2010 action baseball manual

Action! PC Baseball 2010 1

Action! PC Baseball The Most Comprehensive Stat-based Baseball Game Action! PC Baseball is a product of Dave Koch Sports Inc. Copyright 2010 Dave Koch Sports Inc.

2010 EDITION

2 Action! PC Baseball 2010

Thank you for purchasing Action! PC Baseball! Thank you for purchasing Action! PC Baseball ! When you play Action! PC Baseball, you choose from thousands of coaching and general manager options.

After only a few plays, you'll find that Action! PC Baseball is the most realistic and exciting simulation you can buy. We use every available official statistic, expert player ratings and hundreds of coaching options to accurately portray the game of baseball.

Most importantly, Action! PC Baseball is fun to play! Whether you're playing against a friend or the computer, replaying a season, playing in a draft league or playing on the internet, you'll enjoy the real-life excitement of Action! PC Baseball!

Note: The following notation will be used throughout the manual:

Choose Play/Exhibition Game means choose Play, then choose Exhibition Game from the subsequent menu.

Copyright Notices

Copyright 2009 by Dave Koch Sports Inc. The disks, including all files, and the documentation pro-vided in Action! PC products are the property of Dave Koch Sports Inc. and as such are protected under U.S. copyright laws. Neither the files stored on the disks nor the documentation may be cop-ied, photocopied, reproduced, translated, or reduced to any electronic medium or machine-readable form, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of Dave Koch Sports Inc., except in the manner described in the documentation. You are permitted to make one (1) backup copy of the disks for your own use.

Copyright 2009 by Stats Inc. Any commercial use or distribution of these licensed materials without the express written consent of Stats Inc. is strictly prohibited.

Technical Support: Please send an email with your questions to [email protected].

Contact Us: We are constantly working to improve our product. If you have a question, comment, or a suggestion for a future version of any of our games, please contact us at [email protected].


Installation Game & Season Disk Installation ..... 5 Copyright Notices ............................. 5 Playing Action PC Baseball Play Menu ......................................... 6 Exhibition Game ......................... 6 Unscheduled League Game ........ 6 Scheduled League Game ............. 6 Resume Saved Game .................. 7 Playoff Game .............................. 7 Selecting Teams ................................ 7 Choosing a Park ................................ 7 Setting Game Preferences ................. 7 The Game Screen .............................. 7 Lineup Menu ............................... 7 Options Menu .............................. 7 Game Screen Reports Menu ....... 8 Game Screen Strategy Options ... 8 Game Screen Shortcuts ............... 9 Organizing Teams & Players Organize Menu .................................. 10 Team Information ....................... 10

Rosters ........................................ 10 Modify Team Form .......... 11 Roster Form ..................... 12 Player Menu................... 12 Edit Menu ...................... 13 Roster Menu .................. 14 Manager Menu............... 14 Lineup Tab ..................... 14 Depth Charts Tab ........... 15 Rotation Tab .................. 15 Pinch Hit Tab ................. 15 Bullpen Tab ................... 15 Managers ..................................... 15 League Reset ............................... 15 Rules ........................................... 16 Draft ............................................ 19

Era ............................................... 20 Ballparks ..................................... 20 Schedule ...................................... 20 Edit Records ................................ 21 Generate Default ......................... 21 Player Search .............................. 21 Model League ............................. 21 Transactions ................................ 21 Create All-Star Teams ................. 21 Reports Reports Menu .................................... 22 Team Reports .............................. 22 League Reports ........................... 22 Leader Boards ............................. 23 News ........................................... 24 Records ....................................... 24 Database ...................................... 24 Player Game Logs ....................... 25 Box Search .................................. 25 Game Film .................................. 26 Encyclopedia ............................... 26 What If ....................................... 27 Internet Internet Menu .................................... 28 Internet Connection Tips ............. 28 Host Game Session ..................... 28 Join Game Session ...................... 28 Find IP Address ........................... 29 Disconnect ................................... 29 Open Firewall Port 1452 ............. 29 Forward Port 1452—Router ....... 29 Service Updates .......................... 29 Shop for Baseball Seasons .......... 29 Visit dksports.com ...................... 29 League Address Book ................. 29 Create Website ............................ 30 Chat ............................................. 30

Table of Contents


Setup Setup Menu ....................................... 31 Active Season .............................. 31 Game Preferences ....................... 31 Box Score Layout Preferences .... 34 Install Season .............................. 34 Play-By-Play ............................... 34 Sound Effects .............................. 34 Utilities Utilities Menu ................................... 35 Export Games ............................. 35 Import Games .............................. 35 Import Managers ......................... 36 Copy Current Database ............... 36 Create Playoff Database .............. 36 Zip League Files ......................... 36 Clean League Folder ................... 36 Clean Photo, Logo, & Park Folder .. 36 Import Colors, Nicknames, Logos ... 36 Appendices A—Player Ratings ...................... 37 B—Special Topics ...................... 39 C—Credits .................................. 41 D—General Abbreviations ......... 42 E—Scoresheet Abbreviations ..... 43 Technical Support ......................... 44


Installing Action! PC Baseball Game Installation Note: If you encounter an access violation during installation, select “Ignore”. The installation will pro-ceed without a problem.

1. Place the CD-Rom in your CD drive. 2. Select Start from the Windows menu bar and then Run from the pop-up menu.. 3. Select and run setup.exe from your CD drive.

Example: If your CD drive is d, type d:setup.exe in the box. Press return. 4. Action! PC Baseball is automatically installed onto your hard drive. It’s ready to play.

Season Disk Installation D The Season Disk Installation tool is used to install a season file to the Action! PC game folder on your hard drive, where it can be accessed by the Action! PC game. It can also be used to copy a season folder from one location on your hard drive to another location on your hard drive.

1. Select Setup from the top of the opening screen and select Install Season from the menu that drops down.

2. From the left side of the pop-up window, select the current location (drive & folder) of the season file that you want to install/copy. a) Select the drive that holds the season you want to install/copy.

Important: Always designate the correct drive. Failure to do so will cause an instal-lation error. If you are installing a season from a CD onto your hard drive, select the name of

the drive that holds your CD. If you are copying a season from one place on your hard drive to another place

on your hard drive, select the name of your hard drive b) Select the folder location of the season you would like to install. A list of zipped season files residing in this folder will be listed in the box labelled Available Seasons.

3. Click the zipped season that you would like to install.

4. Click Begin Installation.

Copyright Notices: Copyright 2010 by Dave Koch Sports Inc. The disks, including all files, and the documentation pro-vided in Action! PC products are the property of Dave Koch Sports Inc. and as such are protected under U.S. copyright laws. Neither the files stored on the disks nor the documentation may be copied, photocopied, reproduced, translated, or reduced to any electronic medium or machine-readable form, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of Dave Koch Sports Inc., except in the manner described in the documentation. You are permitted to make one (1) backup copy of the disks for your own use.

Copyright 2010 by Stats Inc. Any commercial use or distribution of these licensed materials without the express written con-sent of Stats Inc. is strictly prohibited.


Exhibition Game Play a game at the stadium of your choice. Statistics are NOT compiled. Unscheduled League Game Play an unscheduled league game at the stadium of your choice. All statistics and records are compiled into your league stats, but no changes are made to the schedule.

Scheduled League Games Choose from a previously scheduled, unplayed game. All statistics and records are compiled into your league stats. The Scheduled League Game form displays the current standings as well as winning pitcher, losing pitcher, save pitcher and game scores for completed games. The following options are available when Play/Scheduled League Game is chosen:

Calendar—Select Day and Month to view that day’s schedule.

Select Entire Day—Add the entire displayed day to the list of games to be played.

Select Entire Month—Add the entire displayed month to the list of games to be played.

Select Entire Season—Add all remaining unplayed games to the list of games to be played.

Select All Computer Games for Day—Add all computer vs. computer games to the list of games to be played.

Unselect Entire Day—Remove the entire displayed day from the list of games to be played.

Unselect Entire Month—Remove the entire displayed month from the list of games to be played.

Unselect Entire Season—Remove all games from the list of games to be played.

Cancel—Return to main menu.

Play—Play all selected games. If both coaches for a game are computer coached, the games will be played very rapidly.

C/H—Click C or H, next to the team name, to toggle between computer and human coach.

Status—Click the status box of an un-played game to add the game to the Play Now list.

Box Score—Click a column with a team name or pitcher name to view the complete box score from the game.

Pause—Temporarily pause the playing of the selected games.

