Software Vault: The Gold Collection/Software Vault - The Gold Collection (American Databankers) (1993).ISO/cdr14/campbas2.zip/BASEBALL.DOC

Text File | 1993-05-11 | 18KB | 342 lines

                            CAMPAIGN BASEBALL

                    (C) Copyright 1993 Robert R. Gibson

INITIAL LEGAL INFO:
    This software package is distributed as Shareware.  If you decide that
you like it, play more than twenty or thirty games, or don't like it but
want to encourage me anyway, you should register this software.
Registration also allows you to use programs in the package that you would
not otherwise be able to use.  For more information on registration,
please see below or read the file register.doc.
    No person or company has the rights to distribute this program for
profit, except by my express written consent.  This program may be
distributed for the cost of the disk used to distribute it, however.
    I encourage users to distribute this software freely.
    Anyone distributing this software must include all the files in the
package (a file list is included, below) in unmodified form.
    This software is distributed as is.  Use it at your own risk.  No
guarantees are expressed or implied, and Robert R. Gibson cannot be held
liable for any problems or damages resulting from the software.


FILE LIST:
    This package should include the following files:

(The following files should be in a "main" directory.)
    BASEBALL.EXE, PLAYERS.EXE, SCHEDULE.EXE, TRADE.EXE, VIEWSTAT.EXE,
    VIEWREC.EXE, VIEWBOX.EXE, CONVERT.EXE, REGISTER.EXE

    BASEBALL.DOC, REGISTER.DOC

(These files should be in a subdirectory named "basesave".);
    AL_TEAMS.SAV, NL_TEAMS.SAV, AL.SCH, NL.SCH, PITCHERS.DAT,
    AL_EAST.SPC, AL_WEST.SPC, NL_EAST.SPC, NL_WEST.SPC,
    PITCHERS.OAL, BATTERS.OAL, PITCHERS.ONL, BATTERS.ONL,
    PITCHERS.NAL, BATTERS.NAL, PITCHERS.NNL, BATTERS.NNL,
    AL.PLY, NL.PLY, WORLDSER.IES,
    AL_EAST.REC, AL_WEST.REC, NL_EAST.REC, NL_WEST.REC,
    AL_PLAY.REC, NL_PLAY.REC, WS.REC


INTRODUCTION: (but not an overview)
    Almost a year ago, I said, "I will write a baseball game."
Encouraged by my baseball fan(atic) buddy Gil and my late-night,
C-programmin', bean-burrito-eatin' buddy Eric, I worked for several
months on the C code, then stopped for a few months, then finished
the project.  (While I'm mentioning helpers, thanks also to my brother,
Todd, who helped with some of the playtesting.)  Well, brought it to a
stopping point, at least.  There are about a million features I would
love to add on to the game.  And I would love to hear any suggestions
you might have.
    I had originally planned to spend a few weeks writing the game,
and wound up spending almost a year.  During the course of that year,
I also bought a new computer so that I could compile the code in less
than one day.  So far, I am almost one year and $1700 in debt over this
game.

    You will probably want to play with some other people.  Each of you
can choose teams that you will play.  If you are a registered user, you
can trade players between teams at your whim.  You may even wish to make
a lot of trades before the season begins, in order to set up some choice
teams.  Having a lot of good players is very helpful, although, as in
real baseball, it certainly doesn't guarantee victory.
    You can also play games against the computer.  In fact, you can have
the computer play against itself-- an impressive sight.  The computer
plays quite well in single games, although it's not quite as good with
long-term strategy.


OVERVIEW: (but not really an introduction)
    The game comes with statistics generated for all the players on all
the teams.  Files with endings like ".oal" and ".onl" contain stats
from "last season."  Files ending in ".nal" and ".nnl" contain the
stats for the season which you will play.  As the season progresses,
these stats will be updated.  A player's "actual stats," or the level at
which he plays, are a combination of the stats from last season and the
stats from the current season.  The more games you play, the more a
player's "actual stats" will depend on the stats for the current season.
    If you are a registered user, you can use the program "PLAYERS.EXE"
to generate a whole new set of players with new stats and names.

