Anyway, I've often thought about how the game could be improved, right since I started playing it back in the day.
Now I haven't had a chance to read through the whole thread, so if I reopeat some of the stuff that's already been said then apologies. But I reckon I've come up with a few suggestions which would benefit the game greatly.
First things first though. The one thing that has plagued the whole series of pro evo games since it's conception - tackling.
There are few things more enjoyable in a game than when you chase back a player from the middle of the park, and put a great sliding tackle on him to stop him in his tracks and put a counter attack in motion. But for some weird and unknown reason, the fellas at konami have never ever managed to get this very important aspect of the game right.
Now inconstency is one thing. I mean, you can't expect the decision to be the right one every single time without fail. But the way the evo game engine handles tackling is one of the mysteries of modern man.
Time after time you are punished for perfectly clean tackles, simply because they were from the side or behind an opponent. Now, in your head, you put this down to the fact that shit happens. I mean, you can expect the odd decision to go against the defender. But then you see a defender completely miss the ball by miles, and take out the player in possesion, with no consequence whatsoever.
Now this happens in football, so you can't complain too much. But the more you play it, the more you realise that it is not simply a case of inconsistency, but a pretty big game flaw. For some weird reason, you are much more likely to escape if you do not make any contact with the ball, than if you win the thing cleanly.
The fact that pro evo is so spectacular anyway despite such a problem is testament to just how good the rest of the game is.
Basically, the collision detection or whatever it is that determines what is and what isn't a foul needs to be built up a lot. There is simply no excuse for going into number 5, loading it up, playing half way through a 20 minute game, and saying to your mate: "they still haven't sorted the friggin tackling".
No excuse whatsoever.
Next thing I would like to see is a lot more control over your shots. And this is where I go back to the days of virtua soccer (is that what it was called?) where you could control the exact angle, dip, lift, and swerve of your shot. I thought it was fantastic, and gave the player complete control over the ball. Sending a shot into the top corner of the net after you knew you had put it there yourself was a joyus experience.
Now I don't think pro evolution could, or should, bring the exact same control mechanisms into play. But what is without doubt in my mind is that the one aspect of the game which is very much arcade as oppose to simulation is the shooting.
Ok, so you can choose which corner you want to aim for, and how high approximately you want it to go. But other than that you have control over very little else.
I think that this would not only go a long way to improving the realism and control of the game, but would settle a massive portion of the goalkeeping problems also.
Think about it. The goaly argument is always going to be there. Sometimes the keeper will pull of a save from a blinding angle which he should never have got to. And other times he will let one under his armpit which anyone should have caught.
But if each goalkeeper had a specific radius of how far he could dive, based on his jumping stat. And how likely he is to make contact with his hand if he gets there, based on his keeping skills stat, then you would have a clear idea of what you had to do to beat him. From long range at least. Then a rocket from someone like carlos which is an inch inside the post, is rewarded with a goal. Whilst one which is a mere couple of feet from the centre of the goal is duly gobbled up by a keeper of any quality.
And this is where the goalkeeping could also be improved.
There is no stat for catching, or a keeper's tendency to catch as oppose to punch. Yet this is one of the most important thing in goalkeeping.
In real life Some keepers flap at crosses which they should catch, whilst some keepers catch what others would drop. But in pro evo there seems to be very very little difference in style between one keeper and another.
I haven't got time to add to this, but there are a few other things to add.
Be back later.