Diamond Mind Baseball


Version 9 Index \| Enhancements \| Guided Tour \| FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: May 11, 2004

Version 9

What are the new features in version 9?
For a full list of the new features, see our version 9 enhancement page.

Will I be able to use my old season disks with version 9?
Yes. We have always had a commitment to maintain your investment in season disks purchased from Diamond Mind. Every new version of the game includes a feature that converts season disks from older formats to the format used by the new version.

For version 9, any season disks that are in version 5, 6, 7 or 8 format are automatically converted to the format used for version 9 when you first install them.

NOTE: If you have season disks in formats older than version 5, one option is to use your earlier version of DMB to convert them to version 5-8 first, then use version 9 to convert them the rest of the way.

We periodically upgrade our older season disks to add new players, add new statistics, add real-life transactions and lineups, and take advantage of new game features. If you own older seasons, you may be eligible for free or discounted upgrades to those seasons. See Season Disk Upgrades for details.

What are the system requirements?

By today's standards, the system requirements are quite modest. Version 9 runs on Windows-compatible computers (including non-Windows computers that are equipped with Windows emulation software or hardware) that are equipped as follows:

Windows95, Windows98, Windows NT 4, Windows XP, and their successors

32 MB of RAM

256-color monitor (16-bit recommended) at 800 x 600 or higher resolution

any Windows printer (optional, as all reports can be displayed on the screen or saved as plain-text or HTML files)

30 MB of hard disk space plus a minimum of 2-3 MB for each season disk, which includes the space needed for full year-to-date statistics for all teams and players. You may need as much as 40 MB for a season disk if you turn on all of the options to save game-by-game stats, boxscores, scoresheets, and game logs. An additional 75 MB may be needed if you choose to generate a web site containing all possible reports for a large league.

Internet Explorer version 4 or above (required only to view the extensive Help system that comes with the game)

an active account with an Internet Service Provider (optional, needed only if you want to use the new NetPlay feature to play head-to-head over the internet)

a CD-ROM drive (only for installation of the game and season disks)

Will I be able to play Version 9 over the Internet?
Yes. Built-in support for head-to-head play over the internet is a major feature of version 9. We don't provide access to the internet, however, so you'll need to have an active account with an Internet Service Provider to use this feature. For more information, see NetPlay.

I'm in the middle of a season replay. Can I switch to ver 9 before the season is over, and will I lose any information if I do?
Yes, you can upgrade during a season, and with one exception, version 9 converts all of the information compiled by the previous version, including statistics, transactions, injury reports, boxscores and scoresheets.

The exception involves unscheduled league games, which were supported in versions 1 through 7. Because many DMB features are date-based (weather, transaction processing, date-interval-based reports, and so on), it is no longer possible to play unscheduled league games. (You can still play exhibition games outside of a league context.) If you played a season using version 7 or prior without first creating a schedule, the real-life stats and ratings will convert successfully, but you will lose some of the information related to your DMB season in progress.

I'm playing in a league that uses Diamond Mind Baseball. If some managers in our league upgrade to version 9, and some stay with the older version, can we still exchange statistics?
No, it is not possible to transfer stats, rosters and manager profiles between different versions of the game. That means your league needs to decide whether to stay with the older version or have all league members upgrade to version 9 before your next season starts. Your league can convert in mid-season if every league member converts to version 9 at the same time.

What park images are available? Will you be doing park images for old-time stadiums?
Version 9 includes diagrams for all of the parks that have been used since 1978 and a sampling of parks from prior to 1978. We plan to continue adding diagrams for older parks. New park images are made available for free download via our Ballpark Images page.

Is there a downloadable demo version of the game?
Sorry, we don't have a demo version available. We produced a demo version years ago but demand for it almost vanished when we introduced our 30-day money-back guarantee. Seems like most people decided they'd rather evaluate the full product rather than a limited demo version.

Instead, we suggest that you learn as much as possible about the game by reviewing the product information on our web site. Then, if you're interested, you can go ahead and order the game, give it a good workout, call or email for technical support if you have any questions, and send it back if you're not happy. We're quite prompt in getting refunds to people in those rare cases where the product is returned.

Will I still be able to run my emulator to play on the Macintosh?
Yes. Version 9 is a standard Windows application. If you have a Macintosh with hardware or software that enables you to run Windows applications, Version 9 should run on your computer.

Are there any free utilities that work with version 9?
Yes. Please see our Version 9 Utilities page for the latest information about utilities that are currently available or under development.

Pricing, Ordering, Order Processing, Shipping

How much does version 9 cost?
For a first-time buyer, version 9 is available in two ways -- $49.95 for the game with 12 great teams, or $69.95 for the game with 12 great teams plus the current season disk.

