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*** B-BALL *** Pro Basketball for the Computer 1992-93 SINGLE GAME VERSION INSTRUCTION MANUAL Copyright (C) 1989-1993 by BOBBALL, Inc. Data and programming files copyright (C) 1989-1993 by BOBBALL, Inc. All Rights Reserved Instruction Manual Sections: 1 - Introduction to B-BALL 2 - Starting a Game 3 - Manually Played Game (Human Coach) 4 - Substitution Screen (Manually Played Game) 5 - Defensive Assignment Screen (Manual Game) 6 - Passing (Manual Game) 7 - Automatic Passing (Manual Game) 8 - Other Game Commands 9 - Computer Played Teams (Computer Mode) 10 - Computer Played Substitution Patterns 11 - Drafting Teams 12 - Copying a Pro Team to a Draft League 13 - Copying a Pro League to a Draft League 14 - Team Possessions 15 - Starting a Team Possession 16 - Three Point Shots 17 - Fatigue Factor 18 - The Statistics Menu 19 - The Game Scoreboard 20 - The Player Statistics/Ratings Screen 21 - Changing Game Default Settings 22 - Managing Leagues 23 - The B-BALL Software - Support 24 - B-BALL License Agreement 25 - The Shareware Concept B-BALL SINGLE GAME VERSION FILE EXPLANATIONS: The following files are included with the "B-BALL Pro Basketball for the Computer" program, (i.e. the B-BALL Single Game Version): LEAGUE.TXT contains listings of pro seasons to choose from COMMANDS.TXT lists commands that can be used while playing the game REGISTER.DOC for shareware users to register the program ORDERFRM.DOC for users to order the program and teams SGV.DOC a short text file explaining the single game version READSGV.BAT a batch file to execute README.SGV SHAREWAR.DOC a text file explaining the shareware concept INSTRUCT.DOC the B-BALL Single Game Version instructions FILES.DOC lists all of the program files BBALL.MCC registration information PRO*.LGE pro team name listings PRO*.CDE pro team three letter code listings PRO*.DIV pro team division listings SGV.EXE the B-BALL Single Game Version executable file DELDFT.EXE a small utility for deleting temporary draft teams INSTALL.EXE the installation program ONEGAME.BAT a batch file that starts the program, executes SGV.EXE BBALL.BAT a batch file, same as ONEGAME.BAT CONFIG.DAT configures files to start the program *.92 the 1991-92 team files *.92S the 1991-92 team statistics files BBALL command to start the B-BALL Single Game Version ONEGAME another command to start the B-BALL Single Game Version SEASON command to start the B-BALL Full Season Version PREDICT command to start the B-BALL Daily Games Version 1-INTRODUCTION TO B-BALL: B-BALL Pro Basketball for the Computer is an extremely statistically accurate computer simulation of professional basketball. It is based on the final regular season statistics from previous pro basketball seasons (the most recent being the 1992-93 pro basketball season). Players will perform just as they did in real life with some variation due to your coaching decisions. You can play the actual pro teams versus one another or draft players to form your own all-star teams and play them against the pro teams or against each other. Aside from playing the pro teams as a single league you can also set up individual leagues composed of teams of drafted players. Players on any single drafted team can all be drafted from the same pro season or from different pro seasons. You can have up to 28 drafted teams per any single draft league and over 40 different leagues composed of drafted teams. B-BALL Pro Basketball is very accurate statistically. Each player file is based on that player's regular season statistics and also his team's statistics. More importantly, each player is rated not only for what he did once he got the ball (i.e. shoot, pass, get fouled, or turn the ball over), but also for how often he handled the ball (his possession factor). B-BALL is designed to give you the versatility of coaching a pro or drafted team in any way you desire. In MANUAL MODE (i.e. human coach) you can choose the starting five for one of the pro teams or a drafted team, make player substitutions, change defensive assignments, even dictate who to pass the ball to in many situations. In COMPUTER MODE (i.e. computer coach) the computer plays one or two pro or drafted teams according to set substitution patterns that you can change at the beginning of the game. In these substitution patterns players will automatically substitute at four or six minute intervals (each 1/3 or 1/2 quarter) and you can easily alter the pattern to play any players in any four or six minute span you desire. If when having the computer play a team (COMPUTER MODE) you choose to pause the scrolling play-by-play narrative text between the team possessions you then have the option, for that team, of switching back to MANUAL MODE (human coach) at any point during the game by typing CTRL-S (hold down the CTRL key and at the same time type the S key) at any pause between the team possessions. This is great for playing games computer vs. computer up through the 3rd or 4th quarter and then finishing the game manually. You can also play MANUAL MODE (human coach) but with all of your team's passing and starting of possessions being performed by the computer (in the manual mode with "automatic" passing) by typing "auto" at the ">" prompt on the B-BALL game screen, then pressing the <ENTER> key, at any time during a game. In this mode you are truly coaching as you have no control over passing but still make player substitutions, change defensive assignments, call timeouts, press full court, double team an opponent, etc. 2-STARTING A GAME: To begin the B-BALL program from DOS type "BBALL" or "ONEGAME" at the DOS prompt and press <ENTER>. To begin a game type "L" for League menu at the GAME MENU screen to get to the LEAGUE MENU screen. At the LEAGUE MENU screen type "C" for Choose League. To choose a league you must type in a seven character league code. All of the pro league codes are seven characters long. Notice that the seven dashed lines "-------" disappear as you type in a league code to remind you that the code must be 7 characters long. As an example, after typing PRO9091, the teams for the 1990-91 pro season appear in the upper portion of the LEAGUE MENU screen. Should you mistype your league selection, the seven dashes will reappear after typing seven characters so that you can re-enter a league code. Once you have chosen and accessed a league, type "R" to return to the GAME MENU screen. Type "H" to choose a home team, then type in the three letter code of a team. Type "V" to choose a visiting team, and again a three letter code of a team. You do not need to press <ENTER> after typing in a team's three letter code. Type "G" to begin a manually played game. To begin a computer played game, type "C", choose the computer to play the home, visitors, or both ("H", "V", or "B"), yes or no for the pauses between the team possessions, then "G" to start the game. Once you type "G" to start the game, type "H" to use the home court advantage or "N" for a neutral court. To play a game between two teams in two different leagues (or different seasons) such as a PRO9091 team versus a draft league team or a PRO9091 team versus a PRO8990 team, first choose the league of one team by typing "L" and then the league code, choose the team as home or visitors and then type in the team's three letter code, then choose the other league by again typing "L", the league code, and select the other team. If you form a league of drafted teams that has a league code LESS then seven characters long you must type over the remainder of the seven dashes by pressing the <SPACE BAR> once for each remaining dash. Thus if you had a draft league called the AABL, to access the league after typing "C" for the choose league function you would type AABL and press the <SPACE BAR> three times to delete the remaining dashes. 3-MANUALLY PLAYED GAME (human coach): In a manually played game, after first choosing two teams, pressing "G" to start the game, and choosing whether or not to use the home court advantage, the first screen to appear is the SUBSTITUTION SCREEN. Here you can choose and insert your starting lineup. The next screen to appear is the DEFENSIVE ASSIGNMENT SCREEN. Here you can assign a man-to-man defense, double team an opponent, or press fullcourt. These screens can also be viewed during a game at any timeout or dead ball situation (after fouls or turnovers where play has been stopped). From either screen you can also view your players ratings for the actual pro season or statistics from the game presently being played. The screen that follows this defensive assignment screen is the GAME SCREEN from which the game is actually played. NOTE: During the actual playing of the game at the GAME SCREEN all commands are entered at the ">" prompt on the game screen followed by pressing the <ENTER> key. All of these commands are shown as upper case letters in these instructions with quotes for clarity, however during the game you can enter them as upper or lower case (and without the quotes). 