• Help Support The Rugby Forum :

Rugby 20 the thread

I'm old so I've no idea what an ultimate career mode is lol but without a career mode why would anyone play a game?
 
I'm old so I've no idea what an ultimate career mode is lol but without a career mode why would anyone play a game?
themole25 said:
your preaching to the choir mate. Career mode was always my favorite but ultimate team trading card games are what the kids and 30 year old you tubers are into.
Click to expand...

Kids are ruining games. Blummin MMO and online rubbish ruining single player fun.

I don't want to play with other people, I just about survive having to speak to my family, I don't want to deal with anyone else!!! Especially on a game.
 
It's hard to find a split game racing game these days. Split screen racing is some of the most fun you can have in gaming. Can't press start as your friends go into corners anymore.
 
Have played a bit more this evening. Biggest frustration has to be the lack of pace throughout the game. Every player feels so slow. The ball goes out to a wing that now has massive space and then he gets reeled in by a forward within 15 metres. There doesn't feel like there is much reward for creating space on the field. I discovered you can move your attacking line back, but at this stage I haven't figured out how to use attacking plays and make them effective.

It just doesn't feel rewarding for getting some right. Bashed it up the middle and had some interplay midfield to open up space out wide for the wing? Great, here is ten metres, do the same thing for another 30 phases until your wing/flyhalf/centre on a break gets reeled by a prop again. Rinse and repeat.
 
It seems people are getting a bit confused about the ultimate team thing. It's not an online only mode like in the fifa games. You can't buy any of the currency (that i've seen) and you earn it by doing anything in game, even doing a quiz on the loading screen. I've not played much of the 'solo' mode which is their take on the career mode. You have to take your team from bottom leagues and take them up, info is a bit sparse so not sure how many leagues etc there are . There's also a bit of budget management with physio, coaching injuries etc. No you can't trade for specific players but you can buy packs of players from certain teams so you will probably get who you want eventually. They are generous with the credits as well so it's not exactly a grind for new players. as for game play it'self it's a departure from rugby 08 which is the last rugby game I played. Feels a lot different, I like the ruck, lineout, scrum minigames etc, especially lineout which give you a surprising amount of control. It does come off quite frantic at times though and it seems players can get away with offside a lot. After 3 odd hours, I do like it but need more time to fully adust to how your meant to attack.
 
saulan said:
Have played a bit more this evening. Biggest frustration has to be the lack of pace throughout the game. Every player feels so slow. The ball goes out to a wing that now has massive space and then he gets reeled in by a forward within 15 metres. There doesn't feel like there is much reward for creating space on the field. I discovered you can move your attacking line back, but at this stage I haven't figured out how to use attacking plays and make them effective.

It just doesn't feel rewarding for getting some right. Bashed it up the middle and had some interplay midfield to open up space out wide for the wing? Great, here is ten metres, do the same thing for another 30 phases until your wing/flyhalf/centre on a break gets reeled by a prop again. Rinse and repeat.
Click to expand...

I agree, there's a definite problem with player's stats and they don't scale properly. I was trying to play with the Dragons and their backs have pace of 60 ish, which isn't enough to out run most forwards! It's something that need to sort out as it does make wide play a bit weird.
 
i think the issue is pass speed not so much player speed. You'll have a 4 on 1 and the defender is faster than the ball.

I want to figure out how to hit the second layer from the ruck. It seems the only option is crash ball or set play. The computer will hit second layer so we should be able to as well.

the scrum mini game is awful. Winning your own ball is impossible on pro level. Maybe if you play a lot of video games it will be easy but it's terrible for a pick up and game play.

I like how you can get quick ball but the ruck mini game I think is too much for a five year old. If you want a video game to be popular, a five year old needs to be able to play it. You can have bells and whistles that make it more fun for older people, but a five year old needs to be able to enjoy playing it.
 
At the end of the day, it's worth the £20 I paid, but I'm still waiting on RC4...


GOOD-
It feels ok to play
Decent licenses
Ultimate team mode is good fun to work towards
Rewarding for realisticish play most of the time
Kicking is ok but a chip and chase would be good and drop goals are far too slow (putting a player in the pocket just doesn't give enough time)
Goal kicking
Rucking (too easy maybe)


BAD-

Set pieces are clunky
Ratings are just wrong
No career mode
Gameplay isnt smooth and feels like a series of animations, not enough blending.
Players are soooo slow!
Wtf are the try scoring animations?
Player models are weird (players are super super wide)
Players don't feel special, they all move around like hunched robots, only some are faster than others.
Set plays don't work very well



Give it a 5/10 myself.

