Baseball Help Contents Minimum Requirements Windows CD-ROM Pentium/60 16 MB RAM Windows 95 SVGA video card (640x480, 256 colors) Sound card Quad-speed CD-ROM drive Macintosh CD-ROM Power PC 16 MB RAM System 7.0 or higher 640x480 8 bit video Quad-speed CD-ROM drive Installing the Game Windows 95 There is no need to run install. To start, simply insert the CD into the drive. When the AutoPlay window pops up, click the Play button to play the game, the Demos button to see the Humongous Interactive Catalog, or the Quit button to quit without doing anything. To run the game again, open the My Computer window and double-click on the game icon. The AutoPlay window will appear again. If AutoPlay has been disabled, you can run the game by double-clicking My Computer, then double-clicking the CD-ROM icon, and finally double-clicking AUTOBASE.EXE. Or, create a shortcut to AUTOBASE.EXE for a more permanent solution. Windows 3.1 The install program must be run before playing the game for the first time. We install Microsoft's 32-bit Windows system files, Win32s and WinG, to the hard disk if they are not already present. These files require only about 3MB of disk space. To install Win32s and WinG, just follow these steps: 1.Insert the game CD into your CD-ROM drive. 2.Open the File menu in Program Manager and select Run... 3.Type D:\INSTALL and press Enter (Be sure to replace D: with the drive letter of your CD-ROM drive) 4.Click Quick Install, and follow the prompts 5.After installation is complete, click Restart Windows to enable Win32s and WinG Install will create a Humongous group in Program Manager and add the game icons to it. To run the game, just insert the CD and double-click the game icon. Removing the Game, WinG, and Win32s The game, WIN32s and WinG may all be removed from within the installation program. Because installation of the product is only necessary under Windows 3.1, you should never have to uninstall the game with Windows 95. Note: Removing WinG or Win32s will render the system unable to run Humongous Entertainment games, or any other programs which require these libraries. To remove the game files, just follow these steps: 1.Insert the game CD into your CD-ROM drive. 2.Open the File menu in Program Manager and select Run... 3.Type D:\INSTALL and press Enter (Be sure to replace D: with the drive letter of your CD-ROM drive) 4.Click the Advanced Options button in the Welcome to Install dialog box. This will open the Advanced Options dialog box. 5.Click on the Uninstall Options button to open the Uninstall Options dialog box. Click Yes to continue. 6.Check the components (Game, WinG, or Win32s) which you wish to uninstall, then click Continue. The selected components will be removed from the system, as will the icons which they created. The computer may have to be restarted for these changes to take effect Making Changes to the Game The Options Screen Game-specific settings may be customized through the options dialog box, which is accessible at any time by pressing the Spacebar, then clicking the Options button. Autoplay Disabled? If you do not see the Autoplay window your CDROM drive may not be set up to take advantage of Autoplay or you may need to upgrade the driver for your CDROM drive. To check this: Click on Start, Settings, Control Panel and double click on the System icon In System Properties click on the tab called Device Manager At the top of the list you should see CDROM - click the plus sign to the left of this line and double click on the CDROM manufacturer name (appears underneath CDROM) Click on the tab called Settings and look for Auto Insert Notification: -make sure there is a check mark in the box to the left of this line - if there is no check mark, click in the box and one will appear, then click OK at the bottom -if there is a check mark already there click OK at the bottom of the screen Now click on the tab called Performance (back up to the top) - on this screen check to make sure you see the line "...system is configured for optimal performance" - if this line does not appear or says "Drive X is using MSDOS compatibility mode" you may need to upgrade your CDROM driver. Contact the manufacturer of the CDROM drive or of the computer system. Win95 Shortcut You can set up a shortcut icon in Windows 95 so all you need to do is insert the game CDROM and double click on the shortcut icon. To do this: Right click your mouse on a blank area of the desktop Click on New and then Shortcut Type in the path for the game, e.g. D:\AutoTime.exe (Be sure to replace D: with the drive letter of your CD-ROM drive) Click on Next and name the shortcut Click Finish and the icon will be on the desktop INSTRUCTION MANUAL Included on this product's game disc is an electronic version of the game's Instruction Manual in .pdf format, Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0 (which enables you to view the manual in .pdf format), and an Install Guide file explaining how to access and use these features. Windows® Users To refer to the Install Guide file, first double-click on your My Computer icon. Next, right-click on the Baseball icon, then choose Explore from the pop-up menu and then double-click on Install Guide. Macintosh® Users To refer to the Install Guide file, first double-click on the Baseball icon on your desktop and then double-click on Install Guide. How to Play Backyard Baseball Backyard Baseball is the electronic version of the game you play with your neighborhood pals. There are kids from all walks of life in Backyard Baseball. Each kid has unique attributes, playing ability and statistics. You can choose teams or let the computer choose for you. There are several different playing fields - including a sand lot, park field or city street - and you can choose power hitting, breaking pitches and more! You start a game by picking a field, a team name and colors and then participants. You can research player statistics prior to choosing your team to make sure you get the team you want. Once you've done all that you're ready to play! Quick Start To jump right into a game: Click on the Pick Up Window in the clubhouse. Scroll through the available fields and click on the Play ball icon at the bottom of the screen to start the game. Your team name, color and players will be randomly chosen by the computer but you will have control of play. The BBL Clubhouse BBL stands for Backyard Baseball League and this is the official Clubhouse of the BBL! There are several things you can do in the Clubhouse. Check out player statistics, look up Hall of Fame teams, start a season or play a single pick-up game. Cards Click on the notebook there in the Clubhouse and you'll see the baseball cards for all the players in the BBL. The baseball cards have useful information about each player. This is handy when you're trying to get to know the player's and their strengths. If you click on the picture of the character you might get even more helpful information! Pick-Up Window Clicking on this area in the BBL Clubhouse will take you a step closer to a game! Once you've clicked here you'll have a bird's eye view through the