When PES 6 decides to script a match, it has one of three choices to make:
- A: Affect the performance of the player’s team (strengthening or weakening them),
- B: Affect the performance of the Computer’s team, or
- C: Affect both.
It often chooses C in your first year, but I’ve seen instances of B as well this season. No A yet, but that’s to be expected, as that doesn’t come until later seasons.
For the record, I heartily support B. Opposing teams should play over their heads from time to time, and especially if they are playing for something meaningful. C’est la vie, as Ettori would say. The duel between the #5 and #6 teams in a first division ought to be a dogfight. I do think, however, that A, while perhaps “realistic,” is cruel. It’s a videogame, for fuck’s sake, and I expect to be able to play it a certain way. Player form is fine and dandy, but this team-wide nerfing is extremely brutal when you’re already playing with the Worst Players In The Game.
When the COM does decide to affect (inflict?) your team, here are the following ways in which it executes its “momentum”:
- 1: Weakening your players, making them extremely susceptible to contact. A weakened player will stumble through a full second animation cycle at the slightest touch.
- 2: Slowing the response times of the players, making the game feel like it’s being played through molasses. This one is painful, and the most obvious to me. The same team of Donkeys that moved normally just one minute ago in real-time are now reeeeealy slow to react to my commands.
- 3: Slowing the pace of the players.
- 4: Slowing the pace of the players’ passing.
- 5: All of the above
I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that for our final game, the computer chose a C-5 Script for my Fighting Defaults.
