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.

 

[Treehill23]

Quoting myself like a loser, but I think we just have to be very careful with what we wish for. It would be a delicate balancing act between making the game an accurate simulation of the sport, but also making the game fun. The rules of other sports have it easier here. I can't see how accurately simulating the messy nature of aussie rules would make for a fun videogame, which is why the games have been the way they have been in terms of pack marks, tackling, players all being the same etc. Heaps of players, massive fields, no offside rule or other positional restrictions (outside of 6-6-6), huge range of player types from your big lumbering ruckmen to your little forward pockets all having their place in the game and gameplans of the coaches, trying to balance all that ... nightmare for a games developer.

Maybe so and 2 console generations back, I would have totally agreed. Hell, maybe even just the 1 generation back
But technology has come so far with games like Hogwarts, Elden Ring, Warzone etc that I don’t think it’s beyond the realms of possibility.
Sure, there’s budgets involved and what not, but I can’t see why it wouldn’t be possible in this day and age. Especially if Big Ant make the next 4-5 AFL games. I’d imagine a scrappy affair being so much more rewarding and enjoyable when you finally get that breakthrough in the last qtr and the satisfaction will come from that alone. The fact that the game would resemble a real life match and you’re on the winning end of it in an epic finish. I think it could definitely still be fun if done right

 

[Ambrose Burnside]

Not sure what Hogwarts and Elden Ring (fairly standard open world games in terms of game design, though both very good from what I've seen) and Warzone (Call of Duty? a first person shooter?) have to do with the difficulties of making an AFL game, but OK

 

[Treehill23]

Not sure what Hogwarts and Elden Ring (fairly standard open world games in terms of game design, though both very good from what I've seen) and Warzone (Call of Duty? a first person shooter?) have to do with the difficulties of making an AFL game, but OK

Didn’t say they have anything to do with an AFL game
I simply implied that with how far technology has come, it’s very presumptuous to say an AFL game can’t be replicated as close to its real life counterpart as possible
I’m not saying it’s easy, all I’m saying is that I’d be shocked if technology wasn’t advanced enough for that yet

 

[Quivorir]

Didn’t say they have anything to do with an AFL game
I simply implied that with how far technology has come, it’s very presumptuous to say an AFL game can’t be replicated as close to its real life counterpart as possible
I’m not saying it’s easy, all I’m saying is that I’d be shocked if technology wasn’t advanced enough for that yet

Its not about the capability of the tech though. Its building the intricate mechanics that make our great game great. Most other sports are relatively structured, they stay in their lines and they move laterally up and down the ground in a straight line (rugby, soccer). AFL doesn't work like that as we all know. How to you build something that can accurately capture the complete randomness of our sport?

 

[Ambrose Burnside]

A lot of the issues are unrelated to technology though, but intrinsic to the sport itself. Like the camera being close enough to work out what's going on in a pack situation, especially if we want these packs to be "messier", but also being zoomed out enough to be able to see a target 40m downfield.

All AFL games default to a broadcast type angle. Works perfectly for soccer, cricket, gridiron etc, doesn't really work for aussie rules.

I tend to go with an end to end camera angle, but then you have to deal with the camera swinging back and forth constantly as possession changes hands.

 

[Ambrose Burnside]

Its not about the capability of the tech though. Its building the intricate mechanics that make our great game great. Most other sports are relatively structured, they stay in their lines and they move laterally up and down the ground in a straight line (rugby, soccer). AFL doesn't work like that as we all know. How to you build something that can accurately capture the complete randomness of our sport?

Exactly

 

[Freo16]

A lot of the issues are unrelated to technology though, but intrinsic to the sport itself. Like the camera being close enough to work out what's going on in a pack situation, especially if we want these packs to be "messier", but also being zoomed out enough to be able to see a target 40m downfield.

All AFL games default to a broadcast type angle. Works perfectly for soccer, cricket, gridiron etc, doesn't really work for aussie rules.

I tend to go with an end to end camera angle, but then you have to deal with the camera swinging back and forth constantly as possession changes hands.

When I talk about “messier” gameplay, I’m thinking less about a swarm of players surrounding the footy and more-so about one on one contests, particularly when it comes to player career gameplay.

If me and my opponent are chasing after a loose ball he should be able to….

• Try to push me off the ball or shepherd for his teammate
• If I’m able to take possession then he should be able to grab onto me and I have to fight to get a hand free
• If we’re in a marking contest, I really want to have to wrestle/jostle to win that battle

So I’m essentially thinking about one on one contests and games in player career should really be about the battle between you and your direct opponent.

 

[FearTheBeard13]

Gameplay-wise, my 1 big wishlist item is a meter for goal kicking on the run with modifiers (torpedo, snap etc) but also feeling like there’s time under pressure to get these kicks off. I remember playing Live 1 sometimes it was hard deep in the pocket to accurately shoot at goal with a banana unless you were facing inwards on a 45-degree angle but it was rewarding snagging them!!

