Yesterday, we posted about a new feature in Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 called ‘Heart’. It’s a player motivation system that decides whether or not players will perform well according to how the match has gone, and how much the crowd is pumping them up. We disagreed with it on the grounds that randomness is almost always the enemy of a competitive game – but Konami has responded, saying the feature won’t be forced on users.
You can read the original article here.
There are certainly potential pluses to the feature. It could allow lower ranked teams to feasibly take on financial powerhouses like Manchester City, bringing balance to the game. It’s also arguably more like “real football”, and as it’s not something FIFA is doing, it’s a point of differentiation.
But it’s easy to see why competitions would want to turn the feature off, and Konami says that’s absolutely possible. Japan responded to our query with the following:
Yes, it can be turned off. It can also be disabled for online play.
There you have it. You’ll be able to set player motivation at a certain level, make it random for all players, or turn it off entirely. Presumably, if one person has the feature turned off, they won’t be matched online against a player with it on.
Our thanks to Konami for clearing that up.
Comments
6 responses to “Konami Responds: Pro Evo 2014’s Heart Feature Not Mandatory”
“We disagreed with it on the grounds that randomness is almost always the enemy of a competitive game” Not to mention a realistic aspect that exists in competitive sports. I like the idea of this since it will add a deeper experience that isn’t controlled purely but stats. Unseen possibilities resulting from environment and morale is very real, otherwise we could just look at stats in real life games and guess the winners every time.
I can understand that POV, I disagree though. I think the randomness is already there, in the form of the people playing the game. A better real life player will beat a worse one, most of the time. And if someone wants a handicap, they can use a lower ranked team.
If two similarly skilled players use different tier teams, one will usually come out on top, and that’s realistic. I guess a great example of your point is Celtic beating Barcelona recently in the Champions League group stages, but my argument is that stuff should be down to the real people playing the game, instead of simulated.
But it’s just another stat churning around under the hood. When you shoot at goal from 35m it’s not guaranteed it will go in just because you are using Neymar, it sums up all these equations and decides (most likely with space for some random luck) what happens…
This heart stat is: players effectiveness given the conditions 1-100 to throw on the end of the already complex calculation. While I understand when we are talking competitive situations, if you want to ensure a fair fight that comes down to nothing but raw ability then play as the same team. Like chess.
Oh too true. But it is still something you cant see. (At least till your more competitive gamers manage to find an actual equation as they do)
I get that POV too, and yes in most cases a more skilled team will win against a lesser. But the randomness is still very much unseen in sports games. I am reminded of the All Blacks, number one in the world for years and yet famously known to choke under pressure during the big matches. I mean we have only won 2 world cups in the games history and yet still hold number one despite the crippling upsets. Have you ever played a competitive sport and played in a foreign stadium/ring? While learning to handle such aggressive environments is part of sport, it is almost crippling to have an entire crowd booing and heckling you while your fans are lost in the noise, it is type of pressure you can actually feel and in frightening surround sound lol.
I don’t think such a feature would turn a team of good players in to bumbling idiots so perhaps it won’t control the game quite as strictly as some think and it would be nice to have other features that can also affect the morale such as young players being more prone to faltering while the experienced veterans are more used to it. Off seasons friendly games against your rival on their home turf, a coach who is known for rousing half time speeches to re energise the players.
I think it is more the current trend of having so many measurable stats that have pulled me away sports games these days, so I guess the idea of having a present but stealthy level of randomness that can go either appeals to me a tad.
This is why when friends and I played Pro Evo matches we always set the player form to random, much like real life where everyone has off days and amazing days.
Sure it sucked when your lead striker got a grey arrow and subsequently botched clear cut chances every now and then but it adds an element of realism in my mind. Nobody is perfect.
I think the heart feature sounds great – it properly rewards home team advantage as well as the momentum from scoring a goal or having an opposing player sent off, etc. Just like real football.