Hi Guys!
For all the Master League PES Heads I've been wanting to do a post for awhile now on Player Styles as well as "Inspire" feature ( remember that? lol )and how they effect the gameplay.
First off, there are a ton of great youtube pes tutorials out there to find but really check out the tutorial videos from NXH PES on youtube. He really helped me get better at different aspects of PES. For example, a lot of people have complained about crossing and headers over the last few months for 2020 and his tutorial really helped me and I score a lot more headers now especially with Haaland and Ibra in my 2020 ML.
The problem is Konami does a REALLY bad job of explaining their game. Using crossing/headers as an example, normal thinking is "I am going to aim my cross toward my intended target and tap the shot button when the ball is about to reach my target's head." But how the process of crossing and heading actually functions to get the highest success rate is not aiming with the left analog stick and also loading up the shot bar right after the cross leaves your player's foot. As explained by the video below. If I never saw this video, I would have thought crossing and heading was broken because I used to struggle big time!
The other thing I wanted to share with you guys is regards to play styles and how advanced instructions should be used situationally in a match. Here is one of the videos explaining the midfield play styles, their pros and cons, but more importantly the movements of the player. ( I couldn't find someone doing a console version, this is from the mobile game but the concepts/movement is the same for the console version of the game)
The reason I wanted to do a post about this is because I see a lot of players play the game with advanced instructions on the entire time. most of the advanced instructions take away the movements of your players play styles because the instructions are to literal.
Using my 2020 ML team as an example, my tactics are 4-2-3-1 long ball counter attack cause I have a front 3 that can run and dribble so why play possession when I have gazelles? Here is my starting midfield and strikers:
CF Haaland (Adv striker)
LMF Pulisic (roaming flank) AMF Odegaard (Creative playmaker) RWF Sancho (Prolific Winger)
Camavinga (Anchor man) De Jong (Orchestrator)
Each play style has different movements for the player. Sancho tends to stay wide and higher up the pitch and makes wide runs behind the LB. Pulisic as a LMF he gets back more defensively instead of as a winger and his roaming flank style he's tends to make diagonal runs inside between the opponents RB and CB. I am thinking of making Odegaard a hole player if I am going to stick with counters we'll see.
Camavinga sits in front of the back line to protect the midfield and De Jong as an orchestrator is the guy that pulls the strings. De Jong, with his high passing "Inspire" traits--I try to get him the ball to start counters as when he gets the ball my front 3 start making runs into space anticipating De Jong to him them long.
But De Jong stays in midfield and doesn't venture into or around the box. (Unless I send him directly on runs)
So when I come up against an opponent that sits deep in a low block and I need to play a more possession game to break them down, I bring on Foden who i trained to be box-to-box. Unlike De Jong, Foden makes runs into the box and combines with wingers and strikers. When I bring 40 yr old super sub Ibra on for Haaland, I change to a possession tactic, hold up play, allow for my fullbacks to overlap and get forward and whip in crosses to Ibra or have Ibra do combination with with my wingers cause Ibra can't run for shit ha so no use playing counter attack with him on the pitch.
Now for advanced instructions and how they play their part. Certain advanced instructions like tight marking or counter target or defensive can be useful to have on for a full match depending on what you are trying to do. But most advanced instructions should be used situationally because they override most of the goodness that pes has. And literally if i am being honest, the player ID, play styles, player skills are like the only real goodness and its this stuff that keeps me going back.
As I said in my previous post. Why put on attacking fullbacks if you have two fullbacks that have the offensive fullback play style? Makes no sense because that advanced instruction drops you DMF into the backline taking him completely out of the run of play.
Here is a classic situation of how I use the advanced instructions. I was down 0-1 to Newcastle in my 2020 ML. They reverted to a low block the rest of the match. Towards the end of the match I changed my tactics to possession but I was still struggling to break them down. So I brought on Ibra for Haaland who was getting gassed. I turned ON hug the touchline and centering targets. With players out wide I was able to get some overlaps and underlaps from my fullbacks and whip in crosses into the box hoping to connect with Ibra and before the final whistle i executed an overlap with Alexander-Arnold getting in behind and sending a near post cross that Ibra headed home! Finished 1-1 and it was a classic entertaining match of trying to find a way through against a stubborn opponent.
The problem is if I had centering targets and hug the touchline on the entire match, it would have negated a lot of the natural A.I. movements of my players play styles. This is something Robbye and I discussed awhile back which he agreed.
To wrap this up, think of play styles as puzzle pieces. You want to build a team where the pieces fit together for the tactics you are employing. Because I know my players play styles as well as their "Inspire" traits like the back of my hand and their movements, I can anticipate the runs that are going to happen and really create some great football. No complicated advanced instructions needed for a whole match, just playing football.
I promise you guys, take off advanced instructions, use them situationally, get to really really know your players play styles, skill traits, and their inspire traits! you put a good team together where these pieces fit and you can play some really good football the way you want to play and it just feels good. Thats why I keep coming back even with all the faults.
Anyway that's my rant I just wanted to share in case some of you don't know the depths of this stuff. All just completely changed the game for me and I get more enjoyment out of it now.
