Here's a follow-up patch to our last Kickoff Update that fixes some reported bugs, some new features, and gameplay issues we wanted to get tightened up on the field!
Details
Fixed crash that happens when entering Retirement during off-season.
Fixed Franchise min/max ranges to keep the original ranges from the roster used when first starting franchise. Existing franchises will start tracking min/max ranges using latest franchise save, but new franchises will use the initial roster used when starting franchise. So it's encouraged to restart any franchises after this update.
Fixed issue where franchise milestones would carry over from game to game when quitting a game early and restarting the game.
Franchise files now sort by date saved when viewing franchise files in Franchise > Load screen.
Fixed issue where punt return would not work when playing two player game and selecting regular defense on a punt.
Fixed issue where score ticker would remain on the screen during a two player game after the coin toss kickoff play selection occurs.
Fixed issue where fumble would get recovered by defense in end zone and fumbling team would get safety when should have been a touchback.
Fixed issue where defensive team recovering football would not get credit for touchdown return.
Fixed issue where a fumble could occur after a touchdown was already called and cause a freeze or miscalculated touchdown call for the opposing team.
Fixed issue where fumbles or interceptions in endzone would count as safeties vs touchbacks when fumble recover never leaves own endzone.
Player soft traits added to Free Agency Screen footer.
Attempt to fix double tackles where ball carriers get tackled twice and can sometimes cause a fumble.
Fixed injury text "tendonitis" was spelt incorrectly as "tendinitis".
Fixed Jacksonville Storm double logo endzone alignment issue.
Renamed Fumble Recovery Yards "FRY" to "YDS" and Fumble Recovery Touchdowns "FRT" to "TD" in player stats to be easier to read.
Replay system has new "FPS" setting that changes to record every 3 frames vs every single frame to improve performance for those struggling to keep replays on during games.
Attempt to fix issue where player gets stuck in block animation with nobody to block.
Improved blocking AI to avoid turning around and blocking behind them during a run.
Fixed issue where tackle stats were not occurring on tackles that caused a fumble.
Fixed old salamanders logo offset issue.
Attempt to fix QB getting stuck while in blocking state.
Attempt to fix blockers rotating around in circles when chasing defender.
Fixed a few plays that were duplicates or needed tweaking.
Fixed kick return blocker script to avoid blocker standing still.
Blockers should no longer stand still with nothing to do.
Fixed issue where fumble that goes out of bounds would not correctly calculate new line of scrimmage.
Fixed issue where receiver icons would not display correctly when choosing an audible before team lines up to line of scrimmage.
Player editor age and yrs experience max values increased to have even older players.
Updated roster.
Fixed memory leak issue during matches.
Fixed play call crash when on offense and ASK COACH button pressed.
Fixed issue where you call a CLOCK play during PAT and game soft locks.
New "Auto Depth Charts" menu added to Team menu to auto sort all team depth charts in one fail swoop.
Clean install now shows Day Time as Random vs Day.
Fixed issue where ball measurement would cause previous play's field stats to appear after the following play.
If you experience any bugs or issues please report them here or more preferably in our Discord where you can chat with the community, report bugs, or give feedback on the game.
As always, if you've enjoyed the game so far and like what you're seeing out of the game it would be great if you can leave a review on Steam!
In preparation for our console releases, we wanted to do one final pass on the game to make it the ultimate experience for our fans! This patch is MASSIVE and spans from areas that were lacking that final polish to quality of life features to just fixing bugs and issues. This is a monster patch!
⚠️ The first time you install this update, it will backup your roster (can be loaded from the ROSTER DATA menu screen!) and preserve your settings (savedata.ini), Franchise, and Tournament files. Outside of those files, the rest will be DELETED in order to properly install the update. So be sure to BACK UP if you've modded the game and want to save your files first.
We've worked hard to improve gameplay on every level possible. AI has been heavily improved to call smarter plays, manage the clock better, know when to hold the ball or go for it on 4th down and end of half or game situations. Ball carrier running AI has also been drastically improved for more authentic running lane decision making to follow holes and nearby blockers more closely, all while avoiding tacklers.
