AFL 2007 talk

[Midfield_Man]

So what are the plans for the 2008 version?
- Playstation 3?
- Create a team?
- Better graphics?
- Create a strip?
- Past teams/players?

Hahaha....Gee, don't jump the gun or anything!
But anyway....
1. You'd say (now this may be totally wrong) that a PS3 version would mean a total overhaul.....which could mean a brand new/ all different game....also could mean it'd be much better/ much worse .... but who knows....
2. Doubt it....don't think the AFL will ever slack off with their licence....so they'd probably never allow it in 'their product' ever....
3. For sure....next gen consoles....no way would it go backwards...
4. Same as 2....Highly unlikely...
5. Same as 2 and 4....They might allow it, but then it'd be up to IR Gurus to try and get the licence to each individual player names....which would be a lot of work, and possible costly (depends on the person).

The game COULD have so much stuff if it weren't for the AFL being so picky...
i.e I don't think they even allow the blood rule to be included because it promotes violence within the sport......that Sucks!
Also think of the extra guernseys....State of Origin.....All Australian.....Past Players......that could be in there
all these are restrictions....and I'm pretty most consumers would think that by preventing their inclusion, the AFL are doing more harm than good for 'THEIR PRODUCT'

 

[Cricket444]

Hahaha....Gee, don't jump the gun or anything!
But anyway....
1. You'd say (now this may be totally wrong) that a PS3 version would mean a total overhaul.....which could mean a brand new/ all different game....also could mean it'd be much better/ much worse .... but who knows....
2. Doubt it....don't think the AFL will ever slack off with their licence....so they'd probably never allow it in 'their product' ever....
3. For sure....next gen consoles....no way would it go backwards...
4. Same as 2....Highly unlikely...
5. Same as 2 and 4....They might allow it, but then it'd be up to IR Gurus to try and get the licence to each individual player names....which would be a lot of work, and possible costly (depends on the person).

The game COULD have so much stuff if it weren't for the AFL being so picky...
i.e I don't think they even allow the blood rule to be included because it promotes violence within the sport......that Sucks!
Also think of the extra guernseys....State of Origin.....All Australian.....Past Players......that could be in there
all these are restrictions....and I'm pretty most consumers would think that by preventing their inclusion, the AFL are doing more harm than good for 'THEIR PRODUCT'

**** THE AFL AND **** ALL THIS CONSUMERISM

 

[bok_party]

I only just found this website and like a week ago my mate and i were playing 2006 and we were thinking how to make a better AFL game. We emailed IR Gurus the other day but i guess this is better to tell them wat we think. Although after reading all of these pages we know its too late to implement this stuff and that some of these things have been said but this would be some stuff for the future:

- Not that important, but a soundtrack for the game?
- Possible Manager mode. Things including the Need to bring in "big" players for more membership, players more reluctant to go to other clubs.
- Send players to respected reserve teams, e.g WAFL, VFL, SANFL etc. Maybe can look into how they are performing and if they deserve a recall
- Rising Star Medal/Nominations would be a nice touch to see which young players are having a good season.
- Better youth development, found it too easy with experience points to make a young player into a god-like player.
- A newspaper or media section, found out which players want to leave or coaches getting sacked, etc.
- Maybe a one two button, like hand ball to one player and they run through receive the handball.
- Tribunal revamp would be nice as well, its ok at the moment but just seems very basic
- Reduce in injuries - too many! If there is a reason e.g rushed back into afl after not playing much games, lack of fitness etc - get injured would be reasonable.
- A very nice touch would be have an all australian side, then have an international series at the end - If you get coach of the year you get to coach this side.
- Marking is a HUGE problem. needs to be addressed. I found when pushing the X button, the player did not respond in regards to marking. The system maybe needs to be revamped.
-There must be a snap button. The shooting for goal system you had was a good idea in theory but getting the ball in the pocket etc. and having to wait for it to reach in between the sticks can cost you and be frustrating.
-New game engine?. I think that Konami would have a very good game engine for the AFL series. The graphics aren't brilliant in regards to the FIFA series but it has realistic touch to it and would probably help the game run smoothly.
- Commentary - Need to have a much wider range of comments and make sure they relate to whats happening on the field.


I know alot has been said before but meh. I just copied and pasted what i said the other day.


and if anyone knows anything about a good manager game, its me

 

[bok_party]

Could it be Wolfmother?
or Powderfinger?
Make sure its not Silverchair.

i know a really good song though.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Weapon of Choice.

It suits AFL to a T.

