Omni-Play Horse Racing Table of Contents PART 1 - USER VERIFICATION SEQUENCE......................................... 1 USING THE O.M.N.I. SCREEN.......................................... 2 PART 2 - THE HANDICAPPER'S TOURNAMENT....................................... 3 GENERAL INFORMATION................................................ 3 ABOUT THE MAIN MENU................................................ 4 MAIN MENU SELECTIONS............................................... 5 Tournament Options................................................. 5 Start New Tournament....................................... 5 Add New Bettor............................................. 8 Auto Play Mode............................................. 8 Saving, Loading or Deleting................................ 10 (Tournaments, Tracks or Horses) About the Horses........................................... 12 Entry Information.................................................. 13 Past Performance Records................................... 14 Next Race Payoffs.................................................. 17 Entry History...................................................... 19 Jockey History..................................................... 21 Post Position History.............................................. 23 Buy a Tip.......................................................... 25 Bet On Race........................................................ 28 Types Of Bets.............................................. 28 Placing Your Bet........................................... 30 Using A Tip................................................ 32 Run Next Race...................................................... 33 The Racetrack.............................................. 33 The Toteboard.............................................. 35 Photo Finishes............................................. 36 The Winner's Circle........................................ 36 View Trophy................................................ 36 Last Race Payoffs.................................................. 37 View Betting Results....................................... 38 Betting History.................................................... 39 PART 1 SPORTTIME USER VERIFICATION SEQUENCE You must complete this section before the OMNI-PLAY System can load and the O.M.N.I. Screen can appear. 1. First the title and credit screens will appear. Shortly thereafter, the USER VERIFICATION SEQUENCE appears. 2. In the box, type the word requested by the message on the screen and press RETURN. Pay attention to upper and lower case letters, because the word must be entered exactly as it appears on the page. 3. If the word is verified as correct, the OMNI-PLAY System will load and the O.M.N.I. Screen will appear... you're ready to begin! (Please see the next section for instructions on using the O.M.N.I. Screen.) If the word is incorrect, try again. You are allowed three chances to enter the correct word, or else the program will abort and you will have to reload (reboot) the game from the very beginning. 4. All words are taken from the OMNI-PLAY HORSE RACING instruction manual. Any future verification sequences on subsequent modules will require this manual as well. 1 THE O.M.N.I. SCREEN The highlighted buttons on the O.M.N.I. Screen indicate which options are currently installed and available, while the darkened buttons indicate items which are not yet available on your system. To select and play an option on the O.M.N.I. Screen: 1. Use your joystick to move the hand on the screen until it points to the Option Button you want. Press the fire button on your joystick to select. The selection you choose will now flash. 2. Move the hand on the screen until it points to the PLAY button once again to start the option. 3. If the selected option is already installed, it will run. If the selected option is not yet installed, a message to that effect will appear in the message window at the bottom of the O.M.N.I. Screen. If the required disks have not been inserted, you will be prompted to do so. Selecting the same option twice in a row will toggle that choice on and off. The computer emits two types of sounds following your selections. Acceptable moves are followed by a high-pitched "bell" sound, while incorrect moves are followed by a low-pitched "buzzer" sound. You can install an Option Module into your OMNI-PLAY System only from the O.M.N.I. Screen: 1. Move the hand on the screen until it points to the option button you want and select it. The selection will flash. 2. To install the selected option, press the INSTALL button. 3. Insert the proper disks as instructed to continue. Selecting CONTINUE or PLAY will do nothing until the proper disk is inserted. Selecting CANCEL will abort the installation and return the O.M.N.I. Screen to its original state. 4. See the enclosed reference card for specific instructions on hard disk installation for your machine (if possible). To exit from the O.M.N.I. Screen: 1. Move the hand on the screen until it points to the EXIT button and select it. 2. A message asks if you really want to exit the O.M.N.I. Screen. Selecting "YES" takes you back to the system you started OMNI-PLAY HORSE RACING from, while choosing the "NO" returns the O.M.N.I. Screen to its original state. 2 PART 2 THE HANDICAPPER'S TOURNAMENT Welcome to SPORTTIME Park! Here, full time handicappers and weekend gamblers enjoy some of the most prestigious racing anywhere. You'll see the world's best horses and jockeys vying for a spot in the winner's circle as you try for a piece of action and a chance to strike it rich! Whether you're a novice of a racetrack regular, the action found at SPORTTIME Park will provide you with plenty of thrills and excitement! GENERAL INFORMATION The "Handicapper's Tournament" keeps track of the gambling records and bankrolls for twenty players. Up to four human players can compete at the same time - the computer will provide additional players to make a total of twenty. This allows you to match your handicapping skills against those of your friends, and against our computer handicappers, as well. All players start with the same amount of money. As races are run, players win (or lose) money by betting on the races. Past Performance information on each horse's ten most recently run races are available. In addition, records of the jockeys, post positions and other stats are maintained and updated following every race. Use this data to formulate your betting strategy and predictions. Remember - a "hot" jockey could very possibly lead an inferior horse to victory. Also, make not of such items as track conditions, a race's length and so on, for each race - all of these factors may affect the horses' performances. Your game already comes with horse and jockey conditions preset with values. That is, when you start a tournament there will already be some historical data in the computer - just as there would be historical information available at a real-life racetrack. If you'd like a real challenge, you can always reset many of these statistics to zero values by following the procedures outlined in the TOURNAMENT OPTIONS section of the manual. All other racing information is accessed via the MAIN MENU, and is explained in the following sections. 3 All screens and options for "The Handicapper's Tournament" are selected from this menu. The top portion of the MAIN MENU lists all players, both human and computer, in the current tournament, along with their present bankrolls. The players are displayed in order of wealth, starting with the player holding the most money in the top left hand column. Below the names of all players is the predetermined Win Condition which, when met, will end the tournament. Under the Win Condition, the second line shows the predetermined Handicapping Difficulty Level for all races. More information about Win Conditions and Handicapping Difficulty Level can be found in the section entitled TOURNAMENT OPTIONS. The bottom of the MAIN MENU displays all options and screens available during a tournament. These options give you access to all of the statistical and historical information discussed in the preceding paragraphs, and more. Select from: LAST RACE PAYOFFS BUY A TIP ENTRY INFORMATION BET ON RACE NEXT RACE PAYOFFS RUN NEXT RACE ENTRY HISTORY BETTING HISTORY JOCKEY HISTORY TOURNAMENT OPTIONS POST POSITION HISTORY O.M.N.I. SCREEN These options are explained in detail in the sections that follow. To select any option, use your joystick to highlight the desired option and press the fire button to select. If you are playing the game for the first time, select TOURNAMENT OPTIONS now and read on. NOTE: Please refer to the enclosed reference card for specific alternatives to joystick use, if any, for your computer. 4 MAIN MENU SELECTIONS NOTE: Selecting the RETURN option on any of these screens will return you to the previous screen. In most cases this will be a "return" to the MAIN MENU. Tournament Options This screen allows you to start a new tournament, add new players to an existing tournament, run a series of races automatically, save the current tournament and all its corresponding data for future use, and much, much more. The top portion of the screen shows the names of all 20 handicappers (both human and computer) along with their current cash totals. Below that are ten possible tournament options. Five of these options use a FILE REQUESTER screen and are concerned with saving and loading various types of data. They will be discussed later in this section. First, we will look at the three options indicated in the above diagram: START NEW TOURNAMENT, ADD NEW BETTOR and AUTO PLAY MODE. Use your joystick to highlight and select the desired option. Choose RETURN and the MAIN MENU appears, or ABOUT THE TOURNAMENT to see some information regarding this version. Start New Tournament With this option, you can: (a) reset some, none or all of the values in the tournament to zero, or (b) shape the tournament in the manner you wish, emphasizing certain options to suit your tastes. When you're finished with this option, the new tournament will be "stamped" with your own unique flavor. Remember that the names of the horses and their respective abilities will always remain the same, regardless of the choices you make here. Upon entering this screen, you will receive the following warning message: STARTING A NEW TOURNAMENT WILL ERASE ALL OF THE ACCUMULATED RECORDS AND TOTALS OF EVERY BETTOR AT THE TRACK. 5 If you do not wish to erase all of the accumulated records, select "CANCEL" and then select SAVE TOURNAMENT from the TOURNAMENT OPTIONS screen. If you wish to proceed, select "OK". The following conditions may now be changed: NUMBER OF Enter the total number of (human) bettors who will BETTORS: participate in the new tournament by typing the number in the designated space and pressing RETURN. Remember that a maximum of four (human) players can compete in one tournament - the computer will not accept a response greater than 4. NAME(S): Type in the name(s) of the bettor(s), one at a time, pressing RETURN after each entry. AMOUNT: Enter the amount of money that all handicappers will start with and press RETURN. The amount must be at least $100 and no greater than $1000. All players will start a new tournament with the same amount of money. DIFFICULTY This difficulty level applies to all races during this LEVEL: tournament. Choose a level of difficulty for the handicapping of the upcoming races. EASY - For the beginning handicapper who hasn't spent a lifetime at the track studying the thoroughbreds from dawn to dusk. For these handicappers, only the basic abilities of the horses are important for handicapping the races. The horses are even-tempered and consistently run true to form. Therefore, you don't have to worry about the jockey's skills, their "moods", the condition of the track or a "fickle" horse. Simply study the horses entered in the upcoming race, and let your natural instincts take over. NORMAL - For the intermediate handicapper who is more familiar with the art of handicapping. These handicappers must take into account the condition of the track as well as the horses' basic abilities. The horses will also begin to show a little lack of consistency or have "off days". HARD - Fancy yourself an expert in the art of handicapping? Here's your chance to find out, because it doesn't get any harder than this. In addition to the above criteria, your handicapping must also take into account the jockey's skills and their current moods. Pay close attention to all of the information found anywhere. Look for any clues that could provide you with the edge you need. The temperament of the horses are now most vulnerable to "mood swings" and "off days." (Use your joystick to highlight and select your desired choice.) 