------------------------------------------------------------------------- Front Page Sports: Baseball Pro '96 Patch Version 1.1 September 5, 1996 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- TABLE OF CONTENTS I. PATCH FILES II. INSTALLATION III. FIXES IN VERSION 1.1 IV. LEGENDS AND STADIUMS TEAMS V. HOW TO REACH US ------------------------------------------------------------------------- I. PATCH FILES This patch contains 3 main files that update separate portions of Baseball Pro '96: BBPRO11.EXE - This patches all the main game files (executables and dlls) to version 1.1. BBSTAD11.EXE - This patches the main stadium files to version 1.1. Note that the changes to the stadia are not "critical" in that the executables can be version 1.1 and the stadia version 1.0 with no adverse effects. All fixeds are cosmetic except for the fence height fix in Atlanta. ******************************************************************** * NOTE: You must have the Stadium portion of Baseball Pro '96 * * installed onto your hard drive in order to install this * * portion of the patch (BBSTAD11.EXE) * ******************************************************************** BBHELP11.EXE - This patches the main help file to version 1.1. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- II. INSTALLATION To install the different portions of this patch you will need to do the following: 1) Run the executible Example: If you are installing BBPRO11.EXE, open up Windows Explorer, or File Manager, and go to the directory where the file is located. To run the executible double- click BBPRO11.EXE. NOTE: Follow the same instructions for running BBSTAD11.EXE and BBHELP11.EXE. 2) Locate the directory with the specified file Default locations: BBPRO11.EXE C:\SIERRA\BBPRO_96 BBSTAD11.EXE C:\SIERRA\BBPRO_96\STADIA BBHELP11.EXE C:\SIERRA\BBPRO_96 3) Click OPEN, and then select YES to start the patching process. This will patch the specified files, and update Baseball Pro '96 to version 1.1. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- III. FIXES IN VERSION 1.1 Following are bugs in the BB96 version 1.0 that have been fixed in version 1.1: GENERAL MANAGER AI & ROSTER MANAGEMENT: Modified player valuing to place greater emphasis on player offensive capabilities when drafting and evaluating players for trades. Modified AI for evaluating multiplayer trades to prevent robbing the computer of star quality players simply by offering three good players. Fixed bug which allowed computer controlled drafts to last up to 256 rounds. Fixed bug which allowed more than 40 players to be assigned to the combined Active/AAA/DL rosters during September, causing excess players to be released. Fixed vs.L generation for fictional pitchers. Reduced the amount of future value that teams would consider during initial player drafts which caused young players with great potential to be drafted ahead of some of the stars. Added actual FA generation for fictional players at all positions. Changed spring training so that non-qualified fielding ratings are not penalized by a lack of training. Changed computer team needs requirements to require a minimum of 10 pitchers on the active roster. INTERFACE: Fixed "changed team" indicators on the Select Teams screen so they properly reflect the status of each team. Changed the color and location of the "changed team" indicators to make them easier to see. Fixed bug which truncated the Association Statistics display before the last player in any sort. The last player is now properly displayed. Fixed retirement reporting dates so that they all occur between the end of the season and the supplemental/free agent draft in January. Added team abbreviation to player retirements on the Association News. Fixed bug which caused improper initialization of the database that holds end of season awards and results if it was viewed prior to having data written to it. Although the bug is fixed with the improper initialization, the only way to fix an association which has been viewed is to delete the .EOS file in the ASSN directory. Fixed bug in schedule which caused the World Series to be only 1 or 2 games in certain association configurations. Reduced the width of the selectable "gadgets" on the Association Schedule screen to help prevent games from inadvertently being started. Changed the Association Statistics screen column header label to show "Teams" instead of "Players" when the teams display is selected. Fixed missing division configuration text for 14 team 3rd leagues. Fixed several cosmetic bugs on the Lineup, Game Options, and Visit Mound screens. Added highlighting to injury, substitution, and bullpen messages in the Game Updates window. Fixed the display of Past Champions for single-season associations to properly show playoff status. Changed PO (putouts) on the pitcher updates in the Game Updates window to show IP (innings pitched) instead. Added up-to-date batting average to batter updates in the Game Updates window. Substitutions now properly trigger a player update in the Game Updates window. Widened the Lineup screen