Brian Lara Cricket

[-JJ-]

I don't know if Swordfish are allowed to talk about this game with us, but we can!

If they can... Any chance you can speculate on the likelihood of a sequel?


I got it when it was first released as Ricky Ponting Cricket here. While I didn't play it as much as I did when it first came out as with other games, I'm still playing it regularly and loving it now, my second most played game at the moment.

Bowling is so fun. I'm not sure if I could suggest any improvements to it. It's good that the over's a quick too, I couldn't handle EA cricket now because of how slow it is.

Batting. Maybe I'm still not that good, but I can't find that many scoring shots.

Especially when I'm playing Dom. We both set the same field most of the time, which is a really tight field, doesn't allow for that many runs, 50-60 often being the total of an innings.

I would suggest the following though...
1. Accents for the players from the different countries. I loved playing India on Cricket 2000.
2. More statistics! Cricket is a game for stat whores. And that's what we want.
3. ESPN NFL 2K5 did this thing where it shows the replay is a small screen, while you select the play. It would be cool if this could happen while selecting the next bowler.
4. Would be cool if you could do the thing PES does at HT/FT, showing the wickets replays at the end of the innings.
5. Some how make the batting as fun the bowling. I dunno. Maybe I'll go to the nets in the game and practice tonight.

Ok, while I'm sure there's more I'd like, there isn't very much more you'd need to have a completely awesome cricket game.

 

[woosaah]

i have a few bowling issues, it was 2 easy. i had to edit all the players just so i had a decent score to chace. also the running between the wickets sucked the comp would hardly take a single. you shouldn't need to change the field so the ai would get some runs.

that is my main gripe, batting was a bit easy as well, though i have only played on test level, i guess i got used to it fast. i ahve rpic on xbox but got brian lara on pc when it fisrt game out

 

[-JJ-]

Ah yes, a while since I've played single player. They do need to be more aggressive with running between the wickets.

 

[esoj]

yeah defintely do I have only played on county level but they defintely don't go for the easy singles too often down to third man or fine leg. overall the game is pretty good I think. multiplayer is cool and playing against a mate like you jj the game is close although we do score bit more than you and dom do. bowling is all about the swing and having good field placements in multiplayer.

changes for next version

better ai runing and general improvement so that they set good targets and bat better generally

more stats. cricket is a game about stats and there just isn't enough at the moment

replays etc would be nice to select replays between overs from the previous over and also view wickets at the end of the ininngs.

possibly have slightly better roosters as most in the game are miles out of date

have slightly different view so that judging a run a bit easier. at the moment it cuts straight to the fielder making the judgment of a run very tricky

apart from that nothing more that I can add really. bowling and batting is good. batting just takes a bit to know what shot to play at what ball.

 

[ak47]

this game with a case of beer and some mates is the ULTIMATE FUN

one of the best multiplayer games on any console

I still play it.................Test level against World XI is very challenging with a crappy team...........although better AI running + STATS would make this a 10/10 game.

 

[woosaah]

if i knew people where i lived that actually liked cricket it would be great but alas, all the people i know are married with kids that arn't into gaming at all.

anyone want to be my friend?

 

[esoj]

mulitplayer is awesome especially co-op against the ai. I played co-op with a friend and the game changes a lot you are suddenly hoping that your mate doesn't edge it and that he call the singles right.

once we got into we actually started making calls to each other like no or 2 or smash it for six. bowling is class as well because one person bowls and then the other does all the fielding catching&throwing. I can safely say i will still get mileage out of this game for awhile yet and with cricket season in full swing now what better way to warm to the match with a game of blic with the teams invovled of the game your about to watch. I will have to hunt for updates or something so that on wedneday I can play NZ v AUS with more accurate squads.

I am bit like you woosaah i really only have the one friend that plays and he only comes over every now and then.

rugby league 2 will solve my multiplayer needs with online play.

 

[-JJ-]

Yeah, I'm lucky at the moment, Dom doesn't have it yet so we've been playing quite often.

Anyway, I see a sequel is probably going to made (Rubbergenius is the Codemasters internet UK guy):
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Rubbergenius @ http://community.codemasters.com/forum/sho...ge=1&pp=10)</div>

There will be another game and while I can't comment much, I doubt it will see the light of day in the next year. In 2007 however...[/b]

 

[esoj]

yeah i had seen that quote I think on planetcricket. good news indeed and hopefully swordfish make it.

 

[woosaah]

yeah i just read that myself as well

 

[NZL Fan]

My biggest hope for the next version.............

....they actually include computer AI.

 

[ak47]

Originally posted by JJ-@Dec 5 2005, 02:48 PM
Yeah, I'm lucky at the moment, Dom doesn't have it yet so we've been playing quite often.