For all the Master League PES Heads I've been wanting to do a post for awhile now on Player Styles as well as "Inspire" feature ( remember that? lol )and how they effect the gameplay.
First off, there are a ton of great youtube pes tutorials out there to find but really check out the tutorial videos from NXH PES on youtube. He really helped me get better at different aspects of PES. For example, a lot of people have complained about crossing and headers over the last few months for 2020 and his tutorial really helped me and I score a lot more headers now especially with Haaland and Ibra in my 2020 ML.
The problem is Konami does a REALLY bad job of explaining their game. Using crossing/headers as an example, normal thinking is "I am going to aim my cross toward my intended target and tap the shot button when the ball is about to reach my target's head." But how the process of crossing and heading actually functions to get the highest success rate is not aiming with the left analog stick and also loading up the shot bar right after the cross leaves your player's foot. As explained by the video below. If I never saw this video, I would have thought crossing and heading was broken because I used to struggle big time!
The other thing I wanted to share with you guys is regards to play styles and how advanced instructions should be used situationally in a match. Here is one of the videos explaining the midfield play styles, their pros and cons, but more importantly the movements of the player. ( I couldn't find someone doing a console version, this is from the mobile game but the concepts/movement is the same for the console version of the game)
The reason I wanted to do a post about this is because I see a lot of players play the game with advanced instructions on the entire time. most of the advanced instructions take away the movements of your players play styles because the instructions are to literal.
Using my 2020 ML team as an example, my tactics are 4-2-3-1 long ball counter attack cause I have a front 3 that can run and dribble so why play possession when I have gazelles? Here is my starting midfield and strikers:
CF Haaland (Adv striker)
LMF Pulisic (roaming flank) AMF Odegaard (Creative playmaker) RWF Sancho (Prolific Winger)
Camavinga (Anchor man) De Jong (Orchestrator)
Each play style has different movements for the player. Sancho tends to stay wide and higher up the pitch and makes wide runs behind the LB. Pulisic as a LMF he gets back more defensively instead of as a winger and his roaming flank style he's tends to make diagonal runs inside between the opponents RB and CB. I am thinking of making Odegaard a hole player if I am going to stick with counters we'll see.
Camavinga sits in front of the back line to protect the midfield and De Jong as an orchestrator is the guy that pulls the strings. De Jong, with his high passing "Inspire" traits--I try to get him the ball to start counters as when he gets the ball my front 3 start making runs into space anticipating De Jong to him them long.
But De Jong stays in midfield and doesn't venture into or around the box. (Unless I send him directly on runs)
So when I come up against an opponent that sits deep in a low block and I need to play a more possession game to break them down, I bring on Foden who i trained to be box-to-box. Unlike De Jong, Foden makes runs into the box and combines with wingers and strikers. When I bring 40 yr old super sub Ibra on for Haaland, I change to a possession tactic, hold up play, allow for my fullbacks to overlap and get forward and whip in crosses to Ibra or have Ibra do combination with with my wingers cause Ibra can't run for shit ha so no use playing counter attack with him on the pitch.
Now for advanced instructions and how they play their part. Certain advanced instructions like tight marking or counter target or defensive can be useful to have on for a full match depending on what you are trying to do. But most advanced instructions should be used situationally because they override most of the goodness that pes has. And literally if i am being honest, the player ID, play styles, player skills are like the only real goodness and its this stuff that keeps me going back.
As I said in my previous post. Why put on attacking fullbacks if you have two fullbacks that have the offensive fullback play style? Makes no sense because that advanced instruction drops you DMF into the backline taking him completely out of the run of play.
Here is a classic situation of how I use the advanced instructions. I was down 0-1 to Newcastle in my 2020 ML. They reverted to a low block the rest of the match. Towards the end of the match I changed my tactics to possession but I was still struggling to break them down. So I brought on Ibra for Haaland who was getting gassed. I turned ON hug the touchline and centering targets. With players out wide I was able to get some overlaps and underlaps from my fullbacks and whip in crosses into the box hoping to connect with Ibra and before the final whistle i executed an overlap with Alexander-Arnold getting in behind and sending a near post cross that Ibra headed home! Finished 1-1 and it was a classic entertaining match of trying to find a way through against a stubborn opponent.
The problem is if I had centering targets and hug the touchline on the entire match, it would have negated a lot of the natural A.I. movements of my players play styles. This is something Robbye and I discussed awhile back which he agreed.
To wrap this up, think of play styles as puzzle pieces. You want to build a team where the pieces fit together for the tactics you are employing. Because I know my players play styles as well as their "Inspire" traits like the back of my hand and their movements, I can anticipate the runs that are going to happen and really create some great football. No complicated advanced instructions needed for a whole match, just playing football.
I promise you guys, take off advanced instructions, use them situationally, get to really really know your players play styles, skill traits, and their inspire traits! you put a good team together where these pieces fit and you can play some really good football the way you want to play and it just feels good. Thats why I keep coming back even with all the faults.
Anyway that's my rant I just wanted to share in case some of you don't know the depths of this stuff. All just completely changed the game for me and I get more enjoyment out of it now.