UFL Releases Episode 2 of Journey: AI, Cutscenes & New Skeleton

UFL has dropped new teases from Strikerz Inc. to follow up on episode 1, where they examined the creation of the stadiums in the game and the finer details they are trying to implement to stand out above the rest of their competitors.

In episode 2, they go further in detail about what to expect and discuss Artificial Intelligence, cutscenes, and new skeletons of the video game. The most exciting revelation from the latest episode of UFL Journey is that the game is now 80% complete. However, AI Assist Team Lead, Andrey Pashkevich, feels there is still much work to be done before the game’s release but admitted the most challenging elements are behind them.

With this news, the release date of 2023 is achievable. The other 20% still being worked on are: bug fixes and trying to fit the mechanics they’ve worked on so tirelessly into production.

Table of Contents

• Cutscenes
• Player Animation
• The Realism of the UFL Gameplay
• The AI
• New Skeleton

Discussing Improvements Made on Ultimate Football League by Strikerz Inc

The UFL Journey Director Tigran Spertsyan chats to CTO Max Chernega, Cutscene Team Lead Anatoliy Borodich, AI Assist Team Lead Andrey Pashkevich, and AI Director Mikhail Kontus about:

Cutscenes

They discuss the work and progress made so far and how they are to make the cutscenes more fun by developing more celebrations while increasing the combination of celebrations. Furthermore, they are currently working on the transition between games and broadcasting, designing more and better camera angles.

Player Animation

They talk about how the animation of the players has improved since implementing more animators during the game’s development. They are working on fine-tuning tackling, passing, player faints, collisions, and much more.

The Realism of the UFL Gameplay

An extensive conversation about how realistic they will make the game takes place in episode 2. Are they going for full-simulation football or full arcade mode? Anatoliy Borodich talks about using camera shake, lens flair, and out-of-focus scenes with distorted shots to ensure the perfect blend of both features.

The AI

The AI is the beating heart of the game. Chief Technology Officer, Max Chernega, talks about how the game is being made with a fully adjustable system so that the players can control the team’s behavior completely.

Related: UFL Gameplay Explained – Modes and Features

They’ve worked on every aspect of every situation, and AI support is also being buffed up heavily on UFL. He goes as far as saying that if a player wants to create a team identical to the team they support, tactics and all, they will be able to.

New Skeleton

Out with the old and in with the new. They dropped the old skeleton and produced a new one. The new skeleton used by Strikerz Inc. is said to be essential for them moving away from the robot-like player movement showcased in their first release that took heavy criticism from the public.

They’ve used a frame extremely close to a human skeleton to ensure the player’s movement, body shape, and style are as realistic as a real player running and kicking the ball on a football pitch.

Conclusion on the Latest Journey Episode

Strikerz Inc.’s dev team is trying to create the perfect blend between a football simulation game and arcade gaming that is close to broadcasting as possible.

They want to get it as close as possible to the real deal by taking in all the criticism they’ve received following the first release of the gameplay and graphics. They are adding atmosphere to the game, “breathing life into this generated world”.

Learn who UFL’s ambassadors are and read: Meet the Game Ambassadors of UFL. See what superstar players are carrying the flag for the football game, supposed to be coming in 2023.