SKID ROW presents Bo Jackson's Baseball From Data East Reference Card IMPORTANT READ THIS FIRST Please read these important additions to the Amiga version of Bo Jackson Baseball not included in the Game Manual. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS Amiga 500, 1000, 2000 1MB RAM required Color Monitor required Joystick required NOTE: This software has been tested using AmigaDOS 1.3. A3000 or 2.0 upgrade owners may want to test game play under DOS 2.0 or use 1.3 to ensure compatibility. TO PLAY FROM FLOPPY BOOTING FROM FLOPPY: At the Amiga Workbench prompt, insert BO DISK 1 into drive DF0: (A1000 owners may need to run Kickstart first). The game will begin to load automatically, and you will be prompted to insert BO DISK 2 as needed. STARTING FROM WORKBENCH: Insert BO DISK 1 in any drive. Open the Disk and double-click on the "Ball" icon to start the game. You will be prompted to insert BO DISK 2 as needed. HARD DISK INSTALLATION To install the game onto a hard disk, follow these instructions: 1. Remove any BO disks. 2. Boot your computer normally and go to the Workbench. 3. Insert BO DISK 1 into any drive. 4. Open the disk and double-click on the "HDInstall" icon. 5. You will be prompted to designate the hard drive partition and folder name that you wish the game files to be copied into. Make sure to type your designation in quotes. Example: "DH0:BASEBALL" 6. During the installation process you will be prompted to switch disks as necessary. If the installation is successful, you will receive an "Installation Complete" message. TO PLAY FROM A HARD DRIVE 1. Remove any BO disks. 2. Boot your computer normally and go to the Workbench. 3. Open the drive and drawer into which you've installed BO JACKSON BASEBALL and double-click on the "Ball" icon. You may also start the game from the CLI. Change to the drive and subdirectory where you've installed BO JACKSON BASEBALL and type "Ball". MEMORY REQUIREMENTS FOR HARD DISK USERS BO JACKSON BASEBALL requires at least 1 Megabyte of total memory and at least 430K of Amiga's built-in graphics memory (chip ram) to run. If your Amiga has 512K of chip ram (such as an A1000, A500, or A2000 without the 1 Meg "Agnus" chip) you may have to play BO JACKSON BASEBALL by booting directly from the floppy disks (see BOOTING FROM FLOPPY above). You can confirm how much "chip" memory you have in your computer by opening the CLI and typing "AVAIL". Look next to the word "CHIP" under the "AVAILABLE" column for the amount of chip memory you have free. If the number is greater than 430,000 you will have enough memory to run the game. If not, you will need to boot directly from the floppy disk. TIPS TO MAXIMIZE FREE CHIP RAM Make sure that your STARTUP-SEQUENCE script loads only the files needed for hard disk operation (no programs such as virus checkers, RAM disks, or multitasking applications). Make sure that all open Workbench window are closed. Disconnect any external disk drives that may be connected. AMIGA VERSION GAME CONTROLS Please note these new game controls for the Amiga version of BO JACKSON BASEBALL. PITCHING Pitching in the Amiga version of BO JACKSON BASEBALL consists of two modes: Pick Off mode and Pitching mode. PICK OFF MODE: When you first enter the Batter/Pitcher screen you're in Pick Off mode. During this time you may have your pitcher throw the ball to any base to pick off base-runners who are leading off. Use the following instructions: 1st base: Hold joystick right and then press the button 2nd base: Hold joystick up and then press the button 3rd base: Hold joystick left and then press the button Home Plate: Hold joystick down and then press the button PITCHING MODE: You may leave Pick Off mode and enter Pitching mode by pressing the button without selecting a joystick direction. Your pitcher is now ready. Press the button to throw. The Pitch Location Indicator (scanning baseball) shows the direction your ball will travel when you press the button. Here are the different pitches available: Slow Ball/Change Up: Hold the joystick up and then press the button Medium Ball: Center the joystick and then press the button Fast Ball: Hold the joystick down and then press the button As soon as the ball leaves your pitcher's hand, you may curve its flight by pushing the joystick in the direction you wish the ball to curve. FIELDING While in the overhead view you may make your active fielder jump or dive for a ball travelling near him. Here are the commands: To jump straight up: Hold the joystick up and then press the button To dive to the right: Hold the joystick to the right and then press the button. To dive to the left: Hold the joystick to the left and then press the button. If you think the ball is going to pass your infielder, you may immediately switch to the closest outfielder behind him by holding the joystick down and then pressing the button. NOTE: This switch will happen automatically when the ball passes an infielder, but this method will perform the switch much more quickly. BATTING Moving the joystick without pressing the button moves the batter around the batter's box. Holding the button without moving the joystick makes him swing. NOTE: You may have the batter check his swing by releasing the button early. Bunting: To bunt the ball, hold the joystick down and then press the button. While the button is pressed, you may have the batter bunt to the left or right by moving the joystick from the down position to the lower left or to the lower right, respectively. To get out of the bunting stance, release the joystick and button. LEADING OFF AND STEALING While at the Batter/Pitcher screen you may have any base-runner lead off or steal by using the following methods. Hold the joystick in one of the directions described below and tap the button once for a small lead off, twice for a medium lead off, or three times for a long lead off (steal position). NOTE: With the short or medium leads the base-runner will return to base automatically if the pitcher tries to pick him off. With the long lead the base-runner will advance to the next base if the pitcher tries to pick him off. With the long lead the base-runner will advance to the next base if the pitcher attempts to pick him off. To lead off 1st: Hold the joystick right and tap the button To lead off 2nd: Hold the joystick up and tap the button To lead