4-SUBSTITUTION SCREEN (manually played game): At the substitution screen the 5 players currently in the game are listed at the top left hand corner of the screen. To the right of these 5 players are listed the 5 players of the opposing team currently in the game. The five single key functions that you can use at this screen are listed at the upper right hand corner and are: A. Add a Player M. Move a Player P. Player ratings G. Game statistics L. Leave Once you are in the substitution screen, to insert a player into the team lineup at the top left hand corner of the screen, type "A" (for add a player). When the computer asks what number player to add simply type the number you see next to the name of the player you wish to add and press <ENTER>. Then type the position you want the player to play: "C" for center, "SF" for strong (power) forward, "WF" for weak (small) forward, "SG" for shooting guard, and "PG" for point guard and again press <ENTER>. That player is then inserted into the game lineup while the player whose name was covered over is taken out of the game. To move a player type "M". When you move a player to a new position the player who was at that position (the player whose name is covered over by the moved player's name) is taken out of the game and the position the moved player was originally at is then open and must have a player added to it. This move procedure is useful when a player is shooting free throws and thus cannot be taken out of the game but you would like to take out a player who plays one position, move the free throw shooter to that position, and then add a player to the position the free throw shooter had originally occupied. In the lower portion of the screen where the team roster is listed an asterisk (*) appears next to the names of those players currently in the game. A pound sign (#) appears next to any player who has fouled out of the game (or who has 6 or more fouls if you are using the "No Foul Out" rule). An exclamation point (!) appears next to any player who has reached his fatigue factor. This section of the screen also lists the players positions played most often, their height, possession factor, and their regular season 2PT and 3PT field goal percentages. The last three columns list the individual player's minutes played, personal fouls committed, and decreasing fatigue factor of the current game being played, i.e. they change based on what each player does during that particular game. To see a current box score of the game you are playing type "G" and to see your team's individual players ratings screens type "P". To leave these screens and return to the substitution screen press any key. To leave the substitution screen and continue to the defensive assignment screen type "L". 5-DEFENSIVE ASSIGNMENT SCREEN (manual game): At the defensive assignment screen the 5 opposing players on offense are listed at the top left hand corner of the screen and are guarded on defense by those players listed to the right across from them. Defensively the computer will automatically match your C against your opponent's C, your SF against your opponent's SF, etc. in a man-to-man defense. To change these defensive assignments, type "M" for a man-to-man defense or "D" for a double teaming defense. After typing "M" for a man-to-man defense the computer will ask you which of your players will guard the opposing C, SF, etc. Just type in the position of your player (C, SF, WF, SG, or PG) and press <ENTER>. Realistically a player should be matched up against opponents of comparable height or guard the opposing player of the same position or of a position one above or one below his position (with the order of average player height from tallest on down being C, SF, WF, SG, and PG) except for the PG who can also guard a WF. (The players heights are listed at the bottom of this defensive assignment screen or you can also display the players ratings screens to list player heights). In other words, when setting up your man-to-man defense, a SF can guard a SF, C, or WF but not a SG or PG and a PG or SG should not guard a SF or C. These latter matchups will occur many times throughout each game you play as a result of numerous defensive switches (when defenders switch positions on the game screen) and any mismatch advantages or disadvantages are accounted for then. The substitution screen does not, however, prevent you from setting up a man-to-man defense with mismatches. If you set up a blatant mismatch (such as a 6'0" PG versus a 7'0" C) against a computer played team the computer does NOT know who to assign the advantage to. Only when there is a defensive switch during the course of a game does the computer understand that there is a mismatch and to assign an advantage to one player or the other, so use common sense when setting up man-to-man defenses against computer played teams. To have your team press full court type "P". A full court press increases your opponent's chances of turning the ball over while increasing your chances of fouling. The lower your players defensive FG%s are (i.e. better defensive players - see the player ratings screens) the more effective your press will be, however the longer you employ a full court press during a game the quicker your players will foul out. You cannot double team a player in the game while your team is pressing full court. Type "D" for a double teaming defense. The computer will ask you which of your players will guard the opposing C, SF, etc. similar to when assigning a man to man defense. Just type in the position of your players and press <ENTER>. However, to leave an opposing player open (unguarded), type "O" for open (the letter O, not the number zero 0). After typing in player positions and leaving one (or more) opponents open, the computer will then ask which opposing player you wish to double team for each defender who has not been assigned a player to guard. Then type in that opponent's position and press <ENTER>. A double teamed player's FG% decreases by 5% and his possession factor decreases by one (except a zero who remains a zero). The open player's FG% increases by 5% and his possession factor becomes a 3 (since he is open) and because he is open he also has the option of immediately shooting the ball if he gets it. If the open player gets the ball, a "Shoot or try to Pass (S/P)?" prompt will appear. Typing an "S" at this prompt will always result in a shot being taken by the open player but the open player will follow his normal tendencies when you type "P". In other words a player who normally shoots alot will more than likely shoot rather than pass if he is left unguarded during a double teaming situation even if you type "P". 6-PASSING (manual game): In B-BALL not only can you coach a team by making all player substitutions, changing player defensive assignments, calling timeouts, etc. but you can also dictate who to pass the ball to in many situations just as if you were the player in the game handling the ball. However you can't ALWAYS pass the ball to the player of your choice. Passing the ball is influenced (and sometimes restricted) by the possession factors of your team's players. The possession factor (PF) is a number (0, 1, 2, or 3) that measures a player's ability to handle, or control, the ball during the course of a game. Simply put, the more a player handled the ball on offense in real life, the higher his PF is. Each player is rated as a ball handler with a PF of either 0, 1, 2, or 3. Players with PFs equal to 0 handle the ball very little on offense and player's with PFs equal to 3 handle the ball on offense the most. The more a player shot, passed, got fouled, and turned the ball over during the time he played in real life, the greater his PF is. Thus this number also reflects a player's ability to get open to receive a pass since receiving a pass leads to another shot, pass, foul, or turnover. The greater a player's PF is, the greater are his chances for creating an opportunity for himself or a teammate to score. During a game being played with manual passing, a PF is listed at the beginning of each line of play-by-play narrative text when a pass is about to be thrown. This listed PF means that those teammates (of the player about to pass the ball) with PFs greater than or equal to the listed PF are open at that particular moment to receive a pass. You as coach can have the player handling the ball pass it to any teammate that has a PF GREATER THAN OR EQUAL TO the listed PF (because they are open), but NOT to a player with a PF less (because they are not open at that particular moment). Simply type in the position (C, SF, WF, SG, or PG) or the position number (PG=1, SG=2, WF=3, SF=4, and C=5) of the player whom you wish to pass the ball to at the ">" prompt and press <ENTER>. If you try to pass the ball to a player with a PF less than the listed PF it will NOT be accepted by the computer and the game will not continue until a player with a PF greater than or equal to the PF shown is typed in. As an example, let's say you are playing the Los Angeles Lakers and the following players are on the floor: pos player PF --- ------------------- -- C Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 1 SF A.C. Green 0 WF James Worthy 2 SG Byron Scott 2 PG Magic Johnson 3 If PG Magic Johnson threw a pass listed as a PF 2, you could have Magic pass the ball to your choice of either WF James Worthy (PF=2) or SG Byron Scott (PF=2), because both are open at that moment, but not to C Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (PF=1) or SF A.C. Green (PF=0), because both are not open at that moment and Jabbar's and Green's PFs are less then 2. If the pass Magic was about to throw was listed as a PF 1, you could have Magic pass the ball to anyone but Green. If Magic threw a pass listed as a PF 0, you could pass the ball to any teammate (your choice) because at that moment all four of Magic's teammates were open to receive a pass. If Magic threw a pass listed as a PF 3, since there is no teammate with a PF as high as a 3, the computer would randomly choose one of Magic's four teammates to receive the pass, and you would not see the line of narrative text begin with "PF 3 Magic passes to...". It would simply read "Magic passes to...". During the playing of B-BALL on the game screen all player possession factors are located in the column just to the right of the players' positions (C, SF, WF, SG, PG) and just to the left of the players' names on the "offense" side of the game screen so that they can be easily read when manual passing is in effect. Most PGs have PFs = 3 since they handle the ball on most of their team's offensive possessions. However, any SG, WF, SF, or C, with a PF = 3 is usually a superstar player - a great passer or a great scorer or both - who handles the ball many times on offense. All players with PFs = 0 are either inside scorers with limited outside shooting and passing ability, defensive specialists that are hardly involved in a team's offense, or good rebounders with limited offensive skills, i.e. players who just don't handle the ball very often on offense. They usually have limited