Yeah pretty much agree with it, cricket 26 has become more & more scripted with every update, with cricket 24 there was always a surprise element especially with edges & slip catches, even bowled & lbw dismissal for that matter which made bowling & planning the dismissal way more enjoyable, in cricket 26 the game responses look hard coded, no matter how you try to alter line & length, if the AI batter has decided it wants to hit it for boundary, it will happen, it makes the game look scripted & monotonous
Also the pitch behaviour & animations lack organicness as well, like extra bounce or lack of bounce & batter reacting to it is just not there, two paced pitches, ball stopping on batters, doesn’t happen much
I’ve spent a lot of time playing cricket 26, and while the game has great potential, there are still several issues that need attention from the developers.
Career mode
This mode really need updates because grounded shot doesn’t work here even most of the time specially playing aggressively , most of the time it seems like scripted story even settled batsman is getting out like facing first ball. Wicket keeper catches , slip catches there are many things still need update. I play on hardest difficulty so i faced a lot of catches , alot of shots that should be fixed
Pro team
firstly there must be a sequence of difficulties as level increases game either gets easy or more difficult, should be balanced. Round 5 must be balanced, catches here seems no professionalism, shot choices must be restricted , lengths are too predictable, must change the thinking as well as physics of playing every round, sometime it feels like scripted story for restricting runs under some specific target.
Tower of cricket
when I play last round which normally on hardest difficulty the game gets worse as can not even make good shots even on ideal timing , should be fixed as game progress looks unprofessional, if i make target then i have certain delivery on which i can restrict AI easily to win that i really want .Although this mode is really good add more rewards for earning.
Custom team
I raised ticket , when I choose custom team with an international team hardly get match getting frustrated with this , earlier it was not like this.
Power boost
if you guys added power boost so that should be working properly as if batsman get dark green so it’s obvious batsman is settled but not like that batsman gets out as facing first ball on hardest difficulty.
Online mode
it’s frustrating, there should be a starting level to increase the rating as most players created custom team with ovr 95 rating that’s not good. Should be feature to create team but rating must be based on progression base more you play more you win more you get your team rating up.
BOWLING
Aftertouch is fixed now but not properly.
Game should be based on inning progress, there should be proper player rating as if i assign bowler as opener , will play the same as specialist opener plays.
I am making all the positives videos about this game spending enough time to play and make video on this doing my best so i thought these issues must be addressed.
There’s a bug where the ball will change colour/length mid delivery? It starts red/green/orange and half way down the wicket it changes. Not happened against spin as yet, but happening every couple of overs against pace bowling .
If aftertouch/release timing means the ball falls short/long of the original length, the marker will update reflecting the real length the ball will be bowled.
I was playing a test match. I was bowling. Naturally you’ll have 3 slips a gully a point and a mid off. A Gap at cover as you’d see in real cricket. And every single time, the batter is defending the ball to cover trying to get a single. I could not believe it. Then for some unexplained reason, the batters cloth so many shots, it’s disappointing man. And I’m a huge Big Ants fan, but this is not acceptable. I then tried playing a T20 game. I set the run rate at 5 or 6 in the custom difficulty settings. The batters were hitting every ball to the boundary. It’s like all the focus went on player models and licensing players, I can only assume for commercial reasons, but the actually gameplay leaves so much to be desired.
You can set the slider setting of AI physics, or try Manual the game changes a lot. I will also add slider is not everything it’s our own satisfaction. Play as it is change AI to legend , veteren or else you want, there are certain length where you can catch AI easily that makes game interesting. Good length, wide yorker and cross seam full short try these against AI, increase your power boost so that you guys can dominate in batting as well as bowling, every game has same physics i meant something unexpected happened but Still we love the game like FC25. I am personally saying I raised concern regarding thinking of AI and asked to keep game simple because i have played every mode i am beating AI , also beaten by AI , taking wickets every thing which game required so set the slider and play accordingly otherwise you have to play with the game mechanics like power boost, taking single , defensive shots as well play like these then you will definitely feel change because every game has it’s own code to crack.
Could you please add fusion card to centurion mode because it’s hard to open this from others mode . I have done it in tower of cricket, test the best and card packs.
@MattW This aftertouch and release timing would cause the marker to change for a human player, especially as it is important in online multiplayer. But since I am playing against the AI, I am wondering if the AI also adjusts its length using aftertouch? Since the AI is programmed, I assumed it would calculate its release timing and aftertouch beforehand, meaning the marker color wouldn’t need to change mid-delivery.