off 3rd: Hold the joystick left and tap the button RUNNING TO BASE To advance a base-runner while in the overhead view, point the joystick to the base he's on: Push right to advance a base-runner who's on 1st Push up to advance a base-runner who's on 2nd Push left to advance a base-runner who's on 3rd You may freeze a base-runner between bases by holding down the button. To make him return to a base, hold the joystick to the base he should return to and tap the button. NOTE: One a base-runner has reached the next base you cannot make him return. To return to 1st base: Hold the joystick right and tap the button To return to 2nd base: Hold the joystick up and tap the button To return to 3rd base: Hold the joystick left and tap the button KEYBOARD COMMANDS: These are the keyboard commands for BO JACKSON BASEBALL Amiga: F1: Manager Options For Player 1 F2: Manager Options For Player 2 F3: Pause F4: Resume Play F5: Sound On/Off Toggle F6: Game Speed Control Toggle ESC: Main Menu Option - Skid Row ================================================================================ Bo Jackson's Baseball From Data East KNOW BO. ~~~~~~~~ His real name is Vincent Edward Jackson, but to America--and the rest of the world--he is simply Bo. Born in a small town not far from Birmingham, Alabama, Bo was blessed with athletic capabilities far beyond the average player. To quote a popular sportscaster, "If aliens came from another planet in search of the perfect human specimen, they'd need only find Bo." Even when a career threatening hip injury had much of the sports world doubting his comeback, his super-human effort brought him back faster than anyone could have expected-except of course for Bo himself. Some of the popular commercials you've seen on T.V. are not exaggerations--Bo plays everything from football to cricket. But baseball stands along at the top of his list. Bo Jackson Baseball brings you the thrill and excitement that our generation's greatest athlete experiences in front of 50,000 screaming fans every week. Bo Jackson Baseball offers total control over the entire game environment. Edit every player's ability and statistics in 26 teams and in two leagues. Make on field decisions with your Manager's Option Screen. Take responsibility over your team's wins, and failures. Control the awesome strength of some of your own created pitchers. Position your outfield, change your lineup... with on filed action so realistic, you can smell the hot dogs. IMPORTANT ~~~~~~~~~ Playing Without a Joystick ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Please Not that all game directions are written for playing a Joystick. If you are playing with a keyboard, the Configuring and Installing The Game section of the Quick-Start card will allow you to choose which keys you want to represent each of the following Joystick Directions: Button 1/Button 2 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Throughout this manual, we will refer to BUTTON 1. This is the button on your joystick or key on your keyboard that you designate as the main action button. BUTTON 2 is the secondary action button. COPY PROTECTION ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You now see Bo Jackson Baseball's sportscasting booth with your sportscaster ready to commentate your game. Before you can hit the field, though, you need to type in a word from this manual. First, go to the page number shown on the screen. Next, count down until you reach the correct line number. Now, count across until you reach the word number requested. Type in that word. [ENTER] You can press BUTTON 1 to skip the game credits. MAIN MENU ~~~~~~~~~ Note: If you're using a keyboard, use the INSERT key to choose an item on the Menu Screens. You now see the Main Menu. Start both Exhibition and League Play from here. If you want to get the ball rolling right away and see some immediate action, select EXHIBITION. If you want to launch a new league, skip to the League Play section of this Manual. EXHIBITION ~~~~~~~~~~ Select either One Player (against the computer), or Two Player (for head-to- head play). To do so, highlight your selection and press BUTTON 1. Pick Your Teams ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You should now see the TEAM MENU. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ First, you've got to enlist with your favorite club. Player one's team choice will turn blue. Select your computer-controlled opponent(in One- Player game), or the team that will be controlled by Player 2; this team will turn red. You also have the option to choose the same team for both players for totally even competition. (Player 1 will always be the home team.) After you pick teams, you will go directly to the Lineup screen. Set Your Starting Lineup ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Need to fill your Field of Dreams? Well now you've got all the seasoned ballplayers you need to make a great team right in front of you. But you're gonna have to get them organized before you tell them to hit the field. On this screen you can customize the team(s) that will be competing. Read the following section carefully. Pitcher ~~~~~~~ The ultimate pitcher doesn't just possess great speed and accuracy, he also has the stamina to maintain control of his pitching over long periods of time... You'll want to get the right Starter and the right Lineup before game-time. Remember your starting pitcher can make or break your first inning,(and potentially leave your team's morale in the dust), so choose carefully. The pitcher currently slated as the Starter is listed under "Pitcher" on the left side of the change pitcher screen. Other available pitchers are shown across screen in the "Bullpen." To choose a different pitcher, highlight the current Starter and press BUTTON 1. Pressing BUTTON 2 will de-select your choice. (Note: Each time you select a pitcher, his stats are displayed in the lower left of the screen. C=Curve S=Skill F=Fatigue H=Hitting) Now select the pitcher in the Bullpen you want to move into the Starter's slot. Once both are selected they will automatically switch places. Select DONE when finished. Starting Lineup ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The currently selected lineup in their current Batting Order is listed in the upper-left corner of the Lineup Screen. Possible substitutes