Interfering With Play 11/12/07
Posted by Dan Bolas in Interfering With Play on Tue 11 Dec
Welcome to this week’s Interfering With Play. I would like to start off by saying a quick thank you to everyone who has been in touch with their thoughts and ideas for the letter I am planning to send to Seabass in the early months of 2009. I was fully aware that PESGaming.com had a large UK fan base, but was both surprised and delighted with the geographical boundaries both PESGaming.com and Interfering With Play is reaching. The points that have been raised will all be taken into full consideration, and the most popular ones will be spoke about in the first few articles of 2008. Please feel free to continue to e-mail your suggestions or comments about PES2009 to me, as I will still be taking everything on board in the next few weeks.
Radio Edit
The response to my previous editing posts have been underwhelming, and therefore and going to give one final opportunity for people to get involved in a website that is currently in its very early planning stages. I am looking to create a site that will feature tutorials, diagrams and even pieces of software to aid with editing PES2008, mainly on the next generation consoles. There is no denying the editing tools on this version of Pro are unacceptable, however, I am in the frame of mind to make the best of what is available and am looking for people to help with squad lists, shirt details and the latest comings and goings of players from all the teams involved on the game, including international squads. Any work done will be credited directly to the contributor, and unlike a forum or message board, submissions will be checked for authenticity and realism. My e-mail address can be found at the bottom of this article and as always, I am available on MSN Messenger using the same address.
Ron Bassett: England Manager
With Jose Mourinho ‘out of the running’ to become the next England manager, and at the time of writing Capello being tipped to take over ‘the poisoned chalice’ I’d like to take this opportunity to reflect on my own personal feelings regarding International football, with the option of PESGaming.com’s loyal visitors to do the same via comments or e-mails. It has been spoken before about club fans wanting the best for their club ahead of the national side, and I can understand this point. Die-hard fans follow their club all over the land, spending hours on motorways and thousands on tickets and merchandise. They want the best for their team, and seeing their star striker going off in an International game is a real kick in the teeth, knowing that it will effect the fortunes of their beloved club. Of course for these seven or eight clubs who provide most of the England squad, there are another 80+ professional sides in the English Football League that have no players involved, and their fans are therefore expectant of these top quality players to do the business for the one common denominator, the nation which we all live and work in. As a nation, England tends to jump on the bandwagon of supporting the underdog, for example the Rugby World Cup squad and Ricky Hatton, or being overcritical of a side that features some world class talents that fail to gel, in other words both the England Cricket and Football teams. The press make things twice as bad, stirring up controversy and trouble at every possible opportunity in a way of selling papers and in turn making money. Again, this is the world we live in, agreeably or not. My personal opinion is quite simple really; I want the best for my country, both sporting and in general. I have grown up watching a number of England sides come close, and fall at the last hurdle, Euro 96 being the prime example. I was very critical of McClaren because he wasn’t right for the job, and everyone with some basic football knowledge, my girlfriend included, could see that. But now, we have a fresh slate, a new chance and a real opportunity. We have no major tournament to prepare for; we have no managerial regime to stick to. It is a fresh start, and one that the F.A and everyone involved with English football, fans included should embrace. It will be easy to tar the new England manager with foreigner brush, or the inexperienced brush, or even the ‘never won anything’ brush, but I ask you all to get behind England for the next 12 months, because there is a World Cup to qualify for in 2010, and more than anything England NEED to be there.
No, Not Graham Poll
I have been speaking to Peter Willis, owner of this fine site, about the poll that you can find on the right hand side of this home page, which allows you to vote on various things in relation to both PES and this site in general. In upcoming weeks, we will be paying close attention to the results of this poll, starting with the one currently running as regards the letter being penned to Seabass in early 2008. If you are yet to fill in this poll, please take the time to click your preference, as it will give us a number of different avenues to go down when it comes down to writing the letter.
USB And The Headset
I have had quite a few comments and e-mails over the past month or so regarding the PS3 and the use of Keyboards and Headsets on the system. I apologise to all those X Box 360 gamers, as this section may be slightly redundant to you but I would like to put the subject to bed now, as opposed to having to answer several mails each week with the same answer. Sony have not released an ‘official’ USB Keyboard or Headset for the PS3 at this time. However most USB Keyboard’s work perfectly fine with the system, and are the best way for either browsing the web or sending mails to other online gamers. I personally have a cheap £8.00 wired USB keyboard from PC World that is more than up to the job. Sony claim that all current Bluetooth headsets work with the PS3, so in other words if you have a Bluetooth headset for your phone, there is a good chance it will link to your PS3. There are a number of lists available online, stating which ones work best, but I have a Sony Ericsson one, and have found it to be both very clear and have excellent battery life. Sony issues a Jabra Headset when you purchase Warhawk, however, my experiences of this headset are it to be slightly crackly in sound, albeit may do as a cheap alternative. I have not tried any USB headsets, mainly as they cost more than the Bluetooth equivalent and are wired, but have it on good authority that they work to a satisfactory standard.
