OpenSWOS Concepts

So you read about OpenSWOS. But what the hell does it actually mean? Here you may see some examples of SWOS advancements. Keep in mind that below there are only fictional screenshots. Those games do not exist.

Hi-Res SWOS

The graphics are one of Sensi's most uninteresting aspects. Although form suits function perfectely, perhaps better than in any other game, the 320x200 graphics are not exactly appealing, and they also limit the player's perception of the playing field (on Amiga SWOS you could see a bigger playing area). So, an update would allow the game to run at 640x400, letting the player see a bigger area. Some graphics such as the fonts could be changed, and a zoom function (as in Total Soccer) would allow the player to control the proximity to the action on the pitch.

WinSWOS

This is obvious. A Windows port of SWOS is viable if the source code is released, and, being a free game, it wouldn't be surprising if it gained incredible popularity. Other important ports would be Linux and a Macintosh versions.

NetSWOS

Sensible Soccer is almost the perfect game for internet play. The simple control system means that simpler data would be exchanged on an internet match, so the game would be much faster and accurate than other internet-ready football games such as FIFA. However, this is not just a matter of tweaking the graphics system or translating code to other platforms. NetSWOS would be a rather ambicious project, and Sensible Software would always have to be involved in such thing. However, it really could turn SWOS into a real FIFA killer, at least where the internet is concerned. Needless to say, NetSWOS would also need to be WinSWOS.

SuperSWOS

Something more creative now: What about messing with Sensible's gameplay (blasphemy!), adding power-ups and other things, to make the game even more 'arcade', a bit like Speedball? You Sensi purists may be revolted by the idea, but this is just a possibility...

MATA (Sensi Deathmatch)

'Mata' is portuguese for 'kill', a game played by kids at school where the objective is to hit some unlucky kid against a wall with the ball, that must be shot from the place it stops. If the kick-taker fails to hit the unlucky kid, or the kid manages to catch the ball, then the kick-taker replaces the other kid on the wall. May seem cruel, but it is endlessly fun. Now, if you just bastardised completely SWOS' game engine... Here's MATA, a game where two teams of two players battle it out on a closed arena. Points are gained by hitting one of the opponents with a steel ball, who will also lose energy according to how hard he hit. The last team standing wins. Evil, but fun.

Sensible Moon of Soccer

Actually, this does exist. It's a bastardized version of an Amiga SWOS demo, that is played on a grey field with craters, and with very low gravity (great for lobbing the ball). With OpenSWOS, game parameters such as gravity, maximum deflection and such would be easily changed by programmers.

Unsensible World of Soccer

As with the previous, there was actually a Sensible Soccer hack on the Amiga called Unsensible Soccer, where those little players are replaced by little apples and oranges. I must say it was quite funny.

Dreaming of OpenSWOS

by Eduardo Sousa - May 1999