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SUNDAY RIVALS RELEASE NOTES

[ v.13.0 - 11.09.2020 ]  / / / /  SKILL LEVEL UPDATE
    Skill Levels
  • Added custom skill level to the game, giving access to all 22 settings (10 human, 12 AI)
  • Custom skill level sliders can be edited while in game
  • Further balanced beginner and expert skill levels
  • Last selected skill level is remembered between games
    HeadHunter
  • Added the ability to select skill level at the start of a new tourney, which is locked until completion
  • Record book is now divided into 8 pages to support records set at each skill level
  • Previous records and in-progress tourneys have been reset to support the update
    Gameplay
  • Added variance to receiver route speed based on ratings and skill level
  • Deep fly routes are extended an additional 10 yards
  • Increased knockback power for weaker tacklers
  • Decreased effectiveness of diving tackles
  • Decreased likelihood of weaker runners breaking multiple tackles
  • Defenders make more of an effort to step in front of receivers on deflection attempts
[ v.12.2 - 10.29.2020 ]  / / / /  GAMEPLAY PATCH
    Controls
  • Holding LT/RT on defense brings up a defensive play preview and allows for toggling control of defenders without the AI snapping the ball
  • Standardized the selection order when toggling through players on defense
    Difficulty
  • Added 3 experimental skill levels (beginner, normal, expert) to try out
    UI
  • Updated playbook field position display to better show hash mark, first down, and field position
    Gameplay
  • Eliminated jittery rotations on collisions, allowing for more predictable bumping between players
  • Missed tackles, broken tackles, and jukes no longer phase through defenders, allowing for additional collisions and bumps to take place during a play. Low STR rated runners will get slowed or knocked back when holding down protect
  • Players no longer cease moving immediately after a tackle, allowing for additional hits and collisions to ball carrier
  • Increased likelihood of missed tackles based on runner and tackler's TKL ratings
  • Greatly improved blocking on field goals and extra points
  • Greatly increased ability and likelihood of QB to move around in pocket and avoid sacks
  • Slightly increased AI QB's wait to throw time
  • Slightly decreased slowing while turning, improving open field agility for higher AGL players
  • Decreased energy recharge time for power moves
  • Decreased downtime for failed blockers and boosted their blocking ability on subsequent block
  • Running backs no longer attempt to make illegal downfield blocks during passing plays
  • LB/CB zone defenders better adjust to receivers within their zone assignments
  • Safeties sag less off deep routes
    Playbook
  • AI is now able to utilize the entire playbook, removing situational requirements for some plays
  • Defensive category 'run stop' has been renamed 'stack' and features new or significantly reworked plays using a more consistent 4-4 formation
  • Defensive playbook now displays each play's balance of attack vs. defend values
  • Defensive formations have been normalized to better mask what play has been called
  • Most defensive plays have been rebalanced to provide a better range of strategy and tactics
  • Short passing routes have been elongated to increase route time
  • Plays HB Tunnel, HB Phalanx, FB Knuckle, and QB Hero have been reworked
  • New play HB Elbow replaces FB Dozer and swaps position with HB Phalanx
[ v.12.1 - 10.17.2020 ]  / / / /  GAMEPLAY PATCH
    Controls
  • Moving the left stick/directional keys no longer impedes the player from snapping the ball
  • Controller dpad can be used in menus and in game
  • On the playcalling screen, players can now easily close out the 'special' popup menu by pressing the back button (B/CIRCLE/6)
    Analytics
  • Enabled Unity analytics to track gameplay trends and aggregate data
[ v.12.0 - 10.12.2020 ]  / / / /  VISUAL UPDATE
    Presentation
  • Added full stadium crowd
  • Updated sideline art and player positions
  • Endzones show either the city or name of the home team (whichever is shorter)
  • Added a new player celebration sequence with custom cameras, animations, and player stats
  • All players on the field react to the celebrations
  • Updated ball art