 

[Alberton_Magpie]

Hahaha....Gee, don't jump the gun or anything!
But anyway....
1. You'd say (now this may be totally wrong) that a PS3 version would mean a total overhaul.....which could mean a brand new/ all different game....also could mean it'd be much better/ much worse .... but who knows....
2. Doubt it....don't think the AFL will ever slack off with their licence....so they'd probably never allow it in 'their product' ever....
3. For sure....next gen consoles....no way would it go backwards...
4. Same as 2....Highly unlikely...
5. Same as 2 and 4....They might allow it, but then it'd be up to IR Gurus to try and get the licence to each individual player names....which would be a lot of work, and possible costly (depends on the person).

The game COULD have so much stuff if it weren't for the AFL being so picky...
i.e I don't think they even allow the blood rule to be included because it promotes violence within the sport......that Sucks!
Also think of the extra guernseys....State of Origin.....All Australian.....Past Players......that could be in there
all these are restrictions....and I'm pretty most consumers would think that by preventing their inclusion, the AFL are doing more harm than good for 'THEIR PRODUCT'

The AFL makes me sick, think about the NFL and what they do, they have every single Superbowl winning team in their game as well as create a player, fan, team etc etc. Do you know why they do it because its a game and its not real but the AFL seem to think different

 

[Lucev23]

Afl Sucks!

 

[Brumbies]

Anytime but knowing you guys....it'll be while you are waiting for the game to load for the first time

Is that because it takes ages to load and we will need something to do???

 

[Alberton_Magpie]

Is that because it takes ages to load and we will need something to do???

LOL hes sending us suttle messages

 

[HBK619]

Ok, couple of questions for FH:

1. How has the kicking changed, I noticed that in AFLE the kicking was really good and it was easy to pinpoint players and the like, in 2005 and 06 the kicking has had the direction assist option in the option menu, a couple of problems with this was if I kicked the ball with direction assist on it wouldnt always go to the player I wanted to kick it too, but if I turned it off it would be alot harder to get the right distance on the kick, has this changed at all???

2. What is the average disposal count from the highest player in the games played at 5, 10 and 20 minutes per quarter, I noticed in 2006 the most I could get from 5 minute quarter games was about 20 disposals but it was only if I really focused on trying to get him the ball, other players would get about 2-3 disposals, will it be a more even and higher count per player???

3. Last question is that will we feel as if we are playing as Chris Judd, Pavlich, Riewoldt and the like with the graphics and mannerisms, for instance in games like FIFA and NBA you can tell who you are playing with and it actually feels like you are using that real person whereas with the AFL games it has sort of just felt that the player you are playing with is only defined by their number on there back and you dont really get as much of an attachment to that player therefore dont feel that badly trading away your best players and makes the game a bit more boring.

 

[roguless54]

Some good points there HBK.

By all sounds the content of the game will have somewhat improved, but i think most ppl posting have been a bit to overly concerned with the minor tidbits of the game, such as jumpers to choose from, music, extra stats, stats on top of stats.

My main concern is, has the gameplay from A to Z within game, got the attention it needed? Does it feel something more like it should?

Do player models respond on field in a more life like manor in regards to there movements and there strengths and weaknesses or are they all pretty much still very generic?

Are the contested situations a bit better controlled now , rather than a random scurmish? Is the marking contest more responsive and realistic depending on the players involved and there size, weight, positioning and strength etc. ?

Fiery Hawk , i think you've done a great job in putting word out there and seeking what the greater PS2 footy lovin public want and i'll support ur pals at IR Gurus by buying this game yet again, however i sincerly hope a majority of these gameplay issues were seen to or improved wherever can be.

I've got to admit, afl 05 i played for all of about 2 days, and afl 06 perhaps 2 weeks before getting frustrated and bored of both games. Heres hoping for a kick ass game this time around.

 

[Fiery Hawk]

Dude, if its "Holy Grail" I'll hunt you down.

It ain't Holy Grail...in fact I think it's an international act.

 

[Fiery Hawk]

FH,

So what are you fellas doing with your time now that youve finished developing it?

Beers?

Playing it?

I play it a fair bit but it's fair to say I played the hell out of it in the months leading up to us finishing.

Now we're all working on the other sports titles we have been producing concurrently. These titles are for the European market.

