The Master League adventures thread

[slamsoze]

Hi bro! Any news, How Is Manager Tanaka adapting to the English Championship??

Yo mate. Things are progressing, i am in December of 2023.

Things started in a typical ML way, in the first months i could not achieve a win, cause my team was tough handicapped!!

After 3 seasons in Paris, it was like i was playing PES 2021 for the first time in my life.

So by checking my content, in matchday 5, i am near the bottom with 2W-1D-2L and in the FA Cup, i eliminated hands down in the first round.

I will come back with the narrative, as soon as i gather my content.

My biggest issue until now, is to find the right music soundtrack for my videos dressing.

Cause i pretty sure, if i use EPL and EFL original anthems, YouTube will apply copyright claims into my arse..!!

 

[slamsoze]

Weirdly enough ,no saves left on my Xbox Pes 20.
Anyway played a few quick games.
First off all ,not playing this in 4k but on a gaming monitor =no yellow pitches ,they look pretty good.
And so far quite fun ,but then again ,ML could be a beast...

AFAIK , 4K or HDR enhancements, tend to make the game look shiter than usual. Don't know, maybe the implementation is poor optimized by KoNAMI...m

 

[rockstrongo]

AFAIK , 4K or HDR enhancements, tend to make the game look shiter than usual. Don't know, maybe the implementation is poor optimized by KoNAMI...m

Yeah I think this game looks better non 4k.
19 though ,looked very sharp in 4k.

 

[slamsoze]

Yeah I think this game looks better non 4k.
19 though ,looked very sharp in 4k.

Yeah, in my simple standard 1080p TV screen, 2019 looks better too.

Maybe it is that Enlighten engine that was used that year for lighting.

If i put down all most recent PES, 2019, 2020, 2021, same setup brightness/contrast, graphic wise , it looks like that movies trilogy, that the 1st one (2019) was the cinema blockbuster, while the other 2 (2020 and 2021) were the direct-to-video sequels. Same lighting philosophy but cheaper effects.

 

[rockstrongo]

Yeah, in my simple standard 1080p TV screen, 2019 looks better too.

Maybe it is that Enlighten engine that was used that year for lighting.

If i put down all most recent PES, 2019, 2020, 2021, same setup brightness/contrast, graphic wise , it looks like that movies trilogy, that the 1st one (2019) was the cinema blockbuster, while the other 2 (2020 and 2021) were the direct-to-video sequels. Same lighting philosophy but cheaper effects.

And efootball 2022 was the Russian home made version of the three first ones

 

[rockstrongo]

First of all ,didn't think I could have this much fun playing a modern Pes game.

I started a ML with Salernitana (with their shitty 2019 roster) on Pes 20.
Objective is staying up.
Since I haven't played Pes in a while ,probably a year and a half I played my first game on professional difficulty.

So ML Salernitana professional difficulty (for now TP later on) 20 min PA0 and basic shooting advanced through ball.

I think I have 3-4 players being 70+ ovr ,the rest mid 60s so it's going to be tough as hell.

First two games of the season is Lazio (merda) at home and AC Milan away.

Started off by going 2-0 down within the first 20 minutes , Immobile (merda) scored twice on me ,but I managed to sneak a goal in before halftime making it 1-2 after 45 min.




Second half was very open , Immobile (merda) got a third in the 55th minute ,think he had 6 touches and scored 3 .
I pushed my team up and created a lot the final 25 min and scored both 2-3 and 3-3 from a high cross and a deflection on a low pass in to the box.
Game ended 3-3 after Lazio went full attack the last 5 min and i just cleared the ball constantly.





I had a lot of fun playing this and hopefully it's going to stay that way ,missed playing a lot.
I'm most likely bumping up to TP within 5-6 games ,but the PA0 still offers a lot of challenge (and it's really rewarding too)

Could have had the winner in the 75th minute with this screamer.

Thanks for the encouragement @slamsoze

 

[rockstrongo]

*moved the post over here instead.

A tight game between me and host's AC Milan at San Siro.
Chances back and forth but no real 100% chance for either team ,I had a great opportunity in front of goal but had to finish it fast and GK Begovich got a hand to it.


The only goal came from a huge mistake from my GK ,Rebic was quick and made it 1-0 Milan.
Final result as well.


My two next games are Parma at home (must win that) and Cagliari away.
But with some Pes logic those two will probably be tough as hell

 

[rockstrongo]

So Parma at home was exactly what I thought it would be.
A totally horrible game ,had 3 shots all game ,once in position ,every pass went wrong.
Prime bad TS and scripting being very noticeable.
Lost 1-0

Cagliari away ,a better game but still lost 2-0

Then Napoli at home ,not a chance there ,lost 3-1.
Outplayed.

