Front Page Sports Baseball
Encyclopedia
Front Page Sports Baseball was a series of baseball
games created by Sierra
/ Dynamix
in the mid to late 1990s. It remains popular as a simulation engine for online leagues.
.
This was followed by the release of Front Page Sports: Baseball Pro '96. Released on 30 June 1996
Front Page Sports: Baseball Pro '98 was released on 31 May 1997 introduced the customizable pb.ini file.
for its time period. These improved with each release but stayed true to the Sierra format. In batter/pitcher mode, the view was 2D and when the ball was in play the game switched to 3D mode. Team colors could be adjusted, but there were no logos on player uniforms.
Despite its sophisticated physics engine, the game's graphics did not measure up to the baseball games released at the time by EA Sports
. The game's strength was its statistics engine, support for career play, and roster management. Each team holds 50 players. 25 players on active roster, 15 in AAA, and 10 in low minors.
The game was never strong as a first-person arcade style game. As one review states "But just as with Sierra's Football Pro
games, arcade-style play is not this game's strong point. The graphics, at least from the batter-pitcher perspective, are certainly decent - until you notice there's no option for a pitcher-batter perspective, and that, with the exception of skin tone, all the players are generic in the way they look, the way they step up to the plate, and the way they swing."
"On the up side, you do have a nice variety of managerial options available in the hands-on mode, as well as extensive control over pitching (type, location, speed) and batting (type of swing and area to look for the pitch). The game looks and feels a lot like real baseball - the animations are dead-on without looking canned and the ball physics seem to be about right."
The game also featured many ambient sounds the add the baseball experience. WAV files were used to add crowd noises, cheers, boos, pop corn vendors, hecklers etc. The game opens with the Star-Spangled Banner, and during the 7th-inning stretch, Take Me Out to the Ball Game
is also played. As a special touch when playing in SkyDome or Olympic Stadium
, Oh Canada is played.
The graphics were not a concern for serious fans of the game. At the height of its popularity, there were dozens of online leagues, and many took up the task of writing utilities for the game. Shaun Sullivan (of PureSim Baseball 2007
fame) and Rudy Kaman are among the many utility writers that made the game easier to play. There were also a few websites devoted to discussions on better tweaking of the pb.ini file.
. But the file can be tweaked it so that a pitcher could throw 200 mph or cause a batter to hit the ball 1000 feet. Turf
resistance and bounce can be altered; as well as the effect that altitude and temperature has on gameplay. The wHow a pitcher would pitch based on the count, and game situation. All of the player related factors in the pb.ini file use the player's ratings or a percentage of them based on the corresponding entry in the pb.ini file. Most factors have a base number, then a percentage of the player's rating was added to this base. Here is how bat speed is calculated.
This means that the bat speed for a player with a 0 PH rating would be 70 mph, a player with a 99 PH would have a 99.7 mph swing (99/30). This method also applies to pitch identification, run speed, catch chance, and so on.
This file gives the game ultimate control. However it was not until recent years that some of the file's impact on the game was clearly understood. Some entries are still not understood completely. Most were learned through trial and error.
s entering the market (Windows XP
). The game would crash upon finishing a game on NT based systems.
The limited ratings scale of the players continued to be an issue, as this made it difficult to accurately emulate real major league baseball
players. The fact that all players were only assigned 5 ratings limited the nuances of real baseball. These ratings controlled: contact(CH), bat speed(PH), run speed(SP), fielding ability(FA), Arm Strength(AS). Missing skills that could have enhanced game play would have been ratings for batting eye, base stealing ability (since not all fast runners can steal bases, and some slower runners are very good base stealers), fielding separated in to throwing accuracy, catching ability, and range, bunting.
Additionally, the games internal player creation engine gave power hitters an unfair advantage in their ratings. Hall of fame players like Wade Boggs
and Tony Gwynn
were only given respectable CH and very low PH. This was because the game assigned CH based on batting average and not a better method like balls in play or strikeout rate. The game also based its ratings on a specific baseball seasons which had some effect on ratings. Early after the games released, this was a common complaint, because while these players excelled in real life, their counterparts in the game suffered. Conversely, the counterparts of power hitters dominated because the game usually have them a higher CH rating then deserved and this combined with their higher PH rating made the results obvious.
Gamers eventually determined that although players like Boggs and Gwynn did not hit many home run
s, they did have a respectable bat speed and required a higher PH rating than they were given, this was balanced by giving them a high G/F ratio that resulted in that player hitting more line drives than fly balls. As a result there were many user created formulas for determining player ratings that would work better in the game. This discovery extended the life of the game for many leagues. In recent years, additional modifications to the pb.ini file has resulted in more affective use of contact hitters.
