"The thinking fan's soccer management game" PC Format Magazine

As described on the site map page, SaaP is a very different game to the traditinal smg. At its very core, in the understanding the manager has of his players and their qualities, SaaP has a much more realistic simulation. Information about players' qualities are not presented in precise numeric terms with little for the manager to do but compare the numbers. In SaaP, he must deduce these qualities from the performances of the players on the field of play/training ground and the subjective opinions of coaches, scouts press etc.

Information is no longer precise, numeric, absolute and rigid but subjective, imprecise, relative and flexible.

Because information is more flexible, it's open to influences such as training, motivation, development and so on. The effort the manager has to make to turn the individual potential of his players into team performance is much more important in SaaP. The exaggerated importance of the transfer market in the traditional game is corrected with a much more balanced approach. It's still important to fill the squad with the right players, but the job is only partly done until you've developed the man-management techniques to turn these players into a successful team.

So, in SaaP, coaching, player motivation, match preparation, training and tactical features are crucial aspects of the game and an essential part of the challenge the game makes on the gamer.

So, the first thing you'll notice in playing SaaP is that there are no numbers at all (outside of goal scoring stats etc), at least not any that are visible (users have been known to raid the data files :>)). Instead you'll find comprehensive features informing you of the opinions of coaches, scouts, press etc. You'll also find training features that allow you to set schedules to provide detailed feedback on the performance of players as well as prepare for the coming game.

Above all it has a match simulation that accurately reflects the skills of players and responds faithfully to the tactical choices of the managers. It has a 3D graphics display that gives you an overall picture of the progress of the game and detailed playing statistics (passes/tackles made, success rates etc) to help you determine how players are performing both to make informed in-match tactical decisions and also help you make that final judgement about players' skills. And the opposition managers will make all sorts of effective tactical changes that'll put your own understanding of match tactics to the test.

The real-world position of the match as the most important part of your manager's week, where your managerial skills are put to the ultimate test and your players' abilities are most accurately revealed, is reproduced in SaaP.

There are other differences that come out of this attempt to mimic the real world of the soccer manager. The interface is not a Windows spreadsheet interface. Instead it runs in linear time following the way in which the real world manager moves through the week - Monday morning the weekend news from outside the club, an injury report from your physio, a discussion with the assistant coach about preparation and training for the coming match. And so on through the week.

It's a VERY different game! I believe it's more realistic, more challenging and in the end more satisfying.

I've split the detailed game description into different sections to give you a good idea how SaaP differs from other smgs. Click on the appropriate button below to read about any one of these sections. Also, as the game is in continuous development, the news page will tell you of the very latest features added to the game.

The game can be played four ways. There's a club management game. There's an international management game. These can be played independantly with no interaction at all between the two. But they can also be played as one game with the two games sharing the same databases and the schedules interlocking with the gamer managing a club and a national squad simultaneously. In one mode the international management position is yours from the very beginning (if you choose a lower division club it's promoted to the top division) and in the second mode the international manager's position is only offered after a sparkling managerial career through the divisions.

When the games are played simultaneously there are three gameplay enhancing effects.

1) The relatively repetitive nature of the league game is broken up every few matches with the "manager" switching hats for the much faster, more demanding international game.

2) Interest in the league matches is doubled as you are now interested in both your own players and opposition players who may well be candidates for your national squad. The player who just scored a hat trick against your club may well be the player to lead your international team in your next World Cup qualifier :-)

3) The detailed player development system will allow you to train a 17 year old trainee from your club youth program into a world class player that will dominate the World Cup Final for you.

The combination game is without question the most comprehensive and demanding soccer management experience ever released.

If you would like to know more, see a demo or take part in the further development of this game then click here.

copyright The Midnight Oil (1997)

produced by PS Publishing