10 Yard Fight FAQ(Arcade)
by Andrew Schultz
schultza@earthlink.net

Please do not reproduce this FAQ for profit without my prior consent.  
This FAQ is copyright 2001 Andrew Schultz.  If you write me a note 
specifically using my name and this FAQ's name I will likely approve 
your request.  This document is largely for nostalgia purposes in 
addition to the strategic insights I hope it provides.

    ****AD SPACE****

My home page:
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Exhibit/2762

================================

********OUTLINE********

  INTRODUCTION

  CONTROLS AND BASIC OPPONENTS' ABILITIES AND GAME RULES

      THE RUNNING GAME

      PASSES AND INTERCEPTIONS

  LEVELS/TEAMS

  SCORING/TIMING

  KICKOFFS

  OPPONENTS' FORMATIONS

  WHAT TO DO AGAINST...

  GETTING DOWN TO CRUNCH TIME

  EXTRA POINTS(KICK)

  EXTRA POINTS(RUN)

  CONCLUSION

  MISCELLANEOUS

    EASTER EGGS(SORT OF)

    OUTRIGHT ODDITIES

    BEFORE ZERO WING, THERE WAS TEN YARD FIGHT!

  VERSIONS

  CREDITS

================================

  INTRODUCTION

    10 Yard Fight is a nine-on-nine football game where you are 
perpetually on offense and control the ball-carrier and, peripherally, 
some receivers and blockers, but there is no football game score.  You 
start out returning a kickoff, and then you play the quarterback who has 
the option of lateraling, running, or throwing.  There is a time limit 
in which you must score a touchdown, but time can be added by first 
downs--the earlier in the down cycle, the better.  Defense gets closer 
when you get to the goal line but if you score a touchdown you have a 
bonus round in the point-after, with the option to go for two points 
before moving on to the next level or to settle for a surer extra point.  
As the levels go on the defenders become a bit smarter and quicker, you 
are pushed back further to start the kickoff return, and you have less 
time to complete your drive.  Every two levels count as the first and 
second half of a football game, after which you move on to the next 
team.  You lose if you go too far back in your own end zone, are tackled 
there, run out of time, or are stopped short of first down on fourth 
down.
    Made in 1983 by Irem, this game can be alternately frustrating an 
exhilirating and unintentionally saddles you with some thrilling(or 
agonizing) goal line battles and time pressure.  There's enough of a 
random factor that I can still wind up almost losing to high school(the 
first two levels.)  As ancient games go, this is a good one with 
surprising subtleties.

