This is a feature that has had loads of folks talking. Many haven’t quite got their heads around the system, due to the in-depth and and over analyzing going on. We try and keep it as simple as possible, as this is a feature you won’t want to miss!
To start with, let me show you this opening paragraph from the document Konami sent us explaining the Card Sytem:
Creating a team with discipline is not just good enough to reproduce real football because footballers’ individualities are another important factor involved in football match.
Suppose we have a player who is good at sending an early cross. Previously, we gave him high rate for his long pass ability, or we implemented a mechanism for more successful early cross when he sends it. However this deals only with his "ability to send an early cross”. In reality, sending an early cross just doesn’t happen itself. Player needs certain preparation to send an early cross by moving into better position to send it while looking at opposition players. To do this, you have to look around off the ball, and anticipate what will happen next moment.
In case of Card (Play Style) system, it means "Earlycrosser” card is switched on, and the player is moving around to better position, looking for an opportunity to send a good early cross.
Lovely. And they round off the first segment with this:
In short, a Card represents a move for a player. Different from traditional skills, these cards can be assigned to any players as you wish. You are almost a coach here. However it doesn’t mean the player ability suddenly increases when Cards assigned. Ability remains the same as before but the player now know when and how to move into good position, in this case, to send an early cross. It’s like a coach expecting too much from an average-class player. His player may move good but his cross itself lacks quality.
Like we mentioned on the boards, the specific cards aren’t like a Pokemon battle, it’s all to do with mentality and mannerisms. You can create this thought process for specific players to try and make them naturally look for certain opportunities. In this example, having the early crosser card on will affect the way your player will behave on the wing, and in effect the players around him.
They finish off this example with this:
Suppose you are controlling a player on the left side, and there’s a player with "Earlycrosser” card assigned player moves on the right side. As you go forward, the card assigned player will escape from his markers, position himself better looking around opposition for sending an early cross. Up to this point is what card can do. Now he is in a good position, you want to pay it to the player because he is in a position where he is able to send an early cross. Once ball is played to him (meaning you are in control of the card assigned player now), Card has nothing to do with quality of this cross. It will be your control and the player ability that decides the quality of the cross. Again, this "Card” doesn’t enhance player abilities. This Card controls how he moves under certain situation.
Suff won’t like me saying it, but it’s what Seabass always dreamt Teamvision would become. The ability for players to NATURALLY behave like their real life counter parts, or behave like you’re the manager telling him what to do, without the need to press a button to activate it. Seems far fetched, but it WORKS!
Left shift to a common tactic and a well known player and his mannerisms:
Now getting into more details to give you some concrete ideas on Cards, let’s suppose FC Barcelona defender Daniel Alves. He is assigned "”Overlapping run” in default. When the card is set to ON, he always seek to go forward, leaving space behind him with less defence awareness. Setting the Card to NO will make Alves move as a standard sideback, of course.
When Barca got a player being sent off the pitch, keeping his Card On means that he still wants to go forward. What do you think? Attack is the best defence? Or you go defensive to secure a win? Depending on your choice, his card may be switched off. Or he may be substituted above all.
Now here’s the important part, pay attention:
Here is the reason why you can have a choice of switching the Card off. You can act as a coach, decide on player moves by switching ON and OFF the Cards. It is your choice whether or not turning off attacking cards when you want the team play defensively. In contrast, you may want to turn off defence cards when you want more men upfront/in front of the goal. Cards will increase strategic options, giving you more flexibility in many situations. In a sence, it is up to you if you can use these cards effectively.
Still with Barca, we have two quick-fire examples that sound very cool:
Now look at another example, "Chasing back” card is assigned to Eto’o by default. He will chase the ball when lost it to opposition. When set this to OFF, Eto’o will remain upfront. As you can easily imagine, this will give you an advantage under some situations.
Let’s look at one more example. Messi is assigned with "Incisive run” card. You will not see its effect while you are controlling Messi (because you are controlling all Messi moves). But you will see the effect when you see CPU controlled Messi sprints into the box as he does in real match. It’s so real.
The incisive run is the header pic, and me and Suff both noticed Messi making those darting runs into the centre from the wing. But like the explanation details, its about the AI movements when you are not controlling them. Again, all this going on without the need to press a button to activate.
They finish off with a nice teaser regarding the card system:
Apart from above mentioned Play Style cards, we’ve also included different kinds of cards, defence/attack awareness cards (as "C”) and skills cards (as "S”) this time.
This all sounds epic, and perhaps overwhelming. What’s even more mind boggling is the fact at this early stage it works. Star players have cards that you simply can’t assign (long range shooter etc), while other more basic and mentality orientated cards can be assign to everyone.
Along with the Team Play feature, the managerial options in PES 2010 look to eclipse everything that has gone before it. While we’ve yet to test this on a wider range of teams one thing is for sure, plenty of time tinkering before a match in PES 2010 at my house!