Don Bradman Cricket 14 - World Premiere Discussion

[msplash9]

I complained about it to Ross - it's something like Villiage/Rookie/County/Test/Master - instead of Easiest to Hardest.

Thanks for you effort Matt .
And if any one can help me out , hows the overall feedback ? Is the wait for a high quality cricket game is finally over ??

Sorry for the trouble guys having a busy day in office, cant go through all the posts now .

 

[Gamer Pradosh]

I complained about it to Ross - it's something like Villiage/Rookie/County/Test/Master - instead of Easiest to Hardest.

That was there in BLC 05....There were: Village/County/test...

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Did you try to play the game in the master level??

 

[martyn]

thats a shame considering people will most likely jump all over it and complain even though it isnt the final build.

For a world premiere you would expect it to be well organised and to see the latest version of the game.

Ross said he was strolling down to the shop about 12.50am uk time...

 

[MattW]

Okay, it's overview time!

It's hard to get a judge of the game overall in the time I had with it, chopping and changing modes and really just trying to get a hang of the controls. I'll review the game proper once I've had it for a few weeks, so these are first impressions - the game could still suffer from a catastrophic lack of replay value like IC2010 did after a good first impression.

Batting, Pace Bowling, Spin Bowling and Fielding in that order in terms of learning curve. But as I mentioned, they felt right - you could really see exactly why they've made the decisions that they have. It is very different - forget everything and enjoy.

Batting is rewarding for getting shots off - but also forgiving enough that you're not edging every ball you slightly mistime like other games. At least on the lower difficulties, shot selection is by far more important than perfection in timing - for me that's great. You might be brilliant so you can turn all the batting aids off - but they also don't feel distracting.

Ross described to be the 'eye on the ball' feeling they wanted to recreate with how the batting worked, vs having a pitch marker. I think they've done really well. I enjoyed hitting singles.

The negative would be in how easy it is to find yourself out of the crease - you also need to keep a keen eye on the off striker, I got them out hitting the ball back down - they just stood there out of the crease. It's just a habit you'll need to get yourself in.

Pace bowling was great - while there wasn't enough time to find out about things like CPU rhythm, etc. The controls are again logical, a big break from the past and fun. It's very interesting not just plunking down a donut on the pitch - the release timing mechanism makes you really feel in control, without it being another exercise in trying to get as close to a red line as possible - this is far better than watching a timing meter.

If I had to criticise, the bowling speeds were a bit high at times - one of the South African bowlers was clocked at 163km/h. The key more broadly is how it goes longer term, and how well it can replicate tricking the batsman - I'll need a lot more time with bowling before I'm sure on it - but it's much more enjoyable than previous games at the very least.

Spin bowling will take a lot of getting used to. I get totally why it's different, but I couldn't get the ball to behave how I wanted it. You'll need patience to not be hit for six every ball. It was mentioned that we weren't playing on good spin pitches, so that could be a factor too.

Should point out, you get a rev meter for the spin and distance meter for sixes in the game. Didn't see the promised cheerleaders, but no one played a T20.

I don't think it's hyperbole or overstating it to say this is the best yet. I'm sure there will be flaws found - but the other impression I got from today was just how invested Ross is in all of this. He's exactly who you want to be making your cricket games. Mike's alright too.

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For a world premiere you would expect it to be well organised and to see the latest version of the game.

Most world premieres are pre-rendered trailers showing the best of the cut scenes.

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Did you try to play the game in the master level??

Briefly in the nets. I sucked.

 

[Left_Hander]

From the videos Matt has posted (thanks again for the videos Matt) I'm liking what I'm seeing.

I really like how when there was an edge through slips the camera quickly changed to the fielder as the ball rolled along the ground. It felt similar to what would happen in real life.

The BARS decisions looked great on TV. I liked how everyone was debating about whether it was out or not, just like when you watch cricket on TV. Another good reason to have the BARS, banter with mates.

There are some things which concern me, but the older build probably explains that.

I thought it was cool when the field was changed and the commentators mentioned that, along with the type of field that was being used.

Bradman Oval didn't look as nice as the screenshot but I'll put that down to the quality of the video rather than the game itself. I think that will be my favourite ground in the game. It will be hard to top the SCG though. That also looked stunning. Kudos to Big Ant for getting the SCG license as well!

Lastly, when Matt played that cover drive in career mode I was ecstatic. Seeing the shot from that view made me feel like I was playing it and I wasn't even playing the game! So I can imagine what it would be like playing in that view when I'm actually playing the game.

I don't know why I made such a long post when I didn't even play the game. My study plans didn't go great today but what is one average day in the scheme of things!

 

[VijayGreat]

hey matt can u post pics of the play session crowd and big ant team?

 

[glenny134]

With the manual fielding near the boundary, that made it really feel like cricket for me. a 360 degree field that is there for the taking. not just the block in the middle, really made it feel realistic

 

[arajay]

how good did the cover drive look (especially for a number 11). Monty might even get some runs in this game.

 

[Pat]

Setting up my career player and the opening match - with Ross in the background talking me through it.

Please note: This footage is taken from a buggy earlier build, most if not all the issues identified are fixed in the current build or the zero day patch.

Possible issues with this build from the video:

1. Too many run-outs?
2. Scoring at close to 7 an over in a test match?
3. Since Stop After Session was set to Yes for simulation, I am assuming more than 32 overs bowled in the first session?

On the positive side:
1. That cover-drive looked fantastic.
2. Ambient sounds at 3:16 for LBW Appeal were just Wow!!

 

[MattW]

Stadium list:
Bradman Oval (Licensed)
Melbourne Stadium
Adelaide Gardens
Sydney Cricket Ground (Licensed)
Lancashire Stadium
Sussex Oval
Delhi Park
Wellington Park
Lahore Cricket Club
Durban Fields
Colombo Park Oval
Trinidad Cricket Ground
West Oval

Difficulty options:
Ameteur, Rookie, Legend, Veteran, Pro

 

[BigAntStudios]

thats a shame considering people will most likely jump all over it and complain even though it isnt the final build.

The saving grace is that the other two consoles did not have the issues and at least they were seen in the same place so it's clear it's not a "it's all in the patch/DLC" BS line.... still not happy about it but hey, stuff happens...

 

[ricky87]

I complained about it to Ross - it's something like Villiage/Rookie/County/Test/Master - instead of Easiest to Hardest.

Isn't this better than the generic Easiest to Hardest? Also, you didn't mention about the sounds in your overview, I think they are amazing, the crowd, the ambience and the ball off the bat is just perfect

 

[blockerdave]

Ross / Matt, did you see much trade in terms of the pre-orders?

 

[MattWS]

The saving grace is that the other two consoles did not have the issues and at least they were seen in the same place so it not a "it's all in the patch/DLC" BS line.... still not happy about it but hey, stuff happens...

couldnt agree more. For me they were tiny bugs in amongst and wonderful of gameplay.

besides, you will always have those who knit-pick.

 

[BigAntStudios]

You can hear me at the end almost begging to stop the recording so I could put the retail build on...

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Ross / Matt, did you see much trade in terms of the pre-orders?

I'm not sure, it was the best turn out for any playsession we have done, with the least marketing, and we've done a number of AFL/NRL titles, so I expect so.