VGG | eXtensible Football Language

A note on the text:

Earlier this week, the XFL began its inaugural season. We here at the Football Family of Fans Consortium (F3C) worked with the league founders to ensure that the XFL is the first open-source, SGML-based football league. All games are created in eXtensible Football Language (XFL), which can be used to display games via PC, handheld, television, radio, and even optic nerve (so-called "seeing the game live"). What follows is the initial definition of XFL and notes on its usage. Pending acceptance by the F3C membership and input from the general public, this definition will become XFL 1.0.

eXtensible Football Language (XFL) Definition
(proposed 1.0 - 02/08/01)

BASIC STRUCTURE
All XFL games begin and end with <FOOTBALL></FOOTBALL> tags. Everything that happens between kickoff and the final whistle is enclosed in a pair of <GAME> </GAME> tags. Events affecting the game can be included with optional <PREGAME></PREGAME> tags, and any repercussions from the game are contained within </POSTGAME></POSTGAME> tags.

The most basic XFL game would look like this:

<FOOTBALL>
<GAME>

</GAME>
</FOOTBALL>

In English, this is the equivalent of "there was a football game today." More commonly, XFL games include a <TEAMS></TEAMS> section.

<TEAMS></TEAMS>: Shell tag used to include information about the teams playing.

<HOME> and <VISITOR>: contain information about the two teams playing. Both tags have two required attributes and one optional attribute.

SRC: the home team's city
NAME: the team's name, mascot, or nickname
RECORD: the team's record coming into this game

Example: <HOME SRC="Los Angeles" NAME="Xtreme" RECORD="0 and 1">

<TEAMS> can also include an optional <BAGGAGE></BAGGAGE> tag describing any non-football-related problems affecting the team. Common <BAGGAGE> attributes include:

<BAGGAGE>Murderer on team</BAGGAGE>
<BAGGAGE>Assault on coach</BAGGAGE>
<BAGGAGE>Embarassing prostitution scandal</BAGGAGE>

Some XFL servers support the PLI, or Player Life Include, which allows game authors to associate information about individual players' outside lives. The F3C recommends avoiding this and instead using the SRC attribute of BAGGAGE to indicate the player whose actions necessitated the BAGGAGE tag.

GAMEPLAY
Inside the body of the <GAME> tags, all offense and defense are enclosed in <POSSESSION></POSSESSION> tags. Each <POSSESSION> tag requires that the team with possession be identified in the same way as in the <TEAMS> tag.

The <POSSESSION> tags are divided using the <DOWN> tag. <DOWN> tags are identified using numbers from 0 to 3, and include the hexidecimal distances (in inches) to the next first down and to the end zone.

Example: Second down and seven on the opponent's 45 yard line.
In XFL notation, this would be represented as <DOWN="1" TO_FIRST="FC" TO_GOAL="654">

OFFENSE
The three primary offensive tags are <PASS>, <RUN>, and <KICK>.

<PASS> has three required and two optional attributes.

DIRECTION: accepts FORWARD, LATERAL, TOTHESIDELINES, or GROUND
TARGET: can either be the receiver's name or jersey number
YARDAGE: can be either GAIN or LOSS or a positive or negative integer
IS_OPEN (optional): can be YES (default) or NO
WAS_GOOD_IDEA (optional): YES or NO (usually added after the game by Monday morning coders)

<RUN> has three required attributes.

CARRIER: can either be the runner's name or jersey number
DIRECTION: can be UP_THE_MIDDLE, FLANK_LEFT, FLANK_RIGHT, or INTO_A_STONE_WALL
YARDAGE: can be either GAIN or LOSS or a positive or negative integer

<KICK> has two required and one optional attributes.

TYPE: can be FIELD_GOAL, EXTRA_POINT (deprecated), or PUNT
YARDAGE: can be either GAIN or LOSS or a positive or negative integer
ONSIDE: can be NO (default) or YES

NOTE: If TYPE="FIELD_GOAL" or TYPE="EXTRA_POINT" is used, the additional attribute "IS_GOOD" can be used. If TYPE="PUNT" is used, the additional attributes "FAIR CATCH" (deprecated) and "RUN BACK YARDAGE" can be used.