The main default roster has been rebuilt from the ground up with better player ratings, names, logos, and more. Speaking of logos, we've added more for you to dress up your custom rosters as you wish. Colors have been increased as well to give you even more options. We've also updated the player names database with a massive library of new and creative names. Also, the playbook has been beefed up with a ton of new plays added, so get your coaching hats on and put a sick game plan together!
Franchise has also gotten some love with improved screens that show player soft traits (greed, loyalty, leadership, etc.) to give you as much information needed to make those roster decisions and improve your squad. Draft rookies now take on the min/max ranges of your roster so your custom roster player ratings will hold form across your Franchise dynasty. Team run/pass ratios are now updated as part of the off-season to keep teams true to their rosters.
There's so much to share for this update and we're super excited to get this into your hands! Be sure to read the LONG list of new features and fixes below to get the full details of this update!
Enjoy!
GENERAL
BRAND NEW Rosters with new creative names, hall of fame type players, team rankings reshuffled, improved roster archetypes, and much much more!
"Legends" added to replace top players at respective positions.
Offensive linemen speed upped to 40-60 depending on team build - passing teams 40-50, balanced 45-55, running 50-60.
FB and HB speed floored at 70. Any default players under assigned a 70-72 rating.
TE's under 95 strength given a +2 strength boost.
TE's on running teams given a +3 strength boost.
2nd and 3rd string QBs were redrafted to give teams with weaker QBs a shot at a higher skilled starter.
Top end player speed adjusted to close the league overall speed gap.
Run percentages set to more accurately reflect strengths/weaknesses of default team build.
Swapped Philly's roster with Buffalo and Los Angeles with Chicago.
Renamed players with expanded list of first and last names, including names with apostrophes.
Player hat colors all redone to closely match team uniform colors.
Updated conference and division logos excluding conference logos as part of above change.
NEW team logos added and updated Eagles and Miners with NEW alt so overrode there base logo sets and copied them as NEW custom logos.
NEW endzone field texture added to match field texture, replacing the previous solid color.
Auto depth chart improved to set PR and KR dynamically based on speed and skill.
More color options now available used when creating team jerseys.
Current roster player ratings now used to get min/max when game creates NEW players for rebuild rosters, draft class, and practice squaddies who replace retired players.
Playbook size increased to over 750 plays.
Over 40,000 unique first and last names added to database. Common names are now more likely to be used for more realistic player names. Player names capped at 20 chars total.
Apostrophes, ampersands, dollar signs, etc. are now used in the game when they wouldn't show on certain screens, so get your names up to snuff!
Last name suffixes can now be included as part of player names when generating players.
Time of possession added to stats export file.
Team Run Ratio % adjusts when shuffling and rebuilding rosters from Team menu.
GAMEPLAY
Ball carrier running AI improved to fix issue where they would choose side line paths versus running through holes or upfield.
AI clock management heavily improved to call timeouts when appropriate, kneel, spike, run out the clock, and run certain plays based on quarter, score, and time left on clock.
Offensive playcalling AI logic improved for better pass/run situational coaching.
Defensive playcalling AI logic now utilizes offensive personnel when choosing what formation to call which heavily improves matchups.
Short yardage defensive playcalling AI changed to only show up on more goaline type situations to avoid big play exploits.
QB AI no longer kneels when near own touchdown, thus avoiding a safety.
Smarter late game offensive play calling to not run unless short yardage.
Team no longer punts the ball before halftime when they can run the clock out to avoid a punt return.
Improved two point conversion AI play calling based on when leading or trailing in the 4th quarter.
Field goal playcalling now factors in kicker strength and skill, along with wind to determine when AI chooses to go for a field goal.
Punt defender AI updated to spread defenders out for better punt coverage.
More skilled punters try to kick the ball to the sideline more often in hopes of getting a coffin corner kick.
Teams now spike ball to save time even when timeouts left.
Teams no longer run the ball on 4th and 15 conversions, 4th and long, 3rd and long situations.
