View Full Version : Cricket Heroes
kurtkz
29-04-2011, 12:28 AM
Hi all,
it feels like it's been forever since I last posted something here...and it has :P Many of you won't know me, but I last posted a demo of a cricket game here some 2 or 3 years ago. Yes, I'm still peddling the game. Yes, it has improved immeasurably.
Anyhoo, I've been getting lots of feedback and ideas from some non-dev guys on a cricketing forum and was hoping to get some feedback (and possibly some help) from more technically inclined peeps.
Features
- tons of game formats including: T20, ODI, 40 overs substitutes, 45 overs, 45 overs split innings, 2/3/4 day first class, test matches
- all rules simulated for all formats (except Super Overs for T20)
- UDRS implementation
- comprehensive in-game statistics, charts and plots
- South African, Australian domestic leagues and the IPL
- tons of tournaments including ODI World Cup, T20 World Cup and triangulars
- roster of 1000+ players each with individual stats
- grounds with real-life dimensions and individual stats
- achievements and unlockables
- competitive procedural AI
- no behaviour is scripted, everything is either procedural or physics-based (unlike other popular cricket games)
- action, management or simulation modes
Requirements
.NET 2.0 or higher
32bit WinXP or higher
OpenGL graphics card
Download
UPDATE 42 - 02 March 2012 (http://cricketheroes.co.za/Downloads.html)
- bug fixes
- more performance improvements
- improved ball physics
- better AI fielding and bowling
- better AI field placings
- fixed standard fielding positions (it was way off in the current version)
- field position editor tool (there's currently 45 standard fielding positions but you can add more with this tool)
- added Run Rate graph
- fixed zooming
- added Quick Match mode (less setup, just 3 clicks to start playing)
- fixed wind physics
kurtkz
29-04-2011, 12:39 AM
The following posts will serve as a manual of sorts...
Registering
For now you don't need to register the game. You can access all options using Trial mode. In future, however, the game will need to be registered to gain access to things like career and season modes.
Profiles
Achievements, unlockables, records and saves are all linked to profiles. To create a profile follow the following steps:
Click on the top bar that reads: NEW PROFILE
Enter the name you want to use
Press ENTER
Click on CREATE
Click on PLAY
When you restart the game, simply select the profile you want to use and click on PLAY.
Gameplay Options
Auto Replay - replays are started automatically on boundaries, sixes and wickets
Timing Bar - a timing indicator is displayed above the batsman; use this if you're having trouble timing the ball
Run Lights - a stop light system is displayed below the PiP view; use this if you need help determining when to take a single
UDRS Always - by default the UDRS is only enabled for ODIs and tests; use this if you want to use it in all formats
Batting
STANDARD - the recommended control method
CONE - a copy of the control method from International Cricket
POWER - same as standard with the addition of a power setting
Field Setting
SIMPLE - all bowlers share the same field settings
INTERMEDIATE - each bowler has his own field setting
ADVANCED - each bowler has a field setting for each batsman
Lineups
NORMAL - the AI will select the lineups when a team is computer controlled
MANUAL - you will always select the lineups; useful for when the computer doesn't select the real-life teams
kurtkz
29-04-2011, 12:40 AM
Team Selection
Cumulative Statistics - hover over a player and hold down the right mouse button; this will display the player's career stats to date
Form - record is kept of the player's batting and bowling form in series, tournaments and leagues; this affects the player's batting and bowling skill while playing the game
Multiple Wicketkeepers - if multiple keepers are selected, you will be presented with a screen prompting you to choose which one will play as a keeper, the rest will all play as batsmen only (unless they can also bowl)
Persistence - you can create a default lineup by clicking on SAVE; similarly, you can restore the default by clicking on LOAD
Batting Order - once you have selected your lineup,
Batting
Normal
- you are free to move the batsman during the bowler's run-up as well as when the ball is bowled.
A - move left
D - move right
W - move up
X - move down
- when you are ready to play a shot, hold in one of the following keys:
U - tap
J - chip
I - front-foot
K - back-foot
O - lofted front-foot
L - lofted back-foot
- and press a direction (there are 9) to play a shot. A full list of key combinations and resulting shots can be found in the Controls->Help menu
- the power of the shot is determined by your timing, how settled you are at the crease and various other factors
Power
- the power control method is exactly the same as above, with the addition of a power button range
1 - 25% power
2 - 50% power
3 - 75% power
4 - 100% power (default)
- I was initially against implementing this method, but a few forum users on the other site swear by this control scheme (as crazy as it sounds)
Cone
- moving the batsman is the same as above
- a cone indicating the direction of the shot is displayed in the fielding window
- to move the cone, hold in U and press:
A - to rotate it left
D - to rotate it right
W - to flip the cone up
X - to flip the cone down
- to play a shot, hold in one of the following keys:
U - tap
J - chip
I - front-foot
K - back-foot
O - lofted front-foot
L - lofted back-foot
- and press S (the cone determines what shot is played)
Bowling
- cycle through the available deliveries by pressing:
W - cycle up
X - cycle down
U - select the delivery
- move your bowling marker by pressing:
A - move left
D - move right
W - move up
X - move down
U - select position
- speed is controlled by holding in U
- swing/seam/spin is also controlled by holding in U
- NOTE: the bowler will automatically bowl the ball once he reaches the crease. No-balls happen automatically and are determined by various factors including how tired the bowler is and how difficult the delivery is that he wants to bowl.
