Baseball Stars FAQ

-------------------
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 <[email protected]> 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 <[email protected]>!

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
[email protected], 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