Table looking pretty bad.

Need to get my TS up real quickly or this season will be a disaster.
Still enjoying this though ,next up is Genoa away ,I need a point there ,must play very defensively.

 

[rockstrongo]

Serie A Genoa Salernitana.
Game 6.
After having 1 D and 4 L i need a result here ,W or even a D.

Game couldn't have started any worse.
Genoa 1-0 after 37 seconds.
Curtains!



I had to go all out defending not to concede a 2nd goal but fought my way back in to the game eventually.
1-1 came in the 41st minute.
After a hard low shot from the edge of the box.



Second half was more or less even but couldn't break down their defense properly and it ended 1-1.
Finally a point.


Might go up to TP for my next game since professional has always felt like playing in the mud so to speak
.
Double fixture in the cup Vs Udinese coming up.
Still in the bottom of Serie A (19th) but TS is starting to Improve (55->59)
Still very fun this

 

[millossobek]

Cause i pretty sure, if i use EPL and EFL original anthems, YouTube will apply copyright claims into my arse..!!

Man, youtube is tough when it comes to these copyrights! I just uploaded some videos of my ML, what I did was use one of their approved instrumental songs, some of them are pretty cool they have a pretty large library, for example I looked for "guitar rock" and there were some cool riffs. I've noticed you can also upload PES original music with no problem (Konami's in-house band)

 

[slamsoze]

Man, youtube is tough when it comes to these copyrights! I just uploaded some videos of my ML, what I did was use one of their approved instrumental songs, some of them are pretty cool they have a pretty large library, for example I looked for "guitar rock" and there were some cool riffs. I've noticed you can also upload PES original music with no problem (Konami's in-house band)

All those BGMs until PES 6 are completelly free of any copyright, as it make sense. After that, whatever you try from any PES, even some crazy house/jazz/funk riffs without lyrics, are copyrighted material!!!

I assume that era of 2007-2008, was the era that Youtube did the breakthtough, so it goes with the flow!!!
Thankfully Twitter seems to not have those issues, whatever i've uploaded, it went without problem!

In my ML save, last night i played one match in December of 2023, i am 2nd in EFL by now.... Took a screenshot to post here, but i fell asleep and forgot to upload it to Twitter... I'll post some material today.

The summary is, after 3 months of suffering (Sept,Oct, Nov) , now in December, despite the Team Spirit, my players started to running propely and not in mud effect, so team has some good shape now.

My ace player is the regen of Yohandry OROZCO, the Venezuelan from Deportes Tolima!!! I love to use that fast Colombian WFs or fast players from Colombian Liga!! I always realise that players from that league have some decent SPEED/Accel stats, especially the SMFs and the WF/SS, i love them!

Next post comes with screenshots by my League position and squad list, acompanied with a roster analysis!

 

[millossobek]

@slamsoze Very nice! I didn't know you liked them Colombian wingers!! Maybe I can make some suggestions, if you need a fast attacking Side Back (Lateral), you could also try Andrés ROMÁN from my Millos! By 2023 he probably has some nice stats! He will probably link up well with OROZCO and make a good combination! Check him out if he's available.

Can't wait to see your roster analysis, would love to read all about your player's styles! Keep going bro!

 

[rockstrongo]

Spezia away for my Salernitana.
This is a game i need to win , they're just above me in the table.

Had a hard time creating anything ,but went quite offensive the last 30 min to try and break the 0-0 deadlock.
And Calaio answered that in the 76th minute tapping in 1-0.

Now I just need to hang on for the win right?
Well TS/Tired players/players out of position had a different opinion.
Heartbreaker!




I really didn't want this as a result.
But I guess the results will come eventually.
After this game I had a stinker Vs Napoli losing 2-0 (with both my strikers out injured from the previous game.
I've bumped it up to TP PAO the last 3 games which plays a lot better than professional.

0-3-6 9 goals scored 20 conceded.
By far my toughest ML I've played.
Udinese (A) Fiorentina (H) are my next two games ,maybe I can scrape out a draw or two.
Still very much enjoying this challenge

 

[slamsoze]

So gathering some content. First comes first, my slow progressing 2020 save with HSV, after being motivated by @rockstrongo posts. It is not that i abanoded it, but i play more rare, due to more edits in 2021.

