Multiplat AFL 26 - Releasing May 8th

[Dannnnnnnnnn]

A reminder before this game's alleged release.

PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING
​

Hello. Perhaps you've been here before. Perhaps you haven't. If you haven't, here's what you need to know: these threads have a long history of being dumpster fires. For that reason, we take a much stricter approach to moderation than we otherwise do.


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• Heated debate / disagreement​
• Criticising the game / developers​
• Praising the game / developers​
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In the wise, wise words of Jasper Beardsley:

 

[fargothegreat]

Game feels a lot more like a real footy match after the latest patch. Much more contested with less space to run. I feel like I can tackle the oppo more easily, but they can also tackle me more easily.

I'm having to play a slower game style and not having as much fun atm, but I've only played one game and still getting used to the changes.

 

[MUYB]

Feels like all the computer controlled players on my team must be constantly sprinting when I'm not in control because I'll get to half-time and they'll all be deep red on their stamina bars while the other team are completely fine.

 

[Ambrose Burnside]

I don’t mean to alarm anyone but players have coloured boots and they’re no longer drinking blue paint!

They never drank blue paint! Nothing comes out!

 

[Ambrose Burnside]

Feels like all the computer controlled players on my team must be constantly sprinting when I'm not in control because I'll get to half-time and they'll all be deep red on their stamina bars while the other team are completely fine.

I noticed this too, then noticed the latest patch turned off auto interchanges when I had it turned on pre-patch.

Annoying.

 

[Flagmantle Pod]

Updated the game, changed some difficulty sliders, updated ratings and positions for a few teams.

Let the AI have a go against itself for a few games. Apart from the ball ping ponging back and forth at lightning speeds, game plays pretty well!

Was impressed by AI’s variance through using the AI team tactics sliders - they make a huge difference to how each team plays, would recommend playing around with these if you’re struggling with replayability.

The AI coaches made a few silly interchanges when key position players go down with injury, but other than that the auto interchange feature seems to be much improved.

Fantasy points and Brownlow votes at the end of games is a big tick.

Tip for all who on gameplay difficulty sliders: lower the AI reaction time and awareness slider, lower the tackle distance, run speed and set shot accuracy. Creates a much more open game with limited repeat stoppages and stops the 15.1.91 v 12.2.74 scorelines.

Having a defender run spare behind the play whilst using either a full zone or partial zone works nicely, yet to see a tagger work.

Glad we can now change guersey numbers through the academy now so we can create our own custom teams in totality.

Lots of boxes ticked with the latest update - enjoying it so far

 

[SaadyArmy]

This should be really simple to implement you’d think, because it was in previous Evo titles, but I want the option to select a midfielder at my centre bounce - that way if I’m losing the taps I can mix it up and try read the opposing ruckmans tap. Would also make i50 stoppage goals more satisfying

 

[GoldbergsGold]

Game feels a lot more like a real footy match after the latest patch. Much more contested with less space to run. I feel like I can tackle the oppo more easily, but they can also tackle me more easily.

I'm having to play a slower game style and not having as much fun atm, but I've only played one game and still getting used to the changes.

Nah, it's nothing like real footy, it's still a dump kick forward contested marking fest. It's really missing the contested grind, it doesn't help that tackling is just 1v1, same with marking, BA doing the bare minimum like they said WW did. It sucks, too, because in Live 1 the contested contests were such a slog in a fun way. Those may say it's a "tackling fest" but it didn't end always in pinned tackles, the ball would drop out only a metre or so and it felt rewarding if you won the contest when hacking out the contested play.

 

[shev76]

Stupid one...Doesn't the AFL have a Gatorade sponsorship? whats with the Powerade drinks at HT?

 

[Dez!]

Would be nice if they also fixed the f***ing interchange.

I'm sick of having Luke Jackson

9

Luke Jackson

Age

24

Ht

199cm

Wt

102kg

Pos.

F/R

Career

Season

Last 5

D

8.3

2star

K

3.3

1star

HB

5.0

4star

M

1.5

2star

T

1.0

3star

G

0.3

3star

D

8.3

2star

K

3.3

1star

HB

5.0

3star

M

1.5

2star

T

1.0

2star

G

0.3

3star

D

8.3

3star

K

3.3

2star

HB

5.0

4star

M

1.5

2star

T

1.0

3star

G

0.3

3star

ruck for one contest and then Josh Weddle put in for the rest of the game forcing me to turn it off and change it only for it to happen again instantly.