    The game also comes with a pregenerated baseball schedule.  You can
generate other schedules with the program "SCHEDULE.EXE".  This program
will also let you choose between playing with or without expansion NL
teams (Rockies and Marlins).
    There are four possible season lengths that you can choose with
SCHEDULE.EXE: 13 games, 65 games, 130 games, or 162 games per team.
You should do a little math before you choose 130 or 162 games per team,
to see just how long the season will take to play.  13 games makes a nice
season, because each team will play each other team exactly once.  If
you're really serious about playing, I recommend the 65 games option.

    After all the regular season games have been played, the game will
direct you to play various post-season games.  First tie-breaking games
will be played (if necessary) to determine who goes to the playoffs.
Then all the AL Playoff games will be played, then all the NL Playoff
games, then the World Series games.  If you are playing with a lot of
other people, I suggest you have them all around (have a party, or
something) at this time, because you can't control the order in which
the postseason games are played.


HOW TO PLAY "CAMPAIGN BASEBALL:"
    In general, directions are either printed on the game screens, or
you can press F1 to access a help screen.  What follows here is just a
preview of what to expect.
    When you run the program "BASEBALL.EXE," you will be given a choice
between playing an AL or an NL game, unless the regular season has
been completed, in which case the next game will be chosen for you.
Then you will be given the opportunity to choose the game in the current
series which you want to play.
    On the next screen to appear, you can choose to have the computer
play one or both teams.  Pressing "1" or "2" will cause the word
"COMPUTER" to appear next to the away or home team, respectively,
signifying (obviously) that the computer will play that team for the
current game.

    After this point, the keyboard splits into two sides.  The home team
uses the numeric keypad, and the away team uses a less glamorous simulated
numeric keypad fashioned from the w,e,r,s,d,f,z,x,c keys.  For some reason,
the C routine bioskey() does not recognize keypad 5.  Instead of keypad 5,
I used the insert key.  That means that the "middle" key, which is "D" on
the left side, is "INSERT" on the right.  I hope to fix this in future
versions.  I suspect that there is a glitch in the C routines.  (Does
anyone have an explanation for this?  I would greatly appreciate it.)
    To choose pitchers and lineups (the next step in playing a game),
use the up/right/left/down arrows or e/f/s/x keys to choose the player
you want, and then "ENTER" to select him.  You also choose positions
for the players in the same way.  When possible, try to put players at
positions for which they are rated "Good" or "Very Good."  Otherwise,
they may make a lot of errors.  You may wish to make mutually beneficial
trades to get good players for each position on a team.
    Each team has 14 batters and 10 pitchers.  Note that the first five
pitchers on a team roster are starters, the next three are middle
relievers, and the final two are short relievers.  Relievers tire much
quicker than starters, so you will probably want to choose a starter
from the first five pitchers listed.
    At any time while you are choosing pitchers and a batting lineup,
you can press F5 to switch between the display of this season's and last
season's stats.

    The game is played thusly:  the pitcher chooses the pitch type,
speed, and location he desires.  Note that the ball will not always end
up in the location that the pitcher wants.  As pitchers tire, they will
become wilder and wilder.  The batter simultaneously chooses the pitch
type, speed, and location he is expecting.  The more closely the batter
anticipates the pitch thrown, the better chance he has of taking a ball
or getting a hit.
    Each side has a META key.  The META key is "DELETE" on the right side,
or "V" on the left.  Pressing the META key twice will undo all the
choices you have made for the current pitch.  Use this if you make a
mistake.  This will also undo any commands to bunt or steal.
    Additionally, the batter may use the META key to perform other actions.
Pressing the META key and then pressing "INSERT" (on the right) or "D" (on
the left) will cause the batter to attempt a bunt.  Pressing the META key
and then pressing keypad 6 (on the right) or "F" will signal a runner on
first to attempt a steal.  Pressing META key then keypad 8 (on the right)
or "E" (on the left) will signal a runner on second to steal.  Pressing
keypad 4 (on the right) or "S" (on the left) will signal a runner on third
to steal.
    Note that you MUST send runners in the proper order.  A runner on
first will not take off if there is a runner on second, unless you have
already given the runner on second the command to run (META + keypad 8/E).
    These key combinations may sound confusing, but they are intended to
preserve secrecy.  When you choose to bunt or steal, no indication will
be given to the defensive team.