Playing Action! PC Baseball

Exhibition Game: Stats are NOT compiled.

Unscheduled League Game: Play an unscheduled league game. ALL statistics and records are compiled into your league stats.

Scheduled League Game: Play a scheduled league game. ALL statistics and records are compiled into your league stats.

Resume Saved Game: Continue playing an unfinished saved game.

Playoff Game: Play a game from the playoff schedule.

THE PLAY MENU


Continue—Continue playing the selected games.

Quit—Stop playing the selected games.

Resume Saved Game Continue playing an unfinished, saved game. All games are saved automatically after every play.

Playoff Game A complete playoff may be played with up to 16 teams. The following options are available when Playoff Game is chosen:

Seedings—Set from 1 to 8 seedings in each of two brackets. These teams must all be unique. Each bracket must have at least one team. Teams will be re-seeded after each complete round of games is played.

Set Pairings—The computer will set up individual game matchups.

Clear Playoff—Erase all seedings and results.

Play Game—Click any game listed to proceed to the Game Preferences form.

SELECTING TEAMS After selecting Exhibition or Scheduled League Game, make team selections. Highlight your choice for visiting and home teams, highlight a day and month, and select Play to proceed to the Game Preferences form. Note: Statistics from Exhibition games will NOT be saved.

CHOOSING A PARK The home team’s park is the default park. To use a different park, highlight your choice from the list of parks.

SETTING GAME PREFERENCES The Game Preferences form appears after the date and teams are chosen. It may also be accessed by selecting Setup/Game Preferences from the main menu or Options/Game Preferences from the game screen. This form is used to select the managers, play speed, and game screen display preferences. For more information on setting game preferences, see “Game Preferences” in the Setup Section of this manual.

THE GAME SCREEN The game screen is where all plays are called. The Lineup menu, Options menu, Reports menu, and Game Screen Strategy box are found on the game screen.

Lineup Menu Visiting Team—View the visiting team’s roster and make lineup changes. . Home Team—View the home team’s roster and make lineup changes. Bullpens—View the bullpen for either team. The defensive team’s bullpen may also be accessed by clicking the pitcher label on the game screen.

Options Menu The Options menu may also be accessed by right clicking the play-by-play text.


Game Preferences—View the Game Preferences menu. For more information, see “Game Preferences” in the Setup section of this manual.

Replay—View all previous play results.

Ballpark Info—View information for the current ballpark. For more information, see “Ballparks” in the Organize section of this manual.

Ballpark Layout—Adjust the screen locations of the fielders, the base runners, and the batter.

Box Score Layout—Choose the statistics and display colors for a box score. For more information, see “Box Score Layout Preferences” in the Setup section of this manual.

Mound Trip—Make a trip to the mound to check the pitcher’s fatigue status. Only one trip is allowed per inning. Mound trips also allow more time for pitchers to get ready in the bullpen.

Save Highlight—Save the most recently completed play to the highlight file for viewing at a later time.

Game Screen Reports Menu

Box Score—View an up-to-date box score.

Scoresheet—View an up-to-date scoresheet.

Standings—View league standings.

Pitching Leaders—View league pitching leaders.

Batting Leaders—View league batting leaders.

Weather—View current weather conditions

Ticker—View scores of other games being played

Game Screen Strategy Options

Defensive Strategy Options

Pitch—Pitch to the batter in a normal fashion.

Around—Pitch around the batter. Greatly increases the chance of a walk; reduces the chance of a hit.

Aggressive—Pitch aggressively to the batter. Increases the chance of a strikeout; greatly increases the chance of a hit.

Int BB—Intentionally walk the batter.

Pickoff—Attempt to pickoff a runner. The chance of successfully picking off the runner is very low, but it is increased if the runner was attempting to steal.

Pitch Out—Pitch out in an effort to catch a potential base stealer. Lowers the chance of a successful steal by 15%; increases the chance of a walk during the current at bat.

Infield—Toggle the infield label to change your infield positions.

Normal—Play the infield at normal depth.

In—Play all infielders in. Improves defense on bunts and plays at the plate. Increases the chance of a ground single. Decreases the chance of a double play.

Guard—Move the first and third basemen toward the foul lines. Decreases the chance of an extra base hit down the line; increases the chance of a ground ball single.

Corners—Move first and third basemen in toward home. Decreases the chance of a successful bunt; increases the chance of a base hit.

Outfield Depth—This option is only available in the 9th inning or later. The outfield may be moved in to lower the chance of a game winning single.

No Throw—Don’t risk a throw on steal attempts if the runner gets a good jump or if the game is in


the ninth inning or later.

Hold—Click H or B, next to a runner on first, to toggle between holding or playing behind the runner. The default setting is holding the runner (H). Playing behind the runner (B) increases the stolen base percentage and reduces the chance for a single.

Bullpen—Click the pitcher’s label to access your bullpen.

Quick Sub—Click any fielder to view a list of available replacements.

Offensive Strategy Options

Hit—Swing at good pitches.

Hit & Run—Start the runners with the pitch, and have the batter swing at the pitch. Lowers the chance of an extra base hit because the batter must swing and is mainly trying to make contact. Decreases the chance of a ground ball double play, increases the chance of a lined double play, and increases the chance of runners advancing extra bases.

Bunt—Sacrifice bunt in order to advance the runners. With the bases empty, the batter is attempting to bunt for a hit.

Steal—Attempt to steal the next base. With more than one base runner, you will be prompted to decide which runners will attempt to steal.

Pinch Hit—Click the batter’s label to access a list of available pinch hitters.

Pinch Run—Click a base runner’s label to access a list of available pinch runners.

Game Screen Shortcuts Click any player name on the lineup display to view his complete statistics and ratings.

Click any fielder to view a list of possible substitutes.

Click the pitcher to view a list of available relief pitchers.

Click the batter to view a list of available pinch hitters.

Click any base runner to view a list of available pinch runners.

Press V to view the visiting team’s roster.

Press H to view the home team’s roster.

Press B to view the box score.

Press S to view the scoresheet.

Press R to view replays.

Press G to view the Game Preferences menu.


Team Information: Organizing Teams Choose Team Information to display the Modify Team Information form and make changes to team names colors, logos, and other information. For more details, see “Modify Team Information Form” below. Rosters: Organizing Rosters Choose Organize/Teams to view, create, modify, erase, move, or import teams. The Teams form can also be accessed by selecting Rosters from the opening screen. The following options are available from the Teams form:

Roster—Display the Roster form for the highlighted team. The roster may also be viewed by double-clicking the desired team. For more information, see “The Roster Form” below.

Create—Create a new team in the highlighted location. The highlighted location must be blank in order to create a new team. The Modify Team Information form is displayed for you to enter team information. For more information, see “The Modify Team Information Form” below.

Erase—Erase and remove the highlighted team. You will be prompted to verify this selection.

Move—Move the highlighted team to a new division.

Organizing Teams & Players

THE ORGANIZE MENU

To begin Organizing your teams, choose Organize from the top of the opening screen. A drop-down menu with the following options appears:

Team Information: Make changes to team names, colors, logos, and other information.

Managers: View or modify team managers

League Reset: Reset league statistics, release players, erase teams or reset salaries.

Rules: Modify specific rules for the active season folder. Each season direc-tory has its own rules.

Draft: Draft players, modify the draft order, or modify the team general man-agers.

Era Data: Modify or view league averages by year.

Ballparks: Create, modify, or view ballpark information.

Schedule: Modify the schedule for the active season folder.

Generate Default: Create managers and player ratings.

Player Search: Search for a player in a specific league.

Model League: Update a draft league with data from a new player disk.

Transactions: Enter active playing dates for players on any team.

Rosters: View, create, modify, erase, move, or import teams.

Create All-Star Teams: Generate a league folder with custom all-star teams.

Edit Records: Edit league or all-time records.


Modify—Display the Modify Team Information form and make changes to the team name, colors, logo and other information. For more details, see “The Modify Team Information Form” below.

Import—Import a team from a different season folder. Highlight an unoccupied team location and select Import Team. The following options are available:

Import Drive—Select the drive to import a team from.

Import Folder—Select the folder to import a team from.

Available—Double-click the team you would like to import.

Import Team—Import the highlighted team.

Cancel—Return to the Teams menu without importing.

Exit—Return to main menu.

THE MODIFY TEAM INFORMATION FORM: Modifying Team Characteristics The Modify Team Information form allows for the editing of all team characteristics. To access the Modify Team Information form, choose Organize/Teams from the opening screen and click Modify Team Information.