dribbling ability and usually score only after receiving passes at or near the basket or after getting an offensive rebound. Thus a pass listed as a PF = 0 (whether you pass the ball to a player with a PF = 0 or with a PF greater) can be thought of as a pass to a player when he is in a good position to score as the pass is creating an opportunity for him to score. In a manually played game there is a disadvantage in playing a number of players who are poor ball handlers (i.e. who all have low possession factors) at the same time. Each time you see the computer passing the ball between players where you did NOT have the option of choosing which player to pass the ball to (as in the above example where Magic had the ball and the listed PF was a PF 3) the computer was searching for a player with a PF greater than those that were available. If the PFs of all of the teammates of the player passing the ball are LESS than the PF the computer is searching for, the computer randomly chooses one of the player's four teammates to receive the pass, with the choice being weighted towards the players with the higher PFs. As an example, if your PG has a PF=3 and throws a pass for a PF=2, but your SG, WF, SF, and C all have PFs= 0 or 1, the computer randomly chooses one of them to receive the pass. Thus if you put on the court a PG who has a PF=3 and four teammates who all have PFs=0, then each time your PG has the ball and the computer is looking to pass it to a player with a PF of either 1, 2, or 3, then the computer will randomly choose one of the four teammates to receive the pass. Only when the computer is looking to pass the ball to a player with a PF=0 will you have the option to choose who receives the pass. The disadvantage then is that by playing many players who are poor ball handlers (players with low PFs) you will often NOT have the choice of who to pass the ball to because these players with lower PFs have a tougher time getting open to receive a pass. Also, players who are good passers will more often be able to pass the ball to teammates with lower PFs than will players who are not good passers, i.e. the best assist men will be able to get the ball to their teammates who don't handle the ball very often more often than poorer passers. Thus in B-BALL you can dictate most of the time who to pass the ball to similar to as if you were the player handling the ball, however you cannot arbitrarily decide at any one moment who will shoot the ball (as in other computer games). This is also similar to you as coach having your players running set plays or trying to hit the "open" man. However once players get the ball in their hands on offense they will either shoot, pass, get fouled, or turn the ball over in the same proportion as they actually did in real life. 7-AUTOMATIC PASSING (manual game): If you would rather not be so involved in your team's offensive play by dictating individual passes, you can have the computer control all of your team's passing and starting of team possessions while you, as coach, still make player substitutions, player defensive assignments, call timeouts, etc. Simply type "AUTO" (for AUTOMATIC PASSING) at the ">" prompt on the B-BALL game screen before you begin one of your team's possessions (when the first line of the play-by-play narrative text reads "Bring the ball upcourt PG or halfcourt offense HC"), press <ENTER>, then begin the possession manually by typing in the position of a player with a PF = 2 or 3 and pressing <ENTER>. From that point on the computer will conduct all of your team's passing and will start all of your team's possessions. In this mode the game will also play much faster as the computer chooses who to pass to (based on the players actual possession factors, i.e. the higher a player's PF the more passes he will receive) quicker than a human coach could. To change your team back to manual passing from automatic passing type the CTRL-S key combination (hold down the <CTRL> key and at the same time type the "S" key) at the pause between the team possessions. At that point your team will be back in the manual passing mode so you can dictate your team's passing. Keep pressing the CTRL-S key combination until the manual passing is back in effect, i.e. until you see the text stop scrolling. This is great for playing games with automatic passing (or with computer played teams) up through the 3rd or midway through the 4th quarter, then breaking off automatic passing (or computer play) with the CTRL-S key combination to play the remainder of the game with manual passing. When playing B-BALL in the manual mode with manual passing, player's PFs are rounded off to whole numbers (0, 1, 2, or 3), but their actual PFs may be slightly more or less. These actual PFs are used by the computer whenever the computer plays a team or automatic passing is in effect so that over the span of an entire season each player will handle the ball just as often as he did in real life. 8-OTHER GAME COMMANDS: Typing CTRL-S will also shut off computer control of a team being played by the computer WITH pauses between the team possessions similar to the way it turns off automatic passing. These pauses between possessions allow you to read the play-by-play narrative of a game where both teams are being played by the computer (because without the pauses the game plays too quickly to read the text). To break off a game being played by the computer with pauses between the team possessions and returning the game to manual mode you must type CTRL-S just as a team finishes it's possession (i.e. the other team is just about to start their possession). If at first the game does not break off into manual mode, type CTRL-S a few times in sequence to be sure it's typed at the beginning of a team's possession. Once you break off a computer played game to use manual passing you cannot return that game to computer control, i.e. you must finish that game using either manual passing or automatic passing. The speed at which the play-by-play narrative text scrolls in a manually played game can also be adjusted by typing "SLOW", "MEDIUM", or "FAST" at the ">" game prompt at the beginning of a team's possession and pressing <ENTER>. To call a time out in manual mode, type "T" at the ">" prompt at the start of your team's possession and press <ENTER>. To call a 20 second time out, type "20" and press <ENTER>. Only one player per team may be substituted for during a 20 second time out. To change defensive assignments of your players after the opposition has scored or after you get a defensive team rebound, type "D" and press <ENTER>. To turn on or off the beep sound made for successful field goals, type "SOUND" and press <ENTER> (if the beep is on, typing SOUND turns it off and if its off it turns it on). To stop the pause in the narrative text scroll and have continuous scrolling, type "SPEED" and press <ENTER>. Also, the scrolling of the play-by-play narrative text will stop in the manual game mode after a maximum of six lines of narrative text has appeared or play has stopped because of a foul or turnover. Just press any key for the game to continue. To stop a game, you can either type "QUIT" at the ">" prompt and press <ENTER>, or type CTRL-Break (hold down the <CTRL> key and at the same time type the <Break> key). Either way all statistics for that game are erased. At the "Substitution or Defensive Changes (Y/N)?" prompt that appears at any dead ball situation, type either "Y" for yes or "N" for no. If you type "Y" for yes the team substitution and defensive assignment screens will appear. The following is a summary of what you can type at the game ">" prompt during the playing of a game with manual passing: "C" or "5" - gets the ball to your Center "SF" or "4" - gets the ball to your Strong (Power) Forward "WF" or "3" - gets the ball to your Weak (Small) Forward "SG" or "2" - gets the ball to your Shooting Guard "PG" or "1" - gets the ball to your Point Guard "WFX" or "3X" - gets the ball to the WF and if the WF shoots, it will be a 3pt shot, not a 2pt shot (also PGX or 1X, SGX or 2X, SFX or 4X, or CX or 5X) "AUTO" - converts game to automatic passing after you manually get the ball to a player "SLOW", "MEDIUM", "FAST" - adjusts the speed of the scrolling play by play narrative text "T" - timeout "20" - 20 second timeout "D" - change your team's defensive setup (only after the other team has scored or after a def team rebound) "SOUND" - to turn on or off the beep sound when a basket is made "SPEED" - to stop the pause after 6 lines of play-by-play text and have continuous scrolling "QUIT" - abort the game and return to DOS "RULES" - to access the Change Rules Menu during a game, must be typed at the beginning of a team's possession "COLOR" - to access the Change Colors Menu during a game, must be typed at the beginning of a team's possession Remember after each command entered at the ">" prompt you must press the <ENTER> key. To print a hard copy of an order form from within these game instructions, align your printer paper at the top of a page and use the Print Screen key or shift-Pr Scr combination (hold down the shift key while typing the Print Screen key) or you can print the complete instructions which has the order form as it's last page. If you choose a team to play in a game by typing in its 3 letter code and the message "TEAM NOT FOUND...PRESS ANY KEY" appears, you do not have that team on your diskette or hard drive. To get a listing of which teams you do have you must go into DOS. All pro team files are stored by the team nickname (the 8 letter file name) and year (the 3 letter file extension). Thus the Boston Celtics of 1990-91 are stored on the diskette as "CELTICS.91" and "NETS.78" would be the New Jersey Nets of 1977-78. All drafted teams have the filename extension ".DF" thus a drafted team called the Albuquerque Armadillos would be stored as "ARMADILL.DF". Also all statistics files are stored in a similar fashion except an "S" is added to the filename extension. The Celtics 1990-91 statistics file is stored on disk as "CELTICS.91S" and any drafted team would have a statistics file with the extension of ".DFS". Any drafted team with the filename extension of ".DFT" (T for temporary) is a team that was drafted and not saved but was used as a DFA or DFB draft team that you could only play against other teams in that league but was erased once you switched leagues. At the end of every game all of the play-by-play narrative text that was displayed on the game screen during the playing of the game that described the shots, passes, rebounds, steals, turnovers, etc. is stored in a file called "GAMEPLAY.TXT". Using any word processor you can review what happened during that game by scrolling through this file. However once you start a new game this file is erased and replaced by the text of the new (most recently played) game. 9-COMPUTER PLAYED TEAMS (computer mode): You can play two teams manually (manual mode), play one team manually versus the computer, or have the computer play both teams. To play against the computer or to have the computer play both teams, choose home and visiting teams and type "C" for computer played team(s). You can then choose to have the computer play either the home team, visiting team, or both teams by typing either "H", "V", or "B". Again, type "G" to start the game and "H" or "N" for the home court advantage. 