Trading Card Baseball
Preliminary Design – Web and Game Design
Aug 16th, 1999
Document Created By Tony Van
Design Team:
Tony Van
Ethan Ham
Lee Moyer
Paul Dennen
Leslie Power
Howard Rosen
Marcus D’Amelio
Walt Carter
Eric Krasnauskas
Trading Card Baseball
Preliminary Design - Web and Game
Purpose of this document
This document is a high level view of the web and game design for Trading Card Baseball for EASports.com.
Its purpose is to envision the scope and depth of the web site. Once these boundaries are established, the
detailed work of HOW each page of the web site should function can begin.
Each page is broken down into sections for Requirements, Details, and Unknowns. These sections will be
added and changed as more discussions take place.
Where appropriate, mockup screens have been used to illustrate certain concepts.
Many concepts are still in flux, so this document should be treated as a work in progress until the Final Design
document is complete.
System Requirements
The users machine is assumed to have the latest version of either Netscape Navigator or Microsoft IE.
The system settings assume the user has maximized his browser in 800x600 resolution, 16 bit