Abandonware DOS title

Hardball! manual

Hardball!

By Accolade for the Commodore 64/128
Designed by Bob Whitehead
Graphic artist: Mimi Doggett
Music: Ed Bogas

Batter up! Welcome to the most realistic baseball game ever designed.
Step up to the plate and try to knock that ball out of the park.  You
can choose to bunt, steel a base, and control base running.  When your
team is in the field, you can control the type and location of pitch
as well as the fielders.

To start the game:
1. For a two-player game, connect your joystick to port 1 for the red
team and port 2 for the blue team.  For a one-player game, connect
your joystick to either port.

2. Turn on your Commodore 64, disk drive and monitor.

3. After the red "busy" light on the disk drive goes off, insert the
"Hardball" disk into the disk drive with the label side up and close
the disk drive door.

4. Type: Load"*",8,1 and press RETURN

To restart game:
To restart the game, press RESTORE

Select game options:  Once the game is loaded, you may use either
joystick to select a variety of game option combinations such as
Home/Visitor, which team (if any) the computer will play (for a
one-player game), and whether you want a designated hitter (-DH). For
example, a two player game would be selected on lines 1, 2, 7 or 8,
depending on who wants to be Home team and whether or not to have a
designated hitter. The following sample screen shows the 12 possible
choices:

____________________________________________________
| ALL-STARS (RED)              CHAMPS (BLUE)        |
|             Joystick #1              Joystick #2  |
| Visitor                  1   Home                 |
| Home                     2   Visitor              |
| Visitor                  3   Home   - computer    |
| Home                     4   Visitor- computer    |
| Visitor- computer        5   Home                 |
| Home   - computer        6   Visitor              |
| Visitor            -DH   7   Home              -DH|
| Home               -DH   8   Visitor           -DH|
| Visitor            -DH   9   Home   - computer -DH|
| Home               -DH  10   Visitor- computer -DH|
| Visitor            -DH  11   Home              -DH|
| Home               -DH  12   Visitor           -DH|
|___________________________________________________|

Only one line will be displayed at a time (statring with line 1).
Move the joystick down or up to view other possible options.  When the
choice you want to make is displayed, press the fire button to start
the game.

Manager's decision screen:
The four screens displayed during hardball are: The Manager's Decision
Screen, the Pitcher/Batter Screen, Left Field View, and Right Field
View.

The game begins with the managers Decision Screen. It will also appear
if a player presses the space bar on the leyboard at any time during
the pitcher.  In this Manager's Screen, pressing the space bar will
"Play Ball" (starting the game action or continuing where you left
off). This screen will display a selected line-up for both teams.
"[{check mark}]" will indicate who is at bat and there will also be an
indication of who is on which base (1b, 2b, or 3b), how they bat
(Right, Left or Switch), the position they play and their battling
average.

Below each team's rsoter will be a menu of management decision options
which each player may select by moving the cursor to that line and
pressing the fire button. In the case of "substitution" or "exchange
positions," additional screen prompts will be displayed at the bottom
(to be explained later).

For the other options, the parameters (indicated here by parenthesis)
will be cycled through and displayed one at a time by depressing the
fire button when that line is selected (highlighted). The current
parameter being displayed is automatically the one selected and
remains in force until changed. The option lists are as follows:

For the team in field (defense) - 5 choices:
*Player Substitution
*Exchange Positions                               __
*Outfield (Normal, Shift right, or Shift left)      |
*Infield (Normal or Double Play)                    |--- Parameter Options
*(NO) Intentional Walk                            __|

For the team at bat (offense) - 2 choices:
*Player Substitutions
*Exchange Positions

If either player selects "Substitution" or "Exchange Positions," the
lower portion of the Manager's Decision Screen will change to the
appropriate team color.  In these modes, press the space bar in the
middle of an activity to cancel and return to the game.

Substitution:
A line will be displayed to slect "Substitute (from bench) with (on
roster)" at which time the underlined entry can be selected by moving
the joystick right or left (selecting a player) and pressing the fire
button.  When the bench entry is specified, you can scroll the list of
players on the bench up or down within a 3-line window at the bottom
of the screen by using the joystick.  Then slect the desired player to
come onto the field by pressing the fire buttoon.  When the roster
entry is selected, the cursor can be moved up or down the roster list
with the joystick, then press the fire button to select the player to
come off the field. Note:  Once a player is substituted out (after the
first pitch), he can't return to the field and doesn't go to the bench
list. The new player coming onto the field will replace him at his
current position.

Exchange Positions:
Choose the entry to be filled first in a manner similiar to that
defined above for "substitution" ont he line "exchange_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ position with _ _ _ _ _ _ _ position".  This will allow vertical
scrolling of cursor through the roster  positions and will show each
corresponding player's full performance statistics at the bottom of
the screen.  Press fire button to select position to be exchanged. If
you select a player for a position for which he is not suited, then an
appropriate message (i.e., "player out of position") will be displayed
later. There will also be a likelihood of an error in play or pooor
pitching.

Remeber, press space bar to start (or continue) play of the game.

Scouting Tips from Bob Whithead

Say hwy! Well, I don't know about you but I'll never get the chance to
play and manage on a big league baseball team, probably the same goes
for you.  Real baseball that is, like you at the ballpark or on
network TV. So I used Hardball to fulfill some of my fantasies and I
hope you enjoy doing the same. And, like any good manager, you need to
develop a good scouting report. So I thought I would give you a
partial scouting report on some of the pitchers to give you a head
start.

All-Stars
Frisina - Throws a lot of junk
Peers - Control Pitcher
Atkins - Nothing but heat
Estrada - Ace reliever

Champs
Euler - Good Screwball
James - Watch for the fastball
Morlini - Bullpen veteran
Tompkins - Smoke

God Bless,

Bob Whitehead

Accolade Entertainment Software
___________________________

Bob Whitehead's past titles:

Starship, Football, Stampede, Blackjack, Video Chess, Chopper Command,
Casino, Boxing, Sky Jinks, Home Run, Skiing, Private Eye

___________________________

Starship, Blackjack, Home Run, Football and Video Chess are trademaks
of Atari, Inc.

Boxing, Skiing, Stampede, Chopper Command, Sky Jinks and Private Eye
are trademarks of Activision, Inc.

Commodore is a trademark of Commodore Electronics, Ltd.