Post your questions about the game here!

[BigAntStudios]

I don't doubt that I was in the minority, but there were many many online games where I was sufficiently challenged. On the hardest difficulty, even when I don't bump to make it even as the AI lacks the ability to bump(?), I win every game with ease unless I handicap myself in some way.

This obviously feels pretty empty when I'm challenged or I lose, because I know I can simply remove the handicap at any point to ensure that I win. Now when you have a range of difficulty levels available, shouldn't the hardest difficulty cater for the very best players? Lesser skilled players can select a lower difficulty if it's too hard for them.

I play NBA 2k games a lot, and I am only just now good enough to win regularly on the hardest difficulty, but not with ease. Before this, I had no problems playing on the 2nd or 3rd hardest levels and getting a good challenge.

There just seems to be no logic to knowingly making the hardest difficulty too easy for some players. FIFA 13's legendary difficulty is ridiculously hard, almost perfect, so I play on the level before that. But there are better players out there than me so I accept that a hard level is required.

And to address your point about the AI 'cheating'. I don't really know what you mean by cheating, but in AFL for one they definitely make some dumb decisions and there are little exploits you can use (I don't, I want a challenge) to increase the likelihood of these exploits. So the AI should get some sort of bonus to compensate for their occasional stupidity that the user doesn't have.

Overall my point is just that sport games in particular should be made so that the hardest difficulty is a challenge for the best players. That is why you have a range of difficulty levels available. Any other decision I genuinely do not understand.

AI Cheating is in reference to the AI doing things that you the player cannot.

Almost all games have exploits, we try to minimise them but even real life sports have them (the AFL has new rules and interpretations every year to overcome "exploits", e.g. charging rule, rushed behind rule, etc..). If the balance isn't right in the real sport it cannot be expected to be 100% in a video game.

Most of the above is based on the belief that we know the complete range of players abilities before we ship. We don't.

 

[MuchMore]

Hi Ross,

All the features mentioned this far sound really promising. Hope they're as fun in the game as they sound on paper.

I've a question though. Will using a lot of cutters from seam-bowlers make reverse-swing happen faster? ala Zaheer Khan in '08 series of IndvsAus. (I've assumed 'reverse swing' does exist as a feature.)

 

[kingoffuel]

AI Cheating is in reference to the AI doing things that you the player cannot.

Almost all games have exploits, we try to minimise them but even real life sports have them (the AFL has new rules and interpretations every year to overcome "exploits", e.g. charging rule, rushed behind rule, etc..). If the balance isn't right in the real sport it cannot be expected to be 100% in a video game.

Most of the above is based on the belief that we know the complete range of players abilities before we ship. We don't.

Hi Ross, just on difficulty levels. I've never played AFL or RLL on the hardest difficulty, but with cricket, I'm sure there is a way to create a challanging "legendary" difficulty.

Eg. AI bowlers bowling good line and length 9 times out of 10. Setting up batsmen strategically (outswinger, outswinger, inswinger). AI batsmen capitalizing on the slightest overpitched/underpitched delivery. Fielders catching the ball after diving, 2 player boundary catches to save 6's.
Unorthodox shots take much more skill and timing to execute perfectly.

Don't know how taxing it is on the resources but could we have 5 difficulty levels? Very easy, easy, medium, hard and legendary?

Thanks Ross, all the best for the final leg of this epic voyage

 

[Gamer Pradosh]

When big games release date gets pushed back, the
Net goes crazy, the developer will sometimes go into
Hiding. Can u blame them, if some members think people
Are pushy on planetcricket just think how many rockstar gets.

On release dates, bigant have a small window to release
A cricket game in aus, being Nov to Feb, or the UK, I think
Around may to September.
Rockstar could release GTA anytime and people would
Buy it first day.

I agree...

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When will you shut up.?

Ok...but if u dont like such questions just avoid them...

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It depends on when the final release date is. They will let the market campaign run it's course, minimum 2 months or so. If they are going to compete directly with Ashes 2013 then they'll announce the release date soon. The game will probably be released in the same month as Ashes 2013. They are probably looking to release it before Ashes 2013 because of the licencing and the hype the Ashes game will generate in the AUS and UK markets.

