Multiplat AFL 23: Launch Thread (Xbox release date TBC)

[Dannnnnnnnnn]

STATE OF PLAY:

• The game is out for Steam and PlayStation. There have been issues with Xbox release and it is unclear when the game will be available.
• Big Ant are aware that there are playability issues & bugs at present.
• Content has been temporarily removed from the game to identify where the issues lie.
• This content will be re-introduced via patches in the coming days.
• Big Ant have released a summary of what is to be reintroduced, which can be seen below.

Spoiler: Features to be added

Spoiler: MOST RECENT PATCH NOTES

Issues & constructive criticism are best communicated to: support.bigant.com

Michaels Twitch video with QA from Ross(BigAntStudios) from 31:40

 

[Cheifkeith95]

Sweet it’s broken again, not playing till the fix marking
This game is pathetic at times

 

[Cabs]

And boundary umpire too (look to the left as it goes through).
I noticed you got a bit of a delay after the goal... this happened to me, and the game later crashed... which I reported to Support.... wondering if yours did too?
It may all be related.

Yeah just stays on that zoomed out screen and crashed not long after

 

[Ambrose Burnside]

Hard to tell exactly what build they were playing though. Maybe it should explicitly say that at the start... and alert the reader to where they can find the current patch version number.
Again, if you know the story of the launch as we do on here and the journalist appears to know too, you would understand why this information is crucial to a reader who may not know.

Given it was for PS5 on May 15, I'd expect it to be, at the very least, Patch 10 (Friday's patch). Being in-the-know, there were 3 more updates about to land on PS5, that had landed on PC.
Also, there's mention of no in-the-back free kicks (which WAS in Patch 10)...but the mention of speccys (was only came over the weekend in Patch 11), and an image that I think was from Patch 3 last week.

So yeah, I am confused about the review, coz it's not all about a single version that any one of us have played.

From what I've been reading, issues come and go and come back again, so reporting things that have been patched as still being present doesn't really surprise me.

Just now we're seeing coaches as umpires again, when that issue had been resolved.

 

[Cheifkeith95]

I’ve never had a game before that every day you play for 5 minutes to see if it’s been slightly improved or completely assed

 

[bennymate]

The game is still sooo far off being complete, and this is just the gameplay elements, forget about features in certain modes. Its 3 months away. I didn't get a refund and ill be patient, just very annoyed and would've preferred it being delayed.

 

[palmomagpie]

I'm also pretty sure I took one while holding sprint (R2) at a contest... and not the modifier (L2) like it should have been.
Will have to play more tonight to see if that's completely right though.

You know what, I think I did too. Maybe the R2 automatically calls play on the second you grab it rather than giving you a few seconds

 

[kingbob182]

I'm convinced people complaining about spoiling is simply user error, I have absolutely no issues spoiling.

I'm finding that if you wait for the vibration and spoil a tiny bit later, it works pretty much every time. Which seems wrong, I'd expect the game to reward you for learning the timing and flicking the stick right as the vibration comes. It's like you're better off being a little slow.

-Realistic crowd sounds after a goal is kicked.

This has always puzzled me. Why don't devs just bring a microphone to a game and record 50 bits of crowd noise for goals. It's clear from the commentary in this game that the game knows whether your kick is going to be a goal or not the moment it leaves your boot so I've think the crowd noise could just fade in for that second that the ball is in the air. You'd get decent sounds of cheering, banging on signs, etc.
Even get 20 recordings of a full house, 20 of half crowd. And just layer the full house ones for a grand final or a late goal when the margin is less than 10.
I dunno. Sounds easy to me as a video editor who focuses on sound but maybe gaming is much harder.

 

[BlackMamba]

Yeah just stays on that zoomed out screen and crashed not long after

Yeah, same for me. Only in the second match I played though.
I added this info to my Bug report... so hopefully they can get to the bottom of it.

 

[Cheifkeith95]

If this game was 60 bucks and I paid 40 extra to play a month early and was served up this it would be fine, I’d be excited by all the patches to see what the final product could be
But no this is 100 bucks and has been unacceptable from the start
Also don’t want to hear big ant sooking or being smart asses about reviews
you can’t release a shitty movie then patch is better scenes as it’s in theatres

 

[kingbob182]

It’s been broken since launch. Really shits me.

