NOTICE: The more time you spend playing OMNI-PLAY BASKETBALL the more you realize this is one of those games that just keeps getting better. This instruction manual contains all the information necessary for you to realize the game's full potential and it should also be able to answer any questions you may have. Therefore, WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU READ THE ENTIRE INSTRUCTION MANUAL BEFORE STARTING. Only by gaining a full understanding of this game will you truly enjoy all it has to offer. So please read through the following pages carefully. We are sure that you will pick up many helpful tips along the way... THE OPTION MODULES Your original OMNI-PLAY BASKETBALL game comes complete with the OMNI-PLAY System, the O.M.N.I. Screen, the "SBA" League and "ENDVIEW" Game Modules already installed. It contains everything you need to add future basketball games, utilities and options to your system. The following are brief outlines of all the current Option Modules planned for OMNI-PLAY BASKETBALL including descriptions of the modules already installed. All future basketball Option Modules require the OMNI-PLAY System in order to load and run. Therefore, you must buy the OMNI-PLAY BASKETBALL package before any of the following Option Modules should be purchased. You can order these modules directly from SPORTTIME by calling 1-800 PLAY GAMES, Monday - Friday, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. PST. The following League Modules can each be played in conjunction with any other Game Module, and they are all musts for the serious basketball fan! 1. SBA League The SPORTTIME Basketball Association (SBA) allows you to experience all facets of the game as owner, general manager and coach. The SBA has its own special rules, flexibilites, playoff structures and more. Complete player and team stats are available to aid you in all of your decisions as are many other interesting options. The League operation is so realistic you'll want to put on a business suit and start wheeling and dealing for some players right away!!! Variable shot clocks, season and game lengths, trades, minor leagues, etc. - they're all included in this Module. 2. Pro League Take control of an actual 1988-89 "NBA-like" team and see if you duplicate their results that season - or even do better! Will your squad coast through the regular season and into the playoffs? Or will the road be difficult and chock full of potholes? Think that the star guard is overrated? Let him cool his heels on the bench while the overlooked sixth man takes charge of the game. You make all the calls, and experience firsthand why all true basketball fans dream of owning their own "PRO" team. Separately available Season Disks will duplicate the greatest years in the history of professional basketball. Past and future! Even enjoy the mid-season All-Star game! Also look for the Greatest Teams Disks... Too much for just one paragraph, huh??? 3. College League Welcome to the 1989 "NCAA-like" Basketball Championships!!! You're in charge of one of the top 64 college teams in the nation as you try to win it all. Advance through the first two rounds and join the Sweet Sixteen. Win two more games and you're in the "Final Four." A pair of triumphs and this College Tournament Championship belongs to you. Create as many tournaments as you wish and pick any team to lead to victory. Regular season player/team summaries are at your disposal throughout, as is all the usual fun that accompanies an OMNI-PLAY product!!! Separately available Season Disks will duplicate the greatest years in the history of the college basketball as well as future years too. 4. Fantasy League The real fun starts here! Your chance to join the growing thong of diehard basketball fans who carve more than what T.V. or video games alone can provide. This module allows you to create your own All-Star team and compete against other fans from around the country. Choose the players (real and imaginary) to fit your style, send them to training camp, even trade 'em, and watch the victories pile up. Call the shots en route to winning it all, and prove to the world that you don't have to be seven feet tall to know the game of basketball. END-VIEW and SIDE-VIEW are two possible games to play with each League! 5. END-VIEW Game Experience the game from up high at the end of the court. This camera angle gives you a half court view of all of the exciting action as the teams play basketball the way the inventor of the game, Dr. Naismith, envisioned. The resident SPORTTIME announcers, Nick "The Net" Jones and "Basket" Bob Smith, appear during the evening's entertainment to analyze the game and let you know about each teams' various strengths and weaknesses and how the key players are performing. Dribbling, jump shots, rebounds, blocked shots, and even slam dunks with occasional broken backboards; END-VIEW contains all the action, realism and excitement of five-on-five basketball. And With FLOW CONTROL, you can now experience the wonder of directing all the action down on the count in a new innovative way - when it matters most! 6. SIDE-VIEW Game Enjoy the game with the best seat in the house - down low courtside. Enjoy this perspective as the T.V. camera follows the ball from left to right and back again so you don't miss a second of the exciting hoops action. Play the position of Center down on the hardwood, using your joystick to run anywhere on the floor. Drive to the lane and get the quick two. Or stay on the perimeter and hit for three-pointers. Time your jumps to snare loose balls, or stuff a rebound back in the basket. Whether to double team, triple team!, pass or shoot, it's always your decision with the SIDE-VIEW Game Module. Need more thrills? Look for the cheerleaders at halftime to heat up the game to a record degree. The following utility is available for your OMNI-PLAY System to give you even more control and add to your overall basketball experience. 7. Print Utility Print out all of the player stats for your team after a game is played. Get the League History on paper and see where you stand over the previous seasons. Study a hard copy of the current team rosters and work out a trade. Or even print out the current player and team records from the SPORTTIME Hall of Fame to frame and hang. You'll never again have to wonder how your team performed because this utility will allow all of your friends to see. This utility gets the most information possible out of each module installed into your OMNI-PLAY System. TABLE OF CONTENTS USER VERIFICATION SEQUENCE..........................................1 THE O.M.N.I. SCREEN - Version 1.0...................................2 THE "SBA" LEAGUE MODULE - Version 1.0 GENERAL INFORMATION..................................................4 About the Players............................................5 About Injuries...............................................6 About Trading Points.........................................6 About the Main Menu..........................................7 MAIN MENU SELECTIONS Reset the League.............................................8 Creating a New League................................9 View League History.........................................10 View a Team History.........................................10 The Human-owned Teams...............................12 Human-owned Team Statistics.........................13 Team Records................................................14 Improve Team................................................15 Recruit a Player: Getting help from youngsters An overview.................................16 How to recruit..............................16 The cost of recruiting......................18 A Player Trade: Wheeling and dealing with other teams An overview.................................18 How to trade................................20 Between two human teams.....................22 Training Camp: Improve the players who need it most An overview.................................23 How to improve..............................24 Play next Game......................................................25 Details, Control, Rules, Starting...........................25 Show Previous Games.................................................28 Overtime, Forfeits..........................................28 Playoffs, playoff tree......................................29 THE "END-VIEW" GAME MODULE - Version 1.0 The Nick and Bob Shows..............................................32 GENERAL INFORMATION.................................................33 (A) THE COACH.......................................................33 Team Timeouts...............................................34 The Pause Screen............................................34 T.V. Timeouts...............................................34 The Coaching Screen.........................................35 STRATEGY SELECTION..............................................35 Offensive Coaching Options..................................37 Defensive Coaching Options..................................39 Roster Options..............................................41 The "AUTO" Options..........................................42 Substitutions...............................................43 The "Hot" Value.............................................45 (B) THE COURT, PLAYERS and GAME.....................................45 About FLOW-CONTROL..............................................45 The Court.......................................................46 The Players.....................................................47 Effective Power.................................................47 Offense.........................................................48 How to pass the ball........................................48 Inbounding..................................................49 How to take a shot..........................................49 Types of Shots..............................................49 Defense.........................................................50 How to double team..........................................50 Fouls...........................................................51 Free throws.....................................................52 Overtime........................................................53 Shot Clock......................................................53 Game Clock......................................................53 Backcourt violation.............................................54 The start of a quarter..........................................54 Game Stats......................................................54 Summary of Keyboard Commands - Both Modules.........................56 SPORTTIME USER VERIFICATION SEQUENCE You must complete this section before the OMNI-PLAY System can load and the O.M.N.I. Screen can appear. 1. Please refer to the enclosed Reference Card for specific information about using this game with your computer. 2. After following the instructions in your Reference Card, the game will begin to load. 3. First the title and credit screens will appear. Shortly thereafter, the USER VERIFICATION SEQUENCE appears. 4. In the box, type the word requested by the message on the screen and press RETURN. Pay attention to upper and lower case letters, because the word must be entered exactly as it appears in this Instruction Manual. 5. If the word is verified as correct, the OMNI-PLAY System will load and the O.M.N.I. Screen will appear... you're ready to begin! (Please see the next section for instructions on using the O.M.N.I. Screen.) 6. If the word is incorrect, try again. You are allowed three chances to enter the correct word, or else the program will abort and you will have to reload (reboot) the game from the very beginning. 7. Again, all requested words are taken from this OMNI-PLAY BASKETBALL Instruction Manual. 1 THE O.M.N.I. SCREEN Version 1.0 O.M.N.I. is an acronym which stands for Options Manager and Installer. Think of the O.M.N.I. Screen as the "Master Control Panel" which triggers the whole OMNI-PLY System into action. With it you gain the flexibility and expandability that only a complete system of this design could possibly offer. You see, no matter what Module you are currently using, the OMNI-PLAY System is working for you all the time. It is a "software engine" that continually maintains and coordinates this basketball product in ways that you may never see. So, being your only direct link to the OMNI-PLAY System, the O.M.N.I. Screen's primary purpose is to make your experience with OMNI-PLAY enjoyable, easy to use and as invisible as possible. The highlighted buttons on the O.M.N.I. Screen indicate which Option Modules are currently installed and available, while the darkened buttons indicate items which are not yet available on your system. There are eight (8) of these "Option Buttons." You will also notice three (3) "Action Buttons" in the center of the O.M.N.I. Screen. NOTE: Please refer to the enclosed reference card for specific alternatives to joystick use, if any, for your computer. PLAYING To launch an available option on the O.M.N.I. Screen: 1. Use your joystick to move the hand on the screen until it points to the Option Button you want. Press the fire button on your joystick to select. The selection you choose will now flash. 2. Move the hand on the screen until it points to the "PLAY" Action Button. Press the fire button once again to start the option. 3. If the selected option is already installed, it will run. If the required disks have not been inserted, you will be prompted to do so. 4. If the selected option is not yet installed, a message to that effect will appear in the message window at the bottom of the O.M.N.I. Screen along with our toll-free phone number for placing orders. 2 Selecting the same Option Button twice in a row will toggle that choice on and off. The computer emits two types of sounds following your selections. Acceptable moves are followed by a high-pitched "bell" sound, while incorrect moves are followed by a low-pitched "buzzer" sound. INSTALLING All Option Modules that you purchase in the future must first be "Installed" into your OMNI-PLAY System before you can use them. The "SBA" League and the "END-VIEW" Game Modules that came with your OMNI-PLAY System have already been installed. You can install an Option Module into your OMNI-PLAY System only from the O.M.N.I. Screen: 1. Use your joystick to move the hand on the screen until it points to the Option Button which represents the Option Module(s) you want to install and select it by pressing the fire button. The selection will flash. 2. To install the selected Option Module(s), press the "INSTALL" Action Button. 3. Insert the proper disks as instructed to continue. Selecting the "CONTINUE" or "PLAY" Action Buttons will do nothing until the proper disk is inserted. Selecting the "CANCEL" Action Button will abort the installation and return the O.M.N.I. Screen to normal. NOTE: The INSTALL Action Button also allows you to "install" your Option Module floppy disks right onto your Hard Drive, too! See the enclosed Reference Card for specific instructions on possible hard drive installation for your computer. EXITING To exit from the O.M.N.I. Screen and return control back over to your computer (like when you first turn on the power switch): 1. Use your joystick to move the hand on the screen until it points to the "EXIT" Action Button and select it by pressing the fire button. 