6 WIN A predetermined condition that will cause the tournament CONDITION: to end once the selected criteria is met. This Win Condition remains in effect until either the condition is met, a new tournament is started or a previously saved tournament is loaded in. When starting a new tournament, you can select from three different Win Conditions. Select only one option: (Use your joystick to highlight and select your choice.) First Player To Reach A Money Level: Type in a value from $100,000 to $40 million and press RETURN. The first player to accumulate this amount wins and the tournament ends. Number Of Races Bet: Type in a value from 10 to 999 and press RETURN. When any handicapper bets on that many different races, he or she is done. The tournament continues until all of the handicappers have bet on that many different races. (Betting twice on the same race counts as only one race bet. The BETTING HISTORY Screen displays information pertaining to the number of different races for which each handicapper has placed a bet.) NOTE: As soon as a (human) handicapper finishes the tournament, he or she can continue to buy tips for free, if desired. Number Of Races Run: Type in a value from 10 to 999 and press RETURN. The tournament ends when this number of races have been run, whether or not bets were placed by the (human) handicapper. NOTE: Think carefully about your choices. Both the type of win condition selected and the value entered should greatly affect your strategies in the tournament. Think about it!! HORSES' Erasing the records of the horses will delete all past RECORDS: races and, thus, their past performance records. Select "YES" to erase. JOCKEYS' Erasing the records of the jockeys will delete all of their RECORDS: past mounts and also reset all of their moods to "OK RESULTS." Select "YES" to erase. POST Erase these records will delete all statistics regarding POSITION the post positions for all races. Select "YES" to erase. RECORDS: NOTE: Erasing all or any one of the three previously mentioned records will greatly challenge your skills and should further affect your strategies. 7 When all options have been selected, you are returned to the TOURNAMENT OPTIONS screen. The top half of the screen is now changed to reflect the choices you have just made. The twenty players are listed at the top of the screen (humans first), along with the starting bankrolls. Add New Bettor This option allows you to add one new handicapper at a time to a tournament which is already in progress. The new bettor will start off with the same amount of money the other players started the tournament with. Adding a new bettor will not change any of the horse's skills, nor will it erase any past performance data. Remember that you can't have more than four (human) players competing at one time. The computer will maintain the total number of bettors at 20 by deleting one computer player for each human player who joins the tournament. To add a new bettor: 1. After selecting this option, type the new bettor's name in the designated space. 2. If you wish to cancel this choice, press the "ESC" key now, otherwise; 3. Press RETURN to officially enter this new bettor and name. 4. You will then be placed back at the Tournament Options menu. 5. You can now repeat this process until all of the new bettors are entered. Auto Play Mode Auto Play Mode allows you to run a series of races automatically until the selected Win Condition is satisfied. Only the computer players can actually participate in the tournament while Auto Play Mode is on. You can only watch. All race statistics will be recorded, just as in the RUN NEXT RACE option. The speed of the Auto Play Mode refers to the number of screens that are displayed before the cycle repeats itself. Each screen is displayed for only 5 seconds before changing. Select from: SLOW - displays 20 screens in addition to the actual race. NORMAL - displays 12 screens in addition to the actual race. FAST - displays 8 screens in addition to the actual race. To activate Auto Play Mode: 1. Use your joystick to highlight the desired speed selection. 2. Press the fire button to select. 8 To return to the TOURNAMENT OPTIONS screen without selecting an Auto Play speed, select "CANCEL". To cancel Auto Play when it is already in progress, press the ESCAPE key while either a Menu or Statistical Screen (indicated by an "M" or "S" on the chart below) is being displayed. This will bring you back to the MAIN MENU. Pressing the ESCAPE key while an Activity Screen ("A" on the same chart) is displayed has no effect. The following chart details the progression of screens for each of the above speed selections. The letter designation beside each screen shows if it is a Menu (M), Statistical (S) or Activity (A) screen. SLOW 1. MAIN MENU M 2. LAST RACE PAYOFFS S 3. LAST RACE PAYOFFS - VIEW BETTING RESULTS S 4. LAST ENTRY INFORMATION S 5. LAST ENTRY INFORMATION - PAST PERFORMANCES S 6. NEXT RACE PAYOFFS S 7. ENTRY HISTORY S 8. JOCKEY HISTORY S 9. POST POSITION HISTORY S 10. BETTING HISTORY S 11. BUY A TIP S 12. BET ON RACE S 13. TITLE SCREEN A 14. SPORTTIME PARK A 15. POST CALL A 16. STARTING GATE A 17. THE RACE IS RUN ... A 18. TOTEBOARD A 19. PHOTO FINISH - 1ST PLACE A 20. WINNER'S CIRCLE A 21. TITLE SCREEN A NORMAL 1. MAIN MENU M 2. LAST RACE PAYOFFS S 3. ENTRY INFORMATION S 4. ENTRY INFORMATION - PAST PERFORMANCES S 5. NEXT RACE PAYOFFS S 6. TITLE SCREEN A 7. SPORTTIME PARK A 8. POST CALL A 9. STARTING GATE A 10. THE RACE IS RUN ... A 9 11. TOTEBOARD A 12. WINNER'S CIRCLE A 13. TITLE SCREEN A FAST 1. MAIN MENU M 2. TITLE SCREEN A 3. SPORTTIME PARK A 4. POST CALL A 5. STARTING GATE A 6. THE RACE IS RUN ... A 7. TOTEBOARD A 8. WINNER'S CIRCLE A 9. TITLE SCREEN A Options for Saving, Loading or Deleting Data The remaining five tournament options briefly mentioned at the beginning of this section all use the procedures outlined below for SAVING or LOADING data. You will be using a FILE REQUESTER screen, which allows you to direct the selected data to or from the appropriate disks and files. File Requester Screen NOTE: The following is specific to the IBM version of the game. Other computer versions should be similar but may vary. Please refer to your reference card for specific information. This screen is composed of seven main features, all of which are described in detail below. 1. The Heading: The title at the top of the screen displays the current option. 2. The Disk Drives: The available drives are displayed at the upper right of the screen. After a specific disk drive is selected, all relevant information on that drive corresponding to the current option is displayed in the File Box and the Directory Name box. The screen may display drives that have been reported by the operating system but do not actually exist. Selecting any of these drives will have no effect. 3. The File Box: The box at the upper left of the screen displays directories and the names of files located on the selected disk drive. Whenever a directory is selected (including Parent directories, which are signified by the word "PARENT" in parentheses), its files are displayed. Once a specific file is selected, its name appears in the file name box. 10 4. The Action Word: The word to the left of "CANCEL" in the middle of the screen. It will be either "LOAD", "SAVE" or "DELETE" depending on the option you have chosen from the TOURNAMENT OPTIONS screen. 5. The Cancel Prompt: Displayed to the right of the Action Word is the word "CANCEL". If selected, it allows you to return to the TOURNAMENT OPTIONS screen. 6. The Directory Name: On the lower left of the screen you will find the current Directory Name. If another drive is selected, that choice is reflected here. 7. The File Name: Below the Directory Name is an area where the name of the current file is displayed. How to Save, Load or Delete a Tournament To complete any of the above options, you must select a disk drive, a directory name, a file name, and the action word, in that order. Move the joystick to position the on-screen arrow over the desired feature to highlight it. Press the fire button to select. The name will then appear in its respective location. 1. Disk Drive Highlight and select the desired disk drive from the upper right of the screen which corresponds to the drive that contains the disk you wish to access. The Directory Name Box is then updated to reflect your choice. 2. The Directory Name Highlight and select the desired Directory Name from the File Box. That name then appears in the Directory Name Box. The File Box is then updated to contain all the applicable files in that directory. 3. File Name Highlight and select the desired file name from the File Box. That name then appears in the File Name box. Or you may type in the appropriate file name in the File Name box and press the ENTER key. 4. Action Word Highlight the Action Word and select it by pressing the fire button. A message then appears informing you that your request is taking place. 11 Load New Track This option will allow you to load different "Track" data disks containing exciting new racetracks. It's sure to add more variety and realism to your tournaments and other Option Modules. Use your joystick to select this option, then follow the previous procedures for LOAD TOURNAMENT. NOTE: OMNI-PLAY Horse Racing comes with "Track 1" already installed. Load New Horses Allows you to load other data disks containing stables of 128 horses that are different than the ones which are included with "The Handicapper's Tournament" disk. For example, a disk may be released that contains "Triple Crown Winners" or the "Greatest Horses of the 1970's". These new horses could be loaded into your computer for even more variety and fun! Follow the procedure for LOAD TOURNAMENT> NOTE: Before using this option, you may want to save the current tournament and your existing horses. OMNI-PLAY Horse Racing comes with a default stable of 128 horses already installed. About The Horses A horse's performance in any given race is subject to variation based on track conditions,the jockey and other variables. For example, depending on the Handicapping Difficulty Level, a horse may be temperamental or have a "bad day" in varying degrees. Also, each horse's overall personality and skill is based on several key ingredients. A horse's ability to Accelerate is critical at the start of a race or when trying to pass. Some horses can ultimately run at a faster Top Speed than others. When a horse is trying to pass or is finishing the race down the homestretch, it is the horse's ability to Kick in the extra burst of speed that can make all the difference. Of course, the longer the race, the more important it is for a horse to have good Endurance to finish strongly. Thoroughbreds are also very fickle about the conditions of the track they run on. Some actually like running on the grass of Turf, some don't even mind having Mud kicked into their face, while other horse's react very badly to these same conditions. It is up to you, the handicapper, to personally get to know all 128 horses at the track. Only in this way can you minimize your betting risks and increase your chances for winning each tournament and the SPORTTIME Trophy! 