 

[dondolla]

Played AFL26 at a mates house yesterday. I had very low expectations but goodness me it was pretty disappointing. The pace of the game feels so poor. I think it’s because they’ve valued these animations so much and done motion capture so the game has to go through the animation and it doesn’t fit properly.

Is it better than AFL23? Well it is but it’s not so much that you can give them credit. Why are they building the game still through patches? Honestly any danger they finish the game before selling it.

I still think evo2 is infinitely more fun. Is it pretty simple? Yes. Does it have issues? Yes. Does it feel like a real game of AFL football? Not particularly. But god it’s more fun than AFL26. Ambition might be BA’s biggest mistake. Trying to make the game absolutely everything, when it ends up not really being anything.

 

[Treehill23]

Played AFL26 at a mates house yesterday. I had very low expectations but goodness me it was pretty disappointing. The pace of the game feels so poor. I think it’s because they’ve valued these animations so much and done motion capture so the game has to go through the animation and it doesn’t fit properly.

Is it better than AFL23? Well it is but it’s not so much that you can give them credit. Why are they building the game still through patches? Honestly any danger they finish the game before selling it.

I still think evo2 is infinitely more fun. Is it pretty simple? Yes. Does it have issues? Yes. Does it feel like a real game of AFL football? Not particularly. But god it’s more fun than AFL26. Ambition might be BA’s biggest mistake. Trying to make the game absolutely everything, when it ends up not really being anything.

I’m currently of the opinion that if they implemented manual handballing similar to how they did with manual kicking, AFL26 would be like if AFL23 and Evo2 had a baby
The AI now moves very similar to Evo 2 but the mechanics are still very much BigAnts. Kicking is great but handballing is average at best.
Evo2’s player control and responsiveness was the best we’ve had in an AFL game but I don’t think AFL26 is that far behind especially if they fix handballing
Tackling is still a bit iffy too but overall I’m finding it fun. Just a few things that they need to iron out

 

[T2B_]

Handballing is one thing I really like in Evo 2, when a handball chain comes off just right it can be exhilarating and feels like some of the best you see in the real game.

That should definitely be something Big Ant aspires to, like they have with the kicking.

 

[Archer_11]

Here ya go CraigMc24 and anyone else interested. Some of my top tips, and maybe less-known features you can use in gameplay.
Let me know your thoughts.

Great video BlackMamba!

That's a sticky if ever I've seen one, at least for the current cycle.

 

[Ambrose Burnside]

49.29GB update on my Xbox, it's like it decided to download the whole game again

Checked over there and JNT is like "Um, it shouldn't that big " so it looks like Big Ant have stuffed up another Xbox patch. One day they'll get it right.

 

[FearTheBeard13]

Just tried a few games post patch, gameplay seems better but has it also gotten a tad slower?! I tweaked the sliders a bit to reduce tackle distance, player speed and increase User marking and it seems to actually reduce those issues which is nice.

2 things to me that Big Ant still really need to improve is the player positioning and the interchange logic. Players leading forward shouldnt stop dead as next contest up and also a player taking a set shot 15M out shouldnt have a huddle of 10 players in front of him



Ps. Glad they finally fixed my man Titch’s feathers. Now upgrade his skills! 74 is an insult.

Edit: There really needs to be manual handballing too. It just feels too forced and tends to stay with the team in possesion when its a 50/50 ball.

 

[Dez!]

49.29GB update on my Xbox, it's like it decided to download the whole game again

Checked over there and JNT is like "Um, it shouldn't that big " so it looks like Big Ant have stuffed up another Xbox patch. One day they'll get it right.

To be fair, you bought on Xbox after last time.

Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.

 

[Ambrose Burnside]

To be fair, you bought on Xbox after last time.

Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.

Fixed

 

[MUYB]

I noticed this too, then noticed the latest patch turned off auto interchanges when I had it turned on pre-patch.

Annoying.

I think it was a combo of this and my team's condition was awful coming in because I guess the default training load is set to "death march".

 

[Archer_11]

Edit: There really needs to be manual handballing too. It just feels too forced and tends to stay with the team in possesion when its a 50/50 ball.

You're touching on my favourite topic - way more interesting than a lot of the banter - being the rules engine and game logic. For 23 and 26 it feels like there is a team variable under the hood determining who is wearing the pants - if you have them then your handballs and kicks go directly through the opposition, and if you're not wearing them that's where you get these frustrating scenarios where there's not a damn thing you can do to stop the ball. You can do five tackles in a row and each time some magic handball fires off to the next player, or you can be standing directly in front of the oppo and they'll kick it straight through you for a 50m goal. 26 handles it better than 23 but this hard coded possession logic is still there.