 

[Ambrose Burnside]

When I talk about “messier” gameplay, I’m thinking less about a swarm of players surrounding the footy and more-so about one on one contests, particularly when it comes to player career gameplay.

If me and my opponent are chasing after a loose ball he should be able to….

• Try to push me off the ball or shepherd for his teammate
• If I’m able to take possession then he should be able to grab onto me and I have to fight to get a hand free
• If we’re in a marking contest, I really want to have to wrestle/jostle to win that battle

So I’m essentially thinking about one on one contests and games in player career should really be about the battle between you and your direct opponent.

Cool ideas but I'd be wary of the controls getting very fiddly very quickly the more actions you can perform. And there's also often not enough time for these little individual battles to take place before all the other players arrive on the scene creating the swarm.

First dot point. Love me a bump. Would love it if the AI works like this, teammates working together. Evo 2 often descends into a bump fest though, bodies being knocked over all over the place. Unsure if that's an improvement on AFL Live's tacklefest.

Second dot I'm assuming he grabs you with the tackle button. Is there a fight to get free button? How is that resolved? Purely by stats, player with higher get free rating beats player with lower tackle rating? Or is it timing based? Are you now so focussed on the timing (either some sort of meter on screen like ruck contests are always handed in AFL games, or literally watching the hands of the players somehow) you end up not paying attention to everything else going on?

Third dot point sounds good, but it only really works if there are one-on-one contests all over the ground. I don't mind that in theory, but a lot of people hate it. If there's a pack marking contest, I have no idea how it works beyond "blind luck". I tend to just spoil in those situations which is probably the most realistic outcome, but you do end up with the swarm once the ball hits the deck.

I just feel that AFL videogames HAVE to be simplified compared to how the game is really played to be enjoyable. Keen to see how Big Ant resolve this because everyone will love an enjoyable simulation with a camera that's so good you don't even notice it, with controls so intuitive you don't even have to think about what button to press in any given situation.

 

[GoldbergsGold]

Gameplay-wise, my 1 big wishlist item is a meter for goal kicking on the run with modifiers (torpedo, snap etc) but also feeling like there’s time under pressure to get these kicks off. I remember playing Live 1 sometimes it was hard deep in the pocket to accurately shoot at goal with a banana unless you were facing inwards on a 45-degree angle but it was rewarding snagging them!!

I liked what they did with Live 1, where you had to compose yourself and move in an orderly way to get an accurate kick on the run. Although, the AI getting instant 60 metre bombs with 1 step was a bit unfair, when it takes the player longer with the kicking meter.

 

[Ambrose Burnside]

Curling through a goal deep in the pocket 5 rows back while aiming at the top of the square or some s**t was the most satisfying part of AFL Live.

I don't give a s**t that goal kicking was "too easy" when I could pull s**t like that out of my anoos.

 

[hawk699]

You would think we would get something by now considering how close the season is getting a bit annoying now imo

 

[Quivorir]

Annoying? Again, they don't owe us anything.

Replace all references to a woman with references to AFL 23.

 

[Freo16]

Cool ideas but I'd be wary of the controls getting very fiddly very quickly the more actions you can perform. And there's also often not enough time for these little individual battles to take place before all the other players arrive on the scene creating the swarm.

First dot point. Love me a bump. Would love it if the AI works like this, teammates working together. Evo 2 often descends into a bump fest though, bodies being knocked over all over the place. Unsure if that's an improvement on AFL Live's tacklefest.

Second dot I'm assuming he grabs you with the tackle button. Is there a fight to get free button? How is that resolved? Purely by stats, player with higher get free rating beats player with lower tackle rating? Or is it timing based? Are you now so focussed on the timing (either some sort of meter on screen like ruck contests are always handed in AFL games, or literally watching the hands of the players somehow) you end up not paying attention to everything else going on?

Third dot point sounds good, but it only really works if there are one-on-one contests all over the ground. I don't mind that in theory, but a lot of people hate it. If there's a pack marking contest, I have no idea how it works beyond "blind luck". I tend to just spoil in those situations which is probably the most realistic outcome, but you do end up with the swarm once the ball hits the deck.

I just feel that AFL videogames HAVE to be simplified compared to how the game is really played to be enjoyable. Keen to see how Big Ant resolve this because everyone will love an enjoyable simulation with a camera that's so good you don't even notice it, with controls so intuitive you don't even have to think about what button to press in any given situation.