  CONTROLS AND BASIC OPPONENTS' ABILITIES AND GAME RULES

    Your ball carrier has a pink helmet with a blue stripe, red jersey, 
and yellow pants.  Everyone else on your team has a red helmet with a 
yellow stripe, blue jersey, and white pants which remain immaculate even 
after the umpteenth play.
    You have a forward pass and a lateral pass button;  on any play each 
pass can only be used once.
    On kickoffs, extra points, and regular plays, you are able to shake 
off defenders three times before going down.  However, if two converge 
on you, or you are dive-tackled, you go down.  Also, if you shake off a 
tackler and throw the ball, your shake-offs are rejuvenated, so it is 
possible to be hit nine times before the play is over.
    You move forward or sideways at the rate of 5 yards every 3 seconds. 
(1.67 yards/second)
    You move forward diagonally at the rate of 5 yards every 5 second.  
(1 yard/second up and to the side, which makes 1.414 yards/second.)  So 
you are slightly slower this way, but if you move quickly back and forth 
diagonally, you can often shake and confuse defenders.
    Breaking out of tackles is not too tough.  You don't have to move 
the joystick fully aroundin a circle;  moving up/left/right will allow 
you to break a tackle and won't start you moving down after you are 
free.  Tacklers that you shake off are prone and cannot intercept any 
passes for a brief period of time.
    Running into blockers:  if you run straight into a blocker, you will 
be stopped.  If you are off to the left or right, you will slide off 
with little incident as if you moved diagonally.  Your man in motion, if 
he moves forward into a blocker as you snap the ball, can find his way 
around a blocker.
    When the computer says "1st and 10" it means 1st and 10+.  If you 
are 1st and 10 between the computer's 32 and 31, you will need to get to 
the 21.  There's no yellow line to determine where you need to get, 
although we can't fault them for this--it didn't appear on college 
football on TV until a few years ago.  The diagram to the right is a bit 
inaccurate as if you are level with the first down marker you may be 
short and it seems to be a yard out of sync with where you are and you 
need to get--so the net result is right, but in any case it's a bit 
screwy.  There is even a "1st and 00"(no 1st and goal) if you are very 
close to the goal line so the whole convention is a bit screwy.
    Your receivers stand still for forward passes(i.e. defenders can run 
through them to intercept) but you can move laterally on lateral passes.
    The ball, when passed, moves as fast as your opponents.
    You cannot forward pass until your receiver extends his arms, which 
takes a few seconds, and of course you cannot forward pass beyond the 
line of scrimmage.  There's no quarterback option-style lateral 
either(rats, woulda been cool.)
    Lateral passes five yards or more back will miss the running back 
and go out of bounds.
    Blockers move in the direction you move your joystick--this includes 
when you are stuck breaking out of a tackle.  They find it tougher to 
block as the levels increase and usually have to "stick" the defenders 
perfectly to have any effect.  Blockers also cannot stop a defender who 
is about to dive from any direction.  Blockers can also seem patently 
useless, especially on extra points where they run into the end zone, 
where you can't throw it.  I guess they want to be fashionably early for 
the party once you get there.
    You lose a few seconds both when the ball is snapped to the 
quarterback and when the ref moseys on over to whistle the play dead.  
However if the game clock goes to zero the game is not stopped.

    Opponents appear to be 20% faster than you are, i.e. 2 yards/second 
straight ahead but 1.697 yards/second diagonally(1.2 horizontally and 
vertically.)
    Once you are tackled, there is a two second wait or so before the 
ref comes out.
    Opponents may dive at you, although only one may do so at a time.  
It is pretty clear when an opponent will dive at you as he will crouch 
and wait a bit, although it is easier to see from behind than from in 
front.  If they dive at you and touch you, you go down.  There is some 
leeway for when someone dives diagonally from behind you, but you will 
get a nasty surprise from people diving diagonally in front of you.  In 
that case move diagonally up away from them.  Although it is a bit 
slower you are now heading perpendicular to their path of motion and are 
going 1.414 yards/second away while you are really only going 5/3(sqrt 
2) yards away from their path of motion running straight ahead.

      THE RUNNING GAME

    The running game is the basis of your offense.  Although "three 
yards and a cloud of dust" isn't acceptable as you have time restraints, 
you can break off ten yards rather easily with a lateral and run 
upfield.  Here are suggestions for the best way to get yardage:
    1)  use the receiver as a blocker.  Snap the ball when the receiver 
is "under" a defender that might be in your way.  He'll go up, the 
defender will go down, and you'll have him blocked for a bit.  This is 
useful if, say, three defenders are on one side and one is on the other.
    2)  let them jump at you.  After you've lateraled the ball, if there 
is a defender on the far right/left coming at you, run at him until he 
looks ready to jump and then escape diagonally.  You'll always make it, 
and you'll have shook off a defender with little or no loss of time.
    3)  go where they aren't.  Seems like common sense, but this idea 
may have the greatest return for the least thought.
    4)  consider a forward pass if the line is stacked.
    5)  once in the open, run straight ahead until defenders are within 
range.  Then play around with brief diagonal moves, and the defenders 
may halt trying to figure your new directions.  You can maybe also shake 
a pair of defenders(which will always bring you down) that way.
    6)  watch behind for guys that dive at you and avoid them.
    7)  don't be scared to go diagonally--you'll be slower but so will 
the defenders.
    8)  also, the sidelines are a good place to go although they may cut 
down your options on the next play.  So try to edge diagonally back from 
them if you've gotten the first down.
    9)  remember that the opponent moves more freely as you march down 
the field, as the defenders are faster, and the defensive ends throw 
their blockers off more easily.  Delaying will get you in more trouble.