Fielding
- fielding is handled automatically by the computer, but you have full control over the field settings
AUTO - automatically set the best field
UNDO - cancel changes made to the field
SAVE - save the changes as a default field with the name specified in the title bar
ERASE - delete the field with the name specified in the title bar
DETAIL - show the areas where the batsman has scored most of his runs
NO DETAIL - hide the above
Controls
Keyboard
- keyboard controls can be changed in the Controls menu
- key combinations and general help can be obtained from the Controls->Help menu
Team
- you can change the controls for the teams mid-game
- this allows you to skip the bowling/batting portion of the game or take over from the AI
dislekcia
29-04-2011, 12:50 AM
Hey! Welcome back!
So you've been expanding the game this whole time? Wow. This may be an odd question, but are you selling it anywhere yet? (I haven't played it yet, still downloading) You know we can handle Paypal locally now, right? :)
kurtkz
29-04-2011, 05:39 AM
@dis: Nah, it's nowhere close to being polished enough to sell. Plus there's still a bunch of bugs I haven't fixed yet. I managed to get someone to do some 3D models for me, but he's never gotten around to animating them *shrug*
Oh, I also took about 1.5 years off, partly due to burnout and working on an engine and game demo on the Wiz and Caanoo (Linux handhelds from GPH).
ZoRPA
29-04-2011, 10:17 AM
Does not run on Win7 X64. Pity :-/
kurtkz
29-04-2011, 10:22 AM
@ZoRPA: Yup, others have reported that it doesn't work on 64bit Win either. I don't own a 64bit machine unfortunately so I can't debug it :/
Fengol
29-04-2011, 01:50 PM
I'm also running Windows7. I'm getting a System.BadImageFormatException
kurtkz
29-04-2011, 01:59 PM
@Fengol: Oooh, that's new...are you running 32bit or 64bit?
Fengol
29-04-2011, 02:13 PM
64-bit
kurtkz
29-04-2011, 02:37 PM
@Fengol: Thanks for the info - you're the first person to actually tell me what error you're getting :) I'll see if I can't track down the bug.
EDIT: Turns out the bug is related to Win trying to load a 32bit DLL in a 64bit environment or some such nonsense - I'll see if I can recompile it specifically for 32bit when I get home tonight.
kurtkz
29-04-2011, 08:41 PM
Hi folks,
update 28 is up in the 1st post along with a mini-changelog. Hopefully the change I made lets it run on 64bit machines now...
Cheers
Kurt
kurtkz
30-04-2011, 10:21 AM
OK, I can confirm (from users on the other forum) that update 28 now works on 64bit machines. Yay me :)
Fengol
02-05-2011, 04:06 PM
The good news is the game works!
But I start the game, click on Trial and I'm shown the Cricket Heroes background with no other foreground and nothing happens.Eventually I clicked on the screen and was taken to the profile selection. Maybe it's missing some information there or something?
I created a profile and went to play an Exhibition match. I had to go through lots of screens I didn't understand or knew what to do with to get to the actual game play. Could you maybe add s "Quick Play" option to the main menu which picks 2 random teams, location and default settings, etc. so that a new player can get straight into the action and later explore the depth the game has?
kurtkz
02-05-2011, 07:50 PM
@Fengol: It seems like there's lots of issues running the game on 64bit systems :/ The Quick play option sounds good though. Not sure why I never added it tbh :)
ZoRPA
06-05-2011, 03:52 PM
The good news is the game works!
Yes it does!
I chose Exhibition, and then just Slog.
I chose two teams and selected Auto for the lineups.
Selected Supersport Park.
I was able to bat, after mapping the keys to suit me.
Batting went well and I was able to pickup what to do quite quickly.
After about 15minutes, the game just stopped responding, and I had to kill it from Task Manager.
