Set Shot questions and ideas

AFL 23
1

Thought I’d create a topic on set shots… with both how they are now, and possibilities for future improvements.

Currently we have two bars…a power meter and an accuracy meter.
It’s been stated that going into the Red on power, doesn’t mean a bad shot… just will make the accuracy meter more difficult (smaller blue ‘strike’ zone).
Also a player’s footedness will make the ball swing…and the wind can also push the ball in a direction.

Blue ‘Strike’ Zone on Accuracy meter
Of that strike zone, there is always a gradual fade-in to a solid blue… then almost an immediate fade-out/end of the strike zone.
I’m wondering, how much difference is there in the shot for where you land that accuracy meter? i.e if its in the start of the fade vs perfectly in the solid blue vs at the trailing fade-out blue end.
Does it make it swing more, or just be more/less of a floater directed differently?

Footedness Swing
A player’s footedness (left or right) will make the ball swing in a set shot (to the left for a right footer, to the right for a left footer).
It’s noticeable that there’s different amounts of swing at different times, maybe for different players.
What determines how much swing a shot will have?
i.e is it player-specific (some players swing more than others) and if so, how do we know this? (do we just learn our players, or is there a stat we can see?) Does it get affected by the result on the meters (maybe more power == swings more? or being in the less solid blue for the accuracy meter == different swing amounts?)

Randomness and Other factors
Taking in the above two topics, plus wind, distance, angle and player goal kicking skill, how much ‘randomness’ is there in the set shot result?
Are there other factors at play, like game difficulty, match closeness, player ‘clutch’ skill, player set shot history/confidence… and if so, how do all of these get shown in the game (if at all)?

Future Considerations
Previously mentioned ideas in support tickets and in the community are:-

  • goal kicking meters to be accelerated instead of being a linear speed
  • man on the mark to press buttons to put off the kicker
  • controller vibration/HUD shake (from getting put off, or gametime pressure factors)

Wondering if others can come up with other factors too?

Thanks

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2

dont know if this is relevant but i submitted a ticket to BA a while ago and wouldnt mind to gauge what others think of it:

'I have a suggestion regarding goal kicking that I believe could enhance the gameplay.

In your cricket games, there were two features that I feel could be incorporated into AFL 23’s goal-kicking mechanics. Firstly, the implementation of Pro Mode controls using both joysticks and secondly, the inclusion of confidence and stamina bars. These additions would introduce an extra layer of complexity to the gameplay.

Pro Mode would remove the aiming marker and instead rely on the player’s skill in using the joystick to kick accurately. The confidence meter could be built using the champion data, which already serves as the basis for player statistics. The player’s stats would then affect the margin of error allowed during goal kicking.

To implement Pro Mode in AFL 23, I propose the following mechanics:

The left joystick would be used to aim the player, taking into account factors like wind and the right joystick. Pushing it forward would initiate the run-up.

The right joystick would control power and kick accuracy. The player would decide when to start the power meter by pulling it back, and then push it forward to take the kick.

The straightness of the kick would be determined by how straight the forward push on the right joystick is. For instance, if the push forward ends up at 11 o’clock, the kick would veer to the left.

Allowing players to choose when to engage the right joystick would enable those with less set shot power to get as close as possible to the man on the mark before kicking. This additional meter or so could make a significant difference.

However, waiting too long to initiate the kick would pose a risk of kicking the ball into the man on the mark.

I firmly believe that incorporating this Pro Mode Control into AFL 23 would greatly benefit gameplay, making goal-kicking more challenging. Currently, set shot goal kicking is relatively easy, and introducing this mechanic would introduce greater skill and precision requirements.

The reason Pro Mode Control would intensify the challenge of goal kicking is as follows:
When the right joystick is pushed off-centre, even slightly, the initial deviation becomes magnified as the ball travels towards its target.

This accumulation of divergence results in a growing disparity between the actual path of the ball and the intended trajectory.

Consequently, the further the ball travels, the more pronounced and substantial the deviation becomes. This effect would make kicks from 50 meters out more demanding and add complexity to set shots at goal from angled positions.’

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I wonder how easy it physically is to push the right joystick perfectly straight… i.e is the controller responsive to 1 degree increments… 0.5 degree… 0.1 degree…
And how much a standard player would get close to that perfection (so that balancing the game can be reasonably done).

Nice suggestion!

