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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Baz_hawk said:
Never claimed it did, hence the long list of wishful fixes. But it has made it a far more playable game than it was pre-patch. That's something.
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You can't turn, you're forced to move like it's tank controls. That breaks the game. No other sports game I can think of, especially in the last 20 years has done that. That is the number 1 problem with the game, it should have been patched.
 
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Chark96 said:
Managed to update the controls list for PS5
87d75a12bf37033702fd11ab4941a09f.jpg



On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app
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No bounce controls, either. I think it's just to stop sprinting, it should have been made a button like R3 or something.
 
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.

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...
Finally I great post to read. Thank you.

On VOG-L09 using BigFooty.com mobile app
 
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.
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Are you finding it hard changing players when out of possession?

On VOG-L09 using BigFooty.com mobile app
 
Millky95 said:
Dude go home. Nothing good will happen tonight. Let your staff sleep and back at it tomorrow

It is what it is
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You really believe he was in the office? Hard to take them seriously about anything anymore haha
 
Michaels said:
Tackling does work post patch.

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 notice.
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Wait ,you are literally saying someone uploaded the wrong version of the game at launch ??? How amateurish can you be 🤣🤣🤣
 
Chad Needs An OF said:
Likely to do with the licensing from Champion Data.

I think in one of twistie's videos I saw an option to 'create editable copy' on players as well as the clubs. But maybe I'm imagining things. Either way, that feature doesn't appear to be in the game as it stands. I suspect that'll change in some form or another.
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If that's true then that's a ****ing disgrace . Their ratings are pure shit house and being able to edit their laughable ratings was probably going to be the best part of the game FML. How many more things are they going to stuff up
 

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So twistie mentioned that this isn’t the game he played last week, what the hell has gone so wrong in a week, because whatever version of the game he was playing last week looked elite and the best AFL game to date, not this garbage that’s been thrown out there.

Or was he talking dribble and we’ve been conned, in saying that I have an Xbox and I’m enjoying this carnage, as long as the game is fixed by the time it comes out on Xbox in 6 months


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com
 
A few thoughts here after playing a match on PS post-patch. I'm not writing a few reviews yet, but I wanted to elaborate more on things that I have been "feeling" whilst playing.

It is a playable game now

I don't think it's a good game yet... but it's playable... just. The AI do defend. I found myself actually trying to win and actually got a bit stressed at the end. I was losing and then Brodie Grundy came out and kicked a bag in the last quarter. I felt some excitement! But it did still feel fairly easy and this was on hard difficulty, so ultimately far too easy still.

Tackling is completely unbalanced

People criticised AFL Live 1 as being a tackle fest but it was a very well balanced game. You really had to earn your clearances. Here user tackling is barely existent (I only laid 2 tackles all game despite spamming the triangle button). But on the other hand, it's very hard to get a kick away without being tackled. I tried all modifiers of the kicks and unless you are really in space, you get tackled easy. It's almost as if your player slows down for the tackle

The game feels "light"

Again, in AFL Live 1 you really had to earn your marks. Also in AFL Evo 2 I thought one of the few things they did well was marking - it felt that more often than not the marks go to the player in the better position. In AFL 23 often there is no body on body interaction between players. Observe below, where McDonald kicks to Fritsch on the lead, but it's not a perfect kick so Fritsch has to stop and wait to mark. He and the Essendon defender completely overlap and execute an identical marking animation. There is no context here. It's two players individually going for the mark... on top of each other... and I suppose a dice roll/attributes determination gives one of them the mark

342169047_224188190230780_7727003114532837756_n.jpg
342192755_5978586162267153_3798629041689511089_n.jpg
342382342_186740750946050_2336209620566216185_n.jpg
343342630_564424712464310_1956269981388597764_n.jpg
342656934_979623739881688_4271232333517641025_n.jpg


There are a lot of "snapped/canned" animations

We love for a game to feel fluid. This means having the players and ball naturally interact with each other. FIFA for example has had a physics based collision system for ~10 years, and whilst it can occasionally lead to some funny moments, it's largely very good. What I find in this game is that there are certain animations attached to certain outcomes and if that outcome is determined the game forces the animation. This includes a player who really has plenty of time to kick slowing down to be tackled. Another one comes from marks and spoils.

See below where Essendon kicks to their teammate... a BEAUTIFUL animation of a low stab pass. It might be hard to tell from a freeze frame but the ball is following a perfect trajectory for a nice Essendon chest mark on the lead. The Melbourne defender really has zero hope. I nevertheless have pressed the spoil button, so what happens? Well, a few metres out from the Essendon player the ball suddenly jumps up in its trajectory such that the Melbourne player is in a perfect spoiling position. The Essendon player on the other hand keeps their animation for a chest mark, despite the ball warping 2 metres above them. The ball actually magically appears in their chest for a split second before returning back up to be punched away.