binoculars of the playing fields. Click the arrows to scroll through them. When you've decided which field you'd like to play on click the Options button at the bottom of the screen. This is where you can make changes to the game setup. When you're done with that click the Create Team icon on the bottom of the screen to pick your team name and colors. Click on your choices and then click the Pick Teams icon at the bottom of the screen, or go directly to the Pick Teams icon and the computer will choose a team name and color for you. Now you get to pick your team! After the hand-over-hand on the bat, to see who picks first, you and the computer choose your team one by one. When you click on a character that player's stat card will pop up so you can refresh your memory about his or her skills. The character will also have something to say to help you out! Click Yes or No to verify your choice. You can also click the Pick for Me icon, at the bottom of the screen, and the computer will pick your team for you. The next screen you'll see is the team dugout. You can make any changes to the batting order you'd like now (remember you can't make any changes after the game has started), check your fielding strategy, statistics, schedule, look at game options, print out a picture of your team and more! To start your game click the Today's Game icon at the bottom of the screen. You'll meet Sunny Day and Vinnie the Gooch, your friendly commentators and from there you'll go to the match up screen of the game where the two teams are announced. Play begins as soon as you click on the Play ball icon at the bottom of the screen. Playing the Game There's some Artificial Intelligence (AI) at work in Backyard Baseball so don't be surprised if you want your player to do one thing and he ends up doing something else! Artificial Intelligence Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the result of giving the computer enough information about a subject, baseball in this instance, so that it can make it's own choices. When you see a character running after a ball with no input from you or throwing the ball to a player you didn't intend it may be that the computer chose to do that based on its understanding of the game and what was happening at that point. Each AI sequence won't last too long though, since we designed the game for you and your kids to play and added the AI purely to make it that much more real and fun! Interface The interface includes the lower portion of the screen, the upper left corner and the right side of the screen. There are several different things to keep track of in the interface. When your team is batting you'll want to keep track of the strike and ball count, the number of outs, who's up to bat and who's pitching. If you want to learn more about the player at bat you can double click on her picture in the interface and her baseball card will pop up. When your team is fielding you'll want to keep an eye on who's up to bat, the pitch count and your fielding strategy. Use the small field view in the upper left corner of the screen to move your players. If you know the player at bat always hits to left field move everyone in that direction for better coverage. To do this click on the left field area and watch all the mitts (depicting your players) move. When your team is batting you'll want to keep an eye on who's pitching and your runners. Use the small field view in the upper left corner of the screen to move your runners. You can make your runners steal bases! To do this click on the baseline and you will see the word "Steal!" appear. Let the next pitch go by and watch your runner take off! The Time Out button to the far right at the bottom of the screen allows you to pause the game and takes you to the dugout where you can change pitchers, adjust fielding positions, look at the player's baseball cards or statistics, etc. Batting When your team is at bat you'll want to make sure your batter's stance is appropriate for the type of hitter they are. Click the box under the home plate to change the stance. Your choices are open, closed and square (meaning square to home plate). Try a couple different stances until you get to know the best position for each player. Choose the type of hit you'd like them to make from the buttons on the right side of the screen. You can change this as many times as you like... so try them all! There are several different types of hits immediately available and some special hits become available depending on performance. Some of the special hits are really unusual and some are just plain fun! When you're batting you'll see something called the strike zone. It's four corners above home plate outlining the area where pitches are thrown and where a batter swings. There is an options called the Swing Spot. This is on by default. The Swing Spot is the batter's best guess where the pitch is going to cross the plate. Some kids have better eyes than others, so the size of this circle can change depending on the batter. The size is also influenced by the pitcher's skill at throwing that particular pitch. For instance, a pitcher with a great Left Hook is going to fool the batter more often. When the pitcher throws the ball, it will cross the plate somewhere within this circle, not necessarily the center. Don't swing at every pitch, though, because some of them might end up outside of the strike zone! Another batting option is the Pitch Locator. This is off by default. When you turn this option on a little 'X' will flash somewhere within the Swing Spot circle. This is the exact spot where the pitch will cross the plate. If you are having a tough time hitting the ball, or are striking out a lot, try turning this option on for a little help. For a real challenge, though, try turning both batting options off. Then it will be completely up to you to judge whether the ball will be a ball or a strike. When you're ready to bat move your mouse cursor into the home plate area and it will turn into a small bat. Once the pitcher has thrown the ball the Swing Spot will appear. Keep your eye on the ball and time your swing (click) for just before the ball crosses home plate and click! Once your player has connected and sent the ball into the outfield the screen will change from a close up of the batters box (the catcher's viewpoint) to an overview of the field and bases. Place your mouse cursor in the area surrounding the base line between home plate and first base and you'll see a directional arrow. Click and you can give your runner a boost of energy. Rapid clicking on the running arrow will make the runner go faster but can greatly reduce her stamina. When your batter has made it to first base safely (or even if she didn't) the screen will change again, back to the batters box view. Your next batter will be up and you'll go through the process again. This time though you'll have two runners to deal with and that's when the fun really begins! Pitching When your team is fielding you can choose between several different pitches immediately available and some special pitches depending on team performance. Some