[Image]Super_Action_Baseball[Image] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ColecoVision Cartridge Instructions for Super Action Baseball by Coleco ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For Use With ColecoVision or the ADAM Family Computer System! Use your SUPER ACTION CONTROLLERS for this game. Get ready for the thrill of major league baseball. Your SUPER ACTION CONTROLLERS put the game right at your fingertips. Up at bat, you can hit anything from a grounder to a homer. Your pitcher throws fast balls, curves, sliders--everything short of ye olde spitball! Fielders snag the ball, throw to first or tag the man out. You can even make double plays! You do it all in SUPER ACTION BASEBALL! GETTING READY TO PLAY MAKE SURE THE COLECOVISION CONSOLE IS OFF BEFORE INSERTING OR REMOVING A CARTRIDGE. PLAY BALL! Choose your challenge. Press the Reset Button. The Title Screen appears on your TV. Wait for the Game Option Screen to appear. It contains a list of game options, numbered 1-6: SPRING TRAINING 1. Batting Practice--One Player Bat against every type of pitch. Knock that ball into the field, then prepare for the next pitch. If you hit the ball, as soon as it stops another pitch is thrown. If you don't hit the ball, another pitch is thrown as soon as the ball leaves the screen. (Batting Practice plays at Skill Level 2.) 2. Fielding--Skill 1 The computer sends random fair balls to the field for practice when you press any number key. Learn to stop grounders and catch fly balls. Practice double plays. There are no base runners to confuse your game. Get it down! 3. Fielding --Skill 2 The same as Skill 1, only you must position your fielders more precisely to make them grab the ball. If an infielder touches a moving ball without catching it, the ball can bounce away. 4. Pitch and Bat--Two Players One player pitches, the other hits. There's no fielding, base running or score. It's exhibition practice before the season begins! HEAD-TO-HEAD BASEBALL 5. Skill 1 Here it is--two-player competition in our national pastime! 6. Skill 2 The same as Skill 1, only you must position your fielders more precisely to make them grab the ball. If an infielder touches a moving ball without catching it, the ball can bounce away. Select your game option by pressing the corresponding number button on either controller keypad. When playing Game Options 1 through 4, you can return to the Game Option Screen any time by pressing "Return" (Key #). When playing HEAD-TO-HEAD Game Option 5 or 6, press the Reset button instead. One-Player Games Use the Port 1 controller. Two-Player Games Player 1 (home team -- Red) uses the Port 1 controller. Player 2 (visitor--Blue) uses the Port 2 controller. Player 2 bats first. USING YOUR CONTROLS Control Stick: Use your Control Stick to modify a pitch. move fielders or swing the bat. Keypad: Use Keypad Buttons to select pitch speed, to permit base runners to steal, to throw a pick-off, or to return the ball to the pitcher. Speed Roller: Move your base runner forward by rolling the Speed Roller to the right. Move your base runner back by rolling the Speed Roller to the left. Action Buttons: Defense--(Team in the field) As pitcher, you choose the type of pitch with the Action Buttons. Use the color- coded Pitch Selection area on the left side of the overlay. The color of the pitch type on the overlay corresponds to the color of the Action Button. Once the ball is hit, select the player you want to field that ball. For details, see the appropriate section following. Offense--(Team at bat) When your team is at bat and you have men on base, you use the Action Buttons to select which base runners are to run. OFFENSE (Team At Bat) BATTING Step up to the plate! Rub your fingers in the dirt and grab that bat. Ready? This pitcher's got some stuff. Now you've got to hit it! Your Control Stick controls the bat. Swing for low pitches by pressing the stick down (toward you). Swing for high pitches by pressing the stick up (away from you). Press the Control Stick left or right for those pitches thrown right at your belt buckle. Watch for curves and sliders. Don't swing for the stars. And whatever you do, hit that ball! (For Batting Tips, see page 12.) Run! Make your batter run by rolling the Speed Roller. If you want the batter to run beyond first, press the blue Action Button as you roll the Speed Roller. Release the button when you want him to stop. Batter Up! The play is over when all runners have scored or are standing on their bases, and the ball is back in the pitcher's glove. Throw the ball back to the pitcher by pressing "RETURN" (Key #) on the keypad. Next hit. If you want your batter and/or your man on base to run, you must press the appropriate Action Button(s). Check the color-coded player locations on the Fielder & Runner Control panel on the right side of the overlay. The colors on the panel correspond to the colors of the Action Buttons: Yellow........Runner starting on First Base Orange........Runner starting on Second Base Purple........Runner starting on Third Base Blue .........Batter The ball is caught. If your runner is away from the base when a line drive or fly ball is caught, the runner must return to the base (tag up) before running on. Press his Action Button and roll the Speed Roller to the left to tag him up. Then