AFL 26 - Megathread - This is not a support forum

AFL 26
2099

Gang Tackles -
I had 3 in a row… with different tackle types. (you can see tackle types where you can usually dispose with arms down (facing side on or away from tackler), you now can’t if you’re gang-tackled and your arms are down… BUT if your arms are up, you can still dispose of it, even in a gang tackle).

ALSO… A few things not mentioned (or minimally mentioned) in the patch notes which I think we’re seeing:-

New Notification locations and UI - Under each team’s nameplate (top left/right), the interchanges, injuries, tactic changes.

Player Movement not just up and down the middle (Play Style Wide is actually working!) -

Tactics - Overload Left/Right Kick-In: More people actually pushing over.

Tactics - Tagger - is now a player to player tag… not a position to position tag. i.e Windhager (LW) to tag Daicos (Rov), previously if Daicos moved to HFF, and Pendlebury moved to Rover… Windhager would tag Pendlebury… but now he still tags Daicos.

Pro Team - New Ladder Leaders - no longer just full 18 games… there’s an 8 game and 9 game set… and you choose the team to play against.

Pro Team - New Battle Tested cards and packs

Player Career Camera - Height doesn’t drop low when you have the ball. (it used to previously… but now it observes the height)

Player Career Camera - Face towards your Goals - Now hold L1 to face towards your goals instead of the football. (like how in other angles you switch between the Ball and the Player)

Player Career Camera - a bit smoother and cleaner? - Notice going near the boundary that it’s a better view… which I think is new.

Anything else that anyone has noticed?

12 Likes
2100

The main artist around kits and updates to the academy things wanted to let you guys know something.

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Collars should be in the uniform creator now.

10 Likes
2101

I think @Chuckinho and @NewAgeSporting just lost their weekends…

4 Likes
2102

Are we getting updated player ratings anytime soon @JNT_BA or will we have to wait for next years update ?

2103

My number one wish is for season mode injuries to carry over to the next round.

And for Logan Morris to look like Logan Morris (and Bruuuuce Reville).

2 Likes
2104

Oh my goodness :heart_eyes::heart_eyes::heart_eyes::heart_eyes::clap::clap::clap::clap:

5 Likes
2105

@JNT_BA hi, do you know if they’ll be a patch fixing player positions and ratings. since the new updated my academy which i had edited all perfect in my opinion is all changed and has players like kako as a ruck and harley as a key forward.

2106

@Chuckinho just in time for the countdown :grin:

2107

Indeed,
Looks like I’m going to be spending most of tonight donwloading patches :wink:

1 Like
2108

When is the AFLW Fixture and Rosters been updated? Will it be in another update before or after the launch of the upcoming AFLW Season?

2109

Ooh.
Looking forward to the changes as I venture out to get my copy for PC.
Are the collars and sleeve trims still dependent on each other?

2110

Got to level 33.

Progress seemed a lot slower than 23, in part due to not having many options to complete objectives and wanting to see I could get there organically. Turns out, it was tough.

When the ice Cold objectives dropped I caved and bought a bunch of bronze packs. Given you pick up some silver and the occasional gold it’s definitely the way to go although I respect any PT player who doesn’t drop coin - you can get there with some dedication.

Well done BA for switching up the LL format - being able to hit medium sooner is a magnificent development. Probably my most sought after feature after any improvements to gameplay.

Interesting that there has been some auto interchange improvements - my North-centric squad with two back up ruckmen is putting McKercher in the ruck over Xerri, Darling, CCJ and Gawn (of course! Founders edition Gawn, the greatest card to ever exist).

Hopefully this is a bug but it feels awfully similar to a lot of the commentary auto interchange has received over the journey.

Have to edit this post bc I missed the part about gang tackles - that is immense. I actually didn’t notice in my first game due to some over zealous multitasking but that is huge. This leads us to the next step - if a gang tackle is initiated, you should get the option to extract the ball to your advantage in some way. Not sure how you would model wrestling the ball free in a gamified way, but perhaps tapping the ball to advantage could be an option.

Figuring out contested footy in a way that is fun is the single biggest challenge this franchise has imo - tough but fair, chaotic but possible to understand what’s happening - it’s a tall order.

Perhaps future designs could consider an on screen pressure gauge of some sort. It could start out green where the tackled player can kick the ball straight ahead for a moment, then yellow where they can try handballing it any direction for a brief time, then orange where the opposition can grab the ball off the player OR the tackled player can try and break free. Then finally red where the ump blows the whistle and it’s either a ball up or HTB.

If the concept worked, then you could reflect the situation in the gauge. e.g. a big tackle differential or gang tackled there is no option to break free. Or if a twig is tackling a brick proverbial then there is an extended window where the tackled player can break free. So on and so forth.

It’s a tough one, but that’s the best idea I have right now.

2111

First game on new patch:

AI movement around the field seems better.

Team making overlapping runs was pretty good. Got some slick chains of handball going which led to some nice looking goals.

AI kicking out of defence needs work. The amount of times I took an intercept mark in my fwd 50 off a opp kick was way too easy. Yes I use icon marking effectively but can’t be this easy.

did the wind affect get a boost?

Still waiting for the day for full or close to full manual control

The effective disposals while getting tackled hasn’t been addressed. Not holding my breath for it.

Yeah tactics are improved and can see clearly different settings.

Played on hardest and I felt like throughout the whole game I coulda played the same way and didn’t need to adjust against a opp who also played the same way and didn’t change to counter me. I did adjust settings just to see but really didn’t need to.

2 Likes
2112

Why don’t you play against human opponents if you want a more diverse challenge?

2113

idk why is any one else experiencing games being really laggy

2114

Won’t argue with that and Playing against real people would give a more diverse challenge.

However good AI/CPU is so important to a game and if devs disregard it over more bells and whistles for online that’s just lazy.

I just want to pick up and play against the cpu and be challenged. Also I got kids and work and home life to take care of. The limited time I have to play I want to pick up choose a opponent and be challenged.

I feel a game against a good ai/cpu most times are better than humans (humans can be dumb too)

1 Like
2115

Cpu is a better football experience then online so i understand why you rather cpu. if it was more challenging or more difficulty selections would be good

1 Like
2116

Fair point. I agree with most of your points. I just played a game and think the game is in good shape. I was able to for some reason intercept a lot of defensive kick outs or the second kick. They would sometimes just kick it straight to me. The other major issue for me is the CPU accuracy around goals especially when there’s pressure. If I’m near their vicinity there should be a serious chance they’ll miss but it seems they kick them more often then not. This is what I’ve picked out so far. Overall though, I’m having fun with the game.

2117

Players match up on the lineup now correlates in game, very happy with this :partying_face:

2 Likes
2118

Finally took the plunge into custom sliders and came up with a set that feels just right.

I started with all gameplay areas set to the Hardest base difficulty, except for AI goal kicking accuracy, which I dropped to Medium. This tweak alone made a huge difference; it helped tone down the AI’s superhuman precision when shooting for the goal, making their scoring feel more believable and less scripted.

I also made a few key adjustments:

Boosted tackle effectiveness and player awareness

Significantly increased ball spills

Reduced tackle distance to around 10–15

The end result? A much more physical and dynamic game. The shorter tackle range makes defensive pressure feel earned rather than magnetic, and the increased ball spills make for scrappier, more realistic contests.

Keeping the player sliders on Hardest still gives a solid challenge. I’m missing more shots (both on the run and from set shots), which adds some tension and keeps matches competitive without feeling unfair.

Overall, this setup strikes a nice balance, demanding but not punishing, with enough unpredictability to keep each game interesting.

1 Like