Often it just doesn't work at all but I think equally frustrating is that it seems to only cycle between the two closest players to the ball. Which is ok, but when the AI carries the ball into the 50, I don't really care about the 2 players 10 and 15m behind. I want the guy 20m in front who can actually do something.

 

[BlackMamba]

If this game was 60 bucks and I paid 40 extra to play a month early and was served up this it would be fine, I’d be excited by all the patches to see what the final product could be
But no this is 100 bucks and has been unacceptable from the start
Also don’t want to hear big ant sooking or being smart asses about reviews
you can’t release a shitty movie then patch is better scenes as it’s in theatres

Star Wars has been patched many times.

 

[palmomagpie]

I'm convinced people complaining about spoiling is simply user error, I have absolutely no issues spoiling.

Yeah one of those odd ones that some people are struggling with and others not. I've had no issues except for maybe right in front of goal - it's definitely a timing thing. Just had Denver G-B get about 12 spoils for me at CHB in my previous game

 

[Cheifkeith95]

Star Wars has been patched many times.

to be fair they’re is nothing I like more then when I’m watching return of the Jedi and that blonde frog lady starts dancing at me in poor cgi

 

[GetAroundHim99]

After reading this thread since the beginning. I think I can confidently say that a lot of people's patience with Big Ant has run out and all the goodwill from AFL Live 2011 is gone for a lot of people.

I think Ross has just got to take the L on the game from reviews and reception at the moment, apologize for the launch and explain what happened to cause it, move on from trying to defend the game when it's not at a state where it can realistically be defended to the general public who just see a broken game (Which it's been.) and just work with the team on fixing it to get it to a point where it can be redeemed from this bad reception. That's probably only way that things are gonna get better at this point IMO.

We're very much in a situation where no-one is happy with the game and frustrations have completely boiled over. It just makes you think we're further than ever from a good AFL game and that there is no light at the end of the tunnel even if I'm confident that things will be fixed and we'll have a good game in a month or two. It should never have gotten to this point.

Big Ant certainly have a passion for the sport, You can still see it in this game but something has clearly gone wrong here and whether it represents the game rightly or wrongly in the end, There's only so long someone can wait before reviewing the game. What's there is there and what is there is not up to scratch right now.

There were high expectations for this game and the landing wasn't stuck. You can't change what's happened, It's how it is. All you can change is the future and how this game gets fixed. You can't dwell upon it or complain about it, It is what it is. You want to prove them wrong? Get this game to where it needs to be and give us the AFL game we've been waiting for the longest time for. You do that and we'll be doing the work of selling this game for you at this point. That's how starved of a good AFL game we've been. We're that desperate at this point.

 

[AzzaLow]

Yeah one of those odd ones that some people are struggling with and others not. I've had no issues except for maybe right in front of goal - it's definitely a timing thing. Just had Denver G-B get about 12 spoils for me at CHB in my previous game

Just gotta somehow convert that to real life

 

[kingbob182]

I’ve never had a game before that every day you play for 5 minutes to see if it’s been slightly improved or completely assed

On the flip side, I don't remember playing a game that had 13 patches in 12 days after a bad launch. There's obviously good intent to make the game better. But I still just find the whole release very stange.
I cannot wrap myhead around the idea that either:
1. No one play tested the version of the game that was released.
OR
2. It was tested and they still decided to launch the game.

I think if they delayed the launch again by a month, even on the day it should have been out, we'd all bitch and moan on here but a year from now, no one would even remember it.
Now, if we ever see another AFL release announced, the launch of this game will be brought up again and again. And not just the AFL titles. I reckon this will cause a lot of people to hold off on buying Cricket/Rugby 24 and whatever the tennis game is called.

Anyway, it's here now and I've had some fun games as well as some that involve swearing and making sure my ALT and F4 keys still work.

