How Scripting Works in PES 2020?
What is Scripting?
Scripting is a controversial underlying aspect present in a minority of videogames where gameplay is secretly manipulated by the backend code of the software that drastically impacts the user experience regardless of their efforts or performance. There has been substantial evidence provided that such factors exist in brands like PES and FIFA although it is unlikely to ever be conclusively proven without full disclosure from the developers.
Scripting can be used to manipulate users into spending real money in-game or it may exist as a form of artificial difficulty to perhaps cover up a lack of quality in the AI. This can also be seen in linear games such as Call of Duty campaigns where the player is expected to follow a certain path, or even racing games that have a discreet rubber-banding or a catch-up logic mechanic in play.
However, this concept being present in sports titles like PES against the AI and fellow players online, raises serious questions about the motives behind its inclusion and implementation especially when it wasn’t a factor in historic instalments of the series.
How Do I Spot Scripting?
Scripting can manifest online and offline in PES 2020 but it is absolutely notorious and relentless when facing the AI on the Superstar and Legendary Difficulties particularly if you are playing with weaker sides. This likely exists to compensate for below-par AI but it can leave users feeling annoyed and it makes matches look incredibly untidy. You may notice blatant inconsistencies or bizarre occurrences that leave you frustrated and confused – a lot of these are simply down to the scripting and not your personal performance or bad luck.
There is also suggestions that weaker AI teams are scaled upwards regardless of stats when facing better sides, so if you are facing San Marino whilst playing as France, you may be in for a tougher match than statistics would suggest! Here is a few common things to look out for which can be attributed to scripting:-
Wayward Passing
Sometimes you’ll struggle to complete basic passes – a 6 yard pass being under-hit, a 25 yard one going way too far or a simple pass going way off the intended target only to be collected by the opposing team. The AI can also block or intercept the ball with ease even if you are directing the pass well outside of their reach. The default Level 1 Pass Assist setting adds to the frustration as it feels all pass actions are RNG-oriented. Level 2 is more in-line with previous PES experiences.
Awful Through-Balls
This is one of the most rage-inducing and broken aspects of PES 2020. Most of the time, your perfectly timed and powered through-balls fail to reach the desired target or go in the direction intended. Often the CPU will intercept the pass, or in the rare instance where a ball is perfectly played, your striker will suddenly stop or slow down allowing for the defending player(s) to cut out the move. Power applied never reflects the visible ball speed either.
Tame Full-Power Shots
Lionel Messi through one-on-one and powers up a shot from 12 yards only to see his effort trickle towards the keeper. Granted, you can blast shots quite comfortably from outside the box that the keeper will likely parry but when it comes to easy chances in front of goal, even the top strikers can be held back by some questionable instances. It appears the closer you are to goal, the weaker full power shots become with the ball at your feet. A minor solution is to change your shooting to Manual – it makes it slightly harder to hit the target, but this way you aren’t held back by the scripting and having shot power sacrificed for accuracy. Try switching between Basic (default) and Manual in training to see the difference.
Unresponsive Player-Switching
Player switching needs to be responsive, fluid and snappy particularly on a game where the AI has full control over all players. Sadly in PES 2020 just like its predecessor; you will be battling the infuriating player-switching as well as your opponent. Thankfully there is a slight fix which can alleviate some of the frustration with this – you can try changing the ‘Team Mate Controls’ from assisted to manual.
Player Speed/Strength Inconsistencies
You may notice a rapid striker with outstanding speed attributes get outpaced by a 35+ year old defender or how a massive powerhouse like Romelu Lukaku can get bullied off the ball by a weak defender. The scripting is in full force with farces like this where even stats mean nothing. Even at the higher in-game difficulty settings, there still has to be some degree of realism and having low stats being scaled-up can gravely impact how matches look and feel.
Bad Ball Control
No matter how good a footballer is statistically, if the scripting is not in your favour, you may struggle to control the ball properly even if it’s received from a simple pass. With the ball in comfortably at your feet, you can still lose possession as the player may suddenly carry it too far in front of them, right into an opponents path for an easy interception. If the script us operating against you, the ball physics can go haywire where it can bobble around your players as you try and salvage what possession you can. This can decline further as the match wears on making gameplay intolerable.
AI Winning Everything
Sometimes you will have a torrid run where the AI wins every 50/50 and loose ball. Bad RNG? Nope, that’s intended scripting. On September 18th 2019, Konami acknowledged this as a major issue and a supposed fix is being produced for the end of October.
