PAX, Football and a new Beta Update Tomorrow!
almost 7 years ago – Wed, Sep 13, 2017 at 01:19:40 AM

Hey Backers,  

We survived PAX!!! 

A day before PAX we were invited to show MFL at Microsoft’s open house PAX event. It was quite an honor. The ID@XBox people were so very cool and helpful (and nice). It was an all-day event, which lasted into the evening. Microsoft put on an awesome event with over 2700 people attending and playing games.  

On Friday, PAX opened and while our booth was far off to the side, and way in the back (I asked the security guys, called "Enforcers", if any signal flares came with the booth - hahaha). Although we were hard to find, we still had a crowded booth for the majority of the show. It turns out Mutant Football League is kind of popular with the show goers. Overall, the response was fantastic, people really enjoyed the game. We had players of all ages playing. There was shouting, screaming and laughing and a hell of a crowd having a good time.  

Mutant Football League is one of those games that’s almost as fun to watch as it is to play. People gave me useful feedback and everyone seemed to enjoy the game. Just about everyone understood the core mechanics after a few minutes of playing. Sony, Microsoft, Amazon and a host of other companies stopped by the booth to say hello, although I’m not sure how they found our booth.  

For those of you who did find our booth and stopped by to say “Hi!” thank you!!! It was great to meet you and play the game with some of you, which was a blast. PAX was awesome for us. It gave us chance to get the product out in people’s hands and for five days (one at Microsoft and four at PAX). I was able to watch and analyze people playing the game for 8 hours straight, it gave me insight into what people were loving and what was causing some frustration.

MFL was also invited to the MIX (Media Indie Exchange). The MIX celebrates innovative indie games across many genres and platforms throughout the year — around E3 time, Game Developer’s Conference, EVO, and more. The guys who hold that event are awesome.

 After 4 very long but enjoyable days we made it back safely and I immediately jumped back into work. A lot of the issues we received feedback on at PAX, we are fixing and improving. Over the next month we hope to tighten everything up and add a few surprises for you.  

BETA UPDATE

How you guys liking the Beta build so far? You having fun? Other than some of our hardcore fanatics helping us out with bugs (thank you guys, we appreciate your help so much and we will make it up to you), and a number of people writing me, the forums have been fairly quiet. Not sure if that’s a good or bad thing? If you like the game, we want to know. If you hate the game, we want to know. This is Beta, we have about 6 weeks left to tune this bad boy and we need your input (good or bad). The bad, is actually more useful for us right now then the good, because we have time to make the bad into good.  

We’re going to push out a new update tomorrow and here’s what you can expect to find.

The majority of this update is bug fixes and polish. Some new content is on the horizon but you’re going to need to wait a bit for that. Here are the major fixes.  

• Fixed Resurrection Dirty Trick that didn't work for Away team in Season Mode  
• Fixed play clock doesn't show during Hurry Up  
• Fixed ball physics - sometimes it could fly through players without collision  
• Improved game launch time  
• Added collisions outside of the field - you can't run through walls now  
• Various AI and gameplay fixes  
• Team rosters are slowly getting updated now.  
• Team rosters are now 51 and will rise to 53 or 54 as we add more “name a player” backers into the game. 

Next week the plan is to go early access on Steam / Open Beta, so hopefully we will get some more players playing the online game. I’ll keep you posted.  

Join our Steam and Discord MFL Communities:  

Steam Group: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/mutantfootballleague  

Discord: https://discord.gg/EVc5N2s  

BACKER KIT SURVEYS  

About 260 backers who have NOT filled out survey's yet. Please go ahead and fill out your surveys so we can deliver your rewards and make sure you name appears in the credits. https://mfl.backerkit.com

If you haven’t filled out your survey yet, please do or you will be left behind for launch. 

Love you guys, thank you so much for giving us this opportunity!!! From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU!!! Talk to you soon.

The MFL Team!!!

BETA IS HERE (ALMOST)!
almost 7 years ago – Tue, Aug 29, 2017 at 10:42:19 PM

Trying to keep as many promises as possible to all of you and it looks like we will be delivering Beta in August! Woo-Hoo! That’s right, this Thursday we will have a “closed” Beta for only Kickstarter backers and those who pre-purchased through BackerKit. I expect there will be some problems (and bugs), but hang in there with us and we will do our best to get everything resolved as quickly as possible. 

In a couple weeks we'll open up the Beta to more people on Steam.

