DOCUMENTATION FOR ACCOLADES HARDBALL II TAKEN FROM THE PC INSTRUCTIONS MOST OF IT SHOULD BE RELEVANT TO THE AMIGA VERSION VI. SELECTING YOUR CONTROLS ONE OR TWO PLAYERS CAN PLAY HARDBALL II, AND YOU CAN USE ONE OR TWO JOYSTICKS OR JUST THE KEYBOARD TO CONTROL THE TEAMS. BUT UNTIL YOU ACTUALLY START TO PLAY A GAME, USE THE KEYBOARD ARROW KEYS AND THE ESC KEY TO MOVE THROUGH THE SET-UP MENUS. THE FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS ARE THE BAREST OF BONES.IF YOU NEED MORE DETAIL, READ ABOUT THE MANAGER'S SCREEN IN CHAPTER 3. FOR SIMPLICITY OF USE, WE REFER ONLY TO THE KEYBOARD RIGHT (OR KEYPAD) COMMANDS THROUGHOUT THIS MANUAL. CHECK OUT THE FOLLOWING DIAGRAMS FOR THE CORRESPONDING COMMANDS ON THE KEYBOARD LEFT AND JOYSTICK. KEYBOARD LEFT KEYBOARD RIGHT JOYSTICK 2ND BASE 3RD BASE 1ST BASE HOME !------! FIRE BUTTON = !ENTER ! !------! VII. ACCESSING THE CONTROL MENU 1. USING THE ARROW KEYS, HIGHLIGHT PLAY NEW GAME ON THE MAIN MENU AND PRESS ENTER.YOU ARE WHISKED TO THE MANAGER'S SCREEN. 2. PRESS ESC AND THE GAME MENU OPENS. 3. PRESS THE RIGHT ARROW KEY.THE HOME MENU OPENS. 4. USE THE DOWN ARROW KEY TO HIGHLIGHT CONTROL. THE CONTROL MENU WILL OPEN. 5. PRESS THE RIGHT ARROW KEY TO MOVE THE HIGHLIGHTER TO THE CONTROL MENU. 6. USE THE UP AND DOWN ARROW KEYS TO HIGHLIGHT A CONTROL DEVICE FOR THE HOME TEAM, THEN PRESS ENTER. A CHECK WILL APPEAR BY THE SELECTION. 7. PRESS THE LEFT ARROW KEY TO RETURN TO THE HOME MENU (THE CONTROL MENU WILL DISAPPEAR). 8. PRESS THE UP ARROW KEY ONCE TO HIGHLIGHT BATTING ORDER. THEN PRESS THE RIGHT ARROW KEY ONCE TO MAKE THE VISITOR MENU OPEN. *FOLLOW STEPS 4 THROUGH 6 ABOVE TO SELECT A CONTROL DEVICE FOR THE VISITOR TEAM. 9. PRESS THE LEFT ARROW KEY ONCE TO REMOVE THE CONTROL MENU. PRESS THE UP ARROW KEY ONCE TO HIGHLIGHT BATTING ORDER. FINALLY, PRESS THE LEFT ARROW KEY TWICE TO OPEN THE GAME MENU AGAIN. 10.PLAY BALL WILL BE HIGHLIGHTED ON THE GAME MENU. PRESS ENTER TO BEGIN GAME. CONTROL DEVICES HIS TABLE SHOWS YOU WHICH CONTROL DEVICES TO CHOOSE FROM THE CONTROL MENUS FOR A ONE OR TWO-PLAYER GAME. ONE PLAYER GAME ONE TEAM OTHER TEAM JOYSTICK JOYSTICK LEFT COMPUTER KEYBOARD KEYBOARD-LEFT OR COMPUTER KEYBOARD-RIGHT TWO PLAYER GAME ONE JOYSTICK JOYSTICK-LEFT KEYBOARD-RIGHT TWO JOYSTICKS JOYSTICK-LEFT JOYSTICK-RIGHT NO JOYSTICKS KEYBOARD-RIGHT KEYBOARD-LEFT VIII. COMMANDS ONCE YOU'VE SELECTED A CONTROL DEVICE FOR YOUR TEAMS, YOU NEED TO KNOW WHAT TO TOUCH, PRESS, OR FONDLE TO MAKE THEM WORK, IN OTHER WORDS, YOU NEED COMMANDS. THESE COMMANDS ARE BROKEN DOWN INTO BATTING COMMANDS, RUNNING COMMANDS, PITCHING COMMANDS, AND FIELDING COMMANDS, AND ARE LISTED BELOW: 1. BATTING COMMANDS A. SELECT YOUR TYPE OF SWING. PRESS AND HOLD DOWN THE ARROW KEY FOR THE SWING YOU WANT. WHILE HOLDING THE KEY, PRESS ENTER. TO SELECT A NORMAL (LINE DRIVE) SWING, PRESS ENTER WITHOUT PRESSING ANY ARROW KEY. B. SELECT THE AREA OF THE STRIKE ZONE IN WHICH YOU WILL SWING. PRESS AND HOLD DOWN THE ARROW KEY FOR THE AREA YOU WANT - AND BE PREPARED TO SWING. C. PRESS ENTER TO MAKE YOUR SWING. IF YOU PRESS ENTER WITHOUT PRESSING AND HOLDING DOWN AN ARROW KEY, YOU WILL SWING THROUGH THE CENTER AREA OF THE GRID. 2. RUNNING COMMANDS A. TO ADVANCE: PRESS THE DESIRED BASE KEY. B. TO RETREAT: PRESS AND HOLD DOWN ENTER , THEN PRESS THE DESIRED BASE KEY. C. TO LEAD OR STEAL: PRESS THE DESIRED BASE KEY, WHEN THE ON SCREEN MENU OFFERS THAT OPTION. 3. PITCHING COMMANDS A. SELECT TYPE OF PITCH. PRESS AND HOLD DOWN THE ARROW KEY FOR THE PITCH YOU WANT. WHILE HOLDING THE KEY, PRESS ENTER. TO SELECT A FAST BALL, PRESS ENTER WITHOUT PRESSING ANY ARROW KEY. B. AIM AT THE STRIKE ZONE. PRESS AND HOLD DOWN THE ARROW KEY FOR THE AREA YOU WANT - AND BE PREPARED TO SWING. REMEMBER THAT THE PITCHER'S ACCURACY RATING AND HIS LEVEL OF FATIGUE WILL AFFECT HOW CLOSE HE WILL THROW TO THE SELECTED AREA. C. PITCH. PRESS ENTER. D. PICK OFF ATTEMPT. WITHIN 1 SECOND OF PRESSING ENTER TO PITCH, PRESS THE BASE KEY TO ABORT THE PITCH AND THROW TO A MAN ON BASE INSTEAD. 4. FIELDING COMMANDS A. CATCHING. AS A HIT BALL MOVES AWAY FROM THE PLATE, THE CLOSEST PLAYER TO THE BALL IS HIGHLIGHTED.WHILE A PLAYER IS HIGHLIGHTED, PRESSING THE ARROW KEYS MOVES HIM THROUGH THE FIELD IN THE DIRECTION OF THE ARROWS. (TIP: WAIT A SECOND UNTIL YOU KNOW APPROXIMATELY WHERE THE BALL IS GOING BEFORE YOU HIT ANY DIRECTION KEYS.) THE HIGHLIGHTED PLAYER WILL CHANGE AS THE BALL TRAVELS FURTHER INTO THE OUTFIELD - UNLESS YOU ARE PRESSING DOWN A DIRECTION KEY. ONCE THE PLAYER HAS FIELDED THE BALL, THE PLAYER WILL NO LONGER MOVE IN THE DIRECTION OF THE ARROW KEYS. B. THROWING PRESS AND HOLD DOWN THE DESIRED BASE KEY AND PRESS ENTER. TO SELECT PITCHER, PRESS ENTER WITHOUT PRESSING ANY ARROW KEY. C. RUN DOWNS. IF THERE IS A RUNNER OFF BASE AND AN INFIELDER HAS THE BALL, THE FIELDER CAN CHOOSE THE TAG THE RUNNER OUT, INSTEAD OF THROWING THE BALL. TO MOVE THE FIELDER, PRESS THE BASE KEY THAT SHOULD RUN TOWARDS. YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR MIND AND MAKE THE FIELDER THROW THE BALL AT ANY TIME BY USING THE NORMAL FIELDING COMMANDS. ESSENTIALLY, HARDBALL II BREAKS DOWN THE ACTS OF PITCHING, HITTING, CATCHING, THROWING, AND RUNNING BASES INTO STEPS WHICH ARE USUALLY MORE SIMULTANEOUS THAN SUCCESSIVE. THE FOLLOWING GIVES YOU AN OVERVIEW OF THE PROCESS. BEFORE A PITCH CAN BE THROWN, THESE THINGS CAN (AND SOMETIMES MUST) HAPPEN: * THE PITCHER SELECTS A PITCH. * THE BATTER SELECTS A TYPE OF SWING. * IF THERE'S A RUNNER ON BASE, THE BATTER CAN DECIDE TO TAKE LEAD OFF.BUT HE MUST DECIDE BEFORE THE PITCHER AIMS HIS PITCH. A MENU WILL APPEAR IN THE BATTING TEAM'S SCREEN WHEN THE LEAD/STEAL OPPORTUNITY IS AVAILABLE. * THE PITCHER SELECTS WHERE IN THE STRIKE ZONE GRID TO AIM HIS PITCH. (AT WHICH TIME, THE BATTER HAD BETTER BE READY. AS SOON AS THE PITCHER SELECTS HIS AIM, THE BALL WILL BE THROWN.) * THE PITCHER HAS ABOUT ONE FULL SECOND TO PICK THE RUNNER OFF BASE BEFORE PITCH IS THROWN. * TO PICK SOMEBODY OFF: AS SOON AS YOU HAVE PRESSED ENTER, AS THOUGH YOU WERE MAKING A NORMAL PITCH, PRESS AND HOLD THE BASE KEY AND ENTER. THE PITCH IS INTERRUPTED AND THE SCREEN WILL CUT TO A VIEW OF THE BASE INVOLVED IN THE PLAY. AFTER A PITCH IS THROWN, THESE THINGS CAN ( AND SOMETIMES MUST) HAPPEN: * THE BATTER CHOOSES TO SWING OR NOT TO SWING, AND IN WHAT AREA OF THE STRIKE ZONE. * IF THE BATTER CONNECTS, HE RUNS AUTOMATICALLY TO FIRST. * RUNNERS MUST BE DIRECTED TO TAKE OTHER BASES THAN FIRST, UNLESS THEY ARE FORCED TO PROCEED BY OTHER RUNNERS.(THEY AUTOMATICALLY TAG UP WHEN A POP FLY IS CAUGHT.) * FIELDERS MUST BE DIRECTED TO CATCH THE BALL AND RELAY IT TO THE PROPER TEAMMATE. (A PLAY IS NOT DEAD, BY THE WAY, UNTIL THE BALL IS FIRMLY ENTRENCHED IN THE PITCHERS GLOVE WHEN HE'S ON THE MOUND.) CHAPTER 2 HOW TO SET UP A BALL GAME AFTER THE TITLE AND CREDIT SCREENS, THE MAIN MENU APPEARS.IT'S SORT OF THE CENTRAL BRAIN OF HARDBALL II. USE THE UP AND DOWN ARROWS ON THE KEYPAD TO HIGHLIGHT AN OPTION ON THE MENU, THEN PRESS ENTER TO ACTIVATE IT. I. SELECT TEAMS YOU'VE GOT A BALL, NOW YOU NEED SOME BALL PLAYERS. HERE'S HOW TO CHOOSE HOME AND VISITOR TEAMS. 