Jon Hare's Sociable Soccer - [PC/PS4/XB1/VR]

Caniggia said:
Ask your questions and I'll try to answer them as well as possible. Thanks!
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Hey Caniggia, I'm genuinely delighted you've got this role - we need more Evo-Webbers and football game connoisseurs to work for the guys who make the games we spend our lives devouring and drooling over...

I have a few questions:

1) Do you know if edit files will be able to be shared, particularly on consoles? I know that console saved data itself is locked down by Sony & MS, but within the game itself, might there be some kind of online roster sharing facility so that, potentially, communities could work on edit files with correct player names etc. and then share them for easy download within the game (no USB sticks etc. or work outside of the console itself necessary)? I believe there's a few games that do this (I remember a wrestling game being mentioned)...

2) I was a backer of the Kickstarter campaign (in-fact, a quote of mine has been used in the advertising blurb on the page!), and I've been watching all the videos, but I'm concerned at the breakneck-speed of them all so far (it looks more like an overall mini-game that's quick and doesn't involve a great deal of skill). Do you happen to know if the speed might be toned down or if this is a key part of the development plans?

(I know SWOS used to be that fast, but that wasn't part of the appeal - i.e. people didn't play it BECAUSE it was fast, it just happened to be fast, and I really don't think I could enjoy the game at the speed we're seeing in the latest videos!)

3) With the above in mind... If there's no plans to reduce the speed... Is there any possibility for a speed setting in the options menu, do you think?!

Thanks, and (sincerely) good luck with the role! :)
 
Chris Davies said:
Hey Caniggia, I'm genuinely delighted you've got this role - we need more Evo-Webbers and football game connoisseurs to work for the guys who make the games we spend our lives devouring and drooling over...

I have a few questions:

1) Do you know if edit files will be able to be shared, particularly on consoles? I know that console saved data itself is locked down by Sony & MS, but within the game itself, might there be some kind of online roster sharing facility so that, potentially, communities could work on edit files with correct player names etc. and then share them for easy download within the game (no USB sticks etc. or work outside of the console itself necessary)? I believe there's a few games that do this (I remember a wrestling game being mentioned)...

2) I was a backer of the Kickstarter campaign (in-fact, a quote of mine has been used in the advertising blurb on the page!), and I've been watching all the videos, but I'm concerned at the breakneck-speed of them all so far (it looks more like an overall mini-game that's quick and doesn't involve a great deal of skill). Do you happen to know if the speed might be toned down or if this is a key part of the development plans?

(I know SWOS used to be that fast, but that wasn't part of the appeal - i.e. people didn't play it BECAUSE it was fast, it just happened to be fast, and I really don't think I could enjoy the game at the speed we're seeing in the latest videos!)

3) With the above in mind... If there's no plans to reduce the speed... Is there any possibility for a speed setting in the options menu, do you think?!

Thanks, and (sincerely) good luck with the role! :)
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Thanks for the praise, very appreciated. I'm delighted to work on this game as the producers and all the guys working on it are immensely talented people with over 100 years in the industry.

1) This was one of the first things we discussed. Option files and the options you got with them and how to easily share them. I mean who doesn't want to share their own custom teams, modified/created leagues and so on. ;) I can't go into details and the console market is still pretty closed, but we are working on similar options to those who already exist.

2) The game is the same speed as SWOS and in the side view angle it looks faster. But you should also know that in this latest video, the players are still to receive their speed stat, so things will be toned down. Let's say that this is 15/15.

3) Speed settings we haven't talked about, just because we need to agree if this speed is 15. For me it is. So let me get back to you when we've discussed this further.

Anything else, just pop the question! :)
 
Ah man, you're a star. I really appreciate all that, thank you. I'm so relieved that options files are being discussed, it would be such a relief to be able to download name fixes etc. instead of spending another weekend or two (or three) correcting everything!

I've got one more question, it's a little bit abstract, though...

What would you say the developer's key focus points are from a gameplay perspective? I'm assuming the biggest one is "fun" (judging by the motto, "sport has never been so much fun", and also judging by the speed of the game in the videos we've seen so far) - are there any other targets in terms of that focus?

Will tactics have a big impact, for example, or is accessibility the priority (I'm assuming it is due to the nature of the title, and there's nothing wrong with that)?

Thanks again, I wasn't expecting a response so quickly!

Oh, and tell Jon Hare from me that he's a hero of mine, next time you speak to him! :D
 
Chris Davies said:
2) I was a backer of the Kickstarter campaign (in-fact, a quote of mine has been used in the advertising blurb on the page!), and I've been watching all the videos, but I'm concerned at the breakneck-speed of them all so far (it looks more like an overall mini-game that's quick and doesn't involve a great deal of skill). Do you happen to know if the speed might be toned down or if this is a key part of the development plans?