Teams no longer decide to go for 4th down in weird situations.
ASK COACH play call menu now select two plays based on the situation and personnel (if on defense other team has chosen play) and two random plays to give you better play calling help during games.
Quarterbacks run to avoid pressure chance increased to allow for more runs and potential sacks.
Catching slightly bumped up to decrease the amount of dropped passes.
Sacks where the QB fumbles now count as a sack.
Touchdowns now count as a 1st down team stat.
Kick and punt return stats no longer get nerfed by touchbacks.
Balls that hit field goal posts now display a "Doink" popup.
NEW "Rattled" popup shows when receiver drops the ball due to close defenders pressuring player.
NEW "Duck" popup to illustrate when QB is under pressure when throwing a bad pass.
Fixed cosmetic issue where safety would not register during score banner popup sequence.
Formations with a "NOSE TACKLE" position (3-4, DOLLAR, QUARTER) now grab top SKILL DT, instead of just using RDT.
Punter stat issue fixed where it would show 2 punts or 2 touch backs when only 1 punt happened.
Swapped LT and RT buttons so strafe and grab swapped.
Fixed tutorial issues and NEW buttons for swap LT RT.
Attempt to fix ball deflect SFX repeating constantly on deflections.
Added logic to try and fix issue where returner runs out of bounds at goaline.
Attempt to fix issue where player gets stuck in block animation with nobody to block.
Quarterbacks no longer balloon ball in the air when throwing away to the sideline.
Championship game endzone logo colors now match home and away team endzones, instead of just being home team's color.
Fixed issue where controlled player was unable to strafe prior to snap.
Attempt to fix issue where ball deflection sound effect would occur repeatedly over a short time period.
Added code to limit the super crazy fast ball deflections that vibrate on players.
Players try to do swat animation only once now per throw.
Fixed PA audio cue says pass incomplete upon the defense making an interception
Fixed QB throwing too fast on screen plays, thus causing pass to be incomplete.
Defensive popup messages now disappear when PASS COMPLETE message appears to avoid confusion on whether the receiver caught the ball or not.
Removed interceptions (unless tipped ball drill) within 1.5 yards of line of scrimmage and between line left and right sides, so basically on the line.
QB throws away to closer sideline when throwing ball away with LT.
Attempt to fix issue where gamepad vibrates after a play is dead.
Fixed graphical issue where field goal holder ball sprite was showing incorrect football type.
Player max speeds were getting significantly tanked when players had speeds of 74 or less. This has been fixed to allow for more control over how you rate SPD in the game.
Fixed Home team turns it over on downs (crowd cheers when they should boo).
Fixed 3rd horn doesn't stop immediately once the ball is snapped and will continue on thru the play and into the next until the clip is done.
Fixed player sprite incorrect image issue I noticed on stiff arm and juke moves.
Gamepad rumble lasting too long after play issue fixed.
Gamepad Right stick moves added in for ball carrier and defender.
Ball Carrier
UP = Truck
PRESS = Hurdle
DOWN = Dive
LEFT/RIGHT = Juke
Defender
UP = Jump
PRESS = Truck
Down = Dive Tackle
FRANCHISE
NEW player soft traits added to Player wire, Free Agency, and Draft popups.
Fixed issue where highlighted players showing incorrect names during Free Agency, Player Wire, and Draft popups.
NEW option added to forfeit a draft pick when no better player is on the board and you wish to skip that round.
Draft grid total rows per page decreased by one row so ticker doesn't cover up last row.
Injuries no longer get erased when playing or watching a game during the playoffs.
Fixed MVP rushing and punting stat issues when looking at Hall of Fame screen.
Increased chance of more than 2 week injury from 5% to 7%.
Fixed team record issue on franchise ticker when you flip to a NEW season.
Team Run Ratio % now adjusts before the start of the next season based on QB, WR, TE strength vs HB, FB, OLINE strengths.
During off-season, players get get dyed hair chance when personality trait greater than 95 and 2% chance.
Fixed issue where new players created during retirement and draft would not show correct player model colors immediately and would require a reload of the franchise file in order to see it.
