Multiplat AFL 23 - Part 2 with added Pro Team

[FearTheBeard13]

Seems like patch notes are out already .. not sure how to feel about it.. thoughts??

ITS GONE LIVE ALSO! Just got it on PS5 = 1.7GB

So we can conclude Training mode, along with single player mode just never existed and they’ve taken us for a ride since day 1 I swear this mob never fails to deliver on failing to deliver.

 

[stkilda7894]

I seriously doubt we'll get an AFL 25. The AFL would be extremely unhappy with BA atm, Nacon have even taken testing into their own hands, and fat chance this game broke even. Ross said pro team was needed for the game to break even, but since then he's lost half his consumer base, still hasn't launched pro team, and still hasn't launched the game on a whole platform. Will amaze me if they do AFL 25.

 

[Mootsy]

I seriously doubt we'll get an AFL 25. The AFL would be extremely unhappy with BA atm, Nacon have even taken testing into their own hands, and fat chance this game broke even. Ross said pro team was needed for the game to break even, but since then he's lost half his consumer base, still hasn't launched pro team, and still hasn't launched the game on a whole platform. Will amaze me if they do AFL 25.

I’m a bit more optimistic, I think they can try again next year and continue updates this year. They have 3 other big games for the same publisher, makes no sense to scrap it yet

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Reasons why big ant will maintain the licence:
There’s no one else to do it


And judging from Rossys silence I reckon there’s a good chance that he’s already been silenced

Which if true despite my loyalty to BA particularly early on, is the right decision.

I get his frustrations, I get there was posters and comments on here that rubbed him the wrong way but for a CEO to call his consumers clowns or say they have NFI is a move that can really only go badly for BA in the future.

I reckon more people here that decide in future to not buy will actually do so because of the attitude in here rather than the botched launch and slow updates.
The game itself is slowly getting there, but the damage has been done with the lack of communication and the attitude from the top.

Again I get his frustrations but consumers ultimately are allowed to say what they think even if it can at times be nasty and unfortunately for Ross as a CEO you just gotta bite your tongue sometimes.

 

[CraigMc24]

I seriously doubt we'll get an AFL 25. The AFL would be extremely unhappy with BA atm, Nacon have even taken testing into their own hands, and fat chance this game broke even. Ross said pro team was needed for the game to break even, but since then he's lost half his consumer base, still hasn't launched pro team, and still hasn't launched the game on a whole platform. Will amaze me if they do AFL 25.

You could have said we wouldn’t gotten AFL Evolution after we got AFL live 2.

The AFL will want to continue to produce AFL games as a promotional tool to help grow the game, atleast to the kids who love playing PlayStation/Xbox etc & BA is only developer with the money, resources and most likely the want todo it. That’s my opinion anyways
What AFL really need to try and do is convince BA to bring out a switch version. I may not the worth it for such a niche market but could really boost sales to kids who carry around a switch everywhere. But who knows if big ant will do it.

I think/hope that AFL 25 will be superior to AFL 23, so have belief we will get a another version

 

[CraigMc24]

Which if true despite my loyalty to BA particularly early on, is the right decision.

I get his frustrations, I get there was posters and comments on here that rubbed him the wrong way but for a CEO to call his consumers clowns or say they have NFI is a move that can really only go badly for BA in the future.

I reckon more people here that decide in future to not buy will actually do so because of the attitude in here rather than the botched launch and slow updates.
The game itself is slowly getting there, but the damage has been done with the lack of communication and the attitude from the top.

Again I get his frustrations but consumers ultimately are allowed to say what they think even if it can at times be nasty and unfortunately for Ross as a CEO you just gotta bite your tongue sometimes.

I think sometimes we in here can consider ourselves the gospel on how a game is performing or whether or not people will be the game. Some posters on here may in fairness be correct with their assessments. But I just feel People will continue to buy the game, there is a thirst for it every time a new one gets announced that’s just the way us AFL game fans are lol.

I go back to AFL Live 2. That game wasn’t great but we still stuck with wicked witch through AFL evolution and EVO 2. What’s stopping us from sticking by Big Ant through this launch and into the next? Nothing! Because truth be told, we all know deep down we crave and enjoy the thought of a new AFL game and even if it’s BA producing will be still go online and pre order it or go into the store and pick it up because that’s what we do. Anyone on here that says otherwise kidding themselves until AFL 25 comes along and off the go to JB or EB or steam
It’s the never ending cycle lol

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

I think sometimes we in here can consider ourselves the gospel on how a game is performing or whether or not people will be the game. Some posters on here may in fairness be correct with their assessments. But I just feel People will continue to buy the game, there is a thirst for it every time a new one gets announced that’s just the way us AFL game fans are lol.

