PES 2020 Unrivaled Football Logic
The football (soccer ball) logic in Pro Evolution Soccer 2020 (PES 2020) is on point. The developers at Konami have achieved quite a unique feel to their football simulation title.
Sports simulations occasionally cannot divide the logic of a player model from the ball that the player model is dribbling. This results in a feeling that gamers are constantly being forced into canned animations — the player model and ball are indivisible. Animations are pre-determined, locked in once executed. That is not true with Konami’s footballer.
Konami’s football logic gives player models freedom to move freely in concert with the ball. It is a true improvisation with a ball that stays just close enough to the player to maintain control, yet the ball is free enough to roam and bounce without player influence.
This logic results in organic movement with less scripted outcomes and more varied results. The game engine creates more realistic football fundamentals.
Detaching the ball from the player creates space for a digital athlete to naturally animation branch. Whereas scripted logic forces extra steps, extra foot-plants, and unwanted motions, Konami’s title builds space between the player and the ball. This allows the player to take two actions: 1) foot-plant and then 2) execute the next animation.
As a result, this engine creates space for more variable input factors to influence the game from moment to moment. Defenders closing in on a dribbler can influence the timing and accuracy of a pass if the dribbler is rushed into making a move. This is true for other core gameplay mechanics such as dribbling and shooting as well.
The more input variables a game engine builds in allows for more varied and dynamic results. This is exactly what Konami has achieved by building in longer timing windows for such input variables. This adds importance to reflexes to both the player and the gamer to position soundly before executing a move. This nuance separates the elite from the rest.
Improvisation is why we love sports and sports gaming. Dividing a player from the ball creates a sense of freedom of movement that cannot be found in almost any sports simulation title to date. PES 2020’s core gameplay engine is realistic, practical, and allows gamers to riff on the pitch with the best of them.
