4GOAL LEAGUE
A downloadable game
⚽ 4GOAL LEAGUE - Official Manual
Welcome to 4GOAL LEAGUE, the final chapter of the 4GOAL series for the C64. This definitive version expands the mechanics of 4GOAL 4P to a whole new level, featuring a full roster of 16 unique teams. Players can now organize their own competitions by creating custom leagues of up to 12 teams, supporting up to 4 human players for the ultimate multiplayer experience. Just for fun!
🕹️ 1. BASIC CONTROLS
- Player 1: Joystick Port 2
- Player 2: Joystick Port 1
- Player 3: Joystick 3 (CGA/Protovision Adapter) OR Keyboard
- Player 4: Joystick 4 (CGA/Protovision Adapter) OR Keyboard
Keyboard Mapping (P3 & P4):
Command | Player 3 (P3) | Player 4 (P4) |
Up | W | I |
Down | S | K |
Left | A | J |
Right | D | L |
Fire/Shoot | Q | O |
In the menu, "g"or "G" key activate demo mode and "b" or "B" key activate bet mode.
Note: The game menu is controlled exclusively by Player 1 (Joystick Port 2).
Gameplay Mechanics:
- Variable Shooting: Shot power is determined by button pressure. Quick taps for weak shots; longer presses for powerful strikes.
- The Sprint (Dash): When not in possession, perform a short speed burst to intercept, steal, or rush for a goal. Renews every possession cycle.
- Defense & Collisions: Physical contact is essential. Block shots or disrupt opponents through strategic positioning.
- AI Partnership: CPU teammates will intelligently perform passes to their human partners.
- Goalkeepers: CPU-controlled in all game modes.
🏟️ 2. GAME MODES
4GOAL LEAGUE offers two main ways to compete:
1. 4 PLAYERS LEAGUE
Compete in a full season with up to 4 human players across different teams.
- Configurations:
- 2 Players: P1 (Human) + CPU vs. P3 (Human) + CPU. Alternatively, 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 from 4 to 12 teams and set the number of rounds to determine the length of the season.
- Points: Win = 3 pts | Draw = 1 pt | Loss = 0 pts
- League Table Columns: P (Points), W (Wins), GF (Goals For), GA (Goals Against).
- UI Indicators: An asterisk (*) next to a team name indicates it is controlled by a human.
- Uniforms: Fixed colors. In case of a clash, Team P1/P2 defaults to Yellow and Team P3/P4 to Red.
2. 4 PLAYERS FRIENDLY
A quick match between Team A (P1 + P2/CPU) and Team B (P3 + P4/CPU).
- Duration: 45 seconds or first to 5 goals.
- Teams: 16 available classic-inspired squads.
Available Teams: 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 and BOUNDERS SC.
🌨️ 3. DIFFICULTY LEVELS
Settings (Easy, Normal, Hard) adjust the skill and personality of CPU teams.
- DYNAMIC DIFFICULTY: During the final 10 seconds (T: 10), the CPU enters "Full Pressure" mode to try and turn the score around!
🏟️ 4. PITCH CONDITIONS & TYPES
- GRASS: Standard physics.
- WET: Soggy field; higher friction, slower ball movement.
- FROZEN: Slippery surface; lower friction, faster gameplay.
- RANDOM: Random selection.
Visual Styles: SOLID or CHECKERS (Aesthetic choice only).
⚖️ 5. ADVANCED GAMEPLAY
- After-Touch: You have 2 seconds to aim and apply "curve" to your shot using the directional stick.
- Deflections: Redirect an opponent's shot to score; the goal counts for the last player to touch the ball.
- Stealing: Touch the ball in an opponent's possession or use the Sprint for a surprise steal.
Credits:
- Code, Graphics & Sound: emmonks
- Special Thanks (Beta Testers): Vanessa, Greg, Tiago Al Alam, Jerônimo, Diego Smiths, Pablo Rosa, and Gladimir.
💬 Feedback & Support
- Comments: Leave a message on the itch.io page.
- E-mail: 4goal.c64@gmail.com
Download
Click download now to get access to the following files:
Development log
- 4GOAL LEAGUE released!69 days ago
Comments
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These are very good football games. I added it to my video along with other games released in April.
Thank you so much! It’s an honor to have my games featured alongside other C64 releases from April.
I really appreciate the work you do in showcasing new titles for the system. Spreading the word about modern homebrew is a great service to the entire C64 community. I’ll definitely check out the video!
Thanks again for the support and for helping keep the scene alive. Cheers!
Nice game!
Thank you so much for the video and the kind words!
It’s always a thrill to see someone playing and sharing the game with the community. These videos are a huge support for independent developers like me. I’ll definitely check it out and share it!
Thanks again for featuring 4GOAL!
Also this "4Goal" version is nice and adds some new features again. One question I have here. There are alot different versions of your game now and every version has some good features. What do you think, about releasing a "4Goal Deluxe" or "4Goal DX" version, that has all these selectable features in one version of the game, choosable from a game-menue? And, if this would need too much memory, such a DX-version don't need to be a onefiler, it could also reload, some of these single modes, from a d64-file for example. Today there are alot of really good fastloaders on the C64, so also things like "loading time" is not a problem anymore, on this system. I think, having all features together in one version, could be a nice thing. And also a cartridge version of such a DX version would be great. What do you think?
Thanks for the suggestions and the support!
I really like the idea of a '4GOAL COLLECTION' or 'DX' version to unify everything and remove redundancies. I’ve actually been experimenting with loaders to group all the versions into a single menu, but I haven't achieved a stable result yet.
My initial focus was providing standalone .PRG files (inspired by the Oneload64 project) for quick and easy loading. While I know it's possible to bundle them into a single file or a .D64 with a menu, my available time for development is quite limited right now.
It is definitely on my 'to-do' list, but I don't have a specific release date yet. I'm still looking for the best technical solution to handle the memory and the transitions between the modules, but I’ll find a way!
Thanks again for the feedback and for helping the project grow. Cheers!
Hy. Okay, I understand. Maybe you find a good solution in the future, it would be nice. Or maybe someday, also one of the numerous C64 crackergroups will release a cartridge version (Easyflash maybe?) or a d64-version of the "4Goal" games in which all functions/versions are united? (Aaah, also a nice name would be "4Goal United" yeah). We will see.
I definitely like your 4goal games, because they are especially well suited as party games, played with friends and since my childhood, I always liked simultan games, in which more than one player is involved at the same time, because in my opinion, these games give the most fun. :-)
I’m glad to hear you enjoy the games! I totally agree with you—simultaneous multiplayer is where the most fun is, especially in a party setting. That was exactly my goal with this series.
'4GOAL United' is actually a fantastic name! I might just use that for the final collection.
Also, I have some good news: I’ve made some recent progress with loading chains that might allow me to put everything together into a single .D64 disk image sooner than I expected. It would allow all the different modes to be accessible in one place while keeping the transitions smooth.
Thank you for the encouragement and the great naming idea! I'll keep working on it as time allows. Cheers!
Sounds very good! Looking forward to this.
Hi Sparky-D!
I have some great news: I followed your suggestion and created 4GOAL UNITED!
I used everything I've learned so far about loading chains to group all the versions into a single .D64 distribution. I think it’s much better organized now and definitely simpler for people to enjoy all the different modes without any hassle.
Thank you so much for the naming idea and for the encouragement! It really helped me find the best way to wrap up the series.
Please, take a look here: https://emmonks.itch.io/4goal-united
Cheers!