Anyone on here? Not played a game of Football o Saurus in ages!

It can be purchased here, the free version of Football o saurus can also be found here: http://www.windowsgames.co.uk/

Zero goals conceded in a season!

Quite proud of this! Don't think I've done this before at the top league, but I have now!

I played well in the first two games and didn't concede, so played a bit cautiously in later games to defend!

I think I'm done here!

Ten Nil anyone?!

Anyone able to get a 10-0 scoreline in the top league?!

Only 2 goals conceded in a season!

Only 2 goals conceded in a season! Has anyone done any better than that?

Tips

I've listed some tips to winning at Football o Saurus below:

• Usually a balanced formation like 212 or 131 is a good formation to play in the style needed to win. Other formations are too limited in terms of width and balance between attack and defence.

• Passing & defending is key
  Passing keeps you in possession and keeps the ball moving which puts you in better positions to score. As soon as you lose possession you need to close opponents down quickly.
• Switch off auto move to ball. This will allow you to control how you recieve a pass and this will give you more chance to go around opponents
• Don't try too hard to score, this only puts you in a bad position (ie. not goal side) if you lose possession.
• Keep the ball moving regularly. This makes it harder to be caught in possession and easier to get scoring opportunities by moving opponents around
• Tackle opponents from side/behind and wait until they pick up the ball before tackling (otherwise you risk picking up the ball first and getting tackled)
• Avoid horizontal passes (easy to get tackled)
• Avoid long passes as defenders have more time to get into position
• Try to keep yourself in a good position to recieve a pass especially if a teammate is under pressure

• Tackling square ball passesThis is one of the most advanced tactics that I use and in a tight game can be the difference between winning and losing. From a defensive position without the ball you need to look for moments where your opponents will pass square, these passes often go short or long. You need to aim to hit the opponent head on just as they gather the ball. This is great when it works as you make space in the opponent formation by tackling the opponent. This creates space to run into, and most formations cannot cope once they have a teammate down after being tackled. The bad side to this technique is that it involves running up the pitch which can leave opponents in space behind, so there is pressure to get this right without conceding.

• 1-2This manoeuvre is difficult to explain but creates space to run into and attack. From a deep position pass square to the right or left to send opponents towards the player that now has the ball. Run into the space vacated by the opponent and your teammate should return the ball. You now should be past the marker with ball in hand and teammates ahead of you. This technique can be done from a position further up the pitch but means you probably won't have teammates to pass to once you get the ball. 

• Look for weaknessesWhen in possession, look for areas of the pitch where there is only one opponent blocking the path to the end zone. Once you see a weak area with only one defender, position two of your players in front of him. With a teammate behind in possession, you can now run into space behind the isolated defender and you can receive a pass and head towards the end zone.

• Crowd out attacksWhen defending look to double up on the opponent in possession. You can chase down bad passes and any poor returned passes. Look for bad square passes that you can smash into.
  
• Identifying areas on the pitch where you have more or less players is important especially in tight games. Care must be taken so you don't leave too many players in any one area of the pitch.

New features

I've always thought that Football O Saurus could be improved with a few extra features, nothing drastic, as the general gameplay is great, just a few tweaks and suggestions. I've noted down the ones I thought would be best below:

• Swap ends at half time - It would give the game some more structure
• Weather conditions - Rain, snow or wind could introduce some new conditions
• Right click functions - A right click function could enable a player to call for a pass or kick the ball downfield
• A league winners cup - Winners from all leagues should play against each other in a cup competition

Football O Saurus

I first bought Football o Saurus after playing the excellent Slay and Ratz games from Sean o Connors Windows Games site. I played the Demo for a while and then bought version 1 of the game. I really enjoyed the fluid pass and move style of the game, hugely simple, but addictive. Essentially the game is a bit like Dinosaurs playing 5 a side American Football. It is a fun and simple game with hidden depth.

I can win consistently when I put my mind to it and have even ended a few seasons without conceding any touchdowns!

I've got a few tips and techniques that I use during games to help my team win and these are shown below, divided into Basic and Advanced.

Basic Football o Saurus techniques

These hints and tips are from the perspective of a defensive player. I prefer to play in these positions and some of these moves will suit players in defensive positions.

• Attacking
• Defending
• Counter Attacking
• Passing and retaining possession
• Formation analysis

Advanced Football o Saurus techniques

Here are some of the more advanced ideas about Football o Saurus. These can be quite difficult to replicate but will give you the chance to limit your opponents and maximise the number of touchdowns you score.

These various different techniques will allow you to bombard  opponents with attacking moves while limiting any chance of scoring they have!

• Receiving
• 1-2
• Tackling
• Throw and chase
• Containing teams
• Passing into space
• Isolating attackers
• Positioning

Tackling and defending are some of the hardest parts of the game to perfect. Sometimes you can find your defence overwhelmed and even the best tackling will not help. Understanding the pros and cons of each formation will help you capitalise on their weaknesses and recognise the weaknesses of your own formation. For example, using the width of 131 formation to attack down the flanks of 221 formation but be wary of the 2 attackers against your single defender.

I'm sure you will enjoy trying these techniques out and having more success!