are shown to the right on the "Bench." To change your starting pitcher, first highlight the player you wish to pull out by moving the joystick up and pressing BUTTON 1. Then highlight the player in the Bullpen who will replace him, Press BUTTON 1 and they will automatically switch places. Note: Again, each time you select a player, his stats are displayed in the lower left of the screen. To rearrange your Batting Order use the function keys. For Example, if you want to switch the player in position 4 with the player in position 1, first press F4 to select the player you wish to move. Now select the spot you want him to move to, in this case position 1, so Press F1 and the two players will switch positions. Use this function as many times as you wish until you have your perfect lineup. If you're curious to find out who's in the rival team and what position they're playing select OPP at the bottom of this screen. Note: These figures cannot be changed. Press BUTTON 1 to return. Once all of your changes have been made, select DONE to proceed with your new changes. Or CANCEL which will ignore all of your changes and then proceed. Pick a Stadium ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ready for a change of scenery? Notice all three parks have different sized outfields and no two will look or play the same. Move the Joystick to cycle through the tree stadiums-then select a park so you can start swinging some lumber. And remember to keep your stadiums clean-- no spit-n PLEASE! PLAY BALL ~~~~~~~~~ Pitching ~~~~~~~~ Pitching is very much like the real thing. You have to command of the ball's speed, curve and direction; or any combination of the above. Be warned though, it may take some practice to strike out the really "Big Guns". Concentrate on learning when to use different speeds, and how to break the ball to your advantage. To throw a normal pitch, first locate the baseball moving left-and-right just behind home plate. This is the Pitch Location Indicator and it determines the spot where your pitch will be directed. When the Pitch Location Indicator is at the spot you want to aim for, push BUTTON 1 to throw the ball and it will be pitched over that spot. Note: There will be a small delay between the time you press BUTTON 1 and the actual time the Pitcher winds up and throws. Don't worry! Your pitch will be thrown exactly to the spot the Pitch Location Indicator was at when you pressed BUTTON 1. "Then what's the deal," you ask? The delay is so when you play against another person, they won't be able to know the direction you're throwing. To adjust the speed of the ball, push forward on the Joystick for a Change-Up (slow ball). Center the Joystick for a Normal pitch and pull down on the Joystick for a Fast Ball. Be sure to hold the Joystick in the direction of your selected pitching speed when you hit BUTTON 1. To pitch a "Breaking Ball," move the Joystick in the direction you want the ball to curve, either left or right. Make this selection after ball leaves your pitcher's hand. You can curve a ball early or late in your pitch depending on when you move the Joystick and how long you hold it. Master this one, and Bo might just remember your name... If the enemy is growing restless on base, remember this- To try to pick off a runner attempting to steal, choose a base direction with the Joystick, hold that direction then press BUTTON 2 to throw. Hitting BUTTON 2 w/o selecting a direction to throw will switch you to an overhead view of the filed. Pitching controls: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Push up - Change Up Push Lt - Break Left Push Rt - Break Right Push Dn - Fast Ball Center - Normal Pitch Bases: ~~~~~~ Push Up - Second Push Dn - Home Push Lt - Third Push Rt - First Note: When your pitcher is running low on stamina, he will start to lose control over his ability to direct his pitch and also the amt of curve he can put on the ball. Pitching to long or throwing a lot of fast balls is usually the cause. The more fatigued he gets, the faster the Pitch Location Indicator will start to move back and forth. When your pitcher becomes too tired, and it becomes very difficult to choose the direction of your pitch, use the Manager's Option Screen, (F1 for player one, F2 for player two), to bring in a fresh relief pitcher. See Manager's Options section of this manual to learn how to use this function. Fielding ~~~~~~~~ Your fielder with the best change of making the play will automatically be selected as the player you control, you can spot him easily as the blinking player. You can also see your active fielder's position on the field by looking at the field map in the lower right hand corner of your screen. Guide your fielder until he automatically catches or retrieves the ball. Note that while the ball is traveling, the spot your fielder would need to stand to catch the ball is marked by a flashing red marker on the field. To catch a fly ball or grounder, position your active fielder on the marker before the ball passes that spot. Press and hold BUTTON 1 to make your active fielder jump or dive for a moving ball once it comes within his range. This will assure you that your fielder will try his best to retrieve a ball. If you fee an outfielder has a better chance of making a play, press BUTTON 2 to switch the active infielder to the nearest outfielder. This is especially helpful if you want to quickly change from one player to another. A fielder can throw or run a ball to base. To throw choose a base direction with the Joystick then press BUTTON 1 to throw. Or, first press and hold BUTTON 1, and then point to a base to throw to. Either way works fines. If one of your baseman has the ball while he's on base and you want him to run with it, (as in the case of a pickle), press BUTTON 2 to "unlock" him so that he can move away from his base. And lastly, after a play, the ball will automatically be returned to the pitcher. A play is officially over when all runners have stopped. Batting ~~~~~~~ Once you've pitched the first three runners out, it's your turn. Take a coupe of seconds to view the current game's batting orders and scoreboard. (Button 1 will bypass this screen). Batting takes as much skill as pitching... if not more. Correct position in the batter's box and perfect timing of your swing is imperative to making the big