Pitchers only had the ability to feature four pitches in game play, there are pitchers in real life who feature five and sometimes six pitches.
There were also several bugs
that interfered with gameplay at times. One issue was an injury bug that would cause teams to lose several pitchers in a row on consecutive pitches. But most of these limitations did not cause gamers to lose affection for the game, it was more a victim of time as is the case with most computer games.
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
games created by Sierra
Sierra Entertainment
Sierra Entertainment Inc. was an American video-game developer and publisher founded in 1979 as On-Line Systems by Ken and Roberta Williams...
/ Dynamix
Dynamix
Dynamix, Inc. was an American developer of computer games from 1984 to 2001, best known for their flight simulator, Red Baron, the Front Page Sports series, Betrayal at Krondor, and their online multiplayer game, Tribes.-History:...
in the mid to late 1990s. It remains popular as a simulation engine for online leagues.
Editions
The first edition was Front Page Sports: Baseball '94 for DOSMS-DOS
MS-DOS is an operating system for x86-based personal computers. It was the most commonly used member of the DOS family of operating systems, and was the main operating system for IBM PC compatible personal computers during the 1980s to the mid 1990s, until it was gradually superseded by operating...
.
This was followed by the release of Front Page Sports: Baseball Pro '96. Released on 30 June 1996
Front Page Sports: Baseball Pro '98 was released on 31 May 1997 introduced the customizable pb.ini file.
Graphics and gameplay
The game had good graphicsComputer graphics
Computer graphics are graphics created using computers and, more generally, the representation and manipulation of image data by a computer with help from specialized software and hardware....
for its time period. These improved with each release but stayed true to the Sierra format. In batter/pitcher mode, the view was 2D and when the ball was in play the game switched to 3D mode. Team colors could be adjusted, but there were no logos on player uniforms.
Despite its sophisticated physics engine, the game's graphics did not measure up to the baseball games released at the time by EA Sports
EA Sports
EA Sports is a brand of Electronic Arts that creates and develops sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they tried to mimic real-life sports networks by calling themselves "EA Sports Network" with pictures or endorsements of real commentators such as John...
. The game's strength was its statistics engine, support for career play, and roster management. Each team holds 50 players. 25 players on active roster, 15 in AAA, and 10 in low minors.
The game was never strong as a first-person arcade style game. As one review states "But just as with Sierra's Football Pro
Front Page Sports Football
Front Page Sports Football , first released in 1992, was the first in a series of American football simulations released by Sierra Online. In 1996, Computer Gaming World magazine named it the 11th best computer game of all-time...
games, arcade-style play is not this game's strong point. The graphics, at least from the batter-pitcher perspective, are certainly decent - until you notice there's no option for a pitcher-batter perspective, and that, with the exception of skin tone, all the players are generic in the way they look, the way they step up to the plate, and the way they swing."
"On the up side, you do have a nice variety of managerial options available in the hands-on mode, as well as extensive control over pitching (type, location, speed) and batting (type of swing and area to look for the pitch). The game looks and feels a lot like real baseball - the animations are dead-on without looking canned and the ball physics seem to be about right."
The game also featured many ambient sounds the add the baseball experience. WAV files were used to add crowd noises, cheers, boos, pop corn vendors, hecklers etc. The game opens with the Star-Spangled Banner, and during the 7th-inning stretch, Take Me Out to the Ball Game
Take Me Out to the Ball Game
"Take Me Out to the Ball Game" is a 1908 Tin Pan Alley song by Jack Norworth and Albert Von Tilzer which has become the unofficial anthem of baseball, although neither of its authors had attended a game prior to writing the song. The song is traditionally sung during the seventh-inning stretch of...
is also played. As a special touch when playing in SkyDome or Olympic Stadium
Olympic Stadium
The Olympic Stadium is the name usually given to the big centrepiece stadium of the Summer Olympic Games. Traditionally, the opening and closing ceremonies and the track and field competitions are held in the Olympic Stadium. Many, though not all, of these venues actually contain the words Olympic...
, Oh Canada is played.
The graphics were not a concern for serious fans of the game. At the height of its popularity, there were dozens of online leagues, and many took up the task of writing utilities for the game. Shaun Sullivan (of PureSim Baseball 2007
PureSim Baseball 2007
PureSim Baseball 2007 is a text-based computer baseball simulation published by Matrix Games. Originally developed by independent game developer Shaun Sullivan, the first Matrix version was published as PureSim 2005 on 5 October 2005....
fame) and Rudy Kaman are among the many utility writers that made the game easier to play. There were also a few websites devoted to discussions on better tweaking of the pb.ini file.