Hook, Online And Sinker
The online mode on PES2008 is far from acceptable. Poor connection levels, jittery game play and the ability to quit mid match are just some of the exceptionally annoying aspects of Konami’s unacceptable attempt at creating an online gaming community. EA Sports are striding forward in moon steps with their online modes and the PES options have stayed the same for at least 3 years of the series, which in an industry that moves forward to quickly, is far from acceptable. Having got into online gaming much more over the past 12 months, and played a number of different titles online, there are definite features that need to be included in the next version of PES, as well as an outright more playable experience. Personally, I have mates away at University, along with mates who work until all hours of the morning. I myself have unusual work hours and therefore it is highly unlikely we are all going to be in the same place at the time in order to complete a tournament or league. Surely the logical step, and one that was perfectly implemented in NBA2K7 is to create your own online leagues and tournaments, making them invitation only, and even select times and days when matches are allowed to take place, or when you are available to meet opponents. The shoddy menu system needs to be updated and the track record system needs to be more in depth. Again, I go to the example of NBA 2K7, but it is a game that Konami could learn so much from. By clicking on your opponents ‘VIP Data’ you can find out not only their win loss ratio, or their previous results, but their most commonly used shot types, how they tend to defend or attack, which players they score most of their points with and their general gaming tendencies, making planning as important as the actual in game action itself. For example, if I was playing someone whose preferred formation was to play a lone striker, I myself might for three at the back to offer a more attacking performance myself. Yes, it sounds simple, and yes it might take time to implant, but there are games on the market doing it, so why should Konami and PES not follow suit. Your suggestions for possible online additions that you have experienced in other titles would be most welcome.
And with that little rant I am drawing this week’s Interfering With Play to a close. Your suggestions and opinions for the Seabass letter regarding PES2009 are still very welcome, in particular with options for the online mode being focused on. The e-mail address as always is danbolas@hotmail.com and anyone with any interest in the editing website should contact me there, or alternatively add me to msn on the same address. Please take the time to fill in the poll if you haven’t already done so, and check back regularly for any poll updates that need your results to keep us ticking.
Thanks for Reading
Interesting editorial as usual Dan.
Yep a pretty good one and thanks for answering my query about the USB keyboards.
I’m frustrated though that the FA won’t tolerate playing in a home nations cup. Seems rediculous to me unless they are scared we’d get beat by the other nations!
I still think Mourinho or Martin O’Neill were the best choices for the job but am glad they’ve both pulled out the running, not least because the British press are complete w*nkers and concentrate more or making up stories about people than documenting how they might actually help the national team issue.
SUPERB EDITORIAL DAN…..Well done chap!!!
Please lets get this online lagging issue sorted. With some games its fine, but some its crazy.
dan bolas can lick my bolox!
Great editorial again. I am really looking forward to the draft of the letter that you will send to Konami. I seriously hope that they will take the letter seriously in order to improve the next release(s) of PES like the fans would like to see it being improved.
I really hope that they will improve the PES series on the next gen consoles if it that means that they no longer will support the PS2 on the next release, that would be an acceptable decision for me (I play PES on the PS2 myself).
Great one Danny boy…
I have refrained from purchasing pro evo 2008 as i am an online player. The pes6 model is much more suited for the job. So i ask why is there very few online players around on pes6. Also does anyone get annoyed with the difference in the speed of gameplay in the 2008 version? its not a race, football is a game of tactical play not a horse race.
should i purchase 2008???
how for now
Same as Dyme really (did I play you on Saturday night??), bought every pes so far but not going to buy 2008, with all the negative reviews and the poor online play is it worth it?
I’m still fairly new to the pes6 online experience but the lag issue can be really annoying, losing connection with the other players is also a pain in the arse!
Can you tell how good your own connection is?? I know next to the other players there is a box with 2 or 3 vertical lines in, I guess the more vertical lines the better?? If the box has a diagonal line through is that bad?? Cannot see anything in the manual.
Cheers.
Does anyone know where PES 08 on Xbox 360 might be £20 still?? My mate is after it
got them on play for £24.99
meggymonster i think i did play you, but i guess i won as usual. lol
if u see me online its battle time!! by the way you cannot see youre net connection as you can see other users. i guess you just have to rely on the honest onlne players tellin you your connection, seebass should have taken this in to account.
konami employ me ill work in exchange for pro online and skunk!! lol
CAN ANYONE HEL ME AS WELL?
PES6 – I Need Help Or Else
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I’ve made a chelsea 2000-01 squad and I acciendtially deleted Eidur Gudjohnsen. Could someone post stats, hair, what he looks like etc. I also need that for older players like Jesper Gronkjaer, emerson thome, Pannuci, ambrosetti, Most importantly I need they way they look. And you’ve Eidur Gudjohnsens details, way he looks right in front of you on pes6 and some details for older players.
Please I really need this you don’t know how much so can you just have a quick look on pes 6 to see how gudjohnsen looks like and some older pes games to see what the other players look like.
please, please, pleeeeeeeeease. Don’t ignore this thread and move on help me and I’ll add it to youre rep.
Thanks dyme!! I think you did win, I go through spells where I do really well, score a few goals etc. and then turn rubbish for the next 5-10 games and struggle to score!!!
I’ll probably be online tonight 8pm-10.30pm ish if you fancy a battle!!
Cheers.