NOTE: The F3C recommends the use of GAIN or LOSS with YARDAGE because XFL is not designed to display the specifics of individual plays. Instead, it is a mechanism for describing football-related activity. Game coders should use cascading playbooks to describe specific events within the plays.

DEFENSE
The primary defensive tag is <TACKLE>. <TACKLE> has one required and two optional attributes.

TARGET: can either be the tackled player's name or jersey number
SUCCESSFUL (optional): can be YES (default) or NO
DANCE_AFTER (optional): can be YES (default) or NO

SCORING
Each <POSSESSION> can end with one or more <SCORE></SCORE> tags. <SCORE> has one required and one optional attribute.

VALUE: the numeric point value of the score (typically, 6, 3, or 2)
DANCE (optional): can either be YES (default) or NO

<SCORE> is always followed by a <CONVERSION> tag. Currently, the only allowed value for <CONVERSION> is TYPE="TWO POINT". <CONVERSION> also requires a MADE_IT value. Typical MADE_IT values include:

IS GOOD
OH SO CLOSE
STOPPED AT SCRIMMAGE

MEDIA
All reportage about the game is controlled by <COVERAGE> and its associated tags.

<COVERAGE></COVERAGE>: establishes that this game is being covered by the media and is, therefore, important. <COVERAGE> can accept three TYPE attributes: YES, NO, and HIGHLIGHTS

YES (default): game will be broadcast live on TV
NO: game will not be broadcast live, but accounts of the game may appear in print media
HIGHLIGHTS: Game conflicts with something more interesting, stations may switch to the game if the interesting thing runs short

<COVERAGE> requires one or more <COMMENTATOR> tag(s). <COMMENTATOR> requires two attributes: ROLE and TYPE.

ROLE can be either PLAYBYPLAY or COLOR.
TYPE can be FORMER_JOCK, EX-COACH, SPORTSGEEK, AGING_WRESTLER, FAILED_STANDUP, or MIDWESTERN_GOVERNOR.

ADDITIONAL XFL INFORMATION
Along with the game tags, XFL includes a complete set of tags for describing the ancillary visual stimulus included in each game. This information is enclosed within the <EYECANDY></EYECANDY> tags. There are

<CHEERLEADERS> requires SRC (source) information that describes where the cheerleaders were recruited. SRC accepts one of four attributes:

STRIP CLUB (default)
GED PROGRAM AT LOCAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE (can be abbreviated to GEDCOMMCOLL)
STREET CORNER
HALFWAY HOUSE

<HALFTIMESHOW></HALFTIMESHOW> tags control all content taking place during the bathroom break between the first and second half. <HALFTIMESHOW> requires CONTENTS information. Common CONTENTS include:

BAND
SCANTILY CLAD TEENAGE SINGER
TV STAR SINGING
AGING STARLET
VETERAN MUSICIAN JUST IN IT FOR THE MONEY

<HALFTIMESHOW> can also accept the optional IS_LAME modifier.

By default, all football content inside <HALFTIMESHOW> tags is marked as <COVERAGE TYPE="HIGHLIGHTS">. The only exception occurs when the CONTENTS of <HALFTIMESHOW> is equal to "SCANTILY CLAD TEENAGE SINGER." In that event, <COVERAGE TYPE> is always set to "YES."

<GFX> is used to describe the visual elements containing the current score, facts about players, and the names of any celebrities in the audience. <GFX> requires TYPE information. If you do not specify a TYPE, XFL interpreters will use the default style, "swoopy, brushed-metal-looking."

IMPROPER USAGE
XFL is stricter than HTML, and any improper coding will result in the loss of between five and 15 megabytes of the file.

ABOUT THE F3C
The F3C develops interoperable technologies (specifications, guidelines, software, and tools) to lead football to its full potential as a forum for beer drinking, testosterone venting, comraderie, and occasional fights. We welcome your feedback.