------------------- Baseball Stars FAQ Version 1.0 By Pegboy (C) 2002 All rights reserved ------------------- All material in this FAQ is (C)Pegboy, 2002. E-mail me at if you want to use this on your website. ----------------- Table of Contents ----------------- 1.0 Introduction 2.0 Controls 3.0 Making a Good Team -> 3.1 Creation Summary -> 3.2 Building Stats 4.0 Team Strategies -> 4.1 SNK Crushers -> 4.2 Lovely Ladies -> 4.3 Ghastly Monsters -> 4.4 World Powers -> 4.5 Japan Robins -> 4.6 Brave Warriors -> 4.7 Ninja Blacksox -> 4.8 American Dreams 5.0 Upcoming 6.0 Secrets, Tips, and Cheats 7.0 Notable Glitches 8.0 Interesting facts 9.0 Legal Stuff ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.0 INTRODUCTION ----------------- Baseball Stars is noted as one of the first baseball games where you can hire, fire, train, and create your own players. One of the features that made the game really stand out is that you can make a team and "train" your players. There is also League Mode where it keeps constant statistics, not like Major League Baseball and RBI Baseball where everything stayed the same all the time. This game keeps track of all your stats from the beginning to the end of a season. That being said, let's get to the main reason we're all here: how to make a great team. Let's get started! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.0 CONTROLS ------------ If you are a beginner who is new to Baseball Stars, then here is a brief description of all the controls. Main Menu: Start: Nothing Select: Nothing A: Select or confirm B: Cancel selection D Pad: Move from option to option * These controls are basically for every menu in the game. In Game Controls: Start: Pause the game Select: Nothing A: Pitch the ball, throw the ball, swing, run back, and while the game is paused, allows you to access the "Pinch Hitter and Runner" and "Relief Pitcher" menus. Also while at bat, gently tap the A button to bunt from several different angles. B: Steal, run (for both offense and defense), and while pitching used to pickoff a player. D Pad: Curve the ball while pitching by pressing left or right, hold down to throw fastballs, hold down to throw slowballs, and controls which base the ball is thrown on the field. Here's a diagram to clear things up: U 2 L R 3 1 D H Basically, the directions on the D Pad correspond with the baseball diamond. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.0 MAKING A GOOD TEAM ----------------------- All of the other FAQs on this website tell you how to make a great team in about 450 games. Do you really want to spend HALF A YEAR making up a maxed-out team? Because, of course, a lot of us out there have real lives, and we can't spend six months at a time making awesome teams. What follows is a proven method on making the same team that several say can be made in 450 or 500 games in just (approximately) ONE HUNDRED GAMES. This should only take about the course of a month or less to get working. If you have nothing to do but sit around and play games all the time, you can probably even have an above-average team in a week. This next section of the FAQ is designed to get you up and running with a decent team in relatively little time. 3.1 CREATION SUMMARY --------------------- First off, go in to the MAKE TEAM section. Select what type of team you'd like. In my opinion, it doesn't make too big of a difference what you choose because all of your players will be pretty much even in the end, but what the heck. Next, decide a name for your team and replace the existing text with that name. Then, depending on which strength you chose, choose a symbol. When you choose a strength, you want to try to match it up with a particular symbol. Choosing certain symbols according to certain strengths will usually cause a team to have players with higher MAX points. Here's a table to show you what I mean: o----------------o----------------o | SYMBOL | STRENGTH | o----------------o----------------o |Bird |Strong pitchers | | |Balanced team | o----------------o----------------o |Bear |Good defense | | |Fast Runners | o----------------o----------------o |Penguin |Consistent | | | hitters| | |Veterans | o----------------o----------------o |Dog |Veterans | o----------------o----------------o |A |Random | o----------------o----------------o |Baseball |Strong pitchers | | |Balanced team | o----------------o----------------o |Cat |Veterans | o----------------o----------------o |T |Consistent | | | hitters | o----------------o----------------o |G |Power hitters | o----------------o----------------o |D |Good defense | o----------------o----------------o |Y |Power hitters | | |Veterans | o----------------o----------------o |R |Fast runners | | |Random | o----------------o----------------o NOTE: I am not positive is this chart is completely true, so do NOT e-mail me just to say that it isn't! (Although, I