Calling Plays is fast and easy and requires two simple selections for both Offense and Defense:
The first selection is the Play Set, which determines the plays and formations that will be available.
The second selection is the play itself.
There are three Play Sets for Offense and three for Defense and these are the same throughout the game. The actual plays available in each group change throughout the game.
(Advanced users can influence which plays will be available by modifying a playbook before starting gameplay.)
In STG Football, each team member can only view their own team's play-calling and play information. The team captain selects the plays for their team, and in a 4v4 match, each user is designated as captain for one quarter of the game.
To emphasize on-the-field action, there is a short time limit of five seconds to choose the play set, followed by another five seconds to select the actual play. If the captain fails to select a play within the given time limit, a default-selection play is automatically chosen.
During the play-calling sequence, if the clock is running, it stops as soon as the offensive team selects their play. This allows teams to preserve the clock without using their time-outs, much like in real-life football. The clock resumes when the ball is snapped.
The chosen play determines:
The formation of the Superstars
Pass route-target locations
The “designed” routes that the Superstars can take – users are never required to follow the play as designed, however, CPU-controlled teammates will always follow things as designed.
Your choices will always start with:
Run
Balanced
Pass
Once the offensive captain selects which set listed above, the offensive captain will proceed to the play selection screen. The offensive team captain will have three possible plays to run. At this point in the play selection process, the team is locked into a play and they cannot make changes. In addition, they cannot change the available plays in any way (no play flipping, etc.).
Plays within Run will have:
Running back lined up in a backfield spot
Generally, at least one more SuperStar lined up either in the backfield, at tight end, or tight slot (though this is not required)
No more than one pass target
With exactly one SuperStar “designed” to go to that target
Plays within Balanced will have:
Running back lined up in a backfield spot
Generally, no other SuperStar lined up in a typical running back location
Generally no more than one SuperStar between tight End and tight Slot
Exactly two-pass targets
With exactly two SuperStars “designed” to go to those targets (one each)
Plays within Pass will have:
No more than one running back in the backfield
Generally no more than one SuperStar between tight end and tight slot
Exactly three pass targets
With all three skill position SuperStars are “designed” to go to those targets (one each)
Timeout
The offensive captain can call a time-out on either of these screens by tapping an extra button, likely L1 or similar – provided that their team has time-outs remaining. When a time-out is called, the game clock will stop, and the time limit to call a play will reset. Further, both offense and defense will go back to the chosen set screen (and thus have a chance to change their settings or play if they already have called one)
In “kicking situations” such as 4th down or late in the half or after a TD, the offensive captain gets the fourth choice on the set selection screen which allows him to immediately “take the kick result”. These would include:
“Extra Point: Score 1 Point” (as an alternative to choosing run set, balanced, or pass set when going for a two-point conversion)
“Field Goal: Score 3 Points” (as an alternative to choosing a set for a 4th down or late-in-half play when close to the opponent’s goal line)
“Punt: 40 yards” (as an alternative to choosing a set for a 4th down or late-in-half play when not close to the opponent’s goal line
Which offensive plays are shown:
When a team enters a game, the user playbook for the team captain will be combined with special plays based on the superstars on the team and their skills, resulting in the game playbook.
Captains are changed every quarter and a new game playbook will be created for each quarter based on who’s the captain.
The game playbook will contain ordered lists of eligible plays that could show up for that team on offense during that game for each of run, balanced, and pass play set categories. These eligible plays include both regular plays and SuperStar-specific plays, which will be inserted into the ordered list in a logically non-random way.
Field Goal and Punting
Your choices will always start with:
Short
Medium
Long
Once the defensive captain chooses which set, he will proceed to play selection. He will see three possible plays to select. At this point, the team is locked in and cannot change the play.
With the "Short" plays selected, typically all the SuperStars will be in a tight formation near the line of scrimmage.
With the "Medium" plays selected, typically there is a mix of SuperStars in a tight formation to the line of scrimmage and down the field. They may shift into blitzes.
With the "Long" plays selected, all SuperStars are positioned further down the field to cover the deep pass and prevent the big play. They may shift into blitzes.
Time Out
The defensive captain can call a time-out on either of these screens by tapping an extra button, likely L1 or similar – provided that their team has timeouts remaining. When a time-out is called, the game clock will stop, and the time limit to call a play will reset (and perhaps be longer than normal).
Play Details
The following will all be defined within every play:
Where each SuperStar initially lines up
This includes which position each SuperStar is playing (regardless of location within the team’s formation)
Any “pre-snap motion” and related behaviors such as
Fully-defined motion (Offensive man in motion)
Logic-based motion.
ALL pre-snap motion is automatically controlled and that user controls do nothing until the ball is snapped
Standard post-snap behaviors such as:
Pass routes
Running back paths
Blocking directions
Defensive movement into zones
Pass targets for the play
Primary play restrictions if any
Allow playing to be called at most once per game/half/quarter
Allow play to appear as a potential choice at most once per game/half/quarter
Plays will be defined relative to the line of scrimmage and middle of the field. When they are used there will be translation to the actual current field position.