For people who haven't seen or played one of the New Star Soccer games... Before FIFA's be a pro or PES's become a legend, THIS game was where it all started...
New Star Soccer 1 which was released in June 2003 and New Star Soccer 2 released a year later, gave many gamers their first chance to play a football game where you are the player rather than the manager, and attracted attention from all over the world. It is still available to play in its original form and free to New Star Soccer forum members. (a link to the website is at the bottom of this page, sign up and start yourself on the journey of New Star Soccer!)
When New Star Soccer 3 came out in 2005 it was given a Fantastic upgrade from the previous 2 versions where you could use your keyboard or a control pad and actually get to play the matches in a 2D match engine.
With New Star Soccer 4 just around the corner we managed to catch up with the man himself Simon Read and asked him a few questions about the game.
Q: Firstly, how’s the game coming along? Is there any part of the game that is taking longer to sort out than you thought?
A: Everything takes longer than I expect it to. If I estimate that something will take 1 week I double it and it’s still not enough time.
Q: After the huge success of New Star Soccer 3 (I should know, I purchased it myself the day it came out!) do you think this game will be bigger than the others?
A: I sincerely hope so. It’s been a huge effort to build a new game from the ground up and I realise now that I maybe set my sights a bit high. Several aspects that I really wanted to include such as player personalities, detailed relationships and so on may have to wait until a future version. However, I’m still very proud of what I have created and am very excited to see how it is received.
Q: What major changes are there in New Star Soccer 4?
A: The biggest change is the 3D match engine. This was also my biggest challenge as I’d never written a 3D game before. It is now 99% complete and just needs tuning. We also have a much bigger and better database thanks to Nick Greig and a group of forum members who helped to compile it. There is also a much better competition system in place (almost) which means NSS4 will feature cups and tournaments from all over the world. The other main improvement is the interface. This is a much nicer looking game than the previous ones!
Q: Is there anything that you will remove from previous New Star Soccer games? any you thought just wasn’t right?
A: One thing that bugged me in NSS3 was the fact that as you improved your skills the game became easier. That is something I’m keen to address so I’m thinking about turning the training system on it’s head. With full 360 degree control I realised it can be tricky getting manual shots and passes on target even without having the ball go wayward due to low skill levels. So I’m considering having the player skills perfect from the start in the sense that shots and passes will always go in the direction you point them. The skill level now becomes a reflection of how good the human player actually is and you improve your rating by playing well in 5-a-side training matches and in the full games.
Q: Did you start programming the game before the Microsoft Vista release and will vista cause any problems for you?
A: Vista shouldn’t be a problem. I’m currently writing the game on a Vista machine, after all. There will also be Mac and Linux version very soon after the PC release.
Q: Is there a release date yet?
A: Predicting a release date is very tough (see question 1!) The finish line is in sight but it’s getting towards the end of the football season in Europe so it might make sense to wait until the Euro 2008 tournament to catch that wave of excitement. That should be enough time to polish the game.
Q: I understand there is a management mode after you finish your playing career, is there a limit on how long you can be a manager in the game?
A: I’m still working on the management side but yes there will be an age limit. I’ll probably cap it at 70 years old which should be enough time for a career full of highs and lows.
Thanks for answering these Questions Simon and good luck with the release of New Star Soccer 4, I promise we are waiting patiently here for the release of the game.
(Since posting these questions and answers, the management mode in New Star Soccer 4 will not be in the game)
Quote from Simon's blog "One feature that will have to be omitted from the game is the management mode. The game is quite capable of letting you control team selection and tactics but suddenly the lifestyle side of the game doesn't make sense..."
Check out both the New Star soccer WEBSITE And you can view Simon Read's blog HERE he has kept everyone up-to-date on how the game is progressing through his blog.
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