don't mind you e-mailing me with a question about it, because really, it's just an opinion of mine) You don't have to go by the table. Again it's not going to make a HUGE difference, it's just that it may help you get players with higher maxes. Not that this always works, so don't hold this against me. This chart is mostly used in reference to when you're going to have to start making tons of other teams to get your stats up, which I'll explain later. It is also very helpful to use the chart with the Super Men's team code, which can be found in my Secrets, Tips, and Cheats section. This chart has nothing to do with your personal team, with which you can do as you please. Now, on to the long part of the task... After you've created your team, go back to the MAKE TEAM option. Make a team, following the chart or not, and repeat until you can't create any more. If you were using the chart, make sure to try different combinations. In other words, don't use the same combo every single time. When you're done, go in to VIEW TEAM. Look at each team and check each player's MAX points, not the current points. I've found that the player's with the highest maxes are usually in the top right and left-hand corners of the roster, and in the bottom left. Here are my preferences: Pitchers: 84 - 86 Batters: 86 - 90 Bench: 85 You don't have to use these guidelines, of course. It's just that after years of experience, I've gotten used to these. Getting a team with these standards can be a long job, but it's worth it. When you find a player with a MAX to your liking, you can name that player, or you can just signify that player, i.e. leave his name blank or AAAAAA; just make sure know where that player is. Next, go into the TRADE PLAYER option. You must have two controllers to trade players. Anyway, with one controller, select your team, and with the other, select the team where you found the player with the high MAX. When the roster comes up for your team, select a player where you'd like the new player to be positioned on your roster. Then, when the next screen comes up, select the player that you named or at least signified earlier. Confirm the trade on the next screen. That's all there is to it! Repeat this process until you have your team complete with high MAX players. Note: It is VERY difficult to find players on a created team with 90 max points, but it can be done. I think, although I'm not positive, that 90-point players can only be found using the right combination(i.e. you can't just make a team throwing any strength and symbol together, you should probably use the chart) and the strong men's team code, which I'll give you later. Also, 90-point players found on created teams are always left-handed. They are only found in the bottom left hand corner of the roster. 90 pitchers can only be hired, as 86 is the highest that can be found. Once you've thrown a team together with maxes that you approve of, you can name your players if you haven't already done so. When you are finished, it's time to start fueling up your players. Depending on if you want to use the code, you may have some sorry players at this point. When you create a team the game gives you a certain amount of money, say around $32,000-$33,000, so if you have enough money you may choose to fuel a player up a little bit. From here, you have two options: Start a league, or play some V.S. games. Either way, your goal is to power up your players, and of course, to have fun. There are some differences between League and V.S. mode. First, there is a difference in the amount of money you make and second of all, League mode keeps stats such as ERA's and Homeruns. In V.S., there are predetermined stats depending on a player's ability. In a league, you make money depending on how much prestige players have on your team and on your opponent's. So, the Lovely Ladies will give you the most money. In V.S., however, it is determined mostly by the difficulty of the team you are facing, and not as much by not prestige. Basically, the harder the team, the more money you get. I recommend playing every team in versus mode to get a feel for them, then choose five you like and start a league. Again, whether or not you use the code will affect how long it takes you to make an awesome team. But either way, I can guarantee you'll have fun with it. 3.2 BUILDING STATS ------------------- Here's a rundown on what each stat means: Hitting: Consistency of hits, i.e. the higher, the more the bat comes in contact with the ball. Batting: The power behind the swing. Batting = Homeruns. Running: How fast a player is. Defense: How quick a player is on the field and how strong his/her throws are. Luck: The chance of making a good play. Prestige: How popular a player is. The more prestige your team has, the more people come to the game, which in turn means more money for a win. There