    Many of these suggestions also apply to your receiver after he has 
caught the ball.

      PASSES AND INTERCEPTIONS

    Throwing the ball is a bit more risky, which is why you get a 
thousand points for completing a pass.  However, when defenders are 
close in, it is a good opportunity to pick up mega-yards.
    Lateral and forward passes can be intercepted.  Interceptions occur 
when defenders step in front of a pass and are not diving;  contrarily, 
if they are diving, it may be an excellent time to throw it over them.  
Interceptions put you twenty yards back or, if you're inside your own 
forty, half the distance to your own goal.  The spot from which you go 
back is determined by where the defender intercepts it.
    Interceptions ALWAYS result in a first and ten.  Even if you've got 
fourth down and throw an interception, it is better than getting tackled 
short of the first down marker.  This may be a bit of a strategic 
sacrifice--position and time for security.  Also, when you get near the 
goal on higher levels, you may want to throw an interception 
deliberately to start your assault on the goal line at a more favorable 
spot.
    However, most of the time you will want to avoid an interception.  
To do so, there are several ways:
    1)  run the ball--if you're starting out, this will get you to the 
college game after a bit of practice.  Throwing is more risky.
    2)  throw it where they ain't--if the defense is loaded on one side, 
snap the ball when your receiver is on the other
    3)  drop back in the pocket--I'm not an expert at this, but often 
the lineman or even the person covering the receiver will cheat up on 
you if you go backwards.  Shake a man off and throw it.  They'll be well 
behind the receiver.  This probably works best when you are low on time 
anyway.
    4)  misdirection--start off in the opposite direction you want to 
throw it.  Then you can either lateral the ball the other way and throw 
forward for a "Statue of Liberty" or throw it directly.
    5)  shake off a defender at the line and then throw it--a defender 
at the line can intercept your pass, but if he's fallen down, he can't.  
You can also move in front of him, let him jump at you, and move out of 
the way.  The more defenders that are on the ground, the fewer will 
chase the receiver when he makes yardage.  Note that if you are in a 
defender's grasp, you cannot throw the ball.
    6)  most importantly, anticipate where the defender WILL BE.  Many 
defenders roll into coverage;  for instance, if two are on the back 
line, the one closest to the receiver may blitz you, and the one to his 
side may cover the receiver.  Defenders generally move in simple 
patterns because if they guarded the receiver directly the AI might 
cause them to jump at the ball, and they couldn't catch it.  So they run 
in circles or back and forth in front of the receiver.  I find it's best 
to throw the ball when the defender is blocking you and the receiver, 
which is counterintuitive.  If a defender is rolling over into pass 
defense you may also want to wait as they seem to be able to make up 
distance in a hurry.
    7)  an interception is not the end of the world and you will need to 
try things before you come close to perfection(which you can probably 
forget about.)  So experiment and you'll probably come up with something 
I missed.  Deliberate interceptions can also lead to a cycle of more 
points at the risk of losing the game, which is a fun gamble.  Just 
don't let your blood pressure go through the roof after the umpteenth 
"interception dance."   Keep a cool head, coach, because you set an 
example for your players.

  LEVELS/TEAMS

    There are, essentially, eight levels to Ten Yard Fight.  Every level 
after the eighth repeats the eighth.  After five levels a helmet 
replaces the footballs above the scoreboard to indicate your level.  I 
don't know what happens at, say, level 29.  The programmers 
realistically couldn't expect anyone to get that far.  Here's a 
breakdown of the team names, colors(helmet/pants/socks,) where you start 
on the kickoff, how much time you have, and the "flash point"(where the 
first block occurs if you return the kickoff straight ahead, which seems 
the best strategy.)

