a shot.
- In order to make the tackling of a defender that is being controlled by an AI Teammate less effective, we have reduced the distance that an AI Teammate defender will stretch when making a tackle.
  - Here is what we mean by an “AI Teammate”.
    - An AI Teammate is any player on the pitch that is not being controlled by a human, or is not the CPU AI Controlled Player.
    - AI Teammates exist in the following circumstances:
      - On a team with no human players.
        
        For example, the CPU-controlled team in Squad Battles.
      - On a team with a human controlled player(s) that are not locked to specific players.
        
        For example, both teams in FUT Division Rivals.
      - On a team with a human player(s) that are locked to specific players, that also has CPU teammates.
        
        For example, a Pro Clubs team with less than 11 human players.
    - AI Teammates do not exist in the following circumstances:
      - On a team with human players who are all locked to specific players.
        
        For example, a Pro Clubs team, with 11 human players.
Increased the impact to fatigue of playing with defensive pressure.
- This change will have the biggest impact on fatigue when playing with Constant Pressure enabled in your active Game Plan or when playing with Team Press active.
- This change will have a reduced impact to fatigue when playing with Pressure On Heavy Touch or Pressure After Possession Loss enabled in your active Game Plan.
To make a well-timed tackle more effective, we have increased the tendency of the ball to travel further from the dribbler after the tackle, increasing the likelihood that the dribbler will lose possession of the ball.
Reduced the number of first time passes that CPU AI Controlled players will make out of their defensive third of the pitch when playing on Legendary or Ultimate difficulty.
- A refresher on what we mean by “CPU AI Controlled players”.
  - The CPU plays the game as you would, limited by the same input restrictions that a human player is.
  - This means that the CPU team has an active player, just like you do, which we call the CPU AI-controlled player.
  - A CPU AI-controlled player exists in the following circumstances:
    - On a team with no human players.
      - For example, the CPU-controlled team in Squad Battles.
    - On a team with human players who are all locked to specific players, that also has CPU teammates.
      - For example, a Pro Clubs team, with less than 11 human players, with no “ANY” player.
  - A CPU AI-controlled player does not exist in the following circumstances:
    - On a team with human players who are not locked to specific players.
      - For example, a team in FUT Champions.