I thought i would add my two cents to the whole Master League in PES2008 debate.
First here is my honest(and quick) opinion about the mode this year and every other before it.
It has no real management depth, just try and develop/Improve your squad and win all the trophies available by continually playing as the same team, but it is addictive, simple and fun.
I agree it needs overhauled and people want big changes, and we do need some changes, but i want it to retain its accessible and addictive qualities as a football VIDEOGAME. WE DON'T NEED TO HAVE AN ULTRA REALISTIC CAREER MODE, though a career mode is probably the way to go, But not an indentikit of FIFA's. I don't care about ticket pricing, sponsors, assigning midfield coaches, scouts etc.
Now, before i go on, I agree wholeheartedly that we were a somewhat conned with those screenshots showing interviews and fans in pubs and alike, But If they do anything they should try and evolve this idea. Here are my suggestions.
- interactive interviews with manager/players relative to runs of form for team and players, transfer listed players, wanted players, new signings, derby games and european games where response effects condition of players and fan support. it would be important that this was not something you had to do every week but would spice it up a bit.
- in Fight Night a rival mode was present. this could be incorporated into the game if say you had a heated encounter with another team in the league, or a team who you met in Europe the previous season.
- Non transfer listed players wanting away because another club is interested, or indeed, players wanting to join your team. This would again be incorporated into the interactive interview feature and negotiations.
- one of shots shows the fans in a pub watching a big screen. imagine this showing a replay of your winning goal in a heated derby, league decider or cup final(this was mentioned in PSM3 i should add) to add to the feeling of achievement
- clubs or countries showing an interest in you as a manager. you could nominate a country and preferred club at the start of master league who you cannot manage until you win X amount of league titles/cups. the ps2 version has Euro championship qualifiers and PES6 had the world cup qualifiers. why not have both in future versions implemented into master league/Career and as stand alone challenges. I should add this would not stop movement to other teams/countries in the meantime.
- I remember Sensible world of Soccer on the Amiga generating players based on those in the game(David Laudrup!). surely this is not impossible on the current-gen. you could even be offered to edit these players appearance,name and nationality if the game creates a few oddities (Goalkeeper Torsten Ronaldinho of Northern Ireland anyone)
- further to the generated players idea, your own team will generate these players also, but there attributes and growth is based on that of your team. Have ronaldinho in your team say, and the a striker generated has a better chance of quick development and by winning games a separate pool of development points is accrued that can be used on these individuals up to their early 20's. after that they develop like other players in your team which i touch on next.
- Slight change to player development. perhaps international call-ups could boost a development curve for a short while, whilst goals, clean sheets, passing accuracy, tackling stats accrued over a ten game period could also offer boosts. the development at the moment isn't knacked but some players are just destined to not make it which could do with being altered.
I could go on but i guess what i'm trying to say is that where FIFA tries to be a management sim like football/champ manager. PES should look to evolve(nice!) as an RPG like game, with the addictiveness of leveling up players and your own profile without all the unnecessary baggage of intense finance management and staffing issues which i think would just over complicate the whole experience.
Just an opinion. What do you guys think?
P.S. for all it's flaws it still plays better than FIFA this year, and note to KONAMI- DO NOT GET RID OF THE TEAM MANAGEMENT SCREEN PRE-GAME, all the stats for a player being on screen in one window and colour coded keeps everything simple and functional, which is all it needs to be. FIFA's is so garbage with its constant prompts to save and impossible stat viewing set-up, that you have to resort to looking at a players 'overall' stat to pick your team. Convoluted nonsense!!
First here is my honest(and quick) opinion about the mode this year and every other before it.
It has no real management depth, just try and develop/Improve your squad and win all the trophies available by continually playing as the same team, but it is addictive, simple and fun.
I agree it needs overhauled and people want big changes, and we do need some changes, but i want it to retain its accessible and addictive qualities as a football VIDEOGAME. WE DON'T NEED TO HAVE AN ULTRA REALISTIC CAREER MODE, though a career mode is probably the way to go, But not an indentikit of FIFA's. I don't care about ticket pricing, sponsors, assigning midfield coaches, scouts etc.
Now, before i go on, I agree wholeheartedly that we were a somewhat conned with those screenshots showing interviews and fans in pubs and alike, But If they do anything they should try and evolve this idea. Here are my suggestions.
- interactive interviews with manager/players relative to runs of form for team and players, transfer listed players, wanted players, new signings, derby games and european games where response effects condition of players and fan support. it would be important that this was not something you had to do every week but would spice it up a bit.
- in Fight Night a rival mode was present. this could be incorporated into the game if say you had a heated encounter with another team in the league, or a team who you met in Europe the previous season.
- Non transfer listed players wanting away because another club is interested, or indeed, players wanting to join your team. This would again be incorporated into the interactive interview feature and negotiations.
- one of shots shows the fans in a pub watching a big screen. imagine this showing a replay of your winning goal in a heated derby, league decider or cup final(this was mentioned in PSM3 i should add) to add to the feeling of achievement
- clubs or countries showing an interest in you as a manager. you could nominate a country and preferred club at the start of master league who you cannot manage until you win X amount of league titles/cups. the ps2 version has Euro championship qualifiers and PES6 had the world cup qualifiers. why not have both in future versions implemented into master league/Career and as stand alone challenges. I should add this would not stop movement to other teams/countries in the meantime.
- I remember Sensible world of Soccer on the Amiga generating players based on those in the game(David Laudrup!). surely this is not impossible on the current-gen. you could even be offered to edit these players appearance,name and nationality if the game creates a few oddities (Goalkeeper Torsten Ronaldinho of Northern Ireland anyone)
- further to the generated players idea, your own team will generate these players also, but there attributes and growth is based on that of your team. Have ronaldinho in your team say, and the a striker generated has a better chance of quick development and by winning games a separate pool of development points is accrued that can be used on these individuals up to their early 20's. after that they develop like other players in your team which i touch on next.
- Slight change to player development. perhaps international call-ups could boost a development curve for a short while, whilst goals, clean sheets, passing accuracy, tackling stats accrued over a ten game period could also offer boosts. the development at the moment isn't knacked but some players are just destined to not make it which could do with being altered.
I could go on but i guess what i'm trying to say is that where FIFA tries to be a management sim like football/champ manager. PES should look to evolve(nice!) as an RPG like game, with the addictiveness of leveling up players and your own profile without all the unnecessary baggage of intense finance management and staffing issues which i think would just over complicate the whole experience.
Just an opinion. What do you guys think?
P.S. for all it's flaws it still plays better than FIFA this year, and note to KONAMI- DO NOT GET RID OF THE TEAM MANAGEMENT SCREEN PRE-GAME, all the stats for a player being on screen in one window and colour coded keeps everything simple and functional, which is all it needs to be. FIFA's is so garbage with its constant prompts to save and impossible stat viewing set-up, that you have to resort to looking at a players 'overall' stat to pick your team. Convoluted nonsense!!