Level |                     |Helmet/jersey|start|time|flash|mascot|
------+---------------------+-------------+-----+----+-----+------+
1     |High school(1st half)|black/grey   |30   |60  |39   |stars |
2     |High school(2nd half)|black/grey   |25   |50  |36   |stars |
3     |College    (1st half)|grey/claret  |20   |40  |31   |horse |
4     |College    (2nd half)|grey/claret  |15   |30  |28   |horse |
5     |Pro        (1st half)|maroon/dkgree|10   |25  |23   |cowboy|
6     |Pro        (2nd half)|maroon/dkgree|5    |20  |19   |cowboy|
7     |Super      (1st half)|black/olive  |5    |15  |19   |eagle |
8     |Super      (2nd half)|black/olive  |5    |10  |19   |eagle |

Helmet and socks are the same color.  Opponents always wear manly light 
blue pants.  All opponents' helmets have white stripes.

  SCORING/TIMING

    The scoring is pretty straightforward.

--50 points for each second you have the ball, whether on kickoffs, live 
plays, or extra point attempts--I believe(hard to tell) laterals count 
as having the ball, but I know forward passes and extra points kick do 
not.
--1000 points for a completed forward pass
--Points for first downs:
    1000 on 1st, add 10 seconds
     500 on 2nd, add 6 seconds
     300 on 3rd, add 4 seconds
     100 on 4th, add 2 seconds
--1000 points for a successful extra point kick
--3000 points for a successful extra point run
--20000 points for returning a kickoff for a touchdown
--Points for scoring a touchdown:
    5000 against HS
    6000 against College
    7000 against Pro
    8000 against Super
    Although it happens too quickly to tell, you do get the 1000 points 
for a completed pass directly into the end zone.

    Now it's a bit unfortunate that a thirty yard gain is actually much 
less well-rewarded than two fifteen yard gains(i.e. only one first down 
time/point bonus vs. two) but on the other hand you can cheat your score 
up by sitting back inside your territory where the defense is more lax, 
completing a twenty yard pass, getting an interception(which generally 
takes under ten seconds,) going twenty yards forward, and repeating.

  KICKOFFS

    The kickoff may seem important at first, and it's a great way to 
pick up yards quickly and learn the basics of running and juking, but as 
the yards get harder near the goal line anyway, don't worry if you mess 
up as you will find first downs easier than usual on the first few 
plays.  I've never been able to return a kickoff for a touchdown under 
normal rules but you get a nice bonus if you do.  If however you are 
taken down at the five yard line you probably will not score many points 
as you are five yards away from the end zone and points are based on 
yardage gained.

    Your "wedge" starts like so:

    X X X
    X   X
      O
    X   X
      X

    ....where you are the O.

    I use a reliable formula for kickoffs that lets me start in 
opponents' territory.  First, I go straight up.  Then, I run my guys to 
the left(mirror the directions to go to the right--ther shouldn't be a 
difference, but I've gotten in the habit of going left)--usually just as 
the blocking noise ends.  Once the second opponent is blocked, I go 
forward again.  I should still have blockers to the side and if 
defenders are creeping to the side I make a brief diagonal movement so 
that my blockers sideswipe them(OK, that's fifteen yards in an *actual* 
game, but I don't mind this piece of surrealism.)
    From there you will do a lot of juking and swerving as in the 
running game.  If you are able to use the blocker behind you, great, but 
it is not easy.  The problem is that many defenders set up to dive 
behind you, and you cannot block that.  You often need a bit of luck.
    I have never been able to use all eight blockers as usually the ones 
to my upper right and right go unused.

  OPPONENTS' FORMATIONS

    Some formations are repeating and although there seem to be too many 
to name, I offer the following diagram to show where the "bad guys" can 
go.  Generally speaking it is a 9-on-9 game where you have a 
quarterback, two running backs, a receiver in motion and five offensive 
linemen against five defensive linemen and four rovers.  The rovers' 
possible positions are below.


  ! = possible defender
  O = defender always here
  X = your blocker
  + = your runners
  R = your receiver

 Yds
Ahead
  5   |!   !   !   !
  4   |
  3   |!  !  !  !  !
  2   |    !   !
  1   |! !!!!!!!!! !
  0   |! X X X X X !
 -.5  |           R
 -1   |  +   +   +

    Now, the enemies can only occupy four of these spots, but hopefully 
below I've outlined well enough what to do in certain situations.

