Introduction Slammers vs. Jammers. Two of the fast-breakingest teams since the invention of the Lycra gym shorts. A legendary basketball rivalry up there with L.A. and Boston. Jammers in green, Slammers in white. This is Real Hoops: My six against yours, three-on-three on court, 24 seconds, six fouls you're gone. It's a fast-release outlet after a major bound, two no-look passes, a quick pump fake, dribble drive, and downtown with the Slamma-Jamma. You're going to love this game. Dr. James Naismith and his peach baskets would be proud. Getting Started: Take a few seconds to enjoy the Title and Credits screens, then a Game Selection screen automatically appears. (Press [RESTORE] anytime to return to this screen, but when you do, your current game automatically ends) Choose Your Game: 1) Move your joystick up or down to highlight (or select) each of the following bar menus on the Game Selection screen: - Six Minute Quarters: Select the time for each quarter by pressing the fire button until you find the duration of your choice: - Three minutes - Six minutes - Nine minutes - Twelve minutes - Jammers vs. Slammers: Pick your favorite team and opponent by pressing the fire button until you're satisfied with one of three options ( [c] designates the computer team) - Jammers vs. Slammers (two players, no computer) - [c] Jammers vs. Slammers - Jammers vs. Slammers [c] - (SPACE) To Start Game: Select a game mode by pressing the fire button until you find the one you like: - (SPACE) To Start Game - (SPACE) For Playmaker (Slammers -- white) - (SPACE) For Playmaker (Jammers -- green) - (SPACE) For Practice Note: The Practice mode is only available when you select the "two- player option" 2) If you select [Start] Game or [Practice], press the space bar to reveal the Players screen -- the last screen (we promise) before the action starts. If you choose Playmaker, read on. Playmaker -- Design Your Own Plays: 1) You're on the Game Selection screen. Move the joystick up or down to highlight (SPACE) to Start Game, the press the fire button until you find the Playmaker option for your team. 2) Press the space bar to reveal the Playmaker screen: yours players trot onto the court and take their positions. One of them blinks. 3) Read the Play Box: Move player to 1st of 4 locations. This means: You can design this blinking player to make up to four moves during this particular play. How? 4) Move the player to the desired location and press the fire button. Do this three more times, until the second player blinks, awaiting his designated moves. 5) When the moves of all three players are set in this way, press the space bar to return to the Game Selection screen. Your play is automatically recorded as Number 15 in your Playbook. Note: A player doesn't have to make four moves in every play. If you want him to move just twice, for example, press the fire button three times after you make his second move. You don't want him to move at all? Press the button four times right where he stands. Choose Three Players: The Players screen contains a 6-man Roster and 15-play Playbook for each team. Every player is a first-rate hoopster, but only three per team can play at a time. So you have to choose your starting line-up: one Center(C), one Guard(G), and one Forward(F). At each position, you have two players to choose from. To choose: 1) Move your joystick up or down to highlight one of your team's positions (C, G, or F) 2) One player is already listed; press the fire button to list the second. 3) Make your choice and leave that player's name in the bar; then choose the other two spots. - Scouting Reports - How do you choose between the two players at each position? An important question. You can't just put bodies out there. Basketball's a team game. You need players with complementary skills, players who work well together. To help you create the best player mix for your team and your playing style, we've compiled brief Scouting Reports for each player. Highlight any player, and a brief description of his strengths and weaknesses automatically appears at the bottom of the Roster. Study these well. The right team at the right time is a big advantage. - Statistics - Fast Break automatically tracks each player's statistics for the current game, and records them at the end of the Scouting Report: 0/0 FG Field Goals made/Field Goals attempted (Field Goals=Shots) 0 PF Personal Fouls (Making contact in a non-contact sport) 0 ST Steals (Taking the ball away from the other team) 0 TO Turnovers (Giving the ball to the other team when you shouldn't) Select up to Four Plays: Offensive Plays - Both the Slammers and Jammers keep 15 plays in their Playbooks, 14 pre-designed offensive plays and one that you can design yourself. You can select up to four plays at the beginning of each game, then change your selections during timeouts and between quarters. Of course you don't need plays: A couple of quick passes and a Tomahawk slam work just fine. And nothing says you have to run a play once you call it. If a lane to the basket is clear, go for it. But if you're the kind of person who enjoys the raw beauty of a perfectly-executed Pick N Roll, put them in your repertoire: 1) Move your joystick up or down to highlight the work (Playbook) beneath your Roster. 