Once started again, I tried bowling. This is a nightmare. I cannot find anything under Controls showing me what to do. In the game, I pressed the mapped keys a few times and the bowler sent one down the pitch. Unfortuanatly I had no control over the ball what so ever. When the computer bowls, there is a red circle on the pitch, showing where the ball will pitch. This red circle is absent when I have to bowl.
I like the cartoony feel of the players. I love this game. I really hope the bowling can get sorted, and that in the end, I get a complimentary key to register the full version.
I'll post more comments as they arise.
Keep up the good work!
ZoRPA
06-05-2011, 04:35 PM
SA vs Ire
I elected to bat and got 73/7 in my 10 Overs.
I managed to get Ire out for 72 in 8.4 overs. SA wins by 1 run.
This was also the only time Graeme Smith got man of the match :-p
The good news is, the game did not crash once. I played in windowed mode.
On the final runout, I was greeted with a white spinning ball, showing, OUT! That was the only time I got this. I'm assuming that it should show everytime there is a runout.
One of my players got bowled LBW. I was amazed at the slow mo replay with the blue line, checking the pitch of the ball and everything! Fantastic!
So far so good. I just really need to know what the hell I'm doing with the bowling side of things.
kurtkz
08-05-2011, 07:30 AM
@ZoRPA: Thanks for the feedback, I really appreciate it. Yes, there's still a few bugs that cause the game to either crash or hang - I think I've solved most of them in the latest version (31 - I haven't released it here yet). I'll probably be uploading this version sometime today. When bowling the process is as follows:
- choose delivery type by pressing I (cycle through them using up and down as selected in the key controls menu)
- choose delivery position by pressing I (you should see a red circle on the pitch)
- bowler will start running in
- during the runup you can select the speed you want to bowl at by holding in I (the bar will indicate delivery speed)
- at the end of the runup you can select the amount of swing/seam/spin by holding in I (the bar will indicate movement)
NOTE: the bowler will bowl automatically at this point. The probability of a no-ball being bowled is based on a number of factors including fatigue and skill.
If there's anything else I can help you with, please let me know :)
Cheers
Kurt
kurtkz
08-05-2011, 10:29 PM
Hey guys,
a download link for update 31 is in the first post. I still need to add a quick start option, but I'll get to that soon.
Cheers
Kurt
ZoRPA
09-05-2011, 04:10 PM
Ok, I downloaded Update31 and started playing.
When I try to open a Challenge, this message appeared-
http://i1206.photobucket.com/albums/bb442/DawieKabouter/incompatible.jpg?t=1304949717
Maybe it is not part of the trial version?
Here is a screen print of what I have when I have to bowl-
http://i1206.photobucket.com/albums/bb442/DawieKabouter/Bowler.jpg?t=1304949717
I have my bowler at the bottom, with the stamina and control bars on the left. I have no red circle on the pitch. I cannot see what kind of ball I selected to bowl. I cannot see if the ball will swing or spin. I just press buttons until the bowler start to run, and then I wait for the delivery. Is there supposed to be some sort of indication of what you selected before the bowler starts?
Still loving this game.
Oh, and when selecting Domestic League, MTN 40.
I choose a team.
There should be a button for quick results when computer controlled teams play against each other. The simulate buttons take too long. I cannot play when computer conrtrolled teams play, and I dont want to read what happened each over. Just a button for quick results for that match is fine. Then I can get a turn to play.
kurtkz
09-05-2011, 04:30 PM
Thanks for the feedback, ZoRPA :)
I need to re-import the challenges for them to work. I'll do that for the next update. I'm not sure why the bowler HUD isn't being displayed though. It's also odd that you can't see the clock in the top-left corner...I just tested it on a machine at work and I can see it. I'll check it out after work as well. What gfx card are you running?
Also, I'll see what I can do about making the simulation run faster. I *could* probably cut off a minute or two <- that might not make it into the next update though. If you find any other issues, please let me know. I'm working on editors for the game at the moment, so hopefully you'll be able to mess around with skills, teams, etc.
Cheers
Kurt
kurtkz
10-05-2011, 07:15 AM
Hey all,
update 32 is up in the 1st post.
Cheers
Kurt
ZoRPA
10-05-2011, 08:14 AM
What gfx card are you running?
I'm running the game on Lenovo Thinkpad Edge laptop, with an Intel HD graphics card. I have to add that I have an external 19" connected to the laptop as well.
kurtkz
10-05-2011, 08:35 AM
@ZoRPA: Hmm, that's odd - I've tested it on an Nvidia G102, Nvidia 9400M, ATI 1600M, Intel Xtreme2 and Intel GMA950 and it works well. Can anyone else here confirm that there are parts of the HUD missing on Intel HD gfx?
ZoRPA
10-05-2011, 12:19 PM
Played Update 32.