2. A message asks if you really want to exit the O.M.N.I. Screen. Selecting "YES" Action Button takes you back to the default system of your computer, while choosing the "NO" Action Button returns the O.M.N.I. Screen to normal. 3 THE "SBA" LEAGUE MODULE Version 1.0 GENERAL INFORMATION The SPORTTIME Basketball Association (SBA) is a league made up of 24 teams. Each team is named after a major "basketball" city. The 24 teams in the SBA are separated into two Conferences (East and West). Each conference has two Divisions (1 and 2), and each Division contains six teams. Depending on the number of games scheduled per season (see the section entitled RESET THE LEAGUE), teams will either compete only against other teams within their Division or against comparable teams from each of the other Divisions as well. In the SBA, the two top teams within each division at the end of a regular season schedule make the playoffs. In Round One, the top two teams in each Division compete against each other to be named Division Champions. In Round Two, the teams that win their Division then compete against the other Division winner within the same Conference to be named Conference Champions. In the Final Round, the two remaining teams (the Conference Champions) play for the SPORTTIME Trophy and the SBA League Championship. This SBA Module allows one or two human players to each take ownership of one team in different Divisions. Your teams always enter the League as the worst teams in their Divisions. Improve your team with each passing season. Make trades, recruit new players and even send the whole roster away to special training camps. It's your team, and your goal is to turn it into Championship material. Sadly, watch your existing players age; and cringe as they suffer injuries. Play against the computer teams and match wits with your friend's opposing team all season long. This is one Basketball game you won't be able to keep your hands off! Track the 24 SBA teams through any continuous 9 seasons of play. Each team has stats compiled for the last 9 years covering: WINS, WINNING PERCENTAGE, POINTS FOR, POINTS AGAINST, DIVISION FINISH, PLAYOFF RESULTS and overall LEAGUE RATING. Each of the 24 teams has 12 players on its roster and records such stats for EACH player as: PLAYER'S NAME, SKILL RATINGS, POSITION, AGE and INJURIES (if any). In addition, special detailed stats are kept for each human-owned team and can be seen from the TEAM HISTORY screen. These stats cover information on every player on the team and include rebounds, steals, fouls, points - even overall team and player averages. 4 And don't forget about the ego-boosting TEAM RECORDS screen, which compiles all-time records for the human-owned teams in fifteen (15) different categories and continually updates the information whenever a new player or team hallmark is established!! About the Players Every Player in the SBA is defined by the position they play and their current skills, age and injuries. A player's skills are separated into four (4) distinct categories: OUTSIDE SHOOTING (O), INSIDE SHOOTING (I), RUNNING SPEED (S) and OVERALL CONTROL (C). Each skill is assigned a value from 0-9. with "0" being the worst and "9" being the best. These skills collectively describe the type of players you have and, by default, the type of team you have. The "OUTSIDE" and "INSIDE" skills define a player's ability to shoot the ball from those two general distances and at the foul line. If you want to sink a lot of 3-point bombs, look for players with high (O) skill ratings. On the other hand, for a team that shoots well from in close you'll need players with high (I) skill ratings. And if you want to be consistent at the charity stripe, high levels of both skills are needed to be successful. "SPEED" defines a player's ability to run fast, turn and pivot quickly. If you desire a running team, a team that can take advantage of the fast break, try and obtain players (or boost your own) with a high (S) skill rating. "CONTROL" not only defines how well a player can handle the ball, but how well he can handle himself too! It affects his ability to make an accurate pass, to steal the ball, to intercept a pass, to block a shot and to protect the ball from being stolen. It also affects the likelihood of that player breaking the backboard when he slam dunks and of having personal fouls called against him. Each player also AGES as the seasons pass. All rookies start out at the age of 22, while most experienced veterans will be retired by the age of 42. At first, this aging process is good for the maturation of the player. However, over the course of his career, while the player may achieve an increasingly higher Skill Rating, his age will leave him fatiguing during a game quicker than his more inexperienced but younger teammates. Only you, the General Manager, can make the tough decision of trading him or sending him out to pasture. The choices are all up to you! 5 About Injuries Injuries can strike any player on any team at any time, but usually occur following some aggressive work by a player. They can occur in any game and regardless of whether you or the computer is playing. When they happen, the afflicted player is out for at least the rest of the current game and must be immediately replaced by another player from the bench before the game can resume. Any injury that happens during a PRACTICE game will always be for the duration of that game only! The red number (if any) next to a player's name on any screen indicated that he is injured and also reflects the number of games he'll miss because of his injury. When that number reaches zero it disappears completely and the player returns to action. Players can be injured from 1-10 games depending on the severity of the injury. If a player is injured for one (1) game, he'll only miss the rest of the game in which he incurred the injury. A two-game injury means that the player will miss the remainder of the current game in addition to one other game, and so on... The older a player is, the more susceptible he is to an injury and the longer the injury is likely to be. Once healthy again, however, all players perform as they did before being hurt. About Trading Points The SPORTTIME Basketball Association (SBA) recognizes the need to maintain a competitive League. In keeping with the good sportsmanship of the SBA, a means to this end, known as TRADING POINTS, has been established. Simply put, think of Trading Points as "money." For the owner of an SBA team, they are the only means by which your Team can improve! You will be awarded an initial allotment of 250 Trading Points as an entering Franchise in a newly-created League. Each team is additionally awarded an allotment at the beginning of each new season in an amount proportional to their overall Rating in the League at the end of the previous season. The winner of the SBA Trophy gets the least, 50. The team Rated "2" gets 100 Trading Points. And finally, the team rated 24th gets the most, 1200 Trading Points. In this way, each Rating Level is worth 50 Trading Points to a team. The intent is to maintain a competitive balance among all teams. Bad teams get better, while good teams eventually get worse. It "costs" Trading Points to Recruit, Trade or improve your team at Training Camp. THEY ARE VALUABLE!!! You can accumulate Trading Points, if you wish, but only up to a maximum of 2,000. Any Trading Points earned in excess of 2,000 won't be saved and will be wasted!! There are also some other limitations to their use as described in the section entitled IMPROVE TEAM. 6 About The Main Menu All screen options for the "SBA League" are selected from this menu. Next to the name of each team in each of the four divisions are its wins, losses and the current number of games that t4eam lags behind the division leader. These standings are updated following the completion of each full round of games. Your team and your next opponent are displayed in their respective team colors and they will be flashing. If two people have their own team, then the human-owned team that is next scheduled to play will be flashing. The teams are listed in order of their position within their division. That is, the team in first place appears at the top, and the team in last place (6th) is at the bottom. Below these current standings, the MAIN MENU screen displays all options available during a season with some of these options leading to even more options. Ultimately, these options give you access to all of the statistical and historical information you could possibly want, and more. Select from: VIEW LEAGUE HISTORY VIEW A TEAM HISTORY TEAM RECORDS IMPROVE TEAM RESET THE LEAGUE SHOW PREVIOUS GAMES O.M.N.I. SCREEN PLAY NEXT GAME These options are explained in detail in the sections that follow. To select any option, use your joystick to highlight the desired option and press the fire button. If you are playing the game for the first time, select RESET THE LEAGUE now and read on. 7 MAIN MENU SELECTIONS Reset the League This screen allows you to create a new League and set up some of the variables about the way the new League will operate. it also allows you to load, save or delete any previous Leagues which you may have already created. NOTE: Refer to the enclosed reference card for specific information on this procedure as some features may not apply to your computer. When this option is selected, you will see the following sub-options: "LOAD", "SAVE", "DELETE", "RESET", and "CANCEL." NOTE: The sub-option "DELETE" is not available in the C-64 version. The "LOAD" option allows you to load a previously saved League. The "SAVE" option allows you to save the current League setup and all of its history for future use to floppy disk or hard drive. The "DELETE" option erases a previously saved League from disk or hard drive. The "RESET" option will first clean out the current League being used (save this League if you don't want it lost forever) and then this option steps you though the creation of a brand new League. The "CANCEL" option allows you to return to the MAIN MENU with no action taken. SAVING, LOADING and DELETING Leagues all require the use of a File Requester Screen, which allows you to direct the selected option to the appropriate disks and files. See the enclosed Reference Card. It is assumed that all disks and drives used to SAVE your Leagues have already been formatted properly! 8 Creating a New League If "RESET" is selected (Remember to "SAVE" your current League first or it will be lost forever): 1. You are asked the NUMBER OF HUMAN TEAMS playing. Select either "1" or "2" by moving the joystick left or right until the desired number highlights and press the fire button. 2. You are then asked the NAME(S) OF THE HUMAN TEAM(S). In the box, type in a team name (up to 10 characters) and press either RETURN or ENTER on your keyboard. If there are two human teams playing, the message is repeated for the second team. 3. "CHOOSE YOUR DIVISION" allows you to select which of the four divisions your team will play in. Move the joystick either left, right, up or down to cycle your team through the possible divisions. If there are two human teams, the message is repeated for the second team. Only one human team per division is allowed. 4. "MINUTES PER QUARTER" allows you to choose either a 3, 6, 9, or 12 minute quarter. The length you choose will be fixed for every LEAGUE game that your team plays. To change this, you must either "RESET" the League again or play a PRACTICE game (see section entitled PLAY NEXT GAME.) NOTE: There are four (4) quarters per game (excluding Overtime). Therefore, choosing 3-minute quarters means the game will last at least 12 minutes. Similarly, 6-minute quarters means a 24 minute game, 9-minute quarters means a 36 minute game and 12-minute quarters mean a 48 minute game. 5. "NUMBER OF GAMES PER SEASON" allows you to choose either a 5, 8, 13, 16 or 21 game schedule for the regular season. The length you choose will be fixed for every season thereafter. To change this, you must create a new League once again. 6. "LENGTH OF PLAYOFFS" selects the number of games needed to win each of the three rounds of the playoffs. You may choose a one game series (Best of One), a two out of three series (Best of Three) or a three out of five series (Best of Five). A different length series may be chosen for each round. For example, a one game elimination can be played for the Division, a best 2 out of 3 series for the Conference and a best 3 out of 5 series for the final Championship round. 7. All of the selected information is then displayed along with an OK/CANCEL prompt. If any of the information is incorrect, select "OK" and you will be returned to the MAIN MENU - your new League has just been created!!! 9 View League History This option displays the total number of wins and losses accumulated by each team over the past nine seasons. Teams are displayed in their respective divisions with the team with the best overall record displayed first and the team with the worst record listed sixth (last in the division). The total number of seasons completed is shown on the bottom of the screen along with the total number of games that have been played in the current season. The current League Version Number is displayed as well. This is important as updated versions may become available in the future. 1. Move the joystick to highlight "OTHER" and then select it by pressing the fire button. Information about the following League rules is displayed: * The pre-defined number of games per season. * The pre-defined number of minutes per quarter. * The pre-defined length of playoff rounds for division, conference and the SPORTTIME Trophy. 2. Repeated selection of "OTHER" will cause these two screens to alternate between one another. 3. To return to the MAIN MENU from either screen, move the joystick to highlight "RETURN" and then press the fire button to select. View A Team History This screen shows the records of each team's performance for the last nine seasons in more detail than the League History Screen. Only one team is displayed on the screen at a time. When you first select "VIEW A TEAM HISTORY", a human-owned team will always appear. However, the other teams may be viewed: 10 1. Move the joystick to highlight the VIEW TEAMS sub-option. 2. Then press and hold down the fire button. 3. Move the joystick up or down to cycle through all other teams. 4. To go back to the MAIN MENU when finished, release the fire button. 5. Move the joystick to highlight the RETURN option. 