Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
Football SuperStars: First Interview
Stradden
Managing EditorMember CommonPosts: 6,696
MMORPG.com's Joe Iuliani conducts this Q&A interview with the folks from Football Superstars, the upcoming Soccer-based MMORPG.
MMORPG.com:
Sport Games have traditionally been a console game staple, how do you think a PC sports game will fair?
Football Superstars:
Rather well from what I've seen! PC versions have always played second fiddle to their console brethren for the big guns in football gaming and you often get the impression they're little more than an afterthought from the way they play. Football Superstars however is a game that's been developed solely with the PC in mind.
The big difference between the formats is control systems. Obviously gamepads have got a monopoly on the home consoles and so we've had umpteen years to get used to blistering our thumbs with D-pad and button controls. The keyboard and mouse system used in Football Superstars is a real sea change and a lot of players who've been brought up on FIFA and PES approach it with apprehension at first. We take no small amount of pleasure in seeing that moment when it all falls into place and they realise exactly why we've taken the approach we have.
Console football games employ a certain amount of creative license when interpreting the player's inputs. When you're through on goal in FIFA you'll give the game an inkling of where you want to put your shot but ultimately it's out of your hands. Ever thought you'd set up a perfectly placed dink into the top corner and seen it blasted 15 feet over the bar?
FS employs a control system that will be familiar to anyone who's played a first or third person shooter. W, A, S, and D control your movement, shift is sprint, spacebar is pass, and left click is shoot (this being the short and sweet explanation, obviously). Using the mouse you can choose precisely where you want the ball to go, giving you an unprecedented level of control over your actions. It will sound unusual and unintuitive until you've actually sat down and had a go, but it's remarkable how quickly players get the hang of it and find themselves performing defence-splitting passes and crunching tackles without a second thought.
Read the Football Superstars Interview
Cheers,
Jon Wood
Managing Editor
MMORPG.com
Comments
This is exactly why PC games are not in trouble. The companies who write for consoles don't want to require keyboard and mouse addtions for the console, so they dumb the game down to work with the controller. That is why you won't see a pvp MMO written for both console and PC, unless they are kept on separate servers, because the pvper with the PC controls is literally going to consistently own the console player with a controller.
Of all sport mmo's that could be made. Soccer?!!! so lame...
A. NOT football.
B. No one cares.
-----Zero Punctuation Eve Online Review-----
Uhh, don't even think about making a soccer mmorpg, seriously. They expect this thing to somehow roll in the money?
I know people have to work somewhere putting their programming and artistic skills to use but come on. Get a job at Blizzard, Mythic, or Cryptic, anywhere else.
Pretty useless to spend years of your life working on something like this that has so little marketability in todays mmo environment.
Seems to me the change from traditional fantasy based mmo's has drifted to sci fi (SWOR, STO etc.) and post apocolyptic fallout, fallen earth type stuff, these devs. are wasting their time.
It's going to sink.
Not really when you think about it. Football (soccer, if you must) is the biggest sport on the planet after all.
Not really when you think about it. Football (soccer, if you must) is the biggest sport on the planet after all.
Shhh..Americans are the only ones in the world that matter.. Oh , and americans also somehow are the worlds biggest mmo markets...... /sarcasm..
This game will prolly strike gold in Europe.... It sounds like a decent idea to be honest..
I personally couldn't think of a better sport to be made into an MMO to be honest. I can't answer whether it will appeal to a large enough existing audience, but as mentioned in the interview, there are a lot of factors that will entice people to try this game out.
This is a different outlook on mmorpg's that should prove to be very interesting for the genre. I am interested to see how this will compare with traditional mmo attitudes among players, and what this means for the future.
Overall though, this game is definately worth a look at when it is released, if you have any interest in such a game. Some people will hate it because they lack any care for the sport. But anyone that is remotely interested in this concept should give this a try in the coming months.
great idea and project.
say whatever you want... but I'm just waiting for it!
