Ashes Cricket General Discussion

When you do it on cutters and put it at 11pm (or whatever time you'd say that picture is for a leg cutter), the same on the other side of 12pm for off cutters it gives you a loopy shorter delivery. The same distance away from 6pm, same side of the circle, a fuller zippier delivery. I have no idea if this is intentional but it seems to be kryptonite to the AI batsman.

If I hadn't bowled 10 no balls with South Africa - a product of them having Steyn and Rabada who bowl with an action I find difficult to time and kept knocking me out of sync, I'd have bowled them out - had at least 1 wicket not given off a no ball. Not shown in that image the match-winning 4 from 29 balls from Imad Wasim who, by virtue of not getting out, meant I ran out of Morkel overs. For the last ten overs I had three slips and I think they took about ten overs to get the last 15 runs.

I'd love to say it was exciting but I kind of predicted it. This is what has left me a bit disenchanted with the game over the past few days. I don't know if I'm getting good competitive matches because of anything I'm doing or if the AI does it intentionally.

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Sorry but I'm getting confused here...I understand the 11am 1pm thing just but 6pm..?..is it all with good length delivery or various (full/yorker)..?
 
Sorry but I'm getting confused here...I understand the 11am 1pm thing just but 6pm..?..is it all with good length delivery or various (full/yorker)..?
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/221333454 Here's a video, was waiting for another game to download and thought I'd have a quick ODI. Remarkably it ended in a 9 wicket win.

Good length seem to be best. But you get the variation with all lengths.
 
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/221333454 Here's a video, was waiting for another game to download and thought I'd have a quick ODI. Remarkably it ended in a 9 wicket win.

Good length seem to be best. But you get the variation with all lengths.

Have you tried a match where you just bowl regular cutters/swingers/stock deliveries? Any chance you could be "tricking" the AI by changing the length using the seam angle?
 
Have you tried a match where you just bowl regular cutters/swingers/stock deliveries? Any chance you could be "tricking" the AI by changing the length using the seam angle?
My general experience was always 3-4 wickets in a powerplay. Can't say that I've never bowled those just as a variation, it was only last week or so that I realised the length change. The last two games where I bowled the AI out for 44 and 42 on Pro and 55 on Legend were pretty much the only time I've used them almost exclusively. If the AI is that easily tricked by the controls available to the user it probably needs improving.
 
My general experience was always 3-4 wickets in a powerplay. Can't say that I've never bowled those just as a variation, it was only last week or so that I realised the length change. The last two games where I bowled the AI out for 44 and 42 on Pro and 55 on Legend were pretty much the only time I've used them almost exclusively. If the AI is that easily tricked by the controls available to the user it probably needs improving.

I'm not saying it doesn't need improving. Still just trying to figure out why they are so hopeless against you and not me. :lol
 
My general experience was always 3-4 wickets in a powerplay. Can't say that I've never bowled those just as a variation, it was only last week or so that I realised the length change. The last two games where I bowled the AI out for 44 and 42 on Pro and 55 on Legend were pretty much the only time I've used them almost exclusively. If the AI is that easily tricked by the controls available to the user it probably needs improving.

The underlying problem is the game is arcadey and targeted towards casual gamers. AI was never much of a challenge in any of the DBC series or Ashes Cricket once you got hang of the controls and spent a few hours on the game. DBC 14 was better in that respect as batting in "Legend" difficulty wasn't easy which kept the matches close.
 
This balancer thing is definitely there and was in all 3 games. the only progress is at least in dbc17 and ashes if you blow away the top order, they will be out cheaply rather than 9/10/11 all getting 50s to drag them to a "competitive" score.

For some reason BA feel anything not going our way won't be fun. this is honestly the reason they removed the AI reviewing - it won't be fun if you need a wicket and get it overturned. crazy.

I saw the AI ask for a review once. Last wicket of the innings in a test for a nailed on LBW...Yeah, just once though...
 
