It might take longer than usual to get through the next few seasons. With work, and Uni work, and other games, and work on various special projects, I’m currently only managing two or three matches on PES2012 per day, on average. I usually play six or seven.
This all might continue for the next month or so. I can’t wait for the summer and for Open University, at least, to be over for the year.
I’ve stayed in the top 4 all season, but always a few points behind the leaders. It feels as if the title will be the tough one to get this season. I need to keep winning and just hope that the top two—Man Utd and Man City—slip up somewhere.
Here’s the table after 26 matches of the season:
I’m scoring fewer goals this season. One defeat and I could be out of contention.
I’ve avoided defeat recently by the skin of my teeth. I had two miracle draws against Liverpool and then against Aston Villa.
Liverpool have been easy meat in recent seasons, but confounded me by streaking into a 2-0 lead. I thought I’d blown the title race right there. But I pulled it back to 2-2 near the end, beginning with a lovely 30-yarder from Mancini. It’s the first goal in today’s mini-movie at the end of the post.
Next, the Villa—a proper superteam in my ML world, although they never win anything—repeated the trick, going 2-0 up and making me think I’d lost the lot. Again, though, I pulled it back to 2-2, this time with 15 minutes of the match remaining. I had a glorious chance to win it with Ronaldo late on, but in trying to make sure of my placement, dragged it too far wide.
Next up were the Arsenal. Yes, I was having a proper run of tough fixtures.
This game typified everything high and low in PES2012. I had a key player, my CB Nadal, sent off after 5 minutes for a last-man sliding tackle. It was a totally unjust sending-off: I got the ball.
Now I was playing with 10 men at Arsenal in a game I had to win, or at least not lose.
I suppose this mirrors the reality of real football, as we’ve seen recently, when the complexion of a massive match is drastically altered early on.
It turned out to be one of those classic PES matches. Arsenal could and should have scored, at least five times. They didn’t. My keeper played out of his skin, even getting a special mention from Beglin at half time.
The match wound on and on. I defended desperately. I was playing with one striker, Ronaldo, not the greatest at leading the line. A few chances were coming, but I wasn’t taking them. In my heart I’d accepted 0-0 as a good result.
I got a last-minute free kick and thought I’d just run the clock down. Then I spotted Barnes in a bit of space out wide and fed him the ball. What the hell, I thought, and sent over a cross.
I had two men in the box: Ronaldo, and pint-sized Farinos. I have no ideal what Farinos was doing up there from DMF. Ronaldo got something on the ball, as did an Arsenal defender. It dropped for Farinos at the back post, and I slotted the ball home.
GOAL! A precious, precious winner in the last seconds, having struggled with 10 men for 85 minutes. GOAL! A classic moment. I was cheering. And it was Farinos’ first goal, too. What an important one.
It’s matches like this one that make Master League what it is.
Today’s mini-movie features, in order:
- Mancini’s long-range strike against Liverpool. I love how it finds the inside panel of the side netting.
- A glimpse of Warzone 2100, which I’m playing through yet again, for the sixth or seventh time. Between this and Dwarf Fortress and everything else I’ve got going on, it’s a wonder I’m playing any PES2012 at all. WZ2100 is now an open source fan project available for PC, Mac, and Linux. It looks bloody excellent running at maximum resolution on my Mac. I’m already on mission 12, partying like it’s 1999.
- And finally a gorgeous placed left-foot shot from Ronaldo that smacks in off the woodwork.
Yes, I’ve had more than a few of “those” matches of late. Included in a mega PES session last night was a 3-3 at home to Newcastle who, having been 3-0 down to me at HT, somehow pegged me back in a must win game. It now looks like I will finish eighth again having had 14 draws with just three games to go. Am I right in saying eighth is often good enough for the Europa League?
I also lost the FA Cup semi-final 1-0 vs Liverpool despite totally dominating them.
I did get a very satisfactory 4-2 win at Villa to avenge some horrible matches they given me in ML.
John—so are you saying your version of “those” games were like mine, i.e. brilliant PES classics, or are you annoyed about them?
Finishing 8th will get you into Europa as long as results above you go the right way. Or it could just be an auto-qualify glitch thing, similar to the CL.