6. Select by pressing the fire button. For each team, the season's years are listed down the left hand side, and will range from 1 to 9 whenever a League is first created. After your ninth season of play, however, this will change to always show you the very last 9 years of play (for example, 2 to 10, 3 to 11, etc.) as the earliest season is lost forever. The data categories held for each team for each season listed are as follows: "W" - Wins The total number of victories achieved by the team that season. "L" - Losses The total number of losses suffered by the team that season. "PCT" - Winning Percentage The number of points the team achieved in that season divided by the total number of games played in that season (W/(W+L)). "PF" - Points For The total number of points that the team has scored that season. "PA" - Points Against The total number of points that their opponents have scored that season. "DV" - Division The place within their division the team finished that season. "CN" - Conference Playoff Results Winning the Conference Championship is signified by an asterisk (*) in this column. A dash (-) is placed in this column if a team did not make it to the playoffs or if it failed to win its Conference Championship. "TR" - Trophy Results The winner of the SPORTTIME Trophy is signified by an asterisk (*) in this column. A dash (-) is placed in this column if a team did not make it this far or if it failed to win the SBA Championship series. "RT" - Rating This is a team's final ranking as compared to the other twenty-three (23) teams in the League at the end of the regular season and playoffs for that year. The highest possible Rating is a "1", the lowest is a "24". Teams that make it into the playoffs receive the following special sorting: 11 Playoff Finish Final Rating -------------- ------------ SPORTTIME Trophy Winner 1 Loser of Championship Series 2 Loser of West Conf. playoff 3 Loser of East Conf. playoff 3 Loser of West Conf. Div. #1 playoff 5 Loser of West Conf. Div. #2 playoff 5 Loser of East Conf. Div. #1 playoff 5 Loser of East Conf. Div. #2 playoff 5 Teams that do not qualify for the playoffs are then sorted by their final won-loss records for that season. The better the record, the higher the Rating. If two or more of these teams finish with identical records, the team with the better Points Differential (PF minus PA) receives the higher Rating. The highest rating possible for non-playoff teams is "9". Based on the Rating, the all-important Trading Points are allocated to the teams at the beginning of each new season. The lower a team's Rating, the more Trading Points that team will receive to help it build for the future. See section entitled ABOUT TRADING POINTS for more information. The bottom line on the Team History Screen contains the 9-year totals for: Wins, Losses, Points For, Points Against, Conference Wins and Trophy Wins; And the 9-year averages for these remaining stats: Division Finishes, Season Ratings and Winning Percentage. The Human-owned Teams Human teams' stats can be further analyzed at the individual season and player level: 1. Highlight the season you wish to view in detail by moving the joystick up or down. 2. Select the highlighted season by pressing the fire button. 3. The 12 players on your roster for the year selected will now appear vertically on the top left along with various statistical categories showing across the tops of the next few pages. 4. Additional or previous pages of statistics can be accessed by moving the joystick to the left or to the right as needed. The arrows on the bottom of the screen show the direction of more information. All of these stats apply solely to the selected season and only to those games which you either watched or actually played out. 5. Press the fire button while viewing to return to the previous TEAM HISTORY SCREEN. 12 The following stats are kept for the players on the human-owned team(s) for each of the previous 9 seasons of play. Computer-owned teams cannot be viewed in this format. Again, it is important to remember that only games which you either watch or play are broken down into their statistical components; that is, games quickly "played" by the computer but not actually seen played out by you will not have any effect on these player stats screens. No "fake" stats are ever generated! Human-owned Team Statistics PLAYER STATS ------------ * P (position) - either center (C), forward (F), guard (G) or reserve (R). * G (games) - the total number of games this player played in that season. * MIN (minutes) - the total number of minutes played by this player that season in all Games. * FGA (field goals attempted) - the total number of two-point and three-point shots taken by this player for the entire season while on this team. * FGM (field goals made) - the total number of two-point and three-point shots made. * PCT (percentage) - the rate at which all of that player's two-point and three-point shots actually scored (FGM/FGA). * FTA (free throws attempted) - the total number of free throw shots taken. * FTM (free throws made) - the total number of free throw shots made. * PCT (percentage) - the rate at which all of that player's free throws actually scored (FTM/FTA). * REB (rebounds) - the total number of times that shots were grabbed, either offensively or defensively, so as to gain possession of the ball. Shots can carom off the backboard, the rim or even miss everything for an "airball." * PF (personal fouls) - the total number of fouls called against this player (does not include technical fouls). * D (disqualifications) - the total number of games in which that player exceeded the allowable number of personal fouls and was therefore ejected. * STL (steals) - the total number of times that the player took the ball away from an opponent or intercepted a pass while on defense. * BLK (blocks) - the total number of times that the player stopped an opponent's shot. * PTS (points) - the total number of points scored in any type of situation, including technical foul shots, by this player. * 3PA (3-point field goals attempted) - the total number of three-pont shots taken. * 3PM (3-point field goals made) - the total number of three-point shots made. * PCT (percentage) - the rate at which all of that player's three-point shots actually scored (3PM/3PA). 13 PLAYER AVERAGES --------------- * AVG MIN/G (average minutes/game) - the average number of minutes per game that were played in the selected season by this player. * AVG PTS/G (average points/game) - the average number of points per game that were scored in the selected season by this player. TEAM AVERAGES ------------- * FIELD GOAL PCT - the total team rate at which all of their two-point and three-point shots actually scored. * FREE THROW PCT - the total team rate at which all of their free throw shots actually scored. * 3 POINT PCT - the total team rate at which all of their three-point field goals actually scored. * POINTS - the average number of points scored by this team per game that season. * POINTS ALLOWED - the average number of points allowed opponents by this team per game that season. * STEALS - the average number of steals made against opponents per game. * BLOCKS - the average number of blocked shots made against opponents per game. * REBOUNDS - the average number of rebounds made against opponents (both offensive and defensive) per game. Team Records This screen keeps a record of the best overall game performances by your players and by your team since the creation of the League. Press the fire button at any time to return to the MAIN MENU. Three conditions are necessary for record-breaking stats to be eligible for inclusion onto this screen: 1. A human-owned team must be playing. 2. The record must occur in a regular season LEAGUE game. (PRACTICE and PLAYOFF games don't count!!!) 3. The game must be either watched or played by the human player. 14 The following Player Records are kept in the SPORTTIME Hall of Fame along with the name of the player who set the record, the season it occurred and the game number of that season: * MINUTES PLAYED - the most minutes every played (including overtime) by a single player within a single game. * POINTS - the most points scored in a game. * FIELD GOALS MADE - the most 2-point and 3-point field goals scored. * 3-PT. FIELD GOALS MADE - the most 3-point field goals scored. * FREE THROWS MADE - the most free throws scored. * REBOUNDS - the highest number of rebounds. * BLOCKED SHOTS - the most blocked shots. * STEALS - the most steals. The following Team Records are kept in SPORTTIME Hall of Fame along with the opponent the human team set the record against, the season it occurred and the game number of that season: * POINTS - the most points scored. * FIELD GOALS MADE - the most 2-point and 3-point field goals scored. * 3-POINT FIELD GOALS MADE - the most 3-point field goals scored. * FREE THROWS MADE - the most free throws scored. * REBOUNDS - the highest number of rebounds. * BLOCKED SHOTS - the most blocked shots. * STEALS - the most steals. If two human-owned teams are in the League, their records can be compared alternately by moving the joystick up or down. Improve Team This option represents the only means by which you can improve your Team. When you select it, three (3) sub-options will appear for each human-owned team in the League. These are TRY A PLAYER TRADE, TRAINING CAMP and RECRUIT A PLAYER. Each has a purpose and its associated share of pros and cons. The following are general descriptions of each option followed by specific instructions on how to use each one. 15 Recruiting A Player - An Overview There are two main advantages to "Recruiting a Player": 1. All Recruitment comes from the SBA's MINOR LEAGUES! Therefore, all players start off as "youngsters" (22 years old) when brought up from the minors to play in the SBA, and they are always free of injuries. 2. The Trading point costs are known quantities. The SPORTTIME Association will charge you TEN (10) TIMES the Total Skill Point value of the player you are Recruiting. If you can afford the player, you can "buy" him. There are two main disadvantages to "Recruiting a Player": 1. The best available player from the college ranks will never have a single skill level greater than five, and his four skills can only total a maximum of ten (10). Compare this to veterans whose four skill levels can total 36. These ARE Rookies! 2. Because of the Ten Times Cost factor, the better the rookie - the more expensive. NOTE: Depending on the situation, you must consider an additional advantage or disadvantage - the number of players allowed each Team is FIXED. Whether Recruiting or Trading players, for each player you bring onto the Team, you must also GET RID of one. Each team can only have a roster of 12 players. Harsh? Yes. But you're in the SBA now. How To Recruit A Player The RECRUIT A PLAYER screen is the place where you can recruit a "rookie" from the SPORTTIME Minor League in order to replace an aging, injured or mediocre player. To get to this screen: 1. Use your joystick to highlight the IMPROVE TEAM option from the Main Menu. 2. Select this option by pressing the fire button. 3. From the next screen, select the sub-option entitled "RECRUIT A PLAYER" by first highlighting it and then pressing the fire button. 16 The top half of the screen then displays the twelve (12) current members of your team along with their ages, positions, injuries (if any) and skills. To choose categories on this screen: 1. Move the joystick up, down, left or right to highlight the various categories. 2. When the category you want is highlighted, select it by pressing the fire button. To recruit a player: 1. Select the player that you want to replace by highlighting the row containing his name and pressing the fire button. The players' name will appear in the NAME BOX on the lower right of the screen. 2. If you choose the wrong player, simply move the joystick to highlight the row containing the correct player's name and press the fire button again. 3. Define the new skill attributes that you want your new player to start off with by using the skill boxes on the lower left half of the screen. 4. Highlight the desired skill category and then select it by pressing the fire button. 5. If you change your mind or make a mistake, press the fire button again to de-select this category. This allows you to go to another part of the screen with no harm done. Otherwise... 6. Move the joystick left and right to move the "Slider" which adjusts the skills of the player for this category. The value at the end of the "Slider Bar" shows the actual skill level being set by you. 7. Press the fire button to "enter" or set this skill level. 8. If you're satisfied with your setting for this player in this category, move the joystick to highlight another category and repeat steps 3-7. NOTE: The combined skill ratings for OUTSIDE and INSIDE can only sum to a maximum of five (5), and the same is true for the combined skill ratings of CONTROL and SPEED. For example, if the new player acquires a Speed rating of four (4), the maximum Control rating he could receive would be one (1). Similarly, giving a rooking an Outside skill rating of five (5) would mean an Inside skill rating of zero (0). 9. When you have finished defining this recruit's skills, you are ready to change his name if you wish. If you would like to use the same name as the name of the player being replaced, skip to step 14 below. Otherwise... 10. Move the joystick to highlight "NAME" and then select it by pressing the fire button. The former player's name will disappear. 11. In the NAME BOX, type the new name of the player you are recruiting (maximum of eight characters) on the keyboard. If you change your mind or make a mistake, use the back space or delete keys on your keyboard. 17 12. When satisfied with the new name, press the RETURN (or ENTER) key on your keyboard. The new name is now set. 13. If you would still like to change the name, you can do so by repeating steps 10-12 above. 14. When the name and skills of the player are correct, move the joystick to highlight "OK" and then select it by pressing the fire button. The new player will join your team as a healthy 22-year-old with the name and skills given to him by you. NOTE: When "OK" is selected, the replaced player is lost forever! Be sure that all information is correct before "OK" is chosen. You can always change your mind and leave this screen by selecting "RETURN." 15. You can now repeat the procedure for any other players as long as there are sufficient Trading Points to cover the transactions. 16. When you are done recruiting (or you change your mind), move the joystick to highlight "RETURN" and then select it by pressing the fire button. You will then be returned to the IMPROVE TEAM screen. The Cost of Recruiting The bottom right of this screen displays your total current amount of available Trading Points. Subtracted from that are any Trading Points which are being used for recruiting a player. Underneath these two numbers is the total number of Trading Points you will be left with if you recruit this player. Assume you begin with 250 Trading Points and recruited one player with the maximum skill levels possible (i.e. a total of 10 in either 2, 3, or 4 different skill categories). This transaction would cost you 100 Trading Points since it costs 10 Trading Points for every skill point your new recruit has. You would therefore be left with 150 Trading Points (250 - 100 = 150) after this recruitment. On the other hand, if you simply replaced an older player with a rookie with no skills, it wouldn't cost you any Trading Points. However, the rookie would have no redeemable features except for his health and young age. You can use up to a maximum of 100 Trading Points per player in this way, resulting in "rookie" players with all four skills totaling 10 and no one skill level greater than 5. A Player Trade - An Overview The SPORTTIME Administrators have a tough job. The Administration itself is not just responsible for the overall operation of the SBA, but more importantly, they seek to ensure that the League maintains a fairly competitive body of teams. 18 This is especially true when you try to trade with another team. The SPORTTIME Administration will not allow you to just "raid" each team in the League and "steal" their best players. Instead, they will try their best to oversee all trades to ensure that th trades remain fair to both teams involved. Yet "try" is the best they can do, since everyone knows...Any trade is possible! With the exception of trades between two human teams, the SBA decides whether or not any trade attempt will be allowed. They do this by arbitrating over the Trade Bids offered by you. 1. To arbitrate a Trade Bid, the SPORTTIME Association charges an ARBITRATION FEE of fifty (50) Trading Points. 