  • Added in-stadium scoreboards
  • Improved lighting, material response, and post processing effects
    HeadHunter
  • Whichever team has a higher OVR rank is the home team now
    Gameplay
  • Player 1 can play as the away team in an exhibition game
  • Passes tipped by the defense are harder for receivers to catch
  • Decreased aiming error for AI kickers
    UI
  • Pass previews show player names
  • Added option to switch between xbox, ps4, and keyboard on screen buttons
  • Stats screens list player uniform numbers
  • Added an information feed to the title screen
    Stats
  • Punt yardage is tracked correctly now
  • Punts resulting in TD's are tracked correctly now
  • Punts landing inside the 20 are tracked correctly now
  • Less conflicting stat reporting
    Bug Fixes
  • Fixed an issue where scoring a touchdown on 4th down and then failing the 2pt conversion gave the scoring team the ball back on the ensuing kickoff
  • Fixed an issue where the wrong animation was being played during a block after an interception
  • Fixed an issue where any player who touched the ball during a kickoff/punt received credit for a kick return
[ v.11.0 - 09.16.2020 ]  / / / /  HEADHUNTER UPDATE
    Game Mode
  • Added Headhunter game mode
    UI
  • UI refreshed for consistency and UX across the game
  • Added UI elements and screens to support Headhunter mode
  • Removed the ability to hold down a button and accidentally select something
    Kicking
  • Changed the way kicks are aimed so that you players decide exactly where they want the ball to go
  • Changed the power meter ramp up speed to be non-linear and more difficult
  • Increased the difficulty in hitting long range field goals and more dependent on a kicker's SKL rating
  • Implemented new kicking UI meters
  • Out of bounds kickoffs are now taken at the 35+ yard line
    AI
  • AI will go for it on 4th down when they are losing by a reasonable amount
  • AI will try to pin players deeper inside the 20 on punts
  • AI will go for 2 on more occasions than before
    Gameplay
  • Changed the way ratings affect QB throws to create more interception opportunities
  • Increased the frequency of passes being tipped rather than outright deflected
  • Increased the effect AGL has on throw inaccuracy and quality
  • Increased the chance to tackle low TKL rated runners by 50%
  • Decreased the frequency of overpowered defensive teams continuously sacking the QB
  • Decreased juke effectiveness by 10%
  • Made an attempt to improve the expected spot of the ball after tackling a non-diving player
    Stats
  • Implemented Headhunter stat and record tracking
  • Sacks no longer count against QB rushing stats
  • Defensive TD's are correctly tracked
  • 2PT conversions are correctly tracked now
  • 30/40/50+ FG's are correctly tracked now
  • Field goal distance is correctly tracked now
  • Interception yards were incorrectly being given to QB
  • Kickoff tackles were incorrectly being reported as TFL
    Ratings
  • Increased the ratings of many middle tier teams to provide better parity across the league
  • QB OVR no longer factors in SPD and AGL, as a result those ratings have been lowered on many players who were artificially boosted before
  • Kicker ratings across the game are more varied now
    Saves
  • Added save files for headhunter and headhunter records
  • Moved settings save file location to a more predictable location. As a result, players will have to reconfigure their settings with this release
    Bug Fixes
  • Fixed an issue where kickoffs after a safety kickoff no longer took place from the 35
[ v.10.2 - 08.18.2020 ]  / / / /  GAME UPDATE
    Frontend
  • Added a 'rosters' page to the frontend, giving access to a full list of ratings and player information for all 32 teams
    Gameplay
  • Increased chance of pass deflections, especially for lower rated defenders
  • Kicks that hit the uprights will now bounce off and miss as expected
  • Pre-snap defender selection is remembered between plays and auto-selected at the start of the next play
  • During kickoffs, the playclock remains stopped until the ball is returned
  • Punting and kicking better reflects a kicker's ratings now
    AI
  • AI makes appropriate play calls based on the score and quarter, passing more when they are losing and running more when winning