to show more QPOS entries. Fixed the Apply button on the Lineup screen. One Pitch Mode defaults in the front office are now properly executed on the field. Changed the "Swing Now" and "Pitch Now/Pickoff" control menus to default as hidden to help prevent flashing when swinging the bat with the keyboard or joystick. These menus are still available, but must be enabled by making an entry in the BBPRO.INI file. Each menu may be enabled individually. The entries must be in the [Menu] section and are: ShowSwingStartMenu=1 and ShowPitchStartMenu=1 Fixed bug which prevented the Pitch Out, Pitch Around, and Intentional Walk menu items from appearing on the Offensive Manager menu. Added Bunt option for managers on Offense menu. Fixed improper batter game statistics displays in Lineup. Fixed improper pitcher Avg statistic in Lineup to show winning percentage (Pct). Fixed bug which caused 2D selected windows to show during replays called from 3D. Changed Lineup during batting practice to allow all players to be eligible, even after being subbed from the lineup. To change the batter to another player in the lineup, sub that player with a player from the bench, then put him into the 1st batting slot. The #1 slot is always the current batter in batting practice. Fixed improper rounding of decimal points to the standard "5 up, 4 down" method. Fixed pitch selection menu to select the proper pitches for pitchers with less than 4 pitches. Fixed the intermittent "earnedr" asserts (usually 104 and 113). Fixed the display of home run distance in the Game Updates before the pitch was hit when playing in One Pitch Mode. Fixed bug which caused GPF when viewing highlights of simmed games. Fixed Game Updates display to show season-to-date stats on the first plate appearance by a pinch hitter or reliever. Fixed bug which prevented minimized simulations from starting the next day's games. Fixed bug in season stats display in lineup which caused them to be changed to game stats after the second plate appearance. Added pitches thrown to the Pitcher Updates. Added remote league capabilities similar to that of Football Pro. Added check to ensure that end-of-day processing is completed to help prevent "frozen" associations reported by some users. PHYSICS: Fixed a bug in batter swing location determination in Standard batting mode which contributed to the problems with hitting. Changed the optional batting indicator to display green or red if the pitch will be in or out of the strike zone, as an aid to Standard and Advanced batting modes. Fixed the bug which caused safe players to appear out and out players to appear safe. Fixed bug which caused pitchers to warm up and fatigue instantly. Increased ball roll on both turf and grass surfaces. Reduced outfielder delay to allow them to get to more fly balls. Fixed umpires so that they now make calls on close tag plays. Increased the chances of pitcher arm injuries. Fixed bug which allowed pitchers to get COLD during rain delays. Game pitchers should get EXHAUSTED during long rain delays. Increased pitcher endurance to prevent them from tiring too quickly. Fixed position of first baseman in 3D with hold-runner on. Reduced pitch velocity for all players. STADIA, GRAPHICS, & SOUNDS: Improved the frame-rate when using the Static TV camera. Changed the outfield fence in Atlanta to it's proper 10' height from the previous 5' height. Made several modifications to the sound usage in the game to improve the overall response of the crowd to the game as it happens on the field, including several bug fixes where positive sounds were occurring on negative plays and vice versa. Fixed the upside-down VTR sign in Camden. Changed distance to the center field fence at Shea to show it's proper distance (from 408 to 410). Fixed the MUTE options for sounds to completely mute the sounds. Changed the "Crack in the Box" sign in Oakland to "Joke in the Box". Some people considered the original to be offensive. Changed outfield fence labels in Briggs Stadium to be 440 to center, 365 to left-center, and 370 to right-center. Changed the center-field distance in Veterans Stadium to 408 from 402 feet. Changed walls in 3D at Riverfront to their proper green color. Game crowd size is now properly saved in replay tapes. Note that the fixes to replay tapes render tapes made with version 1.0 unusable. Fixed bug which saved the incorrect surface type for replay tapes. Fixed bug which caused the default surface types to be displayed in the Stadium window of simmed games, regardless of selected surface type. Fixed replays to play game sounds (but not crowd sounds). Fixed bug which prevented championship video from playing at the end of the season. FIELD MANAGER AI & ROSTER MANAGEMENT: Fixed bug which allowed players with OUT class (100%) injuries to continue playing in the game. Modified substitution AI to help prevent position players from pitching if there are real pitchers available. Fixed bugs in the manager AI which caused non-sensical intentional walks and sacrifice bunts to be ordered. Changed manage options so that HOLD RUNNER is