For £20, it's worth it.... Any more than that then na. It's already cracked on pc so take what you will
 
Overall i'm pretty positive about this game and I think there are some solid foundations. Of course it is not a complete game and it is not satisfactory, but I feel it is a great step in the right direction. I think it's far better than the broken mess which is the Rugby Challenge series and of course Rugby 18 which was unplayable, and it has more depth than Rugby 08's gameplay.

They need to do a better job of explaining the intricacies of their game-play mechanics in the game though, the tutorials are far too basic and they don't even show you the controls.

At times when i'm playing the game I feel kind of lost. They've moved towards a more structured game which I think is a great thing, the problem is it hasn't been completely fleshed it out and if you want to play an unrealistic wide wide offload game like Rugby 08 or Rugby Challenge it isn't possible. Developing the structure and organisation of play and explaining this to the player and to make it easier to visualise should be developed further in the next game. My idea would be to have play calling and decision making in stoppages of play like you have in the Madden series. So, when there is a scrum or lineout a menu pops up and you decide the direction of play, set/quick plays you will use for the next few phases much like you would in real life. That will at least allow the player to focus on winning rucks and passing the ball to find gaps and space whilst working within the structure of the team.

For me the pod tactics in this game are a big evolution with the 1-3-3-1 and 2-4-2, we've never had this before and it actually feels like you're playing a real rugby game for once. If you use the L1+R1 button together once you have passed to a forward pod from 9/10 you can do a screen pass to the back-line player sitting behind, it makes for some great plays and added realism. I highly suggest utilizing them as much as possible. Check out a youtube channel called Utopisys if you want to see some realistic gameplay.

Further on the attacking side of the game, the set plays are all wrong. They let you use intricate set plays off of rucks but then you can only choose 5 scrum moves with the 8/6/7 without any options for backs, it makes no sense. You rarely see teams trying intricate set plays from rucks in real life anymore, most teams only use quick plays like scissors, dummy switch pass etc. So this could instantly improve the game. I'd like to see some more spontanious running lines from backline players as they currently only run in a straight line and i'd like have to the option to pick and goe with a bunch of forwards instead of just one player.

Defence is ok but I don't get why the player controlled A.I will not make tackles unless you switch to the nearby player and press the tackle button.

The rucks are pretty good if not a little bit too easy. I would like to see more penalties introduced as you only get penalised for jackaling in this game. The system from the 2011 RWC game could be implemented where there was some sort of button mashing meter which at least resulted in some penalties now and again.

Scrums are overly complicated and take way too long. To be fair it's probably the most difficult part of rugby to simulate in a video game. Rugby Challenge's scrums were no better and in Rugby 08 there was no competitive element so props were useless.

Lineouts are very good, I like the fact that you can feint lift. The addition I'd like to see is pre assigned calls/plays brought in and to throw in with the hooker.
 
welshglory said:
Overall i'm pretty positive about this game and I think there are some solid foundations. Of course it is not a complete game and it is not satisfactory, but I feel it is a great step in the right direction. I think it's far better than the broken mess which is the Rugby Challenge series and of course Rugby 18 which was unplayable, and it has more depth than Rugby 08's gameplay.

They need to do a better job of explaining the intricacies of their game-play mechanics in the game though, the tutorials are far too basic and they don't even show you the controls.

At times when i'm playing the game I feel kind of lost. They've moved towards a more structured game which I think is a great thing, the problem is it hasn't been completely fleshed it out and if you want to play an unrealistic wide wide offload game like Rugby 08 or Rugby Challenge it isn't possible. Developing the structure and organisation of play and explaining this to the player and to make it easier to visualise should be developed further in the next game. My idea would be to have play calling and decision making in stoppages of play like you have in the Madden series. So, when there is a scrum or lineout a menu pops up and you decide the direction of play, set/quick plays you will use for the next few phases much like you would in real life. That will at least allow the player to focus on winning rucks and passing the ball to find gaps and space whilst working within the structure of the team.

For me the pod tactics in this game are a big evolution with the 1-3-3-1 and 2-4-2, we've never had this before and it actually feels like you're playing a real rugby game for once. If you use the L1+R1 button together once you have passed to a forward pod from 9/10 you can do a screen pass to the back-line player sitting behind, it makes for some great plays and added realism. I highly suggest utilizing them as much as possible. Check out a youtube channel called Utopisys if you want to see some realistic gameplay.

