Introduction The most elaborate 3d football simulation available, which shows with the full realism the trajectory and movements of the ball according to the players and the wind. The Game KICK OFF is a football game played in an actual stadium, scaled yo the size of your screen. The teams play according to strategy (4-3-3, 5-3-2, 4-2-4...) that you determine at the beginning of the game. The players must move in front of the ball to intercept and control it. The ball moves as in an actual match, varying with the style of the player who controls it; to score will depend more on your ability than by chance. Controlling the ball is thus very important. To do this, you must intensely practice attacks, dribbles, goal kicks, rakings, and the multiple ways of performing a corner kick. You can, very quickly, achieve a level close to perfection. Each player has four qualities: precision, agression, physical condition and speed. Speed and precision are therefore more advanced with a professional football player than a player on the "sunday" level. While passing the different levels, you will learn to adapt yourself to the style of the teams and the quality of the players. The possiblity of changing the game level of each team makes the game more involving: if you like a challenge, give yourself a "youth" team to play an international team. You can play in League Competition comprised of eight teams. They all have the same capacities, but a different game style. The Competition lasts fourteen weeks, and you will have the possibility of saving it. You can play alone or with a friend against the computer. At any rate, a referee will punish your behaviour and don't protest uselessly if one of your players gets himself expelled from the field: you can count on the referee to take the side of the computer. In case of foul-play, you know the consequences! Yellow card: warning, red card: expulsion. To know who is doing what, the scanner will give you an aerial view of the game, as well as the positions and movements of all the players. Prinicpal Menu Practice Skills Permits the learning and mastering of the joystick movements. You can improve your passes and corner kicks which are practiced with or without a goal keeper. Practice Penalties For one or two players, you can kick or stop five penalty kicks. Single Game You can play alone or with a friend against the computer. There are five levels, and each team can opt for a different level. League Competition It lasts fourteen weeks during which eight teams play each other, each team having its own playing style. Match Length It must be chosen before selecting the type of match (single or competition), and varies from 10 to 90 minutes. A default is called after 10 minutes. To return to the principal menu, press the SPACE BAR. Sub-Menus They appear with the choice of a simple match. Several options will lead you to the match without returning to the principal menu. The Matches The Single Match Choose the number of players with the joystick realizing that: Player One - Joystick 1 - Blue Team Player Two - Joystick 2 - Yellow Team Each team determines its own level underlining its choice and pressing the FIRE button. The five levels are: Sunday League, Youth League, Reserve League, National League and International. If the two teams choose an identical level, a wind threatens the trajectory of the ball. Moreover, a flip of the coin is used and the winning team chooses its side. Tactics: There are four represent the different formations on the field. The formations are ase follows: 4 - 3 - 3 - Defence 4 - 2 - 4 - Attack 4 - 4 - 2 - Midfield 5 - 3 - 2 - Good Defence. Underline your choice with the joystick and validate it with the FIRE button. For two players, first choose with the joystick 1, then with joystick 2. Do the same for the playing style. The match begins at the end of the selections. League Competition First of all, prepare a formatted diskette to save the game at any moment. The Competition lasts fourteen weeks and is composed of eight teams. Each team has their own unique style. They play in the National League, but the teams do have some International players. At the end of the match, you will be able to save or load each result separately; this is useful when you play with different friends at different times. The grid of the Competition formed of eight teams appears when you opt for the League Competition in the principal menu. The grid indicates if the team is controlled by the computer or the joystick (you can modify it). The results of the completed matches are also displayed for each team. At the bottom of the grid, the following options are presented: Modify: You can modify the control of the teams by computer (C) or joystick (J). Press the FIRE button to switch from the computer mode to the joystick. Click DONE when all the modifications have been made. Load: Press LOAD and the names of the different Competition grids will appear. To load one of them click on the appropriate choice. Save: After inserting the formatted diskette, press SAVE and the names will appear. Position yourself onto a name. Continue: Continue allows you to choose the teams which are going to play in the following match. For two players, one team uses joystick 1 and the other uses joystick 2. The indicated match is running. Quit: Press Quit to return to the principal menu. Commands The player is moved by eight directions. Headers You can head the ball by pressing the fire button of the joystick while the ball is in the air; direct the blow with the joystick. Attacks There are two types of attacks: The first is called blocking: You must run alongside your adversary and, before his attack, intercept the ball. The second is called raking, for which you must use the fire button to touch the ball before the other player to avoid a penalty. Attacks from behind and on top of an adversary not possessing the ball are considered faults. Corners There are nine different movements for a corner. A table appears indicating the different ways a player can kick the ball. If the top of the ball is kicked, it will remain on the ground. If it is kicked in the middle of the ball, the ball will be at mid-height. If the ball is kicked from the bottom, the ball will be on a level with the crossbar of the goal. Click the arrow corresponding to your choice. Penalty Kicks The angle as well as the height can be controlled. An arrow moving from the right to the left indicate the horizontal position of the ball when kicked. As for the height, it depends on the manner that you click, the slower you click, the higher the kick. Control Of The Goal Keeper [LEFT + DOWN] - Dive [LEFT] - Dive [LEFT + UP] - Dive [UP] - Jump [RIGHT + UP] - Dive [RIGHT] - Dive [RIGHT + DOWN] - Dive [DOWN] - Kneel [MIDDLE] - Catch This schema corresponds to the nine positions of the joystick. To move the goal keeper, press the fire button of the joystick for the duration of the movement. Control Of The Ball You can make several simple movements, but when the game starts moving quickly, you must use your reflexes. Thus, we advise you to learn skills developed only through practice. Dribble The ball moves in front of the player and the distance more or less corresponds to the speed of the player when he touches it. Shoot To shoot the ball and push the FIRE button. Block You will gain control of the ball by pushing the FIRE button before touching it. Pass Stop the ball and press, without kicking it, the FIRE button, direct the pass with the joystick, and then release the FIRE button. When the joystick is in a neutral position and you press the FIRE button, the ball does not move. You can then dribble and shoot (the ball is still as long as the joystick is in a neutral position).