Earlier, this kind of color changing wasn’t there, and the gameplay felt fine. Now, after the update, the AI’s bowling length marker changes at the very last second, making it difficult to quickly adjust between back foot and front foot shots.
The AI bowls like a human - they utilise aftertouch, and they also can have good or poor release deliveries.
Like in real life, if you release the ball early in your delivery motion, the ball will end up fuller, while if you release it late, it will be shorter. The AI has variances in timing, so their exact ball they bowl is worked out at the same time as if you were playing against a human opponent, running through the same code paths, just with a simulated input.
This is important as then it’s not a surprise when that also happens in multiplayer matches, allowing you to practice against the AI for how it might happen to you in multiplayer.
The AI Bowl Quality slider is the main one that controls just how much timing/quality variance they have, while the skills of the specific bowler’s accuracy is another factor.
The odd thing about bowling release. Is planting your foot or releasing ball early tends to pick up wickets more often. Does kinda lean into the saying “Junk gets wickets” I’m completely guessing here. But it suggests the AI batters timing is coded to expect ideal jump and perfect release. But this seems to only happen on long format games now as T20 and One day matches I’m lucky to get a wicket. Which is always a catch on leg side boundary.
The frequency of edges seems to have dropped significantly. While this may be appropriate on higher difficulty levels, it doesn’t feel right on the lowest difficulty. Players who select the easiest setting usually aren’t looking for a steep or highly realistic challenge — many of us just want to relax and enjoy a fun game after work.
It would be great if edge frequency on the lowest difficulty could be slightly increased to better reflect a casual, forgiving experience. For example, restoring edge chances closer to earlier versions, or offering a small boost on the lowest difficulty would go a long way. Another helpful option could be an adjustable slider or preset that allows players to choose “Arcade‑style” edge behavior versus a more simulation‑focused one.
Please consider keeping the lowest difficulty more fun and accessible without over‑balancing it toward realism. Thank you for listening to the community in the past, and we’re looking forward to future updates that improve gameplay without introducing game‑breaking changes.
I want to add on for bowling . Good length delivery is always checking for AI , if you give room it attacks in short format bt not in long. So what i do use Cross seem for good length, off cutter and leg cutter with aftertouch from bottom with slower delivery then feel the difference
Only time I seem to get a edge it either drops short of keeper, slips and fielders inside the inner ring, or spits of the edge to the boundary. Also bowling Yorkers is frustrating. Time and time again it’s edged but never finds the stumps. Either just misses by a hair or ball stops just before… Or worse still keeper comes flying in and picks up the ball just before it hits the stumps
This is the first sports game I’ve decided to provide a feedback. I’m not a cricket fan per se, I’m not watching BBL, IPL etc. and I only know a basic rules but I like niche sports (by European standards) and niche games, so if anything mentioned here is wrong or some options are present in the game, feel free to correct me
For the love of god, fix the fielding, especially for player teams. I’ve lost count how many times fielders simply let the ball go for 4 runs or let the ball through the legs. Few times wicketkeepers got stuck in the stumps being unable to pick the ball and hit the stumps, ending in 2 runs instead of a run out or a single. AI controlled teams are mostly decent, but for some reason teams I’m playing for in career mode are having brain fog 3/4 of the time. Wicketkeepers not hitting the bailes when clearly in position to do this is another cherry on top.
1a. If you cant or dont want to fix it, let us control the fielders in career mode WITHOUT playing as a whole team. Or at least turn the air ball catching mini game on. For T20 matches this is okay because by nature they are fast. For anything else, I’m not even going to bother sitting 3 hours in one match to fix the issues the AI is having most of the time. I have not found an option to force this in career mode so im highlighting this.
1b. Fix the ball detection/positioning system when it comes to who should pick the ball after the throw. I can’t pick the ball after a throw to force a run out because the game decided that fielder is having a priority even though he is much further than me. This is the most glaring issue as a bowler, rage inducing and simply bad design. This whole system needs to be dynamic and should work on a proximity basis. But maybe there is some rulling i don’t know about, however a few times the game let me have a priority as a player picking the ball after the throw.
