2010’s Rugby League Live, Big Ant Studios’ first attempt at the sport, sailed wide of the posts and fell flat with critics and fans alike. Nearly two years on the Melbourne-based developer is set to take another shot. We chatted to Big Ant founder and CEO Ross Symons about Rugby League Live 2 and what the team has done to hopefully send this one straight over the black dot.
IGN AU: What’s the first thing you decided to address from Rugby League Live in the development of Rugby League Live 2?
Ross Symons: The fans have made it clear that the first thing to be addressed for Rugby League Live 2 was to be the introduction of a deep Career mode, which of course Rugby League Live 2 has. At the end of the Career mode you can even save your created Career team and take them online to see who has created the best 10 year team.
IGN AU: We’ve had a lot of questions around this Career Mode forwarded to us by your fans; can you explain it to us in a little more detail? Will you be able to manage your Toyota Cup, NSW/QLD Cup and First Grade teams, promoting players, and buying players out of other teams’ lower grades as well as top grades? Are you going to be able to buy players from the other competitions?
RS: Rugby League Live 2 allows you to choose between NRL or Superleague teams for Career mode; players can be brought in from all teams including lower grades from Australia and the UK. Within this mode you will be able to affiliate yourself with representative teams and play those games through the year.
IGN AU: Having two commentators seems like a good step towards getting the atmosphere right. How else has this area improved? Is the commentary any more organic? Are the crowds dynamic; will they, say, boo an away kicker prior to conversions? Are they louder at Origin matches?
RS: Having both Vossy (Andrew Voss) and Gus (Phil Gould) commentating really brings the feel of the game closer to that when watching on TV; the commentary and sound effects are tailored depending on the importance of each match and time on the clock.
The visuals have improved significantly from the original.
IGN AU: How about 40/20s: have they been fixed?
RS: We now have five difficulty levels in the game; the ability to do 40/20s will be dependant on the difficulty level in terms of what the defence will do to prevent 40/20s occurring.
IGN AU: There’s talk amongst fans that they want the forwards to have more impact on the game, so players can’t win by simply stacking their teams with wingers and fullbacks. Has this been improved?
RS: Stamina, tackle impacts and momentum in tackles will have a big part to play. Using forwards to take ground from the defence and sap energy is important, then using burst players to get the line breaks.
We've implemented attributes for players that will take advantage of certain players "freakish" abilities, so tackle ability, fends, speed and accuracy of kick will all be noticeable.
IGN AU: Will marquee players actually make a difference? If we buy Tony Williams or Dave Taylor for our team, will they be noticeably harder to tackle? Will Billy Slater be quicker and more agile than other players? Can Benji Marshall kick 50m drop goals?
RS: We've implemented attributes for players that will take advantage of certain players "freakish" abilities, so tackle ability, fends, speed and accuracy of kick will all be noticeable.
IGN AU: There have been a lot of questions about passing, which wasn’t really highlighted in the debut trailer. In RLL players tended to lose all momentum when the receiving the ball from a pass. How has this been tweaked?
RS: We've got two types of passing now – flat and deep passes. These allow for passes that are safer but will have attackers at a slower pace while the flat passes are riskier but will have attackers bursting through onto the ball at full speed. The choice is for the players based on the situation.
Players accumulate mud in poor weather.
IGN AU: Could you also elaborate on the use of decoy runners and run around plays?
RS: Human and AI players alike have the potential to open up gaps in the defensive line by having offensive players on decoy runs and run arounds, essentially sucking defenders in where they may move to cover their opponent even if they do not have the ball.
IGN AU: Could you explain this new dynamic tackling system?
RS: The game allows for drag tackles to the sideline, and also leg and arm pin tackles. The players choices against different attackers may determine if they are able to offload or break tackles easier.
IGN AU: How has online improved?
RS: We believe we have a first for sports games online; every game mode in Rugby League Live 2 can be played online. Competition, Casual and Career modes can all be played with friends. Every game either online or offline will win badges and experience points for players which will go onto leaderboards. Every aspect of the game has been tailored to online use.
It is reasonable for gamers to expect Rugby League games to be up there with the best in the world, such as FIFA 13, however this is the second iteration of the game and FIFA has had more than 20 releases.
IGN AU: Do you think there’s a bit of misunderstanding amongst gamers who don’t quite grasp that it’s unrealistic for a game like Rugby League Live 2 to be on par with something like, say, FIFA 13?
RS: It is reasonable for gamers to expect Rugby League games to be up there with the best in the world, such as FIFA 13, however this is the second iteration of the game and FIFA has had more than 20 releases. So while I believe that we are on the right track and are approaching the bar being set by EA Sports and the like, local games and local companies need support so as to get the games to the same level of iteration.
IGN AU: Is technology like NaturalMotion’s euphoria engine out of reach for something like the Rugby League Live series? Because in a lot of ways the tackling in Backbreaker is superior to even Madden...
RS: Backbreaker was in development for many years and had a complicated history with Midway having hundreds of staff working on it before they went under and it was picked up by NaturalMotion themselves. Big Ant Studios has used NaturalMotion’s products in the past, and we evaluated euphoria and morpheme for Rugby League Live 2. However, whether it be Madden or Rugby League Live 2, technology like this to be evaluated on a time basis as well as a cost basis and it did not fit the timelines this time around.
And then they woke up.
IGN AU: Finally, can you shed some light on gambling and alcohol sponsors on jerseys? We’ve heard speculation it’s a ratings thing, but that just sounds like scuttlebutt; FIFA 13 has multiple clubs sponsored by Carlsberg and Chang and that’s rated G. Did the sponsors in question not sign off on inclusion, or did the NRL want them left out, for the same reason you wouldn’t see a VB logo on a kid’s NSW Blues jersey?
RS: This is more linked to the individual companies concerned not wishing to be seen to be promoting their adult products to a potentially younger than adult audience.
Rugby League Live 2 will be available later this year. An exact release date is yet to be announced.
Luke is Games Editor at IGN AU. You can chat to him about games, cars and the perils of parking one near Campbelltown Stadium for Monday Night Football here or find him and the rest of the Australian team by joining the IGN Australia Facebook community.
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