General Questions

• Where can I get a download of the game?
• Why is the game free of charge?
• How can I set the language to be used in the game?
• Where are the controls for the game?
• Why doesn't the tournament mode work?
• How can I play against my friends?
• How can I support a particular country?
  

• The optimal formation?
• Perfect dispossession – slide or chase?
• How can I see which players have been booked?
• How do I add a friend to my list so that I can play games against him/her?
• Penalties – how can I direct my shot?
• Penalties – how do I control the goalkeeper?
• Can I shoot as soon as my player receives the ball?
• How can I direct my shots?
• What is the skill level rating and how is it calculated?
• Why am I sometimes allotted opponents with a much higher or lower skill level than mine in on-line games?
• An example of a much lower skill level: why am I allotted an opponent with a much lower skill level than mine?
  
• An example of a much higher skill level: why am I allotted an opponent with a much higher skill level than mine?
• Why is my skill level getting lower, even though I haven't been playing? 
• How do I qualify for a tournament round?
• What happens if my online game is interrupted?
• What skill level do I start off with in a round-playing weekend?
  
• What skill level do I have after a weekend of rounds?
  

Technical Questions

• Why won't the game load after installation?
• How can I see whether the online connection between my PC and my opponent's is good enough for an online-game?
• Connection is lost during a game – “Connection re-established”
• Following launch of the game the FAQ page is shown
• The game doesn't run smoothly/is unplayable
• Language settings
• How can I make the game quicker?

General Questions:

Where can I get a download of the game?
You may download Football Challenge free of charge. Go to our Product website to find the links for the current version of the game for your country.

Why is the game free of charge?
We can offer the game for free because we use in-game advertising, sponsors placing ads in the game, financed by cooperations with partner companies.

How can I set the language to be used in the game?
Football Challenge is offered in various countries. During installation you are presented with the option of choosing a language. All editions contain the languages of the countries in which they are offered. You must re-install the game to select a new language.

Where are the controls for the game?
The arrow keys are usually used to steer, but you can also select other keys via the main menu.

Why doesn't the tournament mode work?
To participate in a tournament, you need to register and have a working internet connection. Registration is free. You may then click Qualify or Tournament, and log on using your nickname and password to participate.

How can I play against my friends?
With Game Alarm (www.game-alarm.com) you have the chance to challenge your friends to a ‘friendly game’ as soon as they are online. Such games have no bearing on your skill points. Simply link your Game Alarm account to your FC:10 team and you’ll be ready to game.

How can I support a particular country?
When registering you will have the chance to decide which country you would like to support during this Football Challenge season. All of your personal game results will contribute towards the standing of your selected country in the national ranking list.

The optimal formation?

The formation of a team is key for tactical gameplay. Every team manager should base the basic formation on his/her individual style of play. An aggressive manager, who likes to take risks by throwing players forward, yet leaving gaps at the back, can choose a more attacking formation. More cautious managers, who prefer to be solid at the back can choose the defensive formation.
The optimal formation should meet the needs of the manager who employs it, as well as possibly counter the formation of the opposing team.

Perfect dispossession – slide or chase?
Dispossessing your opponent is no easy task. If you go sliding in, good timing is crucial, as if you take the player and not the ball, you’ll concede the foul and possibly even see yellow.
Therefore, more cautious players should attempt to win back possession by running after the player with the ball and stealing it of his toes. No button is required for this to happen.

How can I see which players have been booked?

Active players, who have already been shown a yellow card, will be shown with yellow circle around them.

How do I add a friend to my list so that I can play games against him/her?

Under the menu option 'Friends' you can enter the name of your new friends. The exact name of the friend must be entered into the field for him/her to be added to your Friends List.

Penalties – how can I direct my shot?

For penalties, the camera angle is changed to behind the penalty taker. The penalty taker need only press the direction, in which he/she wishes to shoot by using the cursor keys. The action button must then be pressed to take the actual penalty.

Penalties – how do I control the goalkeeper?

For penalties, the camera angle is changed to behind the penalty taker. The direction in which the goalkeeper dives is controlled by the arrow keys.

Can I shoot as soon as my player receives the ball?

There is a very small window of opportunity for a player to shoot the second he receives the ball. This can be done by pressing the shoot key as ball arrives at the player. This requires perfect timing and, if done correctly, results in an instant shot.

How can I direct my shots?

The cursor keys are not only used to move the players on the pitch. After taking a shot by pressing the action button, the direction of the ball can be manipulated by using the arrow keys. The action key, however, must be held down for the ball to be controlled. Releasing the action button means that the shot can no longer be manipulated.

What is the skill level rating and how is it calculated?

To guarantee fairness within the game, each player has a skill level - starting at 1000 points, which reflects the ability of the player and his/her team over the course of the season. The number is calculated using the number of games played and win ratio, as well as a number of other factors: This level will be adjusted accordingly after every match and is shown in the ranking list. This level is also used to find a suitable opponent for every preliminary round and round game.

Why am I sometimes allotted opponents with a much higher or lower skill level than mine in on-line games?
The selection of an opponent is determined by many different factors and calculated using a statistical algorithm. Aside from the current skill level of an opponent, there are also many other criteria for selection, such as matches already played, point differences at the end and  a lot of other factors. Calculations are carried out even while a game is in progress and the anticipated skill level is taken into account. These many factors can result in the assignment of an opponent whose skill level differs greatly from one's own. More information is provided in the examples on skill level.