of the special pitches are truly amazing and some are just plain silly! Once you've chosen your pitch, move your mouse cursor into the home plate area. You'll see a ball and a shaded circle on the screen. This circle is called the Pitching Circle. It indicates how good your pitcher is at throwing the selected pitch. If you click in the strike zone, the pitcher will throw the pitch somewhere within that circle - not necessarily in the middle though! You may notice that each pitcher has a different sized circle for each pitch. That's because, just like in the big leagues, some people throw some pitches better than others. Don't keep throwing the pitcher's best pitch over and over, though, because the computer opponent will figure it out and knock one out of the park. Right next to the Pitch Buttons is the Juice Straw. This juice straw measures how much energy, or "juice," the pitcher has. The more pitches you throw, the more tired your pitcher becomes. Some pitches take more energy to throw than others too; for instance, the Heat drains a lot more juice than the Slowball. As your pitcher becomes more and more tired, his or her Pitching Circle will get bigger too. When your pitcher gets too tired and the juice box is empty, you should probably go to the Strategy screen and sub in a new pitcher. If you want to learn more about the pitcher you can double click on his picture in the interface and his baseball card will pop up. Fielding When a ball is in play click on the fielder closest to the ball or to the area where you think the ball will land. That player will run to the ball and pick it up. Click on another player and the fielder with the ball will throw it to that player. Keeping in mind that the AI can kick in and cause another player in the field to run for the ball at the same time as the player you clicked on (and they just might collide!) it's fairly simple, and lots of fun, to play. Scoreboard Every time you switch sides the scoreboard will appear to update you on the score and statistics, like Hits. You can also access the scoreboard from the dugout and the score is reflected on the interface at the bottom of the game screen. This information is accumulated and saved at the end of each game but will not be saved if you quit the game before completion. Hall of Fame This is the history of the BBL! Winning teams and coach's names are listed here. The All-City BBL Playoff champions receive a pennant with their team name and coach's name. The winners of the Super Entire Nation Tournament receive a plaque inscribed with their team name and coach's name too (that's you!). The Ultra-Grand Championship of the Universe victors receive a trophy, with their team name and coach's name, which should inspire the next neighborhood team. The Record book icon at the bottom of the screen holds all the winning season information so you can relive the thrill of victory when your team makes it to the top... or remember which kids to pick next time! Once you've completed a season check the record book to see if you broke any records. And you can print it out to show all your friends! Players There are 30 players in Backyard Baseball. They each have their own unique attributes, playing abilities and historical statistics. They also have the potential to play differently each time you play the game. For instance, having siblings on the same team can cause one or both player's to make errors, or play better, depending on their relationship! Other than the statistics you won't know anything about the players until you've interacted with them a few times. Through trial and error you'll discover each player's strengths and weaknesses. Once you determine this you can plan to help those player's who'll need it! Girl Players Kimmy Eckman: Kimmy, the candy monster, has a lot of heart and a little skill. She's got a good arm and can hit for power too. Nickname: Twinkie Toes Birthday: 6/22 Maria Luna: What Maria lacks in baseball smarts, she makes up for in enthusiasm. And in case you didn't know, Maria's favorite color is pink. Nickname: Pinky Birthday: 7/23 Angela Delveccio: Despite her poor arm strength, Angela is a great pitcher. Her pitches are slipperier than her brother Tony's hair. Nickname: Sugar Pop Birthday: 12/20 Vicki Kawaguchi: Vicki's ballet classes really keep her reflexes sharp. With the best hands in the neighborhood, she is a good choice to play anywhere in the infield. Nickname: Swan Birthday: 11/5 Gretchen Hasselhoff: Gretchen is fast and smart. She likes playing in the outfield, but her arm is pretty weak so it takes her a few tries to throw the ball back. Nickname: Jabberjaw Birthday: 5/31 Sally Dobbs: Sally's team leadership makes her a valuable addition to any team. She's a hot shot on the mound, but a cold duck in the batter's box. Nickname: The Boss Birthday: 11/11 Billy Jean Blackwood: Billy Jean's height makes her a good choice to play first base because she's got a good reach. The problem is, though, she doesn't catch very well. Nickname: Crazy Legs Birthday: 1/26 Ashley Webber: Ashley and her twin sister Sidney are quite a dynamic duo on the field, when they are on the same team, that is. Nickname: Little Smokey Birthday: 2/18 Sidney Webber: Sidney and her twin sister Ashley are quite a dynamic duo on the field, when they are on the same team, that is. Nickname: Little Smokey Birthday: 2/18 Keisha Phillips: Kiesha is the neighborhood clown, but she takes her baseball pretty serious. Her speed and coordination make her a logical choice for the outfield. Nickname: Flash Birthday: 4/2 Stephanie Morgan: Stephanie loves playing short stop, and that's where she should go. Put her in the outfield and she'll daydream all day, guaranteed. Nickname: Bubbles Birthday: 8/15 Luanne Lui: Luanne is the youngest ball player in the neighborhood, but probably one of the fastest. She says her teddy is her lucky charm. Nickname: Lulu Birthday: 1/27 Annie Frazier: Annie's a well rounded player. She's not too keen on running so she likes playing catcher. She also likes animals and ice cream. Nickname: Flipper Birthday: 9/18 Jocinda Smith: On the ball field, Jocinda is certainly one of the Most Valuable Players. With good overall skills and the best swing in town, she's always a top pick. Nickname: MVP Birthday: 9/28 Lisa Crocket: No one knows much about Lisa, but they do know this: she is all business. And she has a mean left hook. Nickname: Mad Dog Birthday: 12/4 Boy Players Ronny Dobbs: Ronny likes to be treated like a big kid and once you see him in action, you'll think he deserves it. Ronny's strong arm is a bit of a surprise for such a little fellow. Nickname: Spud Birthday: 8/10 Achmed Khan: When Achmed isn't rocking out with his headphones on, he's a pretty solid player. Definitely a power hitter. He has a younger brother named Amir. Nickname: Axeman Birthday: 7/11 Amir Khan: Amir likes music and root beer. He also likes playing in the outfield. Just make sure his older brother Achmed is on the same team. Nickname: Sticks Birthday: 9/1 Kenny Kawaguchi: Don't let the wheelchair fool you, Kenny is a fantastic ball player. He's a