Varsity High School Football News

[p]First off, what a year! So much completed, added, and shared with the community, supporters, and playtesters. We've turned the corner in pulling all of our systems together to showcase a proper game loop now and things are moving smoothly. [/p][p]Let's start off by showcasing a few key highlights that were added or completed this year. That doesn't cover all of the work we completed or implemented, but it's some of our larger pieces that the community expressed the most excitement for. [/p][p][/p][p]Key dynasty mode highlights[/p]

• [p]Multiple seasons playable (currently 50)[/p]
• [p]Weekly and seasonal awards[/p]
• [p]Training ratings boosts for playing other sports in the off season[/p]
• [p]Coach schemes and tendencies[/p]
• [p]Community file share for custom teams[/p]
• [p]Weather impact on games[/p]
• [p]Game themes (homecoming, rivalry, senior night, etc)[/p]

[p]Key gameplay additions[/p]

• [p]Hired full time Lead Animator with AAA mocap and animation experience in sports[/p]
• [p]Advancements in mocap quality, cleanup, and integration process[/p]
• [p]DB gameplay and cover/man logic[/p]
• [p]New offensive and defensive plays[/p]
• [p]Gameplay audio with PA announcer, crowd sound, and environmental audio[/p]
• [p]Extensive custom rules options[/p]
• [p]First gameplay playtest (7on7)[/p]

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• [p]“I was pleasantly surprised by the fluidity of player movement.”[/p]
• [p]“This game is amazing.”[/p]
• [p]“I actually got to throw the ball with defenders around love the qb animations “[/p]
• [p]“qb's can get ball out fast when need be but if you throw a bomb it takes a LOT longer “[/p]
• [p]“Movement feels so nice and smooth already!”[/p]
• [p]“the game feels good its giving strong APF 2K8 Vibes.!!! Excited for the Future”[/p]

[p][/p][p]A big focus for us in December was "atmosphere" in the game. This also included finally doing a lighting pass at making the game look more like a current generation game. It's still not finished, but it gives all of you a better view into what this game will look like. [/p][p][/p][p][/p]

• [p]Added PA announcer that handles down and distance, turnover, first down, and touchdown style events[/p]
• [p]Added initial crowd chatter in the stands, reactions based on play results like cheering for touchdowns.[/p]
• [p]Added background environmental sound design like wind, birds, traffic, etc.[/p][p][/p]

• [p]Focusing on pursuit logic to create more organic attack angles and avoid the “conga line” effect where players run in a line behind the ball carrier.[/p]
• [p]Robust custom gameplay rules options. As an example, in 7on7 we let you set points awarded for TDs or turnovers, game clock, overtime rules, mercy rule point range, etc.[/p][p][/p]

[p]It's going to be a wild 2026 for Varsity. Just wait until you see/hear about what we have in store for all of you... [/p][p]Happy New Year, [/p][p]The Varsity High School Football Team[/p][p]
If all of you wishlist our game on Steam we'll hit 10,000 wishlists and Steam will make our game more visible which will help us grow: [dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p][/p]

[p]Another busy month with gameplay, mocap, menu/UI, etc. Huge strides overall the last 4-6 weeks as we prepare for our gameplay playtest. [/p][p]Screen 1: Our work in progress Exhibition mode Team Selection screen. With 11v11 Exhibition you will see helmets, etc here instead of a 7on7 t-shirt. [/p][p]Screen 2: Our first batch of 48 recolorable logos. Our goal is to have 10+ different variations of common animals (eagles, lions, bears, etc), shapes, people, etc. You can also upload your own logo (not recolorable in game) through our Community Share feature. [/p][p]Screen 3: Here is an example of the customization options for jerseys; specifically for the 7on7 jersey which is a bit more flexible. For 11v11 we'll have various stripes, patterns, the ability to put your logo on the chest, etc. [/p][p]As promised, in December (see dates in image) we'll have our first gameplay focused playtest. This will not be a polished "complete game". It's an alpha build which means it's functional. It will not have broadcast elements like replays, touchdown celebrations, crowd or crowd noise, etc. It's purely a gameplay test so you can get a feel for movement, controls, etc and provide helpful feedback for us. [/p][p][/p][p]Help us hit 10k wishlists on Steam so we can get more eyeballs on Varsity: [dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p]PS: Our mocap actor / DB posted about his experience with some clips here from last week: https://www.instagram.com/pyramidlakegames/reel/DRlinWxjTce/[/p][p][/p][p][/p]

