Version 7 Enhancements

Last updated: September 22, 2001

Version 7 is loaded with new features, starting with our revolutionary new pitch-by-pitch simulation. But it doesn't end there. We've also added full support for inter-league play, lots of new play-by-play commentary, a disabled list feature, automatic real-life transactions, improved post-season support, and dozens of other improvements.

NOTE: Version 7 is a character-mode DOS game. In December, 2000, we introduced version 8, which contains many new features and a totally-redesigned Windows user interface. We will continue to sell and support version 7 for the time being, and most of our season disks are available in version 7 format, but any new season disks we offer will be available only for version 8 and beyond.

Pitch-by-Pitch Simulation

Version 7 brings the game to a whole new level by simulating every pitch. Previous versions focused on simulating one batter at a time (with exceptions for bunts, hit and run plays, steal attempts, and a few other types of events). Here's why this is, by far, the most important innovation in the new release:

• you can still interact with the game on a batter-by-batter basis, just as in version 6, making it possible to play games as quickly as always. And a single keystroke switches you between pitch mode and play mode.

• even if you have a weak-throwing catcher, you can counter the running game by making pickoff throws or calling pitchouts at just the right time. The game screen doesn't give away the tactics you've chosen, so it becomes a real cat-and-mouse game, whether you're playing face-to-face, going against the computer manager, or playing head-to-head over the internet.

• with a 3-0 count on the hitter, you decide whether to give him the take sign or the green light

• you can change your tactics as the pitcher-batter confrontation moves through the count

• the pitcher fatigue system, which is now based on pitch counts, reflects the pitchers true workload much more accurately than by counting innings or batters faced

In designing this pitch-by-pitch simulation, Diamond Mind has taken great care to maintain the highest levels of realism and statistical accuracy. You can count on the following elements of real baseball being faithfully reproduced in this game:

• the game generates realistic patterns of balls, called strikes, swinging strikes, foul balls and balls put in play, and produces the same highly-accurate walk and strikeout rates as before (even better in some cases)

• pitchers throw more strikes when behind in the count, especially with three balls, and expand the strike zone when ahead; batters swing at strikes more often when behind in the count, especially with two strikes, and are more selective when ahead

• batters hit for a higher average and more power when they are ahead in the count, and swing more defensively when behind

• when pitchers tire, they have more trouble finding the strike zone, more of their strikes are put into play, and more balls are hit for power

• for those of you who like to play with past seasons, the game accurately reproduces the lower rates of walks and strikeouts that occurred earlier in the century. Just as in earlier versions, you can play realistic games among teams from very different eras, because Diamond Mind Baseball makes the necessary adjustments.

• the game correctly charges walks and strikeouts when substitutions are made in mid-count, as is required by rules 10.17(b) and 10.18(h)(3) in the official baseball rule book

• when you convert season disks from earlier versions, the pitch-by-pitch ratings are automatically assigned

The computer manager has been updated based on detailed studies of play-by-play and pitch-by-pitch data from recent seasons. We've learned how the count affects decisions made by real-life managers -- which types of hitters are allowed to swing on 3-0 counts; favorite counts on which to steal, hit and run, make pickoff throws, or pitch out; and a lot more.

Strategy and Realism

Version 7 is the latest step in our ongoing effort to give you all the strategy and realism of professional baseball:

• version 7 splits the bunt rating into two separate ratings, one for bunt for a hit situations and the other for sacrifice and squeeze situations. This enables the game to accurately handle the many players who excel at sacrificing but are no threat whatsoever to bunt for a hit.

• you can now instruct your catcher not to make a throw to second when the offense tries a delayed double steal with runners on first and third. This eliminates the risk that the runner on third might score on a successful steal or throwing error.

• weather reports are now shown before you enter the pregame lineup selection process, so you can take the weather into account when selecting your lineups

• for those of you who like to play with older seasons, version 7 enables you to select one of the four scoring rules that have been used for sacrifice flies. In addition to today's rule, which has been in effect since 1954, there were years in which (a) no sacrifice flies were awarded, (b) they were given on scoring fly balls but grouped with sacrifice bunts, and (c) they were awarded when any runner advanced on a fly ball.

Play-by-play Commentary

The play-by-play library has been dramatically expanded to give you new plays, more variety in the description of common plays, and a better feel for the action on the field. And if you choose to play in pitch-by-pitch mode, the game also describes the results of pitches that are not put in play.

Inter-League Play

All aspects of inter-league play are now supported, including automatic selection of designated hitter rules for inter-league games and post-season games, and the generation of inter-league schedules.