plays; let along avoiding strikes. Once at bat, move your Joystick to position your batter in the batter's box. Adjust your batter so that his swing will travel directly over home plate. Once the pitch is thrown, press and hold BUTTON 1 to swing the bat. You can check your swing by letting go of BUTTON 1 before your bat is fully swung. Remember, don't swing if the ball is thrown inside or outside! If you do, you'll miss the ball and the Ump will call a strike. To bunt the ball press and hold BUTTON 1 and BUTTON 2 together. Move the Joystick RIGHT to bunt toward First or Left toward Third, depending on whether your batter is right or left handed. Running to Base ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ After successfully hitting the ball, your batter will automatically run to first base. Other runners will also advance if in a force situation; like when the bases are loaded. If you want to keep running, point to the next base and press BUTTON 2. Keep an eye on the field map in the lower right-hand corner of your screen to see the other team's active players as well as where the ball is at any given time. IMPORTANT: Once your runner has reached his next base he cannot return to his previous base. So if your batter hits a pop fly, freeze your runner in between bases and be prepared to return him to base if the fly ball is caught. Pressing BUTTON 1 or BUTTON 2 together while your runner is in-between bases will make hi stop. To continue advancing, simply release both Buttons. To return to base, press and hold BUTTON 1 then point the Joystick to your last base. Leading Off and Stealing ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To get a lead off of a base, hold down BUTTON 2 then tap the Joystick toward your next base. There are three lengths of led offs available: Short, Medium and Long. Each time you hold BUTTON 2 and tap the Joystick, you will advance a little further to the next lead off. At the third lead off your runner will attempt to steal as soon as the pitcher starts his wind-up. If you have more than one runner on base and you want to select which one you want to lead off, point "and hod" the Joystick in the base direction of the player you want to move. Stay sharp when you're hangin' way off base through, some of these pitchers eat stealers for lunch. If a bad situation should pop up, point to your last base and hit BUTTON 1 to quickly return to base. MANAGER'S OPTION SCREEN ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This screen is available from the batter/pitcher window at any time a play is not in progress. This screen gives you two options: Reposition Defense and View Roster. Below is a description of how these options function. Press F1 to go to Player 1's Manager's Option Screen. Hit F2 to see Player 2's Manager's Option Screen. Reposition Defense ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If you're playing defense, this option allows you to position your Infield and Outfield players either normally, shallow, or deep. You can also shift their positions from normal to left or right. Or have the first and third basemen move closer to their respective lines (guard lines). To function this screen, first decide which section of the field you wish to change, either infield or outfield. Your Joystick will highlight your options, BUTTON 1 selects. Under that heading highlight either depth or shift and press BUTTON 1 selects. You will now be able to cycle through the available options for your selection. Press BUTTON 1 once you've highlighted your choice. This function can be very helpful when you develop strategies against individual ball players or when the dimensions of your playing field are different. Note: When you reposition your players, you can confirm their new positions by checking the current field map in the middle of this screen. Your players are represented by the colored dots. View Roster ~~~~~~~~~~~ Going to the Bullpen ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The changeable options on this screen will be different depending on whether you are pitching or at bat. When you choose View Roster, you will see a screen identical to the one explained in the "Set your Starting Lineup" section of this manual. Notice that it also functions in the same way. If you are pitching, your current pitcher's name will be to the left under Pitcher. To switch to a new pitcher from the "Bullpen", select the current pitcher, and then select his substitute from the Bullpen. The difference here is that the original pitcher will not be placed in the bullpen. Once a game is started and you switch players, the original player will be taken out of the game. You can also change your fielders on this screen. Move the Joystick up to select the player in your Lineup you wish to remove. Then select the player from the Bench to replace him. Once again, the original player will be taken out of the game. Your fielders stats can also be seen in the lower left screen corner.(B=Bunt, S=Speed, A=Arm, D=Defense.) Note: You can have fielding players switch fielding positions but not Lineup positions by using the function keys as described in "Set your Starting Lineup: section of this manual. However, with National League teams, you can't switch your pitcher with any other current fielding player by using function keys. At this screen, you can choose OPP. to view the opposing team. The icons in the right-hand column show how far each runner has traveled around the diamond, and the "Bat" icon shows the player at bat. Pinch Hitting ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When you are at bat and you call up the Manager's Options Screen, a screen similar to the one above will appear. Except that on this screen you can change your current batter. To do so, make sure your current batter is highlighted, (Stats can be seen in the lower left, B=Bunt, S=Speed, A=Arm, D=Defense.) press BUTTON 1 to select him, and then select your replacement batter from the "Bench". Once again the original players will be taken out of the game. Notice that unlike in "Setting your Starting Lineup," once a game has begun you will not be able to change your Batting Order. At the bottom of the Manager's Option Screen, you can also select the OPP function OPP will allow you to peruse the opposing team's players and positions. (Note: The opposing team cannot be edited.) Pinch Running ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When you are on base, you can change runners as you can batters by using the same method as previously described. Your original runners will be permanently removed. Note: If you are playing a National League team and your pitcher either gets on base or is at bat and you want to put in a pinch runner or pinch hitter, you may do so with a Bench player. But as soon as you click on DONE, the Replace Pitcher screen will appear so that you can bring in a replacement pitcher for the one you just removed from the game. Lastly, when you switch players, a message will appear at the bottom of the screen confirming your switch. During this brief time, button presses and directions are disabled. When you are finished, select DONE. LEAGUE PLAY ~~~~~~~~~~~ Welcome Commissioner. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bo Jackson Baseball is more than just super-realistic action on the field. It also gives you the power to set up your own leagues and even better yet, own them. To take on the challenge of a full-out pennant fight, select LEAGUE PLAY on the Main Menu. Since Bo Jackson Baseball is a very statistically accurate game, players will compete during one season at a time. To start a new league, follow the steps outlined in this section. This same process can also be used to restart your league at any time. On the League Play Menu, select NEW SEASON. The other option on this Menu, CONTINUE SEASON, will be used to continue playing league games after you launch a new season. The Continue Season option is discussed later in this manual. Editing Teams ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bo Jackson Baseball puts you in control of making all major decisions for the teams in your League. It's up to you to make the best of all your player's strengths, and find solutions for their weakness. This section outlines the tools you'll need to perform your task and become a Word Class Manager. Select EDIT TEAM in the New Season Menu to set-up the players in your league. You now move to the TEAM MENU. Bo Jackson Baseball features 26 teams--divided into the National and American Leagues. Each league is made up of Western and Eastern divisions; just like the real thing. Anywhere from 1 to 26 of these teams can have a human owner. Move the pencil to the team you want to control during your new season and press BUTTON 1 to choose that team. Decide on a team you'll want to stick with as you will be managing them for an entire season of games. Once you choose a team, their TEAM ROSTER will appear on screen. Team Roster ~~~~~~~~~~~ The Team Roster is where you can view all of your players, edit each of them based on personal ability and stats, and also modify information concerning your team. The Team Roster is comprised of the following sections: Team Info ~~~~~~~~~ This section of the Team Roster allows you to customize the team you've selected. Team Name ~~~~~~~~~ If you don't like the name of your team, or you just want the world to know who's boss... Change It! To change the name of your team, move the pencil to TEAM NAME and press BUTTON 1(or insert key for keyboard users). The original team name will clear. Type in your new name--up to 13 characters--an press [ENTER]. You know what they say, "Nothin' like having your name up in lights." Team Abbreviation ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Select TEAM ABV. to change the abbreviation of your team name--up to four characters. Your team's abbreviation will be used in many parts of the game so you should make it very similar to the team's real name. After typing in TEAM ABV. press [ENTER]. Owner ~~~~~ Take pride with the privileged few and grab the reins of your new team... To take ownership of the team you're editing, point the pencil to OWNER and press BUTTON 1,(or insert key for keyboard users). Your team will then switch from computer-controlled over to human-controlled.d By selecting OWNER, you can toggle a team between computer-controlled and human- controlled at any time a game is not in progress. Team Record ~~~~~~~~~~~ Team Record displays how the team you've selected performed in its last season of play and how it's doing in the current season. These statistics cannot be changed because the computer calculates and updates them for you. Position Players ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This section of your Team Roster lists the following information on you players not including pitchers. -- Player's Name (NAME) -- Position (PS) -- Bats: [Right, Left, or Switch Hitter](B) -- Number of Home Runs Hit (HR) -- Number of Runs Batter In (RBI) -- Batting Average (AVG) Note: HR, RBI, and AVG don't update as your season progresses. EDITING PLAYERS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To edit any of your position players, select the player's name on the Team Roster. You will then move to that player's Personal Ratings screen. Player's Personal Ratings Screen ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ball players each have their own strengths and weaknesses. For example, some players are excellent pitchers, yet may field badly or bat even worse. Ratings are a way to measure the differences in ability of ball players. In Bo Jackson Baseball every player's ratings can be edited to your own liking. You may want to make super-players by exaggerating some ratings, or create more challenging players by assigning them lower ratings. Or you can adjust a player's ratings to reflect the latest stats of your favorite ball player. To edit any of the numbers of this screen--except a few that will be noted-- move the pencil to the stat you want to change and press BUTTON 1 (insert key for keyboard users), to select it. You can then type in the new values and press [ENTER]. When you select a rating to edit, the bottom of the ratings box will display the chosen category and its current rating along with the minimum and maximum values that can be entered. Since most ratings are inter-connected, the Min/Max numbers will depend on other numbers on this screen. For example, a player couldn't possibly have more hits than at-bats. Therefore the Max number of hits you could enter for a player would be equal to the number of at-bats. If you increase the player's number of at-bats, then