Guides

Introduction

Welcome to Smash Football. Here are a few points of information that can help you get started playing the game. Smash football is a multiplayer game, in fact, you will have the opportunity to interact with and compete against players and teams created by real people from across the globe! You can play in your browser and there is nothing to download.

Player building

Player building is the core of Smash Football. Player building is based on an RPG model of player development. Each player is defined by an array of attributes. These attributes will determine how your player performs on the field. It is your goal to improve a player's attributes in a way that optimizes their performance. But don't feel tied down to any particular formula. With 29 unique attributes, there are millions of possibilities!

There are several ways to improve your players attributes. These ways include applying improvement points, training your player, hiring coaches, and earning bonuses based on in-game performance. For more information, take a look at the Player Progression section.

Creating your first player

When you create your first player, you will have several important decisions to make. You will have to decide on height, weight, name, scouting report, and age. These decisions will have an impact on how your player will perform.

Tip: If you want to see the most success right away, a 22 year old player will greatly outperform most 18 year olds. It will take at least two to three seasons, maybe even more, for an eighteen year old player to catch up to older players in terms of skill level. If you have a lot of patience, however, an 18 year old may end up having a longer career and a more productive prime.

So I created a player. Now what?

Now that you have your first player, you will want to sign on to a team. Upon creation, your player will immediately receive three contract offers from robot teams. You can also market your player and look for a human controlled team, or buy a team yourself and add your own player as the first free agent signing (but first make sure you are ready to own a team, it requires planning and a good strategy if you want to build a winner)!

One of our recommended courses of action is to make a friendly post in the forums, and look for other users to join forces with. Human controlled players are much better than robots, so it should be easy to find a team that can use the services of your player.

Once you join a team, you can wait for the next game to simulate (make sure you are on the depth chart first), and then watch your player in action for the first time! You can watch replays of your player by clicking on the team page, selecting a game, and then going to the play by play section.

Also, don't forget to set the training regimen of your player, apply initial Improvement Points (you receive 10 during player creation), and look into hiring a private coach. For more information on how to improve your player, check out the Player Progression section.

Team Ownership - Franchise Mode

Team ownership is for the serious Smash Football player, and is the ultimate challenge in football strategy simulation. As a team owner, you can control all aspects of your franchise. Think of team ownership as a coaching simulation, a financial simulation, an exercise in promoting social cooperation and managing a diverse roster all in one.

As a team owner, you will be able to:

• Manage a roster: Sign, release, and trade players.
• Organize Team Depth Charts for various formations.
• Moniter team stats and transactions.
• Modify team settings such as name, location, and team colors.
• Construct a stadium, along with adjoining buildings, restaurants, concession stands, and so forth.
• Set ticket prices and make business deals.
• Moniter team finances and manage a daily balance sheet.
• Determine team offensive and defensive strategy, script opening plays, and refine your teams playbook.

Buying a Franchise

• Team Location, Name and Short Name - These will apear on team and league pages and descriptions. Please refrain from offensive language. Anything deemed inappropriate is subject to removal or edit by Administrative staff. The short name is always three capital letters, and is used to identify teams when conciseness is essential.
• Team Colors - These colors can be edited any time. They add another layer of uniqueness to each team and are represented on the team's jerseys in game replays.
• The Climate you select will have a slight impact on playing conditions from time to time. Factors such as precipitation, altitude, and temperature will play a small role in game simulations. You may want to keep the climate and stadium type in mind as you build your team's roster. For example; well conditioned athletes will fare better playing in the heat of a tropical climate, fast players may excel playing home games protected from the elements beneath a dome, and strong blockers with an aggressive demeanor won't mind playing in an open air stadium in the midst of a snow storm.
• As a new franchise owner, you will start with a local stadium with two bleachers and $75,000,000 in the team account. This money can be used to sign players, finance construction projects, and cover team expenses.
• You will have a three day cap penalty grace period (which includes today and two additional days). During this time, you can make roster changes without incurring any cap penalties. After this period, any players released will result in cap penalties equal to the amount of salary owed.