1. HIGHLIGHT SELECT HOME TEAM AND PRESS ENTER. * THE ROSTER SCREEN APPEARS, LISTING SEVERAL TEAMS THAT ARE ALL READY TO GO. EACH OF THEM WAS CREATED WITH THE TEAM EDITOR. * CHOOSE THE SANDLOT SWINGERS IF YOU'RE A RAW - BONED ROOKIE AND WANT A KINDER, GENTLER INTRODUCTION TO HARDBALL II. THE SWINGER'S ABILITIES HAVE BEEN DELIBERATELY TAMPERED WITH SO THAT YOU HAVE THE LEAST POSSIBLE VARIABLES TO DEAL WITH BUT STILL PLAY A REAL GAME. (FOR MORE ROOKIE WISDOM, SEE THE TIPS AND HINT ABOUT PRACTICING>) * CHOOSE TEAMS THAT YOU CREATE AND STORE ON A SEPARATE DISK BY CHANGING THE PATH LINE AT THE TOP OF THE SCREEN. (SEE SAVE TEAM INFO, TO LEARN HOW TO SAVE TEAMS, AND THE APPENDIX, FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT PATHS.) 2. HIGHLIGHT A TEAM NAME FROM THE ROSTER AND PRESS ENTER. WHEN YOU RETURN TO THE MAIN MENU, THE NAME YOU SELECTED APPEARS BESIDE H: FOR HOME TEAM. 3. HIGHLIGHT SELECT VISITOR TEAM AND PRESS ENTER.THE ROSTER APPEARS AGAIN.HIGHLIGHT A TEAM NAME, PRESS ENTER, AND YOU SELECTION APPEARS ON THE MAIN MENU ALONGSIDE V: FOR VISITOR TEAM. * IF YOUR TASTES RUN TO THE METAPHYSICAL, YOU CAN EVEN CHOOSE TO HAVE THE SAME TEAM PLAY ITSELF. II. SELECT STADIUM TIME TO CHOSE YOUR FIELD OF DREAMS. 1. HIGHLIGHT SELECT STADIUM, PRESS ENTER, AND A TRUE FAN'S LIST OF STADIUMS APPEARS. 2. HIGHLIGHT THE NAME OF THE STADIUM IN WHICH YOU WOULD LIKE TO WAGE BATTLE, AND PRESS ENTER. (WHEN YOU RETURN TO THE MAIN MENU, THE BACKGROUND WILL REFLECT YOU CHOICE - AND YOU WILL SEE MUCH MORE OF IT DURING THE GAME.) ******************************************************************************* THE STADIUMS HARDBALL II - THE DEEPEST CENTER FIELD OF ALL THE STADIUMS. KEEP YOU CENTER FIELDER BACK TO SHUT DOWN TRIPLES. BOSTON - RIGHT HANDED BATTERS OFTEN HAVE HOME RUNS THWARTED BY THE JOLLY GREEN GIANT WALL IN LEFT FIELD. LEFT HANDERS HAVE IT MUCH EASIER DOWN THE RIGHT FIELD LINE. KANSAS CITY - OK, THE ARTIFICIAL TURF ADDS SPEED TO A GROUNDER - BUT WHAT A GREAT WATERFALL. CHICAGO - WITH IT'S BRICK AND VINES, THESE FRIENDLY CONFINES REPRESENT THE EPITOME OF A CLASSIC BALL PARK. NEW YORK - IT'S BIG, IT'S BAD, IT'S OUTFIELD IS ALIVE WITH THE GHOSTLY GREATS OF ITS PIN-STRIPED PAST. SAN FRANCISCO - WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE FROSTY AND UNPREDICTABLE, TO SAY THE LEAST. SUDDEN GUSTS CAN TURN THAT TRIPLE INTO A HOME RUN - OR A DOUBLE. TORONTO - UNDISPUTED STATE OF THE ART IN STADIUM TECHNOLOGY, BUT THE RUG CAN ADD YARDS TO A MESSED CATCH. III. DESIGNATED HITTER CHOICE: ARE YOU A BASEBALL PURIST, OR DO YOU BELIEVE THAT AGING SLUGGERS SHOULD HAVE A SECOND LIFE? 1. HIGHLIGHT DESIGNATED HITTER AND PRESS ENTER TO TOGGLE THE DH OPTION ON AND OFF. * WHEN THE DH IS ON, THE 10TH PLAYER ON EACH TEAM'S ROSTER WILL COME UP TO BAT IN PLACE OF THE PITCHER. VI. STARTING THE GAME IF YOU DESPERATELY NEED TO BEGIN PLAYING IMMEDIATELY AND WITHOUT FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS: 1. HIGHLIGHT PLAY NEW GAME AND PRESS ENTER. AFTER A PAUSE, YOU GO TO THE MANAGER'S SCREEN. 2. PRESS THE ESC KEY (PLAY BALL IS HIGHLIGHTED ON THE MENU THAT APPEARS), THEN PRESS ENTER. YOU WILL BE WHISKED TO THE GAME SCREEN, READY TO PLAY. 3. TO RETURN TO THE MANAGER'S SCREEN AT ANYTIME, PRESS T. IMPORTANT NOTE: KEEP YOU HARDBALL II COMMAND CHART AT YOUR FINGERTIPS SO THAT YOU KNOW WHAT BUTTONS TO PUSH WHEN. FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO NEED A TAD MORE EXPLANATION, READ ON. THE MANAGER'S SCREEN IS WHERE MANY GOOD THINGS HAPPEN. CHAPTER 3: THE MANAGER'S SCREEN THE MANAGER'S SCREEN APPEARS AFTER YOU CHOOSE PLAY NEW GAME FROM THE MAIN MENU, OR IF A LEAGUE GAME IS SELECTED FROM THE LEAGUE SCHEDULE. YOU CONTROL JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING FROM HERE, INCLUDING CONTROLS, DIFFICULTY LEVELS, LINE-UPS, SUBSTITUTIONS, DEFENSIVE POSITIONS, AND INSTANT REPLAYS. PRESS T WHENEVER THE BALL IS NOT IN PLAY TO GO TO THE MANAGER'S SCREEN. IF YOU PRESS IT DURING PLAY, YOU AUTOMATICALLY GO TO THE MANAGER'S SCREEN WHEN THE PLAY IS OVER. I. HOW TO USE THE MANAGER'S SCREEN THERE ARE THREE MENUS WITHIN THE MANAGER SCREEN: GAME, HOME, AND VISITOR, AND ONLY ONE OF THE THREE MENUS CAN BE OPENED AT A TIME. TRUST US: THEY'RE EASIER TO OPERATE THAN THE FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS MIGHT INDICATE. 1 PRESS ESC TO OPEN THE GAME MENU. PRESS IT AGAIN TO CLOSE IT. 2 ONCE THE GAME MENU IS OPEN, PRESS THE RIGHT ARROW KEY TO OPEN THE HOME MENU (AND PRESS THE LEFT ARROW KEY TO CLOSE IT AND MOVE BACK TO THE GAME MENU). 3 ONCE THE HOME MENU IS OPEN, PRESS THE RIGHT ARROW KEY TO OPEN THE VISITOR MENU (AND PRESS THE LEFT ARROW KEY TO CLOSE IT AND MOVE BACK TO THE HOME MENU). 4 WHEN ANY MENU IS OPEN, USE THE UP AND DOWN ARROW KEYS TO HIGHLIGHT AN OPTION, THEN PRESS ENTER TO SELECT IT. 5 WHEN YOU SELECT SOME OPTIONS, ADDITIONAL SUB-MENUS MAY OPEN, AND THE SAME PROCEDURE APPLIES: RIGHT ARROW KEY TO ENTER MENU, UP AND DOWN ARROWS TO HIGHLIGHT, ENTER TO SELECT, LEFT ARROW KEY TO EXIT. II.HOW TO VIEW YOUR PLAYERS' STATS WITHOUT THE MENUS, THE MANAGER SCREEN SERVES AS THE STATISTICAL BIBLE FOR YOUR PLAYERS.ALL STATS ARE CUMULATIVE AND ARE UPDATED AUTOMATICALLY EACH TIME YOU PLAY. BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY STATS, EVERY CATEGORY CAN'T BE DISPLAYED ON ONE SCREEN. THE PLAYER'S NAME AND POSITION, HOWEVER, ARE ALWAYS DISPLAYED - AND HERE'S HOW TO ACCESS THE ADDITIONAL INFO. 1 USE THE UP AND DOWN ARROW KEYS TO SCROLL VERTICALLY THROUGH THE LIST OF PLAYERS. * THE HOME TEAM STATS ALWAYS APPEARS FIRST. * TO MAKE THE VISITOR TEAM APPEAR, PRESS ESC TO OPEN THE GAME MENU, THEN PRESS THE RIGHT ARROW KEY TWICE TO OPEN THE VISITOR MENU. THEN PRESS ESC AGAIN TO MAKE THE MENU DISAPPEAR. 2 USE THE RIGHT AND LEFT ARROW KEYS TO SCROLL RIGHT AND LEFT, REVEALING ADDITIONAL STATISTICAL COLUMNS FOR EACH PLAYER. 3 PRESS THE HOME KEY ( ON MOST KEYBOARDS) TO MOVE TO THE FIRST STATISTICAL COLUMN; PRESS THE END KEY (AGAIN, ON MOST KEYBOARDS) TO JUMP TO THE LAST. 4 PRESS THE PAGEUP KEY TO SCROLL QUICKLY TOWARDS THE TOP OF THE PLAYER LIST; PRESS PAGEDOWN TO MOVE QUICKLY TOWARDS THE BOTTOM. NOTE: SEE THE GLOSSARY FOR COMPLETE SPELLINGS AND DEFINITIONS OF EACH STATISTICAL CATEGORY. IIITHE GAME MENU PRESS ESC ONCE AND THE GAME MENU OPENS, REVEALING SIX OPTIONS PLAY BALL 1 HIGHLIGHT PLAY BALL AND PRESS ENTER TO BEGIN A GAME OR RETURN TO A GAME IN PROGRESS. VIEW 1 HIGHLIGHT VIEW AND A SUB-MENU APPEARS. 2 PRESS THE RIGHT ARROW KEY TO ENTER THE SUB-MENU, USE THE UP AND DOWN ARROWS TO HIGHLIGHT ONE OF THE VIEWS, AND PRESS ENTER TO SELECT IT. * A CHECK MARK APPEARS BESIDE THE SELECTION. TO CHANGE YOUR MIND, HIGHLIGHT A DIFFERENT VIEW AND PRESS ENTER. 