I go back to AFL Live 2. That game wasn’t great but we still stuck with wicked witch through AFL evolution and EVO 2. What’s stopping us from sticking by Big Ant through this launch and into the next? Nothing! Because truth be told, we all know deep down we crave and enjoy the thought of a new AFL game and even if it’s BA producing will be still go online and pre order it or go into the store and pick it up because that’s what we do. Anyone on here that says otherwise kidding themselves until AFL 25 comes along and off the go to JB or EB or steam
It’s the never ending cycle lol

I know a lot will continue to buy the game, I will. I also expect some will likely boycott BA because of some of the responses they’ve received in here.
Again were some of the comments he was responding to unwarranted? Possibly yes but as a CEO he probably could have bitten his tongue.

I don’t think anyone here considers their views “gospel” but given we have Ross and at least one other BA staff member in here, we are somewhere that our responses are being seen even if it’s not the official channel for reporting.
A forum is a more invested place than say a Facebook page and there’s a few people on here that are quite knowledgeable around games.

 

[CraigMc24]

I know a lot will continue to buy the game, I will. I also expect some will likely boycott BA because of some of the responses they’ve received in here.
Again were some of the comments he was responding to unwarranted? Possibly yes but as a CEO he probably could have bitten his tongue.

I don’t think anyone here considers their views “gospel” but given we have Ross and at least one other BA staff member in here, we are somewhere that our responses are being seen even if it’s not the official channel for reporting.
A forum is a more invested place than say a Facebook page and there’s a few people on here that are quite knowledgeable around games.

Yeah I think my point around gospel was on some people’s thoughts around if people will buy the game or the next version etc. As I said some of those may end up being correct. I just think some people underestimate the AF gaming community. A lot will continue to buy the game regardless IMO.

I agree this forum is probs for invested than the average consumer. But my point is, we ain’t a broad church when it comes to the sale of the game or the lack they’re off as some may predict for AFL 25. Some may boycott but some may get FOMO and buy AFL 25 regardless I know I’ve got FOMO for this game despite the poor launch. Haha

 

[Mkcaptain]

Again I get his frustrations but consumers ultimately are allowed to say what they think even if it can at times be nasty and unfortunately for Ross as a CEO you just gotta bite your tongue sometimes.

I think this is compounded by the fact that the red flags that the cynical people were raising pre-release were 99% proven correct.

 

[GetAroundHim99]

I seriously doubt we'll get an AFL 25. The AFL would be extremely unhappy with BA atm, Nacon have even taken testing into their own hands, and fat chance this game broke even. Ross said pro team was needed for the game to break even, but since then he's lost half his consumer base, still hasn't launched pro team, and still hasn't launched the game on a whole platform. Will amaze me if they do AFL 25.

Yeah... That's a good possibility to happen to be honest...

I think AFL 23 be the last Aussie Rules video game we get if that's the case. No-one else is interested and the business case just doesn't add up to make an AFL game in this day and age. We're just too small a sport to make a profit on a game that people would actually be interested in playing... Maybe very small indie titles but that's it...

A depressing thought but it's a privilege to have a game made of your sport and we just aren't big enough for that privilege...

 

[T2B_]

Honestly though. I'm actually enjoying the game a fair bit, i guess it's just lacking some modes. Y'know. No doubt the gameplay still needs a bit of fine-tuning. But i really do see the potential in what is already here in the game.

For the most part the game is actually pretty impressive in terms of the animations, the game design, the art design, the mechanics etc. I mean, the crowd looks awesome, the stadiums, the ground. In terms of gameplay, it feels nice, sort of like a Fifa take on AFL, which i think is a good idea. The forward line kicking for goal aspect is well crafted and enjoyable. I like the features like ball-trail and tactics. Rucking, marking and hand balling and precision kicking is fun. I think that what would help over time is more variations and realism to the gameplay over time, such as having maybe 10 or more animations for a tackle, and maybe 15 or more options for a marking animations that work in sync with the gameplay variations. Clean up some of the bugs that are still there etc.

