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tomlandrystrategyfootball
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1992-12-17
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20KB
Path: menudo.uh.edu!menudo.uh.edu!usenet
From: pax@terapin.com (Michael Mantino)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.reviews
Subject: REVIEW: Tom Landry Strategy Football
Followup-To: comp.sys.amiga.games
Date: 18 Dec 1992 05:04:14 GMT
Organization: The Amiga Online Review Column - ed. Daniel Barrett
Lines: 460
Sender: amiga-reviews@math.uh.edu (comp.sys.amiga.reviews moderator)
Distribution: world
Message-ID: <1grm4eINNub@menudo.uh.edu>
Reply-To: pax@terapin.com (Michael Mantino)
NNTP-Posting-Host: karazm.math.uh.edu
Keywords: game, sports, simulation, strategy, football, modem, commercial
PRODUCT NAME
Tom Landry Strategy Football (V1.21)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
TLSF is a dual/single player strategy football simulation from a
coaching perspective. Modem-capable. Hard-drive installable.
Multi-tasking. System 2.1 compatible.
AUTHOR/COMPANY INFORMATION
Name: Merit Software
Address: 13635 Gamma Road
Dallas, TX 75244-4407
Telephone: (214) 385-2353
Tech Support: (800) 238-4277
E-mail: 76711,247 (Compuserve)
76711.247@compuserve.com (Internet)
OnLine Support: CompuServe SIG (GO GAMPUB, Section 16)
LIST PRICE
$49.95 (US). I paid $39.95 retail at my local Amiga dealer.
SPECIAL HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS
HARDWARE
Requires 1MB RAM.
Reportedly works on Amiga 500, 1000, 2000, 3000.
Hard drive not required, but recommended, and requires
2.2MB of free drive space (minimum).
SOFTWARE
Requires Kickstart 1.3 or higher.
MAIN AMIGA MACHINES USED FOR TESTING
Amiga 2000 | Amiga 3000
1MB Chip - 8MB Fast | 2MB Chip - 4MB Fast
Commodore 2090A SCSI | Built-In SCSI
Maxtor LXT-213S HD | HP 97536S HD
Sony CPD-1302 MultiScan | Sampo 19" TriSync
ZyXEL U-1496E V.32b Modem | SupraFAX V.32b Modem
Kickstart V37.175 (2.0) | Kickstart V37.175 (2.0)
Workbench V38.35 (2.1) | Workbench V38.35 (2.1)
==========================+===========================
Amiga 500 | Amiga 500
1MB Chip - 1MB Fast | 1MB Chip - 2MB Fast
No Hard Drive | GVP 120 HD
Commodore 1080 Monitor | Commodore 1084S Monitor
Supra 2400 Modem | Hayes 9600 Modem
Kickstart 1.3 | Kickstart V37.175 (2.0)
Workbench 1.3 | Workbench V37.67 (2.04)
COPY PROTECTION
Off-disk protection.
Requires you to enter a 3-character password corresponding to one of
twelve offensive play diagrams in the manual. I'd rate the protection scheme
as 'acceptable'. For easier reference, I drew all the diagrams in Deluxe
Paint and printed them out on one page, which took little effort.
TLSF can be run from a hard drive and includes Commodores Installer
program to ease the pain of installation. No 'key' disks are required for
either user-validation nor data-saves.
DOCUMENTATION
40 page printed manual. No on-disk 'read.me' files. Comprehensive
built-in context-sensitive 'HELP' facility during games.
The documentation is incorrect and incomplete in many areas. It says
there are three disks, when there are only two. It says there is an animated
intro to the program, when there is not. The modem options need to be
explained in more detail: certainly as much as most of the other options
are, and with more troubleshooting assistance. Music is not played at all
menus and submenus as the documentation suggests.
GAMEPLAY
--------
MAIN:
After a digitized welcome from Coach Tom Landry, up pops the TLSF
main menu. All menus in the game are consistently good-looking with
3-D shadowed boxes and buttons and an eye-pleasing color scheme. The
main menu's buttons are:
[RULES] - Choose either playoffs or regular season rules,
the difference being how overtime is handled.
[LEVEL] - Choose either head coach or assistant coach, the
difference being that the head coach has the
entire playbook available and the assistant
coach has limited play-calling ability.
[TEAMS] - Select home team and visitors from a list of
28 teams (non-NFL, but similar)
[PLAYER] - Designate each team as a computer or a human
player. Play HUMAN-HUMAN, HUMAN-COMPUTER, or
COMPUTER-COMPUTER.
[LEAGUE] - Select a league from a list of one! Since there
is room for 28 leagues here I'd assume things.
[PREFS] - Checkmark the preferences you wish to use, like:
Sound Effects (crowd, referee, players)
Digitized Pics (referee penalty screens)
Animation (actual graphic representation of plays)
Computer Calls (computer opponents plays displayed)
Homefield Advantage (hometeam has an edge)
Fatigue (has effect)
Injuries (are possible)
Modern Timing (handles how clock is operated)
[MODEM] - Set baud rate (1200-57,600), name, phone number,
dial string, answer string, null modem, hang up,
load/save/delete numbers.
[SCOUTING] - Shows offense and defense reports of any team
and grades players in stats like QB leadership,
QB defense reading, quickness, fumble %, speed,
strength, hands, QB passing abilities, defense
ratings against the runs and passes and the
line's overall abilities. You can also check the
offenses tendencies to run/pass on certain downs
and at certain distances. These reports can be
dumped to a disk file as well.
[SEASON] - Check the current seasons stats and records, or
clear the season.
[SCENARIO] - An editor to allow you to practice a particular
game situation (two-min offense, etc.), relive
a great football play, or play an incomplete
or short game. You can set the scores, time,
quarter, down, yards to go, possession, direction,
wind speed and direction, precipitation, and
ball position.
In addition to the options available only at the main menu,
there is a menu strip at the bottom of the screen which is
there throughout the game:
[QUIT] - Quit current game or entire program.
[LOAD] - Load a game.
[SAVE] - Save a game.
[PREFS] - Change preferences, even in mid-game.
[HELP] - Brings up either the help topics screen or help
with the screen you are currently in.
[STATS] - Game stats so far (team, offense, or defense).
[REPLAY] - Replay the last play using VCR-type controls.
[CHAT] - Brings up chat window if playing via modem.
[GO!] - 'Goes' to whatever you have chosen, depending on
the screen you're on and options picked.
OFFENSE
Once options and teams are chosen at the main menu, the coin toss is
made and teams choose to kick/receive and defend a goal. Weather
(wind and precipitation) is displayed, and the kickoff and return
are accomplished. The kicking team chooses Onside, Squib, or Deep
kick. The defense chooses the same for the return, plus options for
kicks in the endzone (Don't Return Any, Return Only Shallow, Return
All). If animation is turned on, you see the kickoff occur and the
return down field. You are then given the offense options screen.
This screen comes up before every play so you can choose your
offenses strategy. There are five buttons always available during
gameplay (aside from the menu strip at the bottom of the screen):
[WEATHER] - Find out the current weather conditions
[CLOCK] - Pressing this button brings up the clock options
and info screen. Here you are given information
about the clock (like "The clock is paused but is
about to start"), as well as a number of buttons
which control the clock: Waste A Pass, No Huddle,
Let Clock Run, Call Time Out, Have Players Try To
Get Out Of Bounds, Bring Up This Screen When Clock
Is Running.
[SCOUT] - Review the scouting report (see above).
[SUBS] - Make player substitutions.
[LANDRY] - Ask Coach Landry about the current game situation
and optionally suggest a play.
The remainder of the offense optio