Multiplat AFL 23 - PS/Steam Releasing May 4, Xbox TBC

[Dannnnnnnnnn]

WHEN CAN I PLAY? READ BELOW:

• PlayStation (Physical): Thursday 4 May
• PlayStation (Digital): 8:01am AEST Thursday 4 May
• Steam: Currently 8:01am AEST Thursday 4 May, may be moved to 12:01am AEST
• Xbox (Digital or Physical): TO BE CONFIRMED, unlikely to be 4 May

Spoiler: Specific Big Ant quotes about the release:

Those that pre-ordered PS versions will be able to play on Thursday, disks will have already been mailed by retailers, they will also be available in-store.

Steam will also be available Thursday.

Stating the obvious, we are still having issues with XBox.

Seriously, anyone that looks hard knows there’s issues - why do you think there are so many exclusives for a particular platform that are not marked as exclusive, but are only on that platform.

If I took that road, life would have been a lot easier.

Xbox digital and retail will release at the same time - that is not a decision we get to make.

It applies now and I will no doubt pay a price.

Spoiler: Other Quotes

Re: commentary team

Spoiler: Other Quotes

Hamish is still there, Daisy didn't make it into the final version of the game.

We added Gary and increased the workload of Harf.

Re: game availability/release dates

I can never give 100% guarantee about anything in the future, but as it stands today, the statement I am prepared to make it that all stock that is at retailers on 4 May will be available for sale.

As to the amount that will be there for sale, and whether it is enough, that is a question I cannot answer.

It will be made digitally available on the various platform holder electronic stores.

Clarifying, the game will not release prior to 4 May 2023.

I am vague as there is one platform that has had sufficient stock at retailers and the other has not, and I cannot name them (contractual reasons).

The game will not be further delayed because of the numbers of units in stock.

Re: Steam listing

I've already put in a request for the screenshots to be replaced with current ones, they'll probably only be there for a day.

As much as the feedback has generally been positive, these are old, meant to be placeholder only and were not meant to go live.

Re: playing lists

All playing lists are accurate for the 2023 season.

Re: content creator footage

This is all prior to day one patch (as some have noted updates like numbers etc are apparent)

Re: Career mode

A head's up on Career mode.

At the AFL 23 Launch night I mentioned the non-team based Individual Career Mode in an interview with Dean (Twistie3). As alluded to at that same event, we were working with the AFL and AFLPA to include as many past legends in the game as possible.

The great news is that we have received approval for far more AFL legends than were previously envisaged, but this has meant that we had to make the tough decision to divert resources away from the Individual Career mode development. The individual Career Mode function will not make it into AFL 23, Career Mode will be entirely team based. I expect this mode to be include in future iterations of the game.

Re: microtransactions

You do not have to make purchases, things can be earned.

Re: general development

So fundamentally flawed, in so many ways, it’s bananas.

We are doing AFL as it’s a passion project, without us doing it there would not be one being made.

So much more upside with making games that are played internationally, let alone one that will not even be played in every state in this country.

 

[jc12]

I think the point I was making is, Big Ant should look for other influences than just modern EA sport games. Even older PS2 era EA sport games were much better and could be studied, such as Madden 12 PS2's custom player position tactics.

and my point is fifa is better than PES overall
its a good and highly successful game so ofc theyll look at it, im sure they have other influences too

 

[upthepups]

Wouldn't look into this at all. Evo 2 dropped last year and even though we didn't receive a 2021 season pack it'd be more than reasonable to assume Wicked Witch still has the license. BigAnt do great things for their other games and I don't doubt they'd make a perfectly fine game but Evo 2 is the best AFL game to date, it'd just seem like change for change's sake.

In short, until it's announced that an AFL game is the not-yet-announced game I wouldn't put weight into the theory.

from page 1... this didn't age well

 

[Flagmantle Pod]

ffs enough of this "it's only a small dev team... you should be grateful" s**t.