Automatic Transactions and Game-By-Game Lineups

For those of you who like to conduct detailed replays of past seasons, we have added several new features that can improve the realism of those replays. You can now store and automatically use real-life transactions (trades, disabled list moves, moving players between the active and reserve rosters) and game-by-game starting lineups. And each player can now be assigned values representing the percentage of the season they appeared on the active roster and the percentage they were disabled. These values help the computer manager match real-life playing time when you are using the transaction log in autoplay mode.

Improved League Play

Many Diamond Mind players enhance their experience by running leagues, and many more by playing in these leagues. Version 7 adds several new features to make it easier for league commissioners and league members:

• a disabled list feature. If a league member elects to disable a player, that player must spend at least 15 days on the disabled list. As in real life, disabled list moves can be made retroactive if the player has been sitting out due to the injury. This enables teams to clear roster slots without having to send a player to the farm team.

• we've added a Find Player command. You can now enter a last name (in full or in part) and instantly find out which team(s) those players are on, or if they're in the free agent pool.

• a new autoplay option enables you to play out all of the games in a single series, even if that series is preceded in the schedule by unplayed games. This makes it easier to play a series that a league member has failed to submit on time.

• in December, 1996, Diamond Mind introduced a free utility program that transfer team rosters from one draft-league season to the next. This capability is now built into the game.

• you can now add your league's bylaws, newsletters, or other information to the notes database in your league's player directory, so that league information is readily available to league members through the game's user interface.

• we've added salary and contract expiration year to each player's record. These optional items now appear on the team status report. How you use these fields is up to you, but if your league uses a salary system, the game nows track this information for you, and the migration feature carries it forward from year to year.

• when real-life players appear on more than one team, Diamond Mind rates them on each team and on a combined basis. To make it easier for you to set up for a draft-league season, a new command deletes all team-specific records in the free agent lists.

Schedule Generator

The schedule generator now gives you the option of generating off-days for the teams in your league.

Post Season Play

The version 7 Setup utility now includes a command that automates the steps involved in preparing for post-season play. You select the teams that qualified for the playoffs, and this feature creates a set of playoff-ready player files in another directory. This enables you to keep your regular season results intact while you conduct your post-season series. And it works equally well for playoff rounds within each league and for the final series involving the champions of each league.

New and Improved Reports

• a new report displays the games started versus left- and right-handed pitchers at each defensive position, for both real-life and computer league games

• you can now generate a report listing currently injured players for a team or a league

• the team roster report has been expanded to show all ratings, plus age and contract status

• runs for and against have been added to the expanded team standings

• you can now generate a report of all transactions

User Interface

• the game screen now displays an error rating for every defensive player, along with the range and throwing ratings that have been there all along

• on the game screen, you can use a single intuitive keystroke to access instant replays, batter recaps, boxscores, scoresheets, or to enter quick play mode

• we have provided many additional on-screen notes that convey useful information not found in the user guide

• you can now make the game screen much more colorful, if you wish, by choosing the colors used for each of the five regions on that screen. There's also a new command that makes it easy to set the colors for monochrome screens (for laptop users).

• you can now request a replay of the last play of the game

• when editing manager profiles, you can choose whether to have players on the reserve roster displayed or hidden in the lists of batters and pitcher available for insertion into the profile

• the team roster screen now indicates injured or disabled players, and you can now sort your players by their primary position (in addition to the current options to sort alphabetically and by role)

• popup lists now show all of the report types that are available in the product, making it easier to choose the reports you want. You will have fewer menus to navigate and fewer keystrokes to enter

• popup lists of teams now show the team's city and nickname (assuming you have entered a nickname for the team), making it easier to find and select the team you are looking for

• you can now view and edit the values for the Neutral Park and Neutral Era. We do not recommend that you change these values, since they were carefully chosen, but we thought you might like to know what they are.

Improved Drafting and Player Information

• we've added a place to enter the birth date of every player, and we'll be filling this information in on all season disks sold by Diamond Mind from now on. You now have quick access to a player's age when you make decisions about player moves.

• you can now choose to suppress the display of free agents with limited playing time by choosing minimum numbers of atbats and innings pitched. To give just one example, you can display a list of all left-handed pitchers with a minimum of 100 innings pitched. When you sort this list on earned run average, you can now be sure the top of the list won't be cluttered up with guys who pitched well in a handful of innings.

• each Diamond Mind player now has a primary position. If you're looking for a 3B, you now have the option to list all players who are rated at 3B or only those players whose primary position is 3B. This makes it easier to find the player you are looking for in some situations.