sure-handed outfielder and a speedy base wheeler. Nickname: K-man Birthday: 11/20 Pete Wheeler: Point Pete in the right direction, and tell him to run. No one will catch him. And his mighty swing is legendary... if he makes contact that is. Nickname: Wheelie Birthday: 10/13 Dmitri Petrovich: Dmitri is a solid player who doesn't make many mistakes. He has the best baseball card collection in town. And he brought his slide rule. Nickname: Paste Birthday: 6/9 Ricky Johnson: Ricky is a bit timid but he's not shy when it comes to baseball. This kid has a great feel for the game and good coordination. Nickname: Fella Birthday: 2/14 Marky Dubois: The only time Marky wears shoes is to school and church. He really doesn't like them or socks either. But he does like playing baseball and he's good at it too. Nickname: Cootie Birthday: 9/6 Reese Worthington: This little guy has a small strike zone so pitchers have a hard time pitching to him. He doesn't like running too much though so you shouldn't put him in the field. Nickname: Big Toe Birthday: 5/25 Pablo Sanchez: Pablo does not speak any English, it seems. But he knows the language of baseball and knows it well. Simply put, this kid is good. Nickname: Secret Weapon Birthday: 8/18 Tony Delveccio: Tony's got a lot of things going for him, the biggest of which is his arm. It's a cannon. He's a great choice for playing in the outfield. Nickname: Vec Birthday: 7/16 Jorge Garcia: Jorge is a good ball player, but he cannot see very well without his glasses. His depth perception is a bit off too, so he does not like playing in the outfield. Nickname: Bonkers Birthday: 10/7 Dante Robinson: Dante's overall skill makes him a great choice for any position. All he asks in return is an endless supply of candy and hamburgers. Nickname: Stretch Birthday: 3/3 Ernie Steele: Everyone loves Ernie because he is so silly, and a good ball player too. With great catching and a decent arm, Ernie is a great choice for 2nd or 3rd base. Nickname: Funnybones Birthday: 4/21 Mikey Thomas: Mikey has had a cold every day for as long as he can remember. Despite that, this kid can throw the ball, and far. Running, though, is another story. Nickname: Nugget Birthday: 10/19 Skill Ratings The characters in Backyard Baseball have lifelike characteristics which make game play challenging and exciting. Just like real kids, the BBL players have different combinations of strengths and weaknesses that will become apparent after playing a few games. As the coach, you'll be able to use what you've learned about the kids to make strategic decisions about batting order, fielding positions, which bat to choose, or which pitch you should throw. Pitching abilities are easiest to figure out because you just look at the size of your cursor once you've selected a pitch. The smaller the circle, the better the player is at throwing that pitch. Figuring out batting abilities will take some experimentation. Some kids are sluggers, and will perform well when you select the power swing. Others have great placement without much power, and will do better with a line drive or grounder. Your less effective hitters might do well with a bunt, especially if they can run fast. A player's eye is easy to figure out, just look at the grey circle that appears when they're at bat. The smaller this circle, the better the eye. It is important to remember that no matter how good their eye is, the pitcher's ability will always influence the batter's success. Once you've gotten a few hits with your players, running speed is an attribute that you will notice right away. This can help you decide when a player should try for an extra base or go for the steal. A player's eye effects not only batting, but catching ability as well. To determine this in the field, look at the grey circle that appears under the ball when a player goes to catch it. Again, the smaller the circle, the better the eye. Arm strength is also easy to spot, as an outfielder who can't get the ball to the infield in time could blow a play for you. A few innings in the field will tell you who can throw the ball where they want to and which kids are good at catching. All of these factors will be important to your fielding strategy decisions. Some kids can tire easily from running fast or pitching, and they'll start to make more errors. Others will stop paying attention when there's not enough action to keep them focused, which can be disastrous in the outfield. Pay attention to your opposing players, because the ones that steal or go for extra bases are probably very aggressive, and should be closely watched. More subtle characteristics like these will take quite a bit of game play to discover, which will keep the game interesting as your ability progresses. Pitches and Bats PITCHES Heat - This is the fastest throw but it reduces juice fast. Slowball - This is an off-speed pitch and it's easy on the juice. Left Hook - This pitch breaks left. In other words, toward a right-handed batter. It takes medium juice. Right Hook - This pitch breaks right which means away from the right-handed batter. It is the exact opposite of a Left Hook. SPECIAL PITCHES Corkscrew - This pitch spirals like a corkscrew all the way to the plate. Zig Zag - This pitch zigzags from side to side on its way to the plate. Big Freeze - This pitch speeds in, stops short of the plate, and then slowly crosses the plate. A big juice reducer. Fireball - This pitch catches fire on the way to the plate! One of these and the pitcher's juice is wiped out! Spitball - This dances like crazy because of the juicy spit applied by the pitcher. It reduces juice quickly. Crazyball - This is another dancer, held on the fingertips like a knuckleball. It takes medium juice. Slo-Mo ball - This is an excruciatingly slow pitch, but throwing it is difficult so it takes a lot of juice. Elevator - This pitch hovers along the ground until the last moment when it swoops into the strike zone. It has medium juice reduction. SPEICAL BATS Aluminum Power Bat - This bat has huge home run potential, if you connect that is! Screaming Line Drive - This is a super powerful version of a line drive that the fielders don't like to see coming toward them. Crazy Bunt - Once you've made contact with this, the bunted ball rolls away from the fielders that try to pick it up. Undergrounder - When one of these is hit it goes underground and pops up somewhere in outfield! Statistics Statistics will be tracked each game for each player but will only be cumulative if you're playing a season. In single game mode statistics will only be available at the end of a game. Click the statistics icon in the dugout to access the team statistics. The team statistics are super helpful. Click on the column headings to hear a definition of that statistic. You can also click on the player's names or a number in any column and hear information on a specific player. For instance, if you click on the H(its) column for player Pablo Sanchez you might hear, "Pablo has 4 base hits". The team icons at the top of the screen allow you to switch between each team, so you can check out your opponents