12 Entry Information This selection displays important information about the horses entered in the next race. The Distance, Class/Type and Track Condition of the upcoming race are shown at the top of the screen. Below that are seven columns of statistical data that apply to all of the horses in the next race: #: The saddle number of each horse and its corresponding starting post position. NAME: The name of each horse with its jockey listed underneath. TTL: The total number of races that each horse has run. WN: The total number of Wins (1st) that each horse has earned. PL: The total number of Places (2nd) that each horse has earned. SH: The total number of Shows (3rd) that each horse has earned. ODDS: The odds of each horse finishing first in the upcoming race. The Past Performances of these horses can also be viewed by following the procedure in the next section entitled PAST PERFORMANCE> 13 Past Performance Records Past Performance Records allow you to review horses' accomplishments for the previous ten races starting with the race just run. Past performance records can be accessed from either the LAST RACE PAYOFFS, ENTRY INFORMATION or NEXT RACE PAYOFF screens. To view this information: 1. Use your joystick to move the arrow. Point to the name of the horse you want to see statistics on. 2. When the desired horse is highlighted, press the fire button. Up to ten races will be displayed on two screens, with the most recent race listed first, the second most recent race listed next, and so on. Past Performance Records give you a great deal of information about a horse. They can be used by the shrewd handicapper to help decide which horse is likely to win in the upcoming race. Information such as Length of Race, Speed Rating, Track Condition, and Finish as compared to other horses in the race are all important indicators of the horse's likelihood of success in the next race. The following information is displayed for each of the ten races: (Please refer to the section entitled THE RACETRACK, for more information about these items.) At the top of each screen, the Distance, Class/Type and Track Conditions of the race are shown (except for LAST RACE PAYOFFS which shows the race just run). The name of the selected Horse and Jockey that will ride (or rode) him is displayed also. Below this there are eight columns of statistical information regarding the previous races run for the selected horse: DST (DISTANCE): The length of the race in either furlongs (F) or miles (M). Race lengths can be any of the following, in increasing order of distance. Note that 8 furlongs = 1 mile: 2 3/4F, 4 1/2F, 6F, 7F, 1M, 9F, 1 1/4M or 1 1/2M. TMWIN: The time of the winning horse for that race, shown in minutes (if necessary), seconds and fifths of a second. COND: The track condition for that race - either Mud, Turf or Fast. CLASS/TYPE: The class or type of race - either Maiden, Open, 14 Claiming, Allowance or Stakes. (See the section RUN NEXT RACE for an explanation of the types of races). NOTE: Some horses at the higher end of the Claiming and Allowance levels may occasionally move up in class and appear (respectively) in an Allowance or Stakes race. Likewise, horses which may normally run in an Allowance or Stakes race may drop down in class and appear in a Claiming or Allowance race. A good handicapper will watch for movement up or down in class and use this information to his or her advantage when making bets. ODDS: The odds that applied to the selected horse for finishing first in that race. These are simply the ratios of profit to wagers. For example, odd of 3-1 mean that a $1 wager will yield a $3 profit if successful (and thus a $4 payoff - you get your wager back too). An asterisk (*) preceding the odds figure means that the selected horse was the favorite in that particular race. POST: The three numbers listed here form the Post Position Code. Shown in the format #1/#2/#3, the numbers indicate: (#1) the total number of horses that ran in the race, (#2) the post position from which the selected horse began the race (post position 1 is next to the rail on the inside) and (#3) the position in which the horse finished the race. (Ex: the Post Position Code "6/3/5" indicates that there were six horses in the race, the selected horse started from post position 3 and finished fifth). MRGN: If the selected horse won the race, this figure reflects the number of lengths it won by, (a length is defined as the length of a horse's body). If the selected horse did not come in first, this figure shows the number of lengths by which it lagged behind the winner. Close races can be won by a head ("HD"), neck ("NK") or by a nose ("NO"). SPD: The Speed Rating of the selected horse for that race is measured on a scale of 0-100. The Speed Rating compares the finish time in fifth of a second of the selected horse to the current track record for the distance of that race. Separate track records are maintained for Fast and Turf track conditions of each distance possible. For example, a Speed Rating of 85 means that the horse finished 15 fifths of a second - or 3 seconds - behind the current track record (equal to 100) at that distance for the given track conditions. Very simply, the closer the rating is to 100, the faster the horse ran and the closer it came to setting a new record. The closer the rating is to zero (0), the slower the horse moved and the further it was from the existing track record. The Speed Ratings 15 for all horses and for all previous races are automatically adjusted any time a track record is broken. This allows you to view all past performances from the same point of reference! NOTE: All horses that finish 100 fifths of a second or more behind the track record receive a zero in this column. Below this row of data, on the left side of the screen, are the names of the first three horses that finished the race. (Remember, if your selected horse finished in the top three, that fact will be reflected by the last number in the Post Position Code and by the horse's name being listed here.) If the handicapping difficulty was set at "Hard," the names of the jockeys who rode these three horses will be listed here, as well. Across from this information, on the right side of the screen, is the time in which the selected horse finished the race, along with the name of the jockey that rode him. To view the alternate pages of Past Performance date (assuming there's currently more than 5 previous races recorded): 1. Use your joystick to move the arrow until it highlights the PAGE UP/DOWN option at the bottom of the screen. 2. Press the fire button. The screen will change to show more races for the selected horse if available. or 1. Move the arrow until it highlights the SCROLL UP/DOWN option at the bottom of the screen. 2. Press the fire button. The additional races will appear at the bottom or top of the list (depending on scroll direction), one at a time, and continue up as more scrolling is done. The arrows above these two options show the direction (up, down or both) that the screen may be moved in order to see additional listings. If an arrow isn't shown, the corresponding direction is not an available choice. Select RETURN to return to the previous screen. 16 Next Race Payoffs This screen displays the possible payoffs for the horses in the upcoming race, based on the type of bet you place and the odds of winning. The Distance, Class/Type and Track Condition for the upcoming race are shown at the top of the screen. Below that are five columns of data that apply to all of the horses that will be running in the race: #: The saddle number of each horse and its corresponding starting post position. NAME: The name of each horse. WIN: The amount of money that a bettor will receive if the given horse finishes first. All amounts shown are based on a $2 wager - other wagers will yield different payoffs. PLACE: The amount of money that a bettor will receive if the given horse finishes first or second. SHOW: The amount of money that a bettor will receive if the given horse finishes first, second, or third. The bottom half of the screen displays data pertaining to any combination bets permitted in this race, and allows you to see the results of different betting combinations before actually placing your bets. When you first enter this screen, if at least seven horses are entered in the race, the payoff figures for the EXACTA combination bet are displayed. If six horses are racing, no combination bets will be permitted, and no horses will be listed here. The highlighted bar across the center of the screen shows the number, name and odds for the horse at the first starting post position. The remaining horses are listed below, along with the payoff amounts that would be won for combination bets placed on these horses - that is, if any of these horses combined to finish second in the race behind the horse listed first in the center highlighted bar. The odds next to the payoff amounts reflect the chances of a given horse to finish the race in first place. As the odds increase, so do the payoffs. Payoff figures for other combination bets (QUINELLA and TRIPLE) can be viewed by using your joystick to highlight the desired combination bet option 17 and pressing the fire button to select. If a particular type of bet is not allowed for the next race due to the number of horses entered, the option cannot be highlighted. There must be at least 7 horses in a race in order to place an Exacta bet. There must be at least 8 horses in a race in order to place a Quinella bet. There must be at least 9 horses in a race in order to place a Triple bet. To view the results for different horse combinations: 1. Use your joystick to point to the center bar. 2. Keeping the fire button depressed, move the joystick up or down to cycle through the available horses until the name of the horse you want appears in the bar. NOTE: When making triple bets there are two bars of available horses to cycle through. To win an EXACTA combination bet, the horse in the highlighted bar must finish first, and the horse chosen from the remaining list must come in second. To win a QUINELLA combination bet, the horse in the highlighted bar and the horse chosen from the remaining list must finish first and second (in either order). To win a TRIPLE combination bet, the first two horses in the highlighted bars must finish first and second in the exact order shown, while the horse chosen from the remaining list must come in third. Note that both the odds and the subsequent payoffs for each type of combination bet vary widely. The numbers change to reflect the different risks involved in picking the winners in the predicted order for these bets. Combination bets are further explained under the section entitled BET ON RACE. The Past Performances of the horses on this screen can also be viewed by following the procedure in the section entitled PAST PERFORMANCE. 