Players Stopping
Ever been on the attack and played a nice sweeping ball into the path of your player but they just stop for no reason and the move breaks down? This is another common factor yet the AI does not experience this handicap. You’ll also notice this happening in defence when the AI plays the ball into a dangerous area and your defenders will often stop and allow the opponent to complete their intended move. This can be further hamstrung if you cannot switch to the nearest player and are relying on your own AI teammates out of your control.
Missed Challenges
Slide or block tackling is an effective way of nabbing the ball or stopping an attack but more often than not, you may find yourself missing perfectly timed tackles altogether with the AI bizarrely evading whilst also retaining the ball. Even though your timing and execution was perfect, you still weren’t rewarded and left wondering how your opponent managed to keep possession with the ball somewhat glued to their feet.
Low Team Morale/Player Spirit
If your team is in poor condition overall, you will see a culmination of the above factors in operation together that hugely impact the performance of your team and your overall enjoyment of the game. You can struggle to string passes together, control the ball, get persistently tackled, fail to get past opposing players and move the ball around the pitch with any finesse. It’s almost like your team forgets how to play football and it becomes extremely demoralising. The way difficulty is implemented in this game is deeply flawed and the consequences of low player morale are simply too exaggerated and unrealistic.
AI Scripted Goals
The more matches you play, the greater chance you will begin to notice the AI scoring very samey and predictable goals as you’ve conceded previous. The most common goal is a glided long ball into the feet of the attacker who turns and finds the net with a low shot before you are even able to highlight a player. Other times the CPU will pop up with an unchallenged header or simply smash the ball home right into the corner of the net from outside the box out of nothing. If the AI wants or needs to score, it will and there is nothing you can do. PES used to be known for its open play and crafted goals thanks to a catalogue of animations and authentic ball physics. Now the AI just cheeses it when it needs to.
Last Minute Goals
Following on from the AI scripted goals; I am willing to be that 99.9% of players have conceded more last minute goals than they have scored but more often than not, if a game is drifting into the last few minutes and the AI has a dangerous attack, free kick or corner, they are likely to score especially if the game is tied or the player is winning by the odd-goal.
These are just a few examples of how scripting can affect games. The artificial nature of how the AI performs technically and visually just shows how crippled the launch build is of PES 2020 from a gameplay standpoint.
How Can I Combat Scripting?
Unfortunately there is no way to get on top of the scripting – it will exist in the game until it is heavily downscaled or patched out altogether. To improve the experience in the meantime, you may want to consider opting for pass assist levels 2 or 3 and dropping the difficulty down to Top Player. Although this doesn’t remove scripting, it lessens the frustrations associated with it and still provides a reasonable challenge. The biggest surprise to users was how scripting was not present in the demo but the full release seems to mimic that of the final build of PES 2019 where matches were dominated by such controversies.
This game clearly does not require scripting to function which the demo proved whilst also showcasing a truly promising football game that was smooth, responsive and highly enjoyable. The demo build was so well-received, it is unfathomable why the developers have resorted to this design. Sports titles like PES are supposed to reflect individual users skills and abilities without having their performances impacted by elements out of their control. We can only hope Konami revert to an old build or eradicate the issues on the current branch of the game to make it a fair and entertaining experience once again.
Saddening. Seeing the difference between Demo and Final version. The devs and Konami just don’t respect the players which pay money to get a fair soccergame. I have noticed the difference online and whilst I was so enthousiastic in the beginning the scripting and stupidities are putting me of again. You notice as well when more and more players start to ragequit the game, just because the opponent is favoured,
I thought I’m the only one having the problem with wayward pass because I play with dpad on ps4. Also players are unresponsive sometimes
Its really sad to see this. I love football and I just can’t stop playing pes because its the only realistic football game available . I don’t what to do. I don’t wanna lower difficult. I tried with top players and its not very competitive. I just don’t know what to do.
I play ML on Top Player, and the scripting is real. In my 2nd season, I had conceded more goals in the final 5 minutes of the matches than the first 85 minutes.
Earlier today, I was playing against Liverpool and winning 1-0, with a thunderous strike outside the box by Arcas, that the CPU wasn’t expecting. I lost more chances, and a couple of them because the CPU would slide tackle my players from behind as they were about to shoot in 1 on 1 situations, forcing them to fall. No fouls were given. I conceded a goal in the 47th minute of the first half, despite the overtime being supposed to last 0 mins according to the game. But the ref refused to end the half, even as a minute had passed and the ball was still in the midfield. That was their only shot in the half. In the 2nd half, with the score 1-1, I conceded another goal in the 86th minute, after a bullshit foul call where I had only touched the ball. All this after the CPU had made numerous career ending tackles on me, with no fouls given.