@BigAntStudios is it possible to bring back in next patch or update, the user involvement while taking outfield catches with semi-auto field settings like previous iterations. In my case (i.e. fielding team) every deep/outfield catches done by AI irrespective of my any key input.

Thanks in advance.
 
I'm not saying it doesn't need improving. Still just trying to figure out why they are so hopeless against you and not me. :lol
Maybe I've just got the mad leet skillz. It could be the fields I use, getting the right balls, the fact I use the run ups for timing and not the bowling hud or maybe even that I've still got good old Sally as the default stadium announcer. [HASHTAG]#TeamSally[/HASHTAG]
The underlying problem is the game is arcadey and targeted towards casual gamers. AI was never much of a challenge in any of the DBC series or Ashes Cricket once you got hang of the controls and spent a few hours on the game. DBC 14 was better in that respect as batting in "Legend" difficulty wasn't easy which kept the matches close.

Started this as a quick response and then it turned into an essay. You can thank my insomnia and depression. :p

I completely agree that it doesn't feel like a challenge. I read a review someone posted for AO Tennis and it had the line: 'Overall I didn't feel like the points, won or lost, were because of my own actions.' Substitute points for wickets and that's how I feel about Ashes and probably DBC 17. People might disagree, or might be able to switch their brain off and ignore it and not see an issue. Maybe I'm just too stubborn to do that. I can't think of a game I've played, when it's human v computer/AI, that has left me thinking anything other than the AI is trying to win. Even if it's a low difficulty and not trying to win too much and that only my lack of skill or incompetence would result in a defeat. On Ashes, it feels the purpose of the AI is to entertain you and will do what's needed to make it happen. Even if that means getting out for 42 on the middle difficulty level when it only needs 45 to win. All games will have a level of artifice and requires some suspension of disbelief from the player - maybe cricket, because it's so unique and weird needs more than most sports games - but if it's implemented poorly the illusion falls apart.

Given that I've bowled the AI out on Legend and Hard Bowling for 55 I feel like where do I go from there? Hardest bowling? I had no problems with that before, and only dropped down because I'd committed to playing using the run ups for timing. Maybe I've found magic deliveries, put there intentionally but they never expected someone to think 'this is working I'll try some more of that.' More likely, it is something that has slipped through the net during testing and can be fixed. But that match I shared will be my last until a patch comes out. Even then I don't know if I'd be able to completely overlook some of the flaws the game has.

The only way I can currently conceive of getting a game that doesn't feel contrived is by batting every innings. That has it's own problems. A lot of people say that batting is too easy, I don't agree, my view is the AI bowling is too predictable, unrealistic and lacking any character whatsoever. It seems to serve up a mixed bag until you make a mistake. The only time I've felt under pressure is when there is a good field set. But that seems purely a result of chance than design. Even with the academy, if you wanted to get a bowler bowling like James Anderson I don't think you could. You could find the right settings for bowling speed and the level of swing he gets but in game you'd just get bowling pattern A,B or C. The mentalities change things but not to the point where it's seems to be doing anything other than throwing down deliveries of slightly different speeds to give you an average speed way below what is possible for human players and a mix of lengths just to keep you on your toes.

I don't derive any pleasure from dumping criticism on Big Ant or giving them unconditional praise. There's only so much they can do and I wouldn't question their passion, commitment or ability. But I've spent enough money on their games to justify some criticism. I look at AO Tennis and that seems like an early access game being passed off as the finished product with some story about the global release coming later to cover up the fact. If Ashes didn't have DBC17 as a starting point I doubt it'd have been any different. It's probably not an easy thing to do when licenses are involved but both seem like they would have benefited from having the 'official' release being the 2019 events and having an extended period of early access to get them right. I'm sure there's enough people on here that would jump at the chance to be involved even if it meant parting with your money for a yet to be finished game (which kind of feels like what has happened anyway). There would also have been a five or six month gap between the events which would probably have made the process a lot easier.