USER INTERFACE
Player rating bars range from 50 - 99 now to illustrate finer player ratings since most players are rated 50+.
Roster sheet snapshot added to team select, NEW tournament, and NEW franchise screens.
Player Editor now has overall, mobile qb, rookie, and star icons so you can easily see how editing a player's skills affects his abilities.
Game stats UI move up a hair to center to the screen better.
SETTINGS
NEW "League Settings" menu under the "Team" menu allows you to edit league, championship game, conference, and division labels all from within the game.
NEW "FPS 100%" setting to show a crowded stadium with static fans to help improve performance on lower end machines.
NEW "Show Plays" setting added to the GRAPHICS section to show offensive and defensive play calls during a game.
Window resolution setting no longer gets stuck at 1600 x 900 after restarting the game.
Updated controller help file screen to show NEW LT RT swapped button layout.
MISC & BUG FIXES
Fixed MAJOR memory leak issue related to play calling during a game.
Fixed various messages on newspaper and field stats that we're either too long or had incorrect team/player names.
Fixed issue where team kneels on 4th down causing a turnover.
Fixed safety issue where returning team get 2 points instead of kicking team.
STEAM RELATED
Steam Cloud added to sync everything inside of your "legend-bowl/data/" directory. This may interfere with modding outside of the game, so keep an eye out.
Steam Deck fixes.
If you experience any bugs or issues please report them here or more preferably in our Discord where you can chat with the community, report bugs, or give feedback on the game.
As always, if you've enjoyed the game so far and like what you're seeing out of the game it would be great if you can leave a review on Steam!
Here's a minor update to clean up a couple of items in the game. Enjoy!
Controlling all teams during a franchise now allows you to update all team depth charts and edit players across the league.
Fixed issue where breast cancer awareness league jersey badge would remain visible when exiting franchise mode.
Fixed play issue where "Cover 2 Show" play was designated as a "Man Coverage" play type, instead of a "Zone Coverage" play type.
Updated patch notes link.
If you experience any bugs or issues please report them here or more preferably in our Discord where you can chat with the community, report bugs, or give feedback on the game.
As always, if you've enjoyed the game so far and like what you're seeing out of the game it would be great if you can leave a review on Steam!
While play testing, we finally stumbled upon a freeze soft crash bug that we've been monitoring recently. Good news! It's not fixed, alongside some other fixes to firm up the game even further!
Fixed bug where game would get stuck in infinite loop causing a freeze crash that occurs after quitting a game during franchise mode.
Fixed issue where team logo shows legend bowl league logo instead of your team's logo during career mode.
Fixed play issue where TE was not designated as a receiver.
Fixed issue where quarterback is rotated at an angle during pre-snap.
Updated patch notes link.
If you experience any bugs or issues please report them here or more preferably in our Discord where you can chat with the community, report bugs, or give feedback on the game.
As always, if you've enjoyed the game so far and like what you're seeing out of the game it would be great if you can leave a review on Steam!
Fixed issue when making edits to a player during franchise mode, locked ratings would save which would double up the morale and injury boost levels to other ratings like skill.
Free agents with expired contracts who don't get chosen in free agency event now receive 2 - 4 years in new contract where before it was hardcoded at 2 or 4 years instead of a range.
Fixed player wire message that showed salary increase vs salary token.
Lock scroll speed modifier button added to newspaper to "lock-in" scroll speed when manually scrolling through the newspaper for easier reading.
Defensive play call screen now ignores timer during Full Scrimmage practice mode to allow more time to choose plays.
Patch notes link updated.
If you experience any bugs or issues please report them here or more preferably in our Discord where you can chat with the community, report bugs, or give feedback on the game.
As always, if you've enjoyed the game so far and like what you're seeing out of the game it would be great if you can leave a review on Steam!
We've been play testing the game a bunch lately and noted a bunch of items we wanted to address to fix some issues and polish the game even further. The game is playing nicely and these changes just bump it up to an even higher level!
We hope you enjoy these updates as much as we do! Now let's go out and play some football!