information too. This icon allows you to switch between information on the last game played, play off data or cumulative season statistics. The arrows allow you to scroll through all the information stored here. You can print these screens, just make sure your printer's turned on and click the printer icon! HITTING STATISTICS At Bats - The number of times a player batted, except for times when the player was awarded a base on a walk. Base Hits - When a batter reaches first base (or any succeeding base) safely on a fair ball. In Backyard Baseball if the batter reaches second base on such a play, they score a double. If the batter makes it to third, a triple is scored. If the player manages to get all the way home, it's a home run! In Backyard Baseball crazy plays are part of the game, so if an infielder makes an error that allows the batter to get on base it's still a base hit. Strike Outs - A strike out is scored whenever a batter is put out by a third strike. Also, if a batter bunts foul on a third strike, it is scored as a strike. Bases on Walks - Whenever a batter is awarded first base because of four balls pitched outside the strike zone, it is scored as a base on walk. Singles - When a batter scores a base hit, but stops at first base, it is scored as a single. Doubles - When a batter scores a base hit, but stops at second base, it is scored as a double. Triples - When a batter scores a base hit, but stops at third base, it is scored as a triple. Home Runs - When a batter scores a base hit, making it all around the bases, it is scored as a home run. Any ball hit over an outfield fence, in fair territory, is also scored as a home run. In BBL play, a ball hit into a window, dumpster, or other waste-receptacle in fair territory, is also scored as a home run. Runs Batted In - A batter is credited with an RBI for every run which scores because of a ball put into play by that batter. The batter need not safely get on base to score an RBI. The batter of a home run scores an RBI for every runner who was on base when the home run was hit, and is also credited with their own run. PITCHING STATISTICS Batters Faced - The player who pitches a ball that results in a base hit, base on walk, or putout of the batter is credited with a batter faced. Strike Outs Pitched - The player who pitches the third strike to a batter is credited with a strike out. Hits Allowed - The player who pitches a ball on which the batter scores a base hit is credited with a hit allowed. Runs Against - A pitcher is credited with a run against whenever their pitch is hit into play, allowing an opposing runner to score. Pitches Thrown - Every pitch thrown by a player is counted as a pitch thrown. Balls Thrown - Whenever a pitched ball is outside the strike zone, and the batter does not swing, the pitcher is credited with a ball thrown. Strikes Thrown - Whenever a pitched ball is swung on by the batter, or passes through any part of the strike zone, a strike thrown is credited. Balls that are struck by the batter, whether fair or foul, are also credited to the pitcher as strikes thrown. SEASON HITTING STATISTICS Batting Average - Divide the total number of base hits by the total number of at bats. Slugging Percentage - Divide the total number of all base hits by the total number of at bats. SEASON PITCHING STATISTICS Innings Pitched - For every three put outs that occur during a pitcher's outing an inning pitched is credited to that pitcher. Earned Run Average - Multiply the pitcher's total runs against by 9 and divide the results by the pitcher's innings pitched. Games Won - The player with the most innings pitched for the winning team will be credited for a game won. Games Lost - The pitcher who surrendered the most runs against for the losing team will be credited for a game lost. MISCELLANEOUS STATISTICS Runs Scored - An offensive player who progresses safely around the bases to arrive at home plate is credited with a run scored. However, if the run occurs on a play in which the third out is a forced out the run does not score. Steals - When an offensive player safely runs from one base to the next base, on a play in which there was no base on walk, and the batter did not hit the ball, that player scores a steal. Errors - An error shall be charged to any fields in the following circumstances: The fielder misjudges or drops a fly ball allowing it to hit the ground without being caught. In the case of the infield fly this rule is void. The fielder receives the ball in time to tag or force out a runner but fails to catch the ball cleanly allowing the runner to reach the base. The fielder has an opportunity to throw out a runner but makes a wild throw, allowing the runner to reach the base. The fielder is in a position to stop a hit ball with time to throw out a runner but fails to control the ball, allowing the runner to reach the base. Exception: If a fielder mishandles a ball but is able to recover it and make the play, no error is charged. Team Selection A team consists of 9 players. There are three ways to pick a team: Random Pick-up This mode bypasses the team selection screens and goes directly to the start of a game with a team name, color and players chosen randomly by the computer. This is an easy way for younger children to start a game or for those in a big hurry to get started! To access this mode choose a field for your game and click the Play Ball icon at the bottom of the screen and the game will begin. Single Pick-up This mode allows you to handpick a team, player by player, and start a game. A team for a single game consists of 9 players, chosen from a random pool of 21-24 of the 30 known characters. The characters available for selection will be completely random. To access this mode choose a field for your game then click the Create Team icon in the lower right corner of the screen. Pick your team name and color and click the Pick Teams icon in the lower right corner of the screen. Or the computer will choose a team name and color for you if you click the Pick for Me icon. When you click on a character in the Pick Team screen a baseball card with that character's stats pops up. You can use this information to help you choose. Once you've got your team you can make changes to the batting order or field strategy in the Team Dugout. Note that you can only change the batting order before the game begins. After that the only changes you can make are in your fieldin gstratgey. Once you've made these changes click the Today's Game icon in the lower right corner of the screen and meet the commentator's. From there you'll go to the title screen. Click the Play Ball icon and the game will begin. Season League This mode allows you to create a customized team for use in season, or series, play. These teams will allow you to track the statistics of the characters during the season and the progress of the team is saved between playing sessions. A team for season play consists of 9 players, chosen from the 30 characters available. Commentator's Sunny Day and Vinnie the Gooch bring you witty commentary and exciting play by play descriptions. Without them the