This manual is brought to you by the Playstation Manuals Online - Greg Stanton http://www.seanet.com/~greg ***************************************** MLB '99 Manual Table of Contents PLAYSTATION SETUP 2 CONTROLLER DIAGRAM 3 MEMORY CARD/SAVING DATA 3 SPRING TRAINING 4 GAME CONTROLS 4 SETTING UP THE GAME 7 Select Game 7 Exhibition 7 User Records 8 Options 10 Season 12 Playoffs 14 Draft 16 Spring Training 17 Create Player 17 Homerun Derby 18 Rosters 19 Trade Players 19 Create Players 19 Free Agents 19 Player Cards 20 Reset Rosters 20 Memory Card 20 PLAYING THE GAME 21 Pause Menu 21 Defense 21 Offense 22 MLB '99 CREDITS 23 1 PlayStation Setup Set up your PlayStation game console according to the instructions in its Instruction Manual. Make sure the power is oft before inserting or removing a compact disc. Insert the MLB gg disc and close the CD door. Insert game controllers and turn on the PlayStationTM game console. Follow on-screen instructions to start a game. 2 Controller Diagram Memory Card/Saving Data To save your progress, you must insert your Memory Card before you start a Season, Playoff r change a Roster, or Create a Player. MLB '99 saves user-defined options and all data for a Season, Playoff, Roster Change, or Created Player. Four blocks of memo- ry must be available on your Memory Card in order to save any MLB '99 data. Only one file can be saved at a time. If you don't have a Memory Card, all MLB '99 data will be lost after turning off your Sony PlayStationTM game console. 3 Spring Training MLB '99 introduces Spring Training; a 2 or 6 game spring training season designed to add player development challenges to a season, Spring Training offers the opportunity for you to create a minor leaguer, add him to a team roster, and compete towards earn- ing a position on a Major League team for the start of the regular season. During each spring training game, your player can earn ability points which will determine his strengths. Status points will be allocated based on your minor leaguer's game perfor- mance in two categories: hitting and defense. It takes 50 status points to make it to "The Show", To keep track of your player's status, view the status bar at the buttom of the Status screen. Once your player reaches Major League on the status bar, spring train- ing will end and you may begin a regular season, During the course of a season, accu- mulate enough ability points to earn a spot on the All-Star team. Remember that even if your player is fortunate enough to make it to the majors, he must continue to perform at a Major League or All-Star level to keep his roster spot, If at any time during the season your player loses his major league status, he will be sent back down to the minors and your season will end, To create a minor leaguer and begin your quest for the "bigs", see Spring Training on page 17 for more details. Game Controls BATTING Swing X Hit for Average/Hit for Power SQUARE Bunt CIRCLE + D-Pad Move Batter in Box R2 + D-Pad Open/Closed Stance R2 + L1/L2 Pause Start Button Veteran and All Star Levels Center Bat Cursor Select Button Move Bat Cursor D-Pad 4 Total Control BattingTM (Veteran and All Star levels of Simulation mode) Before the ball is pitched: * Press L2 + D-Pad to guess a pitch location, * Press L2 + pitch icon button to guess a pitch type. If you guess the pitch location, a flashing yellow and red Lock-on indicator will appear, giving you a better chance at making pure contact with the ball, * Use the D-Pad to direct the ball when you swing. Note: When L2 is held, the batter and pitcher are unable to perform, Pitch Type Correct guess - Bigger batting cursor Incorrect guess - Smaller batting cursor Pitch Location Correct guess - Yellow Lock-on indicator appears Incorrect guess - Smaller batting cursor Type + Location Correct guess - Lock-on indicator appears ± extra power Incorrect guess - Smallest batting cursor Pitch History Box Before a pitch is thrown, press and hold L2 to display the pitch locations, number of pitches, and pitch types previously thrown to the batter. Until the first pitch is thrown in a new at-bat, the Pitch History Box will display the pitches thrown during the last at-bat. BASE RUNNING Hit & Run/Steal lead runner TRIANGLE Steal Specific Runner TRIANGLE + D-Pad Lead Off (Forward) L1 Lead Off (Back to Base) R1 Return All CIRCLE Return Specific Runner X + D-Pad Advance All SQUARE Speed Burst R1 Stop Runners R2 Head First Manual Slide L1 Feet First Manual Slide L2 5 FIELDING Move Fielder D-Pad Throw to 2nd/Jump TRIANGLE Throw to 1st/Speed Burst (without ball) CIRCLE Throw Home/Dive X Throw to 3rd/Change Fielder (without ball) SQUARE Special Throws & Catches Press and hold L2 Throw from Knees/Dive catch In the dive, press base button