take stock: are the infielders waiting for your move? Maybe hold off running until the next hit. No Passing. Caution! No runner can pass another on base or on the base-path. Your first man must run forward before other runners can follow. And remember, it's good baseball to keep your runners a safe distance apart. No foul ups! Steal a base. Want to get ahead before the ball is hit? Press "STEAL" (Key 7). All your runners move a short distance from their bases. Press the Action Button of the base runner(s) you want to keep going and roll the Speed Roller. If the runner leaves the Base View inset, he cannot return until he appears in full field view. Watch for the pick-off! Be careful when you press "STEAL." All your runners will have a lead in the full field view even if you don't spin the Speed Roller. You'll have to move quickly if there's a pick-off attempt. DEFENSE (Team In The Field) PITCHING You control the type, speed and aim of every pitch. First, press a Keypad Button to set the speed of the pitch (see overlay). Then start the windup and select the pitch type by pressing an Action Button (see overlay). Press the Control Stick as the pitcher releases the ball to aim the ball high or low, left or right. Here's how you do it: Pitch Speed: Select the pitch speed by pressing one of the following Keypad Buttons (see overlay): Key 1.................Slow pitch Key 2 ................Medium-slow pitch Key 3.................Medium-fast pitch Key 4.................Fast pitch Pitch Type: Select the pitch type and start the windup by pressing one of the Action Buttons (see overlay): Yellow.............straight pitch Orange ............curve inside Purple.............curve down and outside Blue ..............knuckle ball Aim: As the pitcher winds up, you press the Control Stick to adjust the aim of the pitch. Pressing the Control Stick in any direction: Early ......................ball tends to go high Late .......................ball tends to go low Pressing the Control Stick: Left........................ball tends to go inside Right.......................ball tends to go outside Combine these two actions for accurate results. For example, press the Control Stick early and left to make the ball tend to go high and inside. All good pitchers want to keep the ball low, and now you know how to do it! But remember--once the pitcher releases the ball, pressing the Control Stick has no effect on the pitch. Size up your batter. You can tell after the first couple of pitches what your opponent swings at and what he lets by. Does the batter wait to see what you're going to pitch? Does he take the first pitch that comes along? Pitch him easy if he's not going to swing, then throw him a curve. If he swings at anything, throw him anything. But press your Keypad Buttons out of sight, so he can't see what you're selecting! Be a manager--use your eagle eye and savvy to outwit your opponents. (For Pitching Tips, see page 12.) FIELDING Your fielders can catch, throw or run with the ball! Here's how you do it: Infield: When a ball is hit to the infield, move the infielder you want by pressing the Control Stick and the fielder's Action Button (see overlay): Yellow ...................First Base Orange....................Second Base Orange & Purple ..........Shortstop Purple ...................Third Base Blue......................Catcher Be careful in Skill 2--the ball can bounce off the fielder if he doesn't grab it. Once the fielder has the ball, you don't need to press his Action Button to make him run. Just press the Control Stick in the direction you want him to go! One thing to remember--the pitcher can't tag anyone out. Throw that ball. Release the Control Stick and press a base Action Button. Your baseman will meet the ball at the bag. If the second baseman fields the ball, the shortstop will cover second when you throw. Don't worry about his ability. Your players throw perfectly every time! Outfield: When a hit clears the infield, the outfielders become the active, controlled players. Move the outfielder you want by pressing the Control Stick and the outfielder's Action Button (see overlay): Yellow ...Right Field Orange ...Center Field Purple ...Left Field Home! Once the fielder has the ball, you don't need to press his Action Button. To make him run, press the Control Stick in the direction you want him to go. To throw the ball to the infield, release the Control Stick and press the base Action Button. Remember--your fielder throws to a base, not to a man. When the play is over, press "RETURN" (Key #). The ball automatically returns to the pitcher. It ain't over till it's over! The score's tied at the bottom of the ninth. Your last man is up. He strikes out. The game's not over yet! HEAD-TO-HEAD BASEBALL lasts for as many innings as it takes to establish a winner. However, if the home team is winning after the visitor's third out in the ninth inning, the game stops and home wins. TRAINING Unhappy with your performance? Try some training. Just for starters, hit one of the Fielding Game Options and play a few rounds. That's the best way to get your players used to picking up the ball and throwing to any base. That's important, because you don't always want to throw to first in a game. Your out should be the lead base runner, because he'll try to score first. Double Plays