PUMA FTW
To be honest I can't imagine this game will draw much of a following on here as the majority of people that visit are from NA. Football is waaaay down the list of popular sports in america, despite what the Beckham PR machine might tell you.
This game falls into a strange demographic somewhere between the MMORPG player and those who enjoy games like FIFA, PES, CM and FM. It just so happens that I'm one of those people, so I'll definitely be keeping an eye on it.
As stated this will probably be big in Europe. Based on the numbers for professional soccer in the U.S., I'd bet people here in the US would probably be waiting for a BowlingAllStars MMO or a HuntingAllStars MMO before this one. Definitely F2P with a cashshop to buy soccer stars. Submit your credit card nmber and you too can have a David Beckham on your MMO team.
Should have made a Nascar CountryMusic AllStars MMO and would generate more interest.
Nice to see someone with a different idea for a mmo though, I've seen weirder ideas just not by much.
"TO MICHAEL!"
I first off have to say good luck.This type of game ,albeit has become more popular over the last two world cups,will be a very tough sell.I just can't seem to grasp this game, and i sort of like a little soccer myself,but not more than say once a week.
I see a little mentioning of other aspects besides playing soccer,but how in depth and how much of it is in the game?IMO it will be VERY hard to put enough content into the game to call it an MMORPG type of game.I like hearing the word Persistent world,but there has to be lots happening and not the odd NPC floating around tha twould take 15-20 minutes of my time then i would be stuck playing soccer or logging off.
I can see a whole slew of ideas to building up your soccer abilities so i guess there is something happening there.I find the idea of a Horse racing mmorpg much more doable as you would be developing several horses and breeding and racing/training ,it just seems more do able.
Anyhoot,good luck with the game,being Canadian I'm not so sure i can get into soccer enough to try it out,who knows maybe i will.I would be more inclined to try out a hockey type MMORPG,but i mean there is only so much you can do with this type of idea.
I think we have all tried this type of game in the form of BOXING.You have skills to build up stuff like strength/endurance/quickness/jab/uppercut the works.It is/was a bit of fun i guess,so maybe soccer has a chance as well ,if there is enough soccer fans willing to play the game.I might also add...you MUST have key mapping,if someone like myself was limited to WASD ,i would not play it no matter what,i prefer arrows all the way and cannot stand crammed in letters,i would be hitting the wrong key all the time.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
This is a really interesting and refreshing idea. I'll surely give it a try. Sports game are under-developped in the MMo industry and if done well, this could be a great game.
Creativity : The ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods or interpretations; using originality, progressiveness, or imagination.
Not really when you think about it. Football (soccer, if you must) is the biggest sport on the planet after all.
Shhh..Americans are the only ones in the world that matter.. Oh , and americans also somehow are the worlds biggest mmo markets...... /sarcasm..
This game will prolly strike gold in Europe.... It sounds like a decent idea to be honest..
I agree wholeheartedly, also i hope this game will do well , it's a cool idea.
-----------------------------
Real as Reality Television!!!
Go back to your troll quests then! Forgive them for trying to come up with an intresting concept for a game that doesnt involve fufilling your sad "sexual elf girl in armour" fantasy
As much as I don't like fotboll (Im a motorsports kind of guy) I think this game will be BIG in EU, South America, Russia, Asia and Japan.
I predict subscription numbers bigger than WoW, fotboll nutters are crazy, I know some of my friends that are fotball fans and they are borderline psycothics about fotball
/PS: I know, first post, been a lurker for a loooong time, and an MMOer also for a looong time, not much of a talker though
Wow all the haters on here it's shocking to say the least. Few things to say
1. If your not interested in the game why bother reading or posting?
2. Not everything revolves around America
3. If you want swords and magic F**K off back to WoW and get your cheap thrills from that.
4. As said before FOOTBALL is the biggest sport in the world the only reason Americans don't like it is because you all suck at it haha.