the Max number of hits you could enter would also go up. For those who are not familiar with the way ratings are interrelated the GUIDED EDITING MODE is include. From the Player's Personal Rating Screen, press TAB to enter this mode. By pressing [ENTER], the on screen highlight will move progressively through the next logical rating window. Enter you new ratings from the keyboard. Press [ENTER] to lock in your new rating and automatically move to the next window. Press TAB again to exit the GUIDED EDITING MODE. Here are the items you can change on the Player Personal Ratings Screen: (Unless otherwise noted.) Player's Name ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Player's name is shown at the top of the screen. TO change a player's name, select EDIT NAME at the bottom of the ratings window. A box will appear showing the player's current name. Type in your new name and when you press [ENTER] it will automatically replace the old one. Hitting Stats ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Hitting section breaks down the player's batting statistics versus right- handed pitchers (VSR), and the combined total. Toe figures included in this section are: --AT Bats (AB) --Hits (H) --Bases on Balls (BB)/Walks --Strikeouts (SO) --Batting Average (AVG) --On Base Average (OBA) Note: On-Base Average can't be edited, as it is calculated for you. Power Stats ~~~~~~~~~~~ This section establishes the batter's following power statistics, again broken down against lefties, righties and total: -- Singles (S) -- Doubles (D) -- Triples (T) -- Home Runs (HR) -- Runs Batter In (RBI) -- Sluggish Percentage (SLG) Note: Singles and Slugging Percentage can't be edited as they are calculated for you. Fielding Stats ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Fielding Section consists of: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -- Fielding Chances (Chances) -- Assists -- Putouts -- Errors -- Overall Fielding Percentage (Fielding %) -- Recent Average (Recent Avg.) Note: The Recent Average cannot be edited, as it is calculated for you. Skill Ratings ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Here's where you can modify your player's physical abilities. Values between 1 (Lowest) and 10 (Highest) are assigned to each of these player Skill Ratings: -- Bunting Ability (Bunt) -- Running Speed (Speed) -- Throwing Strength (Arm) -- Defensive Ability (def) The player's Batting attributes can be edited as follows: -- Bats--(Right, Left or Switch Hitter)(Throws can't be changed) Miscellaneous Stats ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ All the items in this section can be edited to your liking: -- Number of Games Played (Games) -- Total Runs Scored (Runs) -- Total Steals (Steals) -- Times Caught Stealing (Caught) -- Times Hit by Pitch (Hit by Pitch) -- Number of Successful Sacrifices (Sacrifices) Cancel ~~~~~~ If after making any edits to a player's ratings you decide you want to "undo" all of your changes, select CANCEL. This will return you to the Team Roster and restore all of the player's data to how it was before you edited it. If you want to play around with the stats to see how they relate to each, feel free to do so as long as you select CANCEL. Clear ~~~~~ If you want to start a player from scratch, select CLEAR at the bottom of the screen. This will reset all of the player's ratings to Zero except for Bunt, Speed, Arm, Def and Bats. Done ~~~~ After all your edits are complete, select DONE to return to the Team Roster with all of your new ratings saved. After you select Done, you will not be able to Cancel your changes, so double check to make sure you've got what you want before you do. PITCHING STAFF ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This section of the Team Roster lists the following information on your pitchers: -- Player's Name (Name) -- Position (PS) -- Throwing Arm: (T)-(R)ight or (L)eft -- Number of Games Won (W) -- Number of Games Lost (L) -- Earned Run Average (ERA) To edit any of your pitchers, select the player's name under Pitching Staff on the Team Roster. As with your position players, you now move to the pitcher's Personal Ratings. The Pitcher's Personal Ratings Screen operates exactly like the Position Player's Personal Ratings Screen; only with a different set of Ratings. Feel free to get in an coach these guys all you want. Remember, you don't want to keep having to send the same guy to the showers! Pitcher's Name ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As you did before, select EDIT NAME to change the pitcher's name. Type in a new name and press [ENTER]. Opponent's Hitting Stats ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This section lists the hitting statistics of all opponents versus this pitcher;broken down versus left-handed hitters, right handed hitters, and total: -- At Bats (AB) -- Hits (H) -- Bases on Balls (BB)/Walk -- Strikeouts (SO) -- Batting Average (AVG) -- On-Base Average (OBA) Note: You can't edit OBA as it is calculated for you. Opponent's Power Stats ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The following stats by all opposing batters are shown in this section: -- Singles (S) -- Doubles (D) -- Triples (T) -- Home Runs (HR) -- Runs Batted In (RBI) -- Sluggish Percentage (SLG) Note: You can't edit Singles or SLG as they are calculated for you. Pitching Stats ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ These are the pitching stats shown in this section: -- Number of Wins (Wins) -- Number of Losses (Losses) -- Number of Saves (Saves) -- Earned Run Average (ERA) -- Number of batters he has Hit with a Pitch (Hit by Pitch) -- Number of Days Rest Since Last Outing (Days Rest) Note: The more days rest your pitcher has had since his last appearance, the better his stamina will be. Expect more rested players to perform better for a longer amount of time. Each day of rest equals one game. So if a pitcher has a 4 in his rest category he has rested for four games. Days rest cannot be changed. Ratings ~~~~~~~ On a scale of 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest), the following Skill Ratings are assigned to your pitcher: -- Amount of Curve he can put on Pitches (Curve) -- Control of Pitches (Skill) -- Stamina (Fatigue) -- Hitting Ability (Hitting) Even if a pitcher's stamina is high, throwing a lot of fast balls or