Gamesmanship
Better actionChecked
In one sentence
He goes down from tackles that only graze him: the trip distance to the tackler's foot is 11 cm instead of 7 cm. The referee then judges the fall like any other.
Who does this affect?
Both: the trip check is part of the physics, so it works whether you or the CPU control him.
How it works
Every player can be tripped by a tackling opponent's foot. Gamesmanship widens that trip check from 7 cm to 11 cm, so near-miss tackles bring him down more often, and the tackler is recorded as the cause. The referee's foul decision reads no skills and no stats, so a fall is not automatically a foul. The wider trip check is switched off inside the penalty area he is attacking.
When it applies
- An opponent is tackling him. Against a CPU-controlled team only a sliding tackle counts; against a human opponent, any tackle that player starts with a button.
- The tackler is within 1.5 m, and he is not facing almost straight away from the tackler (less than 157.5° off).
- Either of the tackler's feet comes within 11 cm of his leg (7 cm without the skill).
- Not inside the penalty area he is attacking.
- With or without the ball: the code does not check who has it.
- The ball is in play and he is not already falling.
Without it
He only goes down when the tackler's foot comes within 7 cm of his leg.
Common questions
Does the referee give more fouls to a Gamesmanship player?
Short answerPartly
Only indirectly: he falls from more near-miss tackles, and each fall is judged by the same rules as anyone else's.
Does it help to win penalties?
Short answerNo
The wider trip check is switched off inside the penalty area he is attacking.
Does it only work with the ball?
Short answerNo
The code does not check possession, but it only reacts to tackles, and tackles are mostly aimed at the ball carrier.
Do Balance or Physical Contact change how easily he goes down here?
Short answerNo
The trip check compares foot distances only; no stat is read.
Does it make him dive without contact?
Short answerNo
The tackler's foot still has to come within 11 cm of his leg.
Not yet confirmed
- That the body point used for the trip check is his foot or lower leg.
- That the check for 'a tackle the human opponent started' is what the code flag means (it is set by tackle actions of a user-controlled player).
- A CPU rating that adds 30 points for Gamesmanship (and 30 for one dribbling skill) on top of a Dribbling / Ball Control / Tight Possession score was found, but where the CPU uses that rating was not traced.
The maths
ConditionOnly against tackles: a CPU player's slide, or a tackle a human opponent starts with a button. Ordinary body contact does not use this check.
ConditionSwitched off inside the penalty area he is attacking, so it cannot win cheap penalties.
Detail7 cm to 11 cm is about 57 % more distance, which is about 2.5 times the area around his leg.
DetailA fall is not automatically a foul. The referee scores the tackle from its angle, the speed difference and the tackle type, and blows only when that score is high enough. Skills and stats are not part of it.
DetailSmall extras: a different injury roll animation, and walking toward a player after the whistle.
DetailNot used by this skill: Balance — the trip check only measures the distance to the tackler's foot.; Physical Contact — not read by the trip check or by the referee's decision.; Dribbling, Ball Control, Tight Possession — not read by the trip check.