I mean I was subjected to the super AI override. I could do nothing to stop those three goals. Funnily enough the Villa win was similar but after Villa leveled having been 2 down at HT, it seemed like I was then “allowed” to play properly again.
Liverpool play Man Utd in the Cup Final so I think that means eighth gets the Europa spot as those teams are both top six already. European qualification was my goal for season eight so I’ll take that. It also means my house rule of a 23 man squad goes up to 25 due to the extra games.
John—ah I see. The old AI override. I never mentioned it in this post, so I thought when you said ‘Yes, I’ve had more than a few of “those” matches’ you were echoing my gush about the brilliant Arsenal game.
Sounds like you’re actually doing well for season 8. I get the impression your ability level is around my own, i.e. not being a super ‘leet’ player of this game and not wanting to be one, just enjoying the unfolding story of the league and progress within it.
NG – you were right about the pain to come. 1-1 at home to both Aston Villa (unlike others I’ve never had the Ireland waltz to worry about) and Swansea (yo-yo team, always beatable). In both games I was behind inside 10 mins and it wasn’t till 70+mins that I got an equaliser, even then they were nailed on, 5 yards out ie. CPU couldn’t write them off as woodwork/over/blinding save as he had the previous 60 odd mins. Never got a sniff of winning it and he also had one of my defenders sent off for one of those uncontrolled cursor shifts just as I slid tackled so it was an off the ball chop. I also lost 1-2 to Real Madrid at home but squeaked through on away goals, desperately playing out a game of keep ball in my own half for the last 15 mins – bloody nerve wracking but I didn’t trust him not to pull a last minute scandal. I’m off the top of the league to Man City and am even more sure that I’m sticking to Pro until I can contend with these kind of tricks.
uncle turf—the only surprising thing really is that the shenanigans took a session or two to manifest themselves after your session mirabilis. If there was time and the inclination I’d replay the dodgy-feeling matches over and over again, not to achieve a different result but just to see if the conditions that the game creates during them really are written in stone from the start. There’s a lot to be said for having an early feel of the ball in one of these dodgy games—but when the CPU kicks off first, good luck…
hi NG how does Saviola scrub up? he’s just come through the yoots and im alternating him and Di Viao.
ive got a good feeling about him…is he worth developing do you you think?
I played quite a lot of PES 2012 today, and I seemingly could not score. Every perfectly placed shot was blocked by insanely good keepers, even though I had crushed these teams in the first half of the season. I managed to seal Premier League victory though, and I will begin a default ML soon. I have experienced many of those games where you dominate but you don’t score, and then the AI makes the override play in the last 5 minutes and wins or ties. I really enjoy your blog, keep it up.
gramswagon—Saviola, my one at least (all our Youth players start on differing OVRs, I believe), turns out awesome. He has high accuracy in the box and you can really paint the corners with him. Last season he scored 20 goals in a squad that also had van Basten, Forlan, and Mancini. Only Forlan scored more. For the first season or so he’s very average and weak, but give him time.
Rillatoni—When PES2012 gets in that mood, it tends to make me drag my shots wide, as I’ve got used to over-aiming to hit the corners. No doubt in my mind at all that there’s a macro-script running at those times. ML has always managed the ebb and flow of such things.
NG/Gramswagon – can I add that at the same Jan regen time this season I got Saviola (it’s now March)I got a guy called Joao Tomas and JT has been a sensational last 20 mins substitute. I’m expecting really big things of him, sufficient for me to not worry if Saviola makes it.
NG – another few hard league games and an absolute stinker of a cup semi versus Wigan – only won in last 5 mins. The way I’ve decided to tackle some of the appalling incidents (mainly seems to be ludicrous misplaced passes, inability to clear the ball resulting in goals against and forwards just not in the right place when the ball is crossed in) is to do the unexepected; 5 attack starting each game, substituting forwards as soon as energy flags, attempting a lot of chip shots as soon as keeper is off line. Ribeiro currently can’t hit the proverbial cow’s so usual game plan is out the window. Mind I then got the most ridiculous sequence of Cup semi, international 2 days later (15 players), game the next day.