pitching too many innings will eventually wear him out. This change may be gradual but it will affect his control and the amount of curve he is capable of throwing. You can tell if your player is growing tired by watching the speed of the Pitch Location Indicator; the faster the ball moves from left to right, the more exhausted your pitcher. When your pitcher is fatigued, or not playing well, replace him with a fresh player from your Lineup by using the Manager's Option Screen. The pitcher's Batting and Throwing attributes can be edited as follows: -- Bats--Right, Left or Switch-Hitter (R,L,S) -- Throws--Right or Left (R,L) Appearances ~~~~~~~~~~~ This section outlines your pitcher's Appearances as follows: -- Number of Games In Which He Pitched (Games) -- Number of Innings Pitched (Innings) -- Number of Games Started (Started) -- Number of Games Finished (Finished) -- Number of Complete Games (Complete) -- Number of Shutouts Thrown (Shutouts) Cancel ~~~~~~ Remember you can select CANCEL to return to the Team Roster without saving any of the edits made to this pitcher. Clear ~~~~~ Sets all values to Zero for this pitcher except for curve skill, fatigue, hitting bats and throws. Done ~~~~ Saves all current edits made to this pitcher and returns you to the Team Roster Screen. Remember, use DONE only when you are sure your pitcher is set exactly how you want him. SETTING YOUR LINE-UP ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To set your starting line-up for League Play, select LINEUP at the Team Roster Screen. This choice will take you to the Lineup Screen. At the Lineup Screen, you will be able to set and save two starting line-ups for your team. One designed to face left-handed pitchers and the other set to take on right-handers. Of course, you will be able to make adjustments on a game-by-game basis by using the Manager's Options, but it will save you a lot of time over the course of the season to have a "default" set-up you can go with. The first line-up to appear on this screen is the "Line-Up VS/L." This is the one you'll save to take on lefties. The upper left of the screen shows the current group of Starters and their Batting Order. On the upper right are all your available substitutes on the Bench. To switch the currently listed Starter with a player from the Bench, select the player in Lineup you want to remove and then select the player on the Bench, (the substitute must play the same position as the player he is removing), and they will switch. If you are editing an American League team and you want to replace the designated hitter, you can select any player from the bench. Once you've got your Starters chosen, you can set your Batting Order. Use the pencil to select one player in the starting Lineup and then select another Starter, the two players will swap spots in the order. Use this technique to move your Starters into your desired Batting Order. Now that your lineup is complete against lefties, select VS/R at the bottom of the screen to bring up your starting line-up against right-handed pitchers. Follow the same procedures as you did with your VS/L line-up to set your VS/R line-up. As with previous menus, CANCEL returns to the Team Roster without saving any changes and DONE saves all your changes before going back to the Team Roster Screen. Setting Your Pitching Rotation ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Back at the Team Roster Screen, select ROTATION to call up the Pitching Rotation Screen. Similar to the Lineup Screen, the Pitching Rotation Screen allows you to set a starting rotation of up to seven pitchers. With seven Starters, however, you'd be left with only two relievers in the Bullpen--a very frightening prospect over a 162-game season. A recommended set-up is five Starters in the rotation and four relievers. To switch a Starter for a reliever, highlight the starting pitcher and press BUTTON 1; then highlight the reliever and press BUTTON 1 again to make them swap places. To pull a pitcher out of the rotation and decrease the number of Starters, you can select a Starter and then a blank space in the Bullpen. If, on the other hand, you want to increase the number of pitchers in your starting rotation, select the blank space below your last Starter and then select the reliever you want to move into that slot. As with Batting Order, you can arrange the order of the pitchers in the rotation. Select one Starter, then another and the two will switch places in the rotation. Again, CANCEL ignores the changed you make this screen. DONE saves your changes and takes you back to the Team Roster Screen. SAVE YOUR EDITS! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ After spending time getting all your teams edited and in order, you'll find yourself back at the Team Roster Screen. By now, you are quite familiar with the CANCEL and DONE selections at the bottom of most screens. Note that these two choices are also found on the Team Roster Screen. In order to record ALL of the changes you made to your team--including player names, stats, lineups, rotations, etc.--you must select DONE. As you now know if you select CANCEL, all the data will revert to where it was when last saved for this team. SAVE YOUR NEW LEAGUE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Once you select DONE at the Team Roster Menu, you will return to the Team Menu. Remember, to this point you've only edited and saved one of 26 possible teams. You can use the menus to go back and customize as many other teams as you like. Once you've edited all the teams you want for your league--choose LEAGUE MENU from the Team Menu screen--Then select SAVE LEAGUE. This option takes all the data from the teams you've edited then compiles and saves them together into one new league. When!...you're back to the Main Menu and ready to go. LEAGUE GAMES ~~~~~~~~~~~~ League gameplay doesn't differ from playing an Exhibition game--as described in this Manual. To play a league game, select LEAGUE PLAY at the Main Menu. At the Season Options Menu, select CONTINUE SEASON. You will see a list of all current match-ups for Game 1 on the Current Games Schedule. Bo Jackson Baseball will not move on to the next set of games--in this case, Game 2-- until all of the games on the Current Games Schedule have been finished. This screen lists all the games finished, on