We will be sending keys out on Thursday morning in a newsletter, so please check your spam / junk folders, if you haven’t received our newsletter email. Only people who have purchased the game will have Beta Access, and once we release the game on PC (in October), there will be no more Beta. So people who have purchased the digital game for console will need to wait until January 2018 to resume playing.

STRETCH GOAL STATUS

Many of you have been asking about the stretch goals, so let me share with you what’s been accomplished and what hasn’t. One thing I need to make clear is that any stretch goal which will not make it for launch, will be delivered as free downloadable content to all of our Kickstarter Backers. 

Let’s run down our Stretch Goal list:  

ALIEN SPECIES 

Criminal Aliens are quick and fidgety creatures, known for their ability to stop on a dime. They propel themselves differently than any other species, moving like a ball in a forward rolling motion. Not only does this make them much more difficult to tackle, it also helps prevent them from being cracked open like a broiled lobster with drawn butter on the field (Alien tails served on a bed of glazed Orc hairs are considered a delicacy in some parts of the galaxy).

BRIBE & KILL REF

When you bribe a ref they will start calling bullshit penalties on the opposing team at the worst possible time (after big plays and scores). There's nothing worse than having a touchdown called back on a game winning drive. To deal with a bribed ref, there are two options: bribe him or kill him! You can only use bribe ref once per half but you're free to kill a the ref as many times as you want.

DIRTY TRICK: SHOTGUN

When this Dirty Trick is called, the Quarterback pulls out a shotgun when the ball is snapped to him. The Quarterback can run and fire his gun at opposing tacklers. Check it out!

NEW TEAM - GALAXY CHAOS

This all alien team plays in a low gravity environment, which it uses to its full advantage. While their offense is merely average, their All-Star receiver Apex Predator is a game breaker, who can singlehandedly win games. On defense, All-Star coverback Omega Zetan shuts down the opposition every game.

SPACE FIELD

The Galaxy Chaos home field is Ceti Alpha stadium built on a floating meteorite, which also serves as an off Earth Penal Colony when games aren't being played.

UNLOCKABLES

This is one feature where we ran out of time. We have the system designed and had parts of it working in the game, but we pulled it about a month ago. The system we want to implement could not be achieved and polished to the level required in the time remaining. So the plan for this feature is as follows: after we go through certification and are approved, we will implement it in the game and then deliver it in an update. It's basically unlocking teams and a variety of other rewards like new plays and formations, pictures of All-Stars, etc. 

NEW CHARACTER SPECIES #1 - HUMANS

Mutated descendants of ancient Humankind, Humans were some of the first players to play in the league but after years of debate as to whether or not they were a powerful enough species they were banned. For hundreds of years, they were viewed as soft, fragile beings that weren't strong enough to handle the intensity of the MFL, remnants of an era long passed. But with scientific and military advancements in cybernetics and performance enhancing drugs they have been officially allowed back into into the league. Savagely violent, but smart by nature, Super-Humans have a balanced skill set.

STEAM PUNK FIELD 

We decided to modify this field a bit to make it work with the Motor City Maniacs. Check it out in the Motor City Maniacs video.

NEW TEAM #1 (MOTOR CITY MANIACS)

This is the team you guys voted on and decided would be in the game.

The Maniacs rag tag group of criminals, gang-bangers and insane maniacs, who ruled the streets of the Motor City, causing crime and mayhem until a group of corporate and municipal sponsors pooled their money together to form an MFL Team.  Over the years the team has had it's ups and downs, but they have an elite Quarterback in Ratspew Splattered, along with a respectable defense.

MORE GORE & EVEN MORE GORE

We've spent an incredible amount of time on creating, intense, powerful and bloody hits and tackles into the game. Honestly, this what makes our game unique, so we created many new tackle animations, hits, attacks and gory visual effects. Ivan Zaplava, our genius tech lead put in rag doll and dismemberment and our art director, Andrew Lebid has worked his heart out to bring you the finest blood & guts ever to grace a sports videogame.

DIRTY TRICK: TRIP OUT

You can see this Dirty Trick when you watch the video in the Trip Out Field / Arena (way down below. Keep reading, you'll get to it).

PLAYOFF & MAYHEM BOWL PLAY MODES

We have the Playoffs Mode in the game. It's really nice because it's a 2 round playoffs and if you survive you get to play in the Mayhem Bowl. However if you lose a Playoff game, you're done. This mode is cool because it's like a mini-season. You'll be able to play this on Thursday.

