When we last saw Strikerz Inc’s UFL back in May of this year, we were finally treated to a brief glimpse of actual gameplay. The team over at Strikerz Inc. has been fairly transparent with information on the UFL as they build their soccer title from the ground up. Through their developer diary series, fans of the beautiful game and video game development get to see insights into how a game is made. While information was certainly delayed due to events taking place in Ukraine, their team is back at it, this time with a new revamped developer diary series that focuses on different areas of the game while laying down a roadmap for what’s to come. With that in mind, let’s look at some key takeaways from this most recent Developer Diary.
UFL Preview
Roadmap
One of the most common features in software development is laying out a product roadmap. Not only do roadmaps give developers timelines, but they also serve to set expectations for the customers as to what and when to expect certain key features. For their upcoming title, Strikerz Inc. has laid out a six-part plan in which they will roll out information to us:
- Stadium Creation – Redentor Stadium
- Core Gameplay Mechanics
- How the game works/Animation Systems
- How Different Game Systems Interact
- AI Systems:
- AI-Controlled Team (all 11 players)
- User-Controlled Team (1 user controlled player + 10 AI controlled players)
- Visual Style
- Game Launch Details
*Note – These are subject to change and are not listed in chronological order
It’s fairly standard topics here, but from the looks of things most of the questions related to the game should be touched upon over the course of all six diaries. Hopefully the game launch details episode will not only provide us with a release date but will also go into some detail about modes, which Strikerz Inc. touches upon briefly by saying that the release date will be announced in August of this year.
Reasons Behind The Revamped Developer Diary Series
After the brief introductions where we meet the Strikerz Inc. team, Tigran Spertsvan (developer diary director) explained why they have revamped their series, primarily focusing on how their previous episodes were a little too robotic, leading to unnatural ported trailers. The team realized that they’d rather show the reality of the situation, both the positives and the flaws, to showcase what they call The Journey. In what resembled a little jab at both EA and Konami, Strikerz Inc. intends on showing the raw game to give fans an idea of what they’re getting when the game does release as opposed to flashy, CGI-heavy promotional videos in the mold of what we currently see from the sports gaming industry.
In addition to this, Strikerz Inc. is collecting feedback through their various social media accounts to help shape the game to the wants and needs of the community. How much feedback and whether or not it will be taken into account is yet to be seen, but nonetheless this is a good sign for a community that’s heavy on demands and rather low on patience. With so much competition in the market, the task ahead for Strikerz Inc. is daunting, but from the glimpses of gameplay of we were privileged enough to see, the team appears to be further along than expected.
Gameplay
Speaking of gameplay, this episode showcased a few instances of how it’s developed and the process for how they identify and correct errors. Starting from the ground up, the team showcases the basics of player movement, visualizing the basic walking mechanics in an effort to ensure that the most fundamental of mechanics (walking) are captured realistically in a natural way. Shortly after, the team transitions into an area of the game that is always tricky, player collisions. Player collisions are something that can make or break the game as we’ve seen from eFootball and the hilarious (albeit frustrating) moments from FIFA 12’s implementation of their Impact Engine way back when.
Don’t worry skillers and tricksters, Strikerz Inc. shows off a rainbow flick in an effort to show how it’s just not quite right in terms of ball trajectory, all the while letting us know that there are currently about 20 tricks in the build they have now, which according to the team is playable but certainly not full ready as some polishing is needed. Fundamental to their “fair to play” mantra, the development team is said to be working hard on animations with a focus on responsiveness, hopefully not at the cost of realistic physics and player movement (weight, momentum, inertia, and so on).
Lastly, when it comes to gameplay, the team shows off their process for tweaking the AI in certain scenarios, this time letting us take a look at set pieces, specifically corner kicks. Showing off how the AI responds to sending in both a short corner and one whipped into the box, the checks and balances are displayed to ensure that the AI reacts properly and realistically to an event customized by a series of inputs and simulations on the right-hand side (cutscenes, formation). One thing to note, and the team (specifically CEO Eugene Nashilov) mentions, is how difficult it is to convey information due to licenses. After a little zooming-in we can see that the team on display in this corner-kick simulation is Bordeaux, the French Ligue 1 side. Could this mean that Ligue 1 is fully licensed? I guess we’ll find out soon.
Modes
So far, the only indication of what modes are included in UFL seem to point to a FUT-like mode where players compete online in what resembles “divisions” from FUT.
From the looks of these screens, there appears to be some sort of overarching “Season” akin to Konami’s season mode in eFootball 2022. Within the Season, there are “divisions” and a “premier division” that is the final step of division progress where you start with a rating of 1,000 as you attempt to work your way up the charts (“Top Rating” screen). Weekly and season ratings — as well as some sort of Bronze, Silver, Gold variables — also seem to be at play. There is also a “store” (top right-hand corner) that probably points to being able to purchase items (players, training points, etc.) in Strikerz Inc.’s attempt to monetize the game.
The qualification menu appears to show a log of your matches. Hopefully their team will include accumulated player stats, something eFootball 2022 desperately needs and currently lacks. Lastly, the “top rating” screen showcases the leaderboard with something called “squad price” and that could really mean anything from “how much money/points went into creating a squad and/or the team rating. One thing is for certain, the menus already look much better than the hideousness we see in eFootball 2022.
Bottom Line
For a 16-minute video, there’s a lot to digest here, and I certainly appreciate the transparency. EA has improved in this regard with their Pitch Notes series as it really helps to give customers a glimpse into the difficult process of developing and tweaking a video game, both before release and mid-cycle. In true Konami fashion, we got the “release date for a release date” of August, 2022, but overall, Strikerz Inc. does a great job at laying out their plans as best they can considering the unpredictability that is software development. Despite this uncertainty, one thing is for sure, we’re certainly keeping an eye out as I’m sure Konami and EA are in what is the first legitimate threat to a soccer market that has been dominated by two giants for far too long.