3 PRESS THE LEFT ARROW KEY TO EXIT THE SUB-MENU. ******************************************************************************* FIELD VIEWS FULL FIELD ONLY THE WHOLE FIELD FROM THE SECOND DECK BEHIND HOME PLATE, BUT THERE'S LITTLE DETAIL OF INDIVIDUAL PLAYERS, AND IT'S NOT A GREAT VIEW FOR BATTING.TRY IT WHEN YOU'RE PITCHING, OR TO CHECK YOUR TEAM'S DEFENSIVE POSITIONS, OR WHENEVER YOU JUST WANT TO SIT BACK AND WATCH A GOOD COMPUTER VS. COMPUTER MATCHUP. PITCHER VIEW THE VIEW FROM BEHIND THE PITCHER'S MOUND. GREAT FOR WATCHING FAST BALLS SLAP INTO THE CATCHER'S GLOVE. BATTER VIEW THE VIEW OF THE INFIELD FROM THE CATCHER'S PERSPECTIVE. GIVES YOU THE CLEAREST VIEW OF INCOMING PITCHES SO YOUR BATTERS WILL LOVE IT. PITCHER/BATTER BEST CHOICE FOR A ONE-PLAYER GAME BECAUSE IT AUTOMATICALLY GIVES YOU THE PITCHER VIEW WHEN YOU'RE ON THE MOUND AND THE BATTER VIEW WHEN YOU'RE AT THE PLATE. ******************************************************************************* LEVELS OF PLAY 1 HIGHLIGHT LEVELS OF PLAY AND PRESS ENTER. THE LEVEL OF PLAY SCREEN APPEARS. * THE LEVEL OF PLAY SCREEN CONDENSES INTO ONE HANDY LIST 16 DIFFERENT OPTIONS THAT CONTROL THE COMPLEXITY OF THE GAME YOU WANT TO PLAY. * HIGHLIGHT ANY OPTION, THEN USE THE ENTER KEY TO TOGGLE BETWEEN NO AND YES (NO, I DON'T WANT THAT OPTION ACTIVE OR YES, I'D LOVE THAT OPTION TO BE ACTIVE). SEE TABLE 2 FOR THE DEFINITIONS OF EACH OPTION. 2 PRESS ESC TO LEAVE LEVEL OF PLAY MENU AND RETURN TO THE GAME MENU. ******************************************************************************* TABLE 2: CHOOSING YOUR LEVEL OF PLAY CHOOSE ALL THE ITALICIZED OPTIONS IN THIS TABLE TO SET UP THE EASIEST POSSIBLE LEVEL OF PLAY, OR CHOOSE ALL THOSE IN STANDARD TYPE TO SET UP THE MOST DIFFICULT, OR MIX THEM UP TO CREATE YOUR OWN SMORGASBORD OF CHALLENGE. OPTION EFFECT ON GAMEPLAY NO YES PITCHING BAR TYPE OF PITCH INVISIBLE TYPE OF PITCH VISIBLE TO OPPONENT BATTING BAR TYPE OF SWING INVISIBLE TYPE OF SWING VISIBLE TO OPPONENT PITCHING GRID LOCATION OF PITCH INVISIBLE LOCATION OF PITCH VISIBLE TO OPPONENT BATTING GRID LOCATION OF SWING INVISIBLE LOCATION OF SWING VISIBLE TO OPPONENT LOCK CENTER PITCHER CAN THROW TO ANY OF PITCHER CAN ONLY THROW TO 9 AREAS IN THE STRIKE ZONE THE CENTER OF THE STRIKE ZONE PITCHER STATS PITCHER'S STATISTICS HAVE PITCHER'S STATISTICS AFFECT NO AFFECT ON PERFORMANCE PERFORMANCE BATTER STATS BATTER'S STATISTICS HAVE NO BATTER'S STATISTICS AFFECT AFFECT ON PERFORMANCE PERFORMANCE RUNNING SPEED PRE-SET SPEED HAS NO EFFECT. RUNNER'S SPEED IS BASED ON ALL RUN AT SAME SPEED: MED PRE-SET ATTRIBUTE PITCH SPEED ALL PITCHES AT SAME SPEED: SPEED VARIES ACCORDING TO MEDIUM PRE-SET ATTRIBUTE BALL CONTROL PRE-SET BALL CONTROL HAS NO BALL CONTROL IS BASED ON PRE- EFFECT. BALL CONTROL: MAX SET ATTRIBUTE AND FATIGUE OF PITCHER RUN DOWN NOT ALLOWED ALLOWED LEAD OFF NOT ALLOWED ALLOWED STEALING NOT ALLOWED ALLOWED PICK OFF NOT ALLOWED ALLOWED ERRORS-CATCH NEVER OCCUR OCCUR BASED ON ERROR STATISTICS ERRORS-THROWN NEVER OCCUR OCCUR BASED ON ERROR STATISTICS ******************************************************************************* INSTANT REPLAY AFTER A PERFECTLY-EXECUTED DOUBLE STEAL OR A BASE-CLEARING TRIPLE OFF THE WALL, THERE'S NOTHING LIKE SEEING IT AGAIN. THIS OPTION WORKS LIKE YOUR VCR 1 PRESS T DURINGTHE PLAY, AND AFTERWARDS YOU ARE WHISKED TO THE MANAGERS SCREEN. * IF ANOTHER PLAY BEGINS BEFORE YOU PRESS T, YOU MISS THE BOAT. THE PREVIOUS PLAY WILL ONLY BE A FADING MEMORY. 2 FROM THE MANAGER'S SCREEN, PRESS ESC TO MAKE THE GAME MENU APPEAR. 3 HIGHLIGHT INSTANT REPLAY, PRESS ENTER, AND THE INSTANT REPLAY BEGINS. 4 SEE TABLE 3 FOR THE DIFFERENT WAYS YOU CAN PLAY SPORTS TELEVISION DIRECTOR AND REPLAY YOUR GREATEST MOMENTS. ******************************************************************************* TABLE 3: INSTANT REPLAY OPTIONS SLOW MOTION 1 PRESS THE LEFT ARROW KEY UNTIL THE SLOW MOTION BUTTON LIGHTS UP. 2 PRESS AND HOLD ENTER FOR AS LONG AS YOU WANT TO SEE THE REPLAY IN SLOW MOTION. 3 RELEASE ENTER TO RETURN THE REPLAY TO NORMAL SPEED FAST FORWARD 1 PRESS THE LEFT OR RIGHT ARROW KEY TO LIGHT UP THE FAST FORWARD BUTTON. 2 PRESS AND HOLD ENTER TO VIEW THE PLAY IN HYPER SPEED. 3 RELEASE ENTER TO RETURNS THE REPLAY TO NORMAL SPEED. PAUSE 1 PRESS THE LEFT OR RIGHT ARROW KEY TO ILLUMINATE THE PAUSE BUTTON. 2 PRESS AND RELEASE ENTER TO STOP THE ACTION ON A PARTICULARLY MEMORABLE MOMENT IN TIME. 3 PRESS AND RELEASE ENTER AGAIN TO RETURN TO NORMAL. FRAME ADVANCE 1 WHEN YOU REALLY WANT TO RUB IT IN, PRESS THE LEFT OR RIGHT ARROW KEY TO IRRADIATE THE FRAME ADVANCE BUTTON. 2 PRESS AND HOLD ENTER TO WATCH THE ACTION ADVANCE, FRAME BY FRAME. 3 RELEASE ENTER TO RETURN TO NORMAL REPLAY. REPEAT 1 WHEN YOU SEE THE MESSAGE "INSTANT REPLAY COMPLETED, "PRESS THE LEFT OR RIGHT ARROW KEY TO ENERGIZE THE REPEAT BUTTON. 2 THEN PRESS ENTER TO SEE IT AGAIN. EXIT 1 PRESS THE RIGHT ARROW KEY TO SPOTLIGHT THE EXIT BUTTON. 2 PRESS ENTER TO RETURN TO THE MANAGER'S SCREEN. 3 PRESS ESC, THEN ENTER TO CONTINUE THE GAME. ******************************************************************************* SAVE GAME WHEN YOU CAN'T FINISH A GAME IN ONE SITTING, OR THINGS ARE GOING SO BADLY YOU THINK A POSTPONEMENT IS IN ORDER - SAVE YOUR GAME IN PROGRESS. YOU CAN SAVE UP TO 5 GAMES AT A TIME. SAVE GAME (CONT) 1 HIGHLIGHT SAVE GAME, PRESS ENTER, AND YOU ARE ASKED FOR A PATH TO SAVE THE GAME INFORMATION. (SEE THE APPENDIX, FOR MORE INFORMATION ON PATHS.) 2 PRESS ENTER TO USE THE DEFAULT PATH. 3 HIGHLIGHT AN EMPTY SLOT (IMPORTANT SAFETY TIP: IF YOU SAVE THE GAME IN AN OCCUPIED SPOT, YOU LOSE THE GAME THAT'S ALREADY THERE), AND PRESS ENTER. THE GAME WILL BE SAVED AND YOU ARE RETURNED TO THE MANAGER'S SCREEN. EXIT SARTE WAS WRONG; THERE IS AN EXIT. AND IT TAKES YOU TO THE MAIN MENU. 1 HIGHLIGHT EXIT AND PRESS ENTER. (NOW YOU'RE ON THE MAIN MENU.) IF YOU WANT TO LEAVE HARDBALL II AND RETURN TO DOS: 2 HIGHLIGHT EXIT TO DOS ON THE MAIN MENU AND PRESS ENTER. IV HOW TO USE THE HOME AND VISITOR MENUS THE OPTIONS THAT APPEAR IN THE HOME AND VISITOR MENUS ARE IDENTICAL, AND GIVE YOU THE POWER OF A STEINBRENNER OVER YOUR TEAMS.HERE'S THE POOP: SAVE TEAM INFO AFTER EVERY PLAY, PLAYER STATISTICS ARE AUTOMATICALLY UPDATED. YOU HAVE TO CONSCIOUSLY SAVE THE CHANGES, HOWEVER, IF YOU WANT TO MAKE THEM PERMANENT (IF YOU DON'T SAVE THEM BEFORE RETURNING TO THE MAIN MENU, YOUR TEAM'S STATS WILL REVERT TO WHAT THEY WERE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE GAME). YOU CAN SAVE ONE, OR BOTH TEAMS' UPDATED STATISTICS. 1 HIGHLIGHT SAVE TEAM INFO AND PRESS ENTER. YOU ARE ASKED WHICH PATH YOU WANT TO USE TO SAVE THE TEAM'S INFORMATION. (SEE THE APPENDIX FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT CHOOSING A PATH.) 2 PRESS ENTER IF YOU WANT TO SAVE THE TEAM INFO ON THE GAME DISKS (THIS IS CALLED THE DEFAULT PATH.) THE STATS ARE THEN UPDATED AND YOU ARE ESCORTED BACK TO THE MANAGER'S SCREEN. SWAP POSITIONS A CHANGE OF SCENERY CAN DO WONDERS FOR SOME PLAYERS. 1 HIGHLIGHT SWAP POSITIONS AND PRESS ENTER. 2 HIGHLIGHT THE FIRST PLAYER IN THE SWAP, AGAIN PRESS ENTER. THAT NAME NOW APPEARS IN A DIFFERENT COLOR. 3 HIGHLIGHT THE SECOND PLAYER IN THE SWAP AND PRESS ENTER. THE BATTING ORDER WON'T CHANGE, BUT THE TWO PLAYERS HAVE EXCHANGED FIELD POSITIONS. SUBSTITUTION HERE'S HOW TO CHANGE YOUR STARTING LINE-UP BEFORE A GAME STARTS.AFTER A GAME STARTS, A REST CAN DO WONDERS FOR SOME PLAYERS. (BUT REMEMBER, IF YOU YANK SOMEBODY AFTER A GAME HAS BEGUN, HE CAN'T GO IN AGAIN UNTIL THE NEXT GAME.) SUBSTITUTION (CONT) 1 HIGHLIGHT SUBSTITUTE AND PRESS ENTER. 2 HIGHLIGHT THE NAME OF THE PLAYER YOU WANT TO RIDE THE PINES AND PRESS ENTER. (THE SCREEN NOW SHOWS YOU AVAILABLE PLAYERS FROM YOUR ROSTER. 