Attempt to fix issue where players don't line up correctly or just stop during the huddle break to line sequence.
Attempt to fix issue where game gets stuck during a kickoff sequence.
Attempt to fix issue where hitting a player immediately after a catch can result in said player simply becoming disabled while staying on his feet.
Ball bouncing and deflection sound effects updated to remove any harsh sounds.
Sacks should stop the ball from being thrown now.
Fixed issue where free agency teams would get skipped over.
Fumble frequency bumped down slightly for AI ball carriers.
Fixed issue where user would be set to control bench player.
Injury related auto depth chart logic updated to only "resort" that position's depth charts.
Fixed issue where injury auto depth charts were not correctly being sorted pre game and for returners during a match.
Fixed issue where random weather wouldn't change in between matches.
Fan Density setting expanded to include more options to fine tune the number of fans you see during a match.
Fixes issue where fan density would not remove the correct amount fans based on the fan density setting in the north section of the field.
Fixed UI issue where percentage signs were not displaying for percentage based setting options.
Kicking meter now get destroyed after calling timeouts.
Fixed bug where game would crash when viewing the player card for a star player during a match.
Fixed player stat message text color issue.
Player ratings across depth chart, player stats, and player card reworked both inside and outside of matches to show more accurate data.
Removed INJ column from player card, so it only shows raw player ratings without any changes due to morale or injury values.
Blocking animations no longer show jersey numbers when facing east or west.
Gamepad rumble extending after play dead should no longer happen.
Stars now set to player overall of 95 or greater GOLD, 90 or greater SILVER, and 85 or greater BRONZE.
Steam Deck compatibility fixes.
Patch notes link updated.
If you experience any bugs or issues please report them here or more preferably in our Discord where you can chat with the community, report bugs, or give feedback on the game.
As always, if you've enjoyed the game so far and like what you're seeing out of the game it would be great if you can leave a review on Steam!
We've released a super minor patch to fix a couple of items from player feedback. This is a follow-up to yesterday's release. Enjoy!
Fixed draft ticker border color issue.
Fixed issue where some settings would not get set to their correct default values.
Injury frequency bumped down a small amount.
Updated code to work with both steam and drm free builds.
If you experience any bugs or issues please report them here or more preferably in our Discord where you can chat with the community, report bugs, or give feedback on the game.
As always, if you've enjoyed the game so far and like what you're seeing out of the game it would be great if you can leave a review on Steam!
We've release a super minor patch to fix a couple of items from player feedback. This is a follow-up to yesterday's release. Enjoy!
When huddle skip is turned off, players no longer run to bench after play and instead wait for the play to be called to choose where to move.
Fixed "jersey" typo.
If you experience any bugs or issues please report them here or more preferably in our Discord where you can chat with the community, report bugs, or give feedback on the game.
As always, if you've enjoyed the game so far and like what you're seeing out of the game it would be great if you can leave a review on Steam!
Here's a new follow-up patch to our previously released Franchise Update.
The major item you'll want to pay attention to here is the addition of a new trade confirmation pop-up, which allows you to control if you want to accept player offers and which players you wish to send in exchange.
We've also expanded and renamed (Rookie, Semi Pro, Pro, Veteran, Superstar, Legend) the difficulty levels to give players who are searching for that perfect AI difficulty experience more options.
Enjoy!
Details
Player wires and Free agency trades now allow the ability to select which player you wish to trade or even decline the offer for more control over your team.
AI won't choose kneel play if time left on clock is greater than time it takes to run remaining plays.
Number of difficulty settings increased to provide more control when setting difficulty level for AI and Kicking.
Brickyard stadium was changed to a dome.
Copperheads roster updated to only have 3 total captains.
Gamepad layout screens updated to show new "Secure Ball" charge changes.
Fully charged ball carrier's secure ball and reduce chance of fumbling. The longer you hold the charge, the better chance of securing ball.
Charging while carrying ball no longer increases chance to pull off moves.
Quarterback fumble rate increased to balance out abusive running with speedy quarterbacks.
