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 Posted: Sat Aug 25, 2007 9:42 pm
Introduction to Blitzball
Blitzball is the great Spiran passtime. It has endured from since Zanarkand was destroyed 1000 years ago, to present-day Spira. Not everyone in the world plays Blitzball, in fact, there are only 6 teams and 60 recruitable players, however, everyone in the world is a rabid Blitzball fan. Why? Play it yourself and see…
Blitzball Playing Field
Blitzball incorporates elements of soccer, football, and water polo, and is played underwater in a giant Sphere Pool. In the lower right side of the screen, you’ll see a map of the Sphere Pool, the game time, and the score, from top to bottom. On the map, your players are represented by green triangles, the opposition’s players are represented by red triangles, and the player who currently has possession of the ball has a yellow circle around him or her. In the lower left corner is commentary about what’s happening in the game.
Blitzball Action Menu
When one of your team’s players has possession of the ball, pressing the Square button will bring up the action menu. If your player is close to one or more members of the opposite team, bringing up the action menu will initiate an encounter. In an encounter, you’ll square off against enemy players – see the section below for more details. However, if no players of the opposite team are near you, bringing up the action menu will yield three choices: Pass, Shoot, and Dribble. Pass means that you may pass the ball to another team member, Shoot means you’ll attempt to kick the ball to score a goal, and Dribble pretty much closes the action menu, allowing you to continue swimming through the Sphere Pool until you open up the action menu again, or are intercepted by enemy players and forced into an encounter.
Blitzball Encounters
An encounter occurs when the player who has possession of the ball swims too close to enemy team members. When that happens, the ball handler will square off against one or more players of the opposite team, and you’ll have two options: "No Break", and "Break to…".
Before you make a choice, examine the statistics in the top right corner. The topmost set of stats is the ball carrier, and the statistics below that are the enemy players who surround the ball carrier. Ignore the HP for a moment and look at EN, AT, PA, and BL. EN (Endurance) is compared to AT (Attack) in an encounter, and PA (Pass) is similarly compared to BL (Block). A good rule of thumb is that if your Pass is higher than the enemy’s Block, choose "No Break", and if your Endurance is higher than the enemy’s Attack, choose "Break to…". If you’re in an encounter with more than one enemy player, you can choose a combination of these.
Selecting "No Break" brings up the Action Commands menu, and gives you the choice to either pass the ball, or make a shot. Because you’re currently surrounded by enemy players, however, any passes or shots that you make will be intercepted by them. If your Pass (PA) or Shoot (SH) statistic (as applicable) is higher than their Block (BL) statistic, they’ll merely deflect the ball, unable to gain possession of it. If your Pass or Shoot is lower than their Block, on the other hand, they’ll catch the ball.
Selecting "Break to…" will bring up the Actions Commands menu, giving you the choice to not only pass or shoot the ball, but also to dribble. After you’ve made your choice, one or more enemy players – however many you chose to Break to - will tackle you in an attempt to wrest the ball from your hands. If your Endurance (EN) statistic is greater than the sum of their Attack (AT) statistic, you’ll retain possession of the ball, then perform the pass, shot, or dribbling action you selected at first.
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Posted: Sat Aug 25, 2007 9:43 pm
Blitzball Statistics
Because what would an RPG mini-game be without statistic micromanagement?
Health Points (HP)
Every action that a Blitzball player makes costs HP. Passing the ball, shooting the ball, tackling, even simply dribbling the ball down the court will cause your HP to drop. It’s fairly rare that a player’s HP will drop to 0, but when it does happen, their statistics are halved for all practical purposes, and they’re essentially useless. However, when a player doesn’t have possession of the ball, their HP will automatically regenerate.
Speed (SP)
The Speed statistic determines how quickly a player will move down the court. Having a high Speed statistic means that you can outswim your opponents, and you’ll rarely get into encounters.
Attack (AT)
The Attack statistic determines how much a player will deplete another player’s Endurance when tackling.
Endurance (EN)
The Endurance statistic determines the amount of damage that a player can take from enemy Attacks when he has possession of the ball.
Pass (PA)
The Pass statistic determines how far a player can throw the ball, and also whether or not a pass will be Blocked. As the ball floats through the water on a pass, the PA number will drop. If it reaches zero before the ball is caught by the targeted member of your team, the ball will be fumbled, and the nearest player will catch it, so don’t pass from too far away.
Block (BL)
The Block statistic determines how likely it is that a player will block a pass or a shot by the opposing team. If a player’s BL statistic is higher than the opposition’s PA statistic, a pass will be blocked, and you’ll gain possession of the ball.
Shoot (SH)
"Shoot" is actually a bit of a misnomer, this statistic refers to the player’s kicking ability. The higher the number, the further away from the goal that a player may score from, and the more difficult it is for a goalie to catch. As the ball floats through the water on a shoot, the SH number will drop. If it reaches zero before the ball reaches the goal, the goalie will most certainly catch it, so don’t shoot from too far away.
Catch (CA)
The Catch statistic determines how adept a goalie is at catching or deflecting shots.
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Posted: Sat Aug 25, 2007 9:44 pm
Blitzball Positions
Left Forward (LF)
Both the left and right forwards on your team will be doing most of the scoring. High Speed, Endurance, and Shoot statistics, as well as a wide variety of shooting Techniques, are necessary for effective forwards. Tackle Slip and Anti status ailment techniques are icing on the cake.
Right Forward (RF)
Both the right and left forwards on your team will be doing most of the scoring. High Speed, Endurance, and Shoot statistics, as well as a wide variety of shooting Techniques, are necessary for effective forwards. Tackle Slip and Anti status ailment techniques are icing on the cake.
Midfielder (MF)
The midfielder catches the ball after a Blitzoff!, and will be performing most of your team’s passing duties, although midfielders can double as defensemen. High Speed, Pass, Attack, and Block statistics, as well as a wide variety of passing Techniques, are necessary for effective forwards.
Left Defense (LD)
Both the left and right defensemen prevent the opposition from swimming too close to your goal. High Speed, Attack, and Block statistics, as well as a wide variety of tackling Techniques, are necessary for effective defense.
Right Defense (RD)
Both the right and left defensemen prevent the opposition from swimming too close to your goal. High Speed, Attack, and Block statistics, as well as a wide variety of tackling Techniques, are necessary for effective defense.
Goalie (GL)
The goalie guards your team’s goal, and prevents the opposing team from kicking the ball into it. High Block and Catch statistics, as well as Techniques like Grip Gloves and Super Goalie, are necessary for an effective goalie.
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Posted: Sat Aug 25, 2007 9:45 pm
Blitzball Status Ailments
Poison (green)
Poison status makes a player’s HP drop rapidly, and regenerate much more slowly when the player doesn’t have possession of the ball. Poison will wear off after a few minutes of play, or at the end of a half.
Wither (yellow)
Wither status halves one or more of a player’s statistics, effectively crippling them. Wither will wear off after a few minutes of play, or at the end of a half.
Nap (blue)
Nap status puts a player to sleep, as improbable as that might sound underwater. While sleeping, the player can’t move, participate in encounters, or catch the ball if they’re a goalie. You can wake a player up by throwing a pass to them, or scoring a goal.
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