342313403_242616085090651_1772309879418492102_n.jpg
342717823_1393202271523792_479110610433031882_n.jpg
342227404_1132092127653814_241805536593452336_n.jpg
342513240_268430928874230_8899335462864760437_n.jpg
342364922_929592351426371_6048969773043025485_n.jpg
343007356_566293312314975_4112717616490739708_n.jpg


In the cricket games there was the odd snapping like that. The ball would snap onto the bat a tad for the shot animation. The ball would snap into a fielder's hands for a catch. It never broke the immersion of the game though. Here we are seeing it really affect gameplay.

I think for now it's a game that's playable with friends because the AI is still very poor/easy, but ultimately there are basic things we are still missing that affect the feel of the game, which was ultimately AFL Live 1's strongest suit.
 
melbournemartin said:
A few thoughts here after playing a match on PS post-patch. I'm not writing a few reviews yet, but I wanted to elaborate more on things that I have been "feeling" whilst playing.

It is a playable game now

I don't think it's a good game yet... but it's playable... just. The AI do defend. I found myself actually trying to win and actually got a bit stressed at the end. I was losing and then Brodie Grundy came out and kicked a bag in the last quarter. I felt some excitement! But it did still feel fairly easy and this was on hard difficulty, so ultimately far too easy still.

Tackling is completely unbalanced

People criticised AFL Live 1 as being a tackle fest but it was a very well balanced game. You really had to earn your clearances. Here user tackling is barely existent (I only laid 2 tackles all game despite spamming the triangle button). But on the other hand, it's very hard to get a kick away without being tackled. I tried all modifiers of the kicks and unless you are really in space, you get tackled easy. It's almost as if your player slows down for the tackle

The game feels "light"

Again, in AFL Live 1 you really had to earn your marks. Also in AFL Evo 2 I thought one of the few things they did well was marking - it felt that more often than not the marks go to the player in the better position. In AFL 23 often there is no body on body interaction between players. Observe below, where McDonald kicks to Fritsch on the lead, but it's not a perfect kick so Fritsch has to stop and wait to mark. He and the Essendon defender completely overlap and execute an identical marking animation. There is no context here. It's two players individually going for the mark... on top of each other... and I suppose a dice roll/attributes determination gives one of them the mark

342169047_224188190230780_7727003114532837756_n.jpg
342192755_5978586162267153_3798629041689511089_n.jpg
342382342_186740750946050_2336209620566216185_n.jpg
343342630_564424712464310_1956269981388597764_n.jpg
342656934_979623739881688_4271232333517641025_n.jpg


There are a lot of "snapped/canned" animations

We love for a game to feel fluid. This means having the players and ball naturally interact with each other. FIFA for example has had a physics based collision system for ~10 years, and whilst it can occasionally lead to some funny moments, it's largely very good. What I find in this game is that there are certain animations attached to certain outcomes and if that outcome is determined the game forces the animation. This includes a player who really has plenty of time to kick slowing down to be tackled. Another one comes from marks and spoils.

See below where Essendon kicks to their teammate... a BEAUTIFUL animation of a low stab pass. It might be hard to tell from a freeze frame but the ball is following a perfect trajectory for a nice Essendon chest mark on the lead. The Melbourne defender really has zero hope. I nevertheless have pressed the spoil button, so what happens? Well, a few metres out from the Essendon player the ball suddenly jumps up in its trajectory such that the Melbourne player is in a perfect spoiling position. The Essendon player on the other hand keeps their animation for a chest mark, despite the ball warping 2 metres above them. The ball actually magically appears in their chest for a split second before returning back up to be punched away.

342313403_242616085090651_1772309879418492102_n.jpg
342717823_1393202271523792_479110610433031882_n.jpg
342227404_1132092127653814_241805536593452336_n.jpg
342513240_268430928874230_8899335462864760437_n.jpg
342364922_929592351426371_6048969773043025485_n.jpg
343007356_566293312314975_4112717616490739708_n.jpg


In the cricket games there was the odd snapping like that. The ball would snap onto the bat a tad for the shot animation. The ball would snap into a fielder's hands for a catch. It never broke the immersion of the game though. Here we are seeing it really affect gameplay.

I think for now it's a game that's playable with friends because the AI is still very poor/easy, but ultimately there are basic things we are still missing that affect the feel of the game, which was ultimately AFL Live 1's strongest suit.
Click to expand...
Great, constructive post mate.
 
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