is a specific order I prefer to go in. First of all, Prestige must be completely filled in every player's stats. If a player has reached his max before his Prestige is filled, I fire him, and start over again. This is to ensure I get the most money from game play, because Prestige = Money. Next, it's good to have players with high Hitting and Defense. Actually (after prestige) you could go in any order you like, but I recommend you worry about Luck last. This stat is hard to explain. I'd say that it means the chance of making a "good play", for instance, when your player tags the base and the first baseman catches the ball, your more apt to be safe; also, hitting the ball right between the gap between the short stop and the third baseman, hitting the ball right past the second baseman, or a line drive. Anyway, other, more solid stats should always come first. With pitchers, I do things a little differently. Prestige is still a priority, but if you'd like to use it, there is a trick to turn a pitcher with a MAX of 75 or above into a perfect 90 player. First, you need everything filled up, with your last points going into prestige. Also, be aware that you may need up to 15 points, depending on the max of your pitcher, open in your pitchers batting stats so that this trick can be pulled off. When your pitcher is maxed out (keeping in mind that Prestige comes LAST if you want to use this trick), go into his batting stats and proceed to fill his prestige all the way to 15. Then, since Prestige is a shared stat, your pitching side will have 15 in prestige and... TA DA! A pitcher with 90 points! This is the only way to get a pitcher with 90 points with out hiring one, which costs over $2,000,000! When viewing a player on your team, there are a few options you have. You can change his/her name, power up that player, or with pitchers, view there batting stats. When you choose to power up a player, you can see how much money you have. The number in the top right-hand corner is how much that player is worth, or in other words, how much it costs to power him up. When select BUY from the power up screen, the game gives you a random amount of points from 1 to 6 which you can distribute as you see fit. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4.0 TEAM STRATEGIES ==================== In Baseball Stars, there are a total of eight computer teams to play as or against. Each has it's own strategy to use while playing them as well as their own strengths and weaknesses. I will cover each team, giving a brief description of the team and a basic strategy on how to defeat them. 4.1 SNK Crushers ----------------- Well, to say the least, their not the brightest stars the game of baseball has ever seen. This team was created to help beginners get into the swing of things. Now, common sense would tell that the team named after the manufacturer of the game would be the best team, but who knows what the programmers were thinking when they created this team. But anyway, here's a rundown on how they play: Hitting - Ever heard of a base hit? Let's put it this way, you don't see it very often with this team. Humph... and they dare call them a baseball team. Batting - These guys aren't exactly Mickey Mantle or Mark McGuire. But, if you pitch a fastball straight down the middle they MIGHT, MIGHT squeeze in a homerun... no, wait, what am I rambling on about. This team has never SEEN a homerun except off of the opposition. Running - Stand back Michael Johnson! This team is way too fast! I mean come on, this should be considered CHEATING! Defense - Please... Luck - No. No, stop it right now. Prestige - Their parents don't even come to watch them play. Pitching - Okay, so they have one good pitcher. The only problem is that after they take him out, they stick the worst pitcher in the entire game in! So basically they just cancel each other out. No threat here. This team needs no strategy to be beat. I doubt they could tell you how to lose to them. 4.2 Lovely Ladies ------------------ The Lovely Ladies should always be used in a league because this team gives the most money in League mode. This team is the only team to have all women (if you didn't already catch on). As a matter of fact there are only two other women in the game that aren't on this team. Hitting - They will get a decent hit in every once in a while, but not too often. Batting - This team is not very strong and doesn't hit homeruns hardly at all. The sad part is, they're better than the Crushers are! Running - Running is why they usually get on base. They may not have power, but they're pretty fast. So, make sure your team has average to above-average defense before facing them. Defense - Below-average defense. Especially their outfield, they are simply horrible. Luck - Average. Nothing great here. Prestige - The whole reason to bring this team into a league. They have the most prestige in the game, which in turn means more money for you. Pitching - The pitching on the Ladies is above average. Probably their best area as far as stats go. Watch out for Lian, though. She hit so many people you may get dizzy! Not a horrible team (like some people we know), and they are pretty fun to play, especially taking into account all the money you'll make off of them. If you have decent defense you really should have no problem with the Lovely Ladies. 