Rob a Home Run When near the wall, press TRIANGLE Throw to a Cut-Off Man/Cut-Off Man in a pickle R1 Note: When fielding in the pitcher's perspective TRIANGLE is home, SQUARE is 1st base etc. Total Control Fielding (All game modes) Press and hold L2 when a hit ball approaches a fielder. Total Control Fielding will auto- matically cause your fielder to make a special catch (e.g., bare-handed grab) and throw the ball to the appropriate base. HINT: Continually press and hold L2 while on defense to improve fielding. PITCHING (Simulation mode) Select Pitch Type/Pitch in pitcher's perspective TRIANGLE Select Pitch Type/Pitch in default view X Select Pitch Type CIRCLE, SQUARE Adjust Pitch Location D-Pad Adjust View Select Button HINT: Hold the pitch button longer for more pitch speed. Be aware that this will use up more of a pitcher's energy and stamina. Pick Off After selecting a pitch pick off base runners using the following controls: Pick Off to 1st, 2nd, 3rd CIRCLE, TRIANGLE, SQUARE Adjust Infielders, Ouffielders R1, R2 6 Setting Up The Game SELECT GAME Use this menu option to choose a game format, EXHIBITION Use Exhibition games to compete in a 1 or 2-player game. Prepare yourself for a lengthy regular season the intense pressure of competing in the playoffs, or to set up an All-Star game. Exhibition games are not recorded in the season standings and can- not be saved to the Memory Card. * Highlight Exhibition Game and press X to bring up the Team Select screen. Note: Before starting a game, go to the Rosters and Options menus to make changes to your setup and game options. For a one-player game, leave one controller image in the center of the screen. The computer's team will automatically play at the same level as your team. Team Select Screen Use this screen to select a team and the player level for competition. To have the computer choose two teams at random, press CIRCLE * D-Pad Left/Right to choose Home or Away. * D-Pad Up/Down to choose a Home or Away team. * Highlight a team selection and press SQUARE to view the team stats. * Press X to continue. * D-Pad Left/Right to assign a controller to a team. * D-Pad Up/Down to select a difficulty level. * Press SQUARE to cycle through available user names and assign a user to each team 7 User Records User Records are a unique way to keep track of player stats tabulated during exhibi- tion games. By selecting a team and tagging one of your user names to it, your game skill will be determined by the outcome of each players stats. Your user name will be shown next to each player on the list from your team, You can save your user records to the Memory Card. See Memory Card/Saving Data on page 3 for more details. Create Users Create up to eight users to compete in exhibition games. * D-pad Up/Down to select a user number. * Press X to edit a name. * D-Pad Left/Right to highlight a letter. * D-Pad Up/Down to select a letter. * Press TRIANGLE when you are done creating users. * Press TRIANGLE again to exit the screen. Player After each game, view player stats to see if your user appears as a statistical leader. * D-Pad Left/Right to view each category. User vs. User Play in a two-player game with both teams tagged with different users and com- pare their game statistics after each competition. * D-Pad Left/Right to compare user records. Pregame From Pregame, use the following menu options to customize your game setup. Play Game Selecting this option will start the game. 8 Select Stadium Choose any ballpark from around the league. * D-Pad Left/Right to choose a division. * D-Pad Up/Down to highlight a team's ballpark. * Press X to select a stadium Note: This option is not available for Season games. Stadiums for Season games are predetermined based on the teams competing. Lineup Look over your lineup and make necessary changes to the batting order and play- er positions. You can also scratch a player from the lineup by using a substitute off of the bench. Press SQUARE when a player name is highlighted to view player stats. To change the batting order: * D-Pad Left/Right until CHANGE BATTING ORDER appears at the top of the lineup screen. * D-Pad Up/Down to highlight a player and press X to mark him for a switch. * D-Pad Up/Down to highlight another player and press X to move that player to the desired position in the order. To switch the fielding positions of a player without changing the batting order: * D-Pad Left/Right until CHANGE POSITION appears at the top of the lineup screen. * D-Pad Up/Down to highlight a player and press X to mark him for a position switch. * D-Pad Up/Down to highlight another player and press X to switch their fielding positions. To substitute a player: * D-Pad Left/Right until SUBSTITUTE appears at the top of the lineup screen. * D-Pad Up/Down to highlight a player to remove from the lineup and press X to bring up the Substitute screen. * D-Pad Up/Down to highlight a sub and press X to insert him into the lineup. 