 

[Fiery Hawk]

I only just found this website and like a week ago my mate and i were playing 2006 and we were thinking how to make a better AFL game. We emailed IR Gurus the other day but i guess this is better to tell them wat we think. Although after reading all of these pages we know its too late to implement this stuff and that some of these things have been said but this would be some stuff for the future:

- Not that important, but a soundtrack for the game?
- Possible Manager mode. Things including the Need to bring in "big" players for more membership, players more reluctant to go to other clubs.
- Send players to respected reserve teams, e.g WAFL, VFL, SANFL etc. Maybe can look into how they are performing and if they deserve a recall
- Rising Star Medal/Nominations would be a nice touch to see which young players are having a good season.
- Better youth development, found it too easy with experience points to make a young player into a god-like player.
- A newspaper or media section, found out which players want to leave or coaches getting sacked, etc.
- Maybe a one two button, like hand ball to one player and they run through receive the handball.
- Tribunal revamp would be nice as well, its ok at the moment but just seems very basic
- Reduce in injuries - too many! If there is a reason e.g rushed back into afl after not playing much games, lack of fitness etc - get injured would be reasonable.
- A very nice touch would be have an all australian side, then have an international series at the end - If you get coach of the year you get to coach this side.
- Marking is a HUGE problem. needs to be addressed. I found when pushing the X button, the player did not respond in regards to marking. The system maybe needs to be revamped.
-There must be a snap button. The shooting for goal system you had was a good idea in theory but getting the ball in the pocket etc. and having to wait for it to reach in between the sticks can cost you and be frustrating.
-New game engine?. I think that Konami would have a very good game engine for the AFL series. The graphics aren't brilliant in regards to the FIFA series but it has realistic touch to it and would probably help the game run smoothly.
- Commentary - Need to have a much wider range of comments and make sure they relate to whats happening on the field.


I know alot has been said before but meh. I just copied and pasted what i said the other day.


and if anyone knows anything about a good manager game, its me

Hi there, I was forwarded your email yesterday and planned to reply this week but I'll do it here instead ok?

Ok...Soundtrack - we can't afford to do this with our current budget. Licensing songs costs a lot of money!

Manager Mode - at the end of the day the AFL is meant to be an arcade experience for all ages and until we get that they way we want it to be extra stuff like manager modes will have to wait. Don't get me wrong though...I'd love to have something like that as much as the next person!

Reserves Levels - we can't add other competitions like the SANFL etc to the game as they are separate licences and don't fall under the 'AFL product'.

Better Youth Development - that was definitely something we looked at. I liked the FIFA07 player development method but we couldn't do anything that extravagant in the short time afforded to us.

Media section - this is very much in the category of 'when we have nothing better to add to the game like the Madden developers'. I can understand the potential it would bring given that during the AFL season the media go nuts but that would require a lot of man hours to plan and implement and at the moment those resources would be better served elsewhere. Believe it or not a media section was designed for in 2007 but fell short on the priority list.

The one-two handball - yes we talked about bringing this back and it's sorta on the back burner for now.

Tribunal - the tribunal hasn't been criticized as much as other management areas like trading/drafting so changes to it were deemed low priority for 07. The funny thing about the AFL tribunal is that they are very unpredictable so the current setup of the tribunal in our game is pretty spot on!

Injuries - the frequency of injuries has been reduced for 07. Also the effect the injury has on the player is more prominent.

All-Australian Team/International Rules - we had planned the all-australian team but it wasn't approved for inclusion at the end of the day. Also there is no chance of an international rules team at the moment as that is a totally different game and would require us to write an entirely new game to co-exist with the AFL code. Many of you know that we also make a Gaelic Football game but to combine the two would require us to basically make a new game and we currently only dream of such a scenario where we have that much spare time. Not to mention that International Rules is no longer an AFL item until the series is declared 'on' again.

Marking system - the player will no immediately react to the mark button being pressed. What you are pressing is the timing of your button press in the marking circles. All players going for the mark will try to select the optimum time in the circles regardless of how far they are away from the mark. If they are in the vicinity of the mark and they have the best button press they will most likely mark the ball unless someone has gone the punch and is rated stronger in key attribute categories. Marking is a 'feel' thing that once you get the hang of you can really use to advantage. I recommend experimenting a little with your timing and player positioning when you try the 2007 version.

Snap button - we have removed the snap button because it's more of an 'automatic' control that takes the skill away from the player. You don't have to use the goal kick button to snap the ball back - you can press X and the direction you want the kick to go. It takes practice but it's very rewarding once you get the hang of it. The goal hud is more handy in centering the ball when you have the time.

Game Engine - in an ideal world we'd have the time to develop a new game engine but given that we are making the games for PS2 only and the console itself has a slowly declining demand it's very unlikely we will get to re-write or adapt what we have to a new game engine.

