6 ms·

Sensisble Soccer

62 points by danielovichdk 4y ago

smegsicle 4y ago
apparently a windows port of a classic amiga soccer game, with netcode and stuff https://www.mobygames.com/game/sensible-soccer-european-champions https://www.mobygames.com/game/sensible-soccer-european-cham...
- boomskats 4y ago
  My first reaction when reading your comment was 'wait, people don't know sensible soccer'? It took me a while to realise there's an entire generation of readers who will benefit from your explanation. Was it not a very popular game outside of Europe?
  - ephaeton 4y ago
    I'm from europe and old enough to have played games on amiga as kid and never have heard of it. Enjoy your bias revelation :) Also s/sensisble/sensible/?
  - gattilorenz 4y ago
    It was popular for Amiga gamers, yes. It’s the Fifa of the early 90s. Doesn’t mean literally everyone will known it :) Although a more serious comparison with Fifa (in terms of visuals and gameplay) could be made by considering I Play 3D soccer: https://www.mobygames.com/game/atari-st/i-play-3-d-soccer/screenshots/gameShotId,696468/ https://www.mobygames.com/game/atari-st/i-play-3-d-soccer/sc... Blows my mind what they managed to achieve technically on an Amiga and even a C64! Too bad the gameplay is mediocre
  - Semaphor 4y ago
    We didn’t have an Amiga, and none of my friends whose places I played at had this game. I even had to go to my dad’s workplace to play Prince of Persia on his Windows for Workstations 3.1 computer :D
Taniwha 4y ago
How very, um, 1990-something
mikelward 4y ago
*Sensible
lordnacho 4y ago
Very fun game back in the day. They did away with the "ball sticks to your feet" thing that most footie games have, so it felt a bit different. You ended up having to shoot from distance and curling it in, which was satisfying. You also got a 3D replay of the goal somehow, probably a bit fiddly to code at the time.
knotty66 4y ago
I honestly believe SWOS 96/97 (Amiga version) is the greatest football game ever made. I've been playing it periodically ever since, whether through emulators (WinUAE) or bundles and mods like this that adds netcode and updated players. I'm not that great though, I played Playaveli (the guy behind this site) online about 12 years ago and he easily beat me - 6-3 if I remember correctly.
teapot7 4y ago
I've never played Sensible Soccer, and don't focus much on sports of any form, but this article: https://readonlymemory.vg/the-making-of-sensible-soccer/ https://readonlymemory.vg/the-making-of-sensible-soccer/ is fascinating. I've reread it a few times now, and each time it give me an urge to implement a soccer game.
- Tomte 4y ago
  Sure, download https://wireframe.raspberrypi.com/books/code-the-classics1 https://wireframe.raspberrypi.com/books/code-the-classics1 and implement your Sensible Soccer lookalike.
- unwind 4y ago
  Thanks, that was fantastic. I played it in the 90s but was never much into sports either. I knew it was widely respected, and it was great to learn more.
rocketbop 4y ago
Although many here have fond memories of Swos, when it was first released on Amiga it was so bug ridden as to be almost unplayable. The system would crash when the goalkeeper saved the ball in a certain way, or sometimes immediately on scoring. If I remember correctly it was released in time for Christmas which is why so many bugs were allowed to be shipped. This was before widespread internet or over the air updates, so the developers had to send out patch floppy disks to early buyers (of whom I was one) that made the game usable. I don't remember any other Amiga game that needed to be patched in this way. After the fixes, it became one of my favourite ever games and I wasted far too much time honing my goal from halfway line skills, and building up title winning teams in management mode before the clubs went bankrupt.
- eCa 4y ago
  Never knew about the bug issues, I must have ”acquired” a fixed copy. I still have very fond memories of bringing Barnet FC from the lowest of divisions to the highest, with Henrik Larsson as the top scorer. He was just ridiculously fast.
- elij 4y ago
  I still refer to SWOS as the greatest game of all time
  - youngNed 4y ago
    I judge people on whether they prefered Sensi or KO2. I am judging you. Kick Off 2, at least on the Amiga was sooo much better. With Sensi, if you run down the pitch, slightly off centre, strike with after touch to the other side, you would more often than not score. With KO2 you had players with genuinely have different abilities, some could score from certain positions, others couldn't. With some teams a 'long ball' approach worked, others you needed to play to nippy wingers, or maybe even a full back who could charge down the line. Every player was much of a muchness in sensi, so you really only had to come up with one 'system' to play I Edwards, FTB Sinclair FTW.
    - lvturner 4y ago
jackson_dk 4y ago
Sensisble Soccer was great - but I was more into the Kick Off series of soccer games for the Amiga. The original creator of Kick Off redid and updated it for modern systems (Dino Dini's Kick Off Revival).
alexfoo 4y ago
Awesome game. Many (un)happy memories of breaking the microswitches in Quickshot Cobra joysticks playing this game. Or was that Kick Off 2? 15 years ago I stumbled across a "SENSIBLE 11" t-shirt in a shop in South Africa and only recently had to give it up as the moths had got to it. Same font, same pixelated players.
- zimpenfish 4y ago
  > I stumbled across a "SENSIBLE 11" t-shirt in a shop in South Africa I had (maybe still have) one of those - from a Kickstarter or something? - but even at the time I acquired it, the fit was somewhat tight and now, post-plague, no chance.
sclangdon 4y ago
Kim Justice has a good documentary on Sensible Software, which I highly recommend if you're at all interested in Sensible Soccer or their other games like Cannon Fodder or Mega Lo Mania. https://youtu.be/lJWro7NGBKo https://youtu.be/lJWro7NGBKo
hardlianotion 4y ago
No thanks, I lost my twenties to that game.
pastacacioepepe 4y ago
Best game of my childhood, I still remember the very funny comical intro video to the game[0], such a different mood compared to other soccer games. - [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiaPZEhGdro https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiaPZEhGdro
sensisocci 4y ago
Sensible Soccer is recognizable by the small scale player graphics but still did/does not fit the whole playing field on one screen. Originally due to screen size and resolution constraints I suppose. I'd love a version for 4K 60" type screens with the whole field visible flipped horizontally, for many vs many local multiplayer games. I wonder if there are any examples of screen/resolution constrained retro games that later got (un)official version that just expand the field of view like that, without replacing graphics or game mechanics?
jordiburgos 4y ago
I was more of Empire Soccer, I played thousands of matches. I remember plying Sensible Soccer and not getting into it.
justinhj 4y ago
I was always a Kick Off 2 guy but I actually worked at a small dev in London that made the console ports of swos. The sensible software guys were incredibly talented and made some classics.

