Dave Rutter, Producer Xbox 360 and PS3

Last time I answered questions I wasn’t able to talk about Be A Pro: Online Team Play but I am happy to report now that we will have 10 vs 10 online in the game this year. We were happy with the way 5 vs 5 was received last year and we stated a year ago our key target was to deliver an 11 vs 11 virtual World Cup by 2010. We are pleased to announce we got most of the way there with up to 10 players playing up to 10 player in online team play this year. However, I’m still not able to talk about some of the things we are doing online now because we are saving these big feature announcements for Leipzig.

Here are the answers to a lot of the questions I wasn’t able to get to last time.

1) Do teams use situational tactics (ex. Derby playing Man Utd. or teams in cup games with goal advantages, and so forth) like in Euro 2008?

Rutter: Yes they do. All of the teams in game have a number of pre-set custom team tactics that they can apply during the match depending on time of match and score line. If you are winning, towards the end of match you can go into much more defensive minded positioning if appropriate, and, if you are losing at the end of match your players can step up and press forward to score a goal or two goals if needed.

2) Are handballs in the game?

Rutter: Handballs are not in the game. Handballs have never been in the game and probably won’t be for a number of years because they are an extremely difficult thing to get right in a videogame.

3) Is there a dummy pass button in the game?

Rutter: Yes there is. We have a fake shot, fake pass. While paring up your shot or lob pass you can quickly press the pass button before you release the pass or shot.

4) Is there going to be a way to keep shots low other than just using less power?

Rutter: We now have a finesse shot or a lace shot as some people call it. You can hold the right top trigger or RB1 to be able to place your shot more accurately.

5) Can we change PK kick direction up until the point we make contact with the ball?

Rutter: You can change the PK kick direction until you press the button but this is something we may look at in the future because it’s a great idea.

6) Are cup games played at the correct venues?

Rutter: Cup games are played at the correct venues where those venues exist in the game. So we have Wembley Stadium licensed in the game, for example. So for the finals they will be played there. For some competitions where we don’t own all of the correct licensed stadia we are not able to support them in the game.

7) Is the Africa Cup of Nations in the game?

Rutter: No.

8) Will there be a youth system or reserve squad?

Rutter: There are reserve players in some leagues and for some teams. So for example, all English Premiership teams have reserve squads but not all Lower Division clubs do.

9) If we loan out players, will they actually get better?

Rutter: Yes, all players improve when loaned out. However, if you loan out a really bad player to a high profile club they would not improve as much because they need to get games and playing time to improve. For example, a bad player loaned out to Man United might not get playing time and so he won’t improve noticeably. But a poor player on a more appropriate team will get more playing time and improve more appropriately.

10) Is there dynamic lighting?

Rutter: We do not have true dynamic lighting but we do have self shadowing. So if a player’s arm goes in front of light he’ll shadow on himself but all the lights are actually fixed in the stadiums in the game.

11) Are coaches in the game (even if generic), perhaps with specific tactical tendencies?

Rutter: Yes, although you can’t see them J They have a certain amount of tendencies although for some teams they are not exactly correct. What we are hoping to do is get feedback from fans and the community on their teams and how they think their teams should play using custom team tactics. And the more feedback we get the more we will apply it to the game to make sure that teams are appropriate.

12) Will there be a practice/free training mode outside of the 1 on 1 battles?

Rutter: No unfortunately not but we are thinking about this for the future. Right now the only available options to practice are inside the practice arena where you can practice free kicks and penalties, by activating them from the D-pad.

13) Is there pitch deterioration over the course of the season, and are pitches in general more poor for smaller leagues and for appropriate regions?

Rutter: We have different conditions on the pitch that are accurate geographically. So for Central or Southern America pitches will be drier and firmer and the ball will move faster along these surfaces. For areas more likely to be lush or wet we have a slightly different pitch.

14) Is there a create-a-team feature?

Rutter: You’ll have to check back with me after Leipzig when we will have some feature announcements that will address this question.

15) Can we save replays to the hard drive?

Rutter: You can not save replays to your hard drive but you can upload replays to www.easportsfootball.com and share them with your friends.

16) Has the fatigue system been changed at all this year?

Rutter: Yes, we have changed the fatigue system quite significantly. We really believe we have an accurate fatigue and recovery system now in place. You can really feel the difference towards the end of the half and late in games. Now it is far more important to use tactical substitutions within the game to keep your player fresh and your team in sync.

17) Have free kicks been changed/improved (ex. two men over the ball, weak foot over favored foot, etc.)?

Rutter: You can now call for a teammate to come short at corners, call for a free kick layoff man, use him to shoot, pass to him, get the wall him to shoot, get the wall to jump or get a man from the wall to rush the free kick. But we do not have favored foot. Sorry.