10-COMPUTER PLAYED SUBSTITUTION PATTERNS: The first screen to appear after selecting both the home and visiting teams for a game and then choosing either one or both of them to be played by the computer is the team(s) computer played substitution pattern. When the computer plays a team it follows a substitution pattern where the players are automatically substituted for at 4 or 6 minute intervals (your choice). You can change this substitution pattern for a team being played by the computer to play any players in any 4 or 6 minute interval that you desire just before the game actually begins. In this substitution pattern the 1/3 and 1/2 quarters (4 and 6 minute intervals) are lettered A-L and A-H: 6 minute substitution pattern 4 minute substitution pattern qtr 1/2 qtr game minutes played qtr 1/3 qtr game minutes played 1 A 0 - 6 1 A 0 - 4 1 B 6 - 12 1 B 4 - 8 2 C 12 - 18 1 C 8 - 12 2 D 18 - 24 2 D 12 - 16 3 E 24 - 30 2 E 16 - 20 3 F 30 - 36 2 F 20 - 24 4 G 36 - 42 3 G 24 - 28 4 H 42 - 48 3 H 28 - 32 3 I 32 - 36 4 J 36 - 40 4 K 40 - 44 4 L 44 - 48 To change the pattern to insert other players or simply to change which time spans the players are presently in, first choose a 1/2 or 1/3 quarter by typing its letter and press <ENTER>. Then choose the player you want to add by typing his number (1-12) and press <ENTER>. Then add him to the position you want by typing either C, SF, WF, SG, or PG and pressing <ENTER>. Continue this process until you are satisfied with the substitution pattern. Type "X" to leave the screen and continue with the game. NOTE: This procedure does NOT prevent you from inserting the same player more than once into the same 4 or 6 minute time interval (i.e. inserting the same player twice or more at two or more different positions). If you see a player play more than 48 minutes in a game that did not go into overtime you undoubtedly have him playing twice (or more) in the same 4 or 6 minute time period but at different positions. During a game the computer played substitution pattern is altered only when a player fouls out of a game or reaches his fatigue factor, at which point the computer will substitute the NEXT available player on the roster (searching in the order of players 1 through 12) that can play the same position as the player taken out of the game. The computer played substitution pattern for any single team can be changed from the LEAGUE MENU or GAME MENU screen (once you have chosen the league that the team is in) by typing "S" or "U" for change Substitution pattern. Any changes made to a team's substitution pattern at this point are stored when "X" is typed to leave the screen and will remain in effect for that team until you change the pattern again from these menus (i.e. it is that team's default substitution pattern). In a game being played with one or two computer played teams, after "G" is typed to start the game at the GAME MENU screen, the computer played substitution patterns will again appear. Any changes made at this point to the computer played team's substitution pattern are in effect ONLY for that immediate game played. At the next game played for that team you will see that team's default substitution pattern appear once again. To change a team's computer played substitution pattern from 4 to 6 minute or from 6 to 4 minute, type "D" for "game Default settings" at the GAME MENU, then "S" for "change 4 or 6 min sub pattern" at the DEFAULT SETTINGS MENU to get to the CHANGE SUBSTITUTION PATTERN MENU. Here you can change the pattern from 4 to 6 minute or vice versa by typing "A". To save 4 or 6 as the default substitution pattern type "S". Typing "D" at this menu tells you which pattern is currently the default. Note that when you break off a team being played by the computer to play the team manually using the CTRL-S key combination (in a game being played by the computer with pauses between the team possessions) you must complete the remainder of the game with manual passing or automatic passing or both. You cannot return to using a team's computer played substitution pattern once you have initiated manual play. 11-DRAFTING TEAMS: In B-BALL you can create entire leagues composed of teams of players drafted from the actual pro teams. You can draft any 12 pro players onto a single team and play any 5 of them as starters. You can also play a drafted team versus a pro team, another drafted team, even another drafted team in a different draft league against each other. You can even draft players from different pro seasons onto the same draft team and play them together as teammates, or draft players from previously created draft teams. You can also save all of the teams statistics and box scores similar to the way you do for any of the pro leagues. To draft a team first access the LEAGUE MENU, choose a league to draft players from, then type "D" for Draft teams. Type in a first team name of up to 12 characters, press <ENTER>, then a second team name of up to 12 characters and press <ENTER>. The characters you use in the second name must be compatible with DOS filenames so do not use any of the following characters: ? . : \ / * < > , ; = + | [ ] " or a space. These team files are stored in DOS by the team's second name followed by the file extension .DF. To begin drafting players after having chosen a league, type in a pro team three letter code, wait until the team roster appears, then type the letter of the player you wish to draft. If after selecting a team you decide that you do NOT want to draft a player from the team whose roster has appeared, press the <ENTER> key at the "Draft which Player?" prompt, then "Y" or "N" at the "Change Seasons?" prompt, and the "Draft from which team? ---" prompt reappears. Continue this process until you have selected 12 players. Once you have drafted 12 players a "Drafting sequence done...press any key to continue" prompt appears. Simply type any key to continue the draft procedure. Next a "Do you want to CHANGE members of this team (Y/N)?" prompt appears. You now have the option of replacing any player on the team that you just drafted. If you accidently chose a player that you did not want on the team, or simply want to change the order of the players you drafted, you can do so now. Type "Y" for yes or "N" for no. If you type "Y" for yes, then type "Y" or "N" to change (or not to change) the season you are drafting players from, a three letter code of a team to draft a player from, a letter (A-L) for the player you want to draft, and a number (1-12) for the player you want to replace. Once again, continue this process until you are satisfied with the drafted team, then type "N" for no at the "Draft another player (Y/N)?" prompt. You are then asked "Do you want to ERASE, then redraft this team (Y/N)?". Redrafting ERASES the team that you just drafted and starts the drafting procedure over using the same draft team name you typed in. Use this (type "Y" for yes) when you find that after drafting the team you just don't want to save it at all, either as a separate draft league team, or as a temporary draft team to play against a pro league. After typing "Y" for yes the drafting procedure starts over with that same draft team name. Type "N" for no if you are satisfied with the 12 players you have drafted onto the team. You are then asked if you want to SAVE the drafted team. If you choose NOT to save the drafted team you must then designate it as either "A" or "B", i.e. Draft Team A (DFA) or Draft Team B (DFB). You can then play that drafted team against any of the teams in that league that you just drafted players from (the last league to appear on the screen if you swithced leagues to draft players from) but once you switch leagues to play other games and then return to the league you last drafted players from that DFA or DFB team is ERASED. Use this temporary DFA or DFB draft team when you want to "try out" a draft team before saving it to a league. If you choose to SAVE the drafted team you are then asked what league you want the team to join. League codes for leagues composed of drafted teams must be no more than 7 characters long and must be DOS compatible (none of those characters mentioned above). Type in a league code of a preexisting draft league or a new league code and press <ENTER>. If you want your new league code to be less than 7 characters, use the space bar to delete the remaining dashes, i.e. to create a league called ABL, type ABL and press the space bar 4 times. (When you want to play teams in that league, go to the LEAGUE MENU and access the league by typing ABL and pressing the space bar 4 times to delete the remaining dashes). Note that to play a complete season replay for your draft league using the B-BALL Full Season Version you should give your league a 7 character league