To me, most of the suggestions in this thread, I don't see the point of it.
What URGENTLY needs fixing for PES12?
It is impossible to urgently fix a core flaw that has been around since PES ever existed. You can fix or improve the player switching but the game will still be utter shit.
Of course, some people think the game is very good, and that improving or fixing the "dumb" AI and the player switching, will fix the most glaring flaws of PES11.
That's cool, everyone is entitled to an opinion; but let us not forget the fact, that the game would still be the same old pre-determined rubbish that it has always been and still is, because player switching and "smarter" AI will not actually fix the core flaws.
I want a better game, not a prettier game with zero substance at its core.
So considering the mentioned fact, and considering opinions, if you asked me what URGENTLY needs fixing for PES12? I think everything should be URGENTLY dumped.... the sooner they replace the Famicom foundation, the better.
PES11 revolves around the same old Famicom Formula, which means that the game revolves around COM dictated circumstances: SCRIPTING is the problem....
And you cannot fix the mentioned problem, by improving the player switching nor by improving the off-the-ball movement, and certainly not by making it easier to run past a defender.
So, whilst some people think it is unacceptable that according to them the AI was better in the PS2 versions; I think it is unacceptable that in year 2010 the video game still revolves around the same old concept of reacting to pre-determined circumstances which are determined and dictated by the COM.
I do not care about player switching, I do not care about the players not doing what I expect from them (like in the PS2 games) -- I am far more outraged by the overall stupidity of the concept.
I can cover spaces of over 50 feet of distance by simply directing the left analogue stick without the assistance of a sprint button: that is stupid.
The sprint button will not function without the assistance of the left analogue stick: stupid.
When defending, the sprint button and left analogue stick directions are actually not affected by the movement and position of the ball: stupidity at its finest.
It has always been stupid, but the new passing system takes it to an entirely new level of stupidity.
Scripting has always been an essential aspect of PES because the speed of the game and the off-the-ball movement is completely automatic; this is why we have automatic game-speed settings such as -1 and +1, because the game-speed is rigid and automatic and cannot be affected nor dictated by the USER.
The USER has zero control over that, because the game-speed has always been and still is, fully automatic and COM dictated.
Considering the mentioned fact, the argument about scripted gameplay and stupid AI is just very redundant, the scripting has always been an essential part of PES; and certainly, it has always been very dumb and stupid.
The difference between now and then, is that the new passing system has exposed the core flaws more than it should have been allowed.
PES11 would still be utter sit, even with the "smartest" AI in the world, because the concept is insubstantial, non-structured, inconsistent, superficial, unreliable, automatic, pre-determined, scripted, outdated, restrictive; tweaking the AI without actually replacing the outdated foundation which supports all the areas of the game, is a waste of time and a waste of money.
If Konami "fixes" the popular and obvious "flaws", then the people who complained about "dumb" AI will now complain about the game being too easy and too repetitive and predictable.
PES5 was the game that showed a lot of potential, it was very automatic and very scripted and very flawed; but you could see that the player individuality concept, could evolve into a great game.
Unfortunately, after PES5, Konami has simply tweaked the game: PES6, PES08, PES09, PES10, PES11. There is a very fine line between using the STATS to your advantage, and the STATS actually doing the job on their own.
The STATS did the job on their own in PES5, but you could see it could evolve into something great; unfortunately, in PES11 the STATS still work the same way, automatically, scripted, pre-determined.
The left analogue stick, essentially, revolves around the same automatic concept; which is why you can easily play PES5 and FIFA09 and PES11, with no problem, because it's so easy to adapt, because the games are so very similar.
Adding a more manual passing system to the Famicom Formula was not a good idea; FIFA10, FIFA11, PES11, are amongst the easiest and dumbest video games I have ever played.
Yet we have know-it-alls who believe that player switching and dumb AI is ruining the game.... and that with a few tweaks here and there, the game will be great.
That's their opinion, the only thing I can say about it, is that they are moaning about by-products which need to be there and have not been fixed and will not be fixed.
For my part, my problem with the game is the fact that I am always reacting to COM dictated circumstances; I do not want to react to COM dictated circumstances in year 2010, I already experienced that with PES5 and all the games that followed: I am not entertained by the same trick anymore....
The trick has gotten old over the years, now I want a video game that revolves around the idea of USER dictated circumstances; I want to dictate the circumstances and also react to the circumstances that are a product of both the team in possession and the team without possession.
Simply put, the USER is always passing the ball to a COM dictated target, if the USER could control the speed of the mentioned target: then nobody would be complaining about scripted gameplay.
But unfortunately, PES and FIFA do not work like that, the concept is very outdated and insubstantial, the game is not determined nor dictated by the position and movement of the ball; instead, the game is pre-determined by the COM, the position and movement of the ball having no effect on the pre-determined circumstances which are dictated by the COM.
The COM dictates the circumstances or the "script", the "script" is determined by the position and movement of the targets or dots at which the USER passes the ball, the position and movement of the ball having zero effect on the pre-determined script which is always dictated by the COM.
This is why build up play is in fact an illusion, because the script is not dependent nor determined by the movement and position of the ball, and consequently, it means that build up play will be nonexistent because the USER never actually builds anything; the USER simply reacts to COM dictated circumstances all the time, which is why it is so easy to break through to the last third of the pitch.
Build up play cannot exist in a video game where the positioning of the players and the buttons/controls are not affected nor determined by the movement and position of the ball.
What URGENTLY needs fixing for PES 2012?
Everything, Konami should replace the Famicom Foundation which is still being used in year 2010, the game-speed should be dictated by the USER, not by the COM.
As simple as that, in the same way Konami replaced the concept of passing the ball by adding a power bar, they could and should replace the foundation.
If Konami does this, they actually fix the flaw, because the script would actually be USER dictated.... Who the hell would complain about scripted gameplay when it is you whom is dictating the script?
If I could hold the L2 button + tap the (x) button, and by doing that the left wing back started running forwards through the left flank; and after the initial tap on the (x) button, the pressure sensitive L2 button worked to determine the speed at which the selected target (in this case, left wing back) runs or moves through the left flank.
The fact that I could hold and press the pressure sensitive L2 button in order to manually determine the speed at which the selected target moves through the left flank; and the fact that after the initial touch on the (x) button, I can hold the L2 button whilst at the same time using any of the four face buttons, without the L2 button affecting the original function of the four face buttons.
If I could do that in PES11, that would solve a lot of problems, because how can I possibly moan about scripted gameplay when I am in control of the script?
But to argue about, good scripting vs bad scripting, is redundant; the game is still COM dictated, pre-determined by the COM, always has been and still is.
I fail to see how "fixing" some of the popular and obvious "flaws" would make the experience any better; if you don't replace the concept/foundation and you continue tweaking different areas of the game, the core flaws will move from one area to another area.
So asking Konami to make the game a more bearable experience but without actually fixing the root of the problem, is a lousy suggestion, as far as I'm concerned. I want a better game, not a prettier game with zero substance at its core.
PES and FIFA are becoming easier and dumber with each passing year, seriously, both brands should move on from the Famicom Formula: it expired with PES5, became obvious with FIFA09, and every game since FIFA09 has been more evidence of what should be obvious by now.