game would lose some of its character but you can bypass their witty banter by pressing the key. Or to turn them off permanently press the space bar, click the Options button, click No Commentary, then click the OK and Play buttons. NOTE: You can turn them back on if you miss them! Just reverse the steps. Game Modes Random Pick-up - A quick way to jump right in! The computer chooses a random team for you and itself and the game starts immediately when you choose a playing field and click on the Play Ball icon. Single Pick-up - You take turns with the computer choosing players from a random pool of characters. Season - You create a team and manage that team through a 14 game series. The opposing teams are computer generated. At the end of the season the best two teams advance to the BBL playoffs (best of 3). The playoffs winner advances to the championship series which consists of the Super Entire Nation Tournament (best of 3) and then the Ultra Grand World Championship of the Universe series (best of 5)! PRACTICE Batting - You can pick one character to practice hitting balls. This is a good way to get to the know the characters and to learn just when to make your batter swing to hit a pitch! Options There are several options in Backyard Baseball. You can change some during game play but others you must change before the game begins. Click on the Game Options icon at the bottom of the screen and then one of the tabs to see these: Choose You can choose a pick-up game where you pick a team name and colors, your players and then control the action throughout the whole game. Or batting practice where you choose one player and Mr. Clanky throws you as many pitches as you want to try to hit! Or spectator where the computer will run a game while you watch. Almost as fun as playing yourself! Setup You can choose regular baseball or tee-ball. If you choose tee-ball your little swingers may have an easier time of it. The Swing Spot is a grey circle that indicates the batter's best guess where the pitch is going to cross the plate. The Pitch Locator is a little 'X' which flashes somewhere within the Swing Spot circle. This is the exact spot where the pitch will cross the plate. If you are having a tough time hitting the ball, or are striking out a lot, try turning this option on for a little help. For a real challenge, though, try turning both batting options off. Then it will be completely up to you to judge whether the ball will be a ball or a strike. You can also choose the difficulty level of the game. Start with easy and work your way up. Choose how many innings you want to play and whether you want errors turned on or off. With errors turned off the players will perform more like big leaguers and less like junior leaguers. Sound You can choose to hear play by play commentary which includes color commentary (remarks by Sunny Day and Vinnie the Gooch outside of the play by play information), music, ambient sound (like cars or sirens), player talk (a player might say "I'm gonna hit it outta here") and chatter (like "Hey batta"). The option is activated when there is a check mark beside it. Click on each option to turn them off (except for Color Commentary - this will turn on/off with the Play by Play option). To save your changes click OK or click Cancel to keep the defaults. Fields There are several different types of playing fields. All the fields have roughly the same dimensions but each has unique features. For example, the city street might have a dumpster in the outfield or a pizza box for home plate. For series play there is a unique field for each level - league, national and world. The All-City BBL Playoffs take place on Parks Department Field #2. The Super Entire Nation Tournament is held at the Big City Stadium. The Ultra-Grand Championship of the Universe Series is played at the Super Colossal Dome. Each field has a topography similar to it's real-world counterpart. For instance, a ball will bounce much higher off the concrete of the city street fields than off the grass in the park field. The field determines what style of game the players can use. In other words, no sliding on the city street. The names are pretty explanatory but check them out through the binoculars in the Pick-Up Window for a good idea what the play will be like. BBL Fields Playground Commons, Cement Gardens, Sandy Flats, Dirt Yards, Eckman Acres, Steele Stadium, Tin Can Alley Season Fields Parks Department Field #2, Big City Stadium, Super Colossal Dome Season Play Getting Started Click on the bulletin board in the Clubhouse to setup a season league. Before you can start playing you have to sign in. The player sign in screen for Backyard Baseball looks like a clipboard. As a new player click on the pencil and then click on the letters to spell your name. The next time you sign in, just click on your name in the Coach's list and then click the Team Dugout icon or just double click your Coach's name. Remember, you have to use the same name each time you want to play a particular season! Note: You can click on the letters on the pencil to enter your name, or type in your name using the computer keyboard after you've clicked on the pencil. Click on the word 'blank' following the Z to enter a space, or click on the hyphen to enter a hyphen. Click the eraser at the end of the pencil to backspace - it will delete one letter to the left each time you click on it. To erase a name from the list, click on it and click on the big pink eraser (to the right of the clipboard). Or click on the name and then type the pipe (|) key. That's the vertical bar character which you type by pressing the Shift key at the same time you press the backslash (\) key. But be careful! If you erase a name you erase all the season information for that name. After you have entered your name, click the Create Team icon to move onto the next screen. Click on your choices for color and team name and then click the Pick Teams icon at the bottom of the screen. Now you get to pick your team! When you click on a character that player's stat card will pop up so you can refresh your memory about his or her skills. The character will also have something to say to help you out! Click Yes or No to verify your choice. Or click the Pick for Me icon and the computer will choose a team for you. The next screen you'll see is the team dugout. You can make any changes to the batting order you'd like now (remember you can't make any changes after the game has started), check your fielding strategy, statistics, schedule, look at game options, print out a picture of your team and more! To start your game click the Today's Game icon at the bottom of the screen. You'll meet Sunny Day and Vinnie the Gooch, your friendly commentators and from there you'll go to the match up screen of the game where the two teams are announced. Play begins as soon as you click on the Play ball icon at the bottom of the screen. The Time Out button to the far right at the bottom of the screen allows you to pause the game and takes you to the dugout where you can change pitchers, adjust fielding positions, look at the player's