The issues i have are:

• The invisible cone! Take Fifa as an example, you can run anywhere without an invisible cone stopping you from running in. So let's say i run past the kick in zone on the goal-line, i should be able to choose to do that and it's a free kick or a 50-metre penalty to the opposing side, instead it's a glass wall that i can't run through, it might be better to just be given the freedom to make stupid decisions.
• I think eventually you'd want to have a certain realism to player characteristics and movements, now i'd imagine that is hard to achieve on the first version of a game. But it's something that Fifa and 2K have managed to accomplish(albeit over twenty years), the players you control feel like it's those players actually playing. I don't like saying it because i know it causes some rolling eyes, but Evolution 2 seemed to begin doing this on a very basic level as well. But they had 3 goes at it, 3 updates to the one game. So, and i think they went hammer and tongs on it to their own limitations etc.
• Fix the marking and play on bug, when you haven't played on...
• I'd try and get rid of the floating players and goal umpires, moonwalking instead of running, it looks a bit tacky, to be honest, and i'm surprised it wasn't ironed out early on. It has been fixed a lot since the recent patch though.
• In terms of the game-testing, i don't know, it's easy to assume stuff etc, but i would have thought common sense analysis would have lead to the fixing of issues that existed early on and not necessarily waiting on bug reports. So if i'm a games-tester, the first thing i'm doing is looking at the obvious bugs or things to iron out first, one of them would have been the floating feet and the wayward handballs. Not entirely sure why the obvious things weren't fixed up int he first week. But again it could have been a coding issues that was complicated, i have empathy for all of that, but i'm just wondering.

Essentially you have the potential for a really great game, i think.

I will continue to support and am rooting for Big Ant, basically, I know they can get this game to a nice level.

It's not the negative, dire thing that people are suggesting, but no doubt the launch was bad, it didn't go well. which whilst disappointing, you can still salvage this game because it exists, it's here and it can grow, you can retool it etc, re-inject it etc. Big Ant are probably the biggest sports game developers in the southern hemisphere, with their noses in the vicinity of the bigger developers. So the game should be in the right hands!

The handballs are interesting. Sometimes I've had them work beautifully and a passage comes off well and free flowing, other times they just land a few feet away on the ground or at a player's shoelaces, messing up the whole transition.

Lil frustrating because the kicking is arguably the best I've seen in a footy game, especially the short passing. I was never able to string together kicks and marks in Evo etc like I can in this game. If the handballing worked nearly as well, it would be amazing.

 

[Xtreme]

The handballs are interesting. Sometimes I've had them work beautifully and a passage comes off well and free flowing, other times they just land a few feet away on the ground or at a player's shoelaces, messing up the whole transition.

Lil frustrating because the kicking is arguably the best I've seen in a footy game, especially the short passing. I was never able to string together kicks and marks in Evo etc like I can in this game. If the handballing worked nearly as well, it would be amazing.

And when you see the kind of chains the AI can do via handballing, you know it's possible (or should be IF the control scheme / handballing mechanics worked 1:1)... but it must be camera angle dependent ?

 

[George]

So exhausted waiting for answers from Ross and co that I've just decided to load up a new "23 Play Now Games In a Row" mode.

So bland. No injuries, no suspensions. Ball flinging from end to end, looks nothing like footy.

Nice.

 

[Freo16]

Yeah... That's a good possibility to happen to be honest...

I think AFL 23 be the last Aussie Rules video game we get if that's the case. No-one else is interested and the business case just doesn't add up to make an AFL game in this day and age. We're just too small a sport to make a profit on a game that people would actually be interested in playing... Maybe very small indie titles but that's it...

A depressing thought but it's a privilege to have a game made of your sport and we just aren't big enough for that privilege...

Some of this dooms daying is ridiculous, if the AFL let WW and tru blu continue with the licence after AFL Challenge and Live 2, they’ll let big ant continue.

 

[new0066]

No injuries

there are injuries, we just don't get told about them

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

there are injuries, we just don't get told about them

Probably depends on what console/platform/patch number you’re on.
At this stage all I get is injuries to blokes not in my selected 23

 

[GOTHELIONS16]

So exhausted waiting for answers from Ross and co that I've just decided to load up a new "23 Play Now Games In a Row" mode.

So bland. No injuries, no suspensions. Ball flinging from end to end, looks nothing like footy.

Nice.

Same. As soon as my holidays started, I gave into the waiting and started a season mode as every club. Im up to Round 4. As said, very bland, no variations from week to week. To help overcome that somewhat, I’ve started selecting team lineups for each round game based on what was selected IRL. The tactics pad and subs still don’t work, this will help keep things interesting. But until then I cannot be bothered pausing the game, going to tactics every time the game situation changes. Will be good when tactics can be changed on the fly.