• [p]Full gameplay loop is in place with selecting teams and playing a game: play selection, down management, and change of possession. This will be available in our 7on7 alpha build playtest in December.[/p]
• [p]Varsity is still a 11v11 game, but we are focusing on “7on7” right now because we do not have line play yet. This allows us to improve & refine core QB/WR/DB gameplay.[/p]

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• [p]We had a new capture session with our DB to record swats, interceptions, and general player juke moves.[/p]

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• [p]We have setup our first batch of 48 logo options for teams. If you use these for custom teams instead of uploading your own, you can change the colors.[/p]

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[p]*Oops. Cards say November. Sorry about that.[/p][p]The last few months we've been heads down working on gameplay, drive logic, coverage AI, etc. Not a lot of polished things to share yet but starting in November we'll be able to start sharing more visual updates, lighting, jerseys, stadiums, gameplay, etc. [/p][p]We started doing some lighting and environmental texturing tests. These were incredibly successful and we'll start rolling these changes into our mini camp and gameplay scenes. [/p][p]We also explored some concepts for field degradation over time. This is just a quick and rough proof of concept for some tech we'd use. This isn't an example of how it will look in game, where the field will wear down, etc. [/p][p]Huge milestones for us. Just wait until you see what we have going on in the coming months.[/p][p][/p][p][/p]

• [p]All images and videos we’ve shared up to this point have been using crude base lighting. We’ve begun working on lighting, shadows, and environmental artwork. You will see more of this starting next month.[/p]
• [p]We’ve implemented a working scorebug to display teams, scores, current possession, downs, quarter, etc.[/p]

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• [p]Zone coverage for safeties has been implemented. Now we are working on play-specific man coverage support to allow DBs to understand they have over the top support so they can play underneath.[/p]
• [p]We have pulled together everything into a fully functional drive event system in place with line of scrimmage, first downs, touchdowns, and 7on7 rush timer for the QB.[/p]

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• [p]We have finally cleaned all recorded QB motion capture. This has been a monumental task that has taken a few months. Now, WR and DB.[/p]
• [p]We have created a more efficient pipeline for mocap to in game implementation with our full time animation hire earlier this year. Time from capture to getting in game will be a fraction of what it was previously.[/p]

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• [p]We are working on creating 7on7 equipment like shorts, t-shirts, and soft shell helmets. The equipment will be usable in dynasty mode for full 11 man practice (or tryouts).[/p]

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• [p]Games now have Homecoming and Senior Night “themes” generated.[/p]
• [p]Games now also have weather conditions relative to your state and time of year. You can use a slider to set the probability (0-100%) of fumbles and dropped passes based on weather. If you set it to 100 every tackle will result in a fumble. Because slider impact should be easy to understand.[/p]

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• [p]We are building out the “Play Now” game flow framework in October that will let players select from a small assortment of teams on the main menu.[/p]
• [p]This leans into our priority of having a fully playable 7on7 playtest available this Winter for Patreon supporters. (Varsity HSFB is still a 11v11 game at its core but line play and tackles will take time).[/p]

[p]First Impressions[/p][p]“\[Dynasty] felt like everything that I was choosing to do had impact, and that each choice mattered...”[/p][p]“The interaction between quarterback, ball, and receiver felt incredibly satisfying to use”[/p][p][/p][p]Gameplay[/p][p]“I'm not exaggerating when I say that the pacing of the movement on this game feels better than any other sports game that I've touched.”[/p][p][/p][p]Least Favorite Part of the Game[/p][p]“The fact that i can't play the whole thing! lol”
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• [p]Players now have “time to max speed” acceleration working in game.[/p]
• [p]We have a rough skeleton of 7on7 gameplay with QB, WR, and DB coverage in place. DBs play both man and zone.[/p]
• [p]We begin modeling proper 7on7 equipment, t-shirts, etc in September.[/p]

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• [p]Our server upload tests were successful in the last playtest (ie people uploaded bare bones created teams).[/p][p][/p]

• [p]Now, we can take the steps to allow players to create, download, and import custom teams into new dynasties.[/p]

• [p]Previously, it took 1 minute for all teams in a state’s classification to sim training decisions and outcomes. Now? 1 second. 🤯[/p]

• [p]We built out training analysis tools that help us find trends, broken logic, and missed opportunities for not only human training but also the CPU teams deciding their own training priorities.[/p]

• [p]We are on pace to have 7on7 playtests on Patreon this Winter.[/p]
• [p]We’ve completed 10 playtests since February 2024 including more than 300 playtesters that have opted in.[/p]
• [p]In 2024, our playtests averaged 10 people. Now, we’re up to 50 playtesters every 6-8 weeks providing valuable feedback![/p]