Further on the attacking side of the game, the set plays are all wrong. They let you use intricate set plays off of rucks but then you can only choose 5 scrum moves with the 8/6/7 without any options for backs, it makes no sense. You rarely see teams trying intricate set plays from rucks in real life anymore, most teams only use quick plays like scissors, dummy switch pass etc. So this could instantly improve the game. I'd like to see some more spontanious running lines from backline players as they currently only run in a straight line and i'd like have to the option to pick and goe with a bunch of forwards instead of just one player.

Defence is ok but I don't get why the player controlled A.I will not make tackles unless you switch to the nearby player and press the tackle button.

The rucks are pretty good if not a little bit too easy. I would like to see more penalties introduced as you only get penalised for jackaling in this game. The system from the 2011 RWC game could be implemented where there was some sort of button mashing meter which at least resulted in some penalties now and again.

Scrums are overly complicated and take way too long. To be fair it's probably the most difficult part of rugby to simulate in a video game. Rugby Challenge's scrums were no better and in Rugby 08 there was no competitive element so props were useless.

Lineouts are very good, I like the fact that you can feint lift. The addition I'd like to see is pre assigned calls/plays brought in and to throw in with the hooker.
Click to expand...


I think Rugby Challenge goes more on the arcade side of things. It's more fun to play, but less a simulation. I think if there was a halfway point between Rugby 20 and Rugby Challenge it would make for a more fun and more exciting game. At this point my biggest gameplay gripe with Rugby 20 is that it just isn't exciting. There isn't really any fun being had and all players feel identical. Rugby Challenge at least players seemed to have a bit of individuality. But I think unless we have a AAA company make a rugby game it might be a long time before we get a game everyone can agree is amazing.
 
Henloc14 said:
The pc version has the RSA,NZ,Eng,Aus,Arg and fiji real kits and logos hidden in the teams_dev folder then you can just replace the fake kits with those files and have the licensed logos

I also found the currie cup and super rugby and world cup real logos in the devs contest folder and under players_dev i found some of the real Springbok players names with face photos

I wonder if we can activate them in game somehow since they are in the games folders
Click to expand...


Done ....... https://drive.google.com/open?id=1iGsqQEUq1ynsiPOBEMp9CBt4wIrUhHoP
 
Been playing rugby games since EA Rugby 2004. In terms of game play, this game is the best ever. Why?

Because it actually plays like a real rugby game. The minigames work very well for simulating the finer points of the sport that previous rugby games have lacked.

As well, the tactical options the game presents are reflective of a real rugby match. Kicking is critically important as is putting players in to space and creating overlaps.

I really credit the developers who seem to actually have an understanding of how rugby is actually played.

What the game has in gameplay though, it lacks in features. The multiplayer system would be far better if there were actual rankings and it could use some additional licensing. Overall though, this is a great game system that should be built on and developed further.

Btw, I've played 4 multiplayer games and had all challengers rage quit after handing it to them so if anyone wants to give it a go without a rage quit, please PM :)
 
Work has been a bit hectic the start of this year, but managed to get a bit of time into this one over the weekend. Posted a review of the game on Steam, but thought I would post it on here as well.

A big improvement for Rugby XX games, but still notable flaws

This really is an on the fence review. If you have an strong interest in rugby, this game is worth giving a try (but it won't be perfect). For those that are semi-interested in rugby, I would likely suggest skipping this.

Whereas previous iterations of Rugby xx games I would score below 50%, this one I would put around 60-65%.

Pros
  • Set plays are some of the best in rugby games. Specifically line-outs and scrums have engaging mini-games that give you the most control we have seen in video games (e.g. feint jump at front, feint jump at back, throw ball to middle and maul).
  • Options and variation in attack. Doing the same thing repetitively doesn't work. Swinging to the wing every phase is going to get the ball caught in mid-field or is going to see the wing smashed by cover defense. There is a need to suck in players to earn the right to go wide. Kicking is also plays an important role, although sometimes the animations feel quite slow.
  • Tactics customisation. It's great to be able to control the speed of your defensive line, what set-plays you want to set up, pod systems and backline depth on the fly