18 Entry History This screen shows historical data for all of the horses currently competing at SPORTTIME Park. There are always 128 horses in the stables at the track during any tournament. The following information is shown for each horse: #: The ranking of each horse, sorted by number of Points, as compared to all other horses. (See explanation below.) NAME: The name of each horse. TTL: The total number of races that each horse has run. WN: The total number of Wins that each horse has earned. PL: The total number of Places that each horse has earned. SH: The total number of Shows that each horse has earned. PNT: The total amount of Points that each horse has earned. Points are earned for finishing in the first three positions in any race ("in the money"), with the winning horse receiving more Points than the Place horse, who receives more than the Show horse. As the difficulty of a race increases, more Points are awarded for each of these positions. So, a win in a Stakes race is worth more to the winner than is a win in an Open race. The following table displays the breakdown of points awarded depending on the type of race. Win Place Show Stakes 6 5 4 Allowance 5 4 3 Claiming 4 3 2 Open 3 2 1 Maiden 3 2 1 This information can be sorted and displayed by any of the above criteria. To re-sort the horses by a different statistic or column: 1. Use your joystick to move the arrow until it highlights the column of your choice. 2. Press the fire button to select. The horses will be re-sorted and displayed in descending order of the statistic you selected. (If the horses' names are 19 selected, they'll be displayed in alphabetical order.) NOTE: The horses' names always stay together with their rankings on this screen, regardless of the sort order. To view additional pages of Entry History data: 1. Use your joystick to move the arrow until it highlights the PAGE UP/DOWN option at the bottom of the screen. 2. Press the fire button. The screen will change to show the next page of information. or 1. Move the arrow until it highlights the SCROLL UP/DOWN option at the bottom of the screen. 2. Press the fire button. The additional data will appear at the bottom of the list, one at a time, and continue up as more scrolling is done. The arrows above these two options show the direction (up, down or both) that the screen may be moved in order to see additional listings. If an arrow isn't shown, the corresponding direction is not an available choice. 20 Jockey History This screen displays historical information for the fifteen jockeys who compete at SPORTTIME Park. However, it is important to note that the jockeys and the following related information only matter in a Tournament when the Handicapping Difficulty Level is set to be HARD> In the top portion of the screen are boxes which contain the pictures of three jockeys at a time, in order of overall skill level. The following information is also displayed: NAME: The first initial and last name of the jockey. MOOD: The current "Mood" of the jockey (see below). MOUNTS: The total number of Mounts which the jockey has ridden. WIN/PLC/SHOW: The total number of Wins, Places and Shows that those mounts have earned. WIN %: The Win Percentage, which is the percentage of Mounts which have finished in first place (Wins/Mounts x 100). MONEY %: The Money Percentage, which is the percentage of Mounts which have finished "in the money", either first, second or third ([W+P+S])/Mounts x 100). To view the pictures and statistics for other jockeys: 1. Using your joystick, move the arrow to the bottom of the screen to highlight the triple arrows on either side of the RETURN prompt. 2. Press the fire button to select. The pictures in the boxes will scroll in the direction of the triple arrows, displaying other jockeys and their related information. NOTE: The "mood" of a jockey is very important, as it can affect the way a particular jockey will ride. The Normal Jockey Ratings on the lower half of the screen display all fifteen of the jockeys by their overall riding skill in three columns of five jockeys each. The jockeys are always listed in this order regardless of their individual moods. Although each jockey has a fixed skill as indicated in the Normal Jockey Ratings, a jockey's current "mood" can further help or hurt his performance in the upcoming race. Bad moods cause jockeys' performance to drop lower than would be expected based on their normal ratings 21 although they are still listed in the same order). Similarly, good moods cause them to rise in performance. Therefore, you should examine each jockey's mood by viewing their information box at the top of the screen. That way you'll see which ones are currently "hot" or "cold". Depending on how successful he's been lately, a jockey's mood will range from euphoria to depression. In descending order, the moods are either: BEST FORM, GOOD RIDING, OK RESULTS, WEAK MOUNTS of WORST SLUMP These moods affect the jockey's overall performance - jockeys who are "on a roll" will perform even better as their mood improves. On the other hand unsuccessful jockeys lose confidence as their moods worsen. In general, a jockey showing a mood of "OK Results" is performing exactly as expected according to the Normal Jockey Ratings. Finishing far behind the winner in consecutive races will worsen a jockey's mood, whereas finishing "in the money" frequently will improve a jockey's mood. The moods of "Good Riding" and "Best Form" have the effect of moving a jockey's overall skill up one or two rating levels, respectively. Likewise, "Weak Mounts" and "Worst Slump" will move a jockey's rating down one and two levels, respectively. Therefore, a jockey's mood can, in effect, move a jockey up or down only two rating slots. For example, regardless of their moods, the jockey rated 15th can never be considered better than the jockey rated 11th. This is because the 15th rated jockey can only gain a maximum of two rating levels (and thus reach 13th place) while the 11th rated jockey can only lose a maximum rating of two rating levels (and thus reach 13th place). Also remember, even a great jockey, in a great mood can only do so much if he is riding a bad horse! Likewise, be careful not to ignore a great horse who is carrying a "bad" jockey. 22 Post Position History How important are the post positions in determining the winner of a race? These statistics may provide some clues! This screen breaks down the nine possible post positions for all horses entered in a race at the top half of the screen. At the bottom half of the screen you can view the results each time a favorite rode from a particular post position. Listed vertically down the left are the nine post positions possible. Besides providing historical data for the nine possible starting post positions for all previous races, this screen also gives you helpful information regarding how the favorite horses in each race have performed when in a particular post position. NOTE: The "favorite" is defined as the horse most likely to win based on his odds in a given race being the lowest as compared to the odds of all the other horses in that same race. Remember, in the Past Performance Records this is indicated by a (*) preceding the odds figure. For example, odds of 1-1 are considered lower than odds of 7-2 or 3-1. Listed vertically down the left side of both the top and bottom halves of the screen are the nine post positions possible. The next six columns apply to all of the post positions: TTL: For the top half of the screen, it's the total number of horses that have started a race from this post position. Note that the totals for the first six starting post positions on the top of the screen will always be the same, since there must be at least six horses running in every race. For the lower half of the screen, it's the total number of times that a favorite has started a race from this post position. WIN: The total number of time that horses starting from this post position have finished first. 23 PLC: The total number of times that horses starting from this post position have finished second. SHW: The total number of times that horses starting from this post position have finished third. WIN %: The percentage of times that horses starting from this post position have finished first. MONEY %: The percentage of times that horses starting from this post position have finished either first, second or third ("in the money"). This information can be sorted and displayed by any of the above criteria. To re-sort the data: 1. Use your joystick to move the arrow until it highlights the column you wish to re-sort. 2. Press the fire button to select. The statistics are re-sorted according to the selected criteria. If the post positions are selected, the are ranked numerically. At the bottom half of the screen, the columns are either totals or averages. Totals of the following statistics are kept for the favorites only, based on the total number of races run: 1. Wins 2. Places 3. Shows Averages of the following statistics are kept for the favorites only based on the total number of races run: 1. Win % 2. Money % 24 Buy A Tip Having trouble picking the horse(s) to bet on? Here's your chance to find out what our expert computer players are thinking. For a varying percentage of your available cash, you can ask for help from the other handicappers you are competing with and use the information to place your own wager. Always remember though, the money that you spend for the tip goes to the current bankroll of the handicapper who supplied you with the information! The higher the current ranking of the source of the tip, the more the tip will cost you, but then again, the chances are greater that it will be a profitable suggestion. You may purchase as many tips as your available cash allows, but you must have at least $100 in order to buy any tip. If you attempt to buy a tip with less than $100 in your bankroll, a message will appear on the screen to remind you of this fact. NOTE: Our computer bettors don't always end up betting the way their tips imply. As more "information" becomes available to them near the start of the race, they may change their mind and their wager. However, the wealthier bettors do tend to stick with their tips more consistently than the "small timers" do. Also, pay attention to the "personality" of each computer bettor. This can be a guide to the amount of trust you should place in each competing handicapper's tip. At the top portion of the screen are boxes which contain pictures of competing handicappers, three at a time. The following statistics are also displayed: FEE: The fee you will be charged for purchasing the tip (in dollars). The dollar amount shown will be deducted from your total available cash when you buy the tip, and it will be given to the handicapper. Fees range from 2-10% of your current bankroll, depending on the current tournament ranking of the other handicapper. The most you will ever be charged for a tip is $25,000. RISK INDEX: On a scale of 0-100, this number gives you just a beginning idea of this handicapper's personality. This number is carried forward from the BETTING HISTORY screen. Basically, a low Risk Index reflects a more conservative betting history, 25 while a high Risk Index alerts you that this particular bettor frequently opts for the more risky longshots and combination bets. See Types of Bets under the BET ON RACE section for a listing of bet types in order of associated risk. WIN %: The percentage of times that the handicapper has won money on a race. $: The handicapper's total current bankroll. This figure is also a good indicator of how successful a bettor he is. NOTE: You can review the complete betting history of all bettors by returning to the MAIN MENU and selecting the BETTING HISTORY option. To view the pictures and statistics for the remaining handicappers: 1. Use your joystick to highlight the triple arrows on either side of the SELECT prompt. 