baseball cards or statistics, etc. If you can't finish an entire game in one sitting you can save it. Click the Save button in the dugout. The Save Game screen will appear and the cursor will turn into a small snapshot of your game. Move the snapshot to a slot and click the mouse button, your game will automatically be named with the coach's name and which game in the series it represents, e.g. "Jimmy's G1" (G1=Game 1). Note: Use the snapshot to click the large arrow in the corner of your screen to exit without saving. When you finish a game all the necessary information is automatically saved under the coach's name and tabulated for Team Standings and Statistics. The Regular Season A season consists of 14 games against 7 opposing teams. Game order is random with a mix of "away" and "home" games. If your team finishes in the top two for the season they advance to the All-City BBL Playoffs, which is a best of 3 series and takes place on Parks Department Field #2. If they win these playoffs they advance to the Super Entire Nation Tournament. This is a best of 3 series which takes place in the Big City Stadium. The competition is a little tougher at this level with true even strength from the opposition. If your team wins this series, it advances to the Ultra-Grand Championship of the Universe. This is a best of 5 series and takes place in the Super Colossal Dome. The opposition team will be hard to beat, so you'll need to know your team's strengths and how to play them. Each level of victory gains a pennant, plaque or trophy which is inscribed with the team name and the coach's name too (that's you!). Season Schedule This can help you keep track of games you've played as well as upcoming games. You can access team standings by clicking the icon at the bottom of the screen. League Standings This information shows where your team is during the season in relation to other teams in the league. Wins, losses and more are listed here. From this screen you can access the League Leaders information. League Leaders This lists the top players for the season in categories like Home Runs, Hits, RBI's and Errors. Statistics Click this icon in the dugout to access the team statistics. The team statistics are super helpful. Click on the column headings to hear a definition of that statistic. You can also click on the player's names or a number in any column and hear information on a specific player. For instance, if you click on the H (for hits) column for player Pablo Sanchez you might hear, "Pablo has 4 base hits". The team icons at the top of the screen allow you to switch between each team, so you can check out your opponents information too. This icon allows you to switch between information on the last game played, play off data or cumulative season statistics. The arrows allow you to scroll through all the information stored here. You can print these screens, just make sure your printer's turned on and click the printer icon! Humongous Vision This is just like the big league screens. It's a fun way to get a closer look at the action and messages about the plays on the field. It also shows instant replays but you have the option to escape through them or disable them in the Options dialog box. Rules The rules for Backyard Baseball are a hybrid of major and Little LeagueÔ rules: 6 or 9 innings No leading off No substitutions Batting order cannot be modified after start of game Stealing is allowed Bunting is allowed Tagging up is allowed No robots Batting Practice You access batting practice through the Pick-up Window. Choose the field you'd like to practice on and then click on the Options icon at the bottom of the screen. Click on Batting Practice and click OK. Now click the Practice icon at the bottom of the screen. Choose a player and confirm your choice by clicking the nodding head. Now you're set to practice 'til the cows come home! Mr. Clanky will be ready with a basket of balls so choose a hit and get ready to swing. The interface at the bottom of the screen shows the pitch the robot is sending your way, the number of balls pitched and the number of hits. To check your progress, and even print it, switch to the overhead view by clicking on the diamond with the red arrow. You can choose the pitches thrown by clicking on the buttons, just as you would choose a hit. And you can choose more than one. Mr. Clanky will throw all the pitches you've selected in random order. You'll want to make sure your batter's stance is appropriate for the type of hitter they are. Click the box under the home plate to change the stance. Your choices are open, closed and square (meaning square to home plate). Try a couple different stances until you get to know the best position for each player. When you hit a ball, the distance it travels is measured and the ball is left where it stops. You can gauge your performance with this and mark your improvement. When you're done click on the Home icon and you'll go back to the clubhouse. Dugout There are several things you can do in the dugout and you can always access the dugout during a game, just click on the Time out button on the game interface. Click on the Strategy icon to adjust your fielding and more, click on the Statistics icon to check out player information and click on the Options icon to make changes to your sound setup, to turn errors off and more! The Save and Load buttons allow you to save a game in progress or load a different game and the Home icon will take you back to the Clubhouse. Keyboard Commands Click the Time Out button in the game interface to go to the dugout. Click the Save button in the dugout to save the game. You'll be presented with the Save Game screen, and the cursor will turn into a small snapshot of your game. Move the snapshot to a slot and click the mouse button, then type in a name for your game and press Enter to save the game and return. Or, use the snapshot to click the large arrow in the corner of your screen to exit without saving. In the Clubhouse click the Pick-up Window. Click the Load button to load a game. You'll be presented with the Load Game screen. Just click on a previously stored snapshot, and you will be returned to the game at the point you were at when the game was saved. Click the large arrow in the corner of your screen to exit without loading. You can also load a saved game from the dugout. Pauses the game, and opens the pause dialog box. To continue, just click the Play button. Quit the game. You can also stop playing by pressing the Spacebar, then clicking the Quit button . Fast-forward through the current cutscene. Same as the key, but skips only the current character's line -- not the entire scene. Displays on-line documentation. Toggles the game between running full-screen or in a window. Increases the size of the game display if your screen resolution is 1280x1024 or higher. If the game display has already been expanded, will toggle the display size back to normal. Humongous Entertainment TECHNICAL SERVICES/FAXBACK DOCUMENTS PHONE: 1-425-485-1212 WEBSITE: http://www.humongous.com FAX#: 03001 Any documents referenced in this text file can be