DIRTY TRICK: HOT POTATO

This is a Dirty Trick designed by one of our MFL Kickstarter Backers. When the defense calls this play it set's off a bomb inside the football and when the offense runs a play... well you'll have to see what it does on Thursday!

NEW TEAM #2 / NEW YUCK TYRANTS

Take a look at the Tyrants in action!

URBAN APOCALYPSE FIELD

We're still working on this field and should have something for launch. I would show you concept art but for some reason I can't upload picts on this update (must be a Kickstarter bug - It happens from time to time, which is why I'm posting all these videos instead of screenshots tonight when I should be packing for PAX). Oh well, looks like I'm gonna be up all night!

DIRTY TRICK: BERSERK

The defender grows spikes and puts the fear of God in the opposition. Pictures speak louder than words. Take a look...

HALFTIME MINIGAME

I could show a video, but decided I would let you experience it for yourself on Thursday. The guys playing the Alpha Build haven't said it sucks yet, so maybe it's okay? You guys can let us know after you've had a chance to play it.

NEW TEAM #3 - CARDINAL SINS

Watch out for Mutant Worms!

TRIP OUT FIELD / ARENA

How do I explain this field? I can't... you'll have to see for yourself. This video includes the Strawberry Fields Dirty Trick. Enjoy.

NEW SPECIES #2 - MUTANT DEMON

This is the demon species and I've already shown you the models in this update: update: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mendheim/mutant-football-league-mfl/posts/1928387

So we have the demon built but there are issues, he has wings... which means he can semi-fly. He jumps and floats down slowly and can be maneuvered while he is in the air. The problem is this character is going to take some time to balance and polish. More time than we have. When I was in Kiev, i made a decision to cut him from our release. We're running out of time and money and don't want to put him in the game without proper balancing and polish. I'm sorry. The entire team is sorry, but we would rather give him the time he needs and then release him in an update or as DLC than deliver you something shoddy. You guys will get him after launch.

NEW SPECIES #3 - WEREWOLVES

If we can't give you Demons for launch, Werewolves aren't going to happen either, but they will get made and released, same as the demons. Here is the link with the final results from the Survey you all took: https://www.surveymonkey.com/results/SM-83NCPC65/

FULL SEASON

It's a 13 week season where deaths carry over from week to week (if that's how you choose to play). Win your division and you're in the playoffs. You can resurrect 3 players every week (including bye weeks). We've also got team scouting, standings and stats... lots and lots of stats. We're going to need your help to make sure all the stats are correct.

While we didn't get everything done, we accomplished a lot and we're not done. Sometimes it makes the most sense to do a little less and make it as good as it can be, rather than trying to do to much and have it be mediocre. We'll get what was promised in the game after launch, we just needed a little more time, but our financial situation wouldn't allow that. We hope you all agree with our decision and aren't too disappointed. We hope you'll like the game and will help us make it better over the next 6 weeks. 

With all our gratitude, the MFL Team wants to say thanks to every single one of you who made this game possible. You'll get your demons and werewolves. They're coming, they just need a little more time in the oven.

If you're in Seattle and going to PAX, stop by and say "Hi" - I'm in booth 6618 and we can play a game.

Best,

Michael and the MFL Team

BETA IS COMING!!!
almost 7 years ago – Sat, Aug 26, 2017 at 11:20:37 PM

Alright gang we’re getting close! So far we’ve managed to stay on our schedule and the game is coming along nicely. We just posted our last Alpha build on Steam (for those of you who have purchased Alpha), and we will be releasing our Steam Closed Beta build next week. Here are the details:

• Beta will begin next week on Thursday, August 31, 2017.
• This is a CLOSED Beta - exclusive for our Kickstarter Backers and people who have pre-purchased the game.
• We will be sending out keys to everyone next week.
• Closed Beta is for everyone who purchased the game (on any platform).
• If you haven't purchased the game and want to - it can be purchased at Backerkit
• In a few weeks we will open up Beta to all Steam Players via Early Access.

Join our Steam and Discord MFL Communities:

Steam Group: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/mutantfootballleague  

Discord: https://discord.gg/EVc5N2s

BACKER KIT SURVEYS

92% of our backers have completed their Backerkit surveys but that still leaves about 300 backers who have NOT filled out survey's yet. Please go ahead and fill out your surveys so we can deliver your rewards and make sure you name appears in the credits.

https://mfl.backerkit.com

THANK YOU, KIEV!!!