2. Press the fire button. The pictures in all the boxes will scroll in the direction of the selected arrows, displaying the additional data. Once you've reviewed and analyzed all of the handicappers' background information, you're ready to buy a tip. This is done using the bottom portion of the screen. The name of the player who will be purchasing the tip is displayed beneath the center handicapper's information box. If only one (human) player is competing in the tournament, his or her name will automatically be displayed here. If more than one (human) player is participating, you can change to the appropriate player's name by: 1. Using your joystick to highlight the displayed name. 2. Keeping the fire button depressed while moving the joystick up or down. This will enable you to cycle through the names of all players. 3. Releasing the fire button when the appropriate player's name appears. The information boxes below the player's name (explained below) will remain empty until a tip is actually purchased by that player. To buy a tip: 1. Use your joystick to highlight the triple arrows on either side of the SELECT prompt. 2. Press the fire button. The pictures of the handicappers' boxes will scroll in the direction of the selected arrows. 3. When the center box displays the handicapper from whom you wish to purchase the tip, release the fire button. 4. Move your joystick to highlight the SELECT prompt. Press the fire button to select this handicapper. 26 Remember - The tip will always be purchased from the handicapper displayed in the center box! Once you have bought a tip, the following data will be displayed in the boxes below the player's name. AMOUNT: The amount of money the handicapper is thinking about wagering on the upcoming race. This figure is usually 10-50% of his total available case. Remember, this number is based on the information currently available to our computer player. His actual bet may change before the start of the race, or he may decide not to bet at all. TYPE: The type of bet that the handicapper intends to place. (Please see the section entitled TYPES OF BETS for details about the different types of bets). Next to these boxes are the name(s) and number(s) of the horses that the handicapper currently likes. Depending on the type of bet, there will be anywhere from one to three horses listed here. If you'd like to purchase additional tips (and your bankroll allows it), you can do so by repeating steps 1-4 above. You should be aware that computer players only place one bet per race, so selecting the same handicapper twice will only result in a duplication of tips and fees! Also, you should write down all the tips you receive to help you remember them when buying more than one. Tips that are purchased do not have to be used as bets, but rather can serve as a guide to what the other bettors are thinking. However, the handicapper's fee is deducted from the purchaser's account whether or not the tip is used as a bet in the next race. 27 Bet On Race O.K., you've studied all the horses and jockeys, you may have purchased some tips, and now you're ready to place your bet. But first, a quick lesson on all the different types of bets that are available. Types of Bets The following types of bets can be placed when six or more horses are entered in a race: WIN: The horse that is selected must come in first for the bettor to collect the payoff. PLACE: The horse that is selected must finish either first or second for the bettor to collect the payoff. SHOW: The horse that is selected must finish either first, second or third for the bettor to collect the payoff. The following types of combination bets can additionally be placed when seven or more horses are entered in a race: EXACTA: Two horses are selected to finish in the first two positions, and must finish in the exact order predicted. (i.e. The first horse selected must win the race, and the second horse selected must come in second.) EXACTA DOUBLE: Two horses are selected to finish in the first two positions in any order. This bet is actually a convenient way of placing two Exacta bets. It is also similar to a Quinella bet (see below), except that it costs twice as much. EXACTA BOX: Three horses are selected, two of which must finish in the first two positions, in any order. This bet is actually a convenient way of placing six Exacta bets. The following combination bets can additionally be placed if there are eight or more horses entered in a race: QUINELLA: Two horses are selected, and must finish in the first two positions, in any order. QUINELLA BOX: Three horses are selected, two of which must finish in the first two positions, in any order. This bet is actually a convenient way of placing three Quinella bets. 28 The following combination bets can additionally be placed when there are nine horses entered in a race: TRIPLE: Three horses are selected, and must finish in the first three positions, in the exact order predicted. TRIPLE BOX: Three horses are selected, and must finish "in the money" (first, second and third), in any order. This bet is actually a convenient way of placing six Triple bets. Each bet type represents a different level of risk. Payoffs typically increase along with the associated risk level. These are the bets shown in order of increasing risk: SHOW - least risk PLACE WIN QUINELLA EXACTA TRIPLE - most risk BOXES and DOUBLES are simply combinations of other types of bets. Whether they are more or less risky depends on how you use them and on how much money you risk versus how much you can possible win back. The table below shows each type of bet along with the actual number of bets it represents. Remember that the amount of money you entered in the AMOUNT box will be multiplied by the actual number of bets listed below for each type of bet. That final figure will be deducted from your bankroll. Type of Bet Actual # of Bets WIN 1 PLACE 1 SHOW 1 QUINELLA 1 QUINELLA BOX 3 EXACTA 1 EXACTA DOUBLE 2 EXACTA BOX 6 TRIPLE 1 TRIPLE BOX 6 Consider this example, which illustrates the effects of choosing different types of combination bets: Instead of betting a $10 EXACTA, you decide to go with a $10 EXACTA DOUBLE. Your outlay of cash would be $20 even though the AMOUNT box still displays $10 (because an EXACTA DOUBLE is actually two EXACTA 29 bets). You have increased the amount of money at risk - but, you've now increased your chances of winning. Now let's say you place the same $10 EXACTA with a $5 EXACTA DOUBLE. Your outlay of cash will now only be $10 (two $5 EXACTAS), and you've still increased your chances of winning - but the payoff will be less than the original EXACTA bet. NOTE: There is a big difference between winning a bet in a given race and actually making a profit on a race. For example, if you make several bets on one race and your winnings do not exceed the amount of your wagers, you will not have made a profit on that race even though you had winning bets. Placing Your Bet Before you actually place your bet, you'll need to tell the computer the NAME of the handicapper wishing to make the bet, they TYPE of bet being made, the AMOUNT of the bet and the HORSES being bet on. NOTE: If you've purchased a tip and wish to use it on this race, please refer to the section entitled USING A TIP. If only one (human) player is betting, his or her name is displayed in the center of the screen. If more than one (human) player is participating, you can change to the appropriate player's NAME by: 1. Using your joystick to highlight the displayed name. 2. Keeping the fire button depressed while moving the joystick up or down. This will enable you to cycle through the names of all players. 3. Releasing the fire button when the appropriate player's name appears. When the screen is first entered, the amount of the bet is preset to $1. To change the AMOUNT of the wager: 1. Use your joystick to move the arrow over the box next to the AMOUNT prompt until it highlights. 2. Press the fire button to select. 3. Type in the dollar amount of the bet you wish to place. Do not enter decimal places - all entries are interpreted as whole dollar amounts. (For example: to enter a $2 bet, type the number "2".) 4. Press the RETURN key. The amount of your bet is now entered and will be shown in the AMOUNT box. You will not be allows to enter an amount 30 greater than you can afford based on your current bankroll and the type of bet selected. or 1. Use your joystick to highlight the small arrows next to the AMOUNT box. 2. Keeping the fire button depressed, move the joystick up or down (depending on whether you wish to increase or decrease the displayed bet amount) to change the amount shown in the box. 3. Release the fire button when the amount you want to wager is displayed. The amount of your bet is now entered. NOTE: You can "loop" around from $1 to the maximum bet allowed by using the down arrow. The maximum amount you can ever bet is $50,000, providing you have that much cash. Your actual cost may be higher, however, if you have placed any combination bets. Remember that the following types of bets are combinations of the types of bets and therefore actually cost more than the amount you enter: QUINELLA BOX (three times the amount), EXACTA DOUBLE (two times), EXACTA BOX (six times) and TRIPLE BOX (six times). The number of horses that are entered in the next race determine the types of bets that can be placed. Each type has different risks and, therefore, different payoffs. (The actual payoff amounts can be reviewed by selecting the NEXT RACE PAYOFFS screen from the MAIN MENU.) All types of bets require that you pick at least one of the top three finishers of a race. Whether you are required to select a second or three horse depends on the type of bet you place. To enter the TYPE of bet you want: 1. Use your joystick to highlight the TYPE box. 2. Keeping the fire button depressed, move the joystick up or down to change the type of bet shown in the box. 3. Release the fire button when the type of bet you want is displayed. Once the desired bet has been entered, names and numbers of horses will appear on the right side of the screen, beginning with the horse in post position #1. The number of horses displayed corresponds with the type of bet entered. (A Triple bet will cause three horses to be listed, while a Place bet will only have one horse listed.) To cycle through all of the entrants in this race and select the horse(s) you want to bet on: 1. Use your joystick to highlight the name of the first horse that is displayed. 2. Keeping the fire button depressed, move the joystick up or down to cycle through the list of horses until the desired one appears. 3. Release the fire button to select. 31 4. Repeat this procedure for the second or third horse, if listed, until all of the horses you want to bet on are displayed. You have now finished entering all the information necessary to place your bet. Before you actually place your bet, review the screen to make sure that the NAME OF THE BETTOR is correct, as well as the AMOUNT of the bet, the TYPE of bet and the HORSES' NAMES. Once you are satisfied with all of the selections, step up to the betting window and make that winning wager! To place your bet: 1. User your joystick ot move the arrow until it highlights the PLACE BET prompt at the bottom of the screen. 2. Press the fire button to select. The message "Placing Bet" will flash on the screen for a couple of seconds while your bet is entered. The process is complete. If you care to make another bet on the same race, repeat the above procedures. You can bet on a race as many times as you want, provided you have the cash to pay for it! Using A Tip Before a tip is used to place a bet, make sure that the displayed bettor's name is correct. (Unless your player's don't mind using each other's tips!) If more than one (human) is playing, you can change to the appropriate player's name: 1. Use your joystick to highlight the displayed name. 2. Keep the fire button depressed while moving the joystick up or down to cycle through the names of all (human) players. 