uncle turf—as well as the ludicrous misplaced passes, don’t forget the other classic in PES2012: the absurdly over/underhit pass that either goes out of play or straight to a CPU player. Or there’s your player’s heavy first touch that shins the ball to a CPU player. It goes on…
Ive retired from online play this year and returned to offline master league. And what a return! ITA my rb has won world player of the year
The cutscence that goes with it had me grinning like a fool. Ive failed to defend my title, with ten or so games left ive no hope of catching man city but the champions league is still on. And in terms of defensive midfielders no one compares to the man mountain that is heycory. He is turning in to my favourite pes player of all time, that left leg is just incredible. Anyone remember jurgen from ISS64? Same thing but with amazing stamina and built like the honey monster!
ng- That left foot finish from Ronaldo was a Bobby Dazzler! I hope you gave it a satisfactory “Oooooooh!” as it hit the angle and went in!
wtf is going on with my game… having described those tough 1-1s and squeaked results I faced Man U in the Champs Lge knock out and won the first leg at home….7-1. Now I normally beat Man U but usually no more than 2-0, often it’s 1-0. The difference between them and Wigan in the cup semi was absolute madness. Everything I tried went past de Gea. As nice as it is to score that many it really doesn’t feel right the way it is yo-yoing all over the place. I’m expecting the next league game will be rock hard and my cup final against Chelsea feels like it will be a last minute travesty. If it doesn’t settle I may have to try top player in post/pre season to see if it calms down. There’s no way I’m good enough to win anything on that but I think now my squad is good I may be stuck between levels.
When i smash it from distance with Heycory i like to make airplane noises. Not even ashamed to admit it. Not sure what the neighbours think but if they havent complained over the rockband sessions……
leory getz—I forgot to mention in my last post that my John Barnes came third in the World Player stakes. I’ll look forward to seeing that cutscene eventually.
My ML world’s Heycory should be retiring soon, 3 seasons max. I expect to be still playing PES2012 for a long time to come, and will keep an eye out for his fresh-faced Regen.
I get all excited about long range shooting too, probably why I try/score so many
Mike—Ronaldo is one player with whom I feel almost total confidence about shot placement in PES2012—a huge sticking point for me as you know. And I just love in-off-the-bar/post goals…
uncle turf—I think when you start getting regular inflated scorelines (even with a few harder games in between), it might be time to consider moving up a notch of difficulty. That 7-1, so close after a 10-0, suggests it might be time.
There’s a bit of chatter on the PES forums right now about Superstar on 15 minutes actually being superb. I’ll believe it if/when I get there of course. There’s a strong tendency for PES players to assume that every other PES player has the same skill level as themselves.
Why not give Top Player a try post-season and see how you go. I’m actually looking forward to going up myself, but it won’t be for a while.
Talking of long range goals, I scored quite possibly my best ever in any PES last night. It was the last goal in the last game of season 8 in a 3-1 win at Everton to clinch A Europa Cup spot.
I squared the ball into midfield and, taking it on around 40ish yards out was my sub Irjescu I re recalled the days when he used to pepper the goal with howitzers. I thought “What the hell…” He cracked the ball and it rocketed in off the bar, bouncing down into the side netting. I was off my seat with joy.
I’ve saved the replay. I’ll post it up later if anyone wants to see it.
Post away john. I have to say the sound effect for the ball hitting the bar is spot on in this pes. A glorious thunk, its so satisfying to hear it. As for dwarf fortress not greg, it truly is one of the greatest games ever. Shame its so damn tough to get into. I only wish a mainstream publisher would have the guts to publish something as amazing. These days it seems only the indie developers have what it takes to bring unique concepts to market. Give me dwarf fortress over the latest call of duty anyday. Have you played goblin camp?
John—yes, let’s see that Irjescu goal. He’s still one of the best long-rangers I’ve had in PES2012 and one of the many things I’ll remember from this year. I’ve got to see this 40-yarder from him.
leroy getz—I’m still a Dwarf Fortress noob. I’m only on my third fortress, currently trying one over 10-15 z-levels rather than all spread out over just a few z-levels like my very first (and still best) fortress. DF is the kind of game you need to set aside three hours to get into, and just play it for all that time, with a guide open, taking it all step by step. I heard of Goblin Camp back when it first started and thought ‘blatant ripoff’, but I just looked at the site and it’s taken some interesting turns, i.e. gone for a focus on citybuilding. Hmmm. No Mac version, it looks like, but I have Windows options.