Well i for one along with many others am eagerly awaiting launch of this game, It will fill a major hole in the MMO market we will finally get a decent football MMO (don't you dare say Kicks Online) with good graphics and promising gameplay value and the icing on the cake it's FREE!!! what more could anybody want??
Pre launch Rating for me? 10/10!!!!
Soccer is the MOST played sport in the WHOLE world... so for my fellow americans commenting on "soccer, bahhhh..." I urge you to look outside your little piece of land.
A sports MMORPG? I would hate to be the designer for that game. It will be a nightmare to come up with ways to keep the gameplay interesting on a game, in a game, that is based on a game.
Sports are best played in real life, that is what I firmly believe (however, if you are disabled, then that is a different story).
There are reasons why I don't ever buy sports game for any console, even though I completely wipe the floor with my friends when we do play one. Winning in sports game brings me no joy btw, however, beating someone who bought the game does. LOL
Just thinking about a sports MMORPG have made my day.
Well, to comment on a few things you have said..
If you check out the FS forums you would actually see that alot of the people there have come up with alot of ideas for what they would like to see added into the game and most have been 'taken into consideration' or have 'already been spoken about' so just from that it seems that there will be alot of features coming into the game sooner or later.
Ahhh now console sports games are normally easy yes i agree with you on that, BUT now this is on PC and you are only in control of ONE player in the team and winning may be a harder task than most people think.. I urge you to just try it out upon release see what you think, you may well just enjoy it, if you don't then at least you gave it a shot.
It doesn't matter if its Football or Soccer or X sport whatever..and MMO based on a sport period is corny...and screams Item Mall / F2P / advertisers dream they already have Puma On board....its like a bizarre invasion. There will be people who love it though...people who like 'team' games or just plain love soccer but still..a Sports MMO? Good luck to them.
Wow, seriously are you that narrow minded? You class it as corny because the simple fact its a 'sports MMO'? and you won't even give it a chance? sheet thats forked up on your part.
I say well done monumental for actually having the guts to stand up and try something new, and if all you 'haters' want to sit here and bit*ch about how lame 'sports MMO' games are or how lame football/soccer is then thats your problem, if you want to come here and read about the game then complain just show how much of a life you DON'T have
. 
Have fun
Well, to comment on a few things you have said..
If you check out the FS forums you would actually see that alot of the people there have come up with alot of ideas for what they would like to see added into the game and most have been 'taken into consideration' or have 'already been spoken about' so just from that it seems that there will be alot of features coming into the game sooner or later.
Ahhh now console sports games are normally easy yes i agree with you on that, BUT now this is on PC and you are only in control of ONE player in the team and winning may be a harder task than most people think.. I urge you to just try it out upon release see what you think, you may well just enjoy it, if you don't then at least you gave it a shot.
I did not think it was possible, but you completely missed all the humor in all the sentences. I need to work on my punchlines and stuff. Sigh.
However, I do believe that there are some issues for it to be in the genre of MMORPG. I'll list them so you can counter if you wish, however, I am going to be very generous to that game by assuming it is the best sports MMORPG ever made. (I always assume the most extreme case and take it apart with skepticism. That is how I remain as objective as possible)
1. You will be playing Soccor. This either appeals or turn away players, there are no middle ground, due to the genre being sports. Furthermore, soccor is one sport out of countless other sports, even if it is the most popular sport in the world. Even under the assumption that this is the best soccor game in the world there is still almost have no room for arguement when it comes to this point. Out of the people that actually play it, of course not all will play it religiously, always a portion wil be gone after a short time.
2. Under the assumption it is the best soccor game in the world, they of course will have huge array of customization anywhere from appearance, stats, skills, style, equipments to formations and teamwork, etc etc etc. Lets assume even more that they add in career mode and even training and even everyday life. They have simulated a real professional soccor player's life. Now what? Of course they go out and play soccor with other players. They can tweak the rule and make the game super exciting to play, and filled with cool moves. However, this doesn't change the fact that they can only be playing soccor. Once players realize this point they will either keep playing, playing casually, or simply quit.