3. Release the fire button when the appropriate player's name appears. To use the last tip information that was purchased: 1. Use your joystick to move the arrow until it highlights the USE TIP prompt at the bottom of the screen. ("USE TIP" highlights only if a tip was purchased between the last race run and the next race about to begin). 2. Press the fire button to select. The TYPE of bet and the HORSES picked will now be displayed. The AMOUNT box will remain unchanged. (The amount suggested previously by the tipper was only a reference and was based on that handicapper's current bankroll. Since your available cash is probably different, the amount box is left unchanged.) NOTE: Only the last tip purchased is displayed when USE TIP is selected. If you want to buy more than one tip and use them all as bets, you must go to the BET ON RACE screen after each tip is purchased, place the bet, and return to the BUY A TIP screen to purchase the next tip. Repeat this procedure until all of the bets have been placed to your satisfaction. 32 Run Next Race The race will run whether or not a bet has been placed by a human player. Depending on the win conditions of the current tournament, there will be some bets placed on every race, so each race affects some of the players. When you select this option, the OMNI-PLAY HORSE RACING title screen will be displayed, followed by a look at this particular SPORTTIME Park, home to all the action. (NOTE: Other "parks" or Tracks are available separately). Next, the horses are led onto the track, and in the background you can hear the trumpet sound the post call for the race that's about to begin. The Racetrack From race to race, any or all of the following three variables may change: 1. The DISTANCE of the race. Race lengths are measured in either furlongs (F) or miles (M), where eight furlongs equal 1 mile. The distance is always one of the following: 2 3/4 F, 4 1/2 F, 6 F, 7 F, 1 M, 9 F, 1 1/4 M or 1 1/2 M. The position of the starting gate on the track is relative to the distance of the race, so unlike the finish line, it changes location. It will therefore appear at different locations for different races, as a longer race requires that more of the track be used. 2. The CLASS/TYPE of race. There are five different classes or types of races, which may reflect the quality of the horses entered: Maiden: Horses that have never won a race. Open: Horses that have not won any of their last 5 races. Claiming: Average horses that may compete in any race, but never a Stakes race. Allowance: Very good horses that may compete in any race. Stakes: Excellent horses that may compete in any race, but never a Claiming race. 3. The TRACK CONDITION. Horses run differently, depending on the condition of the track and the Handicapping Difficulty Level selected. This information can help you in predicting how a particular horse may perform. A good handicapper will get to know each of the horses in the park and learn how they perform under different track conditions at the same distance, etc. The track used for a given race at SPORTTIME Park may be one of the following: Fast: A hard, dirt surface that provides steady footing and best running conditions for all horses. 33 Turf: A grassy field that may hinder some horses. Mud: A sloppy, wet dirt surface that "gives" easily and will hinder the horses to varying degrees. NOTE: The color of the track reflects its current condition. The horses take their places at the starting gate, the bell sounds, and "They're Off!" As they race around the track, you can hear the sound of their hooves striking the ground in the distance. The bottom of the screen helps you to monitor the positions of the horses as they make their way around the track. Their names and numbers are listed in post position order before the race begins, but their true positions are continuously updated once the action starts. While running on the straightaway, the horses can be see competing for the lead in either a SIDEVIEW or OVERHEAD camera perspective. Around turns, however, only the original post position numbers of the horses (their saddle numbers) will be displayed as they are seen in a special overhead view. No sounds are heard while the horses are viewed from overhead. This in no way affects the race itself or the distance between horses. Different aspects of the race can be changed by pressing the following function keys while the horses are running. NOTE: These specific keys may be different on computers that do not have 10 function keys. Please see the reference card for alternate keys for your computer if necessary. F1: All of the sounds in the race will be turned off. Press again to restore the sounds. F2: Only the sound of the horses running will be turned off. Press again to restore the sound. F5: The horses will be seen from the OVERHEAD view (showing only their numbers) throughout the race, instead of just around turns. Press again to change back to SIDEVIEW. (Note: Around turns, overhead is always in effect, regardless of which option is selected.) No sounds are head while the horses are viewed in overhead. F6: The current position of the horses as sorted on the bottom of the screen can be changed to a horizontal, rather than a vertical listing, should you find it easier to view the information in this format. Press again to change it back. F9: If the homestretch of the race (the last run down the straightaway) has not yet occurred, this key will advance the race to that point and display a message stating that fact. F10: The race pauses and a message appears stating that the TOTEBOARD 34 will now be seen. The remainder of the race will be finished "off-screen", and the Toteboard will be displayed. (Read on for more information about the TOTEBOARD.) NOTE: The F9 and F10 function keys are intended to help you speed up a race's conclusion. Different aspects of the race can be reviewed by pressing any of the following function keys after the race is over: F9: The home stretch of the race will be replayed. F10: If pressed while the screen displays the TOTEBOARD, the entire race will be replayed. If pressed during a PHOTO FINISH (see next page), the screen will show the Toteboard once again. A good handicapper will watch the race carefully and note the strengths and weaknesses of the competing horses. For example, you may note that a certain horse consistently gets off to a slow start, but has great endurance. You may want to bet on this horse in longer races and stay away from him in the shorter ones. The Toteboard When the race is over, the TOTEBOARD appears showing the official race results. Displayed horizontally across the top of the board are the winning horses' TIME, in minutes and seconds. (Some Morning Line Odds are visible too, but these odds were set early "in the morning" for all horses in the race and are of no importance now.) The CONDITION of the track and DISTANCE of the race are shown on the left side of the toteboard. Next to that are the NAMES and NUMBERS (indicating original post positions) of the first four horses to finish the race. Across the board, below the Morning Line Odds are the OFFICIAL ODDS for the horses listed. These are the odds that actually yield the payoffs seen on the Payoffs screens, and they are based on that particular horse winning the race. Odds displayed as a single number are read as that number as a function of one ("3" = 3:1). To return to the MAIN MENU without viewing a photo finish, press the fire button. 35 Photo Finishes Photo Finishes for any of the final positions in the race can be viewed once the race has concluded and the TOTEBOARD is displayed. Using the number keys along the top of your keyboard (not the function keys or any number pad your keyboard may have), press the number that corresponds to the position you want to see. As a picture of the requested horse at the finish line is displayed, a strobing message state the position of the photo finish being viewed. (For example, to see the PHOTO FINISH for 4th place, press the number "4" at the top of your keyboard. The 4th place horse will be shown at the finish line. The finish line is always the right margin of the screen. In addition, any horses that may have been close to this 4th place will be shown if space allows. You may then select another number key to view the photo finish of any other horse. Repeat as often as desired. To return to the TOTEBOARD, press F10. To return back to the MAIN MENU, press the fire button. The Winner's Circle The WINNER'S CIRCLE is automatically displayed every time you return to the MAIN MENU from the racetrack. The WINNER'S CIRCLE shows the winning horse and jockey receiving their commemorative trophy and bouquet of flowers. After a few seconds, the scene disappears and the MAIN MENU loads. NOTE: Depending on your computer, you may be instructed to switch disks going to or coming from the racetrack. View Trophy After a Tournament ends, the MAIN MENU selection, RUN NEXT RACE, changes to VIEW TROPHY. Only the winner of the tournament can see the prize. Use your joystick to highlight and select this option, and the SPORTTIME Trophy is displayed, along with a personal message. If the just-completed race satisfied the predetermined Win Condition, no more races can be run until a new tournament is started. All options referring to the next race can be selected, but will not contain any information. All options regarding the last race may still be selected and viewed as can other Data History screens. (See the section entitled START NEW TOURNAMENT, for more about Win Conditions.) Press the fire button at any time to return to the MAIN MENU. 36 Last Race Payoffs This screen displays the results of the previous race. The horses are displayed in order of their finish, along with what their respective payoffs would have been had they finished first (WIN), second (PLACE) or third (SHOW). Even though you don't earn any money for betting on horses which finish below third place, their potential payoffs are displayed so you can see the wide range of winnings possible. The numbers to the left of the horses' names are the numbers they wear on their saddles which correspond to their starting post positions. All payoffs are calculated using a $2 bet as the standard. If a horse that you picked to win does indeed come in first, and your bet was $2, your winnings would be the amount listed next to that horse's name under the Win column. However, if you had only wagered $1 on the same horse, your payoff would be half the amount shown. NOTE: The payoff shown includes the $2 amount that was necessary to place the bet originally. So, if $6 is displayed as the payoff amount, then your "net profit" is actually $4 ($6-$2). Below the payoffs are the results of any Combination Bets such as Exacta, Quinella or Triple. These bets can only be made according to the criteria described under the section entitled BET ON RACE. Alongside these special bets (if any) are the numbers of the horses that combined to pay off that type of bet and the amount of money that such a bet paid on a $2 bet. The Distance, Type and Track Condition for the previous race are also shown on this screen. These items are discussed under the section entitled THE RACETRACK. 