4.3 Ghastly Monsters --------------------- This team is centered mainly on defense. Each player (starter anyway) has at least a 10 in defense, and even then their pitcher's and bench's lowest in defense is 8, not to mention they have some o.k. batters. So, I'd rate this team about average. And that's right, you guessed it, every player is named after some sort of monster. Hitting - The Monsters have average hitting. Nobody with dead on aim, but no one who can't touch the ball. Batting - A few players on this team can send the ball right on out of hear if given the chance, but nothing too deadly. Running - Not too fast, not too slow. I think average is a good rating for them. Defense - The strong point of this team. Not much gets past this rock solid defense. Luck - Below-average. Their not the luckiest team in the game. Prestige - Who could love a monster? Well, if you didn't get the hint, they're not too popular. Pitching - Their pitching alright. Not the best, not the worst. Your batting better be zero so the ball doesn't leave the ground, or fifteen so your sure it's leavin' the park, because pop flies just won't work with these guys. But, if you have a line-up of $70,000 or so, you should have no problem dealing them a quick defeat. 4.4 World Powers ----------------- World POWERS...for them, it's all about the power behind the swing. Batting, not hitting, is about the only thing they're great at, as you'll soon find out. As with every other team in this game, they have a theme too. Recognize any of the names? Think about it for a while... Hitting - Not impressive. After about their first four batters, their lucky to get a base hit. Batting - Crack!!! If you're not careful, that could be a very common sound you hear from them. Running - Again, not impressing anyone. Incredibly slow. This and their hitting combined explain the lack of base hits. Defense - Not the greatest there ever was either. It's not Crusher's bad, but boy is it close. Luck - The World Powers are average when it comes to Luck. Prestige - Not very prestigious folk either. I'd say, oh, below-average. Pitching - This is pretty awful. They not only have a weak bullpen, but their starters suck as well! You don't need much to defeat the Powers, but beware of their Batting. If your pitchers are anywhere in the vicinity of $50,000 to $70,000, you should not have much trouble handling them. 4.5 Japan Robins ----------------- The Japan Robins is the first team so far that would provide you with somewhat of a challenge. A very well-rounded team with above-average stats. My suggested minimum for your roster is about $80,000, and this is if you plan on a nine inning game. Hitting - Definitely above-average. I'd say they were great except for the fact that the last man on there line up...err... stinks. Batting - They can put some power behind their swing, if you catch my drift... Running - If a player isn't super fast, he's super slow on this team. Defense - Here's something that they are awesome at. Very good defense, infield and outfield. Luck - So-so. Prestige - Their a pretty popular team. In league mode, you can make a decent amount of cash off of them. Pitching - Definitely a highlight of this team. Both of the Robin's starters have at least 60 overall points, and not a bad bullpen either. As I stated earlier, they can provide a pretty good challenge to an average player, especially when compared to teams covered earlier. I suggest you have your offensive stats up, such as Hitting, Batting and Running to counter their spectacular defense. 4.6 Brave Warriors ------------------- Another very good team with good overall stats, but they too have their strengths and weaknesses. The Brave Warriors also have a theme, much harder to figure out than other teams. Hitting - This is a strong point for the Warriors. Everybody has about a 10 in this category, and even there bench isn't too bad. Batting - Average to above-average. A few players can be homerun threats, but nothing to get upset about. Running - Not too shabby, for old men anyway, because if you didn't notice they all have white hair in their pictures. Defense - Like their Running ability, it's not the worst but by far not the best. Luck - Lots and lots o' luck. One of their strengths, of course. Prestige - Decent. Pitching - This is their major weakness. There best pitcher, as far a points/stats go, is in the bullpen, but of course, this is because he lacks in one thing: Stamina. Another challenging team, like the Robins, but possibly a tad better. Don't get into a game with them without having a line-up of at least $90,000. As for your stats, you absolutely need your pitching and defense fueled up to face the Brave Warriors. 