But because I know how to cheat too, I ragequitted and replayed the match, scored in the 88th minute and won. And that’s what I do and what I advise you to do in ML, when the scripting is too obvious robbing wins from you. Just remember to disable auto-save. It’s a fair solution, but it doesn’t help much with feeling tired with the game after being cheated for one more time and having to replay a match that should had been yours in the first place.
And Konami, fix your damn refs. How is it possible, after all the beating that I’ve endured in 4 ML seasons, to have never been awarded a penalty or a red card? How can 90% of the sloppy sliding tackles by the CPU not be fouls, but 90% of my sliding tackles are? Why are fouls being called when all I do is press X to steal the ball, without touching my opponent according to the replays? What kind of simulation is this supposed to be? Ref bribing simulation? Well I got around 200 millions, so just point me to the right menu where I can buy my own refs.
I played FIFA and PES since the 90s.
Every game had his prime and top games.
After years more spending time in fut i was sick of the momentum.
Also PES was doing good and grown up again.
So i switched 2018 completely back to PES.
The switch back was so hard for me. The movement is cool but doesn’t match my style of play.
Anyways I was training hard to get a level where I can reach some division points and have fun.
2019 was the time I thought…
„Did i dream of may could be in pes something like momentum!?“
I can tell. Yes, but not that nightmare I remember from Fifa.
But now after a Godlike PES 2020 Demo we all got a kick in the ass.
PES 2020 has reached a new level. 100% scripted gameplay.
I have hear 1000 Online matches. Mostly 1on1 but also some coop matches.
And I can tell it doesn’t matter the script is everywhere.
I am sick off grinding 100 points near to 900 and falling down about 100 points.
Up and down all the time and I can tell immediately when the scripting is back.
I can loose. I train hard and play against the best to learn.
All good.
But with this bullshit it’s just a waste off time.
the scripting is so horrible so there’s no point in even engaging in offline-play
Good post, always nice to read when someone else understands how the game works, rather than fanboys and idiots who dont have a clue whats going on telling you to change tactics and get good.
Ive been playing since n64 ISS but finally had enough with PES 19 and did not not buy 20. I have 78% wins on Online Divisions and 63% on Myclub so its not about losing, the game is just pointless to play due to being completely fake. You are holding or fighting the controller while a match narrative is forced on you. Despite my ratings putting me in the top few hundred players, I can be forced to chase shadows against a 25% winrate player with a weaker team, unable to get out of my half or even get close enough to slide tackle foul. I often play the same match over and over, my opponent is allowed to dominate until eventually they sabotage my defence enough to allow a goal sometime in the second half, then suddenly it flips and im able to create a clear chance and equalise with 4 or 5 passes. I then have a slither of a chance to be clutch and win the match with the last kick of the ball or its a draw. Its completely transparent in its fakeness.
I could write a lot more but im just sickened by it and its not going to change, its got worse every year since micro transactions and they have completely killed gaming for me. Scripting has always been in PES, but for a long time it was a reasonably fair test of football IQ and the better player would win, the skill gap is now non existent. The power of the handicapping is such that you can put a bad player against a good player and make them appear unlucky not to win despite seemingly dominating the game. Thats the funniest part, when you take your tiny window of opportunity at the end of the game they think theyve been hard done by, they have no clue the game was crippling me for the full match. The CPU absolutely bossing everything, closing lanes and intercepting for them, while ignoring my own interceptions for the lanes I had to close myself. Players dont make runs when you have the ball, you have to use manual to make them run, and then they are always an inch offside. Youve covered most of it.
Handicapper made the most accurate, well written, easily understood, and immaculately worded explanation of script/handicap/momentum/DDA/ rigged games/balance of PES on the internet and I read many many posts regarding the topic. Spot on and such an underrated explanation. He was educated well in writing/English.
There’s always been scripting in PES – this is not new. Games where referees throw the result, terrible passing, switching between players has been aroun he since PES 4 atleast. That general feeling that rather than being beaten fairly you’ve been absolutely robbed.
I’m in the semi-final in Champions League and I won the Serie A with Napoli. Legend difficulty, second season… So stop crying and learn to play.
play manual, and then we will talk, then you will complain about scripting
The disappearance of skill gap is the biggest problem.
6 months later it’s even worse than when this article was published. The script is so utterly bad both vs AI and in PvP that the game is totally unplayable or at least not enjoyable at all. When you win a game you don’t know if you won because of your skill or because the game just decided that.
