socaltexan
Club Supporter
Longer post ahead, but it's something I've been working on slowly perfecting for a long time, and I think I'm getting closer. So, I'll share it here for the potential benefit of anyone else who's interested.
A lot of us enjoy creating teams and players that aren't already in FIFA. A challenge in this is finding a way to realistically and fairly rate the players. There are easy ways for some teams, like converting Football Manager ratings. But, that isn't always available for old classic teams or more obscure teams from lower leagues or small countries. Creation Master has a function for automatically creating ratings that is really useful. But, I decided I wanted to take things a level or two deeper and really try to perfect a method for getting realistic player ratings.
After spending more time than I'd like to admit experimenting and studying, here's what I've found and developed...
When you study the default database with default FIFA ratings, there are three major things that seem to have a universal correlation with how all players are rated. They are:
1. A player's position - this one is obvious.
2. A player's height
I found that with players in identical positions playing at a similar overall level, there is a noticeable difference in how shorter players are rated versus taller ones. For example, if you take two players who should have similar ability (based on the leagues or teams they play for) and who play the same position, the taller one will almost always be stronger. But the shorter one will be faster and have better agility and acceleration.
This is an intuitive idea, but it was helpful for me to see exactly how it looked statistically when I started doing comparisons in a spreadsheet.
3. A player's age
I found that there is a clear way that ratings progress (and digress) based on a player's age. You can graph out each rating and see how it increases or decreases on average by age. For example, players under the age of 20 have the higher average balance rating than any other age. The average balance for players decreases every year for players in their 20s and beyond. Other average ratings peak in the mid- to late-20s and then decline. But some (like vision, positioning, etc.) keep going up on average even with older players in their 30s.
How I use this info...
Understanding these three things allowed me to build a simple spreadsheet formula that I could use when creating players. For example, if I want to create a 24-year-old RM that's 175cms tall, I filter for those values and have the spreadsheet produce the average ratings for all default players of that position, age, and height (I use ranges for age and height).
The next step I did is to divide those averages into different percentiles so, instead of just the overall average, I can see the top 20%, bottom 20%, and the quintiles in between. I can then decide which range best fit the player I'm creating - i.e. is this an elite Champions' League player who should be rated like the top 20 percent for his position/age/height? Or an amateur lower league player who's at the bottom? The spreadsheet gives me slightly randomized ratings for each quintile that I can assign to the player.
Physical vs. Technical
This is one area I'm still working on. Physical ratings, like speed, strength, etc. can be more tricky than technical skill ratings (finishing, dribbling, tackling, etc.). There are tons of forwards that are physically faster or stronger than Messi in lower leagues. They just don't have the technical ability to play at a higher level. I want that to be reflected in the players I create. Right now, I've got my spreadsheet formula set up to calculate technical and physical ratings separately. So, I can automatically create a player who his average or below-average technical ability, but is still a super athlete with blazing speed or strength, etc.
I'm curious to see if anyone else has done similar research to add to what I've got so far. If anybody's curious to see more of what I've done I'd be happy to share. This community has helped my FIFA enjoyment a ton, and I'm happy to give back any way I can.
A lot of us enjoy creating teams and players that aren't already in FIFA. A challenge in this is finding a way to realistically and fairly rate the players. There are easy ways for some teams, like converting Football Manager ratings. But, that isn't always available for old classic teams or more obscure teams from lower leagues or small countries. Creation Master has a function for automatically creating ratings that is really useful. But, I decided I wanted to take things a level or two deeper and really try to perfect a method for getting realistic player ratings.
After spending more time than I'd like to admit experimenting and studying, here's what I've found and developed...
When you study the default database with default FIFA ratings, there are three major things that seem to have a universal correlation with how all players are rated. They are:
1. A player's position - this one is obvious.
2. A player's height
I found that with players in identical positions playing at a similar overall level, there is a noticeable difference in how shorter players are rated versus taller ones. For example, if you take two players who should have similar ability (based on the leagues or teams they play for) and who play the same position, the taller one will almost always be stronger. But the shorter one will be faster and have better agility and acceleration.
This is an intuitive idea, but it was helpful for me to see exactly how it looked statistically when I started doing comparisons in a spreadsheet.
3. A player's age
I found that there is a clear way that ratings progress (and digress) based on a player's age. You can graph out each rating and see how it increases or decreases on average by age. For example, players under the age of 20 have the higher average balance rating than any other age. The average balance for players decreases every year for players in their 20s and beyond. Other average ratings peak in the mid- to late-20s and then decline. But some (like vision, positioning, etc.) keep going up on average even with older players in their 30s.
How I use this info...
Understanding these three things allowed me to build a simple spreadsheet formula that I could use when creating players. For example, if I want to create a 24-year-old RM that's 175cms tall, I filter for those values and have the spreadsheet produce the average ratings for all default players of that position, age, and height (I use ranges for age and height).
The next step I did is to divide those averages into different percentiles so, instead of just the overall average, I can see the top 20%, bottom 20%, and the quintiles in between. I can then decide which range best fit the player I'm creating - i.e. is this an elite Champions' League player who should be rated like the top 20 percent for his position/age/height? Or an amateur lower league player who's at the bottom? The spreadsheet gives me slightly randomized ratings for each quintile that I can assign to the player.
Physical vs. Technical
This is one area I'm still working on. Physical ratings, like speed, strength, etc. can be more tricky than technical skill ratings (finishing, dribbling, tackling, etc.). There are tons of forwards that are physically faster or stronger than Messi in lower leagues. They just don't have the technical ability to play at a higher level. I want that to be reflected in the players I create. Right now, I've got my spreadsheet formula set up to calculate technical and physical ratings separately. So, I can automatically create a player who his average or below-average technical ability, but is still a super athlete with blazing speed or strength, etc.
I'm curious to see if anyone else has done similar research to add to what I've got so far. If anybody's curious to see more of what I've done I'd be happy to share. This community has helped my FIFA enjoyment a ton, and I'm happy to give back any way I can.
, but i`d happy to improve our spreadsheets!!!