  • AI manages the clock effectively, calling timeouts appropriately in the last 90 seconds of a half
  • AI will choose to pass more with higher rated QB's
  • AI calls run stop defenses less often on 1st and 2nd down
  • AI punters take field position into account and try to avoid touchbacks
    Presentation
  • On the playbook screen, an alert informs you now what the AI plans to do on 4th down
  • On the playbook screen, the player's selection is covered up immediately after calling a play
  • Parts of the ingame UI have been visually updated with a new font
  • P2 stat box is visible now when appropriate
    Bug Fixes
  • BUG #6 - Fixed a critical issue that occurred when a player paused the game during slow motion possession changes. The game will now stay paused and return to slow motion when resumed
  • Fixed an issue that was displaying incorrect idle animations for quarterbacks and kickers
  • Fixed an issue that was causing P2's kicking aim to be inverted. The kick direction now matches the aim bar
  • Potential fix for players who experience a disproportionate amount of dropped catches, typically on lower end hardware
[ v.10.1 - 08.08.2020 ]  / / / /  GAMEPLAY PATCH
    Gameplay
  • Added the ability to call timeouts immediately after the play, providing for better clock management opportunities
    Bug Fixes
  • BUG #1 - Fixed a number of critical issues that occurred when a team caught a missed fg/xp kick. The ability to catch a missed kick has been turned off, which was the intended behavior
  • BUG #4 - Fixed an issue where timeouts were being charged incorrectly after possession changed
  • BUG #5 - Fixed a critical issue where exiting the 'stats' menu during the second quarter locked up the game's input, forcing a restart. This was a result of a deprecated navigation button appearing that has now been removed from the game
  • Fixed a critical issue where pressing the 'Y' button (8 on numpad) before the snap inhibited the snap from taking place afterwards. Investigating to see if this fix helps some of the other reported input lockup issues
[ v.10.0 - 08.06.2020 ]  / / / /  EARLY ACCESS RELEASE
Welcome to the start of Early Access! Sunday Rivals has come a long, long way over the last 8 months. The last few have been spent almost entirely on AI improvements to try and hammer down a solid gameplay base to build upon. There's a lot of rough edges still, but I think the game is starting to feel fun. Give it a run, let me know what you think!
  • Slowed all running speed down by 5%
  • Increased the number of playbook pages to 4 and the total number of plays per side to 20. This will hopefully lead to a better play experience with less obvious playcalling patterns from the AI
  • All QB ratings are hooked up to impact the quality of throws now. Backpedalling and cross-body throws affect trajectory and distance while throwing on the run affects accuracy
  • Additionally, QB's effectively checkdown to find secondary receivers, biasing for deeper routes and making throws under pressure
  • Improved target leading on crossing routes (without accounting for skill and situational inaccuracy)
  • Added a set of blended QB animations with different ball positions to play while they stand and move around the pocket
  • Changed throw speed and ball arc to be a bit more visually reasonable. This makes the ball stay on screen longer and generally move at pace that doesn't feel completely comical
  • AI runners do a better job finding open running space and understanding where pressure is coming from. This needs a lot of work still but it's heading in the right direction
  • AI ratings control power move usage now, so you'll see less WR's running over linebackers and TE's busting spin moves at top speed
  • Improved safety coverage on deep threats by sticking closer to open receivers and increased the frequency at which they make a play on the ball, leading to more deflections and interceptions
  • First pass on all 32 teams and ratings. Player OVR's are a weighted average based on position and then those are averaged to find team OVR's. Expect these numbers to change over time
  • Added QB shotgun stance
  • Run animations slow to a stop smoother than before
  • Team selection screen shows helmets, looks better
  • Fixed a bug where the kicker would face the wrong way after a kick
  • Fixed a bug where the QB would celebrate failing a 2pt conversion