The keys representing pitches are:
    keypad 8/"E" == fastball
    keypad 6/"F" == slider
    keypad 4/"S" == curveball
    keypad 2/"X" == changeup
    INSERT/"D" == trick pitch

The keys representing pitch speeds are:
    keypad 8/"E" == fast speed
    INSERT/"D" == normal speed
    keypad 2/"X" == slow speed

The keys representing pitch locations are:
    keypad 9/"R" == up and inside
    keypad 8/"E" == up
    keypad 7/"W" == up and outside
    keypad 6/"F" == inside
    INSERT/"D" == central
    keypad 4/"S" == outside
    keypad 3/"C" == low and inside
    keypad 2/"X" == low
    keypad 1/"Z" == low and outside

Other keys may be used during the course of the game:
    F2 to make pitcher or batter substitutions.  Note that players cannot
be substituted arbitrarily.  Pitchers must face a batter, for example,
before being removed.
    F4 switches between normal and expanded box scores.  The expanded box
score will show innings beyond the ninth.
    keyboard + or keyboard - will scroll through an expanded box score.
    F5 to switch between this game's and this season's stats, which are
displayed in the pitcher and batter windows.
    Backspace scrolls backward through the play-by-play window, so that you
can see important information that may have scrolled past.
    Slash ('\') scrolls forward through the play-by-play window.

    At the end of a game, the stats for the current season will be updated,
and a box and line score will be produced (which you can look at with
BOXVIEW.EXE if you are a registered user).


ADDITIONAL NOTES:
    I strongly recommend that you play this game from a hard disk, and
with a disk cache installed.  Because of the large amount of statistics-
shuffling in the game, a large amount of disk access is required.  I have
not optimized the disk routines for speed, in order to preserve flexibility,
and, more importantly, keep the program small enough for users who do not
have a lot of memory space.  This should prevent you from having to
uninstall all your TSR's every time you play.  In future versions, I will
probably try to speed things up a bit, though.

    Pitcher fatigue is a very important factor.  During the course of a
game, pitchers will tire out and throw worse.  Keep an eye on your
pitchers to avoid heartbreaks!  Throwing more "fast" pitches will cause
a pitcher to tire faster, although simply throwing regular-speed
fastballs will not.

    Pitchers also remain tired for several games after they pitch.  This
can prevent them from pitching effectively if they are brought in while
tired.

    Just as in real baseball, a pitcher may have good or bad stuff when
he enters a game.  Even the worst pitcher may have a good day.  A pitcher's
stuff decays as he tires.

    Some pitchers are better at throwing some pitches.  VIEWSTAT.EXE
will show you what pitches a pitcher is skilled at throwing.  Some
pitchers may be very good at throwing specific pitches.

    It's probably a good idea to use VIEWSTAT.EXE to make printouts of
rosters for teams that you are interested in.  That way, you can have
all the stats you need handy at all times during a game.

    Box scores for games are saved in a file called "boxscore" in the
basesave directory.  If you're not interested in seeing box scores,
keep deleting this file, as it will be expanded after every game, and
can grow pretty large.

    PLEASE back up your basesave directory frequently!

PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS:
    If there are no directions explicitly on the screen while you are
using any of these programs, you can probably get help by pressing F1.