3 USE THE UP AND DOWN ARROW KEYS TO SCROLL THROUGH THE ROSTER PLAYERS. * ONLY PITCHERS CAN SUBSTITUTE FOR PITCHERS. READ UP ON WARM UPS BEFORE YOU SUBSTITUTE A PITCHER. 4 HIGHLIGHT A PLAYER'S NAME AND PRESS ENTER. THE STARTER IS NOW IN THE DUGOUT AND THE NEW GUY TAKES HIS FIELD AND BATTING POSITION. BATTING ORDER EVERY MANAGER HAS TO JUGGLE HIS BATTING ORDER FROM TIME TO TIME TO SHAKE THINGS UP. WHEN YOU'RE RETHINKING YOUR LINE-UP, TAKE A CLOSE LOOK AT CERTAIN PLAYER STATS SUCH AS BATTING AVERAGE, SLUGGING PERCENTAGE, AND RUNNING SPEED.BUT REMEMBER THAT CHANGES CAN ONLY BE MADE BEFORE A GAME BEGINS. TO MAKE CHANGES IN THE ORDER, SWAP PLAYERS' PLACES IN THE LINEUP. 1 HIGHLIGHT BATTING ORDER AND PRESS ENTER. 2 HIGHLIGHT THE FIRST PLAYER IN THE SWAP AND PRESS ENTER. THAT NAME IS NOW WRITTEN IN A DIFFERENT COLOR. 3 HIGHLIGHT THE SECOND PLAYER IN THE SWAP AND PRESS ENTER. THE PLAYERS AUTOMATICALLY EXCHANGED PLACES IN THE LINE-UP. 4 REPEAT THE PROCESS UNTIL YOU CREATE A BIG HARDBALL II MACHINE. CONTROL THE EXPLANATION FOR THIS OPTION WAS EXPLAINED EARLIER IN THE MANUAL. PLEASE TURN TO SELECTING YOUR CONTROLS. PITCHING 1 HIGHLIGHT PITCHING AND PRESS ENTER TO OPEN THE PITCHING SUB-MENU. 2 PRESS THE RIGHT ARROW KEY TO ENTER THE SUB-MENU. 3 HIGHLIGHT ONE OF THE FOLLOWING OPTIONS AND PRESS ENTER TO SELECT IT. 4 PRESS THE LEFT ARROW KEY TO RETURN TO THE HOME OR VISITOR MENU. INTENTIONAL WALK 1 HIGHLIGHT INTENTIONAL WALK AND PRESS ENTER TO WALK THE CURRENT BATTER. (A CHECK APPEARS BESIDE THE OPTION WHEN IT'S ON.) * YOU MUST CHOOSE THIS OPTION BEFORE THROWING THE FIRST PITCH TO THE BATTER, WHO WILL BE WALKED AUTOMATICALLY. START WARMUP PITCHERS IN HARDBALL II GROW TIRED AFTER PITCHING A GIVEN NUMBER OF INNINGS (THE NUMBER IS LISTED IN THEIR STATS). WHEN FATIGUE STARTS TO HAMPER A PITCHER'S PERFORMANCE, YOU'D BETTER BRING IN SOME RELIEF. START WARMUP (CONT) A RELIEVER, HOWEVER, NEEDS AT LEAST ONE INNING TO WARM UP (IF HE'S COLD, HIS ACCURACY SUFFERS), SO PLAN AHEAD. BUT DON'T OVERHEAT HIM EITHER, OR HE COULD BE TIRED AND INACCURATE BEFORE HE HITS THE MOUND. 1 HIGHLIGHT START WARMUP AND PRESS ENTER.(A LIST OF AVAILABLE FIREMEN FROM YOUR ROSTER NOW APPEARS.) 2 USE THE UP AND DOWN KEYS TO SCROLL THROUGH THE LIST. 3 HIGHLIGHT A NAME AND PRESS ENTER. THAT RELIEF PITCHER IS NOW IN THE BULLPEN, WARMING UP TO ENTER THE GAME. SUBSTITUTE PITCHER WHEN YOU NEED A STOPPER AND THERE'S ONE READY AND WARMED UP IN THE BULLPEN: 1 HIGHLIGHT SUBSTITUTE PITCHER AND PRESS ENTER. (THE STIFF IS NOW IN THE SHOWERS, AND THE NEW GUY IS OUT THERE IN THE MOUND, FINGERING THE ROSIN BAG.) INFIELD AH, STRATEGY. HERE'S WHERE YOU CAN PROVE YOU CAN MAKE IT IN THE SHOW, OR THAT YOUR MANAGERIAL ACUMEN IS STRICTLY DOUBLE A.TO ALIGN YOU INFIELDERS ACCORDING TO THE SITUATION AT HAND: 1 HIGHLIGHT INFIELD TO OPEN THE INFIELD SUB-MENU; THEN PRESS THE RIGHT ARROW KEY TO MOVE INTO THE INFIELD SUB--MENU. 2 HIGHLIGHT ONE OF THE FOLLOWING OPTIONS AND PRESS ENTER. (A CHECK APPEARS BESIDE THE SELECTED DEFENSIVE POSITIONING. CUSTOM AND SET CUSTOM IF NONE OF THE PRE-SET DEFENSIVE POSITIONS SUIT YOUR MANAGERIAL TASTE, YOU CAN PLACE YOUR INFIELDERS JUST ABOUT ANYWHERE YOU WANT WITH THIS CUSTOMIZING FEATURE. 1 HIGHLIGHT SET CUSTOM AND PRESS ENTER TO SEE A FULL FIELD VIEW OF YOUR TEAM. 2 PRESS THE UP ARROW KEY TO HIGHLIGHT THE 1ST BASEMAN'S JERSEY. 3 PRESS AND HOLD THE ENTER KEY TO MOVE THE HIGHLIGHTED PLAYER. WITH ENTER DEPRESSED, USE THE ARROW KEYS TO MOVE THE PLAYER AROUND THE INFIELD. 4 WHEN THE PLAYER IS IN POSITION, RELEASE THE ENTER KEY. 5 USE THE LEFT AND RIGHT ARROW KEYS TO CYCLE THROUGH AND HIGHLIGHT THE REMAINING INFIELDERS (2ND, 3RD AND SHORT), THEN USE THE SAME PROCESS TO SET THEIR POSITIONS. 6 WHEN YOUR INFIELD IS SET, PRESS THE DOWN ARROW KEY, THEN THE RIGHT ARROW KEY TO HIGHLIGHT EXIT. PRESS ENTER TO RETURN TO THE MANAGERS'S SCREEN. 7 IF YOU CHANGE YOUR MIND AND WANT TO START OVER FROM SCRATCH, USE THE DOWN ARROW KEY TO HIGHLIGHT RESTORE POSITIONS AND PRESS ENTER. (YOUR INFIELDERS WILL BE RESET TO THEIR DEFAULT LOCATIONS.) CUSTOM AND SET CUSTOM (CONT) 8 TO SELECT YOUR CUSTOM INFIELD AFTER YOU'VE CREATED ONE, OPEN YOUR INFIELD MENU, HIGHLIGHT CUSTOM AND PRESS ENTER. PRESTO IT IS DONE. OUTFIELD THE METHOD OF CHANGING THE DEFENSIVE POSITIONS OF YOUR OUTFIELDERS IS EXACTLY THE SAME AS SHIFTING YOUR INFIELDERS. ONLY THE STRATEGY IS DIFFERENT. BECAUSE OUTFIELD SIZES AND SHAPES VARY FROM PARK TO PARK, YOU SHOULD PROBABLY CREATE A CUSTOM POSITION WHENEVER YOU START A NEW GAME. 1 HIGHLIGHT OUTFIELD TO OPEN THE OUTFIELD SUB-MENU THEN PRESS THE RIGHT ARROW KEY TO MOVE INTO THE SUB-MENU. 2 HIGHLIGHT ONE OF THE FOLLOWING OPTIONS AND PRESS ENTER. (A CHECK APPEARS BESIDE THE SELECTED DEFENSIVE POSITIONING) CUSTOM AND SET CUSTOM NOTHING IS MORE SATISFYING THAN TO THWART A BATTER'S STRENGTH WITH A GOOD OLD-FASHIONED OUTFIELDER SHIFT. ALSO, REMEMBER THAT THE OUTFIELD IS DEEPER THAN IT APPEARS ON THE SCREEN, SO YOU MAY WANT YOU MEN A LITTLE FURTHER BACK THAN YOU FIRST EXPECT. 1 HIGHLIGHT SET CUSTOM AND PRESS ENTER TO SEE A FULL FIELD VIEW OF YOUR TEAM. 2 PRESS THE UP ARROW KEY TO HIGHLIGHT ONE OF YOUR OUTFIELDERS. 3 PRESS AND HOLD THE ENTER KEY TO MOVE THE HIGHLIGHTED PLAYER. WITH ENTER DEPRESSED, USE THE ARROW KEYS TO MOVE THE PLAYER AROUND THE OUTFIELD. 4 WHEN THE PLAYER IS IN POSITION, RELEASE THE ENTER KEY. 5 USE THE LEFT AND RIGHT ARROW KEYS TO CYCLE THROUGH AND HIGHLIGHT THE REMAINING OUTFIELDERS, THEN USE THE SAME PROCESS TO SET THEIR POSITIONS. 6 WHEN YOUR OUTFIELD IS SET, PRESS THE DOWN ARROW KEY, THEN THE RIGHT ARROW KEY TO HIGHLIGHT EXIT.PRESS ENTER TO RETURN TO THE MANAGERS'S SCREEN. 7 IF YOU CHANGE YOUR MIND AND WANT TO START OVER FROM SCRATCH, USE THE DOWN ARROW KEY TO HIGHLIGHT RESTORE POSITIONS AND PRESS ENTER. (YOUR OUTFIELDERS WILL BE RESET TO THEIR DEFAULT LOCATIONS.) 8 TO SELECT YOUR CUSTOM OUTFIELD AFTER YOU'VE CREATED ONE, OPEN YOUR OUTFIELD MENU, HIGHLIGHT CUSTOM AND PRESS ENTER. ABRACADABRA, IT IS DONE. CHAPTER 4: HOW TO USE THE TEAM EDITOR IF YOU HIGHLIGHT TEAM EDITOR ON THE MAIN MENU AND PRESS ENTER, YOU JOURNEY TO THE OFFICIAL HARDBALL II TEAM EDITOR SCREEN. FROM HERE YOU CAN CREATE YOUR OWN TEAMS FROM SCRATCH OR MODIFY EXISTING ONES. I HOW TO CREATE OR CHANGE NAMES USE THE UP AND DOWN ARROW KEYS TO MOVE FROM LINE TO LINE, THEN: 1 TYPE IN THE NAME OF YOUR TEAM (UP TO 25 CHARACTERS, INCLUDING SPACES) AND PRESS ENTER. 2 TYPE IN THE NAME OF YOUR MANAGER (UP TO 25 CHARACTERS, INCLUDING SPACES) AND PRESS ENTER. 