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

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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.




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

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

 
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I still can't believe Mr big ant studios himself Ross was giving ww shit yet this launch has been more horrendous then probably both evos combined.

Yes they'll fix half the stuff in the next few weeks but it should've been at a good state at launch.

Now hopefully they're going to fix the gameplay before fixing the modes and before adding in proteams
 

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FearTheBeard13 said:
After a few hours playing and also taking into account the various bugs/glitches, I’m still enjoying the game for what it is and hopefully the PS5 patch will fix up the non-tackling and handball glitches especially! Couple of pros & cons for me:

Pros
  • visually stunning (players & stadiums)
  • smooth framerate & speed in game
  • goal kicking camera/modifier kicks
  • impressive array of jumpers available!!
  • the ball feels alive (will be smothered, deflected etc)

Cons
  • tackling
  • marking timing (no idea)
  • the obvious AI non-pressure glitches
  • crashes a fair bit so far
  • EDIT - every contest ends in a mark unless spoiled. Not enough loose ball play or winning the loose footy

I definitely think whats broken can be fixed and 🤞🏽 by the time the Xbox version is ready to go that all platforms are to their best standard.
Click to expand...

What worries me is that these “future” patches will ruin some of the good parts of this game. Etc the set shots, kicking to leads, stab passing etc! Hopefully not though. Just fix the broken aspects, there’s definitely a lot of potential


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app
 
Class action lawsuit for the CEO stating there was things in the game that weren't there and selling a half finished game as something it wasnt for the price of a AAA game? 🤷‍♂️
 
Dannnnnnnnnn said:
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. :p

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 ******* 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 :rainbow: ).
  • 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.
Click to expand...
Probably the most down to earth review/thoughts posted yet. You gonna edit once patch is done?

People have been super critical (fairly enough), most of the issues are fixable though and considering the gameplay is great (what actually works of it at least) then I'd say this is going to be a fairly strong game overall. There's not much point kicking and screaming about it, not much we can do about it. Idk, maybe I'm just too patient and/or have better things to worry about.

FYI, for set shots, tap the button for the timing, just before the blue section works for me (I think its meant to be in blue section, but massive delay).
 

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YahBoyJones said:
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..






On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app
Click to expand...
Considering the patch made it to steam, I guarantee it was given to PS at the same time. PS are notoriously slow with patches in general, so this is one that I genuinely believe is out of BA's hands at this point.
 
hawthorn2008 said:
Why do the players look so shiny? They look like they are made out of plastic.
Click to expand...
Just the nature of Big Ant's titles, dunno if it's the shaders or textures but a lot of players' skin will look a little off. They will usually look like the player so it passes, but the way it interacts with lighting is usually uncanny. Don't think they're at FIFA level models yet, but on the way to it in the long term.
 
Chad Needs An OF said:
Probably the most down to earth review/thoughts posted yet. You gonna edit once patch is done?
Click to expand...
Yeah I probably will. I suspect I'll cross a bunch of things off but there'll still be a chunk there that are usable critiques.

Thanks for the tip with set shots - that's what I was doing in the end, just obviously a bit late.
 
hawthorn2008 said:
Why do the players look so shiny? They look like they are made out of plastic.
Click to expand...
Ross said a while ago that shadows were a known weakness for the team across games that they were trying to work on. I suspect that's part of it.
 
Not gonna comment on any of the debate as to the release etc.

Apologies to if anyone has discussed this already there's too many pages to catch up on (everyone dribbles/types too much s***...nah just kidding mostly its been a funny ride haha my entertainment during a tough personal time caring for a relative with dementia).

Are all of the locked attributes editable and im being a dumb dumb missing it? Or do I need to do similar to other ant games and download a copy if someone has uploaded it then edit that one?

I feel the answer is right there and I haven't done it.

- If you can't at all thatd be very almost uncomprehendingly odd and I can't even legitimately think its possible none can be edited.