Modify Team Information Form Options:

General Team Information

City—Enter the city for the selected team.

Nickname—Enter the nickname for the selected team.

Modify Team Information


Abbreviation—Enter a three letter abbreviation for this team.

Manager—Enter a manager’s name for the selected team.

Real (Wins Losses)—Enter real life wins and losses for the selected team.

Team Logos

Click to select a logo for this team. Assign Logo assigns a logo to a team. Delete Logo clears a logo assignment for a team. Note: Any logos located in your Team Logos folder may be used as a team logo. Unless you specify differently, this folder located under Program Files/Baseball/Team Logos

Choosing Colors

Background—Foreground—Select home and road foreground and background colors for a team.

Third Color—Select an accent color to be used for a team.

Team Statistical Basis

Base Year—Highlight the year the player statistics are based on, and select Assign Above Year to set the base year. This is very important for comparison between playing styles of different eras.

Base League—Highlight the league for this team.

Parks List—Highlight the home stadium for this team. Players created for this team will be assumed to have played the entire real season at this park. Click Assign Above Park to set the park.

Search Parks—Enter a park name to search for a specific park.

THE ROSTER FORM: Managing Team Lineups and Rosters The Roster form is a powerful tool that offers complete options for team, roster, and lineup management. The Roster form may be accessed by choosing Rosters from the main screen and clicking View Roster. Roster Form Options:

Player Menu The Player menu may also be accessed by right-clicking a player’s name. The following options are available from the Player menu:

Create—Create a new player. A generic player called "No Name" will be created. The player may be edited using any of the edit menu tools.

Erase —Delete the player. You will be prompted to verify this choice.

Trade —Trade the player to a different team. A team list will pop up and you will be prompted to select a new team or cancel.

Release—Release the player into the free agent pool. You will be prompted to verify this choice.

Draft—View a list of available free agents for possible selection. For more information on drafting free agents, see “Draft: Drafting Players with the Draft Form.”

Copy—Make a copy of the player.

Active/Inactive—Toggle the roster status of the player.

Pinch Hit—Enter the player into the game as a pinch hitter.

Pitch—Enter the player to pitch.

Edit EPC—Edit this player’s estimated pitch count for this game. This function is not available for internet games, or when disabled in league rules.


Sort Column—Sort the roster display by the highlighted column.

Edit Menu The following spreadsheet options are available for editing a team roster:

General Information—Edit general information such as name, bat side, throw side, age, and salary.

Batting—Edit total batting statistics. An estimated breakdown of statistics versus left handed and right handed pitchers will be created.

Batting versus Lefty—Edit batting statistics versus left-handed pitchers.

Batting versus Righty—Edit batting statistics versus right-handed pitchers.

Pitching—Edit total pitching statistics. An estimated breakdown of statistics versus left handed and right handed hitters will be created.

Pitching versus Lefty—Edit pitching statistics versus left-handed batters.

Pitching versus Righty—Edit pitching statistics versus right-handed batters.

Fielders—Edit fielding statistics and ratings.

Batter/Pitcher Display—Determine which players are displayed with pitchers or batters.

Note: Prior to opening a spreadsheet you will be prompted to choose between real or replay stats.

Roster Form


Roster Menu View/Print/Disk—Display the current roster and optionally print the roster, save it to disk, or save it to an html file.

Reset Stats—Reset all statistics to zero.

Day Off—Give all pitchers a day off to rest.

Release All Players—Release all players to the free agent pool.

Print Player Cards—Print player cards for one or more players on a team. Cards may be printed in two sizes: business card (2”x3.5”) or postcard (4.25” x 5.5”).

Player Photos—Display the Player Photo form. The Player Photo form allows users to select photos to be used for specific players. It may be accessed by selecting Roster/Player Photos from any team roster. Player photos will appear when viewing player stats and at various other locations in Action! PC Baseball. The following options are available.

Use Photo—Use the displayed photo for the highlighted player.

Delete Photo Assignment—Discontinue photo use for this player.

Delete All Assignments—Discontinue photo use for all players on this team.

Player List—Click a player’s name to view his photo assignment.

Default Photos—Assign player photos for all players in the following format: Smith_John.jpg Note: Player photos should be saved in the Player Photos folder typically Program Files/Baseball 2010/Player Photos. The standard naming convention is Lastname_Firstname.jpg.

Manager Menu

Manager Preferences—Display the Manager Preferences form. For more information see “Managers: The Manager Form” below.

Player Usage and Availability—Edit player usage preferences such as start dates, stop dates, maximum at bats, maximum innings pitched, and maximum games started. The computer manager will use the maximums as a guide to regulate player usage. You may also select preferences for special situations.

Generate Default Manager—Display the Default Manager form, which has the following options:

Managers—Display a form to be used to generate managers for all teams.

Player Ratings—Display a form to be used to generate a variety of default player ratings. Player statistics will be used to create subjective ratings.

Set Roster—Let the computer make roster changes to meet roster requirements.

Export Manager—Export the team manager profile into the active season folder. The file will have a .man extension and may be imported by other computers using Utilities/Import Managers.

Email Manager—Email the manager file to a league member. The member must be listed in your league address book.

Lineup Tab To enter a player into the lineup, highlight the player’s name and double-click a spot in the lineup list. To enter a position for a player, highlight his name in the lineup list, then click a position. The following features are available on the Lineup Tab.

Computer—Have the computer generate a lineup. This option is only available before a game.


Clear—Clear the lineup list. Not available after the game starts.

View Opponent—View the opponent’s lineup.

Comp vs L—Have the computer generate a lineup for use against left-handed pitchers.

Comp vs R—Have the computer generate a lineup for use against right-handed pitchers.

Save Lineup—Save the current lineup.

Load Lineup—Load a previously saved lineup.

Save Date—Save the current lineup to be used on the highlighted date.

Load Date—Load the saved lineup (if available) for the highlighted date. Depth Charts Tab For each position, specify up to seven players to be used versus left and right handed pitchers. The computer manager will use the first available player listed on the depth chart. Rotation Tab Specify a starting rotation of up to seven starters. When sufficiently rested, starters will be used in the designated order. Up to seven spot starters may also be selected to be used as needed. To limit the specific number of starts for a pitcher, select Manager/Player Usage and Availability. Pinch Hit Tab Specify up to 15 pinch hitters to be used against left-handed and right-handed pitchers. The computer manager will use the first available pinch hitter listed on the pinch hitter list.

Bullpen Tab Up to seven relief pitchers may be specified for the role of closer (versus left-handed or right-handed batters), setup pitcher (vs. left or right), long reliever, or blowout pitcher. The computer manager will use bullpen pitchers in the order listed when sufficiently rested for the role.

Managers: The Manager Form The Manager form is accessed by selecting Organize/Managers from the opening screen or by selecting Manager Preferences from the Roster form.

Offense/Defense Tendencies—Tendency settings range from “never” to “very often” with the default of “average.” The computer manager considers both the tendency setting and the ability of the players involved when making a decision. For example, a team with many good bunters will bunt more often than a team with poor bunters. Setting the “Bunt” tendency to a higher than average setting will result in more bunt attempts at a lower success rate.

Offense—Manager tendencies may be chosen for the following offensive tactics: Try for extra base, Steal 2nd, Steal 3rd, Steal Home, Hit and Run, Bunt, PH for Pitchers, PH for Batter, and Pinch Run.

Defense—Manager tendencies may be chosen for the following defensive tactics: Throw for runners, Infield In, Guard Lines, Hold Runners, Attempt Pickoffs, Pitch Out, Late Def Subs, Intentional Walks, Pitch Around, and Pitch Aggressive.

Never Sub When Using Preset Lineups—Select this option to require the computer to adhere to saved lineups. When this option is not selected, the computer manager will substitute for overused players. Saved lineups will be used in the order displayed. Blank lineups will be skipped. This option does not apply to leagues using daily lineups.

League Reset The League Reset form is used to perform tasks that apply to the entire league. The following categories


are available: Reset Statistics—Reset statistics for all players and teams to zero.

Reset Records—Reset all league records to zero.

Reset Injuries—Delete all injuries.

Reset Pitchers—Rest pitchers for up to five days.

Draft Tools Release Players—Release all players into the free agent pool. Delete All Teams—Erase all teams to form a new blank league.

Misc Tools Reset Value—Computer generate new values for all players.