PB.INI file
The pb.ini file is a standard windows configuration file. Each section has an impact on game play. Some physical factors cannot be altered in a ridiculous way however. For example, there is a section to alter pitch breaks, but you cannot create a "bugs bunny" change up or an unrealistic curveballCurveball
The curveball is a type of pitch in baseball thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball causing it to dive in a downward path as it approaches the plate. Its close relatives are the slider and the slurve. The "curve" of the ball varies from pitcher to...
. But the file can be tweaked it so that a pitcher could throw 200 mph or cause a batter to hit the ball 1000 feet. Turf
Artificial turf
Artificial turf is a surface manufactured from synthetic fibers made to look like natural grass. It is most often used in arenas for sports that were originally or are normally played on grass. However, it is now being used on residential lawns and commercial applications as well...
resistance and bounce can be altered; as well as the effect that altitude and temperature has on gameplay. The wHow a pitcher would pitch based on the count, and game situation. All of the player related factors in the pb.ini file use the player's ratings or a percentage of them based on the corresponding entry in the pb.ini file. Most factors have a base number, then a percentage of the player's rating was added to this base. Here is how bat speed is calculated.
swingspeedbase=70
swingspeedPHpct=30
This means that the bat speed for a player with a 0 PH rating would be 70 mph, a player with a 99 PH would have a 99.7 mph swing (99/30). This method also applies to pitch identification, run speed, catch chance, and so on.
This file gives the game ultimate control. However it was not until recent years that some of the file's impact on the game was clearly understood. Some entries are still not understood completely. Most were learned through trial and error.
Limitations
The popularity of the game has waned for many reasons. The first blow came when Sierra abandoned the series. The next major issue was the games incompatibility the newer operating systemOperating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
s entering the market (Windows XP
Windows XP
Windows XP is an operating system produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops and media centers. First released to computer manufacturers on August 24, 2001, it is the second most popular version of Windows, based on installed user base...
). The game would crash upon finishing a game on NT based systems.
The limited ratings scale of the players continued to be an issue, as this made it difficult to accurately emulate real major league baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
players. The fact that all players were only assigned 5 ratings limited the nuances of real baseball. These ratings controlled: contact(CH), bat speed(PH), run speed(SP), fielding ability(FA), Arm Strength(AS). Missing skills that could have enhanced game play would have been ratings for batting eye, base stealing ability (since not all fast runners can steal bases, and some slower runners are very good base stealers), fielding separated in to throwing accuracy, catching ability, and range, bunting.
Additionally, the games internal player creation engine gave power hitters an unfair advantage in their ratings. Hall of fame players like Wade Boggs
Wade Boggs
Wade Anthony Boggs is an American former professional baseball third baseman. He spent his 18-year baseball career primarily with the Boston Red Sox, but also played for the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Devil Rays...
and Tony Gwynn
Tony Gwynn
Anthony Keith "Tony" Gwynn, Sr. , nicknamed Mr. Padre and Captain Video, is a former Major League Baseball right fielder. He is statistically one of the best and most consistent hitters in baseball history. He played his entire 20-year baseball career for the San Diego Padres...
were only given respectable CH and very low PH. This was because the game assigned CH based on batting average and not a better method like balls in play or strikeout rate. The game also based its ratings on a specific baseball seasons which had some effect on ratings. Early after the games released, this was a common complaint, because while these players excelled in real life, their counterparts in the game suffered. Conversely, the counterparts of power hitters dominated because the game usually have them a higher CH rating then deserved and this combined with their higher PH rating made the results obvious.
Gamers eventually determined that although players like Boggs and Gwynn did not hit many home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s, they did have a respectable bat speed and required a higher PH rating than they were given, this was balanced by giving them a high G/F ratio that resulted in that player hitting more line drives than fly balls. As a result there were many user created formulas for determining player ratings that would work better in the game. This discovery extended the life of the game for many leagues. In recent years, additional modifications to the pb.ini file has resulted in more affective use of contact hitters.
Pitchers only had the ability to feature four pitches in game play, there are pitchers in real life who feature five and sometimes six pitches.
There were also several bugs
Software bug
A software bug is the common term used to describe an error, flaw, mistake, failure, or fault in a computer program or system that produces an incorrect or unexpected result, or causes it to behave in unintended ways. Most bugs arise from mistakes and errors made by people in either a program's...
that interfered with gameplay at times. One issue was an injury bug that would cause teams to lose several pitchers in a row on consecutive pitches. But most of these limitations did not cause gamers to lose affection for the game, it was more a victim of time as is the case with most computer games.