If anyone could let me know would really appreciate it.
 
ClassicRacic23 said:
Generally asking if people could do that, I wasnt stupid enough to buy the game but cant companies get sued for that?
Click to expand...
If BA launched the game, walked away and never touched it again, there might be a legal argument there. But the game is still being worked on, and I highly doubt a court would order damages for a game that's buggy and missing features, but where those features and bugs are being worked on with active patch releases.

I mean, it's not like buyers couldn't have found out what the game was like before buying it, despite what marketers would call fluff statements like "the deepest AFL career mode ever". Might be true when done, might not, but it's not a claim that can be used in court. Missing features would be explained in court as "we had it ready to go, and this came up, so we missed that deadline, but it's coming on this date" and there's little chance of a damage claim anymore.

Besides, class actions take forever to hit the courts, and if the issues are solved by the time it gets to the court room, what damages exist at that point? Just like you can't continue legal action against someone you settled out of court with.
 
Kangas1990 said:
Are all of the locked attributes editable and im being a dumb dumb missing it? Or do I need to do similar to other ant games and download a copy if someone has uploaded it then edit that one?
Click to expand...

Are you talking about the licensed players? Yeah their attributes can’t be edited which isn’t the best. It would be good if you can change their attributes and also cosmetics like jumper length/boots etc
 
Sub7ekjr said:
If BA launched the game, walked away and never touched it again, there might be a legal argument there. But the game is still being worked on, and I highly doubt a court would order damages for a game that's buggy and missing features, but where those features and bugs are being worked on with active patch releases.

I mean, it's not like buyers couldn't have found out what the game was like before buying it, despite what marketers would call fluff statements like "the deepest AFL career mode ever". Might be true when done, might not, but it's not a claim that can be used in court. Missing features would be explained in court as "we had it ready to go, and this came up, so we missed that deadline, but it's coming on this date" and there's little chance of a damage claim anymore.

Besides, class actions take forever to hit the courts, and if the issues are solved by the time it gets to the court room, what damages exist at that point? Just like you can't continue legal action against someone you settled out of court with.
Click to expand...
I appreciate the in depth reply, thankyou! :)
 
Dannnnnnnnnn said:
Yeah I probably will. I suspect I'll cross a bunch of things off but there'll still be a chunk there that are usable critiques.

Thanks for the tip with set shots - that's what I was doing in the end, just obviously a bit late.
Click to expand...
Put it this way, the gameplay isn't completely broken with patch on Steam. Mostly stuff that will take adjustments by us and then need to be adjusted to again when they're fixed lol. It's mostly a lack of content issue now, I won't start a management career until I'm confident thats sorted. Personally that's where I'll spend most time on the game.
A lot of the bugs now are just kinda funny and in one case saved me from losing a final in season mode with the automatic play on from momentum taking a player who marked on the goal line, through the goal and being classed a rushed behind with 10 seconds left.
 
FearTheBeard13 said:
Are you talking about the licensed players? Yeah their attributes can’t be edited which isn’t the best. It would be good if you can change their attributes and also cosmetics like jumper length/boots etc
Click to expand...

Yeah that's it bud the licensed one... aw nuh that just made me a bit depressed honestly...never locked in other games even bigant.

Maybe extra legal reasons behind it I guess :/
Hope it changes.
 
This is what everyone who hasn't read this needs to read:
Michaels said:
Everything was working. The game we got this morning was never the planned release version.

The planned release version had the stats, proper ai, etc that Is the pieces now being re patched in separately.

Doesn't make it any less annoying obviously.

But just more giving context to they didn't just push out the game this morning thinking everything was OK and no one would not notice
Click to expand...
Seems like BigAnt need a new way to implement games and patches if this has happened before with other titles!

Could we even sticky Michaels' post Dannnnnnnnnn , just to save people having potshots at the developers for "creating a crappy game" and "expecting to get away with it"?
 
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