Hello!

I released a new update for Kickabout today, so let's go over what it adds and do a nerdy 'behind the scenes' on how this content was created (AKA live ops).

Firstly, welcome 🇪🇬 Egypt, 🇮🇷 Iran, and 🇳🇬 Nigeria!

Kickabout is NOW AVAILABLE WORLDWIDE, so I had to add these powerhouse ⚽️ nations to Kickabout. Each team plays in their famous colors of course, but also play differently as CPU opponents too! Egypt and Iran defend deep, hitting on the break, while Nigeria’s pace and power will keep you on your toes.

These 3 new teams join Sweden, Ukraine, Austria, Switzerland, and Turkey from the last update, bringing the total to 42 national teams in Kickabout. Go download the update now, and try them for yourself!
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How did I go about adding these new teams? Here’s a quick peak behind the curtain of Kickabout’s content systems.

TECH ART

I created Kickabout using Unreal Engine 5, which has a data table system that I use for all 44 teams (42 nations plus red & blue). I add a new row for each new team, and then fill out the column data which my game systems then read from.

The TeamName, IconCircular, IconSquare, TeamColor and HUDTextColor are read by dynamic UI elements such as the HUD and Team Selection screen, to show the correct team’s colors, text, and icon.

The ShirtColor, ShortsColor, SocksColor are all read by the character material, applied to just the masked area of the character texture that represents that item of clothing. The ConflictColor allows the game to spot when players choose 2 teams with the same kit colors, and give the CPU team black bases so you can tell them apart during play. The Blondes toggle feeds into the randomized skin and hair color system, so we can exclude blond hair from potential selection for nations with no blond haired players.

GAMEPLAY SYSTEMS

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So far so cosmetic, but where it get’s interesting is the PlayStyle (0-8) and TeamDifficulty (1-10) data. These numbers are read by the CPU AI system I created, to drive multiple CPU player parameters such as acceleration, walk/run speed, pass percentage, pass recipient candidates, pass decision speed, and kick strength min & max.

These parameters are also a function of the difficulty level you choose as the player, and the individual team difficulty are sub-difficulty levels. This is exposed directly to the player as their current score multiplier. E.g. if you choose Expert (level 4) and Egypt as your opponent (difficulty 2) your score multiplier is x4.2.

Finally the formation manager also pulls in the playstyle data, and shifts player positions accordingly (e.g. positions defenders for the dreaded “brick wall” defense).

None of which the player cares about of course, but hopefully it’ll be interesting to my newsletter subscribers and followers online! Let me know :)

WORLD-WIDE

Kickabout is now available in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia - i.e. worldwide!

I’ve been loving watching the World Cup so far, and I’m proud to join its spirit of international celebration with Kickabout and its expanding roster of nations and full global availability. If you know someone with ties to Egypt, Iran, or Nigeria consider inviting them to join the Kickabout community, and letting them know their nation is now fully represented!

I’ve been heartened by the sheer number of countries Kickabout is now being played in. From India to Iran, Argentina to Australia, Sweden to China, there are Kickabout players all over the world.

I hope you're also feeling the uplifting effect of international communities built around sports and games. Please spread the word on Kickabout with your people, and see you on the leaderboard!

Rob

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