Pace bowling is bad, or should I say the same as Cricket 19 (last Cricket game I’ve played). 90% of the time I’m having a feeling that I don’t have any control over the ball or simply outplaying the batter. I can mix the lengths, do special shots, do different releases just to see the same effects. When I’m hitting the wicket or LBW, it looks like I’ve just hit a pity threshold and I’m getting awarded for it. It may come to the lack of my players overall or skill issue, but I’m saying this from a casual player perspective who after 10+ hours still can’t figure this system at all. That being said, spin bowling is nice and here I feel like I have any sort of input to my throws.
Run outs don’t happen for player teams, period. How is that possible in 10+ hours I don’t know. When run outs happen, it’s for AI teams just because I misscalculated the shot and decided to go for a run.
Fix the camera angles when it comes to replays and presentation. Constantly the replays are showing some laughably bad angles. The best one was in BBL match where I think the game wanted to show the pitch from the air but the roof was closed (or camera was misaligned) so I was looking at grey space. Like come on, this is ridiculous.
Tickers and stats. This is the same stuff as C19 and even DBC 14. No average speed per ball per over, same for RPMs when batting. Some overlays could be nice, league tables, best players shown in between the overs. Comparisions between the seasons/games for certain players etc. The list could go on. I get it, youre not San Diego Studios, but this is lazy work, especially considering your price tag.
Add more hitboxes in arenas, especially when going for sixes. Ball clipping into the objects makes me cry. Same when i see fielders standing and clipping whatever it’s called when it comes to setting the field boundaries (sorry I don’t know the proper wording for this one )
Make changes to the whole animation system. While the new ones are nice, it still looks like the whole baseline works in “parts”. There’s no fluidity to motions and you can clearily see when the next stage is being activated, resulting in “choppy” motions. You can easily see this when watching the replays. Only thing it lacks are T-poses.
This is not a hate post, because if it would, I wouldn’t bother writing this whole thing. But even as a casual player without any emotional reaction to cricket as a sport, I can’t stay silent when it comes to lack of progress between the games. Unless the game will receive the proper overhaul, I think this is my first and last purchase I will make when it comes to satisfying my cricket itch.
You make a lot of valid points and i concur with them all… Been so many issues I’ve repeatedly complained about… I forgot about not be able to field the ball after I’ve bowled and I’m literally standing over it whilst waiting for a Ai teammate to come pick it up. It’s almost the only time I see Ai batters get 2 runs
You’ve also reminded me. That Ive pretty much stopped trying to play straight drives down the ground as it majority of the time doesn’t get past the bowler. And then minority of time it’s a coin toss if it pops up and bowler C&B me or it does make the boundary. Only viable option is to spank it for six which is less risk than playing a conservative shot.
However I’ve played half dozen T20 and one day matches in yet another career. As a fast bowling all rounder when im bowling I’m getting edges that are getting caught by keeper and occasionally a slip or it’s during power play. In also clean bowling Ai opponents top order with Yorkers. Full length in and out swing balls occasionally get a lbw but never make it through to the stumps.
Before starting the new career I increased pace wicket chance slider to 60. Even though last few months it doesn’t matter if i increased it to 100 I was still getting smashed in short form games. But the one thing I did differently this career. I increased the spin chance slider to 70 ten more than pace slider. Because spinners are OP compared to Pace if anything I drop it to 45.
Now I’ve noticed the spinners don’t get as many wickets as they used to. And my pace bowlers (including myself)are now picking up wickets in during middle and latter part of innings. Ai batters are trying to slog me and edging to keeper. Or trying to smash my Yorkers which once edge of bat along the ground and to boundary for 4 whilst my fielders on the boundary just stood there and they still would. If it wasn’t for the fact I’m knocking the stumps out of the ground.
However having said all that. It may just be a coincidence and the spin slider didn’t actually change anything
When I read your replies I latterly felt either I am playing a different game or You guys are playing this wrong. Every game comes with coding means Programming so crack those code. For instance you can not be late on Hardest difficulty for fast bowl , can not be too early on short ball for spin on hard difficulty. I am playing cricket game since 2007( EA sports) . That game also came up with repetitive commentary same thinking mode predictable length, etc. This game really a advanced version comes with some programming. So clear those mechanics understand every difficulty, understand the aftertouch from upside as well as from downside. There are many thing you guys can understand. This game comes with a slider setting so we can change it accordingly for multiplayer and vs AI.
The only Negtive I had already share here two days ago. So enjoy this beautiful game.
@MattW Bring some new mode , rewards and commentary and tournaments that we can compete on leaderboard
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