2. The SBA Arbitration Fee will not be returned once the arbitration begins! You can receive half of the fee back (25 Trading Points) if you decide to cancel the trade attempt just prior to arbitration. (This is called "chickening out"!) 3. After the Fee has been deducted, you will submit your "TRADE BID" to the SBA. 4. Your BID will include the following elements: * The one Player you are offering from your team to the other team. * The one Player you wish to have in exchange from the other team. * Any additional Trading Points from your holdings that you wish to give to the other team as compensation or enticement. 5. The SPORTTIME Association will then consider your request. They will analyze the Skill Values of your player, his age, his health plus any Trading Points offered against the same information regarding the Player you are requesting. As a matter of fairness, the more Trading Points you offer, the more likely any trade will be allowed. If you are attempting to add a young superstar to your team in exchange for a mediocre, over-the-hill performer, a bundle of Trading Points might be needed to sway the arbitrators into allowing your offer. On the other hand, a fairly even exchange of players may not require the addition of Trading Points in order for the swap to be completed. Still, any trade, no matter how lopsided, is possible! In this way, a great sense of negotiation AND gambling is brought to life (always remember the non-refundable Arbitration Fee). A computer-owner team immediately uses any Trading Points it receives from a trade to improve his team at Training Camp. In this way, there is no limit to the number of times per season that a computer team can visit Training Camp. Remember that!!! Injured players can be traded and acquired just like healthy players. You can trade one injured player for another injured player, or trade an injured player 19 for a healthy player. Injured players, however, cannot be acquired by or traded to a team which has only five healthy players. That team would be unable to field a full 5-man lineup in a game, and that is not allowed in the SBA. If such a trade is attempted, the trade will be cancelled but only half of the Arbitration Fee (25 Trading Points) will be refunded. Always remember, though, that when trying to trade injured players, the computer team will take the injuries into account. How To Trade A Player The TRY A PLAYER TRADE screen is the place where you can exchange players with other teams as well as study the specific and overall strengths and weaknesses of each team in the League. To get to this screen: 1. Use your joystick to highlight the IMPROVE TEAM option on the Main Menu. 2. Select this option by pressing the fire button. 3. From the next screen, select the sub-option entitled "TRY A PLAYER TRADE" by first highlighting it and then pressing the fire button. Your team is always displayed on the left side of the screen listing player names, positions, ages, injuries (if any) and skills. When you first enter this screen, the team that you will next play in a LEAGUE game is shown on the right in the same way. Below all the player's names are each team's totals for each of the four skills (O.I.C.S) along with the grand total of all skills (T) and each team's overall average age (A). You can only trade with the team currently displayed next ot yours on the right side of the screen. NOTE: The following directions only apply when your team is trading with a computer team. Please see the upcoming section entitled TRADES BETWEEN TWO HUMAN TEAMS for more information. 20 To trade for a player from a computer-owned team: 1. To change the team you wish to trade with to any other team in the League, first move the joystick to highlight "VIEW TEAMS." 2. Press and hold the fire button. 3. Move the joystick up or down to change the team being viewed. 4. When finished, release the fire button and move the joystick to highlight "TRY TRADE" and select by pressing the fire button. 5. If you have less than 50 Trading Points, press the fire button again to return to the TRY A PLAYER TRADE screen. 6. If you have at least 50 Trading Points, the arbitration fee is displayed along with an "OK/CANCEL" prompt. 7. If you highlight and then select "CANCEL" by pressing the fire button, this trade attempt will be cancelled. Skip to step 18. 8. If you highlight and then select "OK" by pressing the fire button, 50 Trading Points are subtracted from your total and the trade continues. 9. The first player on your team will appear highlighted. To choose a different player to trade from your team on the left to the team on the right, move the joystick up or down. Stop when the player you want to trade is highlighted. 10. Select this player by pressing the fire button. NOTE: You can only trade for players that play the same position. If you want to acquire a center, for example, you must trade one of the centers already on your roster. 11. Move the joystick up or down to highlight the player you want to obtain from the team on the right side of the screen. Select him by pressing the fire button. 12. Your current total amount of Trading Points is then displayed (the Arbitration Fee has already been subtracted). Enter the amount of Trading Points you would like to offer, if any, to "sweeten" the deal for the other team. In the box, type in an amount (from zero to the full amount of all your Trading Points) and press the RETURN key. If no Trading Points are to be offered, just press the RETURN key. 13. The SPORTTIME administrators now share with you their thoughts on the trade. A percentage appears on the screen, and it represents the probability of success for this trade. The closer the number gets to 100%, the better are the odds that the trade will go through. 14. You are then given one last chance to back out of the trade and recoup half of the Arbitration Fee. To continue with the trade, skip ahead to step 15. To cancel the trade, use the joystick to highlight "NO" and then select it by pressing the fire button. Half of the Arbitration Fee (25 Trading Points) is refunded to you along with any Trading Points you offered as compensation in the deal. Skip ahead to step 17. 21 15. To continue with the trade, select "YES", in the same manner. Your full "TRADE BID" has now been completed. The decision rests with the SBA arbitrators. All you can do is sit back and wait for the results. 16. If the trade was accepted, the players are swapped from one team to the other and any Trading Points you offered with the deal are transferred to the other team. If the trade was not accepted, the two players remain on their respective teams and any Trading points that you offered are returned to your team. However, the full Arbitration Fee (50 Trading Points) is lost. 17. Regardless of the outcome of the trade, press the fire button to return to the TRY A PLAYER TRADE screen. 18. To then return to the MAIN MENU, move the joystick to highlight the "RETURN" option and then select it by pressing the fire button. Trades Between Two Human Teams: When two human-owned teams are trading players between themselves, it is up to you two to decide if the trade is a beneficial one. The SBA arbitrators will not interfere, but will still request their 50 Trading Points anyway! The procedure is identical to the previously described process of trading with a computer except for a few of the following key differences: 1. Each teams' current amount of Trading Points are displayed at the bottom of the screen (where the team totals are usually shown) as soon as you agree to spend the fifty (50) Trading Points requested by the SBA. 2. After both players have been selected and any additional Trading Points have been offered, the team which has the player who is the object of the trade is given the opportunity to accept or decline the trade. 3. To accept the trade, use the joystick to highlight "YES" and then select it by pressing the fire button. The players are swapped from one team to the other and any Trading Points offered with the deal are transferred to the other team to be used as they see fit. 4. To decline the trade, use the joystick to highlight "NO" and then select it by pressing the fire button. 22 Training Camp - An Overview This option allows some or all of the players on your team who need improvement in some skills to receive the necessary help. Once at Training Camp, each chosen player will undergo some amount of SKILL improvement in the area which you select. NOTE: Only two (2) of each player's four (4) SKILLS can be improved during any single visit to Camp. You can choose between a player's Control (C) ability or his Speed (S) ability, but not both at the same time. You can choose between a player's Inside (I) ability or his Outside (O) ability, but not both at the same time. The overall amount of improvement achieved is directly related to the length of time spent and the quality of training at the Camp. This time/quality element is, of course, charged in Training Points. Here are some limitations to visiting Training Camp: * You will only be allowed to visit Training Camp once per season. * You will only be allowed to assign a maximum of 1000 Trading Points during that visit. Here are some of the advantages to visiting Training Camp: * All of the players and skills selected do improve somewhat. This increase in ability is usually noted by an increase in the respective skill level. However, smaller "decimal" improvements are happening as well which you can't see. * There is no risk involved. All Trading Points allocated to Training Camp are used to improve your team. * Only those categories and players which you choose will improve. Here are some of the disadvantages to visiting Training Camp: * It will take many seasons and many Trading Points to build up your weakest players. Trading may get you better players NOW. * Only two skill categories can be improved per player at any Camp visit. * The more players and the more skill categories you choose per player, the more diluted the applied Trading Points become. For example, one hundred (100) Trading POints applied to only one player will have a greater effect on that one player than if you were to apply that some one hundred (100) Trading Points to ten of your players. Think about it. 23 How To Improve At Training Camp The TRAINING CAMP screen allows you to select which players to improve and which of their skills to improve. To the right of each player's name will be the age, position, injuries and the four skill categories of that player. To the right of each of these skills are empty boxes. The color of these boxes indicates whether or not the player will improve and can be toggled "on" or "off" by you. To get to this screen: 1. Use your joystick to highlight the IMPROVE TEAM option from the Main Menu. 2. Select this option by pressing the fire button. 3. From the next screen, select the sub-option entitled "TRAINING CAMP" by first highlighting it and then pressing the fire button. To improve a player: 1. Use the joystick to move the on-screen arrow to point to the appropriate box to the right of the skill you want improved and press the fire button. Continue this procedure for each skill and for every player on your team that you wish to improve. 2. When all the players' skills that you wish to improve are set, use the joystick to move the arrow to point to the area where "START TRAINING CAMP" is displayed. Press the fire button. 3. You will then be prompted for the amount of Trading Points you wish to spend at Training Camp. You can spend up to 1000 Trading Points. 4. In the box, type in the amount you wish to spend. Use the BACKSPACE or DELETE keys on your keyboard to change or correct if necessary. Press the RETURN key when you are satisfied and wish to begin training. 5. If zero (0) is entered in the box or if the keyboard RETURN (or ENTER) key is pressed before typing a number, the program returns to the initial IMPROVE TEAM screen and no improvement takes place. 6. If a legal number is entered, your team will begin Training Camp and be improved accordingly. 7. At the conclusion of Training Camp, press the fire button to return to the initial IMPROVE TEAM screen. 24 Play Next Game This screen allows you to fine tune some more aspects of how any one game will actually play and to also start that game. All information is then passed along to whatever Game Option Module you may have pre-selected from the O.M.N.I. Screen. (At the conclusion of a season, this option will automatically change to read START NEW YEAR. Select it to begin a new season of fun.) 1. Some items can only be modified after you first change the type of game being played from the LEAGUE to PRACTICE. 2. To change some items for LEAGUE games, you must create a new League. See the section entitled RESET THE LEAGUE. The DETAILS Section: 1. To change the length of each quarter (and thus the length of the game) for PRACTICE games only: a. Move the joystick so the on-screen arrow points to the length of each quarter number. b. Press and release the fire button to cycle through short 3-minute quarters, regulation 12-minute quarters or in-between lengths of either 6 or 9 minutes. The quarters in all LEAGUE games will be the length that was determined when the League was first created. NOTE: When you change the clock length of a quarter, the game's action or pace won't be played any faster or slower. Therefore, shorter games will tend to have lower scores than longer games. However, the players themselves will fatigue and recuperate proportionally faster or slower as the game length is changed. This is done so that their ages are equally important for all settings. 2. Now you can change the team colors and the color of the court's key for both LEAGUE and PRACTICE games as follows: a. To change a team color, move the joystick so the on-screen arrow points to one of the players below that team's name. Press and hold the fire button while moving the joystick up or down to cycle through the available colors. When the desired team color is displayed, release the fire button. 