AI better. Chucking it about more. Offloads too. Old glitch of lack of tackling after offload present, but works both ways now I guess. AI also better in defence, seemed harder to break them down. I have been winning by 30-40 points on 5 min halves prior to this. Optimistic
Was only one game so not sure what else has changed..
Thatās encouraging about AI on attack. When you say chucking it about do they pass to unlock overlaps or do they just pass for passing sake. Seen so many times the AI will make one pass and then either pass to the winger, who is very deep or run it up and take contact when there is someone on the outside.
Not entirely cultured passing, but better than previous. Some different patterns it seems. But not using overlaps or anything sophisticated in this one match.
Yep and again, not throwing shade at the developers here cause I understand it is difficult but you cant expect to be immune to critism when the game doesnt even implement the laws correctly. It is probably tougher in rugby with how many laws there are but offisde is probably one of the easier ones to implement. Look at the backlash Cyberpunk got when it launched, I understand the scale is different but I believe it is not the right way to treat consumers.
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I tried to remove a female Welsh player who has no face scan just wondering if this feature is coming because LB button says remove player
Ok, so I lost a game for the first time in forever.
0-3 Ulster v Glasgow.
AI had two big breaks, both when the game gave a late offload and the player suddenly became super fast and untacklable. On the first on (clock in the red for half time), they got to the 22 with noone in front of them and suddenly drop goaled it, which was weird. On the second one, after breaking from their own try line with the untacklable player thing, the game seemed to just tackle them automatically eventually.
Not massively fun tbh, but harder I suppose. It doesnāt feel like the AI actually got better though, more that the game was just glitching to stop me winning?
Also, whilst the jackals have obviously been tuned down, there are some scenarios, regardless of difficulty, where they should be happening, or a pen awarded. If I have a player over the ball for 4 seconds against no opposition whilst mashing steal, something should be happening.
So another game started. Gloucester v Saracens in my Premiership season mode. AI v AI on 20 minute halves using the side camera view and medium difficulty. So far, with your small update earlier, so good. Not sure what you tweaked but this is the best game I have had so far. Iām seeing proper rucks, offloads including offloads in tackle. End to end stuff at times. Two really good tries from great build ups. Current score is 7-7 after 10 in game minutes. Remember Iām on 20 minute halves. Iāll update with the final score shortly. But yea a definitive step forward with todays patch so far. 
Update: Half time and itās 14-14. Both teams enjoying a lot of possession and regularly getting into each otherās 22. Iāve even seen a one hand offload in the tackle. Great game thus far.
Update: Full time 14-14. No more points added in the 2nd half for either side but it was still a solid game from both sets of players. Best game Iāve had so far in Rugby 25. Big thumbs up from me with todays patch.
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V1.0.2999 on Steamdeck: not sure that the photogrammetry of Clermont has been added as stated in the patch note. @JNT_BA could you please check with the guys ? Looks like it is made with the creator only
See exemples below for
Urdapilleta (Fly Half) and Jauneau (Scrum Half)
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Iām playing on Steam Hardest
There is clear improvement on the AI difficulty in how they move the ball, but the reality is it is still far too easy to beat the AI with 25+ points blow outs on 5 min halves.
Iāve said it before, but the AI desperately NEED a kicking game. They have no sense of kicking for territory and still try and run from their own try line, which is embarassing .
The AI need to be able to identify space and numbers in the open field, so they can attack the space, draw and pass to the available man. Done correctly this could really balance out the difficulty.
They also need to be able to kick into space to force the defence to turn and scramble.
i think these two options alone would make dramatic improvements in difficulty.
it also doesnāt help that attirbutes donāt really make a difference so mismatches cannot really be exploited across the field. For example i kick the ball behind and a lock forward is keeping up with my winger in chasing the ball. Whether it is due to stamina drain or not, you used to be able to exploit these match ups so i am not sure why it has been removed.
The rules still need to be checked, because i am being penalised for other sideās knock ons, penalties from forward passes and still no advantage being played for me.
In terms of offence, the game is still fun, although it seems like the hand off is the only real option, with the bump off and side step very hard to implement.
Again thanks for your work in getting us the upgrades.
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Oh I agree, Iām not defending the state of the game, itās awful. Merely voicing my thoughts on why itās such a mess
Quick question for all, is anyone else having real problems with performance. It takes about 3-4 mins to load up a match then a further 2 mins to lag my way through the cutscenes. I may have times of smoothness in match, but things like a kick or conversion or passing will just freeze the game for minutes on end. This has only started happening within the last 2/3 updates and its making the game unplayable for me. Can anyone else relate at all?