Salary Cap

You may want to consider saving a little cap room if you plan on offering contract extensions. Any extension that puts a team over the salary cap will not be allowed, and you will have to wait until the off-season (when expiring contracts are off the books and cap space has been cleared) to re-sign.

Team Roster and Depth Chart

As a team owner, it is your responsibility to keep the depth chart current. Changes to team rosters and depth charts can be made by clicking on the respective tabs on the team page.

If a team has unfilled depth chart slots and an impending game simulation, the depth chart will be automatically re-ordered to fill the missing slots.

Furthermore, if a team has an incomplete roster and cannot fill all required depth chart slots, robot free agents will automatically be signed to fill the roster until the minimum number of players for each position is filled.

Why only 32 players per roster?

In Smash Football, players do not have to deal with any injuries or long term fatigue, so there is no need for a large roster. Furthermore, we feel that every player should get ample playing time, and owners should not have to go through any extra labor to recruit and fill in an exessively large number of roster spots. With 32 slots available on each roster there is enough for offensive and defensive starters and a few backups and special teamers. And owners should still be able to have an enjoyable time recruiting without the task becoming too repetitive.

Attributes

Below is a complete guide that details physiological and football skill attributes with descriptions and explanantions on how each attribute works in the simulation. There are 29 unique attributes.

Player Physiology Attributes
Attribute	Description
Lower Body Strength	The amount of strength in a player's lower body. An essential factor in the game of football. Strength in the legs, back, and core will help a player win the battle in the trenches and run and move with more explosiveness.
Upper Body Strength	Not quite as important as lower body strength, but still very important. Strong arm, shoulder, and chest muscles will help a player throw, push, and battle an adversary with more power.
Explosiveness	Explosiveness is the ability to gather all reserves of strength to muster a powerful burst. A key for all football players is the ability to harness fast twitch muscles with power and precision. Useful in countless circumstances.
Speed	Plain and simple, how fast a player gets from point a to point b while traveling at maximum velocity. Perhaps the single most important attribute in the football universe. Speed wins.
Acceleration	An essential complement to the speed attribute. Acceleration is the rate of change in velocity. In this instance, we are talking about positive acceleration. And nothing could be more positive on the football field than a player bursting off the line. Ignore this attribute at your own peril.
Agility	Agility is important for all players. Agility will help a player quickly change direction and execute difficult maneuvers with ease. The most agile players possess fluid hips and can start, stop, backpedal, turn, and leap in the blink of an eye.
Endurance	How long a player can exert maximum effort before tiring. A solid dose of endurance is important, because without it, all other attributes become inneffective.
Vision	Vision in football terms is a player's ability to see the field, anticipate events, find cutback lanes, discover clear paths to the ball, and quickly discern and diagnose plays. Legendary players seem to possess an almost supernatural sense of vision that allows them to play one step ahead of the rest.
Balance	Balance is a crucial aspect of the sport and is especially important for those who find themselves often engaged in a battle of strengths and wills. Good balance will help a player hold ground without falling down, control bigger and stronger players, and make difficult moves without losing control or slipping.
Demeanor	An intangible attribute, demeanor is exemplified in how a player finishes a play. Players with strong demeanor carry themselves with such a swagger and mean streak that they can sometimes win the war before it even starts. A hearty mean streak will help a player break tackles, finish blocks, unleash bone jarring hits, and demoralize opponents.
Vertical Leap	How high can a player jump? This attribute comes in handy quite often for receivers and defensive backs as they battle for the ball in flight. Can also be quite useful for performing explosive leaping tackles and diving for first downs.
Suddenness	Suddenness is a player's innate ability to use precise body control to shift and move in unexpected ways. Very useful for pulling off juke moves, jumping the snap, and changing direction.
Confidence	Confidence is the key to everything. A player who is brimming with confidence will never shy away from the big moment. A confident player will do better at many of the little things that make big differences in the outcome of a game.