(I know SWOS used to be that fast, but that wasn't part of the appeal - i.e. people didn't play it BECAUSE it was fast, it just happened to be fast, and I really don't think I could enjoy the game at the speed we're seeing in the latest videos!)

3) With the above in mind... If there's no plans to reduce the speed... Is there any possibility for a speed setting in the options menu, do you think?!

Thanks, and (sincerely) good luck with the role! :)
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Totally agree on the speed thing. For me the speed of SWOS was appealing when I was a kid, but now I prefer a slower game. I wish I could play a 90 minute game of pro evo/fifa which ended with a realistic scoreline. I appreciate it's hard to create a game where a 5 minute match could result in the same scoreline as a 90 minute one though. Anyway yeah it would be good if you had the game speed options if that was a possibility.

Another feature to perhaps consider is diving, I really loved this feature in FIFA 99, I became a master of the dive and penalty :APPLAUD: I know it's a bad aspect of the game as a whole but it was kinda funny..
 
Chris Davies said:
What would you say the developer's key focus points are from a gameplay perspective? I'm assuming the biggest one is "fun" (judging by the motto, "sport has never been so much fun", and also judging by the speed of the game in the videos we've seen so far) - are there any other targets in terms of that focus?

Will tactics have a big impact, for example, or is accessibility the priority (I'm assuming it is due to the nature of the title, and there's nothing wrong with that)?
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Our focus is to honor the controls, easy to learn, hard to master, as it is in Jon's previous games. Since I've played the game I feel we've nailed passing and the after touch to that passing. Control also feel like the old times because you feel in control for a while and you got to take that right decision to deliver the ball further within a time scale or you gonna get tackled or the ball is gonna be stolen from you.

There will be preset tactics and you can edit your own. We haven't come too far with tactics yet so let me update you with that as we progress.

Thanks.
 
UKFA said:
Totally agree on the speed thing. For me the speed of SWOS was appealing when I was a kid, but now I prefer a slower game. I wish I could play a 90 minute game of pro evo/fifa which ended with a realistic scoreline. I appreciate it's hard to create a game where a 5 minute match could result in the same scoreline as a 90 minute one though. Anyway yeah it would be good if you had the game speed options if that was a possibility.

Another feature to perhaps consider is diving, I really loved this feature in FIFA 99, I became a master of the dive and penalty :APPLAUD: I know it's a bad aspect of the game as a whole but it was kinda funny..
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We'll let Jon take that decision. This is an arcade game and on default it will be the speed that SWOS had. We will be the fastest football game out there and that's not a bad thing. PES and FIFA has all the options it needs for you to turn the game speed down, I'm thinking of full manual and all that. Turning to that you also keep the scores down a lot. People rarely use those options and instead go for the simple and easiest way to score. Like the automated through ball or the auto shot. For me it is suppose to be about skill and a bit about your goalies day at the office ;) In PES/FIFA it isn't though so here we come to break their legs ;)
 
If you can tell the awesome guys there to just give us a speed slider, I'd be grateful Caniggia :)

And congrats! :)
 
Lami said:
If you can tell the awesome guys there to just give us a speed slider, I'd be grateful Caniggia :)

And congrats! :)
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Thanks. We'll discuss how it affects our vision of how the gameplay should be. Like I said above. We aim to be the fastest football game out there, as oppose to all the simulation available.
 
Caniggia said:
We'll let Jon take that decision. This is an arcade game and on default it will be the speed that SWOS had. We will be the fastest football game out there and that's not a bad thing. PES and FIFA has all the options it needs for you to turn the game speed down, I'm thinking of full manual and all that. Turning to that you also keep the scores down a lot. People rarely use those options and instead go for the simple and easiest way to score. Like the automated through ball or the auto shot. For me it is suppose to be about skill and a bit about your goalies day at the office ;) In PES/FIFA it isn't though so here we come to break their legs ;)
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I get what you're saying, actually that sounds really exciting to have a fast-paced game, especially in an arcade, it should be a big hit. One idea you could maybe throw out there, I don't know the logistics of it, but an idea I had a long time ago was for a 'freestlye' football game, perhaps this could be a gameplay mode. Basically it's a normal match, but you get points for tricks, successful passes, intercepts, and of course goals and winning the game. Sort of like Tony Hawks skateboarding or something but during a football match.

