Full Time

‘Full Time’ is out third attempt at simulating soccer in a serious replay context. Both ‘Soccer Replay’ and ‘Final Score’ used the highlights system, whereby no attempt is made to recreate every pass and tackle, the game system merely identifying promising attacking moves and following the action through from there until either the attack breaks down or an attempt at goal is made.
Both games are still extensively played and both have their ardent supporters, but neither simulates the end-to-end nature of the sport or the ‘patterns of play’, the battle for supremacy in mid field and the ebb and flow as first one side then the other gains the upper hand. Other problems with our two previous attempts include the somewhat clumsy method of player identification, which slows and interrupts the flow of play and the comparatively small effect that a change of tactical formation has on the game.
‘Full Time’ addresses all these problems, using a ‘compressed time’, as opposed to ‘highlights’ design in which we attempt to reflect the overall nature (pattern) of the game, while still limiting playing time to about 30 minutes per match. We still do not reproduce every pass and tackle, but the action which unfolds on the stadium card is a compressed version of the whole game, including those intriguing midfield battles, the constant probing at a tight knit defence and the sudden and decisive counter attack that produces a goal against the run of play. We have also devised a system that makes player identification quick, clean and painless and have incorporated Ebb and Flow where the initiative passes from one team to the other throughout the match. Added to that we have ensured that tactical formation changes really do turn things around, although Initiative is automatically handed back to your opponents as the price of reorganisation, we have stolen some of the better ideas from ‘Soccer Replay’ and ‘Final Score’ (We’re entitled!) including the use of Fast Action Cards and have ensured that previously published Extension Sets for those games can be easily converted to use with ‘Full Time’