Football Skill Attributes
Attribute	Description
Throwing Power	Throwing Power is crucial to connecting with receivers on long passes. The main function of throwing power is to increase the velocity of passes. As a result, a quarterback with a powerful arm will deliver a ball that arrives a lot quicker, well before defenders can make a play.
Throwing Accuracy	Accuracy is critical for any passing attack. The more accurate a passer is, the easier the balls are to catch. Throwing accuracy is the key to a high completion percentage.
Tackling	One of the most important attributes for all defenders, the tackling skill will help a player make good form tackles.
Block Shed Technique	Technique in shedding blocks is extremely important for defensive linemen, since they will find themselves most often engaged by a blocker. Players with excellent block shedding technique will be able to perform an array of swim, rip, and spin moves in order to create seperation from pesky blockers.
Power Hitting	For any defensive players who aspire to be bone crunching, fumble forcing intimidators, this skill is a cornerstone. Players who excel at making powerful hits can sometimes change the game with an explosive collision.
Ball Security	This is an important skill for those players who handle the ball a lot. Quarterbacks and Runningbacks should make sure they have enough ball security skill in order to avoid fumbles.
Power Running	The power running technique is important for ball carriers who are looking to break a few tackles. This skill works best on bigger backs who like to lower the shoulder and plow through would-be tacklers.
Elusiveness	Elusiveness is a key attribute for ball carriers who rely on speed and agility to evade tacklers. A very elusive runner will be able to avoid defenders, cut back, change direction on a dime, and juke and spin away from tacklers with ease.
Route Running	The route running skill allows an offensive player to run precise routes when going out in a pattern as an eligible receiver. High route running skill will enable sharp cuts and create good seperation from man coverage. It will also enable a receiver to find open spaces much easier against zone coverage.
Catching	Catching is important for snatching the ball out of the air and holding on. High catching will reduce dropped balls and will help receivers make difficult catches in traffic.
Amazing Catch	The Amazing Catch skill comes into play in extraordinary circumstances. A dynamic offensive player who is capable of making amazing catches can snag the ball even if it's underthrown, overthrown, or just off target. A prerequisite for highlight reel completions and diving one handed acrobatic receptions.
Drive Block Technique	The better a player's drive block technique, the more leverage they are able to get in run blocking situations. This skill is most important for offensive linemen, tight ends, and fullbacks. The ability to get low and drive defenders downfield with short, powerful steps, a wide stance, and well placed hands with inside control is crucial to opening holes for a running attack.
Pass Block Technique	An important skill for offensive linemen. Good pass blocking technique will ensure that a player employs good footwork to stay between any pass rushers and the quarterback. Coupled with a strong upper body push, pass blocking technique can keep potential sackers at bay all day.
Reach/Cutoff/Stalk Block Technique	This skill is demonstrative of the ability to block defenders in space. Very useful for most offensive players, including wide receivers who need to stalk block defensive backs in the open field on run plays. Do you need to reach a wide defender on a pitch play? Or maybe cut off a defender on the backside of the play to prevent him from pursuing the ball? A player who possesses good blocking ability in space and the tenacity to finish the play will open up many cutback lanes for ballcarriers.
Kick Accuracy	Simply put, kick accuracy is what it is. An accurate kick will fly true and straight. An inaccurate one will not. This skill is essential for kicking field goals, extra points, and hitting coffin corner punts.
Kick Power	Kicking power applies to both punting and kicking. This skill is needed to gain distance on punts, field goals, and kickoffs. A player with tremendous kicking power should be capable of getting a touchback at any time.

Player Progression

There are four ways to improve your player. Applying I-Points that are awarded periodocally throughout a player's career, training the player, earning player progression improvements based on game performance, and hiring coaches.

• Periodic Development: Improvement Points

  Every 6 days during the course of the season, each player younger than 30 years old will be awarded I-Points (Improvement Points) which the player's user agent can distribute to the player's attributes. This will occur on days 6, 12, 18, 24, and 30 of each season. The number of I-Points awarded are as follows:

  Age	I-points every six days	I-points per season
  18	10	50
  19	9	45
  20	8	40
  21	7	35
  22	6	30
  23	5	25
  24	4	20
  25	4	20
  26	3	15
  27	3	15
  28	2	10
  29	2	10

  When a player reaches 34 years of age, certain physical skills will actually begin to decline.

• Training

  Results from training may seem unremarkable at first, but just like training in real life, the small improvements to skills will add up over time and make a big difference for your player.

