There has been a bit of chatter around some of PES2012 threads so thought I may as well get the ball rolling.
Rules are simple:
1) Post your availability to play (e.g I'll be on PES2012 from 8pm GMT)
2) a: Wait for someone to challenge you and b: Marquee teams such as Barcelona, Real Madrid, AC Milan etc can NOT be used. Mid-range teams only please.
3) The challenger sets up the lobby.
4) Record your results in the thread.
Questions?
If it's going to be a league with one team per participant, then I'm playing with Boca Juniors.
The following club teams are considered Top Teams in terms of player statistics and therefore not permitted in the competition.
FC Barcelona
Real Madrid CF
Sevilla FC
Arsenal
Chelsea
Manchester City
Manchester United
Tottenham Hotspur
Olympique Lyonnais
Paris Saint-Germain FC
Internazionale
Juventus
A.C. Milan
F.C. Bayern München
Not to be controversial, but Tottenham? It's a top side, yes, but surely cannot be as otherworldly as Barcelona and Real Madrid usually are on PES.
I don't have a problem with banning all those teams you mentioned, but in my opinion, teams like Tottenham, PSG, Olympique Lyon, Sevilla, and perhaps Arsenal, could be interesting.
It's teams like Barcelona, Real Madrid, AC Milan, etc, that would really fuck the balance of the league.
I think some of the teams you put on that list should not be included on that list. Teams like Spurs, Lyon, Sevilla should be allowed. Like I say, we should go off the overall stats of the team, not the stats of the players within the team.
I don't think random select should be an option. Yes, it's alright between a few mates when you're just playing for laughs, but not in something like this. Especially when you have very competitive people wanting to play (including me), you don't want to give a people a reason to give excuses over losing. Like "oh, he got Atl. Madrid, and I only got Swansea, that's unfair". If a player CHOOSES to pick Swansea, then fair do's. Like I said, you should be allowed to pick ANY team under the attribute cap. You can change each match should you wish.
OR we do another method. After getting a final list of players, we pick a corresponding amount of teams, with similar overall stats. Then each game round, you're randomly assigned a team to be. That way, you're not just picking a team that you know you're good with, and there is more emphasis on skill, whilst still remaining fair. So it's like a combo of my suggestion and yours. It would require the most effort for the game overseers, but I think it's the fairest option.
I agree about the random team selection, I think it is good for a laugh with mates or for short competitions, but perhaps not the best idea for a long competition with (probably) competitive people who will take it more serious than the usual game at your friend's house.
Personally, I would prefer it if everyone picked only one team that they feel comfortable with (excluding Barcelona, Real Madrid, etc, etc) and play the season with that one team; I mean, you can pick any team you want when playing random online matches, why do the same thing in what should be a LEAGUE?
I would prefer to play with different teams when playing outside the league, which could be done quite easily; but when playing the league, it's difficult to view it as a league when certain people choose different teams for every fixture.
As for your other point, honestly, I fail to grasp the point of taking people out of their comfort zone in order to test their skills; isn't it more challenging to beat your opponent when they play with a team that you know they are good with?
Rather than skill alone, I think preference and comfort are far more important when playing a league; why should people be forced into playing with teams that they are not familiar with?
I just don't see the point of it, some people will be better with some teams and other people will be better with other teams, it's not only a matter of skill, but also a matter of individuality.
Another factor to consider is, PES12 is quite intricate, and by that I mean that in order to grasp all the little yet relevant differences between teams, it will require significant playing time; a lot of people will probably only have time for three or five games per day, definitely not enough time to familiarize with all the details.
Therefore, I think enforcing random team selection would be UNFAIR for people whom are good at the game but don't have the time to play with many different teams. It's cool if done by choice, but enforcing it would be unfair in my opinion.
Needless to say, I do not agree with the notion that random team selection would make the league more competitive; I mean, would forcing a slow player into running faster and faster make him more competitive? or would it just end up alienating him?
I think people playing with teams that they are familiar with, is much more competitive than random team selection; I think that random team selection is competitive for all the wrong reasons. Again, random team selection, I think is cool if done by choice, but enforcing it would be unfair in my opinion.
On a side note....
I also thought it would be cool (albeit very geeky) to post videos of the games, as this way your next opponent can see how you play and make adjustments before the match (which could save time).
With all due respect Sminky, I think random select is a shit idea. It's alright between friends, but with folk like Amateur and 777 playing (if they sign up), it could easily lead to arguments. You know, if 777 gets Norwich, Amateur is randomly given... I dunno, Roma. Amateur then gloats a bit, 777 gets annoyed.... it all escalates. Also, I don't think YOU should be the sole person to decide what teams are omitted, it should be colaborative.
Best of 3 may be a good idea, but I like the thought of having a proper league schedule, with home and away fixtures.
I think we need to slow down a bit anyway. Give it a good month or so until the start date. Give everyone a chance to get used to the game etc. There's no rush.
EDIT: If you want folk to pick shit teams occasionally, we could vary the attribute cap each week, maybe?
Fully agree with the exception of describing random team selection as a shit idea, I think it's pretty cool for short tournaments, but I think it's a shit idea for long tournaments, due to the reasons that you explained... and it's not only people like myself and 777, I think most people would be annoyed by the RANDOM/UNFAIR advantage that one person would gain over the other, and I think it would ultimately alienate a lot of people.
As for taking it slow.... if it's one fixture per week, then I think the league should be started as quickly as we have a decent number of participants (hopefully something between 10 to 20); one fixture per week will give you plenty of time to practice.