It's a product, an $80 product at that. When you spend more or less 4 hours worth of labour on any product you are, by virtue of paying for said product, entitled level your constructive criticism on the producers, which in this case is Big Ant Studios. Criticism is not harassment. Let me say that again, criticising the content of a game is not harassment. When you sell a video game for $80, that product is going to be judged accordingly.

Let me simplify it for you, I see a banana at the local independent supermarket and it looks alright on the outside so I buy it, take it home only to find when I open it that it is completely rotten inside. Should I just accept this because it's small supermarket chain? After all, I should be grateful that I'm even getting the opportunity to buy a banana in the first place.

I hope that illustrates how shallow that line of reasoning is. Not to mention it is that same mindset that is actually holding AFL video games back by accepting mediocrity.

I have the upmost respect for BigAnt and Ross especially, doesn't mean I have to pretend that everything in the game is perfect and that it is the greatest game of all time.

Bananas have been avaliable to you every day for years. You can just as easily go back to the store and replace it and get a better one. We don’t have that luxury. This is our first footy game in 5 years, it’s not going to be perfect for the reasons you listed above, but we have to be happy for what we get because there is no second banana

 

[Michaels]

Here are the videos I just posted.

7 Tidbits of info

Management Career deep dive

Season Mode

enjoy!

 

[Flagmantle Pod]

Here are the videos I just posted.

7 Tidbits of info

Management Career deep dive

enjoy!

Thanks for all this mate! Appreciate it!

 

[Ambrose Burnside]

This is the best FIFA thread on these forums.

 

[magpienato]

Banana’s have been avaliable to you every day for years. You can just as easily go back to the store and replace it and get a better one. We don’t have that luxury. This is our first footy game in 5 years, it’s not going to be perfect for the reasons you listed above, but we have to be happy for what we get because there is no second banana

I guess it just comes down what you're willing to accept and where you draw your line. I don't expect a perfect game, but also I won't accept a game that's buggy, has issues, missing content etc (not saying AFL23 is like this yet, just listing examples). I expect a game that is worth the $80 it is being sold for.

I mean I just recently finished a season of AFL Premiership 2007 on a PS2 emulator and that was a lot of fun. Sure it doesn't have the current lists or teams but the fact that a game made 15+ years ago is able to still be enjoyed is a testament to workmanship and effort put into that game. Why shouldn't, or I guess why couldn't AFL23 aim to be the same?

 

[stkilda7894]

Didn’t Ross say the pro career mode was never ‘back of the box’, as in never a mode originally planned to be in the game and that it was something he just wanted and if time and resources were available it would be included (which I would have thought would be post release)? So not really removing but shifting resources and priorities

Given that at the launch he said it was in game, I'm assuming it was somewhat developed and ready to be in the game. Its not the type of thing you announce a mere 2 weeks before the original launch, with plans still to develop it within those 2 weeks. I imagine it was worked on and they decided to effectively give up on it for this game.

 

[magpienato]

And I think it's pretty much been mentioned already but a lot of the menus and UI are looking quite boring and bland. Just a huge downgrade from Evo 2.

 

[andy_c91]

Given that at the launch he said it was in game, I'm assuming it was somewhat developed and ready to be in the game. Its not the type of thing you announce a mere 2 weeks before the original launch, with plans still to develop it within those 2 weeks. I imagine it was worked on and they decided to effectively give up on it for this game.

I doubt it was going to be ready at launch and maybe added in via a update. But yeah I think the twisties3 video gave the wrong impression, but oh well. As much as I was looking forward to it, I look forward to career management mode now.

 

[GOTHELIONS16]

Here are the videos I just posted.

7 Tidbits of info

Management Career deep dive

Season Mode

enjoy!

Something I noticed in your career mode video in the watch list section for watching possible players to recruit. The list had a league column. This suggests that there is more than 1 league you can recruit players from. This could confirm VFL, SANFL, WAFL???

 

[GOTHELIONS16]

And I think it's pretty much been mentioned already but a lot of the menus and UI are looking quite boring and bland. Just a huge downgrade from Evo 2.
View attachment 1673956

Because it’s from the submission build from more than a month ago. Don’t understand why Big ant wouldn’t want to be showcasing the updated current game build? Michaels do you know why this is the case?