always on when there is a runner at first with second base open. The menu option is now DON'T HOLD RUNNER and selecting it causes the runner to not be held by the first baseman. Modified manager AI to prevent defensive substitutions except when in Close & Late game situations. Fixed bug in closer usage which caused closers to not be warmed up until they were needed in the game, resulting in setup relievers getting the majority of team saves. Modified substitution AI to cause starting pitchers to have a greater chance of completing games, particularly if throwing a no-hitter or shutout. PLAYER AI: Modified baserunner AI to help reduce the number of runners getting caught in rundowns between first and second base. Modified fielder AI to help reduce the number of missed "swipe" tags. The first baseman now properly resets his position (from hold runner) after a stolen base attempt. Reduced the velocity of fastballs coming from untrained position players to be less than what a pitcher would get from the same AS. Fixed fielder AI to cause the shortstop to cover 2nd on comebackers to the pitcher with a runner on 1st. Forced pitcher control to "pinpoint" when in batting practice, regardless of pitcher fatigue level. Pitchers will still throw each pitch at their rated ability levels. STATISTICAL RESULTS: Fixed bug which incorrectly awarded an error to the catcher on a stolen base. Fixed bug which improperly awarded a stolen base on wild pitches and passed balls. Fixed bug which showed cumulative Win, Loss, Save, and Hold season data for pitchers in box scores of post-season games. Fixed the situational Games Pitched stat to show games pitched instead of pitches thrown. Fixed calculation of saves to properly award the "cheap" save (Rule 10.20 c 1: 1 IP, 3 run lead). HELP & UTILITIES: Made changes to the help file and fixed several missing links. Fixed bug in BBArch which caused a GPF when archiving associations with exactly 32 character names. Fixed bug in BBArch which prevented highlights from being archived when selected. Added Free Agent and Amateur Draft pools to the list of teams in DataIn. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- IV. EXTRA ASSOCIATIONS We have also included the Legends and Stadiums teams for you to enjoy. These files are: cent-fa1.arc cent-fa2.arc central.arc cont-fa1.arc cont-fa2.arc conttal.arc early.arc early-fa.arc You can use the FPS Archival Utility program to restore these archived files. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- V. HOW TO REACH US If you continue to experience any problems, or if you have any questions concerning any of the above steps, our Technical Support Team will be more than happy to assist you. Please call (206) 644-4343 between 8:15 a.m. and 4:45 p.m., Pacific Standard Time, Monday through Friday. We can be reached by Fax at (206) 644-7697, or by mail at the following address: Sierra On-Line P.O. BOX 85006 Bellevue, WA 98015-8506 Attention: Technical Support You can also reach our Technical Support Team on one of the following services: Compuserve GO SIERRA America Online Keyword: Sierra Internet support@sierra.com or http://www.sierra.com Please outline the problems along with the specific information about your computer system, and we will gladly respond to your letter, fax, or BBS message as soon as possible. When contacting us by fax or BBS please allow 24-48 hours for turnaround. During weekends or holidays, there may be some delays. To better serve our European customers with technical problems and disk replacements, Sierra U.K Customer Support or Coktel Customer Support can be reached at the following address: Sierra On-Line Limited Coktel Vision Unit 2, Theale Technology Centre, Parc Tertiaire de Meudon Station Road Immeuble "Le Newton" Theale, Berkshire RG7 4AA 25 rue Jeanne Braconnier United Kingdom 92366 Meudon La Forêt Cedex Main: (44) 1-734-303171 France Fax : (44) 1-734-303201 Main: (33) 1-46-01-4650 BBS : (44) 1-734-304227 Fax : (33) 1-46-31-7172 Sierra Technical Support provides this documentation as a reference to Sierra customers using Sierra software products. Sierra Technical Support makes reasonable efforts to ensure that the information contained in this documentation is accurate. However, Sierra makes no warranty, either express or implied, as to the accuracy, effectiveness, or completeness of the information contained in this documentation. SIERRA ON-LINE, INC. DOES NOT WARRANTY OR PROMISE THAT THE INFORMATION HEREIN WILL WORK WITH ANY OR ALL COMPUTER SYSTEMS. SIERRA DOES NOT ASSUME ANY LIABILITY, EITHER INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL, FOR THE USE OF THE INFORMATION HEREIN, INCLUDING ANY AND ALL DAMAGE TO OR LOST USE OF COMPUTER HARDWARE OR SOFTWARE PRODUCTS, LOSS OF WARRANTIES, OR LOST DATA BY THE CUSTOMER OR ANY THIRD PARTY. NO ORAL OR WRITTEN INFORMATION OR ADVICE GIVEN BY SIERRA, ITS EMPLOYEES, DISTRIBUTORS, DEALER OR AGENTS SHALL CHANGE THE RESTRICTION OF LIABILITY OR CREATE ANY NEW WARRANTIES. IN NO CASE SHALL SIERRA'S LIABILITY EXCEED THE PURCHASE PRICE OF THE SIERRA SOFTWARE PRODUCT.