• Much like FIFA where two players are chasing after the ball, you press circle and your player will start to put some body pressure/jostle on the opponent
• Tackling would be a combination of stats + timing of tackle, I see breaking free as an extension of the stiff arm or fend off, if you’re being tackled then you can press that same button to try and wriggle free and then fire off a handball - again stats and how good the tackle was affect your chances of success
• I don’t see pack marking as being all that different from one on one, even if you’re surrounded by players, you only really engage one, it’s just more of a challenge when you can be bumped from any direction - even if it’s someone charging in late from behind, crashing the pack and no one marks it

 

[Freo16]

You would think we would get something by now considering how close the season is getting a bit annoying now imo

I think it’s fairly safe to assume we’ll get something either this Friday or next, clearly they have some sort of marketing plan and it really hasn’t made much sense to release any info until now as the footy is actually returning

 

[SugarShane]

Quoting myself like a loser, but I think we just have to be very careful with what we wish for. It would be a delicate balancing act between making the game an accurate simulation of the sport, but also making the game fun. The rules of other sports have it easier here. I can't see how accurately simulating the messy nature of aussie rules would make for a fun videogame, which is why the games have been the way they have been in terms of pack marks, tackling, players all being the same etc. Heaps of players, massive fields, no offside rule or other positional restrictions (outside of 6-6-6), huge range of player types from your big lumbering ruckmen to your little forward pockets all having their place in the game and gameplans of the coaches, trying to balance all that ... nightmare for a games developer.

I remember Ross saying once that video games should be like a highlight reel of the sport. Not many people truly want realism. You don't want to play a rainy game of AFL and have 9/10 players unable to take possession. It's that real tightrope of looking like the actual sport, but also actually being fun and enjoyable.

 

[Ambrose Burnside]

I remember Ross saying once that video games should be like a highlight reel of the sport. Not many people truly want realism. You don't want to play a rainy game of AFL and have 9/10 players unable to take possession. It's that real tightrope of looking like the actual sport, but also actually being fun and enjoyable.

Yeah agree with that.

 

[Frothiewalker]

I remember Ross saying once that video games should be like a highlight reel of the sport. Not many people truly want realism. You don't want to play a rainy game of AFL and have 9/10 players unable to take possession. It's that real tightrope of looking like the actual sport, but also actually being fun and enjoyable.

Yeah, Fair shout that.

 

[BallaratBulldog]

I mean after all you see Fifa games with 6-6 goal scoring which isn’t usually the case

 

[GoldbergsGold]

I remember Ross saying once that video games should be like a highlight reel of the sport. Not many people truly want realism. You don't want to play a rainy game of AFL and have 9/10 players unable to take possession. It's that real tightrope of looking like the actual sport, but also actually being fun and enjoyable.

I disagree, I wouldn't mind some contrast with heavy rain where it becomes harder, so you have to become more skilled as a player to over come it. As long as they made the gameplay with realistic weight and physics to it, not weightlessness and being floaty.

 

[Ambrose Burnside]

I disagree, I wouldn't mind some contrast with heavy rain where it becomes harder, so you have to become more skilled as a player to over come it. As long as they made the gameplay with realistic weight and physics to it, not weightlessness and being floaty.

If it was too realistic, we'd win two games and lose to Norf.

 

[GOTHELIONS16]

If it was too realistic, we'd win two games and lose to Norf.

How do you know if that’s realistic? The season hasn’t even started yet.

 

[Ambrose Burnside]

Well the Eagles could pull a 2011 when they went from 16th to 4th, but I doubt the developers would have plugged in the players stats based on that, but rather with what they shat out last year.

I expect the Eagles to have one of the lowest rankings in the game, even if there were some extenuating circumstances around 2022.

 

[Strahany]

Well the Eagles could pull a 2011 when they went from 16th to 4th, but I doubt the developers would have plugged in the players stats based on that, but rather with what they shat out last year.

I expect the Eagles to have one of the lowest rankings in the game, even if there were some extenuating circumstances around 2022.

This is why I’d be happy if BigAnt included live updates to player stats, even if it requires a small payment. It means you’re not stuck with some unrealistic stats for an entire season.

Even if they don’t, their customisation and sharing features means it’s possible for the dedicated few to help the community out

 

[Flagmantle Pod]

Honestly I’m already sick of the “I want this” or the “they need to include this” posts. Yes I’ve been a contributor to these type of posts too, but it’s about time we get something from BA. The first week of pre season games starts literally tomorrow. I don’t see why a 30 second clip of the kicking game set up at the grand final hasn’t been released.

I understand that the game might not be ready to show yet, or they’re following a marketing schedule for it, but not even a screen shot of a menu, or the release of 5-10 player ratings haven’t been dropped yet.

I might sound like I’m entitled to information but I honestly feel like I am. The only information obtained from Ross is that something will happen on a Thursday and the reason the game has a specific warning on its classification is because the raters thought an unknown commentator said bollocks.

With the real footy getting really close to starting, I’m beginning to lose a bit of interest in this game. Does anyone else feel the same or is it just me?