Neutral
  • Licenses. Licensing is decent if you are focused on NH leagues. Unfortunately, as a Southern Hemisphere supporter there is a significant gap in not having any Super Rugby featured or not having any licenses from the top 4 SH teams. Understandably this is a factor of exclusivity agreements and there is only so much devs can do here (however, see cons on customisation)
  • Game modes. The introduction of the my team along with the career mode similarly built to the old Super League of Rugby 08 (All teams thrown into one of two leagues of multiple divisions) is a welcome addition, but still lacks a bit in the engagement and fun side. Epic player packs gets you 5 players and will cost you about 6-9 games worth of currency (all in-game, no microtransactions) so no real issue there. The chemistry system is not explained and doesn't make sense (players with same nationality and from the same league have bad chemistry (A. Goode & R. McConnochie), while some players from different leagues and nationalities have good chemistry (F. de Klerk & C. Canna)). Overall, it feels like it lacks engaging depth that you want from a manager-esque type singleplayer experience.
  • Rugbypass player ratings. It was a really smart idea to leverage the database for players, but the data appears to be a one off pull rather than constantly updated and already seems out of date. Some examples are Faf De Klerk at 75% in game while 88% on RP and Eben Etzebeth having 83% in game and 92% in RP.

Cons
  • Presentation. Players proportions are poor and the lack of any licensed stadiums is disappointing. Poor player likeness for the majority of players
  • In-field gameplay. Passing feels slow and a bit unresponsive to inputs. Wings that get a break can be caught by front row forwards, which makes creating the gap feel unrewarding, especially since supporting runners stay behind the line of chasing defenders so you can't offload to score. Good attempt to implement set-plays, but they feel ineffective as if there is constantly not enough space, even if you maximise your line depth
  • No customisation. A big problem when there are big gaps in licensing. You cannot create players, teams or edit stats. No editing would make sense if stats were updated via RugbyPass, but they aren't. It feels like these features were likely excluded so that players couldn't mess with their my team players, but severely limits interest from SH fans. You can't even name your "My Team" custom team.
  • Lack of alignment to actual rugby laws/ general bugs. Some of my experiences include: knock-ons being ignored by the ref, penalty advantage disappearing after a couple of phases even though you have gone backwards, missing a try conversion and an opponent catching the ball locking the match, forcing you to reset the match as the teams assume the ball is live but no one tackles anyone. Weekly challenges not appearing.
  • Poor tutorials. This just feels like shooting yourself in the foot from a developer perspective. Trainings are incredibly inadequate and a lot of learning how to play well comes with investing hours into playing matches. This is problematic when the first few games feel unrewarding.

Overall I'm glad to see BigBen making progress and significantly improving their rugby offerings so that there is actually competition for Rugby Challenge 4. I do feel like Rugby Challenge 4 will likely end up being the better game, but I believe the gap may be getting smaller.
 
game had an update the other day. Plays a lot better.

Rucks are no longer automatic wins and the AI commits a lot less penalties and offside on kick is no longer such a gamebreaker.

The solo mode is actually quite a bit of fun, building your team and working your way up the ranks is a good change of pace to franchise modes.
 
Patch 1.5 Notes
Highlights
  • Updated rosters of following teams:
    • France
    • Italy
    • Ireland
    • Scotland
    • Wales
  • Changed the look of some players
  • Updated the stats of all players and teams to reflect the current Rugby season
  • Backup mechanism implemented for corrupted save files
Gameplay
  • Holding B to add 2 players into the ruck takes effect faster (0.25s, down from 0.6s)
  • Sprinting when there is no stamina left is faster
  • Tackle distance has been slightly reduced
  • Players now have a "blind spot" behind them from which they cannot tackle
  • User-controlled players in defense are now facing the opponents when running (whenever possible)
  • Simplified the inputs for sidestepping. One "tap" of RS to the left or the right initiate a sidestep. Fending is done by holding RS in the wanted fend direction (360 dodge input for back players is unchanged)
  • Players now reposition faster between phases, causing less defensive gaps after a fast played penalty
  • Slowdown on some free ball pickup animations has been reduced
  • It's been made easier to introduce the ball in scrums and throw the ball in during line-outs
  • Added haptics
  • Added horn sound at end of regulation time, and music at intro / halftime / outro
AI
  • AI always kicks into touch when winning to end the game
  • AI performs more offloads
  • Reduced time for AI to choose an action after rucks
  • AI ruck tuning (slightly easier on Pro difficulty to turn a ruck over)
HUD
  • Added a progress bar for challenges during a match
  • The score panel timer goes red at end of regulation time, and now displays seconds
  • The score panel in Online mode is used to display running advantages
Menu
  • Clearer stamina display in management and training menus
  • The experience and rewards formula has been changed (lowered required XP with faster level-up on low levels, but greater rewards at higher levels)
  • Fixed booster content disappearing after video ends
Network
  • Improved network gaming experience
Bug Fixes
  • Fixed a possible bug where no one caught the ball during a line-out
  • Fixed line-out AI not selecting the right jumper when reacting to a fake or jump
  • Fixed an issue where a tackle near the try line sometimes leading to the player getting up slowly while others waited. Ball is now dropped, leading to faster play.
  • Fixed fast played penalties sometimes causing softlocks
  • Fixed the scrum extractor sometimes not coming to extract the ball
  • Fixed AI players sometimes running straight, even when colliding with an opponent
  • Fixed referee not whistling foul when players offside at breakdown perform a tackle
 