code. This way you can then copy a complete season replay schedule file for that league (see the B-BALL Full Season Version instructions). Do NOT use the letters "PRO" or "ABA" as the first three letters of a new draft league code as the B-BALL program will try to interpret that new league of drafted teams as a pro league, which it is not. If you do type in a new league code you can then give that new league a league title of up to 30 characters in length. This is for the top line on that league's GAME MENU screen. Type in a league title of 30 characters or less and then press <ENTER> (you do not need to delete the remaining dashes if your title is less then 30 characters). You must also give your new team a 3 letter code. Be sure that this 3 letter code is NOT the same as any other drafted team in that SAME draft league. Be careful when choosing team names and team 3 letter codes for drafted teams. Do not name ANY two drafted teams with the same second name (as these teams are stored in DOS by the second name and creating a second team with the same name as another team overwrites that first team) and do not use the same 3 letter team code or team first name for two teams in the same draft league. In the drafting mode you can draft as many teams as you want and can place a maximum of 28 teams in any one league that you create. You can create as many draft leagues as you desire (as many as will fit on the LEAGUE MENU screen, about 40). NOTE: B-BALL does NOT prevent you from drafting the SAME player onto two different draft teams in the same draft league or even from drafting the same player twice (or more) onto the same team. If you find that you have drafted the same player onto two different teams in the same draft league and do not want that you can delete one of the drafted teams using the MANAGE LEAGUES MENU and redraft it without that player. However, if you so desire, you can draft the same player more than once into the same draft league, even more than once onto the same team, even draft a team composed of 12 of the same player, and play that team against any other drafted or pro team in any league. When drafting a team the computer will place the first player you draft in the Center (C) position in the team's computer played substitution pattern, your second drafted player in the Strong Forward (SF) position, your third in the Weak Forward (WF) position, your fourth in the Shooting Guard (SG) position, and your fifth in the Point Guard (PG) position. Thus if you have a starting five in mind for a team you are about to draft you will save yourself some time in setting up your computer played substitution pattern by drafting your first five players in the order of C first, SF second, WF, then SG, and finally the PG fifth. 12-COPYING A PRO TEAM TO A DRAFT LEAGUE: You can also "draft" an entire pro team to a draft league if you wish. From the LEAGUE MENU type "T" for "copy pro TEAM to draft league". You will then follow the same procedure as for drafting individual players but will "draft" the entire team at one time versus one player. You will be asked to give this team a name similar to when drafting up a team of 12 different players. Be sure, however, when drafting a team such as, say, the 1992-93 Chicago Bulls, not to give the team a team second name of CHI9293, as that is the name used when copying a pro league to a draft league (see next section). Simply give it a team second name of 9293CHI, or 9293Bulls, or something else. The copy a pro league to a draft league procedure always names the teams it copies using the format XXX9293, or XXX7980, with XXX being the team three letter code for each team and the 4th through 7th chracters being the years of the league. 13-COPYING A PRO LEAGUE TO A DRAFT LEAGUE: You can also copy an entire pro league to a draft league. From the same LEAGUE MENU where you draft teams you can type "P" for "copy PRO league to draft league". This function will then make copies of each pro team in that league to a separate league beginning with "DFT" instead of "PRO". Let's say you want to create an entire league exactly like the 1992-93 pro league, but want to change some players on a few teams, or you want to delete a few teams or even add teams. Simply access the LEAGUE MENU from where you draft teams from and type "P". Then type in "PRO9293" when it askes for a league, and a duplicate league called "DFT9293" is created. Each team in this new draft league is then given the same team first name but the second team name is composed of the team three letter code and the year of the team, i.e. the "Chicago Bulls" team name in this newly created league would be the "Chicago CHI9293". You can then, if you wish, use the manage leagues menu to change the team second name. Now you can treat all of the teams in this new "DFT9293" league as draft teams, meaning you can delete some, add others, even draft an all star team and play it against the rest of the league. All of the functions available for draft leagues from the MANAGE LEAGUES MENU can also be used for a "DFT____" league such as "DFT9293". Teams from a "PRO____" league or "ABA____" league cannot be deleted or have players changed from team to team from within the B-BALL program, but exact duplicate leagues can be created using this function for just those purposes. This is done to prevent B-BALL program users who have not made backup copies of their original B-BALL disks from accidently erasing or deleting their only copies of the original team files. Also, if you copy an entire pro league to a draft league, and then would like to make a second copy of that pro league to a second draft league, be sure to first change all of the team second names in that first copied league. In other words, when the first league is copied, all of the teams second names are renamed in the format of "XXX9293", and if you don't change these team second names using the manage leagues menu in this league, and then copy that same pro league to a draft league a second time, the second teams created will copy over the files of the first teams created if the team second names are still the same. If you wish to create more than one draft league from a pro league using the same original pro league, do it in separate subdirectories, i.e. copy the B-BALL software into another subdirectory and then copy it. 14-TEAM POSSESSIONS: A team possession is defined as each time a team has the ball and either scores or loses the ball to the other team. In B-BALL each pro team is rated for how many possessions it averaged per quarter during the regular season (a number between 21 and 33). In any single game the number of possessions played per quarter for that game will be the average of the possessions per quarter of the two teams playing. All teams composed of drafted players play their games at 26 possessions per quarter (the average for the pro teams). 15-STARTING A TEAM POSSESSION: In a game being played with a human coach and manual passing a team possession or out of bounds play can always be started with the PG bringing the ball upcourt (or by a player who has PG listed as one of his positions but normally does not play point guard). This is similar to a fast breaking offense. To give the ball to your point guard to begin your team's possession simply type "PG" or "1" at the ">" prompt and press the <ENTER> key. Running a slow down half court offense (HC) is also an option to start your team's possession where you can start, at most, every other of your team's possessions with any player, other than your PG, who has a PF=2 or 3. Simply type "HC" at the ">" prompt, press <ENTER>, and a list of players other than your PG who have PFs=2 or 3 will appear. Choose one to start the possession by typing his position or position number ("SG" or "2", "WF" or "3", "SF" or "4", or "C" or "5") and then pressing <ENTER>. In a manually played game a player with a PF=0 or 1 cannot start a team possession. Thus, starting a team possession with your PG (fast breaking offense) is possible every possession and starting with a player other than your PG who has a PF=2 or 3 (half court offense) is possible every other possession. You can also start an out of bounds play the same way or type "R" (for Random) where the computer randomly chooses a player with the choice being weighted towards the players with the higher possession factors. NOTE: If, in a MANUALLY played game with manual passing, you attempt to put a player at the PG position who has a PF= 0 or 1 the game will not continue if that player ends up having to start your team possession. You will then have to call a time out and replace that player with one who has a PF= 2 or 3. If you are out of time outs the game will have to be aborted (CTRL-Break). The point guard position MUST be occupied by a player who handles the ball often in a game being played with manual passing and thus the player must have a PF= 2 or 3. During a game being played by the computer with automatic passing the computer will search the five players in the game for a player(s) with a PF= 2 or 3 to start each possession and thus could have anyone at the PG position so long as at least one teammate has a PF= 2 or 3. 