  WHAT TO DO AGAINST...

    If enemies are on one side, run a play to the other side.
    If an enemy is on the left or right edge of 1 or 0, a quick lateral 
that way may make him miss.  If no other defenders are there you should 
get a first down whether or not you can pass the ball.
    If too many enemies are back it may be better to run.  Keep in mind 
that enemies three or five yards back can drop into pass coverage.
    Enemies on 1 directly behind the X are troublesome as they can stop 
passes as well as a run straight ahead.  You may want to wait a bit to 
see what they do or even let them break through the line so they commit 
themselves.  It may lead to a nice completion and gain.
    If you just need a few yards and there is an enemy in the gap in X's 
at level 1, have your man in motion block him and run through the open 
gap to the left or right.  That should always get you five yards.
    If an enemy is on the far left or right and you wish to pass the 
ball, don't let your receiver go to the edge, or he will become an 
involuntary blocker.  Instead let the enemy run at you and throw when he 
crouches to jump--one less defender to worry about!  Just make sure no 
other defender is jumping at you--if so, shake off the incoming tackler.

  GETTING DOWN TO CRUNCH TIME

    After a while, you should get comfortable enough with the controls 
that a running or passing game or a judicious blend will get you inside 
the thirty with little trouble.  But on the later levels it seems you 
need to get a first down with each play to win, and the enemies seem to 
swarm near the goal line.  It's not you getting overconfident, either.  
The enemies tighten up their defenses, not by "shortening the field" to 
take away your passing game, but by more blunt tactics.
    The most important one is that inside the fifteen the ends on the 
five-man defensive line break tackles early and frequently jump at you, 
so you have less time for the play to develop.  You'll have to back up 
in the pocket to throw, although this can often bamboozle the "D."  Also 
if you decide to throw a lateral, beware that the end who has broken 
free of his blocker will dive if you stay put and wait for the play to 
develop.
    Also, opponents seem to recover more quickly.  Although they appear 
at the bottom in a quasi-random manner after a pass, they appear a lot 
MORE QUICKLY as you move in.  I think there may be an extra defender 
dropped in there as well but at any rate it sure seems that way.
    The ideal situation is, if you're inside the ten and have just 
gotten a first down, to gain three or four yards, let the clock stop, 
and go for the touchdown the second time.  Also if you are at the 
fifteen or so you can use the same strategy, where if you get a first 
down, it should be a walk over right or left guard into the end zone.
    The key here is to have a first down with ten seconds and to use the 
ten seconds wisely.  If you don't see anything, deliberately throwing an 
interception and moving back into easier territory(after getting a first 
down on first and ten) is actually good strategy as you are reset to 
first and ten.  In a way, here, you are taking a shot at backing up and 
trying again, although there is some risk of not getting a first down 
even in the lest hostile climes of the thirty yard line.
    You can't use the two-down strategy twice as you'll run out of time.  
Just remember that an eight- or nine-yard gain is, in this case, three- 
or four-yards.  As you really do have to fight for ten yards the game's 
name seems especially apt.

    There is also a small little trick you can use to bag a few extra 
points near the end.  If you are running for a touchdown and already 
have a first down you may want to be tackled at the one, especially if 
the play is on first down.  You get ten seconds and a thousand points.  
Although the play and the ref calling time will take three seconds, you 
will net 5 seconds(500 points) + 1000 for the first down.  Cheap points.

  EXTRA POINTS(KICK)

    Where you kick the ball is determined by the purple arrow that moves 
back and forth horizontally between just above the goal line, under the 
left goal post, and the right side of the endzone.  So you may have to 
use a little thought to find the right angle--unless there's a simple 
way to do it.  There is.