3 TYPE IN THE NAMES OF YOUR PLAYERS (UP TO 16 CHARACTERS, INCLUDING SPACES) AND PRESS ENTER.YOU CAN HAVE UP TO 30 PLAYERS PER TEAM IN THIS LEAGUE. * THE FIRST NINE PLAYERS LISTED COMPRISE YOUR STARTING LINEUP: EVERYBODY ELSE IS SUBSTITUTE FODDER. * USE THE UP AND DOWN KEYS TO MOVE THE HIGHLIGHTER FROM PLAYER TO PLAYER, AND TO SCROLL OTHER NAMES ONTO THE SCREEN. * PRESS THE PAGEUP KEY TO MOVE MORE QUICKLY TOWARDS THE TOP OF THE LIST; PRESS PAGEDOWN TO LEAP TOWARDS THE BOTTOM. II HOW TO CREATE OR CHANGE PLAYER STATS IN-DEPTH STATS, AS WELL AS SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES, ARE RECORDED BY CATEGORY FOR EACH PLAYER IN THE TEAM EDITOR. THERE ARE 41 CATEGORIES, THE FIRST 22 OF WHICH PERTAIN TO ALL POSITION PLAYERS (INCLUDING PITCHERS), AND 19 OF WHICH PERTAIN TO PITCHERS ONLY. 1 PRESS ESC TO CLOSE THE EDITOR MENU IF IT'S OPEN. 2 HIGHLIGHT A PLAYER'S NAME, THEN PRESS THE RIGHT ARROW KEY TO HIGHLIGHT THE FIRST STATISTICAL CATEGORY FOR THAT PLAYER. * THE FULL NAME OF THE ABBREVIATED STAT OR ATTRIBUTE THAT IS HIGHLIGHTED APPEARS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SCREEN. * ONLY FOUR CATEGORIES APPEAR ON THE SCREEN AT A TIME: USE YOUR RIGHT OR LEFT ARROW KEYS TO MAKE MORE APPEAR. * PLAYERS NAMES AND POSITIONS ARE ALWAYS DISPLAYED. * PRESS THE HOME KEY (MOST KEYBOARDS) TO JUMP TO THE FIRST STATISTICAL CATEGORY AND PRESS THE END KEY TO GO TO THE LAST. 3 TO CHANGE A CURRENT STAT OR ATTRIBUTE, TYPE IN THE NEW INFORMATION; TO KEEP THE EXISTING DATA, USE THE RIGHT OR LEFT ARROW KEYS TO MOVE ON TO THE NEXT CHOICE. * IT IS A GOOD IDEA TO MOVE RIGHT ACROSS THE SCREEN AND ENTER ALL THE INFORMATION FOR ONE PLAYER AND THEN MOVE DOWN TO ENTER THE NEXT PLAYER'S INFORMATION. * IF YOU ENTER ILLOGICAL INFORMATION - I.E. DATA SAYS A GUY HAS HIT 12 HOMERS BUT HE'S ONLY BEEN UP ONCE - YOU ARE PROMPTED TO MAKE CORRECTIONS BEFORE YOU CAN CONTINUE. 4 BE SURE TO USE THE TEAM EDITOR'S MENU TO SAVE YOUR ENTRIES BEFORE YOU RETURN TO THE MAIN MENU (FOR DETAILS, SEE THE APPENDIX). IIIWHY WORRY ABOUT STATS AND ATTRIBUTES? EVERY PLAYER HAS CERTAIN STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES. ONE MIGHT BE A STRONG HITTER, BUT A LOUSY FIELDER.ONE MAY HAVE THE BEST CURVE IN THE GAME, BUT HE TIRES EARLY. STATISTICS MEASURE THESE QUALITATIVE DIFFERENCES SO THAT MANAGERS AND FANS CAN PREDICT PLAYER PERFORMANCE WITH RELATIVE ACCURACY. A GOOD MANAGER (I.E. ONE WHO WINS A LOT) HAS TO SKILLFULLY MANIPULATE PLAYERS IN HUNDREDS, MAYBE THOUSANDS OF DIFFERENT SITUATIONS. THE GOAL IS TO HAVE PLAYERS ON THE FIELD IN ANY GIVEN SITUATION WHO WILL HAVE THE BEST ODDS OF SUCCESS. AND THOSE ODDS ARE BASED ON THE INFORMATION YOU ENTER INTO THE TEAM EDITOR. THAT INFORMATION IS DIVIDED INTO TWO TYPES: ATTRIBUTES AND STATISTICS. IV ATTRIBUTES SOME THINGS YOU CAN'T FIND IN A BOX SCORE, BUT ARE STILL VITAL TO A PLAYER'S SUCCESS OR FAILURE.AROUND THE BIGS, THEY'RE CALLED ATTRIBUTES. THESE ATTRIBUTES REFER TO EVERYBODY: TEAM NAME TYPE IN UP TO 25 CHARACTERS. MANAGERS NAME TYPE IN UP TO 25 CHARACTERS. PLAYER NAMES TYPE IN UP TO 16 CHARACTERS. PLAYING POSITION (POS) SEE GLOSSARY FOR A BRIEF EXPLANATION OF EACH OF THE NINE POSITIONS. THROWING ARM (THR) THE CHOICES ARE EITHER THROWS LEFT (L) OR THROWS RIGHT (R). BATTING SIDE (BAT) THE CHOICES ARE EITHER THROWS LEFT (L) OR THROWS RIGHT (R) OR A SWITCH HITTER (S) RUNNING SPEED (RS) ZERO MEANS THAT A PLAYER IS RUNNING WITH A FEW BRICKS IN HIS PANTS; SIX MEANS HE'S A CHEETAH. A GOOD WAY TO DETERMINE A REALISTIC RUNNING SPEED FOR A PLAYER IS TO CHECK HIS STOLEN BASE STATS, ESPECIALLY HOW MANY TIMES HE'S BEEN CAUGHT STEALING. OR DECIDE FOR YOURSELF IF SOMEBODY'S A TWO OR A SIX! THREE ATTRIBUTES REFER ONLY TO PITCHERS: NON FATIGUE INNINGS (NFI) AFTER A PITCHER HAS PLAYED THE NUMBER OF INNINGS LISTED IN THIS CATEGORY, HE STARTS TO BECOME TIRED. THE CHANGE IS GRADUAL, BUT WITH EACH ADDITIONAL INNING HE BECOMES LESS ACCURATE (OR DOWNRIGHT) WILD). IF HE PITCHES FOUR OR FIVE INNINGS BEYOND HIS NFI RATING, HE WILL ALMOST NEVER THROW WHERE HE'S AIMING. A REALISTIC SETTING FOR A VERY STRONG STARTER WOULD BE 3 OR 4 NFI. THEN PLAN TO BRING IN A RELIEF PITCHER ABOUT THE 6TH OR 7TH INNING. OR, FORGET ABOUT PACING, AND CREATE AN IRONMAN WITH AN NFI OF 10 AND TAKE HIM RIGHT ON IN TO EXTRA INNINGS. PITCHING SPEED (PS) ONE MEANS A PITCHER'S FIREBALLING DAYS ARE OVER; TEN MEANS HE THROWS BULLETS BALL CONTROL (BC) ONE MEANS BATTERS SHOULD WEAR CAST IRON HELMETS; TEN MEANS THE GUY IS A MASTER OF NEAR-PERFECT CONTROL. V STATISTICS YOU CAN'T JUST TOSS NUMBERS INTO THE STATISTICAL CATEGORIES IF YOU WANT YOUR GAMES TO BE REALISTIC. THERE'S A BIT OF SCIENCE TO IT, SO WE RECOMMEND THAT YOU USE YOUR NEWSPAPER SPORTS PAGE, A BASEBALL ALMANAC, OR EVEN BASEBALL CARDS AR A REFERENCE TOOL. (THE TEAM EDITOR WILL STOP YOU AND ASK QUESTIONS IF YOU ENTER STATISTICS THAT CONTRADICT EACH OTHER.) YOU DO NOT NEED TO ENTER EVERY STAT YOURSELF. HARDBALL II HELPS YOU WHERE IT CAN BY CALCULATION SOME ENTRIES FROM OTHER INFORMATION YOU SUPPLY.THESE ARE FILLED IN AUTOMATICALLY AS SOON AS YOU ENTER THE NUMBERS NEEDED TO RUN THE CALCULATION. (FOR COMPLETE DEFINITIONS OF ALL STATS USED IN THE TEAM EDITOR, SEE THE GLOSSARY.) YOU CANNOT ENTER SOME INFORMATION.HARDBALL II AUTOMATICALLY PERFORMS THESE CALCULATIONS FOR YOU: BATTING AVERAGE (BA), SLUGGING PERCENTAGE (SLG). ON BASE PERCENTAGE (OB), SINGLES (1B), AND TOTAL BASES (TB). VI THE TEAM EDITOR OPTIONS PRESS ESC FROM THE TEAM EDITOR SCREEN AND SIX OPTIONS APPEAR. PRESS IT AGAIN TO CLOSE THE MENU.WITH THESE SIX OPTIONS, YOU CAN DO JUST ABOUT ANYTHING WITH YOUR TEAMS EXCEPT SELL THEM. LOAD WHEN YOU WANT TO BRING AN EXISTING TEAM INTO THE EDITOR FOR CHANGES: 1 HIGHLIGHT LOAD AND PRESS ENTER. * A PARTIAL LIST APPEARS OF THE TEAMS AVAILABLE IN THE CURRENT DRIVE AND DIRECTORY. * SCROLL THROUGH THE LIST OF TEAMS WITH THE UP AND DOWN ARROW KEYS. LOAD (CONT) * LOAD TEAMS FROM OTHER DISKS BY CHANGING THE PATH STATEMENT. (SEE APPENDIX FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT CHANGING PATHS.) 2 HIGHLIGHT THE NAME OF THE TEAM YOU WANT TO CHANGE AND PRESS ENTER. (YOU ARE REUNITED WITH THE TEAM EDITOR, YOUR SELECTED TEAM IN PLACE AND READY FOR MODIFICATIONS.) 3 A TEAM INVOLVED IN LEAGUE PLAY CANNOT BE LOADED INTO THE TEAM EDITOR. THIS IS TO INSURE THAT MID-SEASON IMPROVEMENTS IN YOUR PLAYERS' STATISTICS AND ATTRIBUTES OCCUR ONLY ON THE FIELD AND NOT IN THE FRONT-OFFICE COMPUTER. (HOWEVER, IF YOU DESPERATELY NEED TO "MODIFY" A LEAGUE TEAM, SEE HOW TO CANCEL A LEAGUE.) SAVE AFTER YOU CREATE OR CHANGE A TEAM, YOU NEED TO SAVE THE INFORMATION. TEAMS CAN BE STORED IN A HARD DISK DIRECTORY OR ON SEPARATE FLOPPY DISKS. TEAM DISKS, BY THE WAY, WORK WITH OTHER COPIES OF HARDBALL II, SO YOU CAN TAKE YOUR BEST SQUAD WITH YOU TO AWAY GAMES. 1 HIGHLIGHT SAVE AND PRESS ENTER. (YOU ARE ASKED FOR THE PATH THE COMPUTER SHOULD USE TO STORE THE NEW INFORMATION.) 2 PRESS ENTER IF YOU WANT TO USE THE DEFAULT PATH (THE LOCATION AND ROUTE THAT THE COMPUTER USES TO SAVE PRE-EXISTING TEAMS). IF YOU WANT TO CHANGE THE PATH, SEE THE APPENDIX. DELETE IF A TEAM'S PLAY REALLY STARTS TO STINK UP THE PLACE, AND YOU BEGIN TO QUESTION ITS RIGHT TO EXIST: 1 HIGHLIGHT DELETE AND PRESS ENTER. (A LIST OF PURGEABLE TEAMS APPEARS.) 2 HIGHLIGHT THE NAME OF THE TEAM YOU WOULD LIKE TO ERASE AND PRESS ENTER. * CAUTION: IF YOU PRESS ENTER, ALL RECORDS OF THAT TEAM ARE PERMANENTLY ERASED.PROCEED ONLY WITH FULL CONSCIOUSNESS AND A DETERMINED WILL. CLEAR THIS OPTION CLEARS ALL ENTRIES ON THE TEAM EDITOR SCREEN. WHY? SO THAT IF YOU'RE CREATING ONE TEAM AFTER ANOTHER, YOU CAN SAVE ONE, CLEAR THE DECKS, AND CREATE ANOTHER. 