Multiplat AFL Evolution 2 - Patch out now

[melbournemartin]

Good news that we get some support for the game.

Is it likely that they tweak it a bit, or is it essentially a roster update and maybe new kits?

Im thinking gameplay tweaks, sound updates (the crowd is very flat), any graphical enhancements?

I know the modes are unlikely to get touched and thats OK, I mean they are what they are. But any improvement ot the gameplay and visual/audio would be very much appreciated

My guess is it'll be roster updates and maybe a couple of bug fixes.

 

[melbournemartin]

Anyone else tried this on next gen?

Is it just me or does the game look somehow... worse on PS5 than it did on PS4? Or is it just that I have been playing really pretty looking games and this looks bad in comparison?

 

[brobest]

Anyone else tried this on next gen?

Is it just me or does the game look somehow... worse on PS5 than it did on PS4? Or is it just that I have been playing really pretty looking games and this looks bad in comparison?

Probably the latter. Ive only played it on PC and although its not awful, its not amazing.. I think from a distance it looks better than close up. Thats running it on full settings as well.

Maybe they will add a few enhancements with the DLC to cover the next gen consoles?

 

[melbournemartin]

Probably the latter. Ive only played it on PC and although its not awful, its not amazing.. I think from a distance it looks better than close up. Thats running it on full settings as well.

Maybe they will add a few enhancements with the DLC to cover the next gen consoles?

When they do anything that pans around the crowd... fu** me. Aliasing galore!

Maybe they could do a 60 fps frame rate unlock, but to be honest, I'm not convinced they could even get to 60 fps since it was never a well optimised game.

 

[GoldbergsGold]

Sod it, I bought into it... I know more avid AFL fans probably can pick out the flaws. But as someone who is learning the sport and enjoys it from afar, what a nice game to play. Granted it could do with a lick of polish that you get from the bigger sports franchises, but thats par for the course with the budgets involved.

And lets be honest even big budget games like Madden, FIFA, NBA etc are full of bugs, stale gameplay and really only thrive because of their ridiculous Ultimate Team modes that milk people of their hard earned.

Im enjoying it and that has to be a plus point. So if you are reading Wicked Witch, you have a fan who will beat the drum for you in the UK and will happily spend on DLC and newer games as and when you see fit to release

The thing is, a 10 year old AFL game has better physics, AI, gameplay than this awful game. And bugs such as players teleporting 20 metres away is the icing on the bad cake. Wicked Witch shouldn't be developing AFL games. I'm actually more interested in this indie 2D footy game coming out, soon.

 

[biaseddustyfan]

The thing is, a 10 year old AFL game has better physics, AI, gameplay than this awful game. And bugs such as players teleporting 20 metres away is the icing on the bad cake. Wicked Witch shouldn't be developing AFL games. I'm actually more interested in this indie 2D footy game coming out, soon.

any links about that 2d game?

 

[Ambrose Burnside]

any links about that 2d game?

Also keen

 

[GoldbergsGold]

any links about that 2d game?

Footy Showdown: Devlog [GET DRAFTED]

Hi Guys, Welcome to the first devlog update for Footy Showdown. Just thought I'd update the community and show you guys some things. I plan to update something every two weeks though my twitter and facebook will show some tid bits like gifs and pics more often. AI is probably the most...

www.bigfooty.com

 

[Archer_11]

Hi Folks,

Story time! This is a big waffle, appreciate it will be too long for some.

I am an old (very old) gamer who purchased every AFL game in multiple formats for the past 25 years going back to Finals Fever in 1996. I always thought it was worthwhile supporting at full RRP as I figure Publishers need to see as much interest as possible for there ever to be any chance of a regular series.

Over the journey I played way more than the quality warranted with the exception of AFL 2006 which sends me into cold shivers till this day. For some weird reason I always enjoyed AFL more than FIFA, I think it was because it allowed you to learn a bit about other team lists without watching hours of footy and it never stopped being fun winning a close game kicking a goal on the siren with some rubbish player on your list.

Of the different releases my two favourite are AFL 2004 PE – it stood up extremely well for some reason – and AFL Live 2011 which arguably was the first AFL game that was skills based and fun at the same time. Like many it took me two years getting over Big Ant losing development rights. As a side note, I actually had the pleasure of dropping by Big Ant Studios once and Ross was a total legend, chatting for over half an hour telling me as much as he could about AFL games behind the scenes (hi Ross if you read this – hope you’re well!).

Fast forward to now, due to a mix of covid, being down in the dumps and North having a terrible season I barely followed AFL last year. When Evo 2 dropped, I bought it like I always do, but just played one game and that was it. Zero interest at the time.

A couple of months ago I bought my first high end PC in more than ten years and a high quality 32 inch monitor. I loaded up Evo 2 just before Easter and was pleasantly surprised. Although expectations are always low, I had no recollection of it being actually fun to play. Whether it’s because I can crank all the settings or because it's been such a long break, I am really enjoying it. The tackling feels better, the marking contests feel more skill based and gameplay with dynamic and close up camera settings is pretty immersive. Harder for tactics, but a lot more engaging.