3. Lets say it is so great that it retains all the player base that did give it a shot. Huge player base, they all play soccor all day long. However, human attention span is pathetic, and repetition is boring, especially when something involves playing the same game everyday even if the opponents/teamates change. The differents between real professional soccor players and virtual soccor players kicks in.
Real life pro soccor players work hard, train their body, get accustomed to or even addcited to adrenaline, they play and they get injured. However, they get up and play again. They play and keep playing because this game now defines their existence, this game pays their bills, and to feel like they are truly alive on the field. They cry when they lose, they laugh when they win, and might keep going till the day they become unfit to compete. This is not just a sport, it is a way of living.
Here is the question, how much of those experiences can the virtual soccor players experience? Hardship from too much grinding? Getting virtually injured? Display virtual fortitude over virtual pain?
Yes, it can be very fun to play soccor online against other people. However, since the entire essense of soccor is missing, even with all the customization, interaction, and character progression. They still play empty games of soccor, and it is easy to see where the limits are whether it is MMORPG or not. This is basically just like current MMORPG, except there are less variation on soccor than fighting which means even less staying power. I am not saying soccor shouldn't be online, I am only saying in the genre of MMORPG, soccor might only be able to barely be Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game to have time to develop into a world of its own. (Would be cool if it can though, but it really does have to be a reallly really good game to pull it off)
There, I typed way too long, but can't be helped when explaining the crap out of a game and a sport.
Just think about this, what would most people prefer? Playing virtual soccor casually or religiously? Now, how about a soccor fan? Casually or religiously?
Ok i see what you mean but i don't think i made myself quite clear but i'll make my proper point in just a second.
If it's realism people want, well i'm afraid playing games is not the right way to go about finding it i guess they should start learning about real life or go play the sims or something. What i'm saying is it's a game it gets as real as the current technology and programmers are able to make it without losing playability (who would play any game if they had to wait ages to play again if they got injured? or quit if they got killed?)
Well that said i'll clear up the point i was trying to make in the first place i'm sorry if it wasn't too clear to start with.. My point it that you can't judge a game and call it 'lame' or say it's going to be rubbish before you have even tried it, those comments are unjust and pretty much just spam, i'm saying if you do want to say those things thats fine but wait till launch and after you have actually tried the game, here's an example for you just to show you what i mean;
Stargate Worlds and Star Trek Online are lame because they are based on t.v programs i'm not even going to try them because how can they be any good if they are based on shows? (thats an example im not saying that and f.y.i i do actually like Stargate)
Well thats me done now nothing left to say just don't knock it before you try it.
*Out*
I name it Corny because its an obvious marketing ploy for advertisers & product sales. I mean seriously a game that has real world marketed names like Puma involved? Its a scheme...a good one granted and its obviously aimed at a tiny demographic that isnt' really an MMO market. Nothing wrong with that but still corny as hell even current F2P games are less corny than that atleast they're aimed at the real MMO market not sports game lovers who honestly I dont' think will leave their couch to play a PC MMO game with a bunch of strangers instead of their friends.
The last game that tried to do an MMO outside of the normal market was what was the name..hmm a game with demolition cars and where is it now? Its dead thats where. MMO games are either MMO FPS or MMO RPG or just an MMO World but an MMO Sports game is just plain corny.
BTW before you damn flame me again atleast take note of the fact I wished them luck and wasn't trying to be overly negative or say the game is going to fail in some epic manner just that the idea is damn corny which it is. There are people who like sports games they just generally arent' PC Gamers to my knowledge. SO why don't you go have fun and STFU and stop trying to play Censor Master.
I wished them luck and I am not trying to hate but I have my right on this board like anyone else to be skeptical of a game that uses real world consumer products to advertise in their game like Puma. Seriously...fucking Puma? Whats next Nike?
This is a football:
This is a soccer ball:
A name change is in order.
That is all.