25 b. To change the key area color on the court, move the joystick so the on-screen arrow points to the key. Press and hold the fire button while moving the joystick up or down to cycle through the available colors. When the desired key color is displayed, release the fire button. On the COMMODORE 64/128 version only: 2. Now you can change the team colors, the color of the court's key AND the court colors for both LEAGUE and PRACTICE games as follows: a. To change a team color, move the joystick so the on-screen arrow points to one of the players below that team's name. Press and release the fire button to cycle through the available colors. b. To change the court color, move the joystick so the on-screen arrow points to either of the outer court boxes. Press and release the fire button to cycle through the available colors. c. To change the key area color, move the joystick so the on-screen arrow points to the center key box. Press and release the fire button to cycle through the available colors until the desired key color is displayed. The CONTROL Section: 1. The names of the two teams next scheduled to play a LEAGUE game will be displayed. However, for PRACTICE games only, the teams about to play can be changed to be any other team in the League. In this way, you can play with any team against any other team, including the same team playing against itself. a. Move the joystick so the on-screen arrow points to one of the team names. Press and hold the fire button while moving the joystick up or down to cycle through the team names until the desired team is displayed. b. Release the fire button and repeat this procedure for the other team. On the COMMODORE 64/128 version only: a. Move the joystick so the on-screen arrow points to one of the team names. Press and release the fire button to cycle through the team names until the desired team is displayed. b. Repeat this procedure for the other team if you wish. 2. Next is setting up the JOYSTICK 1, JOYSTICK 2 or COMPUTER control of your team and/or the opponent's team in the areas of PLAYER and COACHING control. Move the on-screen arrow with the joystick to point to the setting you wish to change. Press and release the fire button to cycle through the allowed choices. The following are the applied restrictions: a. The same joystick cannot be used to control both teams. For example, if your PLAYERS are being controlled by JOYSTICK 1, then JOY- 26 STICK 1 cannot appear anywhere in the opponent's control selection. b. JOYSTICK control of the opponent's team is only allowed in a PRACTICE game or whenever one human-controlled team is playing against another human-controlled team. The RULES Section: 1. Here you can change the shot clock length to either 18, 24, 30 or 36 seconds for PRACTICE games only: a. Move the joystick until the on-screen arrow points to the shot clock length number. b. Press and release the fire button until the desired time appears. NOTE: In LEAGUE games, the shot clock is a function of the quarter length. The shortest shot clock length of 18 seconds is automatically in effect for the shortest quarters of 3 minutes, while the longest shot clock length of 36 seconds is used for all 12-minute quarters. A 6-minute quarter uses a 24-second shot clock, and a 9-minute quarter uses a 30-second shot clock. 2. You may select whether the game to be played is a LEAGUE game or a PRACTICE game by pointing to that setting and pressing and releasing the fire button. Remember that certain options (mentioned above) can only be used if the game is a PRACTICE game. Therefore, when LEAGUE play is selected, the program checks all of the settings previously described and automatically changes any that are illegally set. The START Section: 1. You may return to the MAIN MENU without yet playing a game by moving the on-screen arrow to point to the "CANCEL" prompt. 2. After it highlights, press the fire button. 3. Select "PLAY BASKETBALL" in the same manner to begin play. After selecting "PLAY BASKETBALL": 1. Only if it is a LEAGUE game AND the computer has been selected to both coach and control your players, a message appears on the bottom of the screen asking if you want to watch the game. To answer, move the joystick so the on-screen arrow points to the desired word (YES or NO.) After it highlights, press the fire button. 2. If "YES" is chosen, the appropriate Game Option Module will load. Please see the manual for that specific Option Module for more information. 3. If "NO" is selected, the screen next displays the scores from the just-concluded games, including yours. 27 NOTE: These games not viewed by you are quickly generated or "played-out" by the computer using very sophisticated routines. And since injuries can occur during these "blacked-out" games, it always pays to examine your roster for any new injuries. This feature is very useful for passing up games that you feel confident your team will win anyhow. Games that would offer little challenge if you played them out. This allows you to more quickly move through the regular season schedule until you come up against opponents that are as good or better than you. But always be careful when using this "quick-play" feature. Sometimes, a "sure-thing" can turn into an upset! Show Previous Games This option initially displays the game results from the last round of all other games that were played in the League. Press the fire button to view the Playoff Tree (see upcoming section entitled THE PLAYOFF TREE.) Overtime Overtime games are defined by an "OT" to the right of the team names. If a game lasts more than one overtime, the number in front of the "OT" denotes how many overtimes it took to get a winner. Forfeits Forfeited games are defined by the word "FORFEIT" to the right of the team names, and no final score is given. Because of the importance of League play and the quest for the SPORTTIME Trophy, a forfeit penalty is built in. A forfeit occurs anytime a game is aborted for any reason without first returning to the MAIN MENU and having the results of the game entered into the records. For example, a forfeit would be registered if you were to turn the game off and re-boot because you were losing a critical game, in the hope that you could just keep trying until you actually won. Or by trying to abort the game after gaining a quick basket in order to register a victory. Or by trying to deliberately lose games in order to "pile-up" Trading points season after season by finishing in last place. 28 You get penalized in Trading Points for each forfeited game in a season. This penalty is applied to next year's allocation of Trading Points, and is based on the number of games per season you are playing when the forfeit occurs. The following chart details the exact number of Trading Points a team will lose for each game it forfeits based on the number of games in that season: Number of Games in Season Trading Points Lost per Forfeit ------------------------- ------------------------------- 5 240 8 150 13 90 16 75 21 60 If a forfeit occurs in a game between two human teams, the game is ignored because it is not known which team caused the forfeit. Therefore, no stats will be saved from the game and the screen will return to the MAIN MENU with the same two teams flashing as if nothing had happened. Playoffs At the conclusion of a successful regular season, your hard work is rewarded by a spot in the playoffs. Your goal is the SPORTTIME Trophy, emblematic of basketball supremacy in the SBA. At the conclusion of each playoff game that you watch, regardless of the outcome or of who is coaching or playing the team: 1. A humorous "commercial" is shown to keep your competitive fires burning. 2. The scores of the other playoff games are displayed. (If both human-owned teams are in the playoffs, only a partial listing of other scores will be shown if the second human team hasn't yet played their game.) 3. After a short delay (or you can press the fire button to speed up the process), the screen automatically moves on to display... 4. The Playoff Tree for the current competition. 5. After a short delay (or you can press the fire button to speed up the process), the screen automatically moves on to display the MAIN MENU. 6. If a human-owned team has just won the SBA Championship, then the SPORTTIME Trophy will be displayed before the MAIN MENU and will remain displayed until you press the fire button. 29 The Playoff Tree From the PREVIOUS GAMES screen, press the fire button to display the Playoff Tree. At the end of the season, last year's Playoff Tree is replaced with the current season's playoff teams. If your team does not make the playoff at the conclusion of the regular season, the entire Playoff Tree is displayed with all games completed and the Champion team shown at the end of the Tree on the right side of the screen. If your team is in the playoffs, only those rounds which are currently being contested are displayed. The numbers listed underneath the various teams names show how many games those teams won in the different rounds of the playoffs. 30 31 THE "END-VIEW" GAME MODULE Version 1.0 The Nick and Bob Shows Our resident experts on basketball, Nick "The Net" Jones and "Basket" Bob Smith, do two shows per game at the SPORTTIME Garden. Tune in and see what they have to say about your team, your opponent, some of the players on each squad, and even each other. The "Nick and Bob" shows are great for those fans with a sharp sense of humor who are looking for every strategic edge possible. 1. Before each show, the screen shows Nick and Bob on a T.V. set sitting above a VCR with two buttons. 2. To watch the show, select "PLAY" on the VCR by moving the joystick left or right until "PLAY" flashes. Press the fire button, and the Pregame Show will load and automatically begin. 3. To skip the show, select "FF" on the VCR in the same manner. The Coaching Screen is soon displayed to signal the start of the game or of the second half. 4. If you want to speed up the flow of Nick and Bob's dialogue, press the F2 function key. Pressing the F4 function key will slow down the flow. The keys may be pressed several times for added effect. 5. Should you decide to end a show prematurely, press the F8 function key. Nick and Bob will quickly wrap up and return you to the game. 6. When a show ends, the Coaching Screen will soon appear. Although Nick and Bob frequently crack jokes, their analysis of the game is serious. They combine actual facts about the teams with their own unique comedy style to comment on what is (or will be) happening. During the Pregame Show, Nick and Bob take into account the skills and ages of every player on each team. By comparing the differences, they try to predict which team will lead certain key categories at the conclusion of the game. They're not always right, but they have fun in the process! During the Halftime Show, Nick and Bob discuss the actual first half statistics from the game and even mention some of the key performers up to that point. All done with their usual wit and flair, of course. 32 GENERAL INFORMATION This Option Module lets you enjoy the sport of basketball and actively get involved in two distinctly different ways. In order to properly explain this to you, the END-VIEW Game Module is divided into two parts. Part A: The Coach Explores the many different facets of coaching a live game. You'll even get tips on strategy from our own SPORTTIME announcing due of Nick "The Net" Jones and "Basket" Bob Smith. More important, though, are the various details about the Coaching Screens which will be used by you during the playing of the game. Through the Coaching Screens, you will set your instructions and techniques for your players to use to lead your team to victory! Part B: The Court, Players and Game Examines the many dimensions involved in playing the actual game of basketball down on the hardwood in this Module. You'll learn about your players, their skills, and what they can do both with and without the ball during the course of a game. You'll quickly learn to appreciate the difference of FLOW-CONTROL, as you handle the offensive and defensive decision-making as the play develops before your eyes. PART A: The Coach All coaching is controlled from a special display called the "Coaching Screen." It is from here that each team's coach has the opportunity to set up many offensive and defensive strategies for his players to follow when the action begins. Here a coach can also take a closer look at how tired each player is, how that player is performing, etc., and make substitutions accordingly. Every time there is a stoppage in play down on the hardwood, a message will appear to inform you why the stoppage occurred. However, not every stoppage in play will allow the coaches to use the Coaching Screen. Most of the time, play will continue so as not to interrupt the normal pace of the game. Play can be stopped for any of the following reasons: * a foul * the ball going out of bounds * a Shot Clock violation * a player breaking the backboard * a Back Court violation * a Team Timeout * a "Television" (T.V.) timeout * a player injury * a player ejection * the end of a quarter or half 33 The Coaching Screen always appears, however, whenever the stoppage in play is caused by: * a Team Timeout or a T.V. Timeout * a need to substitute (either a player fouling out or an injury) * the beginning of a quarter or half Team Timeouts 1. Each team receives eight (8) Team Timeouts per game (regardless of the number of minutes in each quarter) to use as they see fit. 2. Only the team in possession of the ball can call a Team Timeout. 3. A human player can call a Team Timeout only if he is controlling the coaching of that team. (See section entitled, The Coaching Screen). 4. Only the team that called the Timeout can use the Coaching Screen. The other team cannot change its lineup at that time or even adjust its Offensive or Defensive "attitudes"! 5. Team Timeouts can only be called from the Pause Screen. The Pause Screen This screen enables you to pause a game in play, to see how many Team Timeouts each team has remaining, or to actually call a Team Timeout. 1. Press the F6 function key to pause the game. 2. The Pause Screen always displays the number of timeouts each team has remaining. 3. If the Timeouts Remaining number is flashing, that team is then eligible to call a Team Timeout. 4. To resume the game without calling a Team Timeout, press the F6 key once again. 5. However, to call a Team Timeout, press the fire button. The whistle will stop play and the Coaching Screen will appear. 6. After using the Coaching Screen, the team that called the Team Timeout will inbound the ball underneath their opponents' basket. T.V. Timeouts A T.V. Timeout is a special timeout created for the END-VIEW Module which will not interrupt the normal flow of the game but will periodically allow the coaches of each team to make player substitutions and strategy without using up a Team Timeout. 34 After each whole minute that clicks off the Game Clock (1:00, 2:00, 3:00, etc.), the referee will stop play as soon as he determines that doing so will not be unfair to either team (you'll hear his whistle). For example, the referee will never stop play after one team scores a basket because that would prevent the other team from inbounding the ball for a quick breakout pass. On the other hand, he may call a T.V. Timeout if the ball has just gone out of bounds because that is already a complete interruption of the game. A T.V. Timeout will never occur more than once per minute, and since only the Referee can call a T.V. Timeout, they have no effect on either teams' supply of Team Timeouts. The Coaching Screen First, decisions regarding the Offensive and Defensive "attitudes" of the team are now made from this screen. Play substitutions, if any, are then made. Finally, the Coaching Screen changes back to show the court and play resumes from the point that you left the game. The game clock is stopped during this entire process. If a player substitution is required to replace an injured player, but not enough time on the game clock has passed for a T.V. Timeout, the coach will only be allowed to replace the necessary player and make other lineup changes; he cannot change either the Offensive or Defensive "attitudes." If you have not set your joystick to control coaching, then the computer will do all the above for you. NOTE: Whenever you press the F8 function key while playing a game, the "Control Box" will appear. This Box enables you to change joystick control of your coach and/or your players if you so desire. You can also change the coach and/or the player control for your opponents' team, but only in a PRACTICE game. Press the F8 key again to return to the game. Strategy Selection The coaching options you select on the Coaching Screen are going to dictate how your whole team will play. In general, to select a coaching option (except for "Maximize Your Lineup" and "SUBS"): 1. Move the joystick in the direction of the one option you want. 2. Release the joystick so it returns to the center position. 