4th & Inches
| Company type | Video game |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | 1987 |
| Founder | Bob Whitehead |
| Products | 4th & Inches |
4th & Inches is a sports simulation focused on American football, originally created by Accolade and launched for the Commodore 64 in 1987. In 1988, Sculptured Software adapted the game for the Apple IIGS, MS-DOS, Amiga, and Mac OS platforms. The game was designed by Bob Whitehead, co-founder of Accolade, and is notable for pioneering strategic play calling in computer football titles. An add-on titled Team Construction Disk was also issued in 1988.
Description
Bob Whitehead's design for 4th & Inches blended action-oriented gameplay with tactical decision-making. It marked the first instance in computer football where players could select formations and choose from five distinct offensive plays per formation, such as draws, curls, sweeps, and deep passes. Defensive gameplay offered a range of formations aimed at countering offensive strategies.
Before each offensive play, users selected a specific player to control; however, switching control during the play was not possible. The game featured a limited field perspective that fully refreshed when the controlled player reached the screen boundary, repositioning them rather than implementing smooth scrolling. On defense, control automatically transferred to the defender closest to the ball carrier following each screen redraw.
Visual and audio elements were adapted from Accolade’s previous baseball game HardBall!, also developed under Whitehead’s direction.
Development
Bob Whitehead both designed and programmed the initial Commodore 64 edition released in 1987. The subsequent ports appearing in 1988 were managed by Sculptured Software, with programming contributions from Craig Conder (Amiga), Tony Manso (Apple IIGS), and John Motter (DOS).
Reception
Computer Gaming World commended 4th & Inches for effectively merging arcade-style action with strategic playbook elements, although it pointed out the lack of league or team management features. The publication described it as "a welcome addition to the genre." Sales of the Commodore 64 version exceeded 50,000 units.
Reviews
- Games issue #93