Thanks for the replies, it's amazing to be talking to a games dev! :)
 
UKFA said:
I get what you're saying, actually that sounds really exciting to have a fast-paced game, especially in an arcade, it should be a big hit. One idea you could maybe throw out there, I don't know the logistics of it, but an idea I had a long time ago was for a 'freestlye' football game, perhaps this could be a gameplay mode. Basically it's a normal match, but you get points for tricks, successful passes, intercepts, and of course goals and winning the game. Sort of like Tony Hawks skateboarding or something but during a football match.

Thanks for the replies, it's amazing to be talking to a games dev! :)
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Hi again,

You know, most games have that achievement related point system you are talking about. But just once, like PES. It would actually be nice to have the ability to chase points every game and not just for achievements. But for now we have the kickstarter goals (gameplay and online) and those are our main focus. I'll gather all the feedback though and the most requested features will be brought up for discussion for the next version.

Sociable Soccer won't be a trick/dribblers game (FIFA and PES got all those), it's very much about back and forth action with passing, tackling, shooting and scoring as the main ingredients.

Thanks. I'm glad to be so close to the dev. team. When I worked for Konami I was never in contact with the developers on a regular basis, I met them maybe once or twice a year. With this I actually have a chance to influence stuff even though I have to motivate it well since Jon is a guy of very strong opinions who expects stuff to be AAA standards.
 
Caniggia said:
You know, most games have that achievement related point system you are talking about.
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I can't think of any, maybe FIFA Street although I haven't played it. What I'm envisioning is a game where you get points during the match for certain things, and a counter somewhere totalling up your points. As opposed to the Steam Achievements type things in some games.
 
UKFA said:
I can't think of any, maybe FIFA Street although I haven't played it. What I'm envisioning is a game where you get points during the match for certain things, and a counter somewhere totalling up your points. As opposed to the Steam Achievements type things in some games.
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In PES you get more PES-points for doing tricks and stuff during games. But you only get rewarded once for every move. Our game is not trick based, so that will be really hard. We could have other achievements like heading it post and in or heading it three times between players. There's a million things we could add as combo breakers.
 
Havent got a question but just wanted to say good luck with the project mate and i will buy the game when its out.
 
Dazfeeder said:
Havent got a question but just wanted to say good luck with the project mate and i will buy the game when its out.
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I have to echo Dazfeeder's comment. Having listened to a few podcasts with Jon Hare about this game and his history, after first owning several versions of his game on the Amiga, this is a must buy for me. Looking forward to it.
 
Yeah I would also wish you well, in all honesty I have no interest in a modern sensi but it provided young me 100s of hours of enjoyment so I can only hope that you and Jon have a huge success on your hands! :)
 
Hey guys! Thanks for all the support. I hope we can give you people that 3 min thrill you got with Sensi, that one feeling of having the time and making the investment and where you also feel you'll have time to come back for just another game.

I am an older gamer myself and 3-5 min fit my schedule perfectly. Other things take up my time nowadays. Sociable Soccer will aim to please the fans who are out of time.
 
I met Jon hare after a talk he did here in Israel.

I was like a little kid, I interupted him talking to another guy afterwards and said something along the lines of 'I spent most of my teenage years playing sensi soccer and listening to my Led zeppelin boxset' and he said 'good combination' and I ran away.

The talk was on how difficult it is in this day and age to have a successful game on IOS (for example, it was a mobile conference) and to not make a loss. So it doesn't make sense for people to develop new games etc etc

It was very interesting.

I wish you the best of luck and hope it does really well, but I can't see at the moment what it will offer people, other than playing a few times and leaving it alone.

It needs something like Rocket league, something a bit different, something that will pull people back to play more of, pure fun.

I hope you achieve it and I may well buy it just to support you guys anyway.

All the best.
 
Without being Nancy Negative, that really does look awful - lets be honest :(

SWOS is probably my favourite all time game and sank as many hours in it as the next man, but have zero interest in this based on those vids.

That said, good luck Cannigia!
 
To be perfectly honest, i don't see the potential at all. But nevertheless i wish you all the success.

About rocket league, my son plays it a lot. Now and then i play it to indulge him. I hate it with a passion (well, let's say i don't like it).
 
Caniggia said:
Here's a video from a Cup we had at the office!

https://youtu.be/j8NyDPN-sKk
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It is looking a bit more like sensi now, though the keepers and player positions need work.

I hate the white trail - hope there is an option to disable that?

It needs something big to pull people off the bigger simulation style games - if it had a SWOS style worldwide career with transfer market etc, that would be a start. I know it wouldnt be licensed in any way, but if sensible and realistic random names are used (and not stuff like RAYNE WOONEY) then I could be more interested.

