Haha

It can be very frustrating, this. I have dropped it down to Top Player from Superstar and coping a lot better.

Yeah, you end up with 70% of the fucking ball. The AI niggles like knocking you off the ball are still there too, so it's not ideal.

and 2v2 is being implemented tomorrow so that's my Friday nights sorted again.

The AI does cheat a little in this but I'm having a great time playing it.  Loving the game still.

Haven't tried Pro difficulty yet - I am coping on Top Player and winning a fair amount of matches.

Paul the sparky wrote:

So was I but it just grinds you down.  I doubt that there wil be any gameplay fixes loxdog, especially when most of the stuff I'm whinging about has been a feature of the game for years.

The excessive stumbling is quite a new thing, but I guess the defence AI going to pot due to a through-ball is fairly old. They do promise gameplay tweaks, but they are undisclosed at the minute. We shall see, roll on tomorrow!

it definately grinds you down, and as Paul says a lot of the issues have been in the game for a long time...
they might be able to fix the 'defender running away from through-ball' thing if that's a mistake in an AI routine, but stuff like stumbling and sticking to players is more an effect of the engine in general.
as for grinding me down, it seems like the game is actually getting worse (for doing nasty things) the more i play it, as if it starts off being generous to lure you in then after so many games turns up the dial on the sly routines!  following on from the my last tale of woe, the shenanigans have been continuing, with me failing to win in the next 3 games, the AI at times just bouncing through tackles and seemingly scoring with every shot now, and the late goals that were an 'exciting threat' early on are now practically guaranteed.

i haven't checked out the update yet, so it may surprise me and fix some of the issues, but if not i'm not sure how much more i can put up with before i have to give up the game or else risk becoming a desperate fan boy...

RamSteelwood wrote:

i thought i would go and check the opinions on the new update, but it appears the main one is that it breaks the game and konami have withdrawn it...

The new game update seems to have improved the shooting a little bit. That, or I'm imagining it. Had 3 games last night against the AI to see if I was annoyed, and I didn't notice anything in particular. The new widget thing seems like a great addition if you're looking to play local players (who, in theory, shouldn't be bellends). Looking forward to the data pack and starting ML...

I think it could be the end of the road for me and this game.  after faffing about getting the updates and datapack, going through a billion system messages, putting the transfers in place, joining a 'community' and then finding i still couldn't play online, i went back to Master League.
next up was Arsenal, and i got beat 1-0, but wait...it seemed fair.  i didn't feel like i'd been raped, just beat by a better team, even though it was tight...then next up was Man City, and i got beat 2-1, and it was a little annoying having taken the lead, but man city are a pretty decent team, so i didn't really feel i could complain too much and still nothing too obviously bad was happening.
then i played stoke, really in need of a win.  kick off, i go on the offensive, bit of pressure, stoke get ball, break down the wing, cross, bullet header, 1-0.  never mind, even more pressure from me, all over them, a shot hits underside of crossbar, bounces off the line and clear, another hits the bar and goes over...niggly tackles start impeding me unfairly...then stoke get the ball, a player runs right through my defence and sticks it in the corner, even with a defender supposedly trying to tackle right in front of him.  angry but not unbowed, i pile on the pressure again... stoke get a dodgy penalty which i save, then i'm denied a stonewall penalty...still putting on the pressure, then there's a little scrappy bit just in my half, 3 times i try to shift it with my defenders, 3 times they just bundle the ball over to the opposition instead, the final time resulting in a through ball and a clear run on goal for 3-0.  so i switched the PS3 off.  and that i think is the first time i've quit a game in master league ever.  and i'm not sure that i can be bothered to go back.

It's fine for me on Top Player.  It's so broken online though (for me anyway, I'm on 360).

Konami have a knack of pissing us all off.

That's a pity RamSteelwood.  

I am still waiting for the Data Pack 2 to hit XBL until I start a ML.  I've just been playing friendly matches and a CL campaign, and having a blast.

But yes, Konami have a habit of pissing of the guys who support the franchise.  Although this is the first one I've bought in a very long time so can't really comment on PES 2008-2012.

So DP2 is here and... I'm enjoying ML so far. Played 5/6 games, managed to get Vela on a free before the season started (playing as Sociedad, so I'm guessing he got put into "Free Agents" when the default players came into it) but you're given next to nothing to work with. Couple of decent young players to be had, but that's it so a lot of games to be played with the default players.

My solution to all of my issues with the game is to copy-pasta Napoli's 3-4-3 formation exactly. Will work much better once I've got a striker up front to bang the goals in rather than MINANDINHO the superstar.

RamSteelwood wrote:

yeah, but it doesn't seem the same when Minandinho is only 22 or whatever, he was always a fading legend in my PES player back stories...in the old days my ML plan was always to replace the aging players with young prospects that might improve, but now the entire team has an average age of about 20 to start with...and most of the better players are even younger and in the youth team! also, can you remember, was there an option to start with a proper 'custom' team or did you have to choose an existing team to play as?

You've got a point there, as the oldest ML default player is like 24. Don't know why they changed the names from Minanda to Minandinho etc. Lost something in doing that I feel...

I didn't notice whether you could play as a custom team to be honest, I'd guess *yes* but I don't know for certain.

Is Burchet done away with too? He was always in on the wing for me, terrible stamina but good for a quick turn of pace and a few assists from out wide.

Just snapped the disc in a fit of pure dejection. Tried a new master league as Barca, it's exactly the same game as playing as Newcastle. Completely dominant, can't score more than one, they break away and score.

If that wasn't inevitable enough, the way they scored was an absolute joke. One of their players runs between Puyol and Alves, has a shit touch so they both easily get in ahead of him. Cool beans I thought, until I remembered that as they're on my side, Puyol and Alves now play like The Chuckle Brothers and clatter into each other gifting the ball back to the AI striker. 

I've still got youth prospect Nouhei (or whatever random Countdown-esque collection of letters they call him) covering. In he slides, taking the ball then the man. The ref has a PES moment and points to the spot, giving Nououiehiouhiueohiuo a yellow despite him being the only player within fifteen yards and their striker being dead centre of goal. Madness.

I'm past the point of getting angry at it, so I sigh, finish the game, save and eject the disc to continue with XCOM. Before I put the disc back in its box I look at it and think to myself 'what's the fucking point?' and snap it in two before putting it where it belongs, the recycling bin.

Goodbye PES, we've had some good times, but you're now an irredeemable mess of a game that only exists to suck the fun out of football and videogames. Good riddance.

But then some poor mug will end up buying and playing it. I did the right thing for my fellow gamer.

Played co-op vs CPU. Even on Regular the AI was cheating. Million shots from Messi don't go in, keeper saves everything. AI hoofs the ball forward, their striker beats office trap and wallops one in. I'm taking about opposition like Nordjaelem or someone. 

What a shit game.