    The procedure here is shockingly simple.  Just start running 
backwards.  Just before the "G" is about to go off the screen, kick the 
ball.  The arrow should be just above the "G."  That is a free thousand 
points.  Of course, if you want to try trick shots, the easier ones are 
on the right-hand side of the screen, and it is very hard on the left-
hand side as you will have to back up several yards to have any chance 
because of the arrow's limited range.  On the right-hand side you can 
try to kick the ball so that the arrow isn't under the goalposts but the 
ball goes through anyway.

    I don't know what happens if the ball hits the uprights, i.e. if the 
kick is good or not.  However one thing to be aware of is that although 
the kick cannot be blocked, if a defender is too close to you or has you 
wrapped up, you won't be able to get the kick off.

    I thought I remembered seeing someone run all the way back to his 
own end zone and kicking the ball back in the early eighties, but I 
wasn't able to reproduce it.

  EXTRA POINTS(RUN)

    Now this is a bit more difficult and even with a general strategy I 
can still trip up about 30% of the time.  Of course, if you can score 
33% of the time or more it is worthwhile and really more exciting anyway 
than the easy extra point.  Timing is critical here, and you need to 
make use of at least one invisible blocker.  Going up the middle is out 
of the question, but you can make it if you circle around the edges.

    1)  go down and to the left just over a half-yard.  The direction 
isn't important(you can probably mirror-image this and maybe it's more 
convenient if you're right-handed) but the distance is.
    2)  go left.  One of the defenders on the outside should be picked 
up by the magically appearing blocker which only appears if you went the 
right distance in 1).
    3)  curl tightly around the blocker, and you may be able to pick up 
other defenders
    4)  wiggle forward and realize that defenders can dive from off-
screen.  This has spoiled a few of my own carefree jaunts toward the 
endzone.
    I really don't think there's any other way to do things.  As the 
forward pass button is reserved for kicking, and you can't lateral the 
ball, and the defenders always line up near the line(2 on the outside, 2 
just behind it) you are under the cosh especially with the ends busting 
loose from their tackles quickly.

  CONCLUSION

    Most of the really neat stuff I found was by accident when I thought 
"OK, there's nothing more I can do--oops, didn't want to do that, oh, it 
makes sense."  So a lot may be missing as I got too set in my ways.  
This FAQ hardly covers all strategies and if you find something new or 
want to try it feel free.  The game seems to have enough nuances even 
though I suspect many were unintentional.

  MISCELLANEOUS

    EASTER EGGS(SORT OF)

    Only one I can see now.  If you complete a pass and the receiver is 
tackled immediately, he engages in some trash talk with his tackler, and 
they both fall down simultaneously in the ensuing fight.

    OUTRIGHT ODDITIES

    You can start a play from the end zone.  However, the clock will 
drop to a second, the play and clock will start, and the ref will kill 
the play and the game before you get the snap off.  This is unless 
you've just thrown an interception.  If you were tackled in the end 
zone, you are in trouble.  You are not moved forward if you are 
intercepted in the end zone.  Note that if the clock runs out on a 
normal snap, your game continues.

    BEFORE ZERO WING, THERE WAS TEN YARD FIGHT!

    After you beat each opponents, cheerleaders jump up and down(with a 
few brief gratuitous panty shots) to cheer your "win."  There's also a 
congratulatory message that shows slang isn't the only bad English out 
there.

      HIGH SCHOOL

    Pretty good ! Fight with a college team,next !  Good luck !

      COLLEGE

    Great ! Challenge a pro team,next !  Good luck !

      PRO

    Unbelivably powerfull, you are !  Now finally,the strongest pro 
team,accepts your challenge. [double sic at the start]

      SUPER

    Excellent !  You are the best.  Good luck !

    What else can I say?  THAT TO TAKING, Zero Wing!

End of FAQ proper

================================

  VERSIONS

1.0.0:  10/18/2001 sent to GameFAQs pretty much complete.  I suspect 
there are moves I missed and if so I'd love to hear about them, but I'm 
satisfied with the current job.

  CREDITS

The inimitable mame.net which had cheat codes that allowed me to see 
higher levels and special cases, and of course they have the latest 
MAME, etc.