The league is Semi-fantasy, semi-Bundesliga, semi-RestOfEurope, semi-everything. AFter matchdays 24 and 25, two tough wins against Piemonte Calcio and Arsenal Club Sportive, 2 fantasy clubs, i am in better days now, the difficult days of the past are gone, i climbed in 7th position. Only first 5 spots award a CL/EL qualification, but it is better than nothing!




Won 2-3 against PIEMONTE CALCIO and 2-0 against ARSENAL CS. There was a bad period of 1 draw and 8 losses, there was a tough period that we were conceding like heck, but now teams started to pay back and finding some shape.

Also in typical Master League way, i cannnot for the name of god win Wolfsburg or Werder no matter what, they always shite on me.
Here is the defeat by Werder



On the other hand i won two times Bayern Munchen, and that was the reason they are still 2nd behind BvB! they have 0 Draws and 5 losses, 2 of 5 being against me!

The last two matches video!

 

[slamsoze]

As for my current run in 2021. Here is the league table , that we climbed 2nd now. Performance always getting better, only the typical ML shite defeats from now on!

The squad breakdown:

As you can see, the roster is seperated in 3 groups of players.

1st Group: the Veterans, players that i signed moslty as loanies, out of their prime, like Ibrahimovic, Douglas Costa, Dzeko, Aubameyang. I usually play Costa and Aubameyang in stasting 11 and mostly for thei SMARTPLAYER/PLAYMAKER team role, that boost the TS when they are captain. At the moment, only Auba and Ibra when he comes as sub, started to show some part of their abilities, until now they were playing handicapped by the low TS. IE Douglas Costahas not still achieved to outrun any opponenet defender in EFL. He still runs in mud.

2nd Group: The Averages. Players between 25 and 30 years old, no development, straight developement curve, or slowly declining, like SUTALO, PIRIS DA MOTTA, Holding and Chambers of Arsenal. Loaned them, for Chambers and Holding i see why Arsenal don't use them, i will not buy them after the loan finished, they play too bad, despite the high OPR and high salary. Sutalo and Piris are good, if i can buy them cheap, i will do.

3rd group: Youngsters and regens. The crazy Orozco, my crazy Colombian Eduard Atuesta, Thuram-Ulien. The only youngster that are now playing according to their stast. The rest are all out of place, space and time and are playing very nerfed. I am being patient for them , and hope they will get familiar.

 

[rockstrongo]

So gathering some content. First comes first, my slow progressing 2020 save with HSV, after being motivated by @rockstrongo posts. It is not that i abanoded it, but i play more rare, due to more edits in 2021.

The league is Semi-fantasy, semi-Bundesliga, semi-RestOfEurope, semi-everything. AFter matchdays 24 and 25, two tough wins against Piemonte Calcio and Arsenal Club Sportive, 2 fantasy clubs, i am in better days now, the difficult days of the past are gone, i climbed in 7th position. Only first 5 spots award a CL/EL qualification, but it is better than nothing!

View attachment 138450


Won 2-3 against PIEMONTE CALCIO and 2-0 against ARSENAL CS. There was a bad period of 1 draw and 8 losses, there was a tough period that we were conceding like heck, but now teams started to pay back and finding some shape.

Also in typical Master League way, i cannnot for the name of god win Wolfsburg or Werder no matter what, they always shite on me.
Here is the defeat by Werder



On the other hand i won two times Bayern Munchen, and that was the reason they are still 2nd behind BvB! they have 0 Draws and 5 losses, 2 of 5 being against me!

The last two matches video!

Ooh tough run buddy!
Cool league setup.
I did a Superleague on Pes 19 ,all the best teams divided in to two divisions ,great fun (though I despise a Superleague in real life)

 

[slamsoze]

Ooh tough run buddy!
Cool league setup.
I did a Superleague on Pes 19 ,all the best teams divided in to two divisions ,great fun (though I despise a Superleague in real life)

hahaha..me too...Used to rename the PEU league into European or UEFA Super League, since PES 2010. But since the EUROPEAN SUPER LEAGUE last year, i despise it too, even the name, and i was forced to change Logo & Name, in my generic mix-league! I don't want to have any connection with SUPER LEAGUEs, even just by name!

I also feel some guilty sometimes, cause i like the idea back in FIFA 1999, with European Dream League and that i created a similar ML structure back in PES 5/6 days, with teams divided in 4-Tier Leagues, Master Liga, Super Liga, Regular Liga, Underdogs Liga.