16-THREE POINT SHOTS: Players who attempted a significant number of 3 point shots during the pro season will attempt just as many in B-BALL. However, you can "force" a player who shoots to take a 3pt shot rather than a 2pt shot if you want. When you start a possession with, or pass the ball to, a certain player who you wish to have attempt a 3pt shot, simply type an "X" or "x" after that player's position and if that player shoots he will take a 3pt shot. Thus, if you wanted your SG to attempt a 3pt shot, type "SGX" or "2X" instead of "SG" or "2" when you pass the ball to him or start a possession with him and if he does indeed shoot, the attempted shot will be a 3pt shot. Just because you type "SGX" or "2X" does not mean the player will automatically attempt a 3pt shot, it only means that if he does indeed shoot the ball, it will be a 3pt shot, not a 2pt shot. Remember, players in B-BALL shoot, pass, get fouled, and turn the ball over in ratio to how often they did each in real life. When "forcing" players to take 3pt shots in this manner you are having them attempt more than they actually did in real life. Thus these forced 3pt shots will be successful at a considerably lower percentage (less than 15%) than the player's actual 3pt FG%. This is to prevent a good 3pt shooter from taking ALL of his shots from 3pt range, which would be unrealistic. The only exception to this rule is in the last two minutes of the fourth quarter and the last two minutes of any overtime period in which ANY 3pt shot attempted by a player will be successful according to that player's actual 3pt FG%. There is no restriction to the number of 3pt shots a player can take in any single game because each player will attempt just as many as he did in real life over the span of a whole season. However, if you "force" a player to take many more 3pt shots than he did in real life over the span of a season he will shoot a substantially lower 3pt FG% than he actually did because of the less than 15% 3pt FG% limitation on "forced" 3pt shots. 17-FATIGUE FACTOR: A player's fatigue factor (FF) is the maximum number of shots that player can attempt during any 48 minute game. It is an approximation of the most shots attempted by that player in any single game during the pro season. With each shot the player takes during a game his fatigue factor counts down by one until it reaches zero. In overtime games, each player's FF increases by 5 shots for each overtime period played. When a player has his FF reach 0, the player is fatigued and will commit a turnover whenever he touches the ball on offense. If you wish to allow a player to continue playing once he has become fatigued (FF=0) without having him automatically turn the ball over each additional time he handles it, go into the substitution mode and take the player out of the lineup, substitute another player in his place, type the CTRL-F key combination once, then reinsert him back into the lineup using the "A" add a player function, and the fatigued restriction will be removed (i.e. he won't turn the ball over each time he handles it). Each time you type the CTRL-F key combination, you toggle on and off the fatigue restriction (i.e. the player turning the ball over each time he handles it) thus type the CTRL-F key combination only once if you want to remove the fatigue restriction. If you reinsert the player into the game after having removed the fatigue restriction and he still turns the ball over each time he handles it, go back into the substitution mode and repeat the procedure of removing the fatigue restriction by typing CTRL-F only once. The fatigue factor was designed so that players would not unduly affect the outcome of a game through scoring that ordinarily would not in real life. Some players can greatly change the outcome of a game if you consistently allow their FF to be surpassed, such as players who are defensive or rebounding specialists that rarely shoot but possess high field goal percentages. If you allow players to surpass their FF in a significant number of games their overall statistics will be greatly inflated over what they did in real life. Through normal play you will not reach a player's FF very often. Players with very low FFs rarely shoot and players with very high FFs are typically superstar scorers or unconscience gunners. For a player to pass his FF in more than just a few games you would have to consistently try to feed the ball to him for a full four quarters game after game, or have a lineup of five players who all have extremely low FFs and thus one or two would eventually pass their FF in a game. NOTE - Fatigue Discussion: Players who normally do NOT play a lot of minutes per game in real life don't because of two major reasons. Either there are better players on the team that start and play substantial minutes and thus they are bench players (who could possibly start for other teams) or they have the talent to play starter's minutes but don't because they are consistently in foul trouble. It is not because they are physically unable to play 35-40 minutes per game. As B-BALL's designers we don't believe that a player's overall ability drastically decreases just because he sometimes plays a high number of minutes in a game. Just because a player averages 15-20 minutes a game during the actual season doesn't mean he would "poop out" if forced to play 35-40 minutes in a number of games due to other players fouling out or getting injured. There are a number of pro teams who play their starters upwards of 38, 39, and even 40 minutes per game during the regular season (Golden State and Minnesota are two examples in 1990-91) and during the playoffs each year a number of teams have their starters average over 40 minutes per game who averaged far less minutes per game during the regular season, and their effectiveness doesn't drastically decrease in those games. Consequently B-BALL does NOT decrease a player's FG%, rebounding ability, shot blocking ability, etc. just because a player plays 15-20 minutes in a game more than his average minutes per game. Pro basketball players are probably the best conditioned athletes in all of professional team sports and are well capable of playing substantial minutes in a number of games when called upon to do so. If you adhere to using the fatigue factor in B-BALL players will not play longer than their "effective" playing time over the span of an entire 82 game season. 18-THE STATISTICS MENU: At the end of each game played by two teams in the same league you are asked if you would like to save that game's statistics and box score. Each team has a separate file for compiled statistics. For each time you answer yes to saving the statistics and box score of a game the statistics will be added to those teams separate statistics files and the box score added to that league's cumulative box score file. You cannot save the statistics or box score of a game played between two teams of different leagues - i.e. two pro teams from different seasons, a pro team and a draft team, or two draft teams from two different draft leagues. The teams must be in the same pro or draft league to save both. To view a team's compiled statistics first choose the league that team is in from the LEAGUE MENU screen, then go to the GAME MENU and type "S" for the compiled STATISTICS MENU. At this menu you have the option of viewing up to four different screens of compiled statistics for any team in the league. First choose a team by typing "C", then type the three letter team code. The statistics screens can be accessed by typing either S, F, G, or H, each of which contains: S. G, MIN, FGM, FGA, FG% F. FTM, FTA, FT%, REB, PF, ST, BS, PTS G. per Game statistics H. single game Highs and Lows To return to the STATISTICS MENU from one of the statistics screens press any key. To print a hard copy of a team's statistics, first choose that team and then type "P" for print statistics at the STATISTICS MENU. Before beginning the playing of games in any league, pro or drafted, in which you want to SAVE statistics, you must first initialize (reset to zero) all of the player and team statistics files. To do this, first access that league and then at the STATISTICS MENU type "I" to initialize the team statistics files. You can initialize each team separately (type "T") or the entire league (type "A") at one time. This procedure must be done to any new league teams before you can save statistics as it sets up each team's statistics file. Be sure that the league you want to initialize is chosen and in view in the upper portion of the screen before initializing the team statistics files. Each time you attempt to initialize a team's statistics file you are prompted with an "ARE YOU SURE (Y/N)?" warning. This is your only warning. Be careful NOT to initialize a team's statistics file if it has game data in it (unless that is what you actually want to do). Once you initialize a team's statistics file those statistics that were in that file are completely erased and reset to zero. To view any of the box scores of games played in a league, type "B" for the BOX SCORE MENU. From this menu you can display or print the box score of any league game in which the statistics and box score were saved. Box scores are automatically saved when you answer "Y" for yes at the end of a game when you are asked if you want to save the game stats and box score. You have to first initialize a league's box score file by typing "I" for initialize at the BOX SCORE MENU similar to the way you have to initialize team stat files at the STATISTICS MENU when first setting up a league to compile statistics. Only initialize a league's box score file when what you actually want to do is to ERASE all of that league's previous box scores, such as when you are beginning play in a league in which you are also initializing all of that league's team statistics files. Once again, be careful because if there are already game box scores saved for that league they WILL BE ERASED. Once you delete the game box score file of a league all game box scores are erased and the file reinitialized. Also if you try to save the game stats and box score of a game played where the team statistics files were NOT initialized, the game box score WILL be saved, but obviously the game stats will NOT be because the team stat files were not initialized. To view the team standings in any league first access that league from the LEAGUE MENU. Then access the STATISTICS MENU by typing "S". Type "L" for League standings and the won-lost records for the teams in that league will appear in the order of won-lost percentage. Type any key and each team's home and away record will also appear. Then press any key to get back to the STATISTICS MENU. Also from the STATISTICS MENU you can view a league's statistical leaders by typing "D" for the LEAGUE LEADERS MENU. Here you can view the top nine players in eight different statistical categories. Type "P" to view the league leaders in