🚀 2. GAMEPLAY MECHANICS

• Variable Shooting: Shot power is determined by button pressure. Quick taps for weak passes and shots; longer presses for powerful strikes.
• The Sprint (Dash): When your team is not in possession of the ball, perform a short speed burst to intercept, steal, or rush the opponent. This ability renews every possession cycle.
• Defense & Collisions: Physical contact is essential. Block passing lanes, stop shots, or disrupt opponents through strategic positioning.
• AI Partnership: CPU teammates are designed to read the pitch and will intelligently pass the ball to their human partners.
• Goalkeepers: Fully CPU-controlled in all game modes, except in TRAINING mode where Player 2 can manually take control of the keeper.

🏟️ 3. GAME MODES

1. CLUB WORLD CUP

Compete against the 16 top-ranked club teams from around the globe in a high-stakes club championship.

2. WORLD CUP

Take the international stage! Choose from the top 16 national teams based on the official FIFA rankings.

3. C64 LEAGUE

Compete in a full league season with teams inspired by classic C64 games. This mode supports up to 4 human players distributed across different teams.

• Multiplayer Configurations:
  • 2 Players: P1 (Human) + CPU vs. P3 (Human) + CPU, or P1 + P2 (Human) on the same team.
  • 3 Players: P1 (Human) + CPU vs. P3 + P4 (Human).
  • 4 Players: P1 + P2 (Human) vs. P3 + P4 (Human).
• Structure: Choose a league size from 4 to 12 teams and customize the number of rounds to set the season length.
• Points: Win = 3 pts | Draw = 1 pt | Loss = 0 pts.
• League Table: Track your stats via P (Points), W (Wins), GF (Goals For), and GA (Goals Against). Human-controlled teams are marked with an asterisk (*).

4. CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

A classic tournament format featuring group stages followed by intense knockout rounds, starring the legendary European clubs that dominated the 1980s.

5. TOURNAMENT

A bracket-style mode with progressive difficulty. Defeat increasingly tougher opponents to lift the champion's trophy.

6. FRIENDLY

A quick, action-packed match between Team A (P1 + P2/CPU) and Team B (P3 + P4/CPU).

• Duration: 45 seconds (1st and 2nd half) or first to score 5 goals.
• Teams: 16 available classic-inspired squads, national selections, and worldwide club teams.
• Available Roster Includes: GIANA UNITED, TURRICAN FC, WIZBALL CITY, REAL ARKANOID, BAYERN ELITE, URIDIUM AC, LAST NINJAS, IK+ COUNTY, COMMANDO AS, PIRATES! FC, AFC MANIACS, LODE RUNNERS, CYBERDYNE FC, EPYX UNITED, INVADERS KS, BOUNDERS SC, and many more.

7. TRAINING

The perfect mode to master the gameplay mechanics. It also doubles as a unique "free-for-all" competition where every player fights individually and can score on any goalkeeper.

• Bonus Features: Player 2 has the exclusive option to play manually as the goalkeeper. This mode also includes a built-in utility tool to test your 4-joystick adapter setup.

⚠️ IMPORTANT: RETURNING TO THE MENU

Due to the massive amount of data and the modular structure of the game, when you exit any of the tournament or championship modes, the system will drop back to the C64 BASIC prompt to ensure the memory is completely cleared for the next session.

To reload the main selection menu, simply perform the following steps:

1. Type LOAD "M1",8 and press RETURN.
2. Once the loading is complete, type RUN and press RETURN.

This manual step guarantees seamless execution and maximum compatibility when switching between the 5 different executable modules on the disk!

🌨️ 4. DIFFICULTY & PITCH CONDITIONS

Difficulty Levels

Settings (Easy, Normal, Hard) adjust the overall skill, speed, and positioning of the CPU teams.

⚖️ 5. ADVANCED TACTICS

• After-Touch: After striking the ball, you have a 2-second window to apply "curve" or spin to your shot using the directional stick.
• Deflections: Redirect an opponent's shot mid-air to trick the keeper. The goal will always be credited to the last player who touched the ball.
• Stealing: Disrupt the opponent's possession by touching the ball handler or using a well-timed Sprint dash for a surprise takeaway.
• Positioning: Off-the-ball movement is crucial. Position yourself openly to receive quick passes from the AI and create high-percentage shooting opportunities.

✨ Credits

• Code, Graphics & Sound: emmonks
• Special Thanks (Beta Testers): Tiago Al Alam, Jerônimo, Diego Smiths, Pablo Rosa, and Gladimir.

💬 Feedback & Support

• Comments: Leave a message on our official itch.io page.
• E-mail: 4goal.c64@gmail.com