3. Press the fire button to select. 4. After each selection, you will automatically progress to the next option. 35 All selections you make on the Coaching Screen are remembered for the next time the Coaching Screen appears. This means you won't need to move the joystick to make the same selection the next time. Just press the fire button with the joystick centered to repeat your selection from the last time you were in the Coaching Screen. All joystick movements are confirmed for you based on who is coaching the teams: * When two human-coached teams are playing each other, tones for each screen will sound to indicate that the coaching instructions were received and that a change was made (AUTO options selected will illuminate also). * When a human-coached team is playing a computer-coached team, the human's selections will illuminate on screen as well. * When two computer-coached teams are playing each other, their selections are illuminated but no sound will be heard. The Coaching Screen allows you to make various decisions when the following coaching options appear (in this order): 1. You will choose one of two Offensive Rebounding Attitudes: HIT THE BOARDS or PROTECT FAST BREAK 2. You will choose one of three Offensive Playmaking Attitudes: WORK INSIDE, NORMAL PLAY or WORK OUTSIDE 3. If the computer is controlling the players on the court, then you will also choose one of three Offensive Ball Control Attitudes: WORK CLOCK, MIX or QUICK SHOT 4. You will choose one of three Defensive Rebounding Attitudes: HIT THE BOARDS, FOUL or SET UP FAST BREAK 5. You will choose one of four Defensive Playmaking Attitudes: EXPECT INSIDE, NORMAL PLAY, TRY STEAL or EXPECT OUTSIDE 6. If the computer is controlling the players on the court, you will choose one of three Defensive Ball Control Attitudes: MAN TO MAN, MIX or DOUBLE TEAM 7. You will choose one of four Roster Options: PLAY, SUBS, AUTO or VIEW STATS 8. If you choose AUTO, then you will also choose any combination of four skills with which to Maximize Your Lineup by: SPEED, INSIDE, OUTSIDE and/or CONTROL ONCE AGAIN: The Offensive and Defensive Ball Control options will only be displayed if the computer is playing the team regardless of who is actually coaching the team. 36 The time it takes for a computer coach to complete its coaching decisions may either be sped up so play resumes quickly or slowed down so the decisions can be watched, understood and followed during the game. While the Coaching Screen is displayed, press the F2 function key to speed up the selection process or the F4 function key to slow it down. The keys may be pressed several times for added affect. If both coaches are computer-controlled, pressing the function keys will affect the rate at which both teams' selections are made. The following will show the various sets of Offensive and Defensive options in the exact order that they appear while on the Coaching Screen. Next to the name of each possible selection is a brief description of the effect that choice will have on your team. Offensive Coaching Options 1. HIT THE BOARDS: After the team with the ball takes a shot, they then aggressively charge the basket for any rebound. This is also known as "crashing the boards" and will increase the odds of a team remaining on offense but will also leave them vulnerable to a fast break by the other team if they don't come down with the rebound. This aggressive play may result in more offensive fouls as well. PROTECT FAST BREAK: After the shot, some players remain back to help prevent a fast break opportunity but the chances of remaining on offense are obviously diminished. 37 2. WORK INSIDE: The players will run patterns closer to the basket. Slam dunks have a good chance of occurring. In addition, there is a higher chance of sinking these short range shots - even for bad players. However, the increased shooting percentage will be offset by fewer open shots, and you give up the 3-point shot setups altogether. NORMAL: Combines both inside and outside patterns during the game. WORK OUTSIDE: The forwards and guards will remain in the 3-point zone. Most defenses will give the outside shot because the distance alone decreases the chances of a successful bomb. The team's center is the only inside man but even he stays outside the key. If the computer is controlling your players, these additional choices will appear: 3. WORK CLOCK: A strategy usually chosen when a team is winning. As coach, you're telling your players to deliberately allow the shot clock to run down by passing the ball around before attempting a shot. However, frequently open shots won't be taken and sometimes playing around with the ball too much can get it stolen from your team or cause the shot clock to reach zero. 38 MIX: Combines both the deliberate offense and the run-and-gun style to keep the defense guessing during the game. QUICK SHOT: A strategy usually chosen when a team is losing. It will cause the ball ot be shot as soon as that team gets up the court. However, this sometimes results in "forced" or "rushed" shots of low probability. Defensive Coaching Options 4. HIT THE BOARDS: After the ball is shot, the defending team then aggressively "crashes the boards" for any rebound. Chances of coming down with the ball are increased but there is no opportunity for your team to make a fast break. You also increase the chances of incurring a defensive foul. FOUL: A strategy usually chosen when a team is losing. This selection causes your players to deliberately foul the opponent as soon as possible, but only once. As coach, you know that sometimes it is better to stop the clock and hope that your opponent misses one of his two free throws then to let him use up valuable time. Even if he makes both free throws, you'll still get the ball back quicker and you can always unload a 3-pointer. Rebounding is not an issue because the intent is to stop the field goal try from ever being taken. After successfully fouling an opponent, however, your team will default to HIT THE BOARDS so as to not necessarily foul another player. Therefore, you should call a Team Timeout immediately to repeat this strategy. 39 SET UP FAST BREAK: After the ball is shot, some of your defensive players will break for the opposing basket in the hope that their teammates will get the rebound and hit them with a long pass for a quick two points. However, the chances of your team coming down with the ball to make the quick outlet pass are not as good. Also realize that the offensive team could now have open men to take a shot if they get the rebound instead. 5. EXPECT INSIDE: Best defense for all inside shots, including slam dunks, but the long shots are left completely open. EXPECT OUTSIDE: Best defense for all outside shots, including 3-pointers, but the inside shots are not guarded at all. TRY STEAL: Play close to the ball and try to knock it away, but be wary of more fouls being called as a result of the contact. Watch out for your opponent blowing past you, and take note that your players won't be able to block any shots or otherwise lower a shots' possibility of scoring while in this defensive mode. NORMAL: A steady, all-around defense which will play all shots equally well, but none as good as possible. There will also be reduced body contact. 40 If the computer is controlling your players, these additional choices will appear: 6. MAN TO MAN: Usually employed if the defense is ahead, it provides basic but solid coverage as each defensive player is responsible for a single offensive player. DOUBLE TEAM: When losing, the defense can try to pressure the offense into turnovers by sending an extra man to always cover the player with the ball. But this action also always leaves at least one offensive player open, occasionally resulting in easy baskets. More fouls usually result as the defense harasses the man with the ball. Yet the defense should be able to block more shots and steal more balls. MIX: Combines basic man-to-man defense with occasional double-teaming pressure. Roster Options 7. PLAY: This means that you are finished with your coaching selections and are ready to either begin or resume play. The names of the five players who will be out on the court are listed along with their positions and current skill levels for the team that selects this option first. When both coaches have selected this option, the court will appear and the ball can then be inbounded. 41 SUBS: Allows you to change your lineup and bring in the players you need (one player at a time). You can also check individual players for foul trouble, fatigue, shooting percentage and a "hot hand" value (please see the section entitled SUBSTITUTIONS for more information). VIEW STATS: See how your entire roster currently stacks up in terms of total points, rebounds, steals and blocks. All stats are for the current game only. More stats are available at the end of each game. AUTO: You decide which skills your team should emphasize, and the computer automatically selects the top five players in those areas and puts them out on the court. You can then "fine-tune" these substitutions if you'd like by selecting "SUBS." For more information, please see the section below. The AUTO Option 8. Choosing AUTO as a Roster Option means that you want the computer to automatically select the best five players according to whatever skill categories you choose to maximize your lineup by. For example, if you choose both SPEED and OUTSIDE, your new lineup will consist of the fastest five players on your team who can also shoot better than anyone else from long range. Similarly, if you just choose SPEED, the computer will simply select the five fastest players on your team for the positions they can play without regard for how well they can shoot. To Maximize Your Lineup: 1. Move the joystick in the direction of each category that you want to use. 2. Release the joystick following each selection so it returns to the center position. 3. After choosing the categories that you want to Maximize Your Lineup by, press the fire button to start all of the substitutions. 42 4. You will then be returned to the Roster Options choices again. Once here you may wish to select "SUBS" to view the player substitutions made automatically or to then "fine-tune" those substitutions with your own individual choices. Substitutions Players can be removed from the game any time the "SUBS" option is activated with the following exceptions: 1. Injured and ejected players must be removed before the game can resume. 2. Players about to shoot free throws cannot be removed from the lineup. 3. Injured players cannot be inserted into the starting lineup. When a player needs to be replaced immediately (due to injury or ejection), his name will appear as a different color in the roster. Otherwise, the first player's name on the list (the center's) will be highlighted when this option is first chosen. Each roster consists of two centers, four guards, four forwards and two reserves. The reserves can play any position. The initial procedure: 1. From the ROSTER OPTION on the Coaching Screen, move the joystick to the left until "SUBS" illuminates and release the joystick. 2. Press the fire button to select it. 3. Your team will then be displayed in the lower half of the screen with each player's name, position and current skill levels. The first five names listed area always the players who will be out on the floor when play resumes. The remaining seven names are the players on the bench. 4. The smaller box at the top of this roster listing is called the "INFO BOX" and contains: a. a heading which changes to reflect the current procedure, b. the name and original position of the highlighted player c. his four skill levels as they appeared before the game began (i.e. completely rested). d. the number of fouls he has (E=ejected and the player must be replaced). e. the number of games he will miss because of an injury f. his field goal percentage in the current game (FGM/FGA), g. his "HOT" value (see section entitled "THE 'HOT' VALUE"). 43 You can see from your player's skills which ones are better outside shooters, who controls the ball better, how tired each player is, etc. Choose the players wisely so that their abilities and ages are used in a strategic manner. The substitution process: 1. To remove a player from the lineup, use the joystick to move the highlighted bar until it illuminates the name of the player you wish to bench or move to a new position. You can only select from the five players currently in the lineup. If a player was just injured or ejected from the game, his name will already appear highlighted. Notice that all of the information inside the INFO BOX applies only to the highlighted player. 2. Press the fire button once. 3. If you move the joystick up or down now, you will notice a second highlighted bar. This second bar indicates the player you will be switching the first player with. 4. To change the second player, use the joystick to move the highlighted bar until it illuminates the name of the player you wish to use. You'll notice that you can only choose players who are Reserves (R) or who play the same position as the player you are substituting. That is, the highlighted bar will only stop on the names of the players who are eligible to replace or switch with the first player selected. 5. Press the fire button once again. The two players automatically switch places in the roster listing. 6. If you want to make more substitutions, repeat the above directions. If you are finished making substitutions or examining your players: a. Move the joystick to highlight any player. b. Press the fire button. c. Highlight that same player again (no need to move the joystick). d. Press the fire button once again. e. You will now be returned to the Roster Options prompts of PLAY, SUBS, AUTO and VIEW STATS. This substituting of a player with himself is the only way to leave the "SUBS" option. NOTE: If there are any mistakes (for example, leaving an injured player in the starting lineup), you will be unable to select PLAY without first returning to the "SUBS" screen and fixing your lineup. 