2) Press the fire button; a playlist instantly replaces the Roster. Move the joystick up or down to scroll through the 15 plays. Four selected plays are marked with an asterisk (*). 3) To change a selection: Highlight the play and press the fire button; the asterisk disappears. Highlight another play which has no asterisk, press the fire button, and the asterisk reappears. The play is yours. 4) To select less than four plays: Press the fire button to remove asterisks from unwanted plays. Things to ponder while studying these diagrams: - These only tell you where your players are going to move; there's no guarantee that you can execute the play this way. That's up to your skill. - The numbers (1, 2, etc.) indicate the succession of players who blink and hence you control during the play. - Dotted lines = suggested passes (but all passes are optional). - Calling plays is one of the coolest things about this game: Check out the Strategy section in the back of this manual for tips. Defensive Plays Fast Break features five pre-set defensive plays, and each team gets the same five: Fast Break - Your two computer-controlled men break towards center court when the other team shoots, counting on you to grab the rebound and make the quick outlet pass. Man-2-Man(T) - T=Tight. Your two computer-controlled players cover their assignments very closely. Man-2-Man(L) - L=Loose. Your two computer-controlled players cover off their man, giving them the shot, but trying to prevent the drive. Trap - Your two computer-controlled players always follow the ball handler. Double Team - One of your computer-controlled men always follows the ball handler, which allows you to join or "double team" him. Gameplay: After you choose your lineup and select plays, you're ready to play ball. Press the spacebar, and the Game Screen appears. Six guys, a ball, and half of a basketball court. If the computer team has the ball, get ready to play defense. If it's your ball, the boys are standing around at the end of the court, waiting for you to make something happen. Controls 1) Move your joystick to control the blinking player (only one player blinks on each team at any given time). The player can face, and move, in eight different directions. 2) To change the player you control, press and release the fire button quickly and another player blinks. Press again: The third one blinks. And so on. 3) Touch the ball with your player and he automatically picks it up. Move, and he dribbles. The Game Screen 1) Watch the bottom of the screen to find out which team (and player) controls the ball. It also shows the quarter, the time remaining in the quarter, the time remaining on the 24-second clock, and the score. 2) Only half of the court appears on the screen. Dribble the ball over the center line to make the second half of the court, and your basket, appear on screen. 3) Watch the two Play Boxes at the bottom of the screen -- Jammer box on the lower left, Slammer box in the middle. They automatically show which man has the ball and which man guards him. Inbounding the Ball 1) Check your Play Box to see if your team has possession of the ball. 2) Move your blinking player to pick up the loose ball, then take it over the end line beneath your basket. 3) Face your man in the general direction of one of your other players. 4) Press and release the fire button quickly, and he fires a perfect chest pass inbounds. You're off. Dribbling 1) Touch the ball with your player and he automatically picks it up. 2) Move in any direction, and he dribbles. And he won't stop dribbling until he passes, shoots or someone steals it. Passing 1) Face your ball handler in the general direction of a teammate. Press and release the fire button quickly. 2) Beware opponents; they love to steal passes. But you can't deliberately pass it to them. Shooting 1) Shoot anytime you have the ball on your end of the court. 2) Press the fire button and hold it down to make your shooter go up for a jump shot. 3) Release the fire button to release the shot; release it at the top of the jump to make your shots. 4) Beware blocked shots. Your opponents won't say: "In your face." But they think it. Important note: If you're really cool, do a full 360, turn-around, double-pump jumper. How? Hey -- cool isn't taught, you just do it. Scoring 1) Make a Field Goal from within the three-point line (the arc that extends beyond the top of the key) and you score two points. 2) Make a Field Goal from beyond the three-point line, and yes, you get three points. Blocking Shots 1) When a shooter goes up for his shot, press the fire button to make your blinking defender go up with him. 2) Some players block shots better than others because they have greater jumping ability. Free Throws 1) There are no Free Throws. 