What the hell is "Axis Football?"

[Axis Games]

Hey guys! Danny Jugan here - creator of Axis Football.  Steelgrave suggested that I stop by and say hello, so I thought I would take him up on his offer. 

I'd first like to thank everyone that has supported the game.  I'm sure many of you have no idea what Axis Football is or what our plans are for the future. I'd be happy to type them out here, but Operation Sports just put up an interview they did with me that should cover just about all the questions you guys might have.  Here's a taste:

If this is the first time you've heard about Axis Football – or even if you've been following us for a while, I would like to be very clear about something.  We know the game isn't on the same level as others when it comes to a lot of features.  We know it looks like PS2/Xbox graphics if we're lucky, and we know the animations are rather limited. It offers some brand new, really exciting mechanics, but Axis Football was made with a $450 budget by basically one person.

I'm not saying this to boast. At the end of the day, no one cares how many people worked on it or what it cost to make.  I'm saying that to show how passionate we are, and to hopefully give you an idea of what we could create with a real budget. 

I want very much to be transparent about our intentions and plans with this game.  We will reinvest game sale revenue back into the Axis Football franchise to build upon what we've started.  Trust me when I say that all of the small polish features that are missing bother us just as much as they bother you.  +

We want to fix them; we want to add tons of gameplay features; we want to amp up the graphics and visual effects; we want to allow for complete player, team, and league customization.  Unfortunately, all of those things cost money.  We're selling the game on Steam for $19.99, which is admittedly about $5-10 overpriced.

So why would a developer intentionally overprice a game?  The answer is that I believe in the sim and sports gaming community. I believe that they want better options, and I believe that they're willing to pay a little more to help build something to make that a reality. 

TL;DR – We know this game doesn't look amazing. We're asking you to believe in us and support us by buying Axis Football 2015 so that we can funnel that money back into the game to add the features and polish that you want in a football game.

The complete interview can be found here - http://www.operationsports.com/features/2275/axis-football-2015-interview-a-look-into-the-future-of-the-franchise/

I'd like to welcome all of you to reach out to me directly at any of the contacts below.  I would be more than happy to answer any questions!

-Danny Jugan
danny@AxisGamesOnline.com
@AxisGamesDev
@AxisFootball
fb.com/AxisGames

[Nefaro]

Thanks for stopping by!   O0

Really looking forward to a Franchise Mode being added along with all that entails, including drafting, trades, contract negotiation, etc.  American Football has been lacking in that genre for quite awhile and there still isn't much progress on the handful of old primitive ones.

That said, I may pick up this year's version, after some additions, because I'm curious about it's mouse & keyboard controls and the passing mechanic. 

[Grim.Reaper]

To be honest, I think graphics should be the last thing to worry about....I would much rather have a solid sim that truly models football (full 4 qtrs, fatigue, penalties, injuries, etc), versus state of the art graphics.   Just my two cents though.

[Nefaro]

To be honest, I think graphics should be the last thing to worry about....I would much rather have a solid sim that truly models football (full 4 qtrs, fatigue, penalties, injuries, etc), versus state of the art graphics.   Just my two cents though.

Agreed!

[Steelgrave]

To be honest, I think graphics should be the last thing to worry about....I would much rather have a solid sim that truly models football (full 4 qtrs, fatigue, penalties, injuries, etc), versus state of the art graphics.   Just my two cents though.

Agreed!

Ditto. And I'm glad you stopped by, Danny. Hopefully you will be a regular visitor. We've been starved for a good American football game for years, it's an annual topic here on Grogheads, if not more often.

[Axis Games]

Thanks, guys!  We certainly have a lot of work ahead of us, but we're excited to bring in some features that people have really been asking about.  I'm also thankful for all of the feedback that people have given.  I feel like we have a strong sense of what the community wants for this game and that gives us the ability to really focus our attention on that.

We've got a patch coming out in a day or two that will contain some bug fixes, a few small features, and some additional mod support (player stats).  We've got new player models that are going to allow us to do some better optimization and player customization that should be in during the August update.  We'll also be adding in coach mode and making some rule changes to align better with the NFL.

Thanks again!

The August update that I mentioned will also include coach mode and some changes to the rules making it more sim-like.

[Grim.Reaper]

I'll certainly keep an eye on progress and look forward as it evolves towards a true nfl sim....we desperately need one.

[Grim.Reaper]

Some not so flattering reviews.....hopefully just more motivation for the developers down the road.

http://www.operationsports.com/reviews/800/axis-football-2015/

http://kotaku.com/football-game-that-is-not-madden-appears-suddenly-on-st-1718136473

[Grim.Reaper]

Well, I decided to purchase the game knowing it was not currently the game I want, but thought I would try and support the developer....pretty much has turned out what I thought it would be after reading forums and reviews...a lot of my thoughts are repeats from others.  My intent is not to beat up on the developer, but just to inform potential buyers that this game is a long ways off of being a "true" representation of American football.....I do hope that someday it evolves much closer to real life with the support of the people who bought the game.  If your looking for some light fun, you could get some enjoyment out of it...I'll continue to monitor for improvements.