37 View Betting Results At the bottom left corner of the screen is a message that reads VIEW BETTING RESULTS. This option gives you information about all the bets that were actually placed on the last race. To view the data, use your joystick to move the arrow until it highlights the message and press the fire button to select it. (If no bets were placed in the last race, you will not get a response when selecting this option.) Note that all bets made by the computer are kept secret until after the race is run. The Betting Results screen displays the following information: NAME OF BETTOR: The names of all players who bet in the last race. AMOUNT: The monetary totals wagered by each bettor (if a double or box bet is placed, the amount shown here is only the amount of a single bet.) HORSES: The number(s) of the horse(s) selected by each bettor. PAYOFF: The amount of money that the bettors received as a result of this wagering. (NOTE: This is not the same as profit.) To win a wager, a bettor must pick a horse that finishes in one of the top three positions. If a bet is placed on a horse that finishes "out of the money" (below third), the bettor always receives zero in the Payoff column. The payoff is also zero if a horse is picked to win and it finishes second. For a full explanation of what must happen to win a wager, see the sections entitled NEXT RACE PAYOFFS and BET ON RACE. If more bets were placed than the screen can display at one time, the two option messages at the bottom of the screen become available for selection. The arrows above the two prompts show the direction (either up, down or both) that the screen can be moved in order to find more information. If an arrow isn't shown, the word corresponding to that direction cannot be selected. Use your joystick to select either the "SCROLL" options to view additional data one bet at a time, or the "PAGE" options to see a new page of betting results all at once. Select RETURN to go back to the LAST RACE PAYOFFS screen. 38 Betting History This is where the complete records on all of the players (both human and computer) are kept. The following statistics are maintained: NAME: The name of the player. RISK INDEX: This number helps indicate whether a player tends to be a high-risk gambler trying for a big kill, or a cautions gambler trying to win slowly and steadily. Each type of bet possible has a risk value assigned to it as follows: SHOW 1 PLACE 12 WIN 23 QUINELLA BOX 34 QUINELLA 45 EXACTA BOX 55 EXACTA DOUBLE 66 EXACTA 77 TRIPLE BOX 88 TRIPLE 100 Each time a player makes a bet, the risk value is added to that player's total. (This total is never seen by you, the gamer). The total is then divided by the quantity of bets made by a player to arrive at the Risk Index. LARGEST WIN: This is the most money this handicapper has earned from winning a single race. Multiple bets and wins or losses are taken into account. The amount bet on the race is not a consideration for this calculation. 39 AVERAGE This is the total net profits on all bets for all races PROFIT: divided by the number of races bet on. For example, if you placed $100 in bets on four races and received back a total of $140, your net profit was $40 ($140-$100). By taking your net profit ($40) and dividing it by the total number of races bet (4), you would show an Average profit (per race) of $10. Of course, this number can be less than zero (negative), if a player has lost more money on bets than he or she has won. NO. RACE: The number of races in which the player placed at least one bet. NO. WINS: The number of races in which the player actually made a profit. Multiple bets and wins or losses are taken into account. WIN %: The percentage of races that have made money (NO. WINS divided by NO. RACE). This information can be sorted and displayed by any of the above criteria. To re-sort: 1. Use your joystick to highlight the column you desire to re-sort. 2. Press the fire button to select. The statistics are the re-sorted according to the selected criteria. NOTE: Players' names are sorted alphabetically. 40 AMIGA REFERENCE CARD WHAT YOU NEED * An Amiga with at least 512K of memory * Kickstart version 1.2 or higher * At least one disk drive * Color monitor or T.V. * One or two joysticks DO'S AND DON'T'S * Do write-protect and make a copy of each disk. Put the original disks in a safe place. Use the copies when playing the game. * Do remove "copy of" from the disk name by using the "RENAME" menu s selection if you use the "Workbench" 'DUPLICATE' function. Be sure there are no spaces in front of the name of the copied disk. * Don't write-protect the disks used for playing the game. * Don't remove a disk from the drive while the drive is busy. GETTING STARTED 1. Plug a joystick into port 2 of your computer (Joystick 1). For two-player games, plug a second joystick into port 1 (Joystick 2). 2. Insert Kickstart disk if needed. 3. Load the game using the method listed below. 4. When the SPORTTIME User Verification Sequence appears refer to the Instruction Manual. WAYS TO START OMNI-PLAY HORSE RACING USING THE FLOPPY DISK #1. Booting the Game Up Directly: a. Insert the OMNI-PLAY System disk into the internal drive at the Workbench prompt. #2. Running From Workbench: a. Boot up with a Workbench disk (version 1.2 or later). b. Insert the OMNI-PLAY System disk into any disk drive. c. Double click on the disk icon. When the window opens, d. Double click on the Horse icon. #3. Running From CLI: a. Insert the OMNI-PLAY System disk into a disk drive. b. Type cd "OMNI-PLAY Horse Racing:" and press the RETURN key. c. Type "OMNI-PLAY HORSE RACING" and press the RETURN key again. USING THE HARD DRIVE See the following section in this Reference Card for instructions on how to install OMNI-PLAY HORSE RACING onto your hard drive. #4. Running From Workbench: a. Boot up with a Workbench disk (version 1.2 or later). b. Double click on the drawer which contains the OMNI-PLAY HORSE RACING game. c. Double click on the Horse icon. #5. Running From CLI: a. Change the current directory to the one containing the OMNI-PLAY HORSE RACING game. b. Type "OMNI-PLAY HORSE RACING" and press the RETURN key. HARD DRIVE INSTALLATION The OMNI-PLAY System, The Handicapper Tournament and Track 0 NOTE: Track 0 is fully described in the upcoming section entitled BONUS AMIGA FEATURES. It is automatically installed onto your hard drive when you install The Handicapper Tournament and the OMNI-PLAY System. 1. When installing the OMNI-PLAY System and Modules, place them in a new directory. It is assumed that the first partition of the hard drive is called DH0:. If not, then you will have to assign DH0: to the first partition. For example, if the first partition is called PART 1:, add the line ASSIGN DH0: PART 1: to the end of the startup sequence. 2. Start OMNI-PLAY HORSE RACING using one of the above methods. 3. Select the HANDICAPPER TOURNAMENT Option Button from the O.M.N.I. Screen and then press the INSTALL Action Button. 4. You can then cancel the hard drive installation by selecting "NO" or you can proceed by selecting "YES." 5. Press the RETURN key if the displayed path name in the box is okay. If not, type in a complete path name and then press the RETURN key. Press the ESCAPE key to abort. 6. One last time you are allowed to cancel the hard disk installation by selecting "NO". If you still wish to proceed select "YES". 7. Installation of the OMNI-PLAY System, The Handicapper Tournament and Track 0 will begin and take a few moments. 8. To install Track 1 onto your hard drive, read the upcoming section. However, if you want to run the game from the hard drive now (and run Track 1 off of the floppy disks), exit the O.M.N.I. Screen, remove the OMNI-PLAY System / The Handicapper Tournament / Track 0 disk, close the window and restart the game from the hard drive. TRACK 1 NOTE: To run Track 1 from your hard drive, it must be installed onto the hard drive before the LOAD NEW TRACK sub-option is selected from Tournament Options in the Handicapper Tournament. 1. From Workbench: a. Boot up with a Workbench disk (version 1.2 or later). b. Insert the Track 1 disk into any disk drive. c. Double click on the disk icon. When the window opens... d. Double click on the icon entitled "Track 1_HD_Install." e. Follow the on-screen instructions. 2. From CLI: a. Insert the Track 1 disk in any disk drive. b. Type "Track1:Track1_HD_Install" and press the RETURN key. c. Follow the on-screen instructions. Now remove the Track 1 disk from the disk drive and restart the game from the hard drive. Be sure to select Track 1 using the LOAD NEW TRACK sub-option to run it from the hard drive. FUTURE MODULES The O.M.N.I. Screen must be installed onto your hard drive before any future modules can be installed onto your hard drive. Follow the above directions under the HARD DRIVE INSTALLATION heading to install the O.M.N.I. Screen onto your hard drive. Then, to install future modules... 1. From the O.M.N.I. Screen, select the Option Button of the desired module and then press the INSTALL Action Button. 2. Follow the on-screen instructions. REMOVING FROM THE HARD DRIVE 1. From Workbench (O.M.N.I. Screen / Handicapper Tournament): a. Click on O.M.N.I. Screen /Handicapper Tournament drawer. b. Select 'DISCARD' from the "Workbench" pull-down menu. 2. From Workbench (future Modules): a. Click the O.M.N.I. Screen / Handicapper Tournament drawer. b. Click on the drawer for the Module to delete. c. Select 'DISCARD' from the "Workbench" pull-down menu. 3. From CLI (O.M.N.I. Screen / Handicapper Tournament): a. Change directory to the parent of the O.M.N.I. Screen / Handicapper Tournament directory. b. Delete the O.M.N.I. Screen / Handicapper Tournament directory. c. For example, if the O.M.N.I. Screen is located in "dh0:OMNI-PLAY HORSE RACING" 1. Type cd dh0: and press the RETURN key. 2. Type delete "OMNI-PLAY HORSE RACING" all and press the RETURN key. NOTE: Deleting the O.M.N.I. Screen / Handicapper Tournament (items 1 and 3 above) automatically deletes all Modules from the hard drive. 4. From CLI (future Modules): a. Change directory to the O.M.N.I. Screen / Handicapper Tournament directory. b. Delete the Module. c. For example, if the O.M.N.I. Screen is located in "dh0:OMNI-PLAY HORSE RACING" and you want to delete TRACK 1: 1. Type cd "dh0:OMNI-PLAY HORSE RACING" and press the RETURN key. 2. Type delete Track 1 all and press the RETURN key. TOURNAMENT OPTIONS NOTE: The following only applies to the "LOAD", "SAVE" and "DELETE" options, which all require the use of the File Requester Screen. The File Requester Screen is composed of seven menu items: 1. The Heading: The top of the screen which displays the current option. 2. The File Box: It displays the names of all the drawers first and then the names of the files which correspond to the current Tournament. To scroll through all of the information contained inside the file box, use the joystick to move the pointer over either of the arrows on the side of the file box and select by pressing the fire button. 3. The Drawer Name: Below the file box is where you will find the name of the current drawer. The volume which contains that drawer is displayed before the drawer name. The name of the drawer changes whenever a new one is selected from the file box or another drawer name is typed in. Selecting the Drawer Name allows you to edit either the volume or the drawer name. Pressing the RETURN key enters the new information. 4. The File Name: Below the drawer name is the area where the name of the current file is displayed. The name of the file changes whenever a new one is selected from the file box or another file name is typed in. Selecting the File Name allows you to edit the file name. Pressing the RETURN key enters the new information. 5. The Volumes: This is the location where the information will be saved to or loaded from. One internal floppy drive (DF0), two external floppy drives (DF1 and DF2) and three hard drive partitions (DH0, DH1 and DH2) are shown. If selected, the volume name will appear in front of the drawer name. If you type in the volume, you must add a colon (:) at the end of the volume name. 6. The Action Words: Either "LOAD", "SAVE" or "DELETE". When "CANCEL" is selected you are returned to the TOURNAMENT OPTIONS screen. HOW TO LOAD, SAVE or DELETE 1. From the TOURNAMENT OPTIONS screen, move the joystick until the desired operation highlights. 