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

 

[RG16]

BigAnt came out and said today that a patch would be implemented today for PC and Ps5 to stabilise gameplay at some point today

When the * is today then on ps5, it’s 10pm

Why say something then not pull through scumbag..

Steams patch has come through so he's not BSing. He can't help it if PSN is slow to push out patches. I recall it being the case with BF2042 patches compared to Xbox/PC

 

[Bianconeri]

There’s a certain website in which employees can anonymously review their worksite
I’ve managed to stumble across BigAnts reviews and it isn’t pleasant

Poor JNT BA probably cops it the most

 

[UnitedWarrior93]

89 pages for the new thread in 24 hours, that’s impressive.

Kudos BigAnt.

 

[chenny420]

At least some of you get to play, mine won't even get past a bug riddled playstation sign in page

At least some of you get to play, the game isn’t even available on my console

 

[Demonic Ascent]

I bought this piece of crap from JB for $79 what's the deal with returns? Will JB accept a return on an opened game on the basis the game is incomplete? Do you I have to go direct to the developer? They can't actually expect to take people's money for a product that is clearly incomplete.

 

[bennymate]

I remember FIFA 23s launch on PC, game was unplayable unless you changed a bios setting & could get past EAs anti cheat before it’d even launch the game



Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

This game is still 1000x better than FIFA 23, even in its bugged state.

 

[guidodp15]

In all seriousness do we know what is a part of the bugs and what is just bad in general?
I'm curious about
Selecting a player to target when kicking/handballing
No auto subs
No stats at anytime
No indication of wind at start of game
Issues when there are ball ups. I.E mids not moving.
You can't move players of the mark and changing players in general is hard.

I do like set shots but selecting the accuracy is a little confusing and i feel it's a little close to the end of the kick.
End to end camera is the best I've had in the game.

 

[guidodp15]

I bought this piece of crap from JB for $79 what's the deal with returns? Will JB accept a return on an opened game on the basis the game is incomplete? Do you I have to go direct to the developer? They can't actually expect to take people's money for a product that is clearly incomplete.

Return it to store I'm sure they've been made aware of the issue. Worst case scenario you'll get a gift voucher back.

( I work at JB and can't wait for work tomorrow....)

 

[Pickitt]

You’ve probably been losing ruck then

No

 

[Freo16]

The rucking comes pretty naturally if you played Live 1

Some other positives:
- The foot passing can be phenomenal at times, it’s nice to have an AFL game where I can hit up short passes

- Spoiling using the right stick is extremely satisfying

Btw has anyone at any point seen diving marks in game ?

 

[Dannnnnnnnnn]

Had planned to hold off until the patch was out for PS5 but bit the bullet and played a few games.

... well, I started one, got a game breaking bug, then it crashed on restart, then I played 1.5 games before another crash.

Obviously buggy and broken at present, but some nice components to be built upon. Not sure how much of this will already be fixed, but thought I would put up some strengths & issues pre-patch in case any are useful. I've tried not to harp on / mention the issues that I've seen being well documented. Small sample size and all that, obviously.

Strengths

• Some of the tagging of commentary to game situations was really nice. I can see it being a nice strength once the devs make Huddo only have one line of coke instead of eight (reduce frequency of commentary).
• The visuals that matter (we don't talk about the trees) are stunning.
• When the game worked, it felt quite fluid and nice to me. I had a few passages of play that even when I messed them up, felt quite authentic.
• Visuals aside, the spread from the contest is the most obvious element where the game exceeds what came before IMO. Clear step up from the contested ball fests we've had before, with authentic feeling ball movement. You can see the input of coaches and well done to the devs in implementing this.
• Kicking felt quite responsive. When something went wrong, I almost always felt like it was tied to something I did wrong. The flipside of that is when you do something great, you feel genuine accomplishment.
• For all the stuff that has been said about their prioritisation, most players being scanned in has made a big difference to the general immersion/experience playing.
• Love the inclusion of the AFLW. I have two much younger sisters and they're very excited to play once the game stabilises.
• I'm not someone who obsesses over player ratings but in general, in very limited play, Dogs players that should be good felt good, Dogs players that should be rubbish were rubbish, and they seemed to find the ball in realistic positions and situations, which is again something previous titles hadn't quite managed.

Obvious bugs

• There were lots of lovely views of fence/leafage and nothing else in post-goal cutscenes.
• Every now and then a player would do a really odd T pose run from the kick out. A bold strategy, Cotton.
• Well documented issues with players just glitching out over a loose ball and being non responsive.
• At one point I launched the ball into the stands because I suck. The game didn't know what to do and the ball just stayed in the stands with the players standing around until I had to quit the game.
• Players kept lining up in between the man on the mark and the kicker, and they wouldn't respond to any attempts to move them from there.
• Delay between getting the ball and gaining control of the player (i.e. they don't move for a second after getting it).
• If the player carries any momentum whatsoever through a mark I was getting called to play on.
• I couldn't figure out how to change the sub in team selection. Interchange/sub in general didn't work.
• AI does some big dumb stuff. Sorry, that's unhelpful, but I imagine you've heard about this a lot.