44 The "Hot" Value This is a way to determine which players on your team are capable of shooting the ball at their maximum potential - in other words, are they on a "hot streak"? It pays to watch this figure as it will indicate which players are cooling off even before you notice their shots missing more than usual. All players' start the game with a Hot Value of 1.000. A player's Hot Value can go down for a number of reasons: the mounting pressure of sinking the big basket in the heat of the game which causes the shot to be off the mark, the same player "hogging the ball" by repeatedly taking the shots for his team (his teammates will resent this and "get on his case"), the player not passing the ball to an open teammate for an easy bucket or even the crowd getting unruly and making their presence felt by turning against a player. As the Hot Value decreases, the accuracy of the players' shots declines as well, but always relative to his natural shooting abilities. For example, a player with an Outside (O) skill level of 9, an Inside (I) skill level of 9 and a Hot Value of .875 is still a better shooter than a player with an Outside (O) skill level of 5, an Inside (I) skill level of 5 and a Hot Value of 1.000! A player's Hot Value can increase for a number of reasons, too: passing up a shot to make the quality pass to an open teammate, sacrificing the body to "take the charge" and draw the foul for the good of the team or even playing tight defense that denies their man the ball. Remember, basketball is a team game that requires all five players to work as one cohesive unit. Therefore, it pays to let all of your players participate in the offense instead of relying on a few good players. PART B: The Court, Players and Game About Flow-Control Most other games allow you to control one player all the time or whoever has the ball - all the time. This involves a lot of routine and sometimes unimportant joystick activity while playing. Still, this traditional approach to game design is a whole lot of fun and running a player around the court offers a lot of strategy too. You can even get such features from you OMNI-PLAY System with the SIDE-VIEW Option Module. Here in the END-VIEW Option Module however, you get a new, innovative approach to playing a sports video game. You should notice the difference immediately. We call it, Flow-Control. Whether the sport is basketball, football, hockey or another, haven't you even noticed how you or your friends react when watching an exciting game on T.V.? Don't you, at time, find yourself yelling at the screen as if the players can actually hear you? Thanks to quality camerawork, we at home can usually see things that the players can't. Even with fast paced games like basketball, 45 opportunities and developing dangers always seem so obvious to us. Haven't you ever yelled at a player, "Hey, take the shot already!" Or wondered why he won't pass to the open man that only you seem to notice? With the END-VIEW Module, the coaching assistance you give your players will be just enough for them to move the ball, set picks, develop plays and handle some defense all on their own. But with the magic of Flow-Control, it is up to you to make the brief, split-second decisions that make all the difference from play to play. The ability to affect all the critical moments during a game, and only those critical moments, remains in your capable hands. Now when you "yell" instructions to the players out on the court, they will "hear" them! But you must make your decisions at the instant an opportunity or problem presents itself. A split second too soon or too late can blow chances or get your players into trouble. Therefore, with Flow-Control, the action will always continue to flow, but it's up to you to "control" that "flow"! Otherwise, your team will accomplish little... The Court The court itself is seen from an END-VIEW perspective. As a result, only half of the court is displayed at any one time. However, because this is a full-court, five-on-five game, you may experience some problems when first playing this Module. You see, the basket you are looking at changes as soon as the ball crosses over the center-court line. That is, the screen flips, changing to another as the ball travels from one half of the court to the other. But don't worry. Knowing where your players are on the court and which basket you are currently viewing requires a little getting used to by everyone in the beginning. Even though you may initially become confused, rest assured that you'll get much better after just a few games. Since a basketball court always looks the same on both halves, there is very little about the court itself to distinguish when this change occurs. So, you must learn to pay attention to other clues to help keep you properly oriented. * Notice the crowd. See how there are different fans seated at each end of the SPORTTIME Garden. * Look at the team benches. They will appear to be located on different sides of the court for each half of the court (even though they are not). * Pay attention to the arena color. Each half court has its own color strip of "paint" on the wall behind each basket. 46 * Notice your players. See how their orientation changes on screen whenever the half court flips. The court screen displays along the top: 1. Current score of the game (on either side of the game clock) 2. Game clock (above each basket) 3. Shot clock (displayed on the wall on either side of each basket near the baseline of the court) The court screen displays along the bottom: 1. Team names 2. Current score of the game 3. Time remaining in the quarter 4. Current quarter 5. Teams' Effective Power (see next section) 6. Player's names shown by their positions as currently seen on the court (The highlighted player's name is either the player with the ball or the last player to have touched it.) When on offense and in the attacking zone, a teams' two forwards are listed on top, the center is shown in the middle and the two guards are listed on the bottom. As the players run up and down the court, the position of these names on the screen changes to relate to the actual position of the players on the court. When defending their basket, they "switch" sides also, so the left guard or forward is now shown on the right side of the screen, etc., while the center remains the same. The Players The players are only allowed to play in their assigned positions. This means that they all have specific areas on the court in which they roam during the course of a game. For example, when on offense in the opponents zone: The forwards play down low by the baseline (closer to the top of the screen.) The guards are up high between the top of the key and half court (near the bottom of the screen). The center patrols both the high and the low post in and around the key. Try to use the bottom of the Court Screen which displays your player's names, to tell where a specific player is on the court at any moment. Effective Power A teams' Effective Power (E.P.) is simply a measure of how tired each teams' five players are. An E.P. of 100% corresponds to all five players being totally rested. 47 This percentage has nothing to do with whether one team is better than another one. A lousy team and a great team will both have E.P. of 100% before a game starts because their respective players are rested. once a game starts, however, the E.P. will probably decrease at different rates for each team during the course of a game. A teams' Effective Power is totally influenced by the age of their players and how long they have been out on the court. Older players fatigue faster, thereby lowering the E.P. percentage quicker than younger players would. A teams' Effective Power is calculated by looking at the current skills of the 5 players on the court and comparing those skills with what the skills would be if each player was completely rested. You'll notice that if you were to substitute some tired players with some rested players from the bench the E.P. percentage will increase. A good coach will watch this E.P. percentage to help his decision on whether to use a Team Timeout to get some "fresh legs" in the game. Offense When your team is in possession of the ball, you are on offense. At that time, you must decide when your players pass or shoot the ball. Remember that the special properties of Flow Control allow the players to run automatically in their own patterns as dictated by your coaching instructions. It's up to you, to see passing outlets and shooting opportunities whenever they occur during a game and to tell the players to pass or shoot at those precise moments! Passing is also very important for keeping a player out of trouble. To pass the ball: 1. Move and hold your joystick in the direction of the player you wish to receive the pass. (The names displayed at the bottom of the screen can help you find a particular player.) 2. Quickly tap the fire button. 3. The ball will now be sent to the player you chose with the joystick. NOTE: Except for the center, only the diagonal directions of the joystick pick the exact player you want. Moving the joystick in a non-diagonal direction (either up, down, left or right) and tapping the fire button will cause the ball to be passed to the closest player in that direction. The center can be passed to by merely tapping the fire button without moving the joystick in any direction (in other words, the joystick is centered). A quick tap of the fire button means the difference between an attempted pass and a shot (see upcoming section). Any player can pass to any other player at any time so long as that other player is actually shown on the screen. 48 Inbounding the Ball The procedure is identical to passing the ball during play. Following a basket, however, only two players usually remain in the back court to take the ball into the attacking zone. After the ball is inbounded, both players progress up court (toward the bottom of the screen). There is no time limit for inbounding the ball. Since you cannot pass the ball back from the back court to an unseen player in the attacking zone, be careful not to let one player get trapped in the back court without a teammate to whom he can pass the ball! In these situations, a high SPEED skill level can be very important. To shoot the ball: 1. Press and HOLD the fire button down for a moment. The extended length of time that the fire button is depressed signifies that a shot will be attempted. With a little practice you will soon learn the difference between pressing the fire button to pass or to shoot. 2. The player with the ball will attempt a shot when you let go of the fire button. 3. If the fire button is already pressed when a player receives the ball, a shot will be taken instantly. (Be careful when rebounding!) 4. There is no way to cancel a shot once the fire button is pressed, so be sure of your intentions whenever the ball is in your possession. 5. All shots travel toward your opponents' basket no matter the running direction of the shooter, where he is on the court or the joystick direction. Types of Shots When you tell a player to "take a shot", the player will automatically choose between set shots, slam dunks, jump shots, layups and hook shots. Set shots are the selection of most of the players in the game. However, when a player has the ball very close to the basket, he will automatically do a layup or slam dunk the ball when you "tell" him to shoot. It could be an easy jam or a spectacular, running, over-the-head reverse stuff, but whatever the shot, the result is usually two points. Of course, the bad Inside shooter can and will miss the easy slam more often than the better Inside players. Players will take jump shots or hook shots automatically if they are closely guarded by a defender. Jump shots can be swatted away if the defender times his leap correctly, but hook shots are impossible to block. However, the unnatural style of releasing the ball from behind the head decreases the chance of a successful field goal. Occasionally during a slam dunk, the backboard will shatter and shards of glass will rain down on the court. Players with a low Control skill level will break the backboard more often than players with a high Control skill level! 49 This occurs because the Control skill of a player defines not just his ability to "control" the ball but to also "control" himself! This is why a player with a low Control skill level will also foul a lot. If the backboard breaks, a one-shot Technical Foul will be assessed against the team of the player who broke the backboard. What this means is that the basket will not count and the defensive player who was covering the offending player will then shoot the one free throw. Whether his shot goes in or not, his team then receives the ball out of bounds underneath their opponents' basket! Defense When your team does not have possession of the ball, you are playing defense. The players always position themselves to cover their opponents according to the coaching instructions received, but with Flow Control there are some defensive things you can "tell" your players to do to benefit your team. 1. Press the fire button and the player guarding the man with the ball will jump to block a shot. Continue pressing the fire button for continuous jumping, depending on the age of the player. Older players will need a longer "rest" between jumps than the younger players. This is because the veterans have lost the "spring" in their legs that they once had in their youth. So sad... 2. Press the fire button after a shot is taken, and the player who is closest to the ball will jump and try to rebound the loose ball. 3. Press the fire button while a pass is being made, and the player guarding the passer will raise his hands to intercept as will the player guarding the intended receiver of the pass. To double-team the player with the ball: 1. Move the joystick up and hold it in that position. 2. Press and release the fire button. 3. The closest player will run over and help double-team the ball carrier. Pressing the fire button during a double-team causes both players to jump or raise their hands. You can maintain the double-team each time the ball is passed to another player by pressing and releasing the fire button while the joystick is held in the up position. The down side of this strategy is that it always leaves at least one player open who can possibly score quite easily. Sometimes as you repeatedly double team you will actually leave two players temporarily open. Be careful! 50 To remove the double team: 1. Move the joystick down and hold it in that position. 2. Press and release the fire button. 3. The player who had come over to help out returns to his original position. 4. A change of team possession or a shot will also automatically chancel the double team. Fouls Be careful not to defend with too much intensity or a foul will be called. As the following chart illustrates, players are ejected after a certain number of personal fouls depending on the length of the quarters in the game. Minutes per quarter # of Fouls which cause ejection ------------------- ------------------------------- 3 3 6 4 9 5 12 6 Whenever a foul is called, the screen displays the name of the player who committed the foul, how many personal fouls that player now has and who shoots the free throws for the other team (the name of the fouled player). If the foul causes the player to be ejected from the game, an "E" is displayed next to his name. If a team is ever reduced to only five players because of injuries and ejections, those five have to play the remainder of the game. Additional injuries won't occur, but fouls probably will. If a player cannot be ejected from the game: 1. A "T" is displayed next to his name and a one-shot technical foul is assessed to his team in addition to the personal foul against him. 2. Teams are allowed to receive an unlimited number of technical fouls, all of which cause one shot to be awarded to the opposing team from the free throw line. Additional fouls by that player will cause another one-shot technical foul to be assessed along with the personal foul. 3. The player who was fouled then attempts the technical shot and the free throw(s). The technical foul is shot before any free throw(s), yet players on both teams are allowed at this time to assume their rebounding positions on either side of the key. 4. The ball will not be "dead" (no rebound allowed, whether it's made or missed) following the technical foul shot. 5. The free throw(s) are then attempted, and the ball will be "live" and in play if the last free throw shot is missed. 