 

[rockstrongo]

It took me 20 games before the first win came ,a 2-0 win over Venezia.
My TS has gone up from 55 to 63 it's extremely hard with that and having a horrible team.
Anyway I decided since two of my strikers are long term injured to sim (skip matches) a long stretch of games until they're back.

With three games left I'm dead last and I'm getting relegated.
Need to start a rebuild for my inevitable Serie B season.
I'm actually looking fw to a fresh start in Serie B.

 

[rockstrongo]

hahaha..me too...Used to rename the PEU league into European or UEFA Super League, since PES 2010. But since the EUROPEAN SUPER LEAGUE last year, i despise it too, even the name, and i was forced to change Logo & Name, in my generic mix-league! I don't want to have any connection with SUPER LEAGUEs, even just by name!

I also feel some guilty, cause i like the idea back in FIFA 1999, with European Dream League and that i created a similar ML structure back in PES 5/6 days, with teams divided in 4-Tier Leagues, Master Liga, Super Liga, Regular Liga, Underdogs Liga.

Yeah that's a horrible league ,hate it.
Like the CL isn't enough.
Man this Pes 20 has been tough ,really tough!

 

[slamsoze]

It took me 20 games before the first win came ,a 2-0 win over Venezia.
My TS has gone up from 55 to 63 it's extremely hard with that and having a horrible team.
Anyway I decided since two of my strikers are long term injured to sim (skip matches) a long stretch of games until they're back.

With three games left I'm dead last and I'm getting relegated.
Need to start a rebuild for my inevitable Serie B season.
I'm actually looking fw to a fresh start in Serie B.

From my experince among Ligue1 and Ligue2, but also Serie A and Serie B from previous MLs, the second divisions, filled by teams with low OPRs, are usually more smooth. What i've noticed, teams over 3,5* tend to produce some more frentic paces in build up tempo. Of course there will be the usual 1,5* team that will be like prime-Ajax, with every stat refused, but it is more rare.

 

[rockstrongo]

From my experince among Ligue1 and Ligue2, but also Serie A and Serie B from previous MLs, the second divisions, filled by teams with low OPRs, are usually more smooth. What i've noticed, teams over 3,5* tend to produce some more frentic paces in build up tempo. Of course there will be the usual 1,5* team that will be like prime-Ajax, with every stat refused, but it is more rare.

Yeah I really enjoyed my first Serie B game yesterday.
Less frenzy ,more mistakes by the CPU.
I should have started in Serie B to begin with

 

[tak47]

maaan i think i fell in love with santiago wanderers, this ML is so much fun!

copa chile final against nublense, very close match, 0-0, then the salvation:

 

[rockstrongo]

I realised in January already that my Serie A season would end disastrous and started to make preparations for the inevitable.
Serie B!

I started selling players to get some cashflow in to a very tight budget ,not to mention salary room.

15 players out between January and the start of the season in August.
Most players not fitting my system at all ,played 3-5-2 first season ,wasn't a success to say the least


At the start of my new season I realised I need to play either 4-3-3 or 4-4-2.
Brought in 6 new players ,mainly free agents and a few from the primavera.
And it started to be clear I needed to play 4-3-3 since the balance of the team and player position looked to be the smartest move.



The TS has gone up from 64 to 73 just because of players brought in fitting the system and older players being comfortable playing it.

Budget is tight this season ,pretty good room in the transfer budget but salary room is really closed out for the season.
Going in with a very small squad 19 players and hopefully they'll stay healthy and most importantly develop in to a good side.


Objectives for my season (my 2nd and who knows if I stay in after this) is a top position ,maybe even promotion.
I'm starting to like my squad a lot ,some young guys and some old veterans making it a good mix.

So first game of the season and hopes are high here in Salerno.
Got off to a good start ,my CM/DM Akpo had cool in front of goal when he made it 1-0.
Later on ,yet another corner dropped to my 16 year old youth player Licht (LB) who scored a beauty from outside the box.
Great start with a 2-0 Vs Ascoli!

 

[slamsoze]

I realised in January already that my Serie A season would end disastrous and started to make preparations for the inevitable.
Serie B!

I started selling players to get some cashflow in to a very tight budget ,not to mention salary room.

15 players out between January and the start of the season in August.
Most players not fitting my system at all ,played 3-5-2 first season ,wasn't a success to say the least
View attachment 138488

At the start of my new season I realised I need to play either 4-3-3 or 4-4-2.
Brought in 6 new players ,mainly free agents and a few from the primavera.
And it started to be clear I needed to play 4-3-3 since the balance of the team and player position looked to be the smartest move.

View attachment 138489

The TS has gone up from 64 to 73 just because of players brought in fitting the system and older players being comfortable playing it.