Is there a dev diary on any where updates are being documented?
 
pboreham said:
It is looking a bit more like sensi now, though the keepers and player positions need work.

I hate the white trail - hope there is an option to disable that?

It needs something big to pull people off the bigger simulation style games - if it had a SWOS style worldwide career with transfer market etc, that would be a start. I know it wouldnt be licensed in any way, but if sensible and realistic random names are used (and not stuff like RAYNE WOONEY) then I could be more interested.

Is there a dev diary on any where updates are being documented?
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This is 6-8 months from release. Gameplay and Online is our focus. Career mode won't be in since it's a much bigger story than you'd might think.

The trail can be turned off in settings. Keepers will be ironically discussed in the next video and player positions need tuning.

The blog is live at http://sociablesoccer.com and I'll make a post about the progress of the game quite soon.
 
It just screams "SWOS remake without career mode" to me! It doesn't really look at all different in terms of gameplay - and with that being the case, there's an Xbox 360 remake of SWOS (with the fake names and everything of course) which has that gameplay and the career mode. (Which I stopped playing, because it was just way too fast.)

How will this be any different to playing that (excluding the online elements, and a lot of people - especially the older audience who would be most interested in this, I reckon - will only be interested in the solo experience anyway)?

Still following the development though, of course...!
 
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Chris Davies said:
It just screams "SWOS remake without career mode" to me! It doesn't really look at all different in terms of gameplay - and with that being the case, there's an Xbox 360 remake of SWOS (with the fake names and everything of course) which has that gameplay and the career mode. (Which I stopped playing, because it was just way too fast.)

How will this be any different to playing that (excluding the online elements, and a lot of people - especially the older audience who would be most interested in this, I reckon - will only be interested in the solo experience anyway)?

Still following the development though, of course...!
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You have valid questions and the answer is probably that people want an up to date football game that plays and looks great (side view included) while keeping you amused with easy to learn controls. It doesn't have momentum either like FIFA and PES do so if you score a few it doesn't mean that you won't score 10.

We'll have Single Player Mode, Multiplayer Mode, D.I.Y mode, Preset Competitions Mode, Player Avatar Career Mode and 1vs1 Online and Ladder online mode, to name a few. There will also be special online tournaments by invitation for those who have performed very well in the ladder mode. On top of that we'll have 1000 clubs and 10000 players.

I'm not able to define aspects on top of those modes regarding achievements and such but there will be plenty. Gameplay is our number 1 focus still and our team has over 100 years of experience with top A titles. Let's take it from there ;)
 
Do you have any events coming in the South of England? If there are I might try and make to an event to give it a game.

The game certainly looks like it is improving in the recent videos but my initial concerns still look like they are there.

The game looks pretty fast paced compared to SWOS, but this looks mainly down to the pitch in the videos looks a bit smaller, so possibly giving the illusion of a fast pace.
The gameplay does certainly look like it is improving and the goalkeepers have improved, but clearly still need more work to get them to an acceptable level.

I am disappointed to hear there is no career mode when the game is released as the career mode in SWOS was incredible and still hasn't been matched today.
I still play SWOS even today as it is just so pick up and play and great fun, which is something FIFA doesn't emulate.

I hope you continue to make strides in developing the gameplay and I will certainly buy the game on release or before if you offer the game on Alpha.
 
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bsmaff said:
Do you have any events coming in the South of England? If there are I might try and make to an event to give it a game.

The game certainly looks like it is improving in the recent videos but my initial concerns still look like they are there.

The game looks pretty fast paced compared to SWOS, but this looks mainly down to the pitch in the videos looks a bit smaller, so possibly giving the illusion of a fast pace.
The gameplay does certainly look like it is improving and the goalkeepers have improved, but clearly still need more work to get them to an acceptable level.

I am disappointed to hear there is no career mode when the game is released as the career mode in SWOS was incredible and still hasn't been matched today.
I still play SWOS even today as it is just so pick up and play and great fun, which is something FIFA doesn't emulate.

I hope you continue to make strides in developing the gameplay and I will certainly buy the game on release or before if you offer the game on Alpha.
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Hi,

We will probably be at other game conventions other than the ones already announced. All events will be announced on the FB page and be set up as events there so have a check now and then.

About the game speed it is fast but it is down to the statistics not being in yet. Everybody just does not run at 99 in speed like they do in the video clips. It will have a great impact on the game when they are in.

Goalkeepers have been the main target for this weeks dev. session and has improved a lot. They are now safely grabbing shots that are weak at them and will also easily take a step to the side and grab the ball instead of pushing it away from them if they can.

Thanks for all the support!
 
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