    BASEBALL.EXE is the main program.  It plays the games.
    PLAYERS.EXE produces a new set of players, with "zeroed" current-
season stats.  It is possible to change all the players in the middle
of a season, because PLAYERS.EXE runs independently of any scheduling
data.
    SCHEDULE.EXE starts a new season with the present players.  You
can choose seasons of varying lengths, and also whether or not to include
expansion teams in your games.  To really start a new season, you would
want to run both PLAYERS.EXE and SCHEDULE.EXE.
    TRADE.EXE allows you to trade players between any two teams (or even
to "reorder" the players on a single team by trading within the team).
Two windows are shown, one for each team involved.  You can select the
players that you want, then trade the two players in the windows.
    VIEWSTAT.EXE displays all the pertinent stats for players on a team,
including positions they play well and good pitches.  You can also print
out a team roster to your printer.
    VIEWREC.EXE shows you the season (and postseason) records of the
various teams, in the same format you see in the newspaper (games behind,
and all that).  You can also print out the season and postseason records
to your printer.
    VIEWBOX.EXE displays box and line scores for all the games played.
Again, you can print out these box scores on your printer.  To display
the line score, press the INSERT key.  You can press F1 to get help
in this program.
    CONVERT.EXE is a nifty tool that lets you use the players from this
season as players for "next" season.  That is, after you finish a season
with a group of players, you can run SCHEDULE.EXE and CONVERT.EXE to start
a new season.  The players for this new season will have the "last season"
statistics of the season you just played, and will have "zeroed" new
season stats.  This way you can preserve a sense of continuity between
seasons.  However, be warned that the stats may end up unstable and get
ridiculous after a while.
    REGISTER.EXE is the program you use to register this software.  If
you register the package with me (see below), I will send you a code
number that you can enter with REGISTER.EXE.  Once you have done that,
the baseball software will be registered once and for all, and you will
be able to use all the programs.


REGISTRATION:
    If you like this software, and want to give me much encouragement to
improve it and write more programs, I humbly suggest that you send me
ten dollars.
    One of the reasons I am releasing this game as shareware is that this
medium allows me to get more response from you, the user.  I have bought
several computer games from stores that were extremely disappointing.
All packaging and no programming.  It's frustrating to think that those
people (the distributors, actually, and probably not the programmers) are
making money from the fact that they TRICK you into buying their programs.
    If you don't like this program, let me know why.  Especially if you
have some suggestions that you think would make the program great fun for
you to play.  I personally have several ideas that I would love to add, but
if it doesn't look like anyone is interested, I probably won't be either,
to be honest.  Eventually, maybe this program can evolve into something
totally unique and wonderful.
    If you have problems running the program, please let me know, too.
Please send me as much information as possible-- exactly what you were
doing when the problem happened, other software you were running, etc.

    Once you are a registered user, you will always be a registered user.
You will never have to register future versions, so there is no need to
worry about your registration running out.
    Additionally, I will be more inclined to assist registered users with
problems (registration has its privileges!).  I strongly suggest that you
frequently back up your basesave directory.  Although I've tested this
program a lot, I wouldn't want anything to happen to your season.  Your
entire season could be ruined by simply turning the computer off while
a file is still being written by the program.

    Again, if you like this program, please send $10, along with your
name and address (so that I can send you your registration information)
to:
        Robert R. Gibson
        P.O. Box 8398
                Ann Arbor, MI   USA
                    48107-8398

    This address will be good at least through August of 1993, and should
be good through December of 1993.  After that, it might be best to look
for an updated version of the game with a newer address, although the
post office has told me they'll cheerfully forward my mail for the
following year.
    I intend to be writing much more software in months/years to come.
I would like to keep a database of registered users to whom I could mail
information about new programs, releases, etc.  If you would NOT like to
receive such mail, please let me know.

Thanks very much!
Rob Gibson