  To adjust training, simply go to a player's page and click on the training tab. Once you have set your player's training regimen, training will take place automatically each day. There is no need to log in just to carry out a repetitive training task for each of your players! Your player is on his way to being a pro, all he or she needs is a little direction and the rest of the work is up to them. Results will take effect the next day and you will see marginal increases in the skills of your players.

  The better a player is at a particular skill, the smaller the increase will be from training, so it may be a good idea to focus on training your player's weakest attributes.

• Performance based Progress

  On the main section of a player's page (made active by clicking the "info" tab), you will see a section called "Player Progression". During regular season games, players can earn Performance Bonuses if they achieve certain Milestones. These Milestones include things such as earning a Game MVP award, rushing for 100 yards or more, passing for 3 TDs or more, or making 5 or more tackles in a game.

  After each regular season game, performance bonuses earned will be listed in the Player Progression section. After every four regular season games, these bonuses will be applied to the player's attributes.

  Note: Players do not earn bonuses during preseason or postseason games, only during the regular season.

• Hiring Coaches

  Hiring a coach may provide your player with that little extra edge to beat out the opposition. You can hire a coach and participate in a training session by clicking on the Coaching tab on the Player page.

  Many different private coaches are available for hire, with each one bringing something different to the table. Only four training sessions with private coaches are allowed each season per player. Training sessions cost Smash Cash, with the cost varying for each coach.

  Note: If you hire the Alternative Methods Guru, you will notice random improvement; It could be quite substantial, or nothing to write home about at all, but it will usually be something that benefits the player based on their particular position. Training with all other coaches provides more consistent benefits.

Game Simulation

Smash Football employs a custom simulation engine to simulate the complete dynamics of a football game, down to one tenth of each second. The simulation model utilizes sports biomechanics, projectile motion and classical mechanics. At every instance of the simulation, some or all of the 29 unique player attributes for every player are factored into equations that determine the outcome of a play. Other factors in the simulation may include wind, playing surface, and temperature. As a result, each simulated game is a unique result, based on millions of permutations dependant on the the football player's interactions with each other and their environment.

In general, the standard rules of American Football apply. For more information and complete rules, check out the DCTL page.

Overtime Rules

When a game goes to overtime, each team receives at least one possession and an opportunity to score.

Each team is given one possession from its opponent's twenty-five yard line with no game clock. A coin flip determines who goes first. The team leading after both possessions is declared the winner. If the teams remain tied, overtime periods continue until one team leads the other at the end of the overtime.

There are no ties in Smash Football.

Special Situations.

Free Kicks after Safeties. The Free Kick after a Safety is similar to a regular kickoff, except that in Smash Football, the kicking team will take the opportunity to punt the ball, as most teams usually do in real life under these circumstances. Unlike a typical punt, no rush is allowed by the returning team. The returning team will set up in formation similar to how they would when returning a regular kickoff. The Kickoff and Kickoff Return depth charts will be used to field the players for this situation.

League Structure, Playoffs, and Promotion/Relegation

League Structure

Each league is comprised of twenty four(24) teams, twelve(12) each in two conferences. The conferences are further broken up into three(3) divisions of four(4) teams each. In addition to playing four preseason games, each team will play sixteen(16) regular season games. Every team will play each division opponent twice (one home, one away), every other team in the same conference once, and will play two out of conference games.

Playoffs

Eight(8) teams will make the playoffs in each conference. The playoffs are a one game elimination tournament, with the higher seed getting home field advantage in each round.

Standings and playoff seeding are determined by the following, in this order: Wins, Division Wins, Conference Wins, Fewest Points Allowed, and then finally Most Points Scored.

Promotion and Relegation

Leagues are layered in a tiered system. The tiers are: Semi-Pro, Pro, World Pro, and the Legendary Champions League. Similar to Promotion and Relegation in European Soccer, teams will move up or down a league tier based on their performance.

League Champions will always move up a tier.

The number of teams moving up will vary from season to season, as the number of higher tier leagues grows and spots need to be filled. However, no more or less than 4 teams will ever be relegated from a league (as long as that league is not already in the lowest tier) based on performance.

Subjection to promotion and relegation is based on playoff performance, followed by the final regular season league standings.