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4

BA already has a system similar in their cricket games (pro mode controls for bowling) could be a exact copy and paste over to AFL 23 - it makes bowling real fun and i had hoped a similar system would have carried over.

it is not easy to push it perfectly straight and each person will have their own left or right deviation and thats where players will need to recognise it and adjust accordingly - which adds to the fun

couple that with champ data to determine margin of error, footedness, wind, kicking distance ect

that would make set shots amazing

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from what i remember on BF. no. its like hawkins from Geelong being a right footer but his set shot kicks goes from left to right.

right now right footers goes from right to left and vice versa

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One thing I’d love to see in the future is hot/cold zones for players similar to 2k which give a slight boost or slightly decrease a player’s set shot ability from specific areas. If Big Ant continue to work with champion data then this is something they can possibly help integrate.

It’d also be nice to have more footedness swing options in future iterations so players whose kicks in real life like Hawkins and Buddy also do in the game. It could also provide a bit more individuality to generated players in management mode if some players are assigned a different footedness swing to the default.

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8

Nice idea about the unique footedness swing per player. This would definitely need to be displayed in a HUD somehow (and how much they swing it).

Adding to that, I want to say how nice it is to see different goal kicking actions in the game. Players like Buddy have their unique style, which looks great!
More of this with the next version of the game please!

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9

Ah, I’ll chime in on the accuracy bar as I was recently looking into this and got to hear some interesting conversations about ideal spots of it. While the bar is currently on a gradient, anywhere in the blue will “usually” be ok, but not always as it will also be riskier. But for the best result, it is the end of the colour, not the front.

With this going for the best timing has a risk/reward if you can get it on the last sections of the blue you have a better chance of making it on point with all the other variables such as footedness. Now the blue bar is a hard stop meaning you will have a direct fall-off for that meter. So when you are in those really angled situations getting it as close to the end can mean the difference between a goal or a behind/post hit.

So I played around with it for a few matches and did some risky goals (bananas from the pocket was my go-to) to see how much of a hit it would take if I hit the start of the blue vs the end of it. When going for those really close swing in goals there was a noticeable swing when getting the start of the gradient rather than getting the end.

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Thanks @JNT_BA .
Interesting to hear it has an effect on swing.

I wonder then how much swing is affected by:-

  • the accuracy meter (like you mentioned)
  • the player’s kicking stats (obviously from footedness, but how much seems to be player specific)
  • wind
  • randomness

Is this something you could possibly ask the devs about?

Thanks

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11

Was wondering if you are looking at any other set shot system? Is the power and timing bar going to be the only system for afl 23?

Furthermore would it be possible to maybe add some colour to the kicking for goal meter - currently it is white and for those who play on broadcast far, it is sometimes difficult to see.

Finally, Is your team maybe even considering putting it at a set spot on the screen instead of under the player?

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While the system itself won’t change in any broad way in terms of mechanics we will always continue to fine-tune it if we see any major problems with it.

Is that an issue many of you who play on broadcast far have? Do you all find it too small?

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This is a more self inflicted wound, I personally like ’broadcast far’ seeing as afl 23 is a heavy kicking game in my opinion and being able to see further in front is beneficial for me. In that camera view the ‘goalpost’ that appear under the player is sometimes hard to see. A bit of colour may help it, or even if there was a option to have it placed under the radar permanently and bigger would be nice.

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Would your team ever consider putting the goalpost on the set shot meter? you have it for goals on the run. and right now i think most players dont really have a idea of where to stop in the blue - which i presume is the sweet spot

15

Yes definitely. Extremely hard to see when scaled to the player and the white tends to blend in with the grass. Half the time I’m just guessing.

16

Set shots on the run definitely need improvements. The bar is barely visible, I play on end to end so I’m not sure what the visibility is like on other camera angles.

Maybe rather than popping up when you fire up a kick at goal, it could appear when you are in range then when you start to kick the line starts to move.

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17

I’d really like to see meterage indicator on the load up bar based on player ability.

Tex and Franklin might have 60m as their distance with 50m being in their blue zone, where as players with a lesser leg red zone may start at 40m.

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18

Frustrates me that when setting up for a set shot there are no players on the goal line.

So unrealistic.

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20

Quite often they set up behind the goal line and then push forward with momentum.

21

This would be a great way to know if your player has the distance or not when lining up.

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22

I won the game with a kick after the siren once, it bounced in the goal square then dribbled through. I was happy to win the game but it felt pretty empty since it shouldn’t really happen.