When I bowl a wide, and the ball goes for 4 runs, it only adds 1 run to the score, instead of 5 :-/
Still bowling blind.
I'll try it on my PC at home and see what happens.
kurtkz
10-05-2011, 01:28 PM
@ZoRPA: Thanks for the bug report. Will fix it ASAP.
kurtkz
10-05-2011, 02:03 PM
Cool, managed to fix up that bug. Will upload tonight if I get a chance.
@ZoRPA: What gfx card are you running at home?
kurtkz
17-05-2011, 03:07 PM
Hey guys,
update 33 is in the 1st post along with the usual change log.
Cheers
Kurt
@ZoRPA: Any luck getting bowling to work on your home PC?
ZoRPA
16-09-2011, 04:59 PM
I tested the game at home and all is fine.
Running Win7 x64 with Radeon 6970.
It must be my laptop graphic driver that is giving the problem.
kurtkz
21-02-2012, 01:20 PM
Hi all,
I hate necroing a thread, but I haven't stopped development :) I've set up a temporary website at Cricket Heroes (www.cricketheroes.co.za). New downloads, guides, etc. are available there and I'm planning on releasing an update tomorrow or Thursday.
I have a little bit of cash available to spend on the game and want to redo the pixel art and animations - if you feel you're capable enough, please send me a PM with a link to your portfolio and we can chat price :)
Cheers
Kurt
ZoRPA
21-02-2012, 01:35 PM
@ZoRPA: Any luck getting bowling to work on your home PC?
It works fine. At home I have an ATi card and all seems well. Can't wait to see the final product, but I have to say I kind of like the look and feel of it now.
kurtkz
21-02-2012, 09:19 PM
@ZoRPA: Thanks :) I'll be updating the website tomorrow with a new download. Any feedback you would be greatly appreciated.
kurtkz
02-03-2012, 01:43 PM
Hi all,
the new download link is up in the 1st post. I decided to release it a few days earlier so I could get some feedback before Sunday
The Quick Match mode isn't quite working 100% yet (sometimes the Toss screen appears twice), but other than that I think it should work quite well.
Cheers
Kurt
ZoRPA
02-03-2012, 02:15 PM
So I'm batting at the moment but what do I press so they take a run?
kurtkz
02-03-2012, 02:21 PM
Hi ZoRPA,
the playing guide is here: http://cricketheroes.co.za/Guide.html
Click on Batting and it'll tell you how everything works :)
Cheers
K
kurtkz
02-03-2012, 02:26 PM
I hate doing this, but if you plan on simulating games please re-download Setup.zip file...simulation was broken :/
ZoRPA
02-03-2012, 02:45 PM
^^^ I have read through the controls and even remapped the controls but I cannot get the batsman to take a run. What is the default key for this?
kurtkz
02-03-2012, 02:46 PM
Aaah, crapsticks. Looks like running's been broken for ages. I'll reupload again in a minute.
kurtkz
02-03-2012, 02:49 PM
OK, new download is available...sorry to mess you around like this ZoRPA. It should hopefully work now.
kurtkz
12-03-2012, 10:43 AM
Hi all,
new download is available at Cricket Heroes (http://cricketheroes.co.za/Downloads.html)...
Cheers
Kurt
kurtkz
13-03-2012, 10:32 AM
Hi all,
another small update is out at Cricket Heroes (http://cricketheroes.co.za/Downloads.html). Fixed a bug in the nets mode and simplified most of the interface by removing/renaming existing options. I've also update the website slightly.
Cheers
Kurt
kurtkz
09-04-2012, 02:44 PM
Hi all,
many bugs have been squashed, more modes added and the first 3D models introduced - download the update at http://cricketheroes.co.za/Downloads.html.
Cheers
Kurt
ZoRPA
10-04-2012, 11:35 AM
I downloaded the latest update and tried to play a quick match.
this is the error-
RUN @ 2012/04/10 11:33:57 AM
MESSAGE: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
STACK TRACE: at Cricket.Main.GameStateVenueSelection.ChooseRandom( )
at Cricket.Main.GameStateQuickMatch.ProcessInput(Sing le ms)
at Cricket.Main.GameInstance.Loop()
at Cricket.Main.Game.Main(String[] args)
kurtkz
10-04-2012, 11:41 AM
Hi Zorpa,
can you give me more details about the quick match? Teams? Location? Format?
Cheers
K
kurtkz
10-04-2012, 11:48 AM
Aaah, wait - never mind. Found the error. I'll upload again in a few minutes.
kurtkz
10-04-2012, 11:56 AM
Hi guys,
there's a new update out - v1.16 that should fix the quick match crash.
Cheers
Kurt
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