Yeah goblin camp controls so much easier. If i win the lotto i will pay toady to bring a decent ui and control scheme to dwarf fortress lol. Its an astonishing piece of work for one guy. I adore any game that simulates interesting systems and the emergent stories they throw up. Pes master league, animal crossing, football manager, deus ex. I was so addicted to champ manager 01/02 that i had to take the disc and throw it in the bin. It was either that or divorce. Did anyone else here play it and if so who remembers Tonton Zola Moukoko? The greates champ manager player of all time!
Fraid I can’t agree with that – Serge Makofo and Fabio Paim were my greatest ever.
Ekdal, if anyone has signed him, has a belting shot in PES 2012, so does Kmou but he’s never in much of a position to use it for me.
NG – I’m sure if I go back through your posts I could find a solution but at the time I didn’t have the players – now I have, which buttons were you pressing to do your Hagi 30 yard curlers? shoot, then R2 or hold R2 shoot? I’m finding I am increasingly relying on chipping the better keepers as I just can’t master the longer range shooting.
Here’s that long-ranger, as promised…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3NzD4WKRqo&context=C4b4f468ADvjVQa1PpcFMqKnSgpnqipDAsfiJ-Te08CIOUnR6dHt0=
Excuse the novice production. This was taken on my TV in the shed!
leroy getz—afraid I missed out on CM01/02 first time around and didn’t join the fun until CM4, then straight onto FM2005.
uncle turf—there are no other buttons involved in long range shooting, just the trusty old shoot button itself, with judicious application of the left stick direction. Hagi’s string of 25+ yard curlers were all just shoot. The rest is supplied by PES’s famed player individuality (PES2012 is drenched with it).
Occasionally a tap of R1 to knock the ball into space. Never any R2 at all. I’ve only used R2 in recent years from closer range, 20 yards max. For the super-duper long-rangers (like John’s Irjescu belter above), it really is just the shoot button. Give it a go, with the right player in the right context of course. After a time your hands just ‘know’ when it’s on and when it’s not.
great goal john. Love that first touch of the ball to push it in front of irjescu. Anytime i knock it on like that im having a crack at goal
John—thanks for a tantalising glimpse of the shed, and that’s one of the best long-rangers I’ve seen all year, especially considering the player (a Default).
Looks like a 40-yarder to me. Love it. I’d have been going insane. I’d have written a week of posts just about that goal.
Have you got a side-on view from the original angle as well?
John – what a goal that is. Lawrenson might have called that a ‘shtoomer’.
is that what a shtoomer is? i dont know but it reminded me of Arie Haans goal against italy.
i think my sole life goal now is to have my own shed to play pes in. do you have a kettle/wine rack in there?
Thanks for the praise on the goal chaps. I was rather pleased with it. Glad I posted it up now. It’s not something I’ve ever done before.
Gramswagon – There’s plenty of room for a wine rack and kettle. I usually just take a cuppa out with me. I do love my shed. Of course officially it’s a “garden room” for the missus and our little boy. It just happens to have a PS2, PS3 and a load of Daddy’s PES games, football programmes and BHAFC mementos in there.
gramswagon—I really want a games shed too. In fact it almost hurts not to have one…
John—I’d still love to see a side-on view as well if you have one—? Your ‘garden room’ sounds like the ideal hidey-hole. Haven’t the last few nights been freezing, though?
NG – I’ll post one up later.
The shed is insulated and has heating – it’ll keep an gamer warm right down to their thumbs!
John—cheers, look forward to it, you get a proper sense of distance from the side-on view. Like I said, I think it’s a 40+ yarder, not a 30-yarder. Irjescu collects the ball when he’s still inside the centre circle. Don’t undersell the long-rangers!
Has anyone seen their coach inform them that due to extensive training a certain player has now aquired a new skill?
Also in the game plan screen, where you choose your starting lineup before a match, if you press select to bring up the help guide, theres a section that says ‘participation’ and the description says that it affects wether or not a player participates in training (changable only from the training menu) However, i’ve been through the training and player info screens and cannot see any way to omit a player from training. Any ideas?!!?