rebounds, assists, steals and blocked shots and "S" to view the league leaders in scoring, field goal percentage (2pt and 3pt), and free throw percentage. At these screens type any key to return to the menu. To view a listing of a team's game scores for those games the team has played first choose a team, then type the letter "O" (not the number zero 0) and a listing of that team's game scores will appear along with the three letter code of the opponent for each game. Again type any key to return to the STATISTICS MENU. To view the top single game performances achieved by players in all of the league games played where the game statistics and box scores were saved, type "N" for the SINGLE GAME TOP TEN MENU. Here you can list the best efforts of individual players in a single game for all of those statistical categories found in a game boxscore such as points, FGM, FGA, rebounds (off, def, and total), assists, etc. by typing any of the letters from "A" to "N". To return to the STATISTICS MENU type "R". To display a file that contains the complete actual real life pro statistics for that pro season, type "T". To return to the STATISTICS MENU from the pro stats file press the <ESC> key. 19-GAME SCOREBOARD: The game scoreboard keeps a running tally of points scored, the number of possessions left in the quarter (or overtime period) for both teams, the time left, the quarter, time outs, and team fouls (P is for the penalty or bonus situation). Since two team fouls in the last two minutes of any quarter or overtime period puts a team in the penalty situation, you will see the number of team fouls on the scoreboard jump to "4" and then "P" in the last two minutes even if your team has not committed 3 team fouls by that time. This is so that you will know just how close your team is to being in the bonus or penalty situation. To the left and right of the scoreboard on the game screen are listings of the seven players available as substitutes for both teams in a game. As players are substituted for during the game these lists reflect those changes and also keeps you informed as to the number of fouls committed by each player. However, to actually take a player out of the game and insert another player into your lineup you must access the substitution screen during a dead ball situation (i.e. after a turnover, foul, or during a timeout). 20-THE PLAYER STATISTICS/RATINGS SCREEN: The following are definitions for some of the abbreviations used on the player statistics/ratings screens: %Shoot, %Fouled, %TO (turnovers) - how often a player, on the average, shoots, gets fouled, and turns the ball over in relation to how often he handles the ball. %Foul, %ST (steals) - how often the defender, on the average, fouls and steals the ball per minute he plays Rebounding Ratings - these ratings are a player's offensive and defensive rebounds per 48 minutes multiplied by factors to equate the two. Since 1/3 of all rebounds are offensive and 2/3 are defensive, if a player averaged 12 rebounds total per 48 minutes and 1/3 of his rebounds were offensive (4) and 2/3 were defensive (8), his offensive rebounding rating would be 12.0 and his defensive rebounding rating would be 12.0. The ratings are calculated by (offreb/min) x 48 x 3 and (defreb/min) x 48 x 1.5 The average player has ratings of about 8.7 for offensive rebounding and 8.7 for defensive rebounding. Another way to look at these ratings is the off rat x 1/3 plus the def rat x 2/3 equals the player's rebounds per 48 minutes played: (off reb rat) x 1/3 + (def reb rat) x 2/3 = reb per 48 min %BS (blocked shots) - the percentage of shots that the defender will, on the average, block out of the total number of shots taken by the opposing team while that player is on the court. Def FG% (defensive field goal percentage) - this is how much the defender will, on the average, increase or decrease the FG% of the offensive player he is directly guarding. 21-CHANGING GAME DEFAULT SETTINGS: In B-BALL you have the option to change the colors of the game screens, two of the rules by which the game of pro basketball is played, and also the substitution pattern of a team from 4 to 6 minute or vice versa. By typing the letter "D" for "game default settings" at the GAME MENU screen, then the letter "C" for "change screen colors" at the DEFAULT SETTINGS MENU, or by typing the word "color" at the ">" prompt during the playing of a game (only at the start of a team's possession) you will get to the CHANGE COLORS MENU. At this menu you can change the screen backgrounds to any of 8 different colors and the screen texts to any of 16 different colors. The scoreboard background, text, and numbers can be separate colors from the player substitutes background and text and the player game lineups and play-by-play narrative text. You can also save as the screen default colors any combination of colors that you desire. At the CHANGE COLORS MENU type "C" to change a color, the letter of the screen area you want to change (A-L), and the letter of the color that you want to change the screen area to (A-P). The colors you choose will remain in effect until you exit to DOS (the Disk Operating System). The next time you start B-BALL the default colors will still be in effect. To change the default colors, choose the colors you want at the CHANGE COLORS MENU and then type "S" to save those colors as the default. (Be careful because if you choose any screen area background and text as the same color in the same area you will not be able to read the text). Only 8 colors (A-H) can be used as background colors. All text and numbers can be any of the 16 available colors (A-P). You can also change two of the rules by which pro basketball is played. Before the 1981-82 pro season, if a team's opponent had 5 or more team fouls in any quarter (i.e. the team was in the bonus or penalty situation), whenever one of it's players was fouled in the backcourt or in the act of shooting (and missed the shot) that player received an extra free throw if he missed either of the first two. This was called the 3 to make 2 bonus. If a player was fouled in the act of shooting, made the shot, and missed the free throw, he received an additional free throw. Also, in the old American Basketball Association (ABA), players did not foul out after committing six personal fouls. However if a player with six fouls committed any more, the team fouled retained possession of the ball after any attempted free throws. To change either of these rules in B-BALL, type "D" for "game Default settings" at the GAME MENU, then "L" for "change game rules" at the DEFAULT SETTINGS MENU, or type the word "rules" at the ">" prompt during the playing of a game (only at the start of a team's possession) to get to the CHANGE RULES MENU. Here you can type either "A" or "B" to change the "No Foul Out" rule or the "3 to make 2" bonus rule. These rules will stay in effect until you quit the B-BALL program, or change them again from the CHANGE RULES MENU. When you start the B-BALL program again, the default rules will be in effect. To make the rules the default rules after changing them, simply type "S" to save them as the default settings. Changing a team's substitution pattern from 4 to 6 minute or vice versa is discussed in an earlier section entitled "Computer Played Substitution Patterns". 22-MANAGING LEAGUES: Once you have formed leagues of drafted teams you may find the need to have to delete a team, change a team name, change a league name, or delete an entire league. All of these changes can be done from the LEAGUE MENU by typing "M" for the MANAGE LEAGUES MENU. You can use the MANAGE LEAGUES MENU on any draft league, including a pro league copied to a draft league (such as a league called DFT9192), but not on an actual pro league (any league starting with PRO or ABA, such as PRO9192). This is so you do not inadvertently delete your pro team files. To delete a team, you must first access the league that team is in. Once you have accessed that league, type "D", then type that team's three letter code. The team will then be deleted once you answer "Y" for yes at the "Are You Sure (Y/N)?) prompt. To change a team's three letter code and name, type "C". You can then either change the code and/or the name. After typing a new first or second name you must press <ENTER>. You do not have to change the first name but you MUST change the second name as the second name is used to store the file in DOS. To change a league code and name, type "N", then a new league code (remember to delete the dashes with the space bar if the code is less than eight characters), then a new league title of 30 characters or less (you do NOT have to type out the dashes for the league title). Be sure to change BOTH the code and title. Press <ENTER> after typing in the new league title. Type "T" to delete an entire league. Be SURE you want to delete teams before using both delete procedures as each erases team files which once deleted can NOT be recovered. The delete a team procedure comes in handy if you find that you have drafted players onto a team that you did not want. Simply delete that team, then redraft it and add it to that same league. When you delete a team you also delete it's statistics file. 23- THE B-BALL SOFTWARE - SUPPORT: B-BALL Pro Basketball for the Computer is designed to be extremely accurate statistically based on the final regular season pro basketball statistics. We at BOBBALL, Inc. hope you find the statistical realism appealing and B-BALL for the Computer fun to play. We welcome any comments, suggestions, and criticisms on the game. This program is by no means finalized and as it will continue to be improved your ideas are very important to us. Most of the features in this game were originally suggestions from customers that have since been incorporated into the B-BALL program so please do not hesitate to let us know what you would like to see changed or what you would like to see added to the game and send your letters to the BOBBALL, Inc. address located on the order form below or call Bob Chaikin at 216-291-9243 (best