An example of a much lower skill level: why am I allotted an opponent with a much lower skill level than mine?
The opponent may have lost some skill points due to a longer period of inactivity, but still be a very skilled player, in which case their anticipated skill level will be higher.
 
An example of a much higher skill level: why am I allotted an opponent with a much higher skill level than mine?
If you get an opponent with a much higher skill level, this may be due to the fact that you did very well in the last few games you played. Your anticipated skill level is calculated for subsequent games, and may in some cases be much higher than your current one.

Why is my skill level getting lower, even though I haven't been playing?
Our skill-level rating system has a built-in algorithm which prevents a player who hasn't played in a long time from „resting on“ his or her skill level. Inactive players may thus lose a few points if they do not play on-line games for several days.

How do I qualify for a tournament round?

The rounds take place on the predetermined tournament weekends (see the current game plan on the website). By playing in the pre-rounds (the period before the round weekends), a player can improve his/her starting position for the weekend.
Every player can take part on the round weekends without having to qualify.

What happens if my online game is interrupted?

As there is no impact on skill levels in friendly games, the match will be rated as completed. Information with regard to the reason for an interruption shall be listed in the game summary.

There are a number of possibilities for a competitive match:
Cancellation by the player, as the proposed opponent is not accepted or rejected. This can be intentional, but may also occur if the waiting time is exceeded before the game begins. The player who rejects the match has the shown skill points deducted.

Interruptions in the games, such as loss of connection, hardware problems or a player voluntarily conceding the match. Each player receives the appropriate points as if the game had been lost by the player who disconnected.

What skill level do I start off with in a round-playing weekend?
In the preliminary round, the round before a round-playing weekend, you can play any amount of on-line games you wish in order to raise your skill level. The skill level you achieve by the start of the weekend is the one used for the round-playing weekend.
 
What skill level do I have after a weekend of rounds?
The round-playing weekends are isolated events, which is why a player starts a preliminary round   after one of the round-playing weekends with the same skill level as before.
E.g.: after 1 preliminary round I have 1455 skill points, then the round-playing weekend takes place, I win 1560 points. In the next preliminary round I again start off with 1455 skill points.
 
 

Technical Questions

Why won't the game load after installation?
The minimum hardware requirements have not been fulfilled. The game requires the following to be played:

• Processor: minimum 1 GHz (optimal 2GHz)
• RAM: 256 MB (optimal 512MB)
• Graphics Card: GeForce2 or comparable (optimal Geforce4 with at least 128MB memory)
• Operating System: Any Windows operating system from Win98

As long as the graphics card requirements are fulfilled, it may help to update your driver. This can be done via the website of the corresponding graphics card manufacturers (Nvidia, ATI, etc.).

Some 90% of all graphics card problems that meet the requirements are out-of-date drivers.

Internet connection:
A stable, reliable connection is required to run the game properly. W-Lan and mobile internet is known for short time-outs and packetloss which can cause the game to end.

How can I see whether the online connection between my PC and my opponent's is good enough for an online-game?

When playing a concurrent online game, the quality of the online connection is of the utmost importance. This is why we have a special window which shows your opponent, which you can use to start or reject the game and which shows the strength of the connection in percent.
If this number is high and is highlighted in green, then both players habe a good, stable connection.
Yellow means a good connection, while orange and red indicate that the connection is not as good, which can lead to disruptions ans loss of connection during the game.
A player then has the option of accepting or refusing the game. But note that if a game is rejected, this will cost you skill level points. If the connection breaks down during a game, the player whose PC lost the connection loses the game, and loses the same number of points as for a regular loss, no matter whether she or he was winning or losing.
For further information, see Loss of connection during a game, Re-connecting.

Connection is lost during a game – “Connection re-established”
For a game such as Football Challenge, which can be played by two players simultaneously, a reliable Internet connection is required, as a high number of data must be transferred every single second. If the Internet connection is weak or unreliable, the game may be interrupted during a match. This is particularly likely if the connection to the Internet is wireless or via a datacard. Therefore, the connection for a real-time online game must not only have a high transfer rate, but it must also be reliable.
The quality of the connection for a match may also be affected by other connections, such as file sharing programmes and automatic update downloads. It is recommended that your Internet browser is closed before you begin the game. It is also worth investigating to find if any other process could be slowing the connection down.

Following launch of the game the FAQ page is shown
Please check the system requirements for the game, particularly the graphics performance of your computer. In most cases, problems can be solved by downloading and installing the latest driver from the manufacturer of the graphics card. If the game still doesn't run properly, it is recommended that you try the alternative renderer.

You can change the renderer as follows:
Launch the game via the icon.
In the window "Football Challenge 08 Configuration" click on "Settings".
Under "Render" select the other option, either "OpenGL" or "DirectX".
Reducing the texture quality is also an option.
Click on "Apply", then "Start game".

The game doesn't run smoothly/is unplayable

The game has minimum hardware requirements that must be fulfilled. Please check these minimum requirements. If these are met, we recommend updating your graphics driver. If this does not solve the problem, click on the option 'Settings' in the main menu. Here you can toggle the texture quality and even choose a lower resolution.

Language settings

When installing the programme you can choose the language, in which the game will be installed and run. This cannot be changed following installation. To change the language, the game must be completely reinstalled.

How can I make the game quicker?
It is recommended that you close all other programmes before launching the game and have none running in the background. Reducing the graphics settings (such as the resolution and texture quality) in the "Settings" menu can lead to the game running quicker.