piriweepu said:
Patch 1.5 Notes
Highlights
  • Updated rosters of following teams:
    • France
    • Italy
    • Ireland
    • Scotland
    • Wales
  • Changed the look of some players
  • Updated the stats of all players and teams to reflect the current Rugby season
  • Backup mechanism implemented for corrupted save files
Gameplay
  • Holding B to add 2 players into the ruck takes effect faster (0.25s, down from 0.6s)
  • Sprinting when there is no stamina left is faster
  • Tackle distance has been slightly reduced
  • Players now have a "blind spot" behind them from which they cannot tackle
  • User-controlled players in defense are now facing the opponents when running (whenever possible)
  • Simplified the inputs for sidestepping. One "tap" of RS to the left or the right initiate a sidestep. Fending is done by holding RS in the wanted fend direction (360 dodge input for back players is unchanged)
  • Players now reposition faster between phases, causing less defensive gaps after a fast played penalty
  • Slowdown on some free ball pickup animations has been reduced
  • It's been made easier to introduce the ball in scrums and throw the ball in during line-outs
  • Added haptics
  • Added horn sound at end of regulation time, and music at intro / halftime / outro
AI
  • AI always kicks into touch when winning to end the game
  • AI performs more offloads
  • Reduced time for AI to choose an action after rucks
  • AI ruck tuning (slightly easier on Pro difficulty to turn a ruck over)
HUD
  • Added a progress bar for challenges during a match
  • The score panel timer goes red at end of regulation time, and now displays seconds
  • The score panel in Online mode is used to display running advantages
Menu
  • Clearer stamina display in management and training menus
  • The experience and rewards formula has been changed (lowered required XP with faster level-up on low levels, but greater rewards at higher levels)
  • Fixed booster content disappearing after video ends
Network
  • Improved network gaming experience
Bug Fixes
  • Fixed a possible bug where no one caught the ball during a line-out
  • Fixed line-out AI not selecting the right jumper when reacting to a fake or jump
  • Fixed an issue where a tackle near the try line sometimes leading to the player getting up slowly while others waited. Ball is now dropped, leading to faster play.
  • Fixed fast played penalties sometimes causing softlocks
  • Fixed the scrum extractor sometimes not coming to extract the ball
  • Fixed AI players sometimes running straight, even when colliding with an opponent
  • Fixed referee not whistling foul when players offside at breakdown perform a tackle
Click to expand...
The ratings are still dogshit
 
noah_jo said:
The ratings are still dogshit
Click to expand...

Haven't been home since the update, but it seems like they have just pulled the latest stats from Rugbypass index. Most of this will be okay (and likely more accurate than their own team coming up with ratings), but I don't think all the domestic tournaments are followed as intensely as the internationals.

There have been some unexpected consequences though. For some reason Rugbypass lists Itoje as only a looseforward, so the game has changed him to only a looseforward, even though he has mostly played lock in the past.

Really interested to see if it just a straight adjustment though, and also see how that impacts my "My team" (I have Faf De Klerk in my reserves, but he was previously rated 75, but his RP Index score is 88 for example)
 

Similar threads

Dave
Rugby League Team Manager 4
Replies
2
Views
848
Casfan
C
E
Rugby Challenge 5
Replies
1
Views
5K
nik
N
S
Rugby 22 Database
Replies
1
Views
892
Frans.Hendrik
Frans.Hendrik
B
Rugby 22 Career mode question
Replies
0
Views
894
Brentismaximus
B
S
Rugby 08 roster
Replies
2
Views
555
Pieter1989
Pieter1989

Latest posts

Top