hold, and games to be played in your league and season. Playing Human-Controlled Games ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To play a human-controlled game, locate your team on the game schedule,(human controlled teams are in red letters). Point the pencil to your team's name and press BUTTON 1 (insert for keyboard users). Your team and your opponent's team now highlight showing you're ready to take the field. The pencil should now be pointing to PLAY, so press BUTTON 1 to start your game. After the game is complete, you can return to the Current Schedule Screen and follow the same procedure to play through all of the human-controlled games on the schedule. Note: Remember, if you are playing a game with 2 human owned teams, the home team will use Player 1's controls and the visiting team will use player two's controls. Computer-Controlled Games ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Computer-controlled teams are shown in black letters on the Current Games Schedule. Playing out Automatic Computer-Controlled Games ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ All games that show an "A"(for Automatic) are played out by the computer the first time you select the PLAY option at the bottom of the screen. If you've highlighted a human-controlled game and select PLAY, you will be taken immediately to a stadium and all of the Automatic game's winners will be decided while you play your game. The results of all games--including the score of your contest--will be posted the next time you return to the Current Games Schedule. If you wish to see the results of all computer-controlled games before playing a human-controlled game, make sure that no games are highlighted. Now go to all matchups involving human teams and point the pencil to the A in the column next to the game, press BUTTON 1; the A will turn to a ..H, (these matchups are now on hold). How confirm that every game you want the computer to play is marked by an A. Select PLAY at the bottom of the screen. After a few moments, all the other games final scores will show. Watching Computer-Controlled Games ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If you want to watch a scheduled game between two computer-controlled teams, set the game you want to watch on H for HOLD and PLAY all the other games on the schedule. Next, select that game, then PLAY at the bottom of the screen. Note that you can Hold and watch as many games as you want. Letting The Computer Play For An Absent Human Owner ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ There are instances when all human team owners in a league can't be present to play their scheduled games. This prevents any other human-controlled teams from moving onto their next game since the Current Game Schedule can't be completed. It is possible to let the computer determine the outcome of a game based on stats of the two teams involved (No, this isn't the easy road to the World Series!). To let the computer play out a game that involves an absent owner, make sure the matchup is set on A for Automatic. Now highlight that game and select PLAY and the outcome of this match-up will be decided by the computer. Good Luck! PLAYOFFS ~~~~~~~~ If you have done well in your division for the entire 162 game season, you will move on to the Playoffs. The playoff screen works like the league play menu, the difference is the stakes are higher. THE STATS MENU ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The final option you have on the Main Menu is the Stats Menu. This menu offers three choices to track all the statistical details of your League: Schedules, Standings an Statistics By Team. League Schedules ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When you select SCHEDULES at the Stats Menu, you'll go the Season Schedule Screen. At the bottom of the screen, you'll see four boxes that you can select--like buttons on a tape player--to page through the entire game-by- game schedule for your season. From left to right, the four buttons will move the schedule: Back 10 Games, Back 1 Game, Forward 1 Game, Forward 10 games. When you're through viewing the schedules, select DONE. Team Standings ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Choosing STANDINGS at the League Stats Menu lets you view the current win/loss records and standings in your league. Select DONE to return to the League Stats Menu. Stats By Team ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Viewing stats is like looking at a snapshot of as team, some are streamlined and sexy, others are down right dogs....... To view the current stats for any team, select STATS BY TEAM and then select the team you want to view at the Team Menu. When you are through viewing stats on the Team Stats Screen, select DONE to return to the Team Menu Screen. Offense ~~~~~~~ Select OFFENSE at the bottom of the Team Stats Screen to view the chosen team's Season Hitting numbers by player. Pitcher's hitting numbers are not available for National League pitchers. The stats are available in this menu are: -- Position (OS) -- Bats (B) -- Runs (RR) -- Stolen Bases (SB) -- Caught Stealing (CS) -- Bases on Balls (BB) -- Strike Out (SO) -- On Base Average (OBA) -- Slugging Percentage (SLG) You can select OFFENSE at the bottom of this screen to view these categories: -- Position (PS) -- Bats (B) -- At Bats (AB) -- Hits (H) -- Doubles (D) -- Triples (T) -- Home Runs (HR) -- Runs Batter In (RBI) -- Average (AVG) Season Pitching ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Select PITCHING at the bottom of the Team Stats Screen to view the chosen team's Season Pitching Stats by player. The categories included on this screen are: -- Throws (T) -- Wins (W) -- Innings Pitched (IP) -- Losses (L) -- Hits (H) -- Saves (SV) -- Bases on Balls (BB) -- Earned Run Average (ERA) -- Strike Outs (SO) You can select MORE at the bottom of this screen to view these categories: -- Throws (T) -- Wins (W) -- Games (G) -- Losses (L) -- Games Started (GS) -- Shut Outs (SH) -- Complete Games (CG) -- Earned Run Average (ERA) -- Games Finished (GF) Click on MORE again to view these other categories: -- Throws (T) -- Triples (T) -- At Bats (AB) -- Home Runs (HR) -- Hits (H) -- Runs Batted In (RBI) -- Errors (ER) -- Average (AVG) -- Doubles (D) Select DONE when finished. You will return to the pitching screen.