 

[Dez!]

Because it’s from the submission build from more than a month ago. Don’t understand why Big ant wouldn’t want to be showcasing the updated current game build? Michaels do you know why this is the case?

Because they love you mentioning every post.

 

[Dez!]

Everything besides marking looks good.

 

[Michaels]

Something I noticed in your career mode video in the watch list section for watching possible players to recruit. The list had a league column. This suggests that there is more than 1 league you can recruit players from. This could confirm VFL, SANFL, WAFL???

It possibly could mean those leagues as well. My initial thought was the Coates Hire / NAB league, but the state leagues also makes sense too.

I didn't actually ask that though, I can try find out though.

 

[Michaels]

Because it’s from the submission build from more than a month ago. Don’t understand why Big ant wouldn’t want to be showcasing the updated current game build? Michaels do you know why this is the case?

The menu part of will look basically the exact same on the final version.

I don't think there is anything wrong with it.

sometimes the old K.I.S.S method is best!

 

[Michaels]

And I think it's pretty much been mentioned already but a lot of the menus and UI are looking quite boring and bland. Just a huge downgrade from Evo 2.
View attachment 1673956

I don't mind it, keep it simple.

But that is just all personal preference.

 

[Fizzler]

from page 1... this didn't age well

In fairness it hadn't been officially announced, but that message was definitely just me coping with the presumed reality that WW would be making the next AFL game and that I'd be optimistic about that rather than set myself up for failure if BA didn't end up having the rights. Either way the gameplay we've seen now is a massive slam dunk of Evo 2.

 

[GOTHELIONS16]

I don't mind it, keep it simple.

But that is just all personal preference.

Sorry I mean the overall game, not only that career menu image. Why didn’t Bigant want the content creators showcasing the final release build, for gameplay ect. For example the team management screen(image below) is incomplete. There is space on the player profile boxes for what I assume will be a portrait photo for players. And you would think the two blue tones were placeholders and will be replaced with team colours to make the attribute comparison box easier to read for deciphering which player.

The main menu is also missing confirmed features including Hall of Fame for viewing awards won was shown on the main menu on Mitch Robbos vlog weeks ago. Pro mode also was not on the main menu shown by the content creators.
Also the management mode has been claimed to be the most deepest AFL career mode yet. This suggests the career menu is not complete also as it is missing emails, training, reserve player game results/performance tracking to name a few.

 

[DTLSchulzy16]

Given that at the launch he said it was in game, I'm assuming it was somewhat developed and ready to be in the game. Its not the type of thing you announce a mere 2 weeks before the original launch, with plans still to develop it within those 2 weeks. I imagine it was worked on and they decided to effectively give up on it for this game.

So if the game never got delayed one week out and legends hadn't been confirmed, it was going to be in the game? That's what I took out of it

 

[stkilda7894]

So if the game never got delayed one week out and legends hadn't been confirmed, it was going to be in the game? That's what I took out of it

Does seem that way. Very odd. Not against the resources being put into pro team but you'd imagine that had the Xbox copies not been delayed, we'd have all game modes available after pro team got patched in

 

[Freo16]

Watching twisties video, knowing there will be no player career is pretty tough, the game looks like it could really play well when just controlling one player.

 

[Freo16]

Does seem that way. Very odd. Not against the resources being put into pro team but you'd imagine that had the Xbox copies not been delayed, we'd have all game modes available after pro team got patched in

So not only has the delay caused us to wait an extra 3 weeks but it may have caused player career to be delayed by 2 years!
As if this delay hadn’t pissed me off enough

I’m keen to try out pro team but it was always a nice added bonus rather than THE mode I wanted to play. Fingers crossed it hasn’t cost us state leagues and management mode depth as well.

 

[Madog1185]

And I think it's pretty much been mentioned already but a lot of the menus and UI are looking quite boring and bland. Just a huge downgrade from Evo 2.
View attachment 1673956

Damn really? I actually think these menus are super clean and feels much more like I'm playing a polished product but to each their own I guess

 

[Odysseygaming2]

Always something to complain about