9 To view a Player Card: * D-Pad Left/Right until PLAYER CARD appears at the top of the lineup screen. * D-Pad Up/Down to highlight a player and press X to bring up his card. * Press SQUARE to view other stats. Options Select this option to customize the attributes of your game. * D-Pad Up/Down to select an attribute. * D-Pad Left/Right to change the attribute. Game Style (Simulation/Arcade) In Simulation mode, you make a pitch selection and set up the location before the pitch is thrown. In Arcade mode, the pitcher controls the pitch with the D- Pad after it is thrown to home plate. The pitching menu and batting cursor are no longer shown on the screen. Use the D-Pad to choose a pitch type: Up Change Up/Ball goes up Down Fast Ball/Ball goes down Left Ball breaks left Right Ball breaks right Player 1-2 Levels (Rookie/Veteran/all-Star) The player level will determine the fatigue factor, batting and pitching difficulty, and fielding ability of players. All-Star has the most realistic player situations. Innings (1-9) Set the length of the game by choosing the number of innings to play. DH (Auto/On/Off) If you like using a Designated Hitter, select On to bolster any team's offensive attack. To let the game determine when the DH is used select Auto. Auto Fielding (On/Off) Turn this option On for your defense to field the ball automatically. Auto Sliding Use Auto Sliding to have your base runners automatically or manually slide. 10 Auto Lead Off Use Auto Lead Off to have your base runners automatically or manually take a lead from the base they occupy. Fielding Aid (On/Off) Use the fielding aid to position your fielder to make the play after the ball is hit. Time of Day (Auto/Day/Night) Set the Time of Day of a game. To let the game determine the time, select Auto. Errors (On/Off) With Errors On, the players on the field will at times commit errors. Wind (On/Off) With Wind On, notice the small yellow arrow on the playing screen labeled with a number. This indicates the miles-per-hour of the wind; blowing in the direction the arrow is pointing. Radar Gun (On/Off) Use this option to show the miles-per-hour of the pitch on the playing screen. Distance Meter (On/Off) Use this option to show the distance in feet of the flight of the ball. Call Text (On/Off) Use this option to show umpire calls during the game on the playing screen. Batting View ( Low/Low 1/Low 2/Medium/High) Set the desired level of the batting view. This option can be altered during the course of the game. Press the START button to bring up the Pause Menu and alter the Balling View. Fielding View (Low/Medium/High) Set the fielding view of the defense. See Batting View above. Point of View (Always Batter/Always Pitcher/Alternate Home/Alternate Away Always Hitter is a view set from behind Home Plate. Always Pitcher is a view set from behind the pitcher's mound. Alternate Home is a view from the Home team's perspective. Alternate Away is a view from the the visitor's perspective. 11 Crowd Volume Use this option to adjust the volume of the crowd noise, Sound Effects Volume Use this option to adjust the sound effects volume. Stadium Announcer Volume Use this option to adjust the volume of the P.A. Announcer. Play By Play Volume Use this option to adjust the volume of the game Play-By-Play Announcer. Music Volume Use this option to adjust the volume of the game music. SEASON Use this option to start a new season or continue a previously saved season. Seasons can only be played in a one-player format. See Pregame under Exhibition for Lineup and Options Menu item descriptions. New Season Start a New Season and see if you have what it takes to make it into the playoffs. * Highlight New Season and press X to bring up the Team Select screen. Team Select * D-Pad Up/Down to select a team. * Press SQUARE to toggle between the team's stats and ratings. * Press X to bring up the Season Length screen. * D-Pad Left/Right to choose a 14 29, or 162 game season and press X Play Game When Play Game is selected the Schedule screen comes up with the 1998 team schedule. View the schedule and play the game of your choice. Note that games can be simulated. * D-Pad Up/Down to highlight the game on the schedule you would like to play and press X. 12 Note: When a game is skipped, the result of that game will be posted as if it was actually played. Simulate Games Games can be simulated to get you closer to the playoffs or just to move you past a game(s) in the schedule, If a game is simulated further down in the schedule, all unplayed games prior will also be