Paul—I’ve had the first thing, a coach announcement about a player acquiring a new skill, just the once. The second thing, though, baffles me. Never heard anything about possibly being able to withdraw players from training. Maybe it’s an automatic thing that the game takes care of depending on various factors. (I.e. like the skill acquisition.) I’ll take a look next time I’m in-game.
NG – i just asked because for the first time last night I saw my coach say that due to extensive training. DiVaio had aquired the step-on skill.
Also ive seen in my schedule notifications that such and such a player is tired, but never known how to give him days off, this points to there being a way but cannot see how to action it.
Paul—I just wait for the player(s) to moan about needing a rest, and then don’t play them for 1 match. That is the only way as far as I can tell. I will have a look-see next time I boot up the game though. You never know with Konami. Have you been following the current chatter on EvoWeb, particularly about the use of R2 on its own defensively? Amazingly, it works, performing a kind of ‘standing hook-tackle’ that has pretty much revolutionised my defending. R2 on its own, instead of X or Square. Try it.
NG – really no R2? – I maybe don’t quite have the creativity yet then, although I did get Ribeiro to do a sort of half-scissors the other day. Might try and be a bit more ambitious then if it’s purely a jedi feel the force type effort.
Shed – if I told the wife I was off to my shed with ‘some games and a few football programmes’ I suspect I’d get a raised eyebrow and her telling her mates I’ll go blind.
uncle turf—there’s no R2 involvement in long-range shooting whatsoever. I’ve certainly never used it. What gave you the impression that there was? R2 in a shooting context is the finesse button, enabling placement from close range. I’ve only ever spoken about R2 in that context on here. Long-range shooting is all about the shoot button alone.
Put out of your mind any notion that it’s in any way esoteric or requiring any special advanced techniques on your part. It’s quite brute-force in practice. Just get the ball in space with the right player (at least 80+ for shot power and accuracy) and unleash hell.
I have to say, though, that PES2012′s keepers have been patched up to a level where they seem to stop a far higher proportion of them than previous editions’ keepers.
NG – tbh I’ve always skimmed over the shooting comments because it was one of those conspiracy theory topics for some but mainly as I have always ‘Arsenalled’ and Ribeiro’d the ball into the net. I now find I want to try and vary things a bit as some of these dodgier games are seeing my usual routes mysteriously blocked by overhit passes or players simply not being there. I simply assumed a curler into the corner needed the finesse touch but I guess it’s skill of player and hitting it at the right time and place.
As for your/Paul’s training conversation – keen to know outcome of that supposed ‘resting’ option. As I am at 99 for 4 stats I now just get arrows down after every speed/technique session and I’d love to be able to raise individuals without the overall decline.
uncle turf—long-range is all about the laces. I once came across a good explanation/gloss of PES shooting on a forum. In real footy very few players can consciously aim for a corner from 25+ yards. At most they just aim in the general direction of the corner and hit it. PES long-ranging is much like that. My Mancini can side-foot from 25 yards naturally, without R2, but if you look at Friday’s 25-30 yarder from him, you’ll see it was a laces shot. Did you never shoot from distance even in old-school PES?
Frustratingly, I’ve been away from PES today due to some unavoidable other stuff I have to do, so I haven’t had the chance to root around in the training menus—if indeed there are any training menus…
NG – no, not really (older PES) – as I think I’ve mentioned before I’ve always gone with speed – both buying players and method of play – consequently a lot of my goals would be 1 on 1s (still have quite a high proportion hence using the chip shot a lot). I also used to get a lot from the edge of the box – DMF picking up corner clearances and the old change of direction to shoot into the opposite angle but never anything from 25 yards or more.
If there are training menus then they are amazingly hidden. I can’t see anything to make it individual – like you I simply drop someone fatigued or condition the lot of them.
uncle turf—I’ve learned the hard way that it’s best to always play the best team. So I only rest players who specifically ask for a rest. I play my best players no matter what, even if their fatigue bar is half-full following an International fixture. It’s the next game that they’ll ask to skip, and even then not always. Of about 8 players, say, who could be in need of a rest, at most 3 will ask for one.