Activate All Players—Set all players to active status. Rules: Modifying Active Season Rules The Rules form is used to modify specific rules for the active season folder. Each season folder contains its own unique set of rules. The Rules form is accessed by selecting Organize/Rules from the opening screen.

Rules Menu


General Rules Tab

Basic Rules

Use DH-National/American/Inter-League—Select which leagues allow the use of a designated hitter.

Catcher Fatigue—Penalize catchers for playing too many consecutive games. Double-click a catcher’s name to view his fatigue status.

Display Wildcard Standings—Displays wildcard standings when viewing or printing league standings.

Apply Park Effect—Use real-life park statistics to impact play results.

Rain Delays—Allow games to be delayed by rain

Rainouts—Allow the games to be rained out.

Replay Reviews—Enable review of close calls on home runs.

Suspensions—Allow suspensions

Draft League LH Pitcher Boost—Improve the performance of left handed pitchers in a draft league. This will offset the large number of right-handed hitters found in draft leagues. Players in smaller leagues will receive a greater boost.

Display League Standings as One Division—Display all three divisions in league standings as one division.

Allow Estimated Pitch Count (EPC) Editing—Allow pregame editing of estimated pitch counts.

Bullpen Warm-up Rule—Require pitchers to be warmed up in the bullpen before being used.

Sacrifice Rules

Use Rules for Batting Team Era—Use the scoring rules that were in effect at the time of the season you are using.

Use Modern Rules (1954 to Present)—Use the scoring rules that have been in effect since 1954.

Season Length—Set the length of your computer season. The game engine will prorate injuries and usage by comparing the real-life season length to your selected computer season length

Innings—Change the number of innings played in a game

League Era—Select an era for league games. The default era is Batter/Pitcher average. For information regarding era effects on play results, see “The Game Engine” in the Special Topics section of the Appendix

League Game Films—Check the boxes to save game films from computer managed games and human managed games.

Roster Management Tab

Roster Management Rules

Note: When roster limits are set, teams must be at or below this limit in order to start a game. The computer general manager will modify rosters for teams managed by the computer.

Opening Day Roster Limit—Select a maximum number of active players for league rosters.

Sept. 1 Roster Limit—Select a maximum number of active players for league rosters after Sept. 1.


Inactive Options Per Player—Select a maximum number of times a player may be selected as inactive.

Use Transaction Dates If Available—Players are only permitted to play between their “start” and “end” dates. The start and end dates may be viewed by clicking Status on the Roster form. Injuries should be turned off in order to maintain a full active roster while using transaction dates.

Use Daily Lineups If Available—Use actual daily lineups when available or when programmed for a team.

Injuries—Play with realistic injuries.

Maximum Injury Length—Set a maximum length for injuries.

Allow computer general manager to make roster changes when not using real life transaction dates.

Usage Rules Tab

Batting and Pitching Usage Rules and Penalties—Set penalties for using a player more than he was used in real-life. Usage levels range from 100% to 190% of real life at bats or innings pitched. A penalty ranging from 0 to 50% may be set for each usage level. For example, if a player with a .300 batting average has 10% more at bats than in real-life, the 110% usage rule would apply. If the 110% penalty is set to reduce hits by 20%, his average would be .240.

Based On At Bats/Plate Appearances—Base usage penalties on either at bats or plate appearances.

Apply Usage Rules to Left/Right Splits—Have usage penalties apply to batting and pitching splits as well as totals.

Prorate Usage Rules for Each Playoff Series—Prorate usage penalties for a playoff series. Therefore, usage penalties will be applied sooner in a short series than in a long season. For example, in a full 162 game season, a player might be penalized after 486 at-bats. In a seven game series, that same player might be penalized after 21 at-bats.

Misc Tab

Show Steal Success %—Display the chance of a successful steal.

Show Base Runner Success %—Display the chance of a base runner advancing to the next base when prompted to make a base coaching decision.

Display Pitcher Estimated Pitch Counts (EPC)—Display the estimated number of pitches that may be thrown before a pitcher is tired.

Outcome Box—Shows the chance of possible outcomes.

Coaching Decision Clock—Set a maximum number of seconds before a coaching decision must be made.

League Pitch By Pitch Mode

Use League Rules—When checked, league settings will override pitch-by-pitch settings on the Game Preferences screen.

Use Pitch-by-Pitch Mode—Play the game one pitch at a time instead of one batter at a time. All settings may be changed at any time during the game.

Bases Empty—Select an inning to begin using pitch-by-pitch mode with the bases empty.

Runners On—Select an inning to begin using pitch-by-pitch mode with runners on base.

Score Within—Stop using pitch-by-pitch mode if the score differential is greater


than your Score Within setting.

Always—Always use pitch-by-pitch mode.

Never—Never use pitch-by-pitch mode.

Draft: Drafting Players with the Draft Form The Draft form is used to draft players from the free agent pool. It may be accessed by selecting Player/Draft from the Roster form or Organize/Draft from the main game screen. The following options are available:

Modify Draft Order—Display the Modify Draft Order form. The following options are available:

Rounds—Select the number of rounds for the draft.

Draft Style—Select between loop and standard drafts.

Draft Tools—The following tools are available:

Clear Draft Grid—Clear all entries on the draft grid. To release any drafted players see “League Reset Tools.”

Random order—Create a random order for the draft grid.

Team List—Select a team to enter onto the draft grid. Click the grid to enter the team in a specific spot in the draft order. If the first round is selected, you will be given the option of entering the team for the same position in every round. Note: After a player is drafted, his name and team will appear in the appropriate spot in the draft grid.

General Manager—Display the General Manager form. The following options are available for the highlighted team.

General Manager—Toggle between human or computer general manager.

Draft Preferences—Set the draft priority for computer general managers in the following categories: Starting Pitching, Relief Pitching, Hitting for Power, Hitting for Average, Team Defense, and Team Speed. The draft priority ranges from low (far left) to high (far right).

General Manager Tools—The following tools are available.

Set All General Managers to Human.

Set All General Managers to Computer.

Computer Suggest—Let the computer suggest a player for the highlighted team.

Continue Draft—Continue the draft with the next selection.

Draft Type—Toggle between manual and round-by-round. Manual drafting allows you to select any team and make any number of selections. Selections made with manual drafts are not entered on the draft grid. Round-by-round drafts adhere to the draft order set on the modify draft form. Selections made on the round-by-round draft are entered on the draft grid.

View—View complete ratings and statistics for the highlighted player.

Draft—Draft the highlighted player for the team currently making a selection.

Free Agent Display

Position—Select the positions to display.

Minimum—Select a minimum playing time requirement for the display.

Display—Choose a type of display.

Refresh—Refresh the free agent display.

View/Print/Disk—Display the current list of free agents and optionally print the list, or save it to a disk or an html file.


Era: Historical League Averages Modify and view averages by year. Data stored in “era” files is used to determine results and compare players between different years. Era data has a significant impact on play results, so be careful making changes. For information concerning the impact of the era on play results, see “ Game Engine” in the Special Topics section of the Appendix.

Ballparks: Creating and Modifying a Ballpark The Ballpark form is used to create and modify stadium information. It may be accessed by selecting Organize/Ballparks from the opening screen. The following features are available:

Data

Ballparks—Highlight a park to modify.

Neutral Park Statistical Impact—Enter batting adjustments for both left handed batters (LHB) and right handed batters (RHB) on a year-by-year basis. Statistical impact is measured in terms of the percentage more or less than the average park (0). For example, a home run rating of –25% means the park yielded 25% fewer home runs than the average park for that year. For more information regarding ballpark statistical impact, see “ Game Engine” in the Special Topics section of the Appendix.

Biographical Data—Enter ballpark name, city, first year, last year, play surface, foul territory, precipitation, wind, roof, outfield fence (distance and height), and average monthly temperatures.

Available Pictures—Set a primary and alternate photo to be used for each park. Any picture files saved in the ballparks file can be assigned to a ballpark. There are many great internet ballpark sites. Several are listed in our “Ballpark Credits” section of the Appendix. You can also use your own photographs. After assigning a picture to a ballpark, select park layout to correctly position players on the field.

Layout Ballpark Layout—Modify the screen location of base runners, fielders and batters for the highlighted parks. Drag and drop labels to the location of your choice

Schedule The Schedule form is used to modify the schedule for the active season. The Schedule form may be accessed by selecting Organize/Schedule from the opening game screen. The following features are available:

Calendar Control—Select a month and day to view a list of games scheduled, or create new games for that date.