Anyway, I see a sequel is probably going to made (Rubbergenius is the Codemasters internet UK guy):
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Rubbergenius @ http://community.codemasters.com/forum/sho...ge=1&pp=10)

There will be another game and while I can't comment much, I doubt it will see the light of day in the next year. In 2007 however...

[/b][/quote]
PS3???

God, I dont wanna think about next gen rugby/cricket games, but i am druling already

 

[esoj]

yeah net gen console will be awesome for sports games. hopefully hb/ea can raise their game so that their games are actually playable on the new consoles.

 

[woosaah]

chances are slim to nil

 

[Trev@Swordfish]

Originally posted by JJ-@Dec 5 2005, 01:25 PM
I don't know if Swordfish are allowed to talk about this game with us, but we can!

If they can... Any chance you can speculate on the likelihood of a sequel?

Loved working on BLIC2005 - was a really good fun ***le. I'm not really a cricket fan - that's more Flatty's bag - but the core game mechanic was great. I spent almost every lunch-time playing against our IT Manager. I finished pretty much every game mode at home too.

Unfortunately we are not working on the sequel - although I'm pretty sure there will be one. I can't say any more than that but we obviously know the Codemasters guys well.

The game had a couple of key problems - the biggest of which was the AI running. I have only ever managed to run out an AI player twice! There was a very good technical reason why this was a problem, but we should really have dealt with that prior to launch.

Lara was a huge ***le at retail in the UK. I remember walking past Dixons in the Bullring in B'ham and they had the game running on a huge plasma in the doorway. There were about 12 blokes stood watching it play in demo mode.

 

[NZL Fan]

Originally posted by Trev@Swordfish+Dec 6 2005, 04:04 AM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Trev@Swordfish @ Dec 6 2005, 04:04 AM)</div>

<!--QuoteBegin--JJ-

@Dec 5 2005, 01:25 PM
I don't know if Swordfish are allowed to talk about this game with us, but we can!

If they can... Any chance you can speculate on the likelihood of a sequel?

Loved working on BLIC2005 - was a really good fun ***le. I'm not really a cricket fan - that's more Flatty's bag - but the core game mechanic was great. I spent almost every lunch-time playing against our IT Manager. I finished pretty much every game mode at home too.

Unfortunately we are not working on the sequel - although I'm pretty sure there will be one. I can't say any more than that but we obviously know the Codemasters guys well.

The game had a couple of key problems - the biggest of which was the AI running. I have only ever managed to run out an AI player twice! There was a very good technical reason why this was a problem, but we should really have dealt with that prior to launch.

Lara was a huge ***le at retail in the UK. I remember walking past Dixons in the Bullring in B'ham and they had the game running on a huge plasma in the doorway. There were about 12 blokes stood watching it play in demo mode.

[/b]

yeah the computer AI running kinda devalued the single player mode - playing a 4 over double wicket game and having the computer only trying to belt one ball was kinda disappointing............this along with the "non existant" pacing by the computer batsman in the one dayers/double wicket (chasing and setting a target) really killed it for me. Tests were fun though.

...........I always got the impression that there was initially a programming problem with the AI that it would get run out way too much, so to compensate the programmers ensured that any run remotely dodgy wasn't attempted by the computer (hence the poor computer running)???

 

[CeeJay]

Jeez, Trev should get an award for being the most honest game Developer in the world. He should hold seminars for EA, HB. Hes etc tec and teach them a thing or tow(it wouldnt hurt Mario to attend either) it would make this industry a better place for all involved.

Anyway, I thought the fact that the ai would not take singles, and that you couldnt sim the bowling was a game killer. I just dont have time to play full games, so I had to let this one go.

 

[ZoMbIeAsRtOnAuT]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div>

nd that you couldnt sim the bowling was a game killer[/b]

Yeah, but to be fair, one of the plusses of BLICS was that the bowling was given just as much importance, from a gameplay/design point of view, as the batting.

 

[esoj]

ai running and pacing is the big problem as they fail to compete properly in odis where every run is important. not being able to sim the bowling doesn't matter as games can be completed easily and bowling is awesome.

 

[Trev@Swordfish]

Originally posted by Ride The Cliche@Dec 6 2005, 06:51 AM
...........I always got the impression that there was initially a programming problem with the AI that it would get run out way too much, so to compensate the programmers ensured that any run remotely dodgy wasn't attempted by the computer (hence the poor computer running)???

That's pretty much exactly the problem we had. It was too easy to learn when the CPU player would take a run against certain fields and then bowl to make him play that shot every time. Even with some random variance in the strokes, you could guarantee getting a run-out 1 out of 5 times. So we had to tighten it up.

In the end it was just too tight for ODI's as the run-rate dried up with the CPU relying on boundaries. We were annoyed with ourselves for not having a better solution.

It was still one of the best 2 player sports games though. Nothing better than bowling 4 heaters at a batsman and then slowing it down and taking his middle stump. Great stuff. Actually, I can feel a lunch-time game emerging.