The Good
It's an attempt at American Football (just not many doing it)
Personally, I think the graphics/animations are "good enough" for right now...would rather the developers focus on every other aspect before touching this part of the game.
Not sure what to think of the controls yet, but will list as a potential good because of the innovation of passing game...although could eventually get into the needs work category

Needs Work (based on the assumption this is eventually trying to be a true American Football simulation)
No coin flip
No play clock
No way to switch direction of the field (I like in Madden how you can choose field direction)
Stats don't always record....had 80+ yard run, showed my RB had an attempt an 0 yards
Lack of game stats (needs to mirror typical newspaper boxscores)
Lack of player stats (couldn't figure out how to see both teams, just my own)
No subs (so I am assuming no fatigue or injuries either)
There is weather...but no details...for example, it will show it raining, but don't see any indication of wind direction and speed (unless not in game)
No instant replay
No hot routes
No motion plays
All snaps happen fast...teams immediately huddle and go to the line of scrimmage...very little time runs off
Only 2 halves of 5 minutes
Odd CPU play calling late in halves....a lot of running plays when better option is passing
No fake punts/FGs (unless I missed them)
Lots of interceptions by both teams
No penalties
No franchise mode (draft, trades, rosters, etc.)
Not realistic OT rules
Not realistic conferences, schedule, and playoffs
No coach only mode
No real seaon stats
Pretty easy to run...don't have to throw many passes
Backward passes behind line scrimmage not completed, doesn't count as a fumble
Time continues to run during extra point and into the next kick-off

[Toonces]

^ I agree with that entire post.  Except, the reason you don't choose your side is because there is no wind, so it's irrelevant.

It's a fun, beer and pretzels, "had a few beers and need to kill some time" game, but not a true football simulation.  I think it's easily worth $10, and worth $20 if you want to support the developer and hope for more.  I have to say the guy is super awesome with the communication and transparency with the community.

But it plays way, way fast.  I am happy with the purchase.  But it is what it is.

[Axis Games]

Great feedback, guys!  We've got a big update planned for mid-August that will add a lot of depth to the game!  Stick with us - we're in this for the long haul!

[Grim.Reaper]

New patch today...nice to see progress...

New Features
•Coach mode is now fully functional. In Coach mode, players will select the plays, but will not need to control the players. We plan to add additonal features for Coach mode in the future once we incorporate additional player attributes like fatigue. Coach mode is available for Quick Matches and can be toggled on/off for seasons under the season home screen.

•Added Coach mode as an option for seasons. You can now toggle between Coach mode and the normal Player mode at any point during any of your seasons. Note that your preference is saved and will automatically default to your previous selection.

•Added a camera view toggle button in Coach mode that the player can use to toggle between a sideline view and the normal player view (from behind the offense).

•Preferences for sound on/off, announcer on/off, and pass aim sensitivity will now be saved.

•Added a new way to cycle through players on defense before the ball is snapped. You can now hold SHIFT and click or press X on the controller to cycle from the defensive line to linebackers and to defensive backs.

•Season mode now tracks several team-based stats for the duration of the season. You can view and sort the stats from the season home screen. We plan to expanded stats to individual players in the future.

•You can now fully mod both the home and away uniforms for every team! As with all modding, open the Mods folder in the root directory of the game's folder. There you will find a folder named Uniforms. Open that folder and read the README.txt file for instructions. You will need some sort of graphics editor program like Photoshop or Fireworks.

•We have implemented brand new player models. These models have higher texture resolution, higher poly count, and support normal maps (height/depth) for better visuals. Please note that these models are still a work in progress. While they look good and are 100% functional, the The artist we've hired to create them is making some small adjustments and will be finished in the next few days. We didn't want to delay the update for these insignificant changes, but are aware that there are some small imperfections that most will not notice.


Improvements
•Increased the visibility of the passing circle.

•Improved player AI on kickoffs. The kicking team will stay in their lanes better, and the return team will select more intelligent blocks. This helps prevent players from clustering or bunching together.

•Improved the AI's offensive play selection when losing or when the game is close to being over.

•Improved the AI's ability to select holes on running plays. You should see less of the runner colliding with their own players or running into blocked players.

•AI quarterbacks will now intelligently scramble in situations where no receivers are open.

•Improved AI quarterback throwing accuracy when attempting to lead receivers.

•Increase the anisotropic level of the field giving it a better resolution when viewed at low angles.

•Improved the logic for simulation games.


Bug Fixes
•Removed the bug that was sometimes causing players to run around a spot on the field in circles.

•Xbox controllers should now work with all Mac operating systems.

•Fixed the bug that was sometimes causing the player's text to flicker on the screen.

•Fixed the issue where calling timeout right before the ball was snapped would cause a lot of unexpected things to happen.

•The announcer will no longer say that a two-point conversion has failed when the player gets tackled but his forward progress carries him into the endzone.

•Fixed the bug where if you selected a run play, then audibled to another run play, the runner was unable to pick up the ball.

•The AI should now properly kick an onside kick when they're in an onside kick formation. Previously, they would line up for an onside kick, then kick it all the way down the field.

•Fixed the bug where the announcer would say there was a safety eventhough the runner's forward progress carried them out of the endzone.

•The crowd will no longer cheer if the sound has been turned off.

•Fixed the scheduling bug in season mode simulation where Dallas was playing an extra game and Denver was playing one less game. Note that this fix will only affect new seasons, not seasons that are already underway.

•Fixed the playoff seeding. Teams will now be placed into a playoff in such a way that teams with higher regular season ranks will be awarded home field advantage.

•The clock should now stop at appropriate times.

[BanzaiCat]

Sounds like they're impressively headed in the right direction. I'm still going to hold off until I hear from youse guys that own it, how much better the game is now.

[Grim.Reaper]

I played a little last night and the graphics are still not that great and didn't notice much different, but really didn't spend much time.

Have to admit I got Madden 16 for my xbox last night and it actually plays very well so far...although I would like to see this game succeed, just not sure it can ever get close to the Madden experience.  I just wish EA would release a PC version, too bad.

[Nefaro]

I played a little last night and the graphics are still not that great and didn't notice much different, but really didn't spend much time.

Have to admit I got Madden 16 for my xbox last night and it actually plays very well so far...although I would like to see this game succeed, just not sure it can ever get close to the Madden experience.  I just wish EA would release a PC version, too bad.

It doesn't need to be Madden if they add a bunch of GM career sim features.  ;)