1 HIGHLIGHT CLEAR AND PRESS ENTER. IF YOU HAVEN'T SAVED THAT SCREEN'S CREATIONS OR CHANGES, YOU ARE ASKED IF YOU WANT TO SAVE THEM BEFORE THE INFORMATION IS CLEARED. (SEE THE SAVE IN THIS SECTION FOR MARE INFORMATION.) COMPRESS FOR THOSE WHO LIKE TO TIDY ROSTER: 1 HIGHLIGHT COMPRESS AND PRESS ENTER. THIS MOVES ALL EMPTY PLAYER SLOTS TO THE BOTTOM OF THE LIST. EXIT WHEN YOU'RE READY TO RETURN TO THE MAIN MENU AFTER CREATING VARIOUS AND SUNDRY DREAM TEAMS: 1 HIGHLIGHT EXIT AND PRESS ENTER. CHAPTER 5: LEAGUE PLAY WHEN YOU HIGHLIGHT LEAGUE PLAY ON THE MAIN MENU AND PRESS ENTER, YOU COME TO THE LEAGUE PLAY SCREEN. THIS OPERATES LIKE A LEAGUE OFFICE AND YOU'RE THE PRESIDENT I HOW TO DRAFT TEAMS INTO YOUR LEAGUE THE IDEA OF A DRAFT IS TO POOL ALL THE PLAYERS TOGETHER, THEN DIVIDE THEM INTO TEAMS OF ROUGHLY-EQUIVALENT TALENT. TEAMS OF EQUAL STRENGTH BREED COMPETITION WHICH BREEDS A GOOD, CHALLENGING LEAGUE, WHICH IS MORE FUN. STEP 1: CREATE DRAFT POOL 1 HIGHLIGHT DRAFT TEAMS, PRESS ENTER, AND THE DRAFT POOL MENU APPEARS. * THE LARGE WINDOW LISTS THE NAMES OF TEAMS AS YOU EMPTY PLAYERS OUT OF THEIR ROSTERS AND ONTO THE POOL SO THEY CAN BE DRAFTED. * TEAMS WHOSE NAMES BEGIN WITH ROSTER WERE CREATED WITH THE TEAM EDITOR TO BE USED IN DRAFTING. 2 IF YOU WANT TO CREATE NEW TEAMS BY DRAFTING PLAYERS, GO FIRST TO THE TEAM EDITOR THEN CREATE AND SAVE AS MANY TEAMS AS YOU WANT TO FILL FROM THE DRAFT. * YOU NEED ONLY ASSIGN EACH OF THE TEAMS A NAME AND, IF YOU WANT, A MANAGER. NO OTHER INFORMATION IS NEEDED. * RETURN TO THE DRAFT POOL MENU WHEN YOU'RE FINISHED. 3 TO ADD MORE PLAYERS TO THE DRAFT POOL: * HIGHLIGHT ADD AND PRESS ENTER. (THE LARGE WINDOW CHANGES TO SHOW ALL TEAMS AND ROSTERS IN THE CURRENT PATH. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON PATHS, SEE THE APPENDIX). * HIGHLIGHT A ROSTER OR TEAM THAT YOU WANT TO PLACE IN THE DRAFTING POOL AND PRESS ENTER. 4 IF YOU CHANGE YOUR MIND AND DON'T WANT A TEAM OR RESTER TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE DRAFT: * HIGHLIGHT DELETE AND PRESS ENTER. * HIGHLIGHT THE NAME OF THE TEAM YOU WANT TO REMOVE FROM THE DRAFTING POOL AND PRESS ENTER. EUREKA, IT IS DONE. 5 AFTER YOU'VE POOLED SOME PLAYERS, YOU MIGHT WANT TO ANALYZE THEIR PAST PERFORMANCES. FOR A COMPLETE STATISTICAL BREAKDOWN OF EACH PLAYER WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR THE DRAFT: * HIGHLIGHT VIEW, PRESS ENTER, AND THE PLAYER STAT SCREEN APPEARS. * USE THE LEFT AND RIGHT ARROW KEYS TO SCROLL THROUGH EACH PLAYER. * PRESS ESC TO CONTINUE WITH THE DRAFT. 6 WHEN YOU'VE COMPLETED YOUR DRAFTING POOL: * HIGHLIGHT DONE AND PRESS ENTER. 7 TO CANCEL THE DRAFT POOL YOU'RE WORKING ON AND RETURN TO THE LEAGUE MENU: * HIGHLIGHT ABORT AND PRESS ENTER. STEP 2: SELECT DRAFTING TEAMS YOU CREATED A POOL OF TALENT, NOW YOU NEED TO CHOOSE WHICH TEAMS WILL ABSORB THEM. 1 HIGHLIGHT ADD AND PRESS ENTER. 2 WHEN THE LIST OF ELIGIBLE TEAMS APPEARS, HIGHLIGHT THE NAME OF A TEAM THAT NEEDS TO DRAFT PLAYERS FROM THE POOL AND PRESS ENTER. * IF A TEAM HAS ALREADY EMPTIED IT'S PLAYERS INTO THE DRAFT POOL, IT CANNOT BE SELECTED AS A DRAFT TEAM. 3 WHEN YOU WANT TO REMOVE A TEAM FROM DRAFT CONSIDERATION: * HIGHLIGHT DELETE AND PRESS ENTER. * HIGHLIGHT THE NAME OF THE TEAM TO BE EXCLUDED FROM THE DRAFT AND PRESS ENTER. 4 IF YOU WANT TO REVIEW THE PLAYER STATS OF A PARTICULAR TEAM BEFORE YOU MAKE YOUR FINAL DECISION: * HIGHLIGHT VIEW AND PRESS ENTER. * HIGHLIGHT THE NAME OF THE TEAM WHOSE PLAYERS YOU WANT TO REVIEW AND PRESS ENTER. * USE ARROW KEYS TO SCROLL THROUGH THE PLAYER INFORMATION 5 WHEN YOU'VE LISTED ALL THE TEAMS THAT YOU WANT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE DRAFT: * HIGHLIGHT DONE AND PRESS ENTER. 6 IF YOU WANT TO START OVER FROM SCRATCH, CANCEL THE DRAFT AND RETURN TO THE LEAGUE MENU: * HIGHLIGHT ABORT AND PRESS ENTER. STEP 3: THE DRAFT THE TEAMS ARE READY, THE PLAYERS ARE ANXIOUS TO BE PICKED. LET THE DRAFT BEGIN. THE FIRST TEAM THAT WAS SELECTED IN STEP 2 IS THE FIRST TO PICK, THE SECOND IS SECOND, AND SO ON. EACH TEAM GETS ONE PICK IN EACH ROUND OF THE DRAFT. 1 TO DRAFT A PLAYER, SCROLL THROUGH THE LIST OF POOLED PLAYERS. WHEN YOU FIND THE NAME OF THE HOMBRE YOU WANT, PRESS ENTER. (THE FIRST PLAYERS STATS APPEAR ON THE SCREEN.) 2 HIGHLIGHT YES OR NO WHEN ASKED IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO DRAFT THIS PLAYER AND PRESS ENTER. * IF NO, YOU CAN GO BACK AND SELECT ANOTHER PLAYER. * IF YES, THE HIGHLIGHTER APPEARS IN YOUR TEAM'S PLAYER LIST * IF YOUR TEAM ALREADY HAS 30 PLAYERS, ANOTHER PLAYER MUST GO BACK INTO THE POOL TO MAKE ROOM FOR THE NEWCOMER. * IF YOUR TEAM HAS LESS THAN 30 PLAYERS, NO EXCHANGE IS REQUIRED. 3 TO RETURN A PLAYER TO THE POOL, HIGHLIGHT HIS NAME AND PRESS ENTER. 4 PRESS P IF YOU WANT TO PASS YOUR TURN IN THE DRAFT. * IF YOU PASS, THE SELECTION PROCESS ROTATES THROUGH THE LIST OF DRAFTING TEAMS AND RETURNS TO YOU FOR THE NEXT ROUND. 5 PRESS D TO INDICATE THAT YOU ARE FINISHED DRAFTING. 6 CONTINUE THE DRAFTING PROCESS IN THIS WAY FOR EVERY TEAM PARTICIPATING IN THE DRAFT UNTIL EVERY TEAM SELECTS DONE. STEP 4: SAVE THE DRAFT YOU'VE WORKED HARD TO PUT THIS ALL TOGETHER, NOW MAKE SURE THAT YOU SAVE THE INFORMATION. WHEN ALL TEAMS HAVE FINISHED DRAFTING THEIR PLAYERS (SELECTED DONE IN STEP 3), A SERIES OF ON-SCREEN PROMPTS APPEAR WHICH ASK YOU TO DESIGNATE A PATH (OR LOCATION) IN WHICH TO SAVE THE DRAFT INFORMATION. 1 PRESS ENTER TO USE THE DEFAULT PATH. (SEE THE APPENDIX FOR MORE INFORMATION ON PATHS.) 2 IF YOU WANT TO CHANGE THE DEFAULT PATH THAT APPEARS ON THE SCREEN, TYPE IN THE NEW PATH INFORMATION. (AGAIN, SEE THE APPENDIX). II HOW TO CREATE A LEAGUE HIGHLIGHT CREATE LEAGUE ON THE LEAGUE MENU, PRESS ENTER, AND YOU CAN COMPLETE FOUR STEPS TO THE CREATION OF YOUR OWN LEAGUE. STEP 1: NAME YOUR LEAGUE 1 WHEN PROMPTED, TYPE IN THE NAME OF YOUR LEAGUE AND PRESS ENTER. STEP 2: ADD TEAMS TO YOUR LEAGUE THE FIRST SCREEN YOU WILL SEE HAS A MENU ON THE LEFT AND AN EMPTY WINDOW ON THE RIGHT. THIS WINDOW WILL FILL WITH TEAMS AS YOU SELECT THEM TO BE IN THE LEAGUE. THE WINDOW IS LABELED TEAMS SELECTED. TO ADD TEAMS TO YOU LEAGUE: 1 HIGHLIGHT ADD AND PRESS ENTER. (TEAMS THAT EXIST IN THE CURRENT PATH ARE LISTED. SEE THE APPENDIX FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT PATHS.) 2 HIGHLIGHT THE NAME OF A TEAM YOU WANT IN THE LEAGUE AND PRESS ENTER. (YOUR TEAM IS NOW LISTED UNDER TEAMS SELECTED.) 3 IF YOU WANT TO REMOVE A TEAM FROM THE LEAGUE FOR ANY REASON: * HIGHLIGHT DELETE AND PRESS ENTER. * HIGHLIGHT THE NAME OF THE TEAM YOU WANT TO ERADICATE AND PRESS ENTER. 4. IF YOU WANT TO VIEW ANY PLAYER'S STATS FROM A TEAM: * HIGHLIGHT VIEW AND PRESS ENTER. * HIGHLIGHT ONE OF THE TEAM NAMES AND PRESS ENTER. * DETAILED INFO ABOUT ONE PLAYER ON THE TEAM WILL APPEAR; USE THE LEFT AND RIGHT ARROW KEYS TO SEE OTHER PLAYERS' DATA. 5. WHEN YOU'RE SATISFIED WITH THE TEAMS IN YOUR LEAGUE (THERE MUST BE AT LEAST TWO), HIGHLIGHT DONE AND PRESS ENTER. 6. IF YOU WANT TO CANCEL THE LEAGUE CONSTRUCTION AND RETURN TO THE LEAGUE MENU, HIGHLIGHT ABORT AND PRESS ENTER. STEP 3 CHOOSE THE NUMBER OF GAMES 1. WHEN PROMPTED, TYPE IN A NUMBER FROM 1 TO 99 FOR THE NUMBER OF GAMES EACH TEAM IN THE LEAGUE WILL PLAY, THEN PRESS ENTER. STEP 4 PICK A HOME STADIUM 1. WHEN PROMPTED, HIGHLIGHT THE HOME STADIUM FOR THE TEAM LISTED ON SCREEN AND PRESS ENTER. TEAMS MAY SHARE A HOME STADIUM. 2. WHEN THE NEXT TEAM NAME APPEARS, SELECT ITS HOME STADIUM IN THE SAME MANNER, AND SO ON UNTIL EVERY TEAM HAS A HOME ROOST. 