PES 2020 is shitty AF, i can’t even complete a dribble and make a through pass. Sometimes when i win, i don’t even know how i did it. It’s not enjoyable again, my body even aches playing it. They spoiled the game already
I had a massive issue with scripting when playing superstar. Since upping the challenge to legend, i can honestly say i havent come across it once yet. I have still lost games, but its never felt like id been cheated.
super feedbacks !
It is simply outrageous to do so.
All the points you’re quoting, I find them every time I play.
Competition is not healthy in this game.
pes20 turns into fifa20.
Whereas what made pes successful is its gameplay.
It’s also thanks to this that fifa has been able to win back a lot of players from fifa09.
Fifa had remodeled its gameplay by copying on pes.
I think pes forgot that.
Instead of differentiating themselves, they come to oppose a monster much more powerful than them.
I don’t think that’s the right strategy.
Like you said, the demo was really promising.
On pes20, I have a 62% win rate and what frustrates me is that 80 to 90% of the games I lose are undeserved.
I feel like there are different levels of scripting.
There’s
. the script or any pass, and it’s a carnage when you meet an opponent half as strong as you are.
– the balanced script
– the script or the opponent is slightly advantaged throughout the match
– the script where you can’t do anything in the first half and where it gets unlocked in the second half.
– the script where you can’t do anything until the 70-80th minute.
– the script or you can’t do anything about the game.
And in this latest script template, this is what I’m going through:
– The opponent’s opponents have a never-ending list of cons that they can’t get rid of.
– Unbearable cursor latencies
– Easy passes that never reach their destination
– Intercepts that bounce and return on the opponent like a magnet.
– Collisions where you always get up last.
– Passes that pass in front of your defender without him stretching his leg…
– The impossibility of playing on my forwards because the defender is always in front.
-The impossibility of making ball protections, because even from behind, the opponent takes the ball from you.
– The opponent makes fouls that are not whistled and big tackles from behind in the last defender is limited to a yellow card, or nothing at all… And when you take the ball cleanly to your feet, it’s a foul whistle. Especially at the entrance of your penalty area…
– The opponent wins almost all his physical and aerial duels, even with much smaller and less powerful players…
– The opponent has aggressive marking and pressing, without tiring his players.
– My players have a very loose marking and the pressing is almost non-existent. Even when pressing, sometimes no player responds.
– My players are no longer in motion and do not make any more calls.
– My forwards are never able to catch the defenders off guard.
– As it is impossible to throw the ball back from the penalty area, it may sometimes return 5-6-7 times to the opponent’s feet until it scores.
– Attackers who do not make a head from close range.
– Strikers who strike close to the goal while 3 metres from the goal after a back pass….
– In defence as in attack, sometimes the player stops accelerating at the change of the cursor; this prevents you from going to the goal with your attacker and prevents you from getting the ball back when you are in defence with your defender….
– Also sometimes your defender continues as a magnet to move towards the ball carrier while you direct him to another position on the field.
– On the trajectory readings, to avoid you getting the ball back instead of going straight, your player is deviated from his trajectory, which prevents you from being in the right timing when you have read the game well….
In short, you can feel that there’s something holding you back and giving your opponent an advantage. Because when you have 9 out of 11 players at least in green or blue arrow, against an opponent half as strong and all this happens, it’s crazy!
My experience doesn’t force me to buy.
On the contrary, I don’t want to give them money to keep getting players I like.
I prefer to keep my money because I have the feeling that konami doesn’t respect me and all the players.
It’s not a football simulation, it’s an improved arcade game.
Which is a great pity, because pes was really a great and enjoyable football game.
I take almost no pleasure in playing it anymore because the script is so violent at times.
I will be tempted to record my matches and make video montages to highlight all its inconsistencies and confront them with real OPTA statistics. Especially the favorable cons…
I find this to be one of the most devastating elements, because a favourable counter shot following a recovery attempt in the feet or a pass without power that bounces off your foot always leads to an imbalance for you and gaps to exploit for your opponent. And when in a match you suffer 80 to 90% of unfavourable counter-attacks, it’s almost impossible to play…
And still here in 2021 – the scripting is horrific. Football manager it is from now on. When asked about it, Konami don’t even bother denying it. ‘We have no comment at this time’ sums it up
Yep.
Utter scripted junk since as long as I can remember, but it is definitely getting worse. Back in the day, I was in a minority of people who recognised that the game was scripted, but I think any half cognisant gamer who spends any amount of time with the game has to see the hookey shenanigans.
I don’t expect this will ever change. I don’t think they know how to change it without making the gameplay stale and predictable.
Will probs still buy it and play it year after year though, enjoying it when the script goes my way, raging against it when I sit getting shafted by the script.