Commentary - this is a very subjective area. Look at a game like FIFA...they comment very little on the play as it's happening then elaborate on it during replays. If you listen to AFL commentary it's quite different in that the general play is very descriptive. This makes it hard for us to get it to sound right. Games like NFL are very easy to commentate on as they are set plays. AFL is very eratic in it's nature so it's very hard to record commentary for every single scenario that can be brought up in a game situation.

Thanks for your ideas and keep them coming but bear in mind that the AFL games we make aren't meant to be management games like the ones you see online...that'll come one day but for now we want to make it a great gameplay experience that gives you the feel of playing AFL footy.

 

[western_bullies]

FH,
Just a few suggestions for a possible control setup for 08. Have you considered using the r2 and l2 buttons for left and right side handballing. This could help emulate the run on feel the game has and eliminate the need to face your player in the direction he is going to give the ball. With the kicking side of things perhaps using the right analog stick (pull down then up). I understand this would be rather advanced but would give greater control for short kicks to leads. I am tipping that most players just kick it as long as they can at the moment and hope that it lands near their players.

Also is there any possibility of larger scale packs? This would allow for a real scurmish-type gameplay. i have seen in some rugby games there is more then two players involved in some collisions so I am assuming the technology is there.

 

[Fiery Hawk]

Ok, couple of questions for FH:

1. How has the kicking changed, I noticed that in AFLE the kicking was really good and it was easy to pinpoint players and the like, in 2005 and 06 the kicking has had the direction assist option in the option menu, a couple of problems with this was if I kicked the ball with direction assist on it wouldnt always go to the player I wanted to kick it too, but if I turned it off it would be alot harder to get the right distance on the kick, has this changed at all???

2. What is the average disposal count from the highest player in the games played at 5, 10 and 20 minutes per quarter, I noticed in 2006 the most I could get from 5 minute quarter games was about 20 disposals but it was only if I really focused on trying to get him the ball, other players would get about 2-3 disposals, will it be a more even and higher count per player???

3. Last question is that will we feel as if we are playing as Chris Judd, Pavlich, Riewoldt and the like with the graphics and mannerisms, for instance in games like FIFA and NBA you can tell who you are playing with and it actually feels like you are using that real person whereas with the AFL games it has sort of just felt that the player you are playing with is only defined by their number on there back and you dont really get as much of an attachment to that player therefore dont feel that badly trading away your best players and makes the game a bit more boring.

Hey HBK619, thanks for the ideas/comments...

1. I mentioned the other day in a reply that the kick distances of players vary greatly this year so getting the feel for what is a short pass for one player as opposed to the other is something that'll come with experience. When I play I leave input assist OFF but direction assist ON and tend to get my kicks within 5m of my intended target. You'll find that with the improved camera positions and lead indicators that you'll quickly get an idea of what the ideal kick direction and length will be.

2. No probs....I did some simulating of games based on quarter lengths and these were the leaders in stat categories (not showing frees for or against) at the end of a game;

5 minute quarters
GOALS - Didak (3)
DISPOSALS - Schammer (11)
KICKS - Schammer (10)
HANDBALLS - Shirley (3)
MARKS - Ladson (7)
TACKLES - Kirk (6)
HITOUTS - Cox (6)
CLEARANCES - R.Shaw (15)
INSIDE 50 - C.Young (6)
REBOUND 50 - L.Power (6)


10 minute quarters
GOALS - Lynch (5)
DISPOSALS - McLean (15)
KICKS - J.Lewis (13)
HANDBALLS - Tambling (9)
MARKS - Cox (11)
TACKLES - K.Simpson (9)
HITOUTS - Biglands (13)
CLEARANCES - T.Edwards (15)
INSIDE 50 - X.Clarke (6)
REBOUND 50 - Fosdike (6)


20 minute quarters
GOALS - Lade (6)
DISPOSALS - Kerr (29)
KICKS - Kerr (21)
HANDBALLS - B.Green (8)
MARKS - J.Brown (16)
TACKLES - Bateman (15)
HITOUTS - Cox (30)
CLEARANCES - J.Corey (16)
INSIDE 50 - R.Shaw (6)
REBOUND 50 - S.Fisher (6)

3. The mannerisms aren't there but you can certainly notice the class of the top echelon players when it comes to their specialities. Like Riewoldt is great at marking, Judd has fantastic all round skill but his kicking accuracy is a bit suspect, Buddy has exceptional pace and balance etc. You'll want to keep your highly skilled players this time around unless you are looking for something other than what they offer. We have tried to make the marquee players look as much like like their real life versions as possible to also add to the feel that they are out there.