simulated. * D-Pad Up/Down to a game on the schedule and press CIRCLE to simulate that game and all games prior. * Press SQUARE to simulate all games on the schedule and start the playoffs. Realignment Use this option to reorganize the teams in each division from both leagues. * D-Pad Left/Right to choose a league. * Press CIRCLE as many times as you wish to randomly realign each division. * Press TRIANGLE to select the default alignment of each division. To custom rearrange each division: * D-Pad Left/Right to view the leagues. * Press SQUARE to bring up the Team Pool. * D-Pad Left/Right to choose a division. * D-Pad Up/Down to select a team and press X to place it in the division. * Press CIRCLE to delete your divisional entries. * Press SQUARE to automatically fill each division with teams. Continue Season Resume a baseball season at the next scheduled game. To use the Continue Season option, you must have already started a New Season and saved the Season results on the Memory Card. See Memory Card/Saving Data on page 20 for more details. Also see Season for descriptions of repeated menu items. Play in the next scheduled game or skip to a different game further down on the schedule. Remember, skipping to and playing a game further down in the schedule will simulate all games prior. 13 League Leaders View the League Leaders of every important statistical category. * Press SQUARE to toggle between the American and National Leagues. * Press CIRCLE to select Player or Team leaders. * D-Pad Left/Right to choose a category. * D-Pad Up/Down to view the entire list of leaders. Stats View the Stats of each player in the Majors and study his strengths. It may come in handy for a necessary managerial move during the course of a game. * D-Pad Left/Right to select the team you will be facing in your next game. * D-Pad Up/Down to view the statistics of each player. * Press SQUARE to toggle between pitching and hitting statistics. * Press CIRCLE to toggle between player and team stats. Standings View the division standings of both leagues. * D-Pad Left/Right to cycle through the divisions of the American and National Leagues. Awards View the award winners of the current season. * D-Pad Left/Right to view each award category for the American and National Leagues. Load Season Load Season bringsup the Memory Card screen, allowing you to load files from your Memory Card. See Memory Card for more details. PLAYOFFS Go straight to the playoffs and bypass the regular season. Playoffs can only be played in a one-player format. See Season for more details of how to setup a playoff game. 14 New Playoffs Try to make it through each round of the Divisional Playoffs until you reach the World Series. * From the Team Select screen, D-Pad Up/Down to select a playoff team. * Press SQUARE to view the stats of each team. * Press X to bring up the Playoff Length box. * D-Pad Left/Right to select a "Single Elimination" (1, 1, 1) or "Best of Series" (5, 7, 7) playoff format and press X to bring up the Playoff screen. Play Game Highlight Play Game and press X to bring up the Playoff Tree. Playoff Tree Customize the playoffs by setting up matchups. Or, adjust the brackets and games to simplify your team's road to the finals. * D-Pad Left/Right to choose the American or National League bracket. * D-Pad Up/Down to highlight a team. * Press SQUARE to cycle through the available teams. When the teams have been set for each match: * Press X to play the game in your bracket. Simulate From the Playoff Tree screen, each round of the playoffs can be simulated. * Press CIRCLE to simulate a playoff round. * When you are ready to begin or resume play in a playoff game, press X. Continue Playoffs Continue your run in the playoffs at the next scheduled game. To play in a continued playoff series, the playoffs must have been saved to the Memory Card and loaded prior to making this selection. You can also get to the playoffs by finishing a season. See New Season for repeated menu item descriptions. 15 Playoff Stats View the team and player stats of the current playoff series. * D-Pad Left/Right to select the team. * D-Pad Up/Down to view the statistics of each player. * Press SQUARE to toggle between Pitching and Hitting statistics. * Press CIRCLE to toggle between player and team stats. Load Playoffs Load Playoffs brings up the Memory Card screen, allowing you to load files from your Memory Card. See Memory Card for more details. DRAFT Players are drafted at 10 pitching positions and 15 fielding positions. You can manually draft each position or have the computer hold an auto draft by pressing CIRCLe. The draft will go 25 rounds. Note: In a two-player game, you have 60 seconds to make a pick. If the timer expires, the CPU will draft for you. * D-Pad Up/Down to select Team 1. * D-Pad Left/Right then Up/Down to select Team 2. * To randomly pick teams press CIRCLE; otherwise, press X to continue. * D-Pad Left/Right to designate your controller to a team and press X. * D-Pad Left/Right to select a salary cap limit and press X to continue. * Press CIRCLE to shuffle the draft order. * Press X to start the draft. During the draft: * D-Pad Left/Right to draft from the different positions. * D-Pad Up/Down to highlight an available player and press X to select him. * Press SQUARE during the draft to review your picks. * Continue this process until the draft is complete. 