I was visiting Kiev last week to work on the game with the team, getting MFL to an early Beta state so you guys can finally play it. The development team, led by Ivan Zaplava have been working extremely hard and can now finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. 

It's been a long and hard fought journey to get this game completed. For those of you who have followed us since the beginning, you've seen all of our ups and downs over the years. it's been such a difficult struggle, and there hasn't been a single day when we haven't been counting pennies or fighting some kind of battle to get this game completed... but it's also been one of the most rewarding and satisfying projects I've ever worked on. 

The realization of this dream is because of our awesome development team doing the impossible day in and out... and because of all of YOU, the MFL & Kickstarter Community! You guys made this possible. You financed and believed in us... you gave us a chance, and we just want to say THANK YOU!!!

 Thank you MFL Community for making this game possible. 

PAX WEST / NEXT WEEK!!!

MFL we'll be showing at PAX West next week. We're at #6618 - if you're going, please stop by and say Hi!

REWARD STATUS

The shirts have finally arrived! Yes, we have shirts! If you ordered a shirt and don’t have them bundled with other rewards, we will be sending them out after PAX. Sorry about the delay (there were some issues) but they look awesome. Here are some picts.  

DIGITAL GOODS & OTHER REWARDS… Anyone who purchased Retro Genesis Case, PC Box, etc – will be receiving their rewards in October as stated on Kickstarter. Since these items include a manual we need the game to be Beta before we can start the manual. So thank you for your patience!  

Name a Player – character names are now being slowly added to the game. Not everyone’s names will be in the game yet, but they are coming.

Design a play reward - I've already reached out to backers individually, and designs have are being delivered.

Talk to you all soon!

Alpha Steam keys sent / Questions on Streaming
about 7 years ago – Fri, May 05, 2017 at 05:26:21 PM

We sent all the Steam keys out so make sure you check your spam if you don't see them. If your key isn't there feel free to send us a message through Kickstarter and we will do our best to help you out, but please remember we are a small team and we may not be able to hook you up right away.

A lot of questions coming our way concerning streaming. Please let's let the game settle for a week. We're going to find a lot of bugs, especially online bugs. Let us get a handle on them before you start streaming. We're also going to be opening up some teams and a few features next week. After Friday 5/12, feel free to stream.

Streaming Requests:

We hope that those streaming will show the game in the best light possible and not try to make the game look bad (which is really not that hard to do at this point if you really try).

No Online Streaming

For now it's best not to stream online multiplayer games. We still are fighting some visual sync issues and we should get them resolved soon. If people start streaming online games before it's ready we will have to turn this feature off. Please help us play test online and once it's working better then you can stream online games (probably in mid-June).

Okay to stream local games

The local multiplayer and single player games are fine to stream after next week.

You guys have been great and hell, you're part of the team. Seriously, a lot of you have been with us since the beginning, have contributed ideas, features, characters, art, writing and even music. So all I'm asking is that you please don't hurt us.  The game is only alpha and still fragile. 

Thanks again for all your incredible support!!! Have fun mutant bashing.

Best,

The MFL Team

We'll be sending Alpha Steam Keys out tomorrow!
about 7 years ago – Fri, May 05, 2017 at 12:24:58 AM

Hi Everyone,

No big update today. Just wanted to let everyone know we've hit Alpha and will be sending out Steam Keys tomorrow via the email addresses you've provided us with.

If you don't receive a steam key, please check your spam folder. If it's not there, just message us via kickstarter. We will take care of everyone. Alpha is going to last a couple months so tomorrow is just day 1.

Since the game is Alpha and not fully tested you may experience some issues based on different PC Configurations. You will also experience bugs, AI issues, some broken game rules and even game crashes (but you will still have fun playing). Remember this is a work in progress and NOT a finished game.  

The User can play a single game against the computer or local multiplayer game against friends (2 to 4 players) or a 1 on 1 online game (we have a little more work to do before we open this up to 3 and 4 players). We apologize in advance for any frustration.  

There are also some features that are locked right now because they are not ready for primetime. They will be unlocked soon. We will be updating the build about once a week, sometimes every other week depending on the situation.  Every update will unlock new things.

We will spend the next 2 months addressing these issues and improving the game. We will need your help to help make this game rock and so far you’ve been doing an outstanding job!

Thank you for patience! Our team, Led by Ivan Zaplava has been working very hard. We apologize for being a week late on our Alpha.

Best,

MFL Team