62 points by danielovichdk 4y ago

apparently a windows port of a classic amiga soccer game, with netcode and stuff https://www.mobygames.com/game/sensible-soccer-european-champions https://www.mobygames.com/game/sensible-soccer-european-cham...

boomskats 4y ago
My first reaction when reading your comment was 'wait, people don't know sensible soccer'? It took me a while to realise there's an entire generation of readers who will benefit from your explanation. Was it not a very popular game outside of Europe?
- ephaeton 4y ago
  I'm from europe and old enough to have played games on amiga as kid and never have heard of it. Enjoy your bias revelation :) Also s/sensisble/sensible/?
- gattilorenz 4y ago
  It was popular for Amiga gamers, yes. It’s the Fifa of the early 90s. Doesn’t mean literally everyone will known it :) Although a more serious comparison with Fifa (in terms of visuals and gameplay) could be made by considering I Play 3D soccer: https://www.mobygames.com/game/atari-st/i-play-3-d-soccer/screenshots/gameShotId,696468/ https://www.mobygames.com/game/atari-st/i-play-3-d-soccer/sc... Blows my mind what they managed to achieve technically on an Amiga and even a C64! Too bad the gameplay is mediocre
- Semaphor 4y ago
  We didn’t have an Amiga, and none of my friends whose places I played at had this game. I even had to go to my dad’s workplace to play Prince of Persia on his Windows for Workstations 3.1 computer :D

Taniwha 4y ago

How very, um, 1990-something

mikelward 4y ago

*Sensible

lordnacho 4y ago

Very fun game back in the day. They did away with the "ball sticks to your feet" thing that most footie games have, so it felt a bit different. You ended up having to shoot from distance and curling it in, which was satisfying. You also got a 3D replay of the goal somehow, probably a bit fiddly to code at the time.

knotty66 4y ago

I honestly believe SWOS 96/97 (Amiga version) is the greatest football game ever made. I've been playing it periodically ever since, whether through emulators (WinUAE) or bundles and mods like this that adds netcode and updated players. I'm not that great though, I played Playaveli (the guy behind this site) online about 12 years ago and he easily beat me - 6-3 if I remember correctly.

teapot7 4y ago

I've never played Sensible Soccer, and don't focus much on sports of any form, but this article: https://readonlymemory.vg/the-making-of-sensible-soccer/ https://readonlymemory.vg/the-making-of-sensible-soccer/ is fascinating. I've reread it a few times now, and each time it give me an urge to implement a soccer game.