3. AFTER ALL THE PICKS ARE MADE, YOU ARE PROMPTED TO GIVE THE PATH INFORMATION WHERE THIS LEAGUE INFORMATION IS TO BE STORED. * PRESS ENTER TO USE THE DEFAULT PATH OR SEE THE APPENDIX, FOR MORE DETAILS ABOUT PATHS. YOU ARE THEN RETURNED TO THE LEAGUE MENU, READY TO DO LEAGUE BATTLE. III HOW TO PLAY A LEAGUE GAME 1. HIGHLIGHT PLAY LEAGUE GAME ON THE LEAGUE MENU AND PRESS ENTER. (THE LEAGUE SCHEDULE APPEARS.) 2. WHEN ASKED FOR THE PATH WHERE YOU LEAGUE INFORMATION IS STORED, TYPE IN THE NAME OF THE PATH OR PRESS ENTER TO USE THE DEFAULT PATH. 3. WHEN THE LEAGUE SCHEDULE APPEARS, HIGHLIGHT ANY GAME THAT HAS NOT YET BEEN PLAYED AND PRESS ENTER. * IF THIS IS THE FIRST GAME IN THE LEAGUE, ALL SCORES ARE LISTED 0:0. AFTER GAMES ARE COMPLETED, THE FINAL SCORES WILL APPEAR. * YOU AUTOMATICALLY RETURN TO THE MANAGER'S SCREEN, READY TO PLAY A LEAGUE GAME. IV HOW TO CHECK LEAGUE STANDINGS 1. HIGHLIGHT LEAGUE STANDINGS ON THE LEAGUE MENU AND PRESS ENTER. TEAMS ARE LISTED FROM BEST TO CELLAR - DWELLERS. USE THE UP AND DOWN ARROW KEYS TO SCROLL THROUGH THE LIST IF MORE TEAMS EXIST IN THE LEAGUE THAN SHOW ON THE SCREEN.SEE THE GLOSSARY IF YOU'D LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT TEAM STATS. V HOW TO CANCEL A LEAGUE USE THIS OPTION WHEN YOU WISH TO DISSOLVE A LEAGUE OF TEAMS. ALL SCHEDULED GAMES WILL BE CANCELLED AND ALL LEAGUE STANDINGS WILL BE LOST. TEAMS THAT WERE IN THE LEAGUE CAN NOW BE ALTERED WITH THE TEAM EDITOR AND ARE FREE TO PLAY SINGLE GAMES. 1. HIGHLIGHT CANCEL LEAGUE ON THE LEAGUE MENU AND PRESS ENTER. 2. WHEN ASKED FOR THE PATH WHERE YOUR LEAGUE INFORMATION IS STORED, TYPE IN THE NAME OF THE PATH OR PRESS ENTER TO USE THE DEFAULT PATH. * BEFORE THE LEAGUE IS CAST INTO OBLIVION, YOU ARE SHOWN THE LEAGUE NAME AND ASKED IF IT IS THE CORRECT LEAGUE TO CANCEL. * HIGHLIGHT YES AND PRESS ENTER IF THE CORRECT LEAGUE IS SHOWN. HIGHLIGHT NO AND PRESS ENTER IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO CANCEL THE LEAGUE. VI HOW TO RETURN TO THE MAIN MENU 1. HIGHLIGHT EXIT WHEN YOU'RE FINISHED MANIPULATION THE LEAGUE AND PRESS ENTER. CHAPTER 6 HINTS AND TIPS MOST OF US WERE NOT BORN WITH AN INNATE ABILITY TO HIT A FAST BALL OR CATCH FUNGOES.BUT SOMEHOW THE AMERICAN PASTIME INSINUATES ITSELF INTO OUR MUSCULATURE SO THAT AT THE VERY LEAST WE CAN STILL HIT AND CATCH A SOFTBALL WHEN OUR WAISTLINE IS BIGGER THAN OUR INSEAM. WELL, HARDBALL II WORKS THE SAME WAY. JUST DO IT, BABY. THE MORE YOU PLAY, THE MORE COMFORTABLE YOU BECOME WITH THE CONTROLS. THE MORE COMFORTABLE YOU ARE, THE MORE YOU CAN DELVE INTO STRATEGY. HERE'S SOME TIPS ON HOW TO MAKE THE MECHANICS OF HARDBALL II SECOND NATURE. I BATTING 1. THE HIGHER THE PLAYER'S BATTING AVERAGE, THE EASIER IT IS TO HIT THE BALL. IF YOU'RE BATTING .000, HITTING THE BALL CAN BE A HERCULEAN TASK, BUT IF YOU'RE APPROACHING 1.000 IT'S MUCH EASIER. 2. THE FASTER THE PITCH, OBVIOUSLY, THE HARDER IT IS TO HIT THE BALL. IF YOU'RE SWINGING LATE AGAINST A REAL FIRE BURNER, THAT'S ONLY NATURAL. WORK ON YOUR REACTION TIME AND YOU'LL IMPROVE WITH PRACTICE. 3. THE KEY TO HITTING IS RESPONDING TO THE PITCHER'S STRATEGY. * IF EVERY PITCH COMES RIGHT DOWN THE PIPE, MAKING CONTACT IS A CINCH. PITCHERS, HOWEVER, THROW A VARIETY OF PITCHES AIMED ALL OVER THE STRIKE ZONE. SO, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU'RE A ROOKIE, YOU NEED TO KOW WHAT THE PITCHER IS THROWING. * ON THE LIVELS OF PLAY SCREEN, MAKE SURE THAT YOU CHOOSE TO LEAVE THE PITCHER MENUS ON SCREEN. THAT WAY YOU CAN WATCH THE PITCHER'S SELECTIONS UNTILL YOU BECOME MORE ATTUNED TO THE STRIKE ZONE. LATER ON, THE MENUS CAN BE TURNED OTT TO MADE BATTING MORE CHALLENGING. II FIELDING 1. THE NUMBER OF ERRORS IN A PLAYER'S STATISTICS AFFECTS HOW WELL HE THROWS AND CATCHES THE BALL. 2. DON'T ASSUME A BALL THROWN WILL BE CAUGHT WHEN ERRORS ARE A POSSIBILITY. BE PREPARED TO CHASE OVERTHROWS. 3. TO HELP YOU REMEMBER THE THROWING COMMANDS, THINK OF THE KEYPAD AS A BASEBALL DIAMOND AND PRESS THE KEY THAT CORRESPONDS TO THE BASE YOU'RE THROWING TO. 4. SINCE A PLAY DOESN'T END UNTIL THE BALL IS RETURNED TO THE PITCHER, PRACTICE THROWING THE BALL AROUND THE HORN TO GET A FEEL FOR TH CONTROLS. 5. WHEN A BALL IS HIT, THE COMPUTER AUTOMATICALLY SELECTS THE FIELDER THAT YOU CAN CONTROL (BASED ON WHICH FIELDER IS CLOSEST TO THE BALL). * TO CHANGE THE FIELDER THAT YOU CONTROL, RELEASE ALL CONTROLS, AND THE COMPUTER WILL RESELECT A NEW PLAYER. * LET THE COMPUTER DO ITS JOB. IF YOU PRESS THE CONTROLS TOO SOON, YOU'LL FIND THAT THE PITCHER WILL BE CHASING BALLS INTO THE OUTFIELD. NOT A GOOD DEFENSIVE STRATEGY. III PLAY A PRACTICE GAME 1. ON THE MAIN MENU, SELECT THE SANDLOT SWINGERS TO BE BOTH HOME AND VISITOR TEAMS.THIS TEAM HAS BEEN PRE-SET TO GIVE A BEGINNER A GOOD, FRUSTRATION FREE GAME. 2. TO PLAY THE SWINGERS V. SWINGERS: * SELECT PLAY NEW GAME ON THE MAIN MENU. * SET THE HOME TEAM'S CONTROLS TO COMPUTER. SET THE VISITOR TEAMS TO WHATEVER CONTROL DEVICE YOU WOULD LIKE TO USE. * SELECT BATTER'S VIEW FROM THE VIEW MENU. * SELECT PLAY BALL FROM THE GAME MENU. 3. TO GET THE MOST BATTING PRACTICE IN THIS GAME, BAT ALL THE TIME. * AS VISITOR, YOU BAT FIRST. WHEN THE COMPUTER IS UP, CALL A TIMEOUT AND GO TO THE MANAGER'S SCREEN. * SWITCH CONTROLS FOR THE HOME AND VISITOR TEAMS SO THAT WHEN YOU GO BACK TO THE FIELD, YOU'RE AT BAT AGAIN. * SWITCH CONTROLS EVERY TIME THE TEAMS CHANGE SIDES. THE APPENDIX ALL ABOUT PATHS A PATH (NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH A BASE PATH) IS THE LOGISTICAL INFORMATION THAT COMPUTER USES TO SAVE DATA OR TO RETRIEVE STORED DATA. IN HARDBALLII, PATH LINES (OR STATEMENTS) NORMALLY COME INTO USE WHEN YOU ARE MANIPULATING TEAMS WITHIN THE TEAM EDITOR AND LEAGUE PLAY MENUS. A PATH ENABLES YOU, FOR EXAMPLE, TO SAVE AND LOAD TEMAMS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN STORED ON YOUR HADBALL II GAME DISKS. I. HOW TO USE THE DEFAULT PATH TO STORE ALL LEAGUE AND TEAM INFORMATION ON THE HARDBALL II DISKS, JUST PRESS ENTER WHENEVER YOU ARE ASKED WHICH PATH YOU WANT TO USE. TH DEFAULT PATH IS THE STATEMENT THAT APPEARS WHEN YOU FIRST BOOT YOUR COMPUTER. II. HOW TO CHANGE THE PATH TO STORE OR LOAD TEAMS THAT OAR NOT ON THE HARDBALL II GAME DISKS, YOU MUST CHANGE THE PATH STATEMENT TO INDICATE THE DIFFERENT LOCATION. ONCE YOU CHANGE A PATH STATEMENT, THE NEW STATEMENT BECOMES THE DEFAULT PATH UNTIL YOU EXIT TO DOS OR CHANGE THE PATH AGAIN. 1. HIGHLIGHT THE PATH STATEMENT LINE ON THE SCREEN. 2. USE THE BACKSPACE KEY TO ERASE THE OLD PATH INFORMATION. 3. TYPE IN THE NAME OF THE DRIVE YOU ARE USING TO STORE OR RETRIEVE INFORMATION; AND IF NECESSARY (SAY THE DATA IS LOCATED IN A HARD DRIVE SUB-DIRECTORY), TYPE IN THE NAME OF THE LOCATION YOU ARE USING TO STORE OR RETRIEVE INFORMATION WITHIN THE DRIVE. * USE NORMAL DOS SYNTAX TO SPECIFY THE DRIVE AND DIRECTORY. * IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY , INSERT THE INFORMATION DISK IN THE DESIGNATED DRIVE. (IF YOU ARE USING A HARD DRIVE, THERE OF COURSE WILL NOT BE A DISK ). 