And then you have these constant game events where under the hood you swap the pants. Intercept mark and winning a tap out (swap pants), passes to clear space and successfully smothering (reset pants) - I could be way off but to me the logic seems to hold somewhat and it explains the magic handballs and kicking through traffic. These aren't bugs or a lack of attention to detail, it's game logic.

Am I going crazy? Can anyone else see it?

 

[FearTheBeard13]

Am I going crazy? Can anyone else see it?

No I see it too! Very much felt as you described it when I was playing earlier. Its glaring and notable especially in midfield battles or the ball heading to the User backline. My CHB can outmark and stop all the opposition momentum but if its 50/50 its like they just defy physics and control the pill in ways we cant

 

[BlackMamba]

You're touching on my favourite topic - way more interesting than a lot of the banter - being the rules engine and game logic. For 23 and 26 it feels like there is a team variable under the hood determining who is wearing the pants - if you have them then your handballs and kicks go directly through the opposition, and if you're not wearing them that's where you get these frustrating scenarios where there's not a damn thing you can do to stop the ball. You can do five tackles in a row and each time some magic handball fires off to the next player, or you can be standing directly in front of the oppo and they'll kick it straight through you for a 50m goal. 26 handles it better than 23 but this hard coded possession logic is still there.

And then you have these constant game events where under the hood you swap the pants. Intercept mark and winning a tap out (swap pants), passes to clear space and successfully smothering (reset pants) - I could be way off but to me the logic seems to hold somewhat and it explains the magic handballs and kicking through traffic. These aren't bugs or a lack of attention to detail, it's game logic.

Am I going crazy? Can anyone else see it?

I just pictured this being ‘pants’ consumable cards that you can get in Pro Team which you can earn and assign.
Haha

 

[melbournemartin]

You're touching on my favourite topic - way more interesting than a lot of the banter - being the rules engine and game logic. For 23 and 26 it feels like there is a team variable under the hood determining who is wearing the pants - if you have them then your handballs and kicks go directly through the opposition, and if you're not wearing them that's where you get these frustrating scenarios where there's not a damn thing you can do to stop the ball. You can do five tackles in a row and each time some magic handball fires off to the next player, or you can be standing directly in front of the oppo and they'll kick it straight through you for a 50m goal. 26 handles it better than 23 but this hard coded possession logic is still there.

And then you have these constant game events where under the hood you swap the pants. Intercept mark and winning a tap out (swap pants), passes to clear space and successfully smothering (reset pants) - I could be way off but to me the logic seems to hold somewhat and it explains the magic handballs and kicking through traffic. These aren't bugs or a lack of attention to detail, it's game logic.

Am I going crazy? Can anyone else see it?

Have you ever played their cricket games? I used to really love them and put a lot of time into Bradman 14, Cricket 19 and Cricket 22. As a side note: Bradman 17 was a step backwards and Cricket 24 is basically a carbon copy of Cricket 22 (which is very close to Cricket 19).

But, to your point, it has been demonstrated by many people (and I can attest to this from my many games) that there is an element of scripting. A big one I noticed was that the AI batting really didn't like like maidens, and so they'd somewhat unfairly always get a run on the final ball if the first 5 led to zero. Folks have also posted videos of playing the game, having an outcome, quitting and reloading, only to get the same outcome.

I gave up playing the games because it felt like I wasn't really in control.

 

[Ambrose Burnside]

45+ GB patch plus another 800MB patch back to back and McQualter is still a bald random.

Would prefer they just put Adam Simpson back so he at least looks like a real person.

Got a workmate who plays WAFL. Came second in the Bernie Naylor last year (WAFL Coleman equivalent). Rated significantly lower than other forwards in the same team

 

[GOTHELIONS16]

Big ant had finally added a realistic Brownlow count, with votes displayed after each game, included also in season mode, the only mode I play. Now they’ve taken it out of the mode.

 

[BlackMamba]

Big ant had finally added a realistic Brownlow count, with votes displayed after each game, included also in season mode, the only mode I play. Now they’ve taken it out of the mode.

I notice the menus in Player Career and Management Mode are similar (Inboxes and other things)… so I’m guessing there’s a menu ‘set’ where the setting got added back in… which is for those two modes…
But the setting hasn’t been added back in to the other ‘set’ (the Season Mode menus).
Hoping they will add it back to there so we can see the votes if we choose.