Anyone who is a registered owner of Diamond Mind Baseball version 6 through 8 can upgrade to version 9 for $27.95. This upgrade includes 12 great teams of the past, but does not include any other season disks.

Finally, we introduced our free/discounted upgrade policy October 1, 2002. If you bought a new version 8 game or upgraded to version 8 since that date, we will automatically send you a free upgrade to version 9 when it is ready.

What are the shipping options?
We offer the following options for shipments to addresses within the United States:

· first class mail ($3, delivery time is 3-7 days on average)
· Priority Mail ($5, delivery time is 2-4 days on average)
· overnight ($20, guaranteed to arrive by the end of the next business day to most addresses in the US, two days for some rural locations)

For international shipments, we ship all orders via Global Priority Mail (where it is available) or International Air Mail:

· Global Priority Mail ($10, the post office claims that delivery time is 3-5 days)
· International Air Mail ($5, delivery time is 5-10 days)

For shipments that include only season disks (no new games or upgrades), you can elect to have the seasons delivered by electronic mail instead of having a disk or CD sent to you. Email delivery is free, and if you choose this option, you can expect to receive your seasons no later than the business day after your order is processed.

When will you ship the products I ordered?
Orders placed by noon Pacific time, Monday to Friday, are shipped no later than the next business day, and often the same business day, if the items ordered are in stock. Orders placed between noon Friday and noon Monday are shipped Monday. We do not ship or send email on weekends or holidays. Shipment may be delayed if we need to contact you about your order.

If you place an advance order for a game upgrade or season disk, we will ship those orders on a first-come-first-served basis. Once the product is available, it usually takes us a few days to work through the backlog of advance orders and get everything shipped.

If I order one or more products in advance of their ship dates, when will you charge my credit card or cash my check?
If you place a single order that includes items that are not yet available, we won't charge your credit card or cash your check until the first item is ready to ship. At that point, we will charge the full amount of the order. When the remaining items are available, we will ship them as soon as they are ready, with no additional shipping charges added.

For example, if you place a credit card order for a version 9 upgrade and the 2003 Season Disk, we'll charge your card for the upgrade and season disk immediately. We'll ship the 2003 Season Disk right away using the shipping method you specified on the order, and when is ready, we'll ship the version 9 upgrade by first class mail. You will pay only one shipping charge.

If, however, you would prefer to be charged separately for these items, you can enter two separate orders. You'll be charged for shipping on each order, but we won't charge your card for each order until the items on that order are available.

Or you can wait and place your order when all of the items are available. Please keep in mind that if you place your order on the day we start shipping a new product, we probably won't be able to ship it immediately. It usually takes at least a few days to clear the backlog of advance orders before we can begin shipping any new orders that arrive.

How does email delivery of season disks work?
We send you an email message that contains instructions on how to download and install the season disk, then we attach the season disk as a file attachment to the message. (We strongly recommend that you choose this option only if you're comfortable with downloading attached files.) After the attached file has been downloaded, use the "Install season disk" command from the File menu in the game to complete the installation.

Do you offer discounts for large orders?
We offer a 10% discount for orders over $100, a 20% discount on orders over $200, a 30% discount on orders over $300, and a 40% discount on orders over $400.

These discounts apply to products for use by a single customer. For example, if you place an order for 25 different seasons for your own use, you would earn a 30% or 40% discount, depending on the total value of the order.

With one exception, these discounts do not apply to orders covering more than one person. For example, a league commissioner cannot earn a 40% discount by placing an order for 24 copies of the current Season Disk for league members.

The exception is that we can offer discounts on the initial purchase of games and season disks for leagues that are switching from a competitor's game to Diamond Mind Baseball. If your league is considering a switch to Diamond Mind, send us an email and we'll put together a price quote that is specific to your situation.

Can I download my order immediately from your website?
Sorry, we do not offer the ability to download our products. All orders that include a version 9 game (new purchase or upgrade) will be shipped on CD-ROM. Orders that include only season disks can be sent by email or shipped on diskette or CD-ROM.

I lost my old disks - do I have to buy everything again?
We have a disk replacement policy for these situations. For any product for which we have a record of your purchase (that should be everything we've sold since September 1, 1995), we'll replace the lost items for a flat fee of $5 plus normal shipping and handling charges. You cannot order replacement disks via our web store -- please call us or send us email if you need to use this service.

I bought the game used. Am I entitled to upgrade pricing?
We offer upgrade pricing to registered owners of Diamond Mind Baseball. Because we do not sell the game through retail outlets or other distributors, we have a record of every copy of the game that has been sold since September 1, 1995. All of those copies are registered. Your ownership of the game may also be registered if you acquired it as part of a bulk purchase by a league commissioner or as a gift from someone who registered it in your name.