Build Series—Highlight the home team, visiting team and series length. Then select Add Series to enter the new series onto the schedule.

Manager—Click C or H next to the team name to toggle between computer and human manager.

View Box Score—Click on any completed game to view the box score of that game.

Status—If unplayed, a game may be deleted by clicking the status column.

Park—Click the park name if you wish to have the game played in a different park.

Game Number—Toggle between 1 and 2. Only use 2 if the game is the second game of a double header.

View Schedule—Select a team to view its entire schedule. Click on completed games to view the box score.

Favorite Team—Select a team to be managed the entire season by a human manager.

Schedule Tools Menu Erase Schedule—Remove all games from the schedule.


Set All Coaches Computer—Let the computer manage all teams for all games.

Set All Coaches Human—Set human managers for all teams for all games.

Computer Generate Schedule—Let the computer generate a complete schedule.

Ten Minute Ticker—Play computer vs. computer games without displaying scores. Edit Records Edit league or all-time records for batting pitching, fielding, or team totals. Note: Each league folder has its own record file, while all-time records are saved in the main game folder (Program Files/Baseball 2009). All-time records include combined records from all of your leagues. Generate Default

Managers—Display a form to be used to generate managers for all teams.

Player Ratings—Display a form to be used to generate a variety of default player ratings. Player statistics will be used to create subjective ratings.

Player Search A useful tool for finding any player in the active league. It is accessed by choosing Organize/Player Search from the opening screen. Use Player Search to find specific players. Double-click from the list of players found to view his complete statistics and ratings.

Model League The Model League form can be used to quickly update a draft league with player data from a new season statistics disk. The following options are available:

Original League Folder—Double-click the folder which contains your original league data.

Use New Data From—Double-click the folder which contains the new player data you would like to use.

New League Folder—Enter a name for the new league folder. Example: You are using the 2010 game edition, and would like to create a new season folder using the 2009 season stats. You want to model the new folder after your 2009 draft league (which used the 2009 game edition and the 2008 season stats). Original Folder: ProgramFiles/Baseball2009/BB2008Draft Use New Season Data From: Programfiles/Baseball2010/BB2009 New League Folder: ProgramFiles/Baseball2010/BB2010Draft

Begin Model—All players will be placed on teams, team names will be updated, and the free agent file will include all players not present on any team.

Transactions Enter active playing dates for players on any teams. The Transaction tool may be accessed by selecting Organize/Transaction from the main menu. Active playing dates may also be entered when viewing a team roster by selecting Manager/Player Availability and Usage or by double-clicking on Player and clicking the Usage tab.

Create All-Star Teams Generate a new league folder with custom all-star teams. One 28 player roster will be created for each league. Players are selected based on year-to-date performance.


Team Reports View player statistics, rosters and box scores by team. Additional customized team reports may be generated by selecting Reports/Database and choosing only one team for the report. The Team Reports form is accessed by selecting Reports/Team Reports from the opening screen. The following options are available:

Team List—Highlight a team to view its statistics.

Box Score List—Double-click a box score you would like to view.

Report Preferences—Build custom reports that include any combination of individual reports.

Include—Select one or all teams.

Statistics—Choose between real or computer statistics.

Include Pitcher Batting—Include individual pitcher batting statistics in batting reports.

Build/View—Generate the report and optionally print the report, save it to a disk, or save it to an html file.

League Reports The League Reports form is used to generate team comparison charts for a division or league. The following options are available:

Teams—Select divisions or leagues to include in the report.

Reports—Choose between batting, pitching or fielding.

Reports

THE REPORTS MENU

Team Reports: View reports by team.

League Reports: View reports such as league standings, power rankings and injuries.

Leader Boards: View customizable league leader boards.

News: View a report for a specific calendar day.

Records: View all individual and team records.

Data Base: Generate customized reports for your entire league data base.

Player Game Logs: View a day-by-day report for a player.

Box Search: Scan box scores for specific events.

Game Films: View play-by-play from completed games.

Encyclopedia: Build an encyclopedia and view custom reports.

What If: Estimate player statistics in different eras and parks.

Highlights: View saved play-by-play highlights.

Today’s Box Scores View all box scores for a specific date in one report.

Quick League Report View standings, recent scores, team and league leaders in one report.


Stats—Choose real or computer stats.

Refresh—Build the report.

View/Print/Disk—Print the report, save it to a disk , or save it to an html file.

Standings—View league standings.

Team vs Team—View games won versus each team.

Salary—View the total salary values.

Injuries—View all league injuries.

All-Stars—Generate an all-star team for the selected league. Leader Boards The Leader Board is used to build and display both standard and customized league leader reports. It is accessed by selecting Reports/Leaders from the opening screen.

Leader Board Options:

Team List—Select a division or league to be included in the report.

Statistic Type—Toggle between real and computer statistics.

Main Batting Leaders—Select the number of batting average leaders to view.

Main Pitching Leaders—Select the number of pitching ERA leaders to view.

Secondary Leaders—Select the number of leaders to view for all secondary categories.

View/Print/Disk—Print the report, save it to disk, or save it to an html file.

Leader Board


Database Form: Double-click a player’s name to view his complete statistics and ratings.

Refresh—Build the selected report.

Custom Leader Grid—You may create up to 100 custom leader board reports using the custom leader grid. Each custom leader grid consists of 15 rows and 3 columns. To change an entry on the grid, highlight a statistic and click on the leader board position you would like to be occupied by your statistic. To view your custom report, select View/Print/Disk.

News The News form is used to create a report for a specific calendar day. It may be accessed by selecting Reports/News from the opening screen. News reports include transactions, injuries, game scores, schedules and headlines. Records View the top five game and season record holders. Reports may be viewed for batting, pitching, and fielding.

Database The Database form allows you to view customized player reports for your league database. It is accessed by selecting Reports/Database from the opening screen.

Database Form


Database form options:

Display

Position—Include player position on the report.

Free Agents—Include free agents as part of the report.

Age—Include player ages on the report.

Filter

Teams—Select a team, division or entire league for the report.

Batting Minimum—Select a minimum batting requirement for the report.

Pitching Minimum—Select a minimum pitching requirement for the report.

Fielding Minimum—Select a minimum fielding requirement for the report.

Stats—Select real or computer statistics.

Bats—Select right, left, both, or all.

Throws—Select right, left, or all.

Position—Filter the report by player position.

Reports

Report—Select the report you would like to view. Reports 1 thru 20 are standard reports. Reports 21 thru 50 may be customized by selecting Layout.

View/Print/Disk—View the database report in text format and optionally print the report, save it to a disk, or save it to an html file.

Layout—Modify the statistical columns displayed on the report. To change the content of a column, highlight the column, then click the statistic you wish to appear.

Refresh—Build the report.

Player Game Logs View a day-by-day report for a player. Double-click any found game to view the complete box score. The following options are available:

Team List—Choose a team to view.

Player List—Choose a player from the team.

Filter—Set minimum standards to search for as part of this report.

Refresh—View a list of games for the selected player.

Box Search The Box Search form is used to scan all played games to find specific events. It is accessed by choosing Reports/Box Search from the opening screen. Click on any game that is found to view the complete box score.

(See Box Search graphic below.)

Box Search Options: Set filter requirements for a search using the following options:

Batting Minimum—Enter the minimum batting requirement.

Fielding Minimum—Enter the minimum fielding requirement.

Pitching Minimum—Enter the minimum pitching requirement.

Team Minimums—Enter the minimum game totals for one or both teams.

Search Teams—Select a team (if any), an opponent (if any), and choose between a batting or pitching display.


View/Print/Disk—View the report in a text format and optionally print the report, save it to a disk, or save it to an html file.

Search—Search for box scores that meet the filter requirements.

Game Films View play-by-play from completed games. Game films are only saved for games specified in your league rules.

Encyclopedia The Encyclopedia form is used to display statistics saved in up to 10 encyclopedias. The following options are available.

Search Filter—View a portion of your data by specifying batting minimums, pitching minimums, teams, or years. To filter by team, enter the team abbreviation; to filter by year, use four digits. To find the complete history of a specific player, enter his name a well as any year he played minus his age on April 1 of that year (year-age).

Box Search


Note: To filter by team: Enter the team abbreviation. To filter by year: Use four digits.

View/Print/Disk—View the report in a text format and optionally print the report, save it to a disk, or save it to an html file. This report will also display career totals.

Tools Menu

Delete Found Records—Delete all of the found records.

Erase Encyclopedia—Delete ALL records in the encyclopedia.