I think they'll announce the release date and other information soon (April announcement maybe?) but I'm just speculating based on my experience in the marketing industry.

Thanks for a reply and even Ross has said that they have a release date in mind so most probably after release of Cricket Academy and the response they get....Then they would release info about the game....

 

[carn tigez]

AI Cheating is in reference to the AI doing things that you the player cannot.

Almost all games have exploits, we try to minimise them but even real life sports have them (the AFL has new rules and interpretations every year to overcome "exploits", e.g. charging rule, rushed behind rule, etc..). If the balance isn't right in the real sport it cannot be expected to be 100% in a video game.

Most of the above is based on the belief that we know the complete range of players abilities before we ship. We don't.

Well yeah, I agree with the exploits thing and that's not a big deal. Just a side-note really.

But yeah, I'm fine with the first version of a game being a bit out in terms of gameplay and difficulty. I didn't expect perfection.

But now, with the luxury of hindsight, you are able to design a harder game knowing that there are many people out there better than maybe the best player at Big Ant or whoever was the barometer when you were testing.

These posts have now gone a bit too far to the AFL side of things, but originally I was relating it to cricket. Better to make the hardest difficulty too hard and have most people getting a challenge out of the prior difficulties, than making the hardest difficulty too easy for some players and making the game practically redundant for them.

 

[BigAntStudios]

Well yeah, I agree with the exploits thing and that's not a big deal. Just a side-note really.

But yeah, I'm fine with the first version of a game being a bit out in terms of gameplay and difficulty. I didn't expect perfection.

But now, with the luxury of hindsight, you are able to design a harder game knowing that there are many people out there better than maybe the best player at Big Ant or whoever was the barometer when you were testing.

These posts have now gone a bit too far to the AFL side of things, but originally I was relating it to cricket. Better to make the hardest difficulty too hard and have most people getting a challenge out of the prior difficulties, than making the hardest difficulty too easy for some players and making the game practically redundant for them.

Agreed, probably went too far down the AFL line but it's a good study of how hard it is to balance a game (real or simulation).

We will do the best we can to make the game as challenging as possible.

 

[sami ullah khan]

Hey Ross Can you shed some light on reverse swing and applicability of this feature in the game. It is a very crucial element of the game and I hope your team is giving it the due attention.

 

[79cricket]

Agreed, probably went too far down the AFL line but it's a good study of how hard it is to balance a game (real or simulation).

We will do the best we can to make the game as challenging as possible.

So much talk about ai at the moment.
Ross i guess what we all don't want to see, is us making say 900 in
65 overs on hard in a test match then bowling the ai for less than half are total.

 

[srk121]

Ross, in career mode do we play like mix of I.e. 2 Tests'3 onedayers and 2 T20's? Something similar would be amazing.

 

[SibiNaayagam]

Ross, in career mode do we play like mix of I.e. 2 Teats'3 ondayers and 2 T20? Something similar would be amazing.

Without that there wouldn't be a meaning to the career mode, so I think yes.

 

[Dutch]

Ross, in career mode do we play like mix of I.e. 2 Teats'3 ondayers and 2 T20? Something similar would be amazing.

If we can play two teats in this game, it's a first day buy for me......cricket and teats....can it get better?

 

[Gone4aDuck]

If we can play two teats in this game, it's a first day buy for me......cricket and teats....can it get better?

Damn I thought I had you then! I saw the word "teats" and was about to correct you when I noticed you were quoting an error!

But you did miss the "ondayers"!

 

[Bevab]

2 T20's.


Another mistake.

 

[srk121]

Damn I thought I had you then! I saw the word "teats" and was about to correct you when I noticed you were quoting an error!

But you did miss the "ondayers"!

Haha should have spell checked. Its these stupid touchscreen phones. You never able to type what you want to. But you lot do get my point.

 

[Gone4aDuck]

Haha should have spell checked. Its these stupid touchscreen phones. You never able to type what you want to. But you lot do get my point.

lol, sure do. I use an iPad and that has "auto correct". Mostly it just changes words to words you didn't want!
Then Dutchad picks up on it and corrects me!