SUNDAY RIVALS RELEASE NOTES
[ 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