Add Data—Add data to the encyclopedia from selected folders.

Compress Encyclopedia—Compress the size of the encyclopedia file.

Edit Encyclopedia Names—Edit the names of the encyclopedias.

What If The What If form is used to estimate batter or pitcher performance in different years and ballparks. It is accessed by choosing Reports/What If from the opening screen. The following options are available:

Filter—Select minimum real-life totals for the “What If” analysis.

Home Park—Select a theoretical home park.

Year—Select a theoretical year.

League—Select a theoretical league.

Report—Batting or pitching.

Refresh—Generate the report.


Internet Connection Tips Port 1452 must be open when playing Action! PC games over the Internet. If using firewall

software, make sure this port is open.

Firewall Settings: Windows Firewall, found in Windows Security Center, must either be open or set to allow the games as an exception. Your antivirus software must be set to allow the game files to be passed through the internet.

Router Users: If you are connected to the internet via a router, you must forward port 1452. Visit

portforward.com for specific instructions on the most commonly used routers. Host Game Session Prepare the game to host a game session. The Internet Host form will appear on the screen while waiting for a call. When a call arrives from someone wishing to join a game session, you will be required to “Accept” or “Decline” the call. When a call is accepted, the message “Hosting internet game session.” will appear on the main game screen. After selecting teams for a game, the host will be prompted to choose a team for the internet opponent.

Join Game Session Enter an IP address and join a host for a session of games. When successfully connected the message

Internet

THE INTERNET MENU

Host Game Session: Enable your computer to listen for an incoming call.

Join Game Session: Connect to another computer for a game session.

Find IP Address: Find the current IP address.

Disconnect: Close communication with your internet opponent.

Open Windows Firewall Port 1452:

Open Windows port 1452 to enable internet play.

Forward Port 1452—Router: Visit portforward.com for router specific instructions for for-warding port 1452.

Service Updates: Visit the Dave Koch Sports service page to check for available game updates.

Shop for Baseball Seasons: Shop for available baseball seasons and teams.

Visit dksports.com Visit the Dave Koch Sports website.

League Address Book: Edit the address book for the current league folder.

Create Website: Build a custom website for your league.

Chat: Chat with your internet opponent.


“Connected to internet host." will appear on screen. All menu options will be disabled until disconnected from the host.

Find IP Address Find your current IP address. The host should email the IP address to his opponent. The opponent uses the IP address to join a game session. Note: Your IP address changes each time you connect to the internet. If you have difficulty connecting with an opponent, you may need to verify the IP address by running winipcfg.exe from Windows. You may also verify your IP address by logging on to www.myipaddress.com.

Note: If you have difficulty hosting, it may be due to a firewall. If a firewall is present, open port 1452. Disconnect Close communication with your internet opponent.

Open Windows Firewall Port 1452 This menu choice opens firewall port 1452 to allow data transfer between the host and the remote computer. This port must be opened in order to play an internet game. Forward Port 1452—Router If your computer is connected to the internet by way of a router, you’ll need to forward port 1452 to the computer that you will be using in order to play Action! PC Baseball. Visit portforward.com to view step-by-step instructions to help configure your computer for internet play. Portforward.com includes instructions for most popular routers. Service Updates Visit the Dave Koch Sports service page to check for available service updates. Shop for Baseball Seasons View a list of available baseball seasons and teams.

Visit dksports.com Visit the Dave Koch Sports website. League Address Book The league address book can be used to maintain a list of league members, email addresses and member status for emailing game files. The following options are available:

Add Member— Add a new member to your league. The default member name, No Name will appear in the name box. A league address book may contain up to 50 members.

Delete Member—Delete the member currently displayed.

Member Name—Edit the name of the currently displayed member.

Member email—Edit the email address of the currently displayed member.

League Statistician—Check this box to specify the league statistician.

Send Game Reports—Check this box to indicate the current member in the list of league


members to receive game reports.

Create Website Build a custom website for your league. The Create Website form is accessed by selecting Internet/Create Website from the opening screen. When the form pops up, select the reports you would like included in the website. The web pages will be created in a folder called WebFolder inside your active season folder. Custom websites automatically include standings. You may optionally include schedules, box scores, individual team pages, league leaders, team comparison charts, and all-star voting totals.

Chat Chat with your internet opponent.


Setup

Active Season The Active Season form is used to change the active season folder. The Active Season form is accessed by selecting Setup/Active Season from the opening screen. To change the active season, toggle between folders and select Save Changes.

Game Preferences The Game Preferences form appears after the date and teams are chosen. It may also be accessed by selecting Setup/Game Preferences from the main menu or Options/Game Preferences from the game screen. This form is used to select the coaches, play speed, and game screen display preferences.

(see the Game Preferences graphic below)

Game Display Tab

Diamond Display

Diamond—Choose 3/4 or full screen diamond displays.

Play Calls—Choose left or right for the location of the play calling box.

Lineup Display—Select the statistics you would like displayed for your lineups.

Full Screen Options

Lineups to Display—Select the teams to be displayed on the game screen.

Pitcher/Batter Statistics Display—Set the screen location of pitcher and batter stat displays.

Dual Monitor Support—Display the game screen on one monitor and display an additional screen with lineups, complete bullpens & benches, stats, box, score sheet, and leaders on the second screen. When using one monitor, the second form will be displayed on a separate Windows tab.

Player Displays

Batter/Pitcher Photo—Display batter and pitcher photos in the top corners of the screen.

Playing Field Photos—Display photos for pitcher, batter, and fielders on the playing field. Optionally display player labels along with playing field photos

Game Display Options

Choose the features and options to be displayed on the screen. Some of the options are as

THE SETUP MENU

Active Season: Change active season folders.

Game Preferences: Modify game display preferences.

Box Score Layout: Specify the statistics and display colors for a box score.

Install Season: Install a new season disk.

Play-by-Play: Edit play-by-play descriptions.

Sound Effects: Select sound effects for play-by-play.


follows:

Display Pitch Speed—Display the current pitch speed in miles per hour. Pitch speed may be used to judge pitcher fatigue when Display Pitcher Fatigue is turned off.

Use Ten Minute Ticker—View the progress of other games being played in your league.

Mouse-Over Player Pop-Up —Display a rating, statistics box, and player photo (if available) when moving the mouse over a player label.

Lineup Font Size—Choose a font size for lineup displays.

Scoreboard

Choose the size and color of the scoreboard, and optionally display left-on-base statistics.

Play-by-Play Tab Play-By-Play Commentary Options—Check the boxes to include batter comments, new

Game Preferences


pitcher comments, and base runner situations in play-by-play descriptions and inning wrap-up summaries. Toggle between no bias in play-by-play descriptions, bias toward the home team, or bias toward the team you are controlling in a human team vs. computer game.

Other Play-By-Play Options—Choose formatting options for play-by-play text. Check the boxes to use team color play-by-play or to use short play-by-play with no video display.

Play-by-Play Speed

Fast—Slow— Set the play-by-play display speed.

Zoom— Advance to the end of a specific inning.

Computer vs. Computer— Choose between instant or regular speed when playing a computer vs. computer game.

Video and Sound Tab Video Display—Turn the video chalkboard display on or off, choose small or normal sized chalkboard icons, and set the video chalkboard display speed.

Sound Effects—Turn sound effects on and off.

Park Image—Choose between the standard or alternate park images, or select a different image to use.

Misc Tab

Game Era—Choose an era for generating results. The default game era is batter/pitcher average. For more information regarding game era, see “The Game Engine” in the Special Topics section of the Appendix.

Report Style—Choose a report style from the drop-down menu

Opening Game Screen Font—Choose the font size for the opening game screen.

Manager Options

Bullpen Warm-Up—Requires human managers to warm pitchers for at least two batters before entering a game at full strength. Pitchers may warm-up in the bullpen as often as you like. However, each warm-up session reduces the number of pitches the pitcher may throw in the game.

Computer Base Coach—Have the computer make all base coaching decisions.

Computer Base Stealing—Have the computer call for stolen base attempts. With this option, human coaches may also call for steals.

All Human Subs for Computer Managers—Allow human coaches to make all substitutions for computer managed teams.

Coaching Decision Clock— Designate the number of seconds available for making base coaching decisions.

Warn Before Computer Manager Substitutions—Allow a human manager to cancel a proposed computer substitution. This option is available for pitching changes, pinch hitters, pinch runners, and defensive subs.