51 6. If the final free throw attempt is good, the ball is then inbounded by the opposing team. The total number of personal fouls that a player has collected beyond the accepted level will not be displayed here but can be seen on the Team Statistics screen at the end of the game. Personal fouls cause either one or two free throws to be awarded to the other team as detailed in the following chart: Type of foul Basket made? : Does it count? # of free throws awarded ------------ ----------------------------- ------------------------ Defensive yes : yes one Defensive no two Offensive yes : no two Offensive no two Free Throws When your player is attempting a free throw: 1. He automatically appears at the free throw line bouncing the ball, and players from both teams are poised on either side of the key to get the rebound. 2. Press and release the fire button and the player stops dribbling the ball, cocks his arm back and releases the ball toward the basket. 3. If the shooter has one more free throw to attempt, no players in the lane can move and the ball will automatically be returned to the free throw shooter at the line for his next attempt. 4. If the final free throw attempt is missed, the game clock starts again and the players scramble to get the rebound. 5. If the final free throw attempt is good, the opposing team will inbound the ball and the game clock will start at that time. The outcome of a free throw depends on the shooter's Inside (I) and Outside (O) skills. The average of these two skills form the player's shooting skill at the free throw line. Players with a low average shooting skill level will miss more free throws than players with a high average shooting skill level! All possible scoring situations have now been covered. You might be interested to know that the most points which can be scored on any single play is five. This will only occur if a player is fouled while making a three oint shot and the defensive player who fouled him can't be ejected from the game because there aren't any substitutes left. Assuming the free throw shooter sinks both free throws (one for the personal foul and one for the technical foul0, he gets credit for a five-point play!!! 52 Overtime Extra periods are just an extension of a regulation quarter, and are treated as such in the game. All stats, records and totals carry over into overtime and back to the League Module after LEAGUE games. The length of each extra period is a function of the length of the quarters in the game as listed in the following chart. Minutes per quarter Minutes per overtime ------------------- -------------------- 3 2 6 3 9 4 12 5 Shot Clock The offensive team must shoot the ball before the shot clock reaches zero (00) in order for a basket to count. If the ball has not been shot by then, the referee will call a Shot Clock Violation. When this happens (even if a shot is then taken and the ball goes through the hoop), the basket will not count and the opposing team inbounds the ball as in a normal change of possession. The ball must hit either the backboard or the rim in order to reset the shot clock to its original length. If a shot is taken and it fails to strike either of these objects (an air ball), the shot clock continues to count down as long as the same team maintains possession of the ball. Should the defensive team rebound an air ball, the shot clock resets because of the change of possession. Whenever there are fewer seconds left on the game clock than on the shot clock and a team gains possession of the ball to start a play, the shot clock will automatically turn itself off as it is irrelevant in that situation. This will occur at some point in the final minute of every quarter of every game. If the ball is knocked out of bounds with less than five (5) seconds on the shot clock and the offensive team retains possession, the shot clock will be reset to five (5) seconds to give the team a chance to score. Blocked shots do not affect the shot clock. Pay attention to both the shot clock and game during the game. As long as the ball is shot before either clock reaches zero, the basket counts unless there's an offensive foul on the play. Game Clock Following a successful scoring attempt, no more than five seconds will run off the game clock between the scoring of the basket and the subsequent inbounding of the ball. However, if a basket occurs in the final minute of a quarter, the game clock will stop as soon as the ball goes through the net. 53 Back Court Violation It is illegal to pass the ball from your half of the court (the side you are shooting at) to a teammate on the opponents' side of the court (the side you are defending). Known as a Back Court Violation, this will probably occur very infrequently during the course of a game. But the penalty is that the opposing team receives the ball out of bounds. The Start of a Quarter The team shown on the bottom right side of the screen (Team 2) inbounds the ball to start the 1st and 4th quarters, and the team shown on the left (Team 1) inbounds the ball to start the 2nd and 3rd quarters. In case of an overtime game, the teams alternate inbounding the ball each extra period beginning with Team 2. Game Stats At the conclusion of all games, this screen will appear with the final score and selected stats for both teams' players (shown in their team colors). Players are listed vertically on the left with the following stats extended to their right: "MN" - Minutes Played: the total number of minutes this player played in the just-concluded game. "FGA" - Field Goals Attempted: the number of two- and three-point field goals shot. "FGM" - Field Goals Made: the number of two- and three-point field goals made. "FG%" - Field Goal Percentage: the rate at which all of the two- and three-point field goals actually scored. "FTA" - Free Throws Attempted: the number of free throws taken. "FTM" - Free Throws Made: the number of free throws made. "FT%" - Free Throw Percentage: the rate at which all of the free throw shots actually scored. "PT" - Points: the total number of points scored by this player. 54 "RB" - Rebounds: the total number of missed shots that were grabbed by this player. "F" - Personal Fouls: the number of personal fouls that the player committed. "ST" - Steals: the number of times the player stole the ball either off of the dribble or by intercepting a pass. "BL" - Blocked Shots: the number of times the player rejected a shot. 1. Each team can alternately be viewed by moving the joystick up and down. Some computers may also require you to move the joystick left and right to view all of these categories. With these stats, though, direct comparison of players' performances from both teams is therefore possible. Study this screen carefully as it displays the only statistics on each game played, and once you exit the screen the game statistics are gone forever. NOTE: Depending on your computer, the Print Utility Module (available separately) will allow you to print out on paper a hard copy of these stats. 2. After a short delay, the League module will begin to load. 3. To Exit this screen and return to the League Module sooner, press the fire button. 4. To prevent the League Module from loading, alternate between each team's stats by moving the joystick about once every minute. In this way, you let the computer know that you are still studying the game's results. 55 Summary of Keyboard Commands SBA and ENDVIEW Modules 1. While the SBA Main Menu is displayed, to save the current data: - COMMODORE 64/128 ONLY: Press the "S" key. - AMIGA ONLY: Press the "ALT" and "S" keys simultaneously. 2. During a "Nick and Bob" Show: - Press the F2 function key to speed up their dialogue. - Press the F4 function key to slow down their dialogue. - Press the F8 function key to abort the Show and view the game. 3. During the game: - Press the F2 function key to speed up the Coaching selections. - Press the F4 function key to slow down the Coaching selections. - Press the F6 function key to pause the game (only when ball is "live"). - Press the F8 function key to access the Coaching Control Box (not while Coaching Screen is displayed). NOTE: The even numbered function keys on the Commodore 64/128 are accessed by holding the "SHIFT" key down while pressing the odd numbered function keys! - AMIGA ONLY: Press the F10 function key to turn on or off the "hisssss" sound made when the ball is passed. 56 Amiga Reference Card WHAT YOU NEED * An Amiga with at least 512K of memory * Kickstart version 1.2 or higher * Single disk drive * Color monitor or T.V. * One or two joysticks DO'S AND DON'T'S * Do write-protect and make a copy of each disk. Put the original disks in a safe place. Use the copies when playing the game. * Do remove "copy of" from the disk name by using the "RENAME" menu selection if you use the "Workbench" 'DUPLICATE' function. * Don't write-protect the disks used for playing the game. * Don't remove a disk from the drive while the drive is busy. GETTING STARTED 1. Plug a joystick into port 2 of your computer (Joystick 1). For two-player games, plug a second joystick into port 1 (Joystick 2). 2. If your Amiga only has 512K of memory, you must disconnect all external floppy disk drives, then turn on your monitor or TV and your computer. 3. Insert Kickstart disk if needed. 4. Load the game using a method listed below. 5. When the SPORTTIME User Verification Sequence appears refer to the Instruction Manual. WAYS TO START OMNI-PLAY BASKETBALL USING THE FLOPPY DISK #1. Booting the Game Up Directly: a. Insert the OMNI-PLAY System disk into the internal drive at the Workbench prompt. #2. Running from Workbench: a. Boot up with a Workbench disk (version 1.2 or later). b. Insert the OMNI-PLAY System disk into any disk drive. c. Double click on the disk icon. When the window opens, d. Double click on the Player icon. #3. Running From CLI: a. Insert the OMNI-PLAY System disk into a disk drive. b. Type cd "OMNI-PLAY Basketball;" and press RETURN key. c. Type "OMNI-PLAY BASKETBALL" and press the RETURN key again. USING THE HARD DRIVE See the following section in this Reference Card for instructions on how to install OMNI-PLAY BASKETBALL onto your hard drive. #4. Running From Workbench: a. Boot up with a Workbench disk (version 1.2 or later). b. Double click on the drawer which contains the OMNI-PLAY BASKETBALL game. c. Double click on the Player icon. #5. Running From CLI: a. Change the current directory to the one containing the OMNI-PLAY BASKETBALL game. b. Type "OMNI-PLAY BASKETBALL" and press the RETURN key. HARD DRIVE INSTALLATION 1. When installing the OMNI-PLAY System and Modules, place them in a new directory. It is assumed that the first partition of the hard drive is called DH0:. If not, then you will have to assign DH0: to the first partition. For example, if the first partition is called PART 1:, add the line Assign DH0: PART 1: to the end of the startup sequence. 2. Select the SBA/END-VIEW Option Button from the O.M.N.I. Screen and then press the INSTALL Action Button. 3. You are then allowed to select "NO" to skip the hard drive installation, or "YES" to proceed. 4. Press the RETURN key if the displayed path name in the box is okay. If not, type in a complete path name and then press the RETURN key. Press the ESCAPE key to abort. 5. One last time you are allowed to select "NO" to abort the installation or to select "YES" to begin the installation. 6. Installation will take a few moments. To then run the game from the hard drive, exit the O.M.N.I. Screen, remove disks, close the window and restart the game from the hard drive. REMOVING FROM THE HARD DRIVE 1. From Workbench (O.M.N.I. Screen/SBA League): a. Click on O.M.N.I. Screen/SBA League drawer. b. Select 'DISCARD' from the "Workbench" pull-down menu. 2. From Workbench (future Modules): a. Open the O.M.N.I. Screen/SBA League drawer. b. Click on the drawer from the Module to delete. c. Select 'DISCARD' from the "Workbench" pull-down menu. 3. From CLI (O.M.N.I. Screen/SBA League): a. Change directory to the parent of the O.M.N.I. Screen/SBA League directory. b. Delete the O.M.N.I. Screen/SBA League directory. c. For example, if the O.M.N.I. Screen is located in "dh0:OMNI-PLAY BASKETBALL" 1. Type cd dh0: and press the RETURN key. 2. Type delete "OMNI-PLAY BASKETBALL" all and press the RETURN key. Note: Deleting the O.M.N.I. Screen/SBA League (items 1 and 3 above) automatically deletes all Modules from the hard drive. 4. From CLI (future Modules): a. Change to the O.M.N.I. Screen/SBA League directory. b. Delete the Module. c. For example, if the O.M.N.I. Screen is located in "dh0:OMNI-PLAY BASKETBALL" and you want to delete the END-VIEW game: 1. Type cd "dh0:OMNI-PLAY BASKETBALL" and press the RETURN key. 2. Type delete end_basketball all and press the RETURN key. THE RESET THE LEAGUE OPTION NOTE: The following only applies to the "LOAD", "SAVE" and "DELETE" options, which all require the use of a File Requester Screen. The File Requester Screen is composed of seven main items: 1. The Heading: At the top of the screen which displays the current option. 2. The File Box: Near the top of the screen and displays the names of all the drawers first and then the names of the files which correspond to the current League. To scroll through all of the information contained inside the file box, use the joystick to move the on-screen arrow over either of the arrows on the side of the file box and select by pressing the fire button. 3. The Drawer Name: Below the file box is where you will find the name of the current drawer. The volume which contains that drawer is displayed before the drawer name. The name of the drawer changes whenever a new one is selected from the file box or another drawer name is typed in. Selecting the Drawer Name allows you to edit either the volume or the drawer name. Selecting it once again or pressing the RETURN key enters the new information. 4. The File Name: Below the drawer name is the area where the name of the current file is displayed. The name of the file changes when ever a new one is selected from the file box or another file name is typed in. Selecting the File Name allows you to edit the file name. Selecting it once again or pressing the RETURN key enters the new information. 5. The Volumes: This is the location where the information will be saved to or loaded from. One internal floppy drive (DF0), two external floppy drives (DF1 and DF2) and three hard drive partitions (DH0, DH1, and DH2) are shown. If selected, the volume name will appear in front of the drawer name. If you type in the volume, you must add a colon (:) at the end of the volume name. 6. The Action Words: Either "LOAD", "SAVE" or "DELETE". When "CANCEL" is selected you return to the RESET THE LEAGUE screen. How to LOAD, SAVE or DELETE 1. From the RESET THE LEAGUE screen, move the joystick until the desired Action Word highlights. 2. Press and release the fire button, and the File Requester screen will appear. Provide a volume, a drawer and a file name in any order in either one of two ways: a. Position the on-screen arrow over the desired name in the File Box and select it by pressing the fire button. That name will then appear in its respective location, or: b. Position the on-screen arrow over the area where the name will appear and select it by pressing the fire button. Type in the desired name and press either the fire button or the RETURN key. Then select the desired action word. c. To select an action word, move the joystick to position the on-screen arrow over the action word and select it by pressing the fire button. After a few moments the Main Menu will appear with your request complete.