2. Press and release the fire button, and the File Requester screen will appear. 3. If you are playing the game with floppy drives only, make sure you have the floppy disk that contains the file you want in one of the drives. 4. Provide a volume, a drawer and a file name in any order in either one of two ways: a. Position the pointer over the desired name in the File Box and select it by pressing the fire button. That name will then appear in its respective location, or... b. Position the on-screen arrow over the area where the name will appear and select it by pressing the fire button. Type in the desired name and press the RETURN key. Then select the desired action word. c. To select an action word, move the joystick to position the pointer over the action word and select it by pressing the fire button. When you finish playing OMNI-PLAY HORSE RACING, before removing the game disks or turning off your computer, the results of the last race run will not be remembered unless you either: 1. Exit the Handicapper Tournament by selecting the O.M.N.I. Screen option from the Main Menu, or... 2. Press the "ALT" and "S" keys simultaneously while the Handicapper Tournament's Main Menu is displayed. BONUS AMIGA FEATURES Here are a few of the unique features, not covered in the Instruction Manual, that have been specially added to the Amiga version of OMNI-PLAY HORSE RACING: 1. MENU SOUNDS. Any joystick activity which changes a highlighted word or a screen display in the HANDICAPPER TOURNAMENT Module, can be made to give an audio feedback. This will help ensure that the desired options are properly selected. a. For joystick movements which change something like a highlighted prompt, a "tick" will be heard. b. Any time the trigger button produces an effect, a "bell" tone will be heard. c. Pressing the F1 function key at any time will toggle on/off these sound. 2. PRE-RACE PARADE. After the post call and before each race actually begins, one horse at a time (beginning with the horse in post position #1) is slowly ridden into the starting gate. While the horse is paraded into position, its name, post positions and riding jockey will be prominently displayed at the bottom of the screen. Proper preparation for the race means being able to visually identify the horse(s) you have bet on by noting each horse's color, the color of its jockey's shirt and its saddle blanket color. Only in this way can you best follow the race once the gates open. If you identify the horse(s) early in this parade and do not need to see the other horses, press the F8 function key and the parade will stop. Next you will see all the horses in the starting gate. With little further delay, the race will then begin. 3. CAMERA PERSPECTIVE. The "cameras" used during a race are really only following a single horse at any one time. Any other horses close to that horse will be in view on the screen as well. The cameras always try to make sure that the horse it is following is pictured in the center of the screen. Normally, the "camera" will follow the progress of the horse in the lead (1st place) from start to finish. Sometimes, when a lead horse gets way out in front, the only way to see what the other horses are doing is to go to the overhead view. Even then, a really mismatched horse can trail off screen. Since you may have your money riding on a horse not currently in the lead, you can redirect the camera's attention at any time by having it follow the horse of your choice. You do this by using the number keys along the top of the keyboard (not the function keys) in this manner: a. Press any number to follow the progress of the horse whose current race position corresponds to that number. For example, if you press #3, the progress of the horse which is currently running in third place will be followed. If that horse moves into second or drops further back, the camera will not stay with that horse but rather, will pickup on whatever horse then becomes the third place horse. b. Hold down the ALT key and then press any number to follow the progress of the horse whose post position corresponds to that number. (The numbers on the saddle and in the overhead views correspond to the post positions). For example, if you hold down the ALT key and then press #3, the progress of the horse which started from the third post position (wearing saddle #3) will be followed throughout the race no matter what race position it holds or finishes in. c. You can change the camera perspective repeatedly and at any time during the race or even before the race begins during the PRE-RACE PARADE. 4. TRACK 0. A bonus second Track has been included on the HANDICAPPER TOURNAMENT Disk for free. Unlike the elaborate country tracks of Track1, Track2 and Track3. Track 0 is a struggling, rundown track located in the heart of a city. With little available land or operating funds, you will discover that this down and out track offers no park entrance screen, bugle call, pre-race parade, photo finish close-ups or winner's circle. Races begin immediately at the starting gate and only the side-view, overhead view, tote board are available. (The function keys still work the same). All joking aside, the purpose of Track 0 is to offer the gamer some very useful alternatives: a. For single disk drive owners, Track 0 eliminates the need to swap disks before and after every race. b. For single disk drive owners, Track 0 offers the only way to allow the auto play mode to operate unattended. Auto Play, of course, is very useful for demonstrating the game, accumulating horse past performance records and for finishing out a Tournament. c. For all gamers, Track 0 allows you to move more quickly through a whole Tournament as disk access time is greatly reduced. Of course the trade-off is that without the Pre-Race Parade, it will be harder to pick out your horse right from the start (you can still review the race over again with F9 and F10) and you will not be able to analyze close races with the photo finish screens. To use, select TRACK 0 by following the general instructions in the LOAD NEW TRACK section on page 12 of the Instruction Manual and the TOURNAMENT OPTIONS section of this Reference Card. NOTE: Track 0 is contained on the same floppy disk as is the O.M.N.I. Screen and the HANDICAPPER'S TOURNAMENT - even if the printed label on your floppy disk does not say so. OPTIONS AND UTILITIES Your original OMNI-PLAY HORSE RACING game comes complete with the OMNI-PLAY System, the O.M.N.I. Screen, "The Handicapper's Tournament" and "Track 1" Modules already installed. It contains everything you need to add future horse racing games, utilities and options to your system. The following are brief outlines of all the current Option Modules planned for OMNI-PLAY HORSE RACING (including the modules already installed). All future horse racing Option Modules require the OMNI-PLAY System in order to load and run. Therefore, you must buy the OMNI-PLAY HORSE RACING package before any of the following Option Modules should be purchases. You can order these modules directly from SPORTTIME by calling 1-800-PLAY GAMES, Monday through Friday 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. PST> 1. The Handicapper's Tournament The Handicapper's Tournament allows up to four players to test their skills at predicting the winners in a series of races. Go for the quick kill by betting on long shots, Triples and Exactas, or play more conservatively by betting on the favorites to Win, Place or Show. Whatever your strategy, you'll find plenty of stats available to help you call the shots, including the past ten race results of every horse at the track and information about the jockeys who ride them. 2. The Stable Owners Here's your chance to join the high-class world of horse ownership. Breed and sell your horses for profit, create champion bloodlines, train your foals and maturing stallions and mares, hire jockeys and enter your horses in the races of your choice. Then, sit back and relax as your hard work pays off in cool cash! 3. Fantasy Betting At last, opportunity knocks! So you think you've mastered the computer opponents of "The Handicapper's Tournament"? Ready to move up in the ranks of competition? Now you can fulfill your dreams, pitting your handicapping talents against some of the best bettors to ever pick up a past performance sheet! Become part of a National Handicapping Circuit where you compete with other gamers across the country in various tournaments. 4. Fantasy Stables So you think you've bred, raised and trained one of the fastest horses in the history of racing? Well, saddle her up and head for the starting gate! Now you can become the envy of all your friends by proving your skills on the National Circuit. You and other gamers from around the country can compete in tournaments by entering your horses and assigning jockeys in predetermined race schedules! 5. Historical Racing Have you ever wondered what would happen if the great horses of the early 20th century went up against their present day counterparts? Finally, a chance to see how Affirmed matches up with Swaps. Could Secretariat have defeated Nashua or Man-o-War? How about Citation vs. Alydar, or Sea Biscuit against John Henry? Choose from all the great horses in history, including the horses of today. Get the top Turf horses, Triple Crown entrants and more on separately available disks that will each contain 128 of the all-time best horses. 6. Jockey Competition This one really puts you in the game, as you take the reins into your own hands! You're in charge from the opening chime of the starting gate to the final dash down the homestretch. Should you go hard to the whip and encourage your steed to give it his all early in the race? Or, will you sit back in the pack and wait for the opening, then shot through the hole to victory? Decide your winning strategy from the most important position on the track - the horse's back. The following utilities are available for your OMNI-PLAY System to give you even greater flexibility and assist you in real-life betting: 7. Prediction Analysis This module may help you pick the winners in the next race by allowing you to analyze your past betting performance. Examine the Bet Analysis section of this utility to see if too many of the same bets are being made, or if diversification could be the answer. Tailor the prediction equations by modifying, for example, the importance of post position, speed rating, percentage in the money, etc. You can use this utility not only for other OMNI-PLAY HORSE RACING Modules, but also for the real thing! Going to the track tomorrow? Just pick up a Past Performance paper tonight and enter the date into this utility to assist you with your real-life picks! 8. Print Utility Print out any screen data you choose, such as horses' past performances, bettors' histories, jockey records and much, much more. Although not exactly Option Modules, other disks are also available for your OMNI-PLAY System...unbelievable huh? 9. Track 2 This disk comes complete with new Track graphics and "Stable 2" included as a bonus. "Stable 2" contains 128 new horses with their own names, skills and personalities. Look for a "Track 3" disk and yet others, all containing new graphics and Stables. Some Tracks will even have new innovative track shapes! ============================================================================ DOCS PROVIDED BY -+*+-THE SOUTHERN STAR-+*+- for M.A.A.D. ============================================================================