Use Pitch-by-Pitch Mode—Play the game one pitch at a time instead of one batter at a time. All settings may be changed at any time during the game.

Bases Empty—Select an inning to begin using pitch-by-pitch mode with the bases empty.

Runners On—Select an inning to begin using pitch-by-pitch mode with runners on base.


Score Within—Stop using pitch-by-pitch mode if the score differential is greater than your Score Within setting.

Always—Always use pitch-by-pitch mode.

Never—Never use pitch-by-pitch mode.

Team Manager: Computer—Human—Set each team to be managed by a computer or human manager.

Box Score Layout Preferences The Box Score Layout Preferences form is used to specify the statistics and display colors for a box score. The following options are available:

Batting Line—Select additional statistics to appear in the standard batting line such as average, extra base hits, walks, strikeouts or even fielding data. At bats, hits, runs, and runs batted in are always displayed as part of the batting line.

Pitching Line—Select additional statistics to appear in the standard pitching line such as ERA, home runs, pitch count and more. Innings, hits, runs, earned runs, walks, and strikeouts are always displayed as part of the pitching line.

End of Box Items—Select preferences for statistical items appearing at the end of the box score, such as steals off of, home runs off of, LOB by batter, GIDP by batter, substitution listings, and more.

Install Season The Install Season form is used to install a new season disk. It is accessed by selecting Utilities/Install Season from the opening screen or selecting Install Season from the Setup menu. The following options are available:

Install From Drive—Select the drive where the season you wish to install resides. Typically this will be your floppy drive.

Important: Most installation errors occur when not selecting the correct “Install From Drive.” Always designate the drive from which you are installing the season.

Folder—Select the folder on the “Install From Drive” where the season you wish to install resides.

Installation Folder—Enter the drive and folder where you would like the new season to reside. The default folder will be named Program Files/Baseball/New Folder. Always change the name New Folder to a name that identifies the folder content, such as 1959 if the folder includes the 1959 season.

Begin Installation—Install the new season.

Play-By-Play Edit 4000 lines of basic play-by-play text. The play-by-play editor may be accessed by selecting Organize/Play-By-Play from the opening game screen. Many plays, such as rare plays, may not be edited.

Sound Effects Select sound effects for play-by-play. Sound files, with the .wav extension, should be saved in the Program Files/Baseball/Sounds. The sound effects editor may be accessed by selecting Setup/Sound Effects from the main menu.


Export Games The Export Games form is used to export complete game statistics for use on another computer. This function is useful for leagues playing a series on multiple computers. Exported game files will have a .bbx extension. The Export Games form may be accessed by selecting Utilities/Export Games from the opening screen. The following options are available:

Mark Games For Export—Click the games you would like to export.

Export All—Select all games for exporting.

Export None—Unselect all games.

Export Location Drive—Select the drive location you would like to export the selected games to. This is typically your floppy drive.

Folder—Select the folder on the selected drive where you would like the games exported.

Begin Export—Export all selected games to the listed drive and folder. A file with the .bbx extension will be created containing the selected game(s). This file may then be transferred by email to other computers for import.

Cancel—Cancel export and return to the main menu.

Import Games The Import Games form is used to import games played on another computer to the active season folder. All statistics and records from imported games will be added to those in the active season folder. The Import Games form may be accessed by selecting Utilities/Import Games from the opening screen. The following options are available:

Drive—Select the drive from which games will be imported.

Folder—Select the folder on the selected drive from which games will be imported. After selecting a

Utilities

THE UTILITIES MENU

Export Games: Export games for transfer to other computers.

Import Games: Import and compile stats from a game played on another com-puter.

Import Managers: Import manager profiles from another source.

Copy Current Database: Make an exact copy of your league folder.

Create Playoff Database: Copy your current league into a new folder.

Zip League Files: Zip and optionally email files.

Synchronize League Files: Reorganizes imported league files by date.

Clean Photo, Logo, and Ballpark Folders:

Delete photos, logos, and ballpark images that are invalid picture files or zero bytes in size.

Clean League Folder: Delete duplicate or corrupted data from your league file.

Import Team Colors, Nicknames, Logos:

Import team colors, nicknames, and logos from another league folder.


folder, a list of games available with the .bbx file extension will appear.

Available Game—Click any listed game to select that game for import.

Select All Games—Select all available games for import.

Begin Import—Import all games from the selected drive and folder. To avoid double-importing, all .bbx files for games that have been imported will be automatically deleted.

Cancel—Cancel import and return to the main menu.

Import Managers The Import Managers form is used to import manager profiles exported from another computer into the active season folder. The Import Managers form may be accessed by selecting Utilities/Import Managers from the opening screen. A list of .man manager files will appear in a list box. Click on the file you would like to import and the appropriate Team Manager file will be updated.

Note: Managers may be exported by selecting Manager/Export Manager from any team roster.

Copy Current Database Make a copy of your current league. All teams, players, statistics, managers and logos will be copied. You will be prompted for a folder name for this copy.

Create Playoff Database Make a copy of your current league to use for the playoffs. This copy will be saved in the Playoff folder. All stats will be reset; however, injuries and recent pitch count history will NOT be reset, unless otherwise specified. To setup playoff brackets, proceed to Play/Playoffs.

Zip League Files Note: We strongly recommend that e-mailed game files are zipped prior to sending. Files that are not zipped may become corrupted during mailing. Select one or more files to be included in a zip file. The completed zip file may then be emailed to all league members. The following files may be included: teams, players, managers, address book, logos, records, schedule, and box scores. After the files are zipped you will be asked if you would like to email the zipped file to league members.

Clean League Folder Delete duplicate or corrupted data from your league file.

Clean Photo, Logo, and Ballpark Folders Delete photos, logos, and ballpark images that are invalid picture files or of size zero bytes.

Import Team Colors, Nicknames, Logos Import team colors, nicknames, and logos from another league folder.


Appendix A—Player Ratings Action! PC Baseball subjective ratings range from 0 to 10 (best). Players receive the following ratings:

Fielding Range Range ratings determine how often players get to balls hit to their area. The average range rating is 5. Ratings greater than 5 reduce the opponent’s batting average; ratings below 5 increase the opponent’s average. The following is an estimate by position of what each rating point is worth:

Pitcher ................. 0.5 Catcher ............... 1.0 First Baseman ..... 2.0 Second Baseman . 3.5 Third Baseman ... 2.5 Shortstop ............. 5.0 Left Fielder ......... 1.5 Center Fielder ..... 3.0 Right Fielder ....... 1.0

For example, over the course of a full season, shortstops rated 10 will reduce the opponent’s batting average by 25 points and a zero-rated shortstop will increase an opponent’s average by 25 points. Catcher range is used on pop-ups and bunts.

Range Adjustments—Range adjustments are calculated differently for standard and draft teams:

Stock Team: The game engine assumes a pitcher’s real stats were generated based on the players on the roster. Basically the roster is scanned to determine the average range for each position. Then, batting average allowed is adjusted by the players on the field at a given time as compared to the team average for each position. If you take a player off the roster, he is not part of the calculation to determine the team averages. If however, he is injured, inactive, or not being used, he still is part of this calculation.

Draft Team: The game engine assumes an average fielder at each position Then, batting average allowed is adjusted by the players on the field at a given time as compared to the league average.

Start/End Dates These dates represent the first day and last day a player is available for his team. These transaction dates do not apply if “Use Transactions” is turned off in the league rules.

Base Running Indicates a runner’s ability to advance an extra base on hits, fly outs and other plays. Each rating point adjusts the chance of a runner advancing an extra base by 4 percentage points. SB Jump Measures how often a runner gets a good jump on steal attempts. Bunt-Sac Represents a player’s ability to bunt to advance runners. Bunt-Hit Represents a player’s ability to bunt for a hit.