There aren't any base runners in field training, but you can still practice throwing to second and then to first as fast as you can. Speed and accuracy are the keys to any successful double play. How quickly can you pick up that ball? How soon can the second baseman heave it to first? Work, work, work! It'll pay off in the game. Pick off. If a runner leaves his base inset during the lead off, you stand a good chance of picking him off. Press "PICK-OFF" (Key 9). If the windup has not started, the view changes to full field, and your pitcher throws to the base you select. If the windup has started, the pitch is thrown, then the catcher makes the pick-off play. The pitcher cannot balk! Scoring. Runners who cross home plate score one run. But if the ball is caught, and the runner on third didn't tag up, his run will not count. If the ball is thrown to third before the runner tags up, he is out. And, if the third out is made on a force play, runs do not score, just as in professional baseball. Reset. The Reset Button on the console stops the game and returns you to the Title Screen. It can be used to start a new game at any time, and can also be used in the event of game malfunction. BATTING TIPS You start your swing when you press the Control Stick. The direction you press the Control Stick is the direction you'll swing your bat. In games played at Skill 1, it's pretty easy to connect with the ball In games played at Skill 2, watch the following: 1. Hit the ball right on and it will fly straight out. (You might even get a homer!) 2. Swing under the ball and it will tend to go higher 3. Swing over the ball and it will tend to be a grounder 4. Hit the ball inside and it will tend to go right. 5. Hit the ball outside and it will tend to go left. 6. Hit the ball early and it will tend to go left. 7. Hit the ball late and it will tend to go right PITCHING TIPS The only way to pitch your best is to practice! Try timing your release of the ball by pressing the Control Stick in the middle of your windup. Then release the ball earlier or later and watch how the ball goes higher or lower across the plate. Experiment with each type of pitch. See what happens when you bring the pitch inside or outside--especially on those tricky curve balls! It's possible to throw into the strike zone with every type of pitch. Practice with the Control Stick to perfect your aim. Try some of the following: 1. Mix the types and speeds of pitches you throw. Don't fall into the same pattern pitch after pitch. (But see tips 3 and 4 below.) 2. Don't always throw strikes. Keep the batter guessing. If he's expecting a ball, throw a strike. Likewise, if he's looking toward the strike zone, throw a ball. 3. Adjust your pitches to the batter Some batters will fall for the same type of pitch each time. 4. If you want to throw the same type of pitch twice in a row, vary the second pitch by changing its speed or throwing in a different direction. 5. Adjust your pitch to the count. If the batter's count is 3 balls and no strikes, pitch to the strike zone. 6. If the batter is outguessing you, try a knuckle ball. But be careful--knuckle balls often miss the strike zone. Supplement to SUPER ACTION BASEBALL Instruction Guide (page 2) 2. Fielding--Skill 1 The computer sends random fair balls to the field for practice when you press any number key. Repeated presses give you repeated fair balls. Learn to stop grounders and catch fly balls. Practice double plays. There are no base runners to confuse your game. Get it down! (page 3) NOTE: If the horizontal and vertical adjustments on your TV are not properly set, the ball might disappear in an upper corner of the screen. The outfielder can still retrieve the ball, however, to complete a play. (page 6) The ball is caught. If your runner is away from the base when a line drive or fly ball is caught, the runner must return to the base (tag up) before running on. Press his Action Button and roll the Speed Roller to the left to tag him up. Then take stock: are the infielders waiting for your move? Maybe hold off running until the next hit. Take heed: if your runner reaches or passes the next base, he cannot return to his original base. If a fly is hit, protect your runner by holding up before reaching the next base to see if the fly is caught. For a runner from third to score when a fly ball is hit, he must cross home after the ball lands without being caught, or after tagging up at third if the ball is caught. No Passing. Caution! No runner can pass another on base or on the base-path. Your first man must run forward before other runners can follow. Keep your men a safe distance apart. On first and third, runners can block each other if they get too close when right next to the base. If this occurs, move your last man back a bit. Then move both men forward again. (page 7) You control the type, speed and aim of every pitch. First, press a Keypad Button to set the speed of the pitch (see overlay). Then start the windup and select the pitch type by pressing an Action Button (see overlay). Press the Control Stick as the pitcher winds up to aim the ball high or low, left or right. Here's how you do it: --------------------------------------------------------------------------- This document obtained from the History of Home Video Games Homepage, ©1997 by Greg Chance