Quick question for any of the devs tuning in. When are we likely to see names given to players instead of positions when in the match? I know the Gallagher Premiership teams have names and certain international players do. But from what I can see the other main leagues, those being the Top 14, URC, Super Rugby Pacific, MLR, and some of the Pro D2 teams, all just show positions rather than names when in the match. It would make it so much easier for folk to keep track on whose performing well, making carries, tackles, whose on the ball etc. This would be especially advantageous for content creators who commentate on their matches. As for the game line I said earlier a good step forward today.
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I scored 100 points before the end of the match, he left as soon as it ended but I didnāt get the trophy for scoring 100 points online 
After 3/28/25 patch, main points.
Rucks are getting better, but still need work.
More 1 on 1 ruck steals vs 1 vs 3 pushover, the simple steal animation looks so much better. The later timed counter rucks when AI fails to play the ball or only adds 1 or 2 in the ruck. Is really nice. (it creates a reason to keep trying to get a ruck turnover after the first initial jackal attempt fails. This is how the system should continue to improve.
Same tackler stand and steal/Jackle still does not work , though the Y press option is there. (The animation has to be much quicker , and vary on player rucking state)
AI , still very, very weak. Argentina (User) vs England (AI) 10 minute halves on hardest difficulty, USER wins by 2-3 tries every time , with no threat of AI scoring.
I like the flexibility in offloads, but some deep in a tackle, particularly high tackle should not happen. These should either , go to ground, knock on, or have intercepted by the opponent.
The fends should be timed, not just hold down run at an angle and it works 90% of the time , it like a cheat pattern. No need to use any other offensive skill, sidestep, barge forward, or dummy. The fend (down right analog) is better for every situation, making no point in the other skills.
Over all it really puzzles me how weak the AI is. Most of the other Big Ant AI Rugby league AI is really good , using every weapon in the arsenal for attack.
You would thinks some scripts that work for the other Rugby League games would help with improving the AI some. The only thing that I hope does not happpen is in RLL4 the AI can offload so much easier and in much more circumstances then the USER, this is the only part of RLL4 AI I am not a fan of. This did not happen in RLL3. In RLL3 they felt fair ,both for USER and AI.
But the rest of the AI intelligence in these past games were great, they used every weapon in offensive arsenal to attack, kicks, passing, offloading, sidesteps, fends, barges, dummies and variety type of play. Just weird that at this point, this has not translated over into Rugby 25 more. As long as the developers admit there is a long way to go for the AI intelligence to be up to Par with these best league games, and they will not stop until they are on the same or higher level. I am good with the improvements the are making in other areas of the game. But this game although getting better little by little, is still very far off from a finished product, when it come to AI being any kind of a challenge. Maybe I am old school, but one of my favorite thing is when the AI fairly defeats me and out plays me, this is what makes the game fun and challenging. If this does not happen in the end, nothing else in the game will matter. So. looking forward to the improvements.
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AI Vs AI is good now!!! Thanks big ant! Just let us edit teams and we will appreciate it so much! Thanks
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Hi every one,
I saw BA moderaters answering directly few days ago. Therefore, I take my chance on 3 questions :
- Is the developpers team having the intention or a plan to complete the lineout system, which is (really really) too simplist at the moment?
- Is the developpers team having the intention or a plan to implement a maul system (where you can roll and counter)?
- Is the developpers team having the intention or a plan to clarify the reward / risk system in rucks phasis?
Thanks for reading, and more for answering !
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Feels like Iāve bought a broken game Triangle Square and circle do not work all the time when binding into the ruck been button mashing circle and my players just stand there and do nothing even stealing the all absolutely nothing
2 Likes
Hey all, noticeable improvement in the difficulty level after the mini-patch yesterday, long way to go but a few steps in the right direction. A couple of thoughts on the game below:
Turnovers
Would love to see a few more turnovers via penalty rather than always being clean changes of possession. Specifically in rucks, where the majority of turnovers these days come from āholding onā infringements rather than an opposing player actually coming away with the ball.
Would also be great to see that 
command triggering a much quicker animation, especially when the ball carrier is isolated.
While clean turnovers happen the minority of the time at rucks, theyāre even more rare at scrums. A completely dominant scrum tends to lead to a penalty, whether on your own ball or the oppositions. I canāt stress how rarely a team gets a clean hook and turnover off opposition ball due to crooked feeds (rightly or wrongly). The animation is already there!