 

[Fiery Hawk]

Some good points there HBK.

By all sounds the content of the game will have somewhat improved, but i think most ppl posting have been a bit to overly concerned with the minor tidbits of the game, such as jumpers to choose from, music, extra stats, stats on top of stats.

My main concern is, has the gameplay from A to Z within game, got the attention it needed? Does it feel something more like it should?

Do player models respond on field in a more life like manor in regards to there movements and there strengths and weaknesses or are they all pretty much still very generic?

Are the contested situations a bit better controlled now , rather than a random scurmish? Is the marking contest more responsive and realistic depending on the players involved and there size, weight, positioning and strength etc. ?

Fiery Hawk , i think you've done a great job in putting word out there and seeking what the greater PS2 footy lovin public want and i'll support ur pals at IR Gurus by buying this game yet again, however i sincerly hope a majority of these gameplay issues were seen to or improved wherever can be.

I've got to admit, afl 05 i played for all of about 2 days, and afl 06 perhaps 2 weeks before getting frustrated and bored of both games. Heres hoping for a kick ass game this time around.

Hi roguless54, appreciate the feedback/suggestions. Here goes...

We've made a lot of minor tweaks to the gameplay that when combined have improved the gameplay experience. It has been a major goal of ours this time around.

Congested situations are more frequent and you can have some titanic struggles to clear the ball.

Marking along with Ruck contests now take into account more the players height and positioning as well as abilities like marking, jumping, strength etc that are relevant to the situation.

Thanks for the kind words and we appreciate your support.

 

[Fiery Hawk]

FH,
Just a few suggestions for a possible control setup for 08. Have you considered using the r2 and l2 buttons for left and right side handballing. This could help emulate the run on feel the game has and eliminate the need to face your player in the direction he is going to give the ball. With the kicking side of things perhaps using the right analog stick (pull down then up). I understand this would be rather advanced but would give greater control for short kicks to leads. I am tipping that most players just kick it as long as they can at the moment and hope that it lands near their players.

Also is there any possibility of larger scale packs? This would allow for a real scurmish-type gameplay. i have seen in some rugby games there is more then two players involved in some collisions so I am assuming the technology is there.

I like the L2/R2 idea for handballs...it works well in rugby games for passing and could be useful in AFL.

The kicking idea could be great for set shots or passes from free kicks/marks but it could be too slow for general gameplay. We've spent a lot and I mean a lot of time trying to come up with alternate controls for the gameplay elements and love having you guys offer up ideas.

Yeah the more congested the football the better I reckon unless you choose a tactical setup that is for more open play. I think achieving this will come down to having more advanced tactical setups where you have a team tactics setup along with a player mentality setup. It was on the drawing board for 07.

 

[Lucev23]

I've got a Superb Idea FH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Fiery Hawk]

I've got a Superb Idea FH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Which is....?

 

[Lucev23]

Hahaha Sorta Hard to explain but when we are in our attacking 50, there should be a button to snap kick it.
The difference is instead of manually kicking the goal like in PE, for about a second you Go into Matrix mode (Slow right down) and a big directional arrow Moves from Left to right of the goals and you have to click the button when you want the arrow to stop.
The better the player is at kicking the slower the big arrow scans the goals.

 

[Tarkyn_24]

Hahaha Sorta Hard to explain but when we are in our attacking 50, there should be a button to snap kick it.
The difference is instead of manually kicking the goal like in PE, for about a second you Go into Matrix mode (Slow right down) and a big directional arrow Moves from Left to right of the goals and you have to click the button when you want the arrow to stop.
The better the player is at kicking the slower the big arrow scans the goals.

You've been watching movies too much. Keep it full speed the whole time.

 

[Tarkyn_24]

Banners?

 

[Tarkyn_24]

Nah they shouldn't kick scores like that anymore. We've tweaked the accuracy settings of the players so when they are controlled by the AI (even under dynamic difficulty) it will take into account each player's accuracy rating. Of course, if you allow them to mark dead set in front of goal I doubt they're gonna miss many!

unless it's Daniel Motlop

 

[Lucev23]

You've been watching movies too much. Keep it full speed the whole time.

The Matrix mode works awesome.

I've played it in a rugby game and its really cool.

 

[mattyh]

Gday FH,

I have actually enjoyed the general gameplay of the previous AFL 06 version but what was still lacking in 06 was any sort of realistic atmosphere. There was no loud cheering for the home side and booing for the away team and both got the same roar when they kicked a goal.

Has the atmosphere within the gameplay been tweaked at all? PLEEEEASE say yes!!