2) Free Throws are for wimps. Calling Offensive Plays 1) Linger with the ball near the half-court line for a few seconds, or dribble the ball into the key then back toward the center line, and suddenly all the action stops. Your Play Box reads: Call offensive play. 2) Press the fire button and keep it down. 3) Move the joystick in the direction of the arrow beside the play you want; that play is now set. Release the fire button. (If you don't want to call a play, don't move the joystick, just release the button.) 4) Your players continue to run in the selected pattern until you shoot, call another play, or lose possession. Calling Defensive Plays 1) When the offensive team calls a play, play stops, and your Play Box reads: Call defensive play. 2) After the offensive team calls its play, you can press the fire button. Keep it down. 3) Move the joystick in the direction of the arrow beside the defense you want; that play is now set. Release the fire button. Rebounding 1) Move your player, offensive or defensive, to the hoop as quickly as you can after a shot. 2) As the shot comes off the rim, press the fire button and keep it down to make your player jump for the ball. Defense 1) To steal, guard the dribbler closely. If he faces you with the ball, touch him and you strip the ball safely. But be careful: You could foul him if he's not facing you. 2) To intercept passes, position your man between the passer and his target. Personal Fouls 1) Two kinds of Personal Fouls are called in this game: Charging (when your ball handler runs over a defender) and Foul (when you hack a dribbler or shooter). 2) Each man is permitted six personals before he's forced to ride the pines. Fouling Out 1) Guard closely, but cautiously. After a player's sixth personal foul, he's gone. To the locker room. Shower city. 2) When a player fouls out, the second man in his position automatically takes his place. Violations 1) Violations are infractions of the rules, instead of a player's body. Thus they result in Turnovers (the other team gets the ball), instead of Personal Fouls. 2) Violations include: 24 Second Rule: From the moment you gain possession of the ball, you have just 24 seconds to shoot the ball, or the other team gets it. If you shoot and miss, but grab the rebound, the 24 second clock (located at the bottom of the Game Screen) resets, and you have another 24 seconds to shoot. Half Court Violation: When you inbound the ball beneath the basket you're defending, you have just 10 seconds to dribble or pass the ball over the center line into your half of the court. The 10 second count begins the moment your player receives the inbound pass. 3) Certain violations or turnovers don't exist in Fast Break. You can't dribble or pass the ball out of bounds; you can't dribble or pass the ball back across the center line once you've crossed it (Over and Back); and you can't double dribble. Substitutions 1) Change players as often as you'd like, but only during a timeout (no matter who calls it) and between quarters (when the game automatically stops). 2) From the Players screen, move the joystick up or down to highlight the player (or players) you want to remove; then press the fire button to replace him. Timeouts 1) You get three per half, six for the game. 2) You can only call time after a Field Goal, when you have the ball out of bounds. 3) Press the spacebar to call a timeout: The Timeout screen appears. 4) Press the fire button, the Players screen appears, and you are automatically assessed for the timeout. Strategy: Study your team's strengths and weaknesses before picking a lineup. You have a much better chance to win if you choose the "right" combination of players and skills. Use slower players to inbound the ball so that you can pass it in to the faster ones. If you have a fast break, go for it. But you'll find that your team's shooting percentage tends to go up when you call set plays. Confuse the defense. Call a set play, then drive the lane for a slam dunk. Don't exhaust your favorite players by overplaying them. Substitute judiciously, or they'll be tired at the end of the game when you need them most. Practice. Use the Practice Mode to work on your fundamentals, to find out how effective different players are in different situations, and to experiment with the Playmaker plays to see which create the best openings for good shots. Offense: Follow your shot. Defense: Crash the boards. Study well the offensive play diagrams, and think strategy. Fast Break can handle as much basketball strategy as you know or want to learn. To get you thinking like Pat Riley here's an example for the Reverse Cut play: 1) Your best ball handler, usually a guard, has the ball up top. 2) When the other two players make their cuts, pass it to the best three-point shooter (usually the forward) for the shot, not the center who can't hit the side of a barn door. "Keep cool, but care." Sage advice from McClintock Sphere, legendary street-ball player and jazz saxophonist.