 

[berisha]

Well for me personally if a review isn't out before or at launch it's a big red flag. And then we all saw how this game launched, so the red flag was justified. Reviews have come out a week or more after launch (and after daily patches) and it's still getting 5/10. So yeah, for me, being in this thread where some people will defend the game to the death and others ... will not, it's sometimes hard to judge. But then I see professional reviews being pretty bloody consistent, then it does help. Like I've said, my Xbox version is still on preorder, and I will continue to wait and see as best I can because I would love a decent footy game, but I trust berisha's review in particular because everything I've read from him here has been pretty fair and balanced. If he says it's a 5/10 game, I believe it. It's also hard to dispute GoldbergsGold's excellent videos and general feedback.

On the flip side there are definitely games I will buy without hesitation. A new Doom or Wolfenstein? I am there, reviews be damned

I do genuinely think with fixes and content this can be an 8/10 game.

Also, gotta say I'm happy with my Facebook headline for the review

 

[kingbob182]

Star Wars has been patched many times.

Jedi Survivor wasn't broken. It was horribly optimized but for those of us with decent hardware, it was completely playable from day 1.

 

[Ambrose Burnside]

I do genuinely think with fixes and content this can be an 8/10 game.

Also, gotta say I'm happy with my Facebook headline for the review

Great headline

Hope you're right on the 8/10 thing. Before the reveal I was hoping for 7/10, the reveal dropped my expectations down to the standard Big Ant 6/10, and then it came out Will be dancing in the streets if by the Xbox launch it's an 8/10, would be a phenomenal effort from the big squashers!

 

[FearTheBeard13]

Ambrose Burnside , Nicho50 & Nunez all very valid responses to my question about game reviews. I definitely see all your points. For me personally, this game was one where the hype was huge prior to release and I was always going to get it upon release, I do see how it works both ways though. I also don’t see it as completely broken but am holding off for a few more patches to hopefully get it going again.

 

[FearTheBeard13]

BigAntStudios Ross would there be any way of possibly adding/implementing a second position for every player as a way to reduce the random interchanges? Granted that it can be done without affecting their attributes?

 

[Chuckinho]

Had a play last night after latest PC patch and tackling and pressure feel much more realistic. My poor PC is struggling a bit though. It feels like it is having to use more system resources than before. IS this true or is it just me?

I was adding some more logos last nigth for somebody else (aren't I nice...) and noticed that some of the logos had disappeared from the selection screen. I click on them and they are there, but I was wondering if that was another memory related problem.

I had been playing on a laptop sometimes but I've given that up now as it was whirring like buggery.

At the end of the day, I intend to buy the game again when XBOX is available and only use the PC version to create new teams, logos, stadiums, adboards and guernseys.

You could say I only bought the PC version out of desperation to get involved. Saying that I understand there is a plan for a standalone Academy which might help my PC keep pace.

 

[Chuckinho]

BigAntStudios Ross would there be any way of possibly adding/implementing a second position for every player as a way to reduce the random interchanges? Granted that it can be done without affecting their attributes?

like preferred position and secondary position or something like that. I know a lot of rucks who end up at Full forward and vice versa, so that would be great.

 

[Haymo_of_thor]

BigAntStudios Ross would there be any way of possibly adding/implementing a second position for every player as a way to reduce the random interchanges? Granted that it can be done without affecting their attributes?

I agree, interchanges and player positions where something AFL Evo 2 did well

 

[Chuckinho]

A few questions.

-Will there be national anthems for Anzac Day
-Logos on the ground for special rounds such as Anzac round, indigenous round and finals games
-Grand finals jumper patches
-Gold AFL Logo to team who wins the flag
-Realistic finals schedule
-Change to gather round fixture in following season in management mode
-players in the draft that aren’t always bald
-Change in weather (rain, cloudy)
-Change in time of day for twilight games going from day to night at end of the game
-Inbox for management mode
-When are state leagues coming in
-Realistic crowd sounds after a goal is kicked.

This will make a huge difference to the experience of the game, gameplay has improved heaps but still needs a bit.
Thanks

A lot of that stuff has to do more with the aesthetic than the gameplay nuts and bolts - which is entirely fine with me as that is where I am for the most part - on the creative side of things. I get the impression there are two camps on this forum. Those for Gameplay and those for the aesthetic (the way stuff looks) like me.