How does FC IQ work in FC25
What is FC IQ?
This is the most significant change to tactics in a decade, bringing modern football strategies into FC. It uses real-world data to drive authenticity and give players more control over their teams. This represents a major overhaul of the existing tactics, player roles, and formations from previous years.
FC IQ is powered by AI and data from the greatest teams in football, aiming to modernise tactics and positioning to create greater variety and authenticity in gameplay.
The Foundations of FC IQ
There are 3 key foundation of FC IQ, these are:
- Player Roles – Assign Player Roles to fit your team and player
- Team Tactics – Closer represents real world styles
- Smart Tactics – New in game quick tactics functionality
Player Roles
Player Roles will guide the way every player thinks and behaves on the pitch. It will dictate how players move off the ball. This is the new core tactical and position system for FC.
3 positions have been removed from the game, these are: LWB, RWB and CF. These positions have been integrated into Player Roles.
There are 3-5 roles per position, totalling 31 unique role, these are:
- GK: Goalkeeper, Sweeper Keeper
- LB/RB: Fullback, Falseback, Wingback, Attacking Wingback
- CB: Defender, Stopper, Ball Playing Defender
- CDM: Holding, Centre Half, Deep Lying Playmaker
- CM: Box-to-Box, Holding, Deep Lying Playmaker, Playmaker, Half-Winger
- LM/RM: Winger, Wide Midfielder, Wide Playmaker, Inside Forward
- CAM: Playmaker, Shadow Striker, Half Winger
- RW/LW: Winger, Inside Forward, Wide Playmaker
- ST: Advance Forward, Poacher, False 9, Target Forward
Each player is given a role based on Ai and real data from Opta from the past few seasons, calculations determined which Player Role each player is familiar with.
Player Roles have 3 key features, these are:
- Focus – Expands on the role, with 1-3 Focus per role
- With/Without Ball – Specifying a Role and Focus will determine a players position when you have the ball
- Familiarity – Ability of a player to fulfil that Role
Focus
Each role has 1-3 Focus’ per role, what a focus does is allow you specify how you want the player to play within that role, for example if you have a CM, and you grant them the Playmaker Role, you can set their Focus to be either Attack or Roaming, this determine how your CM Playmaker will move off of the ball.
Here are a few example of Positions, Player Roles with a Focus to try and make things a bit easier to understand, these will be shown as Position – Role – Focus
- CM – Playmaker – Roaming
- CM – Playmaker – Attack
- CM – Box To Box – Balanced
- CM – Half Winger – Attack
- CM – Holding – Defend
As you can see, simply having a player in CM is only a part of how the player will move in game, you will need to specify a Role for that player and then specify a Focus too, which as you can image adds a huge amount of variety to building your tactics.
With/Without Ball
Specifying a Role and Focus will determine a players position when you have the ball, however you can also see how this Role and Focus will affect the player when you do not have the ball. Being able to see this may change the Role and Focus you give to your player.
Familiarity
For each Player Role, a player will have Role Familiarity, this means how well a player can play in the Role which you have selected, and this will have a major impact in how your player performs in game.
Upon Launch there are 4 types of Role Familiarity, these are:
- Role (Base) – Player can play in the role. Position-based
- Role+ – Accomplished in the Role. Every player has a Role+
- Role++ – World Class in the Role. Few players have Role++
- Out of Position – Simplified version of the Role
As an example we will use Vinicius Jr:
- LW – Winger = Role (Winger)
- ST – Poacher = Role+ (Poacher+)
- LW – Inside Forward = Role++ (Inside Forward++)
- CDM – Holding = Out of Position (!Holding)
As you can see, Vinicius Junior has a base role he can play (LW – Winger) and he is more accomplished as a ST – Poacher, however he is world Class in the LW – Inside Forward role. Just don’t try and play him CDM.
So how will this affect how players play in game, essentially this will determine the players work rate in that position, therefore if you have players out of position they will not be as active as those who are in position.
Team Tactics
Team Tactics is an addition to the custom tactics settings that were available in previous years, there are a few key features:
- Presets – Quickly set up tactics, these tactics are inspired by real life clubs and manager styles
- Settings – Similar to previous years you can change the Build Up Style and Defensive approach of your Team Tactic
- Summary – This provides a dynamic feedback of the strengths and weakness of your tactic
- With Ball/Without – You are able to see how your team moves with and without the ball
Custom Tactics
You can create and manage up to five fully custom tactics that are independent of each other, this allows you to edit/activate/rename/duplicate and delete any tactics that you create.
Each tactic also generates a unique code in which you can share with your friends, making it easier than ever to share your custom tactics. This code is universal and works for any version of FC25.
Smart Tactics
Smart Tactics is an improvement to the ‘D Pad’ Tactics that have been available in previous years, this allows you to do much more in game, reducing the need to pause the game. Here are some of the new smart tactic features:
- My Tactics – Change to any one of your created tactics
- Tactical Focus – Change to an Attacking or Defending focus, or even back to the Default choice
- Quick Tactics – Active Team Press, Offside Trap, Overload Ball Side and Get in the Box
- Tactical Suggestions – The game will suggest tactics based on what is happening in game
- Substitutions – Make quick substations (3 options available)
As you can see, FC IQ represents a major overhaul in how you will set up your team in FC 25. With numerous new features and customization options, you will be able to make your team feel and play uniquely according to your style.