If there was never going to be another Don Bradman game, maybe a Big Ant Cricket would have been better this time. With the resources and time spent making the licensed content look as good as it does better used getting the game play up to a standard that when a licensed Ashes game was announced more people would've been excited instead of skeptical which seemed to be the case.
 
my view is the AI bowling is too predictable, unrealistic and lacking any character whatsoever

agree to this 1000x. yes there is a lack of edges for sure wrt pitch conditions and newball to pacers, but the bowling by AI in tests is utter trite. if they bowl like this in real life they will go wicketless for sure.

shortpitch, wide off stump or down the lgeside.

juicy half volley on 8-9th stump or on the pads. these constitute ~60% of deliveries in general in tests by ai.

somewhere in between there are some deliveries on goodlength but their line will very very rarely be in the corridor.

on top of this add the cutters which the ai deem to use a lot even with new ball at times. lack of pitch characteristics.

there is zero plan or discipline required for tests.

The unfortunate part is the game has it in it to produce fantastic stuff in the corridor its just not at all being used as much as it should be done.
 
agree to this 1000x. yes there is a lack of edges for sure wrt pitch conditions and newball to pacers, but the bowling by AI in tests is utter trite. if they bowl like this in real life they will go wicketless for sure.

shortpitch, wide off stump or down the lgeside.

juicy half volley on 8-9th stump or on the pads. these constitute ~60% of deliveries in general in tests by ai.

somewhere in between there are some deliveries on goodlength but their line will very very rarely be in the corridor.

on top of this add the cutters which the ai deem to use a lot even with new ball at times. lack of pitch characteristics.

there is zero plan or discipline required for tests.

The unfortunate part is the game has it in it to produce fantastic stuff in the corridor its just not at all being used as much as it should be done.

Thats the worst of all IMO main reason being, use of swing with the new ball is the first foremost thing bowlers try to gain as well as seam from the pitch..

Thats the case with spinners every bowler can bowl the ball turning square with doosra compared to their base delivery which has always been the case with BA games..The need to make them bowl the line and vary the spin should be essential part which isnt there...You can get puzzled with pace because of response but with spin you just can own them in this game..
 
You can get puzzled with pace because of response but with spin you just can own them in this game..

were as in online spin is way tough to play, wihtout including the slow half tracker technique cause it has a lot of range of variation and you can genuinely outthink batsman with good variations. which are not being used by AI.

Not some crazy plans simple stuff like pitching on leg and turning it to off or middle, having the good-length topinner aimed at the ff stump bail etc. Instead i get full 8th outside off sitting there to be pummeled deliveries or into the pads. on the leg. subtle variations and play in the goodlength corridor area.
 
were as in online spin is way tough to play, wihtout including the slow half tracker technique cause it has a lot of range of variation and you can genuinely outthink batsman with good variations. which are not being used by AI.

Not some crazy plans simple stuff like pitching on leg and turning it to off or middle, having the good-length topinner aimed at the ff stump bail etc. Instead i get full 8th outside off sitting there to be pummeled deliveries or into the pads. on the leg.
Right need to get everything back to basics and execute them well in the gameplay...
 
Well I'm loving the game. Had a great run out last night, odi, first over, Finch and Warner (AI) trying to pinch a quick single (Aus chasing 260 odd), picked up on the run by Morgan at point, one stump to aim at, Warner out by a yard. Looked very realistic, albeit on fully assisted fielding.
I'm also getting edges, both human and AI. The biggest gripe for me is AI field placings, especially in odis.
But then again I am admittedly a casual gamer due to time constraints, so maybe I'm just enjoying the game for what it is when I do get the chance to play.
 
Found this video, hope it helps :thumbs

It did, thank you. I would have probably figured it out eventually but this sorted it in minutes.

And Llewelynf - wow! the updates are incredible! I cannot begin to imagine how many hours that must have taken!

Another question (I won't say final question lol) How do I make sure I am running the latest patch? Will it have downloaded automatically when I first started the game or do I have to do so manually?
 

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