So having dropped out of this thread I’m wondering what I’m going to read in way of history. What do the Big Ant loyalists think about Evo 2? What is the current balance like between haters and supporters? Is there some quirk to the game – which has been the case with all AFL games to date – where if you always bump or handball or kick long from the centre bounce or whatever, you always win no matter the AI difficulty? About ten games in I’m not sure what it will be and I’ve had some really close games trying different approaches. The clearing kick seems a bit OP, and some of the handballs are crazy, but that’s really all I've got have right now.

Other questions I'll try and dig up answers on are:

- Was there a patch that improved gameplay? It definitely feels a lot better than what I remember. Maybe it's just me.
- Can you still slow the gameplay speed down? It added a lot to Evo 1 when playing on high difficulty.
- Is there an unofficial agreed set of sliders that people generally prefer? I enjoy tinkering but I imagine there's a version way better than what I would come up with. Can they be imported yet?
- How the heck do the live team lists work? Does it disable in game injuries and your list is the same as the current season, no matter how many games or season you play? Were we gifted updated team lists as part of the service, and assuming not, how do the updates work right now?

So I’ll have a read through, I’m sure this is all covered somewhere. If anyone is bored any answers gratefully received, but of course zero obligation.

Thanks for reading and congrats to Wicked Witch who have stuck the course despite endless criticism (including from myself) and seem to be genuinely continuing to improve the game over time. I know in a few weeks I'll have a long list of gripes - it's an AFL game after all - but after a long break, it is plain to see Evo 2 is a huge improvement over its predecessor.

 

[GOTHELIONS16]

Archer_11 I think you’ve nailed it. The game is the most balanced btwn attack and defence we’ve seen. I adjusted the sliders to improve the free flow of the game (increase break tackle, evasion/decrease tackle effectiveness), and the balance between defence and attack ( increase spoiling). Using R1 to lock onto receiver is a useful tool and I recommend perfecting especially for handballs and stab kicks. I use the clearance kick close to goal sometimes to get a quick shot away from within congestion however, more chance of being mis kicked out of bounds which stops it from just being an easy goal. Also when running into an open goal, stab kicks are more accurate and less room for error then a standard kick. Knowing controls like these make the game easier while maintaining realism without being an unrealistic cheat if you know what I mean. I’ve played this game consistently since it’s release and struggle to find any significant problem with the game. I would argue the only real let down is the realism of stats for simulated games in competition mode. To fix this I play competition mode as all 18 clubs, 7.5 minute qtrs and you get a really realistic result in terms of scores and player stats. I have adjusted player attributes to give more realistic stats. For example I have key forwards and defenders significantly stronger then say smalls, increasing their chance of taking contested marks.

 

[Xtreme]

I concur

Have been getting back into it now our real season is under way. I like it, its just a bit down for me compared to Evo 1 (gameplay is ace, I just feel the grass looks a bit more painted on than it did in Evo 1. It's NOT a colour setting on my tv I've gone back to Evo1 to compare to make sure I wasn't going loopy).

PC version is awesome, instant loading times FTW.

 

[Archer_11]

Thank you gentlemen, appreciate your slogging through all that.

Xtreme - mate - are you telling me you prefer Evo 1 to Evo 2? Or it just has better grass? I feel like there's no comparison, the Evo 1 AI was really sketchy and the engine far too reminiscent of Live 2 and it's Wii based heritage. The move to UE4 has probably given us the biggest upgrade we'll ever see, even if it doesn't feel like it day to day.

 

[Xtreme]

Thank you gentlemen, appreciate your slogging through all that.

Xtreme - mate - are you telling me you prefer Evo 1 to Evo 2? Or it just has better grass? I feel like there's no comparison, the Evo 1 AI was really sketchy and the engine far too reminiscent of Live 2 and it's Wii based heritage. The move to UE4 has probably given us the biggest upgrade we'll ever see, even if it doesn't feel like it day to day.

Visually I think its a little better, I feel Evo 2 doesn't look as good (stadium,and grass etc... I'm being very nitpicky though lol). Evo 1 had some nifty features. The rain was awesome prior to the first patch, it teamed down really heavy. And another thing I loved were the twilight games, play on a ground like Metricon and the sun setting between quarters looked really cool imo. I didn't get the same ohhh feeling when playing Evo 2

Gameplay wise Evo 2 is awesome!! I need to re tweak the sliders on pc as I reinstalled it on a new system last week.


**EDIT** Ok I've picked some pretty bad examples

Probably should have logged on to my pc to do this, short on time so I've relied on the Xbox for a few quick screenshots (which don't illustrate my point too well lol). Top image is from Evo 1 and bottom is Evo 2, I just find Evo 2's grass/ground look more spray paint/painted on at times. The Switch version can look like fluro green sometimes depending on the stadium and time of day.

 

[Christoffarken]

Final callout, if anyone wants it for a price between what EB Games is willing to give the trade in on and what they'd be selling it for, I have an Xbox One version for sale

 

[Monfries7]

Round 4 fast approaching, still no 2021 season update. Real head scratcher as to why they wouldn't have been doing everything in their power to have it ready for the very beginning of the season.

 

[Cochblocked]

How’s the switch version of this now? Did it get fixed from launch?