Bumped up injuries and reduced chance for major injuries.
Holding right button bumper while changing team colors increases increment change by 10 to quickly speed through color choices.
Shoulder charge and spin ball carrier move success rates increased.
Captains now come onto field without helmets during coin toss phase.
If a team has no captains, then game will bring one player out for the coin toss so it's not a ghost event!
Ask coach no longer shows clock plays during extra point situations.
Roster sheet legend now shows injury and rookie text together, instead of one or the other.
Team record and draft tickers logo updated to fit inside ticker better.
New "damaged" facility sound effect added when pop-up appears.
Removed duplicate back menu sound when leaving playoff tree.
Player star icon added to all roster screens that show player information.
Houston Roughriders logo location fixed as it was off center.
Fixed issue where selecting to defend with or against the wind was not working correctly.
Fixed issue where defend with or against wind text would show in domes when there's no wind.
Fixed issue where "SACKED" banner appears even though sack doesn't occur.
Fixed issue where quarterback would still throw ball after a sack occurs.
Fixed playoff picture not showing a team when all teams in division have yet to win a game.
Fixed Kicker of the Year stat issue not showing correct stats.
Fixed logo alignment issue for career standings and playoff picture screens.
Fixed issue where stat ticker wouldn't appear after playing a game and exiting to schedule menu.
Fixed issue where team would make playoffs, but newspaper would show they missed playoffs.
Attempt to fix minor issue where gamepad vibrates for long after play ends.
Fixed issue where "SACKED" banner appears even though sack doesn't occur.
Fixed issue where field stats show offensive touchdown message when turnover occurs and defense scored the touchdown.
Fixed issue where audible UI showing after two minute warning or timeout called.
Fixed issue where field stats show empty player data due to inactive player.
Attempt to fix issue where punt returner does not show ball carrier animation.
If you experience any bugs or issues please report them here or more preferably in our Discord where you can chat with the community, report bugs, or give feedback on the game.
As always, if you've enjoyed the game so far and like what you're seeing out of the game it would be great if you can leave a review on Steam!
We've released some new updates and fixes from the previous Franchise Update release. Enjoy!
Old roster files now work with new update.
Fixed newspaper message "How Often Will This Happen? Coach __ Fails Make Playoffs", missing "to" before make on newspaper messages.
Fixed issue where kick or punt returners were being chosen for "Kicker of the Year" award.
Running backs are no longer excluded from league receiver leaders screen.
Quarterbacks now drop back automatically (until human touches controls) on under center formations with a minimum speed so slower players can evade quick overpowered sacks after the snap.
Field stats message box height increased slightly to fit longer messages.
Player height now affects catch and interception rates. It also affects swats from defensive lineman for quarterbacks.
Shuffle players and rebuild roster sorts players by overall now.
Fixed issue where gamepad will continue to vibrate after play ends.
Player charge meter should no longer appear when not pressing charge button.
Fixed a few incorrectly ordered depth chart issues in base roster.
Clock plays now appear under "Ask Coach" menu during situations that warrant them.
MVP back button icon location updated to correct position.
Fixed issue where team sends a player to themselves during player wire and free agency events.
Fixed sorting issues in player events newspaper screen.
Fixed issue where Franchise ticker was not displaying on Team menu.
Lineman ball swat success decreased slightly.
Standings page now defaults to your team's conference page.
Team record shows on ticker when viewing Franchise menus.
HOF year arrows only appear when more than one year available.
HOF kicker and punter stats updated. K - FGP, XPP, LNG, PTS | P - AVG, YDS, LNG
HOF current trophy should remain on same trophy when cycling years.
RB newspaper button moved down slightly on schedule screen.
Touched up field stats icon positions to match new box height changes.
Changed player event message from "as compensation" to "in exchange" to help with text that wraps too long.
If you experience any bugs or issues please report them here or more preferably in our Discord where you can chat with the community, report bugs, or give feedback on the game.
As always, if you've enjoyed the game so far and like what you're seeing out of the game it would be great if you can leave a review on Steam!
📢 Hey Legend Bowlers!