Tomte 4y ago
Sure, download https://wireframe.raspberrypi.com/books/code-the-classics1 https://wireframe.raspberrypi.com/books/code-the-classics1 and implement your Sensible Soccer lookalike.
unwind 4y ago
Thanks, that was fantastic. I played it in the 90s but was never much into sports either. I knew it was widely respected, and it was great to learn more.

rocketbop 4y ago

Although many here have fond memories of Swos, when it was first released on Amiga it was so bug ridden as to be almost unplayable. The system would crash when the goalkeeper saved the ball in a certain way, or sometimes immediately on scoring. If I remember correctly it was released in time for Christmas which is why so many bugs were allowed to be shipped. This was before widespread internet or over the air updates, so the developers had to send out patch floppy disks to early buyers (of whom I was one) that made the game usable. I don't remember any other Amiga game that needed to be patched in this way. After the fixes, it became one of my favourite ever games and I wasted far too much time honing my goal from halfway line skills, and building up title winning teams in management mode before the clubs went bankrupt.

eCa 4y ago
Never knew about the bug issues, I must have ”acquired” a fixed copy. I still have very fond memories of bringing Barnet FC from the lowest of divisions to the highest, with Henrik Larsson as the top scorer. He was just ridiculously fast.
elij 4y ago
I still refer to SWOS as the greatest game of all time
- youngNed 4y ago
  I judge people on whether they prefered Sensi or KO2. I am judging you. Kick Off 2, at least on the Amiga was sooo much better. With Sensi, if you run down the pitch, slightly off centre, strike with after touch to the other side, you would more often than not score. With KO2 you had players with genuinely have different abilities, some could score from certain positions, others couldn't. With some teams a 'long ball' approach worked, others you needed to play to nippy wingers, or maybe even a full back who could charge down the line. Every player was much of a muchness in sensi, so you really only had to come up with one 'system' to play I Edwards, FTB Sinclair FTW.
  - lvturner 4y ago

jackson_dk 4y ago

Sensisble Soccer was great - but I was more into the Kick Off series of soccer games for the Amiga. The original creator of Kick Off redid and updated it for modern systems (Dino Dini's Kick Off Revival).

alexfoo 4y ago

Awesome game. Many (un)happy memories of breaking the microswitches in Quickshot Cobra joysticks playing this game. Or was that Kick Off 2? 15 years ago I stumbled across a "SENSIBLE 11" t-shirt in a shop in South Africa and only recently had to give it up as the moths had got to it. Same font, same pixelated players.

zimpenfish 4y ago
> I stumbled across a "SENSIBLE 11" t-shirt in a shop in South Africa I had (maybe still have) one of those - from a Kickstarter or something? - but even at the time I acquired it, the fit was somewhat tight and now, post-plague, no chance.

sclangdon 4y ago

Kim Justice has a good documentary on Sensible Software, which I highly recommend if you're at all interested in Sensible Soccer or their other games like Cannon Fodder or Mega Lo Mania. https://youtu.be/lJWro7NGBKo https://youtu.be/lJWro7NGBKo

hardlianotion 4y ago

No thanks, I lost my twenties to that game.

pastacacioepepe 4y ago

Best game of my childhood, I still remember the very funny comical intro video to the game[0], such a different mood compared to other soccer games. - [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiaPZEhGdro https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiaPZEhGdro

sensisocci 4y ago

Sensible Soccer is recognizable by the small scale player graphics but still did/does not fit the whole playing field on one screen. Originally due to screen size and resolution constraints I suppose. I'd love a version for 4K 60" type screens with the whole field visible flipped horizontally, for many vs many local multiplayer games. I wonder if there are any examples of screen/resolution constrained retro games that later got (un)official version that just expand the field of view like that, without replacing graphics or game mechanics?

jordiburgos 4y ago

I was more of Empire Soccer, I played thousands of matches. I remember plying Sensible Soccer and not getting into it.

justinhj 4y ago

I was always a Kick Off 2 guy but I actually worked at a small dev in London that made the console ports of swos. The sensible software guys were incredibly talented and made some classics.