 

[Archer_11]

Visually I think its a little better, I feel Evo 2 doesn't look as good (stadium,and grass etc... I'm being very nitpicky though lol). Evo 1 had some nifty features. The rain was awesome prior to the first patch, it teamed down really heavy. And another thing I loved were the twilight games, play on a ground like Metricon and the sun setting between quarters looked really cool imo. I didn't get the same ohhh feeling when playing Evo 2

Gameplay wise Evo 2 is awesome!! I need to re tweak the sliders on pc as I reinstalled it on a new system last week.


**EDIT** Ok I've picked some pretty bad examples

Probably should have logged on to my pc to do this, short on time so I've relied on the Xbox for a few quick screenshots (which don't illustrate my point too well lol). Top image is from Evo 1 and bottom is Evo 2, I just find Evo 2's grass/ground look more spray paint/painted on at times. The Switch version can look like fluro green sometimes depending on the stadium and time of day.

Thanks Extreme, I take your point. A sacrifice I guess but I agree it's definitely there.

 

[Grechy]

How’s the switch version of this now? Did it get fixed from launch?

Not a big fan of the Switch version. It's passable but not the best experience.

 

[Archer_11]

Alrighty I've had about 20 games on PC and I feel like I've got my first impression, the good and the bad.

Firstly the good. I feel like this is the best AFL game I've ever played. True, AFL live 2011 with updated lists and a fresh coat of paint would have better gameplay, but it’s not fair ranking releases based on games that don’t exist. So if I had a choice between the original untouched Live 2011 and Evo 2, I would choose Evo 2.

The other big plus is the move to UE4. So much better. The players are solid, you can’t ghost through congestion anymore, I’ve even had instances where I had to run around a player that was on the ground. Excellent stuff.

While not a new feature, the sliders are also a life saver. Probably my single most favourite feature in the Evo games. I crank up the fumbles & defensive punching while reducing throwing the ball and I’m getting some great free flowing game play.

It’s early days so I’ll cool it on adding more positives just yet.


The negatives are nothing new, which I guess is the worst part. At it’s heart it feels a lot like Evo 1 with a better engine. Because there is so little change, for me the most annoying negatives are:

• the ruckman is often the best rover, despite usually being surrounded by mids (absurd)
• there is little to no AI smarts in the goal square. Sometimes you can go back and have a shot 40 meters out and it’s still empty
• the player-in possession indicator is still badly in need of an overhaul. How hard can it be? Just making the icon bigger for starters would help, as well as using different colours to indicate if you’re in possession instead of white and see through.
• a lot of rough edges like injuries and suspensions happening without you knowing; the second ruck position sometimes being filled by a weird choice, heaps of little things.

Perhaps the biggest negative of all is that the team mate AI feels a lot like Live 2. They can be close by but not help; there can be a weird inertia after the ball hits the deck that is exasperating and in general there are heaps of these little moments where you can just tell the AI has no idea. Considering that so much of this feels familiar from the older WW games, I have a bit of concern that they might be out of ideas on how to significantly improve the core gameplay itself.

But overall I’m happy and my WW trolling days are probably over. For an AFL game, this is a very good release.

EDIT - just fired Evo 2 up on the PS4 Pro. It's a different game, feeling a LOT more like Evo 1 with some extra bugs for good measure. It's a luxury for sure but IF you've got a good PC AND you can afford to pony up a second time for the PC release, I would say go for it.

 

[Treehill23]

Biggest gripe about the game currently is that the AI’s movement when you win the ball back from the opposition is all over the place
For example, I get a turnover in the middle of the ground and have a chain of possible handballs through the middle of the ground only for some of those players to end up turning back the opposite way and running away from goal and into an opposition tackle and it happens that suddenly that it’s impossible to know when it’s gonna happen and then it’s just too late once you’ve already disposed of it
Essentially the running patterns need to be improved when on the attack and players need to run forwards together (not in a straight line of course) but to support the ball carrier and create handball links
If this is fixed, I feel like we’ll be sitting in a very good position for the future of AFL games

Also interesting to note, on the Wicked Witch Facebook page, someone asked when it’s gonna be released about a week ago and they replied with ‘very soon!’
I think their ‘Very soon’ is very different to rest of humanities

 

[Ambrose Burnside]

• the ruckman is often the best rover, despite usually being surrounded by mids (absurd)

Accurate if you're playing as the Eagles though!

• a lot of rough edges like injuries and suspensions happening without you knowing; the second ruck position sometimes being filled by a weird choice, heaps of little things.

You can manually set second ruck in the settings. I agree the default choices are dumb, but you can change it (you can also change the player taking kick-ins, and I believe captain?)

 

[Monfries7]

Round 5 now, still no season update.

 

[Xtreme]

Round 5 now, still no season update.

Maybe by the time finals start!!!

 

[Ambrose Burnside]

To be fair, I don't think any AFL game has been released at the start of the season when you'd think it would make the most sense.

Not sure about DLC packs tbh.

 

[netslave]

It's now nearly a month since they announced the DLC was coming and to stay tuned, I don't think marketing and the devs are on the same page somehow.