16 SPRING TRAINING Earn a trip to the majors by earning enough ability points in Spring Training. See Spring Training on page 4 for more details. Also see Season for repeated menu item descrip- tions. Start Training Create a minor league player to add to your Spring Training roster. Earn ability and status points throughout Spring Training to help propel you into the major leagues. Create Player * D-Pad Up/Down to highlight the first name. * Press CIRCLE to bring up the alphanumeric chart. * Use the D-Pad to highlight a letter or number and press X to enter it. * To delete a letter or number, highlight the back arrow and press X. * Spell out a name and press TRIANGLE to exit the chart. * D-Pad Down to highlight the last name and repeat the previous steps. To continue to customize your player: * D-Pad Down to the other player attributes and D-Pad Left/Right to make a selection. When you have completed making adjustments to these options: * Press SQUARE or X to alter your player's attributes. * D-Pad Up/Down to choose a player attribute. * D-Pad Left/Right to make a selection or raise/lower the player stat averages. When you have completed making adjustments to these options: * Press X to alter your player's abilities. * D-Pad Up/Down to choose a player ability. * D-Pad Left/Right to raise/lower the ability levels of your player. * Press X to create your minor leaguer and bring up the Trade Player screen. Note: With only 7 points to distribute among the 7 categories be wise in your allo- cation of each point to provide maximum efficiency for each player. 17 Trade Player Select a spring training team and add your minor leaguer to its roster. * D-Pad Left/Right to select a team. * D-Pad Up/Down to highlight a player to trade for your minor leaguer. * Press X to make the trade; assigning your player to the team. * Press TRIANGLE to undo the trade and select a different player. * Press X to continue to the Spring Training Menu. Status Keep track of the status of your minor leaguer to see how far he is from reaching the Major Leagues. You need 50 points to reach the majors Remember that you must maintain Major League or All-Star status during the course of the regular season or you will be sent back to the minors and your season will end. Continue Training Continue Spring Training at the next scheduled game. Load Training Load Training brings up the Memory Card screen, allowing you to load files from you Memory Card. See Memory Card for more details. HOMERUN DERBY Play in the Home Run Derby to see if you have what it takes to hit with the "big boys" of the Major Leagues. Slug it out with the top power hitters from around the league or with a player that you've created. See Exhibition for details on how to set up a game. * D-Pad Left/Right to choose a team. * D-Pad Up/Down to highlight a player and press X to add him to the lineup. * Press CIRCLE to delete players from the lineup. * Press SQUARE to bring up the controller screen. * D-Pad Up/Down to highlight a player. * D-Pad Left/Right to assign a controller to that player. 18 ROSTERS The Rosters option allows you to create position players and pitchers and add them to your existing rosters. You can also set up trades of individual players and free agents. If you prefer the original setup of the league rosters, you can reset all rosters. TRADE PLAYERS Select this option to obtain the perfect player to bring your team to the next level. Trading players is done on a one-for-one basis only. * D-Pad Left/Right to select the team from which you would like to trade. * D-Pad Up/Down to select the player to be traded and press X to mark him * D-Pad Left/Right to select the team to which you would like to trade. * D-Pad Up/Down to select a player to trade for and press X to complete the trade. CREATE PLAYERS Create the ultimate baseball player. You not only can setup a player's athletic ability, but his physical makeup. A created player enters the Free Agent pool where he then can be picked up in a trade. You can create up to 24 players. There is 236 points to dis- tribute among your player's categories. * D-Pad Left/Right