between 7-11 pm eastern standard time). Like any other software developer, we at BOBBALL, Inc. like to think that whenever we send out the B-BALL software it is error free. Realistically this never seems to be the case. If you should experience ANY problems with the program in terms of the program aborting please call or write Bob Chaikin at the above phone number and the address below. If the software bug is one that has subsequently been corrected, you need only to send to BOBBALL, Inc. a formatted high density floppy disk(s) and a return envelope with the proper postage, along with your name, address, and the serial number found on the introduction screen of your copy of B-BALL (i.e. your proof of purchase) and the latest version of the program will be mailed to you free of charge. Keep in mind this offer does NOT include those individuals who purchase the software and attempt to use it on non-IBM compatible computers. It is the user's responsibility to determine whether or not their computer is IBM compatible. Also any individual who purchases the software can receive the latest version of B-BALL with any new enhancements free of charge up to one calender year (365 days) from the date of purchase by, again, sending a high density floppy, return envelope with postage, and proof of purchase to BOBBALL, Inc. (proof of purchase being the serial number on your copy of B-BALL). Presently available (as of September 1993) for B-BALL Pro Basketball for the Computer are the pro teams from the 1977-78 through the 1992-93 seasons, and the ABA teams from the 1975-76 season. Earlier seasons are currently being created and play tested. If you would like to order more diskettes, simply Shift-Pr Scr (Print Screen) a copy of the order form below, fill in the necessary information, and send it to the BOBBALL, Inc. address along with a check or money order for the total amount. Or print out the file called ORDERFRM.DOC, which is the order form for the B-BALL Single Game Version. B-BALL is currently (9/93) looking for corporate sponsorship or an individual venture capitalist to market, sell, and distribute the B-BALL software. Any interested parties please contact Bob Chaikin at the above phone number or address. 24-THE B-BALL LICENSE AGREEMENT: The B-BALL data and programming files (i.e. the software) are owned and copyrighted exclusively by Bob Chaikin and BOBBALL, Inc. You as the single end user are bound by this legal license agreement to use the program and data files as a single end user. You can make copies of the program for your own personal use only. As the program and data files are copyrighted you as the single end user may not make copies of the program and/or data files for distribution, sale, rent, or lease to other individuals or organizations. You may use the data and programming files on only a single computer at any one time and not on a network system or more than one computer at the same time. You may copy the software from one computer to another so long as it does not reside on more than one computer at any one time. 25-THE SHAREWARE CONCEPT: For those of you who have obtained the B-BALL Single Game Version through shareware, the price of the B-BALL software is $29.95 with each additional season selling for $9.95. To register the software please remit this amount to BOBBALL, Inc. at the address located below on the order form using either a check or money order. By registering the software you will then receive full phone support and be able to purchase additional teams and also can receive free B-BALL software revisions for up to one calender year (365 days) after the date of registration. There is no difference between the shareware version of B-BALL and that purchased directly from BOBBALL, Inc. The shareware is a complete working version of the B-BALL software with the 1987-88 pro teams included. Shareware distribution gives users a chance to try software before buying it. If you try a Shareware program and continue using it, you are expected to register. Individual programs differ on details -- some request registration while others require it, some specify a maximum trial period. With registration, you get anything from the simple right to continue using the software to an updated program with printed manual. Copyright laws apply to both Shareware and commercial software, and the copyright holder retains all rights, with a few specific exceptions as stated below. Shareware authors are accomplished programmers, just like commercial authors, and the programs are of comparable quality (in both cases, there are good programs and bad ones!). The main difference is in the method of distribution. The author specifically grants the right to copy and distribute the software, either to all and sundry or to a specific group. For example, some authors require written permission before a commercial disk vendor may copy their Shareware. Shareware is a distribution method, not a type of software. You should find software that suits your needs and pocketbook, whether it's commercial or Shareware. The Shareware system makes fitting your needs easier, because you can try before you buy. And because the overhead is low, prices are low also. Shareware has the ultimate money-back guarantee -- if you don't use the product, you don't pay for it. THE SHAREWARE DISCLAIMER - AGREEMENT: Users of "B-BALL Pro Basketball for the Computer" must accept this disclaimer of warranty: "B-BALL Pro Basketball for the Computer is supplied as is. The author disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, including, without limitation, the warranties of merchantability and of fitness for any purpose. The author assumes no liability for damages, direct or consequential, which may result from the use of B-BALL Pro Basketball for the Computer." B-BALL Pro Basketball for the Computer is a "shareware program" and is provided at no charge to the user for evaluation. Feel free to share it with your friends, but please do not give it away altered or as part of another system. The essence of "user-supported" software is to provide personal computer users with quality software without high prices, and yet to provide incentive for programmers to continue to develop new products. If you find this program useful and find that you are using B-BALL and continue to use B-BALL after a reasonable trial period, you must make a registration payment of $29.95 for the B-BALL software to BOBBALL, Inc. The registration fee will license one copy for use on any one computer at any one time. You must treat this software just like a book. An example is that this software may be used by any number of people and may be freely moved from one computer location to another, so long as there is no possibility of it being used at one location while it's being used at another. Just as a book cannot be read by two different persons at the same time. Commercial users of B-BALL must register and pay for their copies of B-BALL within 30 days of first use or their license is withdrawn. Site-License arrangements may be made by contacting BOBBALL, Inc. at the aforementioned phone number and address. Anyone distributing B-BALL for any kind of remuneration must first contact BOBBALL, Inc. at the address below for authorization. This authorization will be automatically granted to distributors recognized by the (ASP) as adhering to its guidelines for shareware distributors, and such distributors may begin offering B-BALL immediately (however BOBBALL, Inc. must still be advised so that the distributor can be kept up-to-date with the latest version of B-BALL). You are encouraged to pass a copy of the shareware B-BALL along to your friends for evaluation. Please encourage them to register their copy if they find that they can use it. All registered users receive a copy of the latest version of the B-BALL software. The B-BALL program is produced by a member of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not provide technical support for members' products. Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, Michigan 49442 or send a CompuServe message via CompuServe Mail to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536. ORDER FORM B-BALL Pro Basketball for the Computer (for IBM PCs and Compatibles) Please check the lines for those items you wish to order. Be sure to indicate which size diskettes you prefer. Enclose a check or money order payable to "BOBBALL, Inc." with this order form and send it to: B-BALL Pro Basketball for the Computer 1523 Felton Road South Euclid, Ohio, 44121, U.S.A. NOW ONLY ___ B-BALL Pro Basketball for the Computer with the 1992-93 $29.95 pro teams (the B-BALL Single Game Version, Full Season Version, and Predict Games Version) Check each additional season you would like ($9.95 each): ___ 1992-93 pro teams ___ 1986-87 pro teams ___ 1980-81 pro teams ___ 1991-92 pro teams ___ 1985-86 pro teams ___ 1979-80 pro teams ___ 1990-91 pro teams ___ 1984-85 pro teams ___ 1978-79 pro teams ___ 1989-90 pro teams ___ 1983-84 pro teams ___ 1977-78 pro teams ___ 1988-89 pro teams ___ 1982-83 pro teams ___ 1975-76 ABA teams ($4.95 - only 7 teams) ___ 1987-88 pro teams ___ 1981-82 pro teams ----- total cost $ *** A hard disk or high density floppy disk drive is required for saving *** *** statistics and creating draft leagues using both the B-BALL Single *** *** Game Version and B-BALL Full Season Version (Predict Games Version) *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Size of diskettes desired (check one): high density ___ 1.44M 3.5" ___ 1.2M 5.25" low density ___ 720K 3.5" ___ 360K 5.25" (360K low density disks contain compressed files only) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Your name and address: Name _________________________________________________ Address ______________________________________________ City _________________________________________________ State ________________________ Zip Code ______________ Phone Number _________________________________________ All prices include postage and sales tax. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------