found on our website at www.ina-suuport.com. Backyard Baseball Frequently Asked Questions ========================== Please make sure that your system meets or exceeds the following system requirements before playing the game. If your system does not meet or exceed these requirements, the game will run poorly, or not at all. Minimum System Requirements - PC · IBM PC or Compatible with Pentium 60 or better processor · 16 Megabytes of free RAM · Windows 95 · a Super VGA display card in the 640x480 resolution with 256 colors · A windows compatible sound card with drivers installed · Quad speed CD-ROM drive. Our games are not supported on Windows NT, OS/2(Warp), DR.DOS, PC DOS, or with QEMM, 386MAX or other 3rd party memory managers. Minimum System Requirements - MAC · Power PC · 16 MB RAM · System 7.0 or higher · 640x480 8 bit video · Quad-speed CD-ROM drive NSTALLATION =========== Windows 95 ========== There is no need to run install. To start, simply insert the CD into the drive. When the AutoPlay window pops up, click the Play button to play the game, the Demos button to see the Humongous Interactive Catalog, or the Quit button to quit without doing anything. To run the game again, double click on the My Computer icon, then on the game icon. The AutoPlay window will appear again. If AutoPlay has been disabled, you can run the game by double-clicking My Computer, then double-clicking the CD-ROM icon, and finally double-clicking AUTOBASE.EXE. Or, create a shortcut to AUTOBASE.EXE for a more permanent solution. Windows 3.1 =========== The install program must be run before playing the game for the first time. We install Microsoft's 32-bit Windows system files, Win32s, and WinG to the hard disk if they are not already present. These files require only about 3MB of disk space. To install Win32s and WinG, just follow these steps: 1. Insert the game CD into your CD-ROM drive. 2. Open the File menu in Program Manager and select Run... 3. Type D:\INSTALL and press Enter. (If D: is not your CD-ROM drive, substitute the appropriate letter.) 4. Click Quick Install, and follow the prompts. 5. After installation is complete, click Restart Windows to enable Win32s and WinG Install will create a Humongous group in Program Manager and add the game icons to it. To run the game, just insert the CD and double-click the game icon. Windows 3.1 uninstall: The game, Win32s, and WinG may all be removed from within the installation program. Because installation of the product is only necessary under Windows 3.1, you should never have to uninstall the game with Windows 95. Note: Removing WinG or Win32s will render the system unable to run Humongous Entertainment games, or any other programs which require these libraries. You should only remove these libraries if it has been determined that they are causing some sort of problem. 1. Insert the game CD into your CD-ROM drive. 2. Open the File menu in Program Manager and select Run... 3. Type D:\INSTALL and press Enter.(Be sure to replace D: with the drive letter of your CD-ROM drive) 4. Click the Advanced Options button in the Welcome to Install dialog box. This will open the Advanced Options dialog box. 5. Click on the Uninstall Options button to open the Uninstall Options dialog box. Click Yes to continue. 6. Check the components (Game, WinG, or Win32s) which you wish to uninstall, then click Continue. The selected components will be removed from the system, as will the icons which they created. The computer may have to be restarted for these changes to take effect. Macintosh Installation ====================== If you are using a Macintosh, you do not need to install the software. Simply insert the CD-ROM into your CD-ROM drive, then double click on the Big Thinkers Icon. Windows Keyboard Commands ========================= Save the game. You'll be presented with the Save Game screen, and the cursor will turn into a small snapshot of your game. Move the snapshot to a slot and click the mouse button, then type in a name for your game and press Enter to save the game and return. Or, use the snapshot to click the large arrow in the corner of your screen to exit without saving. Load a game. You'll be presented with the Load Game screen. Just click on a previously stored snapshot, and you will be returned to the game at the point you were at when the game was saved. Click the large arrow in the corner of your screen to exit without loading. Pauses the game, and opens the pause dialog box. To continue, just click the Play button. Quit the game. You can also stop playing by pressing the Spacebar, then clicking the Quit button . NOTE: You can also exit the game by clicking on the Exit door in the interface at the bottom of the screen. Fast-forward through the current cutscene. Same as the key, but skips only the current character's line -- not the entire scene. Displays on-line documentation. Toggles the game between running full-screen or in a window. Increases the size of the game display if your screen resolution is 1280x1024 or higher. If the game display has already been expanded, will toggle the display size back to normal. Hints ===== Following are some hints for Backyard Baseball. If you need more hints, please refer to Document #02001 – Backyard Baseball Hints T-ball, where the ball is on a post at home plate, rather than pitched to the batter, can only be played in a pick-up game. If you want batting to be a little easier in the League games, click on the Options button before the season starts and turn the Pitch Locator on. Remember that sliding into base and jumping to catch a ball are done automatically if needed. Play under conditions the players are comfortable with. For instance, Ashley and Sidney Webber, the twins, like to play on the same team. However, Tony and Angela DelVecchio do better playing against each other. Maria does her best when her uniform is her favorite color, and everyone plays better on their own birthday. Check the Baseball Cards for information. END-USER LICENSE AGREEMENT PLEASE READ CAREFULLY. BY USING THIS SOFTWARE, YOU ARE AGREEING TO BE BOUND BY THE TERMS OF THIS LICENSE. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THESE TERMS, PROMPTLY RETURN THE CD-ROM IN ITS PACKAGING TO THE PLACE WHERE YOU OBTAINED IT. 1. License. The software accompanying this license (the "Software") and the related documentation are licensed to you by Infogrames, Inc. and are subject to this license. If the Software is configured for loading onto a hard drive, you may so load the Software only onto the hard drive of a single computer and run the Software off only that hard drive. You may not delete the copyright notices or any other proprietary legends on the original copy of the Software. You may transfer all rights we grant to you in this license to someone else as long as he or she reads and agrees to accept this license. If there is an editor incorporated into the Software, this license is also subject to Section 8 below. 2. Restrictions. The Software contains copyrighted material, trade secrets and other proprietary material. 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