If you win a scrum penalty but the ball is playable, it would be cool to see that given as an advantage, but this doesnāt seem to exist in the game currently.
I always feel as though rugby video games shy away from penalties, but theyāre a vital part of a more tactical game or building a score and should happen more often in my opinion, especially in these scenarios. An option to collapse mauls (more on this below) and offsides also would be nice to see!
Set Piece
Weāve touched on scrums, but Iād love to see more features added to both mauls & line outs. As above, a defensive option to collapse an opposing maul thatās built great momentum would be great. It would also be nice to see the CPU use this if youāve got a good shove on and are near to their line.
Lineouts are just thread bare at the moment, vital this becomes a genuine contest with more movement, fakes & tactics. Feels very repetitive and boring currently.
Set Plays & Structure
I do hope these are coming soon, theyāre a must for a more slick gameplay out wide. The addition of more penalties above would give a greater chance to showcase this system if and when it comes along.
The pod system could do with a bit of refinement too, forwards feel detached currently, though I think this has improved slightly. Essentially it offers a blank slate play to allow your forwards to control a phase and allow the backline to get into place for a more structured play.
An option to switch into āpick and goā mode would be great too, get your 9 out of the way, forwards pick and go in packs. Runs the risk of penalty infringements for sealing off etc. Again, a big part of the game near the line!
Animations
Nice to see more added as patches have come out. One I would love to see a bit of focus on is passing animations, in terms of making the game look āmore realā, itās frustrating to see players pass across their bodies without curtailing their own speed, direction or even moving their shoulders. When you pass, your upper body inevitably twists in that direction. Would make the game look a lot more slick.
Adding speed to sidestep animations is a must too. They are currently exceptionally slow and not at all representative of the most elusive runners in the game, even if itās not a clear break, just a sharp step to a loose shoulder would make the game feel much more fun out wide.
Goal Kicking
Would be nice to have a little differential between kickers ball flights. Some players tend to have a fade in their kicking trajectory, others hook/pull, some are generally straight down the middle. It would be great if we were able to assign trajectoryās to players, along with a specific kicking style (stance & run up).
The animations are in the game, but it would be amazing to create players from the past or present and assign styles that are most reminiscent of their own (Iām thinking Wilkinson, the clasped hands are already part of the standard run up, then a slight fade off the right foot!)
Last note here is that the player should always address the ball, not the posts in their run up. I.e. their shoulders should be square to ball, it looks strange otherwise. More of a ārun upā than a tentative āwalk upā animation would be nice too. Looks very rugby league at the moment.
Academy Suite
Similar to part of the above, are there plans to expand the editing & creation options? @JNT_BA
Cricket 24ās tools are so far beyond Rugby 25 currently, it would be incredible to see this integrated into the game. Iām sure the community would produce some incredible creations that breathe further life into the game.
With regards to logos, obviously it would be great to allow more detailed imported images, but I understand the need to control this for not overwhelming online play. I only ask if it would be possible to add logos to players entire bodies (including equipment), weād see some amazing tattoos, along with greater customisation on boots, scrum caps etc. Obviously to control the file size, weād expect limited slots, but even a couple would make a big difference!
Player creation also desperately needs options for stubble, textured eyebrows, greater skin ageing & textures. As mentioned, an update just to bring it to the level of Cricket 24 would be an incredible addition!
Player Ratings
Iāve played a couple of games with my created teams where the ratings are a little more realistic in my opinion and Iāve found the gameplay to be more balanced. Players are more vital in their own roles and feel more different to each other.
I completely understand the need to lock certain aspects of editing licensed players, and also the scale of the task to assign bespoke ratings to every player, but please allow us the ability to edit ratings and positions (at least!) in licensed players. I donāt know why it frustrates me so much that I see Scrum Halves with 90 strength all over the place! 
Obviously with constructive feedback it can come across as negative, but I just want to say that Iām really positive about this game. Itās been a long road, but itās easy to forget the history of rugby games and how much ground has had to be made up to get a game of any note. Itās not perfect by any means, but itās progressing steadily into what I hope will end up a really enjoyable game.
I hope this feedback is taken on board and seen as plausible, as I think at least some of it could add a lot to the game, not only right now but to make it playable long into the future.
Cheers! 
Note: apologies for the essay!
11 Likes
I played a game this morning, won 28 - 21 on easy was a great game, I think easy difficulty is maybe possible for me. I am struggling to stop CPU fend off but apart from that it was a really enjoyable game, back and forth, really good game.
I think we might be getting closer with this, my passing is improving every day, even managed to get a winger to do a 360 turn haha
1 Like