Appendices


Hit & Run Represents a player’s effectiveness in hit and run situations. Starter/Relief/Closer Represents a pitcher’s effectiveness in different roles

++ full effectiveness + slightly reduced effectiveness – reduced effectiveness

Power This rating is computer generated and indicates a player’s ability to hit for extra bases. Hold Measures a pitcher’s ability to hold runners on first. Each rating point adjusts the chance of a runner stealing the next base by 4 percentage points. DP Pivot Measures a player’s ability to turn a double play. A player with an average rating of 5 will turn a double play on 58% of double play opportunities. Each rating point above 5 increases the double play chance by 3 points. Each point below 5 decreases the double play chance. OF Arm Measures a player’s ability to throw out runners from the outfield. Each rating point adjusts the chance of a runner advancing to the next base by 4 percentage points. Catcher Arm Measures a player’s ability to throw out potential base stealers. Each rating point adjusts the chance of a successful stolen base by 3 points. Batter Type Determines the location of batted balls. Batters are rated spray, pull, or dead pull depending on how often they hit to each side of the field. Batters are also rated for how often they hit fly or ground balls. Pitcher Type Determines how often a pitcher yields ground balls or fly balls.. Clutch Pitching Indicates how effective a pitcher is with runners on base. Durability Determines how often a player will be injured. By way of example, a “10” will rarely be injured, a “5” will miss 25% of the season, and a “1” will miss 50% of the season. The length of an injury is adjusted by the length of the season specified in league rules and by the number of games previously missed. Pitcher Ratings Pitchers receive the following effectiveness ratings for their performance as a starter, relief pitcher, or closer:

++ Maximum effectiveness + Near maximum effectiveness - Reduced effectiveness


Appendix B—Special Topics

Pitching Usage & Fatigue: Estimated Pitch Count (EPC) Pitching fatigue is based on pitches thrown. At the start of each game pitchers are assigned an esti-mated (EPC) number of pitches they may pitch before becoming tired. This estimate will appear on the team roster and in parenthesis next to the pitch count on the main game screen if you have se-lected “Display Pitcher Estimated Pitch Count” on the Game Preference menu. Estimated pitch counts are based on real-life pitches per game. This estimate may then be reduced by a number of factors:

Pitching a larger than real-life percentage of games or innings over the course of a season or portion of a season.

Extremely warm or cold temperatures. Rain delays. Multiple pickoff attempts. Multiple times warming up in the bullpen.

When a pitcher has become fatigued, exclamation points will appear next to his name. Walks and hits allowed increase as fatigue increases.

The Game Engine Action! PC Baseball results are determined by a highly refined and detailed game engine. Results are not determined based on the limitations of dice rolls or a basic 50/50 split between batter and pitcher abilities. Our game engine is able to reproduce any statistical event no matter how frequently it oc-curred.

Batter/Pitcher Impact—Batters and pitchers are compared to their own league averages. Park Effect—Batter and pitcher statistics are modified by comparing the effect of their own home park with the effect of the park where the game is being played. For example, a batter whose home park reduces home runs by 25% will see a large increase in home runs when play-ing in even an average park. Era Impact—Batters and pitcher statistics are modified by comparing their real life era with the era in which the game is being played. For example, a batter who hit 50 home runs in a season where the league average was 32 home runs/1000AB would only be expected to hit 25 home runs in an era where the league average was 16 home runs/1000AB. Special Eras

Standard Batter/Pitcher Average—This Era averages the statistics from the batter and pitcher real-life era to determine play results.

Cross-Era Historical Average—This era uses historical statistical averages to deter-mine play results

Strategy Impact—Adjustments for offensive and defensive strategy are made after all batter, pitcher, park and era adjustments are made.

Base Stealing You may attempt to steal a base at any time. Your decision to steal will be based on the success rate of the potential base stealer. The exact success percentage of stealing the next base will be displayed to the right of the base runners name if you have selected Show Steal % on the Game Preferences


form. Action! PC Baseball generates this success percentage based on the base runner’s real life suc-cess rate adjusted by the catcher’s arm rating, pitcher’s hold rating, and whether or not the runner is being held. In addition, the number is often reduced depending on how often the runner attempted to steal in real life. For example, a full time player who stole three bases in three attempts will usually have a very low success rate but will occasionally have a very high rate. If you have not selected show steal % on the game screen, a jump rating will be displayed. Higher jump ratings reflect a bet-ter chance of a successful steal. Without a J, the base stealer has a very poor chance of stealing.

Rare Plays Baseball is a sport with a rich and varied past filled with unique plays and strange occurrences. We've made a special effort to include hundreds of these rare plays in the game engine. Some will only occur as infrequently as once every 200,000 games! If you see something in a game that you've never seen before let us know. We'd like to add it to our data base of rare plays.


Appendix C—Credits Ballpark Credits

Ballpark photos used in Action! PC Baseball have been contributed from the sources listed be-low. Many of these sources offer detailed ballpark information, additional photos, park reviews and ballpark merchandise.

Dan Andrews www.ballparksofbaseball.com Mike Castro www.fieldsodreams.com Eric Okurowski www.stadiumpage.com Brian Merzbach www.ballparkreviews.com Kevin Marsh www.ballparksandroadtrips.com Tim Lux www.pbisweb.com Sean MacDonald www.mlbroadrip.com


Batting 2B Doubles 3B Triples AB At Bats Ave Batting Average BB Base On Balls Br Base Running Bt Bunt Rating CS Caught Stealing G Games Played GIDP Ground Into Double Play H Hits Hbp Hit By Pitch HR Home Runs IB Intentional Walks Iso Isolated Average J Jump Rating K Strikeouts OB On Base Pct OBS On Base Plus Slugging R Runs RBI Runs Batted In RC27 Runs Created Per 27 Outs SB Stolen Bases SB% Stolen Base Pct SF Sacrifice Flies SH Sacrifice Hits Slam Grand Slams Slg Slugging Pct TA Total Average TB Total Bases Base Stealing: Offense CS2 Caught Stealing 2nd CS3 Caught Stealing 3rd CSH Caught Stealing Home SB2 Steals Of 2nd SB2% Steals Of 2nd Pct SB3 Steals Of 3rd SB3% Steals Of 3rd Pct SBH Steals Of Home SBH% Steals Of Home Pct Base Stealing: Defense cCS Catcher Caught Stealing cSB Catcher Stolen Bases cSB% Catcher Stolen Base Pct pCS Pitcher Caught Stealing pSB Pitcher Stolen Bases SB% Pitcher Stolen Base Pct

Pitching BF Batters Faced Bk Balks BS Blown Save CG Complete Games EPC Estimated Pitch Count ER Earned Runs ERA Earned Run Average G Games Pitched GF Games Finished GS Games Started H/9 Hits/9 Innings HLD Holds HP Hit By Pitch Allowed IP Innings Pitched K/9 Strikeouts/9 Innings L Losses G1 Pitches Last Game Pct Winning Pct Qua Quality Starts R Runs Allowed SF Sacrifice Flies Allowed SH Sacrifice Hits Allowed SHO Shutouts Sv Saves SvOP Save Opportunities W Wins W/9 Walks/9 Innings Whip Walks + Hits/9 Innings WP Wild Pitches Fielding Ast Assists Cha Chances DP Double Plays E Errors GrP Great Plays PO Putouts TP Triple Plays

Appendix D—General Game Abbreviations


1 Pitcher 2 Catcher 3 First Baseman 4 Second Baseman 5 Third Baseman 6 Shortstop 7 Left Field 8 Center Field 9 Right Field 12 runner advances from first to second 3H runner scores from third 63 throw from shortstop to first base B bunt B1 batter to first BK balk CS caught stealing d deep (fly ball) D double di defensive indifference dp double play E error F fly ball fo force out G ground ball HR home run IBB intentional walk K strikeout L line drive P pop-up PB passed ball s short (fly ball) S single SB2 stolen base, 2nd base SF sacrafice fly SH sacrafice hit T triple tp triple play u unassisted vd very deep (fly ball) W walk WP wild pitch

Appendix E— Scoresheet Abbreviations

Examples G53 – groundout to third base G46/fo,B1 – ground out, second baseman to shortstop for force out, batter to first F9d,3H/SF – deep fly out to right field, runner scores from third, sac fly S, 23, 3H – single, runner on second advances to third, runner on third scores E1, 23, B1 – error on the pitcher, runner on second advances to third, batter to first G643/dp – ground ball to shortstop, throw to second, throw to first for double play WP,12, IBB – wild pitch, runner advances from first to second, batter is intentionally walked CS2(26)K – caught stealing second, throw from catcher to shortstop, strikeout S+E9, B2 – single, error on right fielder, batter to second


Technical Support We are happy to assist you with questions about our products. Please send an email with your questions to [email protected].

Dave Koch Sports 2519 Post Rd. Plover, WI 54467

Action! PC Baseball, Action! PC Football, and Action! PC Basketball are products of Dave Koch Sports Inc. email: [email protected] phone & fax: 715-344-0610 website: dksports.com Contact Us We are constantly working to improve our product. If you have a question, comment, or a suggestion for a future version of any of our games, please contact us at [email protected].

Technical Support

2010 action baseball manual

Documents