We can register you as an owner if (a) the seller is a registered owner who (b) affirms to us that he/she didn't keep a copy of the game for their own use and is willing to transfer the upgrade rights to you. We have no way of knowing who sold you the game, so it's up to you to find the seller and arrange for him or her to contact us to transfer ownership rights to you.

What is the return policy?
We offer a 30-day money back guarantee on our products. It's a no-questions-asked return policy, but we always like to know what it was that led you to return the game. You don't have to tell us your reasons, but if you don't mind doing so, we can use that information to help us make the product better in the future.

Season Disks

Where can I find your free downloadable seasons on the web site?
On the top of the page, click on About the Game. Scroll to the bottom of the displayed page and look for the link to Season Disk Exchange, and click there.

What is the difference between a Season Disk and a Projection Disk?
Our annual Season Disks are released in December with schedules, rosters, statistics and player ratings based on each player's performance during the just-completed season. These disks include every player who appeared in the big leagues that season.

Our Projection Disks are released in March and updated in early April with schedules, rosters, and projected statistics and ratings for the coming season. These disks include as many as 1600 players, including hundreds of top minor-league prospects who have yet to make their big-league debuts. The stats and ratings on the projection disks are created using our projection system, which examines their performances at all levels from AA up for the past three seasons, adjusted for the effects of their league, home park, age and other factors.

I have some old season disks from the PTP days that you have improved. Do I have to buy them again?

Yes, we're afraid so.

We do offer special upgrade prices to registered owners of season disks that were purchased directly from Diamond Mind since the company was formed in September, 1995. However, we are unable to do the same for those who bought season disks from PTP or other sources prior to that date.

Pursue the Pennant was a different company, so Diamond Mind did not receive the proceeds of any season disk sales from that period of time. If we offered upgrade pricing on those old seasons, we would be delivering a full product for only a fraction of the list price even though we never received the money from the initial sale.

Every Diamond Mind Baseball version has included a conversion feature that carries forward old season disks to the new format, meaning that you have been able to continue using those PTP disks with newer versions of DMB for more than ten years. In other words, we have invested our time and money so your investment in those old seasons would continue to have value for you.

Since 1995, we have invested even more time and money improving those old seasons by adding new statistics, entering real-life transactions and lineups, and making other changes to take advantage of new features that have been added to the game in that time.

If you went out today to buy a new and improved edition of any other product you purchased more than ten years ago, we're sure you would expect to pay full price. That's true of books, music, software products, and anything else we can think of.

As a result, we feel that our current policy of offering upgrade pricing to those who have bought these seasons from Diamond Mind is already quite generous.

Future Enhancements

Do you have plans to add career mode to the game?
Yes, this is on our list of things to do in the future, but we're not far enough along in our thinking to make any firm commitments about when or how this will be added to the product.

The term career mode means the ability to take one of our season disks, draft new rosters, play a season, then press a button to roll things over to the next season with some players retiring, some aging (according to a formula of some sort) and some fictional rookies added to the player pool. This capability usually includes computer drafting and trading features that allow you to manage one team and have the computer handle all aspects of the other teams.

Diamond Mind Baseball users can do some of this with version 9 using our collection of past seasons. The game includes the ability to draft new rosters (including computer drafting) and play out a season, then use the migrate feature to carry the drafted rosters forward. You could, for example, begin playing with our 1956 Classic Past Season, then use migrate to roll the rosters forward to the 1957 Classic Past Season. Instead of using a formula to age the players, this approach uses each player's actual 1957 performance for the next season. The player pool reflects any retirements or debuts that really occurred in 1957. But we're not yet at the point where you could talk trade with the computer and play multiple seasons without purchasing a series of past season disks.

Can we create season disks by downloading players from an encyclopedia?
No, we don't offer this capability at present.

Previous versions

Is version 8 still available and supported?
Yes, you can continue to order version 8 of the game if you like, though we have no plans to fix bugs or add new features to version 8. Until demand for version 8 seasons drops to a low level, we will develop new season disks in both version 8 and version 9 format.

Is version 7 still available and supported?
It is no longer possible to order version 7 of the game. We are no longer developing new season disks in version 7 format, but if you already have version 7, you can continue to order any season disks that were originally developed in version 7 format.

Frequently Asked Questions

Version 9

Pricing, Ordering, Order Processing, Shipping

Season Disks

Future Enhancements

Previous DMB versions

Version 9

Pricing, Ordering, Order Processing, Shipping

Season Disks

Future Enhancements

Previous versions