Fifa 13 - Manger Mode improvments

EA Sports has announced a bunch of new features for Fifa 13. Key among them is the decision to add an international element to the game's in-depth Career mode. Whether you're taking part as a player or a manager, good performances may earn you an international call-up. For managers, that will mean abandoning your domestic side for a new life as a national coach.

"It's the number one fan request," says lead producer Dave Rutter. "We've been asked to put it in for years, but we've really been trying to address the fundamentals and make a really solid mode, before laying in other features on top. We feel we've done that now, so we're ready to add internationals."

Apparently, the sorts on international roles you're offered as a manager will depend on the prestige of your club achievements. Guide a modest side to League One victory, for example, and you may get a call from one of the, shall we say, less auspicious nations. Guide Liverpool to a treble-winning season, however, and you may attract the attention of one of the sides that really deserves to be in Fifa's top five international rankings. Or from England.

"The idea is that it's a bit of a meta-game, going on alongside the main game," says Rutter. "It has it's own set of screens and it's own commentary so it looks and feels very different, and obviously we're supporting the whole gamut of international tournaments."

The whole structure of the game also changes. "Obviously it then becomes about squad selection for whatever friendlies you've got lines up and then committing squad selections to tournaments. You'll be looking at players and figuring out who's on form rather than getting involved in the weekly grind of domestic football. It's quite different."

It looks as though there will be another way to try out a career in international football however. As announced at E3 2012, any experience points earned through Fifa 12's EA Sports Club online infrastructure will be accessible in Fifa 13, as all regular Fifa buyers will now have persistent identities within the series. And one option will be to spend XP on the international management or playing career of your choice.

Meanwhile, for those undertaking a player rather than manager career, EA Sports is adding to the range of match, club and season-based objectives. There will be more challenges on offer, revolving around tasks such as scoring a certain number of goals in a single match, or converting 50% of your passes in a season.

Objectives are also being added to the manager option, and to liven things up, there are also mid-season career swaps, so if you're performing well, a better club might come in for you before the year is complete.

To enhance the authenticity of the career element, inexperienced players and young virtual pros can now be sent out on loans from their chosen clubs. "It's another big fan request," says Rutter. "It allows you to pick up experience rather than sitting on the bench and having no fun."

For transfers, the concept of part-exchanges has been added, so if managers can't afford the players they want to buy in, they can offer cash, plus members of their own squad.

With more exiting feature this year Fifa 13 will be released in September