Other notes

• At some stages when I went for a set shot, the left button on the D pad selected the right option on-screen and vice versa. I'm not sure if this is an intentional left vs right footer thing or a glitch - but it is pretty bloody confusing to have the opposite button by pressed on-screen.
• Players just feel very on rails and non-responsive when moving. I suspect this is because the minimal amount of assistance is 'semi-assisted' - but it is just extremely frustrating. I suspect removing assisted movement altogether is a tricky dev issue because players will be prone to overrunning contests if you give full control, but there has to be a way to make it work.
• Either I'm an idiot, or the set shot control description is really vague. It says to hold circle down to set power, and release circle to set timing. But how do you then select the amount of power? It seemed to be by letting go of circle, which, while intuitive, makes it a little unclear what you're supposed to do with the timing bar as you can't release an already released button. Do I hold it down again? Just tap it? Neither really seemed to do much but maybe I was just doing it too late.
• Similarly, what does the crosshair actually do? When should I be aiming higher vs lower, more right or more left (other than wind)? Some sorta tutorial would be fab.
• Handballs just go in absolutely random directions. I like the approach of selecting a target player rather than having to run in the right direction, but this system seems super non-responsive.
• Rucking could use a little bit more explanation. I suspected I was supposed to tap the right stick at the top of the bounce but I didn't seem to win any hitouts. I was playing as Tim English so I expect to lose the hitouts, but this felt like 2019 English, not 2023 English. Some explanation of how rucking actually works is needed, beyond "(R) - tap in ruck".
• I didn't feel like there was any incentive whatsoever not to hold sprint constantly. I never really ran out of stamina and there didn't seem to be any fatigue over time. Either not in the game, or not well optimised - players need to fatigue more quickly.
• Player speed feels way too high. At minimum, AI doesn't use sprint enough - I often felt like I was rocketing across the ground.
• Tackling feels really, really unresponsive. I don't want every mash of triangle to result in a spillage, but too often I'd be pressing it and the player wouldn't show any sign of an attempt and just keep wandering.
• Umpires as coaches is ****ing hysterical. Can't even call it a bug. If staff selection ever becomes a thing in management mode (which I hope it does), there should be an easter egg umpire coach to select (maybe available to those who preordered or played at launch ).
• I must admit, marking felt a little better playing than it did watching, but it still isn't perfect. Just based on gut feel, it seems (1) too dependent on player marking ratings as opposed to positioning - i.e. the player who I suspect had the better rating won constantly, even when well out of position; and (2) to have far too high a success rate (although, tbh, with the current loose ball issues maybe this shouldn't be fixed just yet ). This was most apparent in situations where the ball just seemed to go straight through the man in front's body to be marked by the guy behind.
• I found the radar hard to use. I dunno if it was because the shapes weren't distinguishable enough, or the players were too close together, or what...but yeah, I didn't find it useful and mostly just kicked blindly.

Look, I have to be realistic here and say that right now, the negatives do outweigh the positives by a sizable margin in terms of their effect on your playing experience. I would also have to add that I'm disappointed by the lack of options in terms of game modes, in particular the inability to invite a friend to online play (which was probably my main motivation for getting the game and a big unexpected disappointment after picking the game up). I can't really recommend the game in its current state, but I feel a little bit more optimistic having seen the foundation that is there, that this is a patchable game.

 

[Demonic Ascent]

Let's see if now the game's out they explain the massive omissions, like why the state leagues they said would be in the game are not?

Bet they still won't answer people's questions, keep ignoring everyone.

To be honest all the stuff about stats, state leagues etc while annoying is peripheral. You can't actually play the game it has so many bugs and glitches (when it doesn't just crash outright). I can't even select to add the 2nd controller it just gets stuck on a PS sign in page even though I've already selected my PS account when switching on the controller. There is a way around it which is to select the teams first and then activate the controller after the game has started but what the hell is that? That's without even going into the tackling, marking contests, not bouncing the ball, defenders parting like the red sea to let you stroll into the goalsquare etc etc

Developers should be ashamed to have their names linked to a game this buggy

I will say the graphics look great but what is the point when the game is unplayable?

 

[UnitedWarrior93]

BAS today.

 

[JD Hawk]

I bought this piece of crap from JB for $79 what's the deal with returns? Will JB accept a return on an opened game on the basis the game is incomplete? Do you I have to go direct to the developer? They can't actually expect to take people's money for a product that is clearly incomplete.