to select a player. * See Create Player under Spring Training for more details. If you are creating a pitching prospect: * Press SQUARE to alter your player's pitching attributes. * D-Pad Up/Down to choose a pitcher attribute. * D-Pad Left/Right to make a selection or raise/lower the attribute levels of your player. * Press TRIANGLE to create your pitcher and bring up the Trade Player screen. FREE AGENTS Sign a player from the free agent pool. * D-Pad Left/Right to select the team from which you would like to release a player. * D-Pad Up/Down to select the Player to be released and press X to mark him. * D-Pad Up/Down to select the Player to be added to your roster and press X. 19 PLAYER CARDS View the stats and attributes of each player in the majors. * D-Pad Left/Right to select a team. * D-Pad Up/Down to highlight a player and press X to view his player card. * Press SQUARE to cycle through player stats and attributes. * D-Pad Up/Down to scroll through the entire list of stats. * Press TRIANGLE to back out. RESET ROSTERS You can easily restore the rosters to their original setup. * Select Reset Rosters and press X; or press TRIANGLE to cancel. OPTIONS See Options under Exhibition for more details. USER RECORDS See User Records under Exhibition for more details. MEMORY CARD Use the Memory card to Save, Load, and Delete files. To save a season or playoff game * Return to the Main Menu and select Memory Card. * Select Save File. New Save * Press X to activate the alphanumeric chart. * Use the D-Pad to highlight a letter or number and press X to enter it. * To delete a letter or number, highlight the back arrow and press X. * Spell out a name and press TRIANGLE to exit the chart. * Press X to save the file or TRIANGLE to cancel. 20 Over Write * D-Pad Right to Over Write. * D-Pad Up/Down to select a season to overwrite and press X. To Load or Delete a file: * Return to the Main Menu and select Memory Card. * Select Load or Delete File. * D-Pad Up/Down to select a file to load or delete and press X. * Press X to Load or Delete the file or TRIANGLE to cancel. Playing the Game PAUSE MENU During game play to alter your lineup, press the START button to bring up the Pause Menu and select Rosters to make any changes. Also, use Instant Replay from Options to review the latest play. DEFENSE Defense is the key to any team. A good defense can carry a team into the playoffs. Pitching The key to pitching successfully is knowing your opponent. Stamina can also be an issue so locate your pitches and hit the corners while throwing as few pitches as possible. See the pitching Control Codes for more details. HINT: The longer the pitch button is held the faster the speed of the pitch. Fielding Learn how to position your players on the field. To get to the ball, press SQUARE to switch to the fielder closest to the path and destination of the ball. Press CIRCLE to get your fielder to the ball quickly. To perform special catches or throws, hold L2 when fielding the ball. 21 Infield Press R1 to adjust your infield's defensive settings. * A Normal infield is positioned on the field for regular situations. * An infield set to Double Play gives your infielders the best chance at turning a dou- ble play. * Bring the infield in Shallow to try and get a force-out at home and keep a potential run from scoring from third on a ground ball. * Bring the Corners In to stop a run from scoring from third on a ground ball to first or third, still having a shot at a double play if the ball is hit to the middle infielders. * Set the infield to Bunt if you think the opposition will try to advance a runner or attempt a suicide squeeze. Outfield Press R2 to adjust your outfield's defensive settings. * A Normal ouffield is positioned on the field for regular situations. * Place your outfield in a Deep set if a power hitter comes to the plate. * Move the outfielders in Shallow to snag a liner or stop an important run from scor ing from second on a base hit. OFFENSE The best way to beat a good defense is with a potent offense. Notice the setup of ths defensive players and learn how to use the bunt when the infield is drawn back, use tht hit & run or bunt to advance a runner safely, or steal a base to reach scoring position. Batting When a pitcher delivers the ball, a yellow ball-marker box appears indicating the location of the ball. * Use the D-pad to move the white bat-cursor over the ball-marker. When the ball in range of the batting area, the white bat-cursor will turn red. * Press X to swing. Note: Bat-cursor is a feature of the Veteran and All-Star levels of Simulation mode. For late inning punch, switch the batter's swing from Hit for Average to Hit for Power by pressing SQUARE before the pitcher delivers the ball. 22