I’m finding the stuck in the mud still a problem. Also powering kicks is still unresponsive/slow alot of the time. Still a massive shield around the mark, makes it difficult moving players up the ground. Intercept marks are still OP.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Same. As soon as my holidays started, I gave into the waiting and started a season mode as every club. Im up to Round 4. As said, very bland, no variations from week to week. To help overcome that somewhat, I’ve started selecting team lineups for each round game based on what was selected IRL. The tactics pad and subs still don’t work, this will help keep things interesting. But until then I cannot be bothered pausing the game, going to tactics every time the game situation changes. Will be good when tactics can be changed on the fly.

I’m finding the stuck in the mud still a problem. Also powering kicks is still unresponsive/slow alot of the time. Still a massive shield around the mark, makes it difficult moving players up the ground. Intercept marks are still OP.

Great idea!!

 

[GetAroundHim99]

Some of this dooms daying is ridiculous, if the AFL let WW and tru blu continue with the licence after AFL Challenge and Live 2, they’ll let big ant continue.

I mean, That is true... I think I am overreacting a bit here in hindsight. I feel that there is a good chance of them keeping it and continuing. Which would be the best option IMO.

I guess we're just on the Autopsy phase of this game and it's all just speculation at this point. It's a bit more engaging than the actual game at this point.

Those thoughts have probably been in people's minds due to all the talk about "We need to break even with this game" and "Without us, You wouldn't get a game. No one else is interested in doing it." talk Ross did in the build-up. Didn't exactly paint things in the most rosy light.

I think if he didn't do the big grandstanding on that, This talk would not be seen as a semi-serious concern. But again, The communication was so bad that there was more talk from Ross about needing to make money on the game than what we were meant to get in the final game.

We're left trying to piece everything together to get an understanding on things... Even the simple things are hard to understand in terms of messaging from BA...

 

[GoldbergsGold]

I think AFL 23 be the last Aussie Rules video game we get

Or is it...

 

[GoldbergsGold]

Yeah... That's a good possibility to happen to be honest...

I think AFL 23 be the last Aussie Rules video game we get if that's the case. No-one else is interested and the business case just doesn't add up to make an AFL game in this day and age. We're just too small a sport to make a profit on a game that people would actually be interested in playing... Maybe very small indie titles but that's it...

A depressing thought but it's a privilege to have a game made of your sport and we just aren't big enough for that privilege...

All the VFL/AFL games have been really poor attempts at simulating the sport. Usually all a kick, mark, goal scenario. Live 2011 got it the closest right, where hand passing became a more critical mechanic, among other things. However, it needed more iterations, but that ship unfortunately sailed.

 

[RG16]

Geeze, gonna be tough for the Dogs and Bloods fans to get tickets for the Qualifying Final in Ballarat

 

[FearTheBeard13]

I get his frustrations, I get there was posters and comments on here that rubbed him the wrong way but for a CEO to call his consumers clowns or say they have NFI is a move that can really only go badly for BA in the future.

But then he also sank to a level of pulling out a users private business and rubbing an old job application in his face. Not on. THAT is clown behaviour and if I was an employee of his I would’ve been shaking my head had they seen that comment. Criticising a game never warrants personal attacks if you ask me.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

But then he also sank to a level of pulling out a users private business and rubbing an old job application in his face. Not on. THAT is clown behaviour and if I was an employee of his I would’ve been shaking my head had they seen that comment. Criticising a game never warrants personal attacks if you ask me.

I must’ve missed that, but yeah that’s not on AT ALL.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Geeze, gonna be tough for the Dogs and Bloods fans to get tickets for the Qualifying Final in Ballarat

Sounds like a move that would’ve been made in Covid if we had to have closed finals

 

[GetAroundHim99]

Or is it...

I don't know about Footy Showdown being the savior of AFL games... It seems like a nice little project but I feel like it's gonna mainly be just Play Now games and that's it and while the gameplay has a chance to be nice, I don't think it'll have the longevity needed but I don't know. That's up to the developer of the game to decide what to put in. I hope he does finish it but let's not push him as the only hope here. Might cause him to stop due to the pressure and we don't need that. We're already starved for good Aussie Rules game at it is...

EDIT: You know what, After seeing what Ross did. Let's push this game to the bloody moon and support this guy. Maybe he should get a Patreon going for it. Someone needs to give Ross an ego check.