Cricket 22 is the only game I've ever returned. I went back and said how buggy it was and how it was constantly crashing. They gave me a refund.

I will note I played the game over a year later on gamepass and it was actually good.

Hopefully Big Ant can do the same with this game and fix this current mess.

 

[tigerairau]

Anyone else have a problem where the crowd is tiny, like there is less then half the MCG filled even when playing finals/grand finals.

How are you even getting that far in the season? Mine crashes every game.

 

[Byron_Clanger]

It's good to see the West Coast corral style defensive strategy when it comes to opposition players with the ball implemented in the game

 

[freoman10]

Okay, Ive just played for a few hours and here’s my honest review. (Ps4 pre patch)

The look of everything is unbelievable, the main menu, UI, graphics, player faces are all absolutely incredible and exceed expectations of a Australian company.

However, the gameplay is just not it at the moment. The game feels buggy around the contest, and the AI needs to be smarter in both defence and offence. When in attack, I found the gameplay quiet satisfying and the movement by foot was a lot better than any other AFL game, however the inside contest work such as tackling and handball chain needs to be improved.

The marking contests are too easy, which I expect would be an easy fix tbh. It would be good to see the computer spoil the ball a bit more.

Something I really liked was the way the players lead to the ball carrier, which never seemed to happen in previous games. If BIGANT can fix the defence, then the offence will even out.

Overall, the game is clearly flawed, however I still had fun playing it, and I’m sure everyone else did but as we are highly invested customers it’s understandable that a lot of fans are unhappy that their expectations have not been exceeded. It’s in the Australian nature to expect the best. If we give the game just a bit of a time, these bugs that honestly seem like not too hard fixes, will hopefully resolve and will create a very engaging afl game.

 

[mikeyyy35]

$10 says Ross is currently passed out at his office desk with the BigFooty thread open and I bet the ps not getting a patch today is his nightmare because it is a ****ing nightmare.


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Lucev23]

I would honestly prefer no faces, no different stadiums, no aflw, no alternative guernseys, no crowd, no banners, no anthems, no coin toss etc etc, but just put every single resource and dollar into making the gameplay realistic and not have any bugs.

Then when you get that right start adding all that other stuff via updates over time

Couldn't agree with this more.

I don't understand why some of you are so upset about which wing the camera sits on, which players/coaches don't have face scans or inaccurate player ratings. The game is a broken mess, none of that stuff matters if we don't get the gameplay to at least a reasonable standard.

It'd be like decorating a cake, making it look beautiful and then you cut into it and it's dogshit instead of chocolate flavoured.

 

[Bend_It_Like_Brown]

I’ve bought the game. When heading into JB, the lady said the demand was crazy. PS5 sold out and only a few left in PS4. I am happy to wait a few weeks and then be the judge. I have faith in BigAnt. Atleast they are having a crack.

 

[JD Hawk]

I've seen a few people mention an "issue" with the 20 minute quarter length simmed stats.

The scores are relative to if you played on those quarter lengths yourself. If you played 20 minute quarters you'd likely have a score of 220 vs 300 as well. If they "toned down" the sim stats then the AI would have unbalanced scores and stats to your own games. So play on whatever length you think gives you the most realistic stats. The pace of the game is obviously faster than real footy so that's why 20 minute quarters don't work.

I hope they don't "fix" it in that way. However the total team clearance stats and other stuff are the real bugs, not the inflated score.

 

[Lucev23]

Anyone else have a problem where the crowd is tiny, like there is less then half the MCG filled even when playing finals/grand finals.

Damn, what I would do for this to be the biggest issue with the game right now

 

[xBayley]

Return it to store I'm sure they've been made aware of the issue. Worst case scenario you'll get a gift voucher back.

( I work at JB and can't wait for work tomorrow....)

This ^ also work for JB, should have no issue getting your money back in some form

 

[Flagmantle Pod]

Damn, what I would do for this to be the biggest issue with the game right now

After the patch there really isn’t any HUGE glaring issue anymore

It’s just the culmination of dozens of smaller things that makes the game quite frustrating to deal with

 

[Freo16]

Did have a very realistic passage of play today where Luke Jackson

9

Luke Jackson

Age

23

Ht

199cm

Wt

102kg

Pos.

F/R

Career

Season

Last 5

D

8.3

2star

K

3.3

1star

HB

5.0

4star

M

1.5

2star

T

1.0

3star

G

0.3

3star

D

8.3

2star

K

3.3

1star

HB

5.0

3star

M

1.5

2star

T

1.0

2star

G

0.3

3star

D

8.3

3star

K

3.3

2star

HB

5.0

4star

M

1.5

2star

T

1.0

3star

G

0.3

3star

dropped a sitter chest mark and bumbled after the ball, followed by Fyfe shanking a set shot from straight in front