4.7 Ninja Blacksox ------------------- Awesome team with unbelievable defense, especially in the outfield! Their speed is also unmatched. Just an overall good team, with very high stats. Hitting - Their hitting is above-average with the exception of two players. Batting - The Blacksox batting is somewhere between average to above-average. If a player is not an awesome batter, than he is especially sorry. Running - These guys are EXTREMELY fast. You better make sure you have awesome defense. Defense - Another very strong point for this team. Very good outfield, not to say that the infield is much worse. Luck - The Blacksox Luck is of an average rate. Prestige - Very prestigious. You can make a ton of money off of them in League mode. Pitching - Good Pitchers. Their only downfall in this this category is one pitcher, and I won't give any names, but he is awful. No really, I mean Crushers awful! I don't suggest playing them without at least $100,000 on your roster. They can be very tough to beat, but with high Batting and Defense, you should pull through. 4.8 American Dreams -------------------- Finally, we get down to the best team in the whole game. American Dreams. What's their strength, you ask? Well, I'd say.....EVERYTHING! Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but not much. Check out these stats: Hitting - Unbelievably good. Not much gets by them if it comes through the strike zone. Batting - Awesome. Just Awesome. The best in the entire game. Almost every player has a 12-15 in Batting, and they will hit homerun after homerun if you are not fully prepared. Running - Okay here is where they are just average... but hold on, now, I'm not saying there horribly slow, I'm just saying that there are faster teams. Defense - Outstanding defense, in and outfield. Luck - Probably above-average. Prestige - Very popular(of course). Besides the Ladies, you make the most money from defeating them in a league. In VS, however, you do make the most money off of them by far. Pitching - Definitely the best in the game. Nobody like them. They still strike me out occasionally! If you didn't catch the vibe, please spare yourself the embarrassment and don't play against them without having a roster of at least $100,000 to $150,000. By this time you want to have all of your stats very high and evened out. Especially beware of their Pitching, Batting, and Hitting skills. If I had to advise you on one thing to have fully powered up, I'd probably say your pitching, because again, their Batting is the best there is. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5.0 UPCOMING ------------- In the next version of this FAQ, there's going to be a Player Guide that describes every computer opponent that replaces this section, but until then I'll tell what else is being added: - Player Guide - More tips (since there are none now) in the section below ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6.0 SECRETS, TIPS, AND CHEATS ------------------------------ Here you'll find all sorts of cheats (okay, so there's not that many), tips from me, and secrets, I guess, as the name suggests. Super Men's Team: From the MAKE TEAM option, press D,R,L,D,D,R, then select any strength you'd like. When the next screen appears, the text box should say "WHEN ISNT IT?". Replace this with "WHEN IT IS." (Make sure to include the period). The "WHEN" should be on the top line, and the "IT IS." should be on the second. Effect: Players on the created team will have most if not all of there stats filled to their MAX. Super Women's Team: From the MAKE TEAM option, press D,R,L,D,D,R,U,U,D,U,D,U, then select any strength you'd like. When the next screen appears, the text box should say "WHAT IS A WREN?". Replace this with "A BIRD." (Make sure to include the period). Both words should be on the top line. On the next screen, the text box should say "WHEN ISNT IT?" and replace it with "WHEN IT IS." like in the Super Men's Team code. Women's Team: From the MAKE TEAM option, press D,D,D,D,D,R,R,R,R,R,R,R, then select a strength. When the next screen appears, the text box should say "WHAT IS A WREN?" and replace it with "A BIRD.". ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7.0 NOTABLE GLITCHES --------------------- There are several different "glitches", if you will, found in Baseball Stars. Some occur often, while others happen very rarely. Some of them may not be considered glitches, I don't know. Anyway, here's the list: Yeah, I'm sure, there's no wall there... When fielding, if the first, second, or third baseman has the ball, you can make it appear like that player is running into wall. With the first baseman, start running in any direction, and almost right after pressing B, hit the A button. With the second baseman, press B+Down, then right after, press A+Up. With third baseman, hit B+Right, and almost directly afterwards, hit A+Left. If done correctly, it can look like he is just running into something that's not there. It can be pretty amusing sometimes. Ha, Fool! If a runner is on second and the second baseman has the ball while standing on base, you can run to third (you probably won't make) and the idiot won't even try to tag you! He just throws it the third like that was the only option he had! Just remember, your runner has to be pretty fast to pull this off. How much is that gear gonna cost me? Whenever the catcher catches the ball, he loses all of his gear right then and there, only to return the next play! That could get costly after a while! What was the call again, ump? This occurs VERY RARELY, I've only had it happen twice, both times versus the Blacksox. If you hit the ball and it's strong enough to be a homerun, everybody knows that sometimes it curves and becomes foul. Well, with this, the ball curves and crosses the foul line a split second before it hits the crowd. You hear and see the umpire call a foul, but at the same time, you hear the homerun music start up, and the game goes through the homerun scene, and next the player who hit the homerun is at bat again with a homerun added to their record and also having one more strike on the board! If there were runners on base, they are gone, but he is still at bat! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8.0 INTERESTING FACTS ---------------------- Here are some pretty cool facts about the game that you may or may not have known: The American Dreams Line Up Sandie Koufax Lefty Groves Cy Young Willie Mays Denny McLain Jay ? Dizzy Dean Jackson, Reggie Frank ? Lou Gehrig Pete Rose Johnny Bench Babe Ruth Eddy ? Joe DiMaggio Billy ? Hank Aaron Paul ? If you know who the characters are with the question marks by them, please e-mail me with the answers at ! In addition, the Dreams stats are closely related to how they played in real life, at least from what I know. Also, characters such as Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, and Reggie Jackson are white in this game. What's up with that? The Brave Warriors Line Up: Thomas ? John Quincy Adams or Hancock Calvin ? Jones ? Grover ? Nathan Hale Billy ? James Monroe Benjamin Franklin Herbie ? Abe Lincoln Zack ? George Washington Orson ? Wendal ? Andrew Jackson (?) Roger ? Chuck ? Again, e-mail me if you have any ideas! The players on this team are all based on some important historical figure. Not to mention, they all have white hair, that was kind of a hint. The World Powers Line Up: Watson ? Socretes Jonas ? Plato, ancient Greek thinker Robert ? Nelson Mandella Clint ? Julius Caesar Napoleon Bonaparte Brutus, some Roman...uh...guy, like Caesar. Wilbur Wright Zeus, God of Gods Orville Wright Gengis Khan Hulk ? Albert Einstein Solomen King Henry I'm not sure if all the spelling is correct, e-mail me with corrections and/or additions. The Ghastly Monsters have a special line up as well, but it's pretty self explanitory and not worth listing here. All players on the SNK Crushers are named after programmers, and interestingly enough, these names were used in future games produced by SNK. SNK Corporation released baseball Stars on May 19, 1989. It's sequeal, Baseball Stars 2, lacked in some of the features and overall quality that the original had, therefore it is less well known and did not sell as good. But, you have to take into account that it was produced by some crap, second rate company, not by SNK. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9.0 LEGAL STUFF ---------------- If you'd like to use my FAQ on your website, you can contact me at kader3@msn.com, and I will more than likely allow you to. Also, e-mail me with any questions or comments that you have. Please do not steal any of my info, if you would like to use some of it, please e-mail me asking me to do so, or at least give me the proper credits. Thanks goes out to Snow Dragon, for helping me set up this guide. I'd also like to mention Charles L. Gibbs. I did not get anything from him, it's just that it's cool to know there is someone out there who likes the game as much as I do. Not to mention, he is the only person besides myself to have a Perfect 90 team that I have seen. Check out his site at http://members.aol.com/baseballstarsman/baseballstars/bstars.html It's pretty cool! SNK, for making such an awesome game. Who knew it would become such a classic? It's too bad they aren't around anymore. Baseball Stars is copyright SNK Corporation and Nintendo of America. All rights reserved. (c) Pegboy 2002