4. PRESS ENTER THE GOLOSSARY AB - SEE AT BATS AT BATS - THE NUMBER OF TIMES A BATTER HAS APPEARED AT THE PLATE. BA - SEE BATTING AVERAGE. BALL- A PITCH THAT THE BATTER DOES NOT SWING AT AND THE UMP JUDGES TO BE THROWN OUTSIDE THE STRIKE ZONE. BALL CONTROL - HARDBALL II PITCHING ATTRIBUTE THAT INDICATES THE GENERAL ACCURRACY OF PITCHES. BAT - SEE BATTING SIDE. BASE ON BALLS - THE NUMBER OF TIME A BATTER HAS BEEN WALDED BY OPPOSING PITCHERS. SEE WALK. BATTERS WALKED - PITCHING STAT: HOW MANY BATTERS A GUY HAS WALKED. SEE WALK. BATTING AVERAGE - HITS/AT BATS. THE PERCENTAGE OF TIME A BATTER HAS THWACKED A BASE HIT. BATTING SIDE - THE WAY A BATTER PREFERS TO SWING: L FOR LEFT, R FOR RIGHT, S FOR A SWITCH HITTER. BB - SEE BASE ON BALLS AND BATTERS WALKED. BC - SEE BALL CONTROL. BUNT - A SWING THAT A BATTER MAKES FROM A SQUARED OFF STANCE THAT IS INTENDED TO STOP THE BALL'S SPEED AND DROP IT INTO THE INFIELD BETWEEN THE CATCHER AND THE PITCHER. C - CATCHER CF - CENTER FIELDER. CG - SEE COMPLETED GAMES. COMPLETED GAMES - PITCHING STAT: THE NUMBER OF GAMES STARTED AND FINISHED WITHOUT RELIEF. CS - SEE CAUGHT STEALING. CAUGHT STEALING - THE NUMBER OF TIMES THAT A RUNNER HAS BEEN TAGGED OUT WHILE TRYING TO STEAL A BASE. CHANGE UP - A SLOW, STRAIGHT PITCH. CURVEBALL - A PITCH THAT TRAVELS TO THE PLATE IN AN ARC, INSTEAD OF A STRAIGHT LINE. DESIGNATED HITTER - THE TENTH PLAYER IN A GAME WHO BATS (USUALLY FOR THE PITCHER) BUT DOES NOT PLAY THE FIELD. THE AMERICAN, BUT NOT THE NATIONAL, LEAGUE USES THE DH. DH - SEE SESIGNATED HITTER. DOUBLE - A BASE HIT THAT RESULTS IN THE BATTER GAINING TWO BASES. ABBREVIATED AS 2B IN THE TEAM EDITOR. E - SEE ERRORS. EARNED RUN AVERAGE - PITCHING STAT: THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF EARNED RUNS THAT A PITCHER ALLOWS DURING A NINE INNING GAME. EARNED RUNS - PITCHING STAT: THE NUMBER OF RUNS SCORED AGAINST A PITCHER THAT WEREN'T A RESULT OF OTHER PLAYERS MISTAKES. ER - SEE EARNED RUNS ERA - SEE EARNED RUNS AVERAGE. ERRORS - FIELDING STAT: THE NUMBVER OF TIMES A FIELDER HAS BOTCHED A CATCH OR THROW THAT THE OFFICIAL SCORER JUDGES HE SHOULD HAVE MADE SUCCESSFULLY. FAST BALL - A VERY FAST, STRAIGHT PITCH. THE HUMMER. FIRST BASEMAN - (1B) THE FIELDER WHO COVERS 1ST BASE. FOUL BALL - A HIT BALL THAT LANDS OUTSIDE OF THE LEFT OR RIGHT BOUNDRIES. FULL SWING - A BATTER'S POWER SWING THAT SHOULD RESULT IN BOTH DISTANCE AND HEIGHT IF THE BALL IS WELL HIT. G - SEE GAMES, BATTER AND GAMES,PITCHER. GAMES, BATTER - THE NUMBER OF GAMES IN WHICH A GIVEN PLAYER HAS APPERED. GAMES BEHIND - TEAM STAT: THE NUMBER OF GAMES A TEAM IS BEHIND THE FIRST PLACE TEAM IN TH LEAGUE. GAMES FINISHED - PITCHING STAT: THE NUMBER OF GAMES A RELIEF PITCHER ENTERS AND COMPLETES. GAMES, PITCHER - THE NUMBER OF GAMES IN WHICH A PITCHER APPEARED. GAMES STARTED - PITCHER'S STAT: THE NUMBER OF GAMES A PITCHER STARTS. GB - SEE GAMES BEHIND GF - GAMES FINISHED GRAND SLAM - A HOME RUN WITH THE BASES LOADED. GROUNDER - A BALL HIT SO THAT IT TRAVELS PRIMARILY ALONG THE GROUND. GS - GAMES STARTED. HOME RUN - A BASE HIT, USUALLY OVER AN OUTFIELD FENCE OR WALL, WHICH RESULTS IN AN AUTOMATIC FOUR BASES AND RUN SCORED. ABBREVIATED AS HR IN THE TEAM EDITOR. HR - SEE HOME RUN. INNINGS PITCHED - PITCHING STAT: THE TOTAL NUMBER OF INNINGS A PITCHER HAS PITCHED. IN PARK HOME RUN - A NON-AUTOMATIC HOME RUN THAT OCCURS WHILE TH BALL IS STILL IN PLAY INSIDE THE BALL PARK. IP - SEE INNINGS PITCHED. L - SEE LOSSES, PITCHER'S/LOSSES,TEAM'S LF - LEFTFIELDER LINE DRIVE - A WELL-HIT BALL THAT TRAVELS IN A STRAIGHT LINE WITHOUT A GREAT DEAL OF ALTITUDE. LOSSES, PITCHER'S - EACH TIME A TEAM LOSES, A PITCHER IS CREDITED WITH THE LOSS. THE LOSS IS ASSIGNED TO WHICHEVER PITCHER WAS ON THE MOUND AT THE TIME HIS TEAM FELL BEHIND. NFI - SEE NON-FATIGUE INNINGS. NON-FATIGUE INNINGS - HARDBALL II PITCHING ATTRIBUTE: THE NUMBER IF INNINGS A PITCHER CAN PLAY BEFORE HE BECOMES INACCURATE DUE TO FATIGUE. OB - SEE ON BASE PERCENTAGE. ON BASE PERCENTAGE - THE NUMBER OF TIMES A BATTER GETS ON BASE, REGARDLESS OF HOW HE GOT THERE. P - PITCHER PCT - SEE PERCENTAGE PERCENTAGE - TEAM STAT: THE PERCENTAGE OF GAMES A TEAM HAS PLAYED AND WON. PITCHING SPEED - HARDBALL II PITCHING ATTRIBUTE: THE RELATIVE SPEED AT WHICH A PITCHER THROWS THE BALL. POS - SEE POSITION. POSITION - A PLAYERS DEFENSIVE POSITION IN THE FIELD. PS - SEE PITCHING SPEED. R - SEE RUNS SCORED AND RUNS AGAINST. RF - RIGHT FIELDER RBI - SEE RUNS BATTED IN. RS - SEE RUNNING SPEED. RUNNING SPEED - HARDBALL II PLAYER ATTRIBUTE: THE RELATIVE SPEED OF A RUNNER. RUNS AGAINST - PITCHING STAT: THE TOTAL NUMBER OF RUNS (EARNED AND UNEARNED) SCORED AGAINST A PITCHER WHILE HE WAS ON THE MOUND. RUNS BATTED IN - THE NUMBER OF RUNS SCORED AS A DIRECT RESULT OF A BATTER'S BASE HITS. RUNS SCORED - HOW MANY TIMES A BATTER HAS SCORED AFTER HE HAS REACHED BASE. SACRIFICE - A HIT BALL WHICH RESULTS IN THE BATTER BEING OUT BUT WHICH MOVED A RUNNER OR RUNNERS TO AN ADDITIONAL BASE. SAVES - THE NUMBER OF GAMES IN WHICH A RELIEF PITCHER HAS MAINTAINED THE STARTING PITCHER'S LEAD THROUGH THE END OF THE GAME. SB - SEE STOLEN BASE. SCREWBALL - A "REVERSE" CURVE: A PITCH THAT BREAKS IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION OF A NORMAL CURVE BALL. SECOND BASEMAN - THE FIELDER WHO COVERS 2ND BASE. SHO - SEE SHUT OUTS. SHUTOUTS - THE NUMBER OF GAMES IN WHICH THE OPPOSING TEAM DID NOT SCORE A RUN. SINGLES - A BASE HIT THAT RESULTS IN THE BATTER GAINING ONE BASE. SINKER - A BREAKING PITCH THAT BEGINS HIGH AND SLOW AND CHANGES TO FAST AND LOW AS IT GOES OVER THE PLATE. SLG - SEE SLUGGING PERCENTAGE. SLUGGING PERCENTAGE - TOTAL BASSES/AT BATS. SO - STRIKE OUT SS - SHORTSTOP STOLEN BASE - A BASE GAINED BY A RUNNER WITHOUT BENEFIT OF A HIT BALL OR PITCHER MISTAKE. STRIKE - A SWING BY A BATTER THAT MISSES THE BALL OR A PITCH THAT THE BATTER DOES NOT SWING AT BUT THE UMP JUDGES TO BE WITHIN THE STRIKE ZONE. STRIKE OUT - THREE STRIKES AND YOU'RE OUT. THE NUMBER OF TIMES THAT A BATTER HAS STRUCK OUT. THE NUMBER OF BATTERS A PITCHER HAS RETIRED BY STRIKE OUT. STRIKE ZONE - THE AREA OVER HOME PLATE AND BETWEEN THE BATTER'S KNEES AND MID-CHEST. SV - SEE SAVES. SWITCH HITTER - A BATTER THAT HITS FROM EITHER SIDE OF THE PLATE. TB - TOTAL BASES. THIRD BASEMAN - THE FIELDER WHO COVERS 3RD BASE. THR - SEE THROWING HAND. THROWING HAND - THE HAND A FIELDER USES TO THROW: L FOR LEFT, R FOR RIGHT. TRIPLE - A BASE HIT THAT RESULTS IN THE BATTER GAINING THREE BASSES. TOTAL BASES - THE TOTAL NUMBER OF BASES GAINED BY A BATTER BY BASE HITS. W - WINS, PITCHER'S/WINS,TEAM'S. WINS, PITCHER'S - WHEN A TEAM WINS A GAME, THE WIN IS ASSIGNED TO A PITCHER. A STARTING PITCHER IS CREDITED WITH A WIN IF HE HAS PITCHED AT LEAST FIVE INNINGS AND LEAVES WITH HIS TEAM LEADING.A RELIEF PITCHER IS CREDITED WITH A WIN IF HE ENTERS THE GAME WHILE HIS TEAM IS TIED OR BEHIND IN RUNS, THEN IT WINS THE GAME. WINS, TEAM'S - THE NUMBER OF GAMES A TEAM HAS WON THROUGH OUT THE CURRENT SEASON WALK - IF THE PITCHER THROWS FOUR BALLS WHEN A BATTER IS AT THE PLATE, THAT BATTER IS AUTOMATICALLY WALKED TO 1ST BASE. CHANGE UP - A SLOW, STRAIGHT PITCH. CURVEBALL - A PITCH THAT TRAVELS TO THE PLATE IN AN ARC, INSTEAD OF A STRAIGHT LINE. DESIGNATED HITTER - THE TENTH PLAYER IN A GAME WHO BATS (USUALLY FOR THE PITCHER) BUT DOES NOT PLAY THE FIELD. THE AMERICAN, BUT NOT THE NATIONAL, LEAGUE USES THE DH.