Budget is tight this season ,pretty good room in the transfer budget but salary room is really closed out for the season.
Going in with a very small squad 19 players and hopefully they'll stay healthy and most importantly develop in to a good side.
View attachment 138490

Objectives for my season (my 2nd and who knows if I stay in after this) is a top position ,maybe even promotion.
I'm starting to like my squad a lot ,some young guys and some old veterans making it a good mix.

So first game of the season and hopes are high here in Salerno.
Got off to a good start ,my CM/DM Akpo had cool in front of goal when he made it 1-0.
Later on ,yet another corner dropped to my youth player Licht (LB) who scored a beauty from outside the box.
Great start with a 2-0 Vs Ascoli!

Great start mate. I hope you keep up the good performance. Awesome goal. A true highlight!

santiago wanderers

I always admire those Latin America Leagues. Especially the Chilean and the Colombian leagues. Shame i always preserve to manage a team for latter seasons in my saves, which usually never comes as i tend to restart my saves after 5~7 seasons!!

Also the fact that in PES the only continental cup is Libertadores, and no fake Sudamericana, so making the "good" League spots very few to finish at, is a point that holds me back, to not start from there.

 

[rockstrongo]

Thanks @slamsoze yeah I hope it continues ,need to get my TS up during the season ,but most of all have a good run in Serie B

 

[rockstrongo]

2nd game Vs Spezia away.
Since moving away from TP I find this game to be very good ,CPU takes time building up ,I've seen moves/mistakes/animation i haven't seen before playing Top player.
Plus 50/50 duels ,running and chasing a long pass is really 50/50 Vs never ever coming out on top before,and pace feels spot on ,heavy but being able to break free with a smart move

One thing ,Spezia scoring from a cross ,what's lovely in that move is the player crossing it ,takes a really nice touch before crossing ,really great to see Vs that robotic behaviour I saw before.

This game was top stuff ,didn't want it to end ,could have gone either way really tight and fun.
Got that "fun retro Pes" feeling playing it.
Enjoy!



Hope I can have this much fun going fw , really enjoying Pes (wuuut?)

 

[slamsoze]

2nd game Vs Spezia away.
Since moving away from TP I find this game to be very good ,CPU takes time building up ,I've seen moves/mistakes/animation i haven't seen before playing Top player.
Plus 50/50 duels ,running and chasing a long pass is really 50/50 Vs never ever coming out on top before,and pace feels spot on ,heavy but being able to break free with a smart move

One thing ,Spezia scoring from a cross ,what's lovely in that move is the player crossing it ,takes a really nice touch before crossing ,really great to see Vs that robotic behaviour I saw before.

This game was top stuff ,didn't want it to end ,could have gone either way really tight and fun.
Got that "fun retro Pes" feeling playing it.
Enjoy!


View attachment 138578
Hope I can have this much fun going fw , really enjoying Pes (wuuut?)

I love Cerci. I had signed him in my very first ML save. Despite his age and his declining stats, he added a lot of quality in my play.

 

[slamsoze]

A thing that i have said again in the past. Some times, big clubs after some seasons, start to play shite, despite they have a World-Class roster. In my saves 99% of time, the algorythm after some point, seems to "wake up" and starts to "help" them in order to not get relegated.

In this case, although i just moved to Brewers, i was monitoring AC MILAN, as it seems they had some real issues in season 2023-2024. They started in the bottom of Serie A. Despite i very rare manage big clubs, for sure if they were to get relegated i would move to them anyway, it is a "big dream" of mine, to manage a current BIG CLUB, relegated in ML.

In the beginning they had 0 Win ,1 Draw and 7 Losses.

Unfortunatelly for me, the algorythm wake up and started to boost them, reaching the point being 17 in goal difference with Monza, but i am sure they will keep up now with the wins. I will keep an eye on them either way.

Their recent record is 3W-2D-1L

 

[slamsoze]

And regarding how the "totally reworked ML" regresses over time, here is the TEAM STATUS screen from PES 2018. What a nice screen with very compact and usefull info about your team and your manager status. It only needed some info to be added in the latter versions. In contrast the "new reworked ML" removed it completelly!

 

[rockstrongo]

And regarding how the "totally reworked ML" regresses over time, here is the TEAM STATUS screen from PES 2018. What a nice screen with very compact and usefull info about your team and your manager status. It only needed some info to be added in the latter versions. In contrast the "new reworked ML" removed it completelly!

Use to like Pes 17+18 approach.
Much better than 20