AFL EVOLUTION Positivity + Constructive Criticism Thread

[LynchysMob]

I think I speak for a number of people on here who are actually enjoying the game that are not really wanting to read through pages and pages of negativity. This thread will be only positive or constructive. Personally I think the game has its bugs sure but 90% of them are patchable but the foundation is smooth and a hell of a lot of fun!

 

[Mootsy]

Great idea!!

I haven't played the game yet, but have watched a lot of streaming games and spoke to a few people..

all positive feedback so far with some issues that could be addressed..

I'm hearing that like AFL Live 1 there is a bit of time to get used to the controls and the style of play, but the actual graphics, gameplay and presentation across the board is a big improvement.

i'm reading that marking is hard, now whether this is something akin to a bug that needs fixing, it's either going to be getting used to the controls or it might be in need of a fix...

after watching the streams, it looks like a nice modern take on AFL.

so far..

- marking could be easier against AI ??
- kicking goals from the goal square shouldn't be overly difficult, maybe buggy??
- a few player names don't show up properly?

 

[snitzel]

Thread not necessary.

 

[treefingers]

 

[Kick Behinds]

It just needs to be more like Kicking Behinds.

 

[JohnHinckleyJr]

Positive when you get a chain of play going its great life like
Negative commentators every name.wrong
Positive the randomness of the ball bounce
Negative i getno frees at all but give away plenty
Keep it open

 

[Xtreme]

I love the wet weather, absolutely teams down with rain. Have had a few set shots where you can't see anything because of there being so many rain drops/water smudges on the camera

I also like "twilight" seeing how the ground is lit up in the third quarter.

Downside: Have seen some night matches have a blue sky despite showing black/darkness throughout the match. Very strange and not even playing in WA - so can't say it's time zone difference.

 

[LegacyNexus]

Positives
It's an AFL game on next gen
The majority of players look really good, instantly recognizable
I think the soundtrack is really good
The handballing is good, you can really get a chain going. It's also not a tacklefest.
The types of kicks
The ovals look really good

Things to improve
Commentary is poor, some lines are from previous games and outdated references eg Mr Bean
Richo's words of wisdom, some are really poor
Marking and spoiling needs to be tweaked. Would prefer a mini game to mark to be honest but that would be difficult to implement
Kicking animations
The difficulty is too easy or too hard

I haven't played the Pro Career but it sounds like that needs some work on it.

 

[Gigantic]

Things that need to be improved on: (mostly for the next edition)

Presentation:
- Commentary needs to stop announcing the wrong name

Gameplay:
- More in-depth team tactics - the current tactics is a good base but needs to be built on for the next edition
- Sliders - can't seem to find these anywhere? think this is very important particularly in a new game/engine where AI can be full of flaws
- Marking mechanics - don't necessarily think it needs an overhaul but it could use improvement
- Auto-subs not working - some people have had this work but it's subbing players out of position

Slight nitpicks at gameplay:
- Longer run up when going for set shots, right now most players are taking like 3 steps before a kick from 50 out
- AI missing kicks right in front of goals but making set shots from 50m

Career mode:
- Career mode training - upgrading player's stats is too easy in manager career mode I think, I was able to +10 a player's stat category
- More comprehensive career mode, right now it's stock standard
- Personally, I'd like to see them go with a bit more comprehensive main menu like in FIFA 17. The list menu stuff is a bit boring and makes it seem dull and untidy at times

Some of them are a bit nit-picky but thought I'd just throw everything out there

 

[LegacyNexus]

I think the torpedo outside 60 metres trophy is glitched. Just kicked a 65 metre one and it didn't pop

 

[Xtreme]

So a few games into the season, the regular season ladder has disappeared.... finals ladder is there instead with no teams listed (obviously because finals are about 13 weeks away).

Random observation players don't tuck the ball under their arm while running.... they're constantly holding it like it's a basketball. And bouncing it one handed, reminds me of Jared Brennan from the Lions.

 

[Munners]

My main suggestion is for positions to reflect the current AFL, there are no such things are Rovers, Centre, Left Back Pocket etc anymore. There should be

Inside Mid
Outside Mid

Tall Defender/FWD
Medium Defender/FWD
Small Defender/FWD

Plus for career mode it's laughable for there not to be a potential rating or some type of growth so young players are more valuable.

 

[HoneyBadger35]

Left my initial thoughts in the launch thread here, the gist of which were best moments are satisfying but far too many shortcomings in a lot of areas. Clunky games with good bits mixed in.

Well, I've just figured out marking and it's opened up the entire game. Getting really satisfying passages of play like this multiple times a game, some really fun moments. Have played for probably 4-5 hours total now, and all the little things have started clicking for me. It's basically an entirely different experience once you sort marking out. Recommend sticking with it if you're in the 'good moments but too few and far between' camp for now.

 

[Xtreme]

I'm going to play through the current season while playing online. Beyond that, not sure how many legs the game has.

Dying to see what happens when you win a premiership. I remember how cool it was seeing the video clip in AFL 98. Then being let down in a big way in the AFL 99 static screen lol.

Not the worst AFL game I've ever played (that goes to AFL Premiership 2005.... with 2007 a close runner up).

 

[GoldbergsGold]

You can't be serious. A safe space thread for AFL De-evolution? Fine, I'll give you some constructive criticism. You shouldn't expect much from a developer who were chosen as a "balance sheet" replacement.

 

[TheStinger]

My two biggest gripes so far have been the commentary which is just repetitive and boring (also the way the system chooses the sound files is flawed. I was up by two goals, the only two goals of the game mind you, and after I scored my third goal Cometti says "that goal gets the Saints back in the game." What? ) and in the Be a Pro games I am a forward pocket and when the opposition were kicking out, I was giving away 50m penalties because I was standing to close to the goal square. But it wasn't my fault because it would cut to the kickout and I would be standing there and if I didn't run away immediately, I would give away a 50. I ended up changing the kickout tactics from man to man and made it zone and it stopped it.

But other than that, I am enjoying the game.

 

[Lynchy04]

Am enjoying this game, sure there are some bugs which hopefully will be fixed but overall I am enjoying it. I have seen some quality passages of play, dribble goals and snaps. At the start I was all at sea but once you get the hang of marking and spoiling the game opens up. I still get out marked a lot and very rarely do I win a contested grab.

Its been refreshing in the 7 games into season I have played so far, goals have been spread around with Jack, Caddy, Rioli and Dusty leading the way for me and when I play oppo its not just the FF or CHF scoring.

I have noticed some clubs dropping players and replacing injured players like for like and it was refreshing to see Melbourne and Bulldogs especially have quite a number of younger players come into the line up.

Would be nice if at the start of every round it had the ins and outs for each club.

 

[Freo16]

First patch probably needs to fix:

Ai accuracy in front of goal
The Free kicks/advantage situation
The auto interchange not working
The be a pro bench glitch

Fix those and I think the game will be in a great state

 

[magpienato]

One thing that annoys me is the fact that whenever you tackle a player the ball just flies up to the next player and it's so frustrating at times.

 

[Micgrech]

First patch probably needs to fix:

Ai accuracy in front of goal
The Free kicks/advantage situation
The auto interchange not working
The be a pro bench glitch

Fix those and I think the game will be in a great state

Absolutely agree plus there needs to be more players leading towards the ball carrier!

 

[Mootsy]

Positives
It's an AFL game on next gen
The majority of players look really good, instantly recognizable
I think the soundtrack is really good
The handballing is good, you can really get a chain going. It's also not a tacklefest.
The types of kicks
The ovals look really good

Things to improve
Commentary is poor, some lines are from previous games and outdated references eg Mr Bean
Richo's words of wisdom, some are really poor
Marking and spoiling needs to be tweaked. Would prefer a mini game to mark to be honest but that would be difficult to implement
Kicking animations
The difficulty is too easy or too hard

I haven't played the Pro Career but it sounds like that needs some work on it.

always the case in AFL games, not that big a deal for me as i don't even really need depth commentary. I like it in Fifa and NBA but only because i know they've been updating the same game for twenty or more years..

 

[Freo16]

Played a game in my coach career on hard where the Ai actually kicked the shots they should and what followed was a brilliantly realistic match that finished in a draw

I was in my back 50 with little time left and felt like I had a realistic chance of taking it down the other end and scoring or that it could go the other way and they'd lock it in (every other AFL game it was either easy to go end to end in no time or you knew you had no chance so it's nice to have that 50/50 realism)

 

[BlackMamba]

Would love to have the 'Dynamic' camera angle more useful in defense.
Going into forward 50 it gets behind you, almost looking up the ground on a 45° angle... which is great.
But it does the same towards the defensive goals when you have it in the back line.... and you can't see anything.
Would love it it was contextual... and would adjust based on who is on possession, not position on the field.

 

[Scallop Industry Thug]

Ive played probably 10-15 so I have a pretty good handle on it. It's good. It feels like football a lot of the time. Ill put forward a few suggested gameplay improvements.

The improvements Im suggesting obviously could not be patched in, I think they'd greatly improve a future version of the game.

1.On the higher difficulty levels, the tackle/ball spills free/tackle/ball spills free cycle creeps in. This needs to go. How? Different tackle animations. Maybe the guy can still get a handball away. Maybe the guy is dispossessed but keeps his feet. Maybe the ball spills out in different directions.

2. Player movement. Slow them down. The game has improved a lot since I made the slow players slow. Also give them weight. Big guys should not be able to change direction as easily as they do.

3. Modernise the strategies. As others have said, the game does resemble 18 1-on-1 contests a lot of the time. Let players put 3 extra in defense. Let Eagles fans drop McGovern into the hole. Let GSW fans push their forwards up to the wing, so Cameron can run back to goal.

4. Make player ratings matter more. They do with speed. They do with marking (from what Ive seen). They matter with kicking distance, Im fairly certain they impact field kicking accuracy, but not enough. Bad tacklers should be brushed off. Bad kicks should spray some kicks no matter if I'd nailed the power bar. Bad handballers should put handballs slightly behind the receiver. I dont think the ruck stats matter if you time it right.

5. Goalkicking. Like the core mechanics but include some randomness. Even if I pull down on the stick correctly, dont overpower, I should still miss plenty with Lindsay Thomas.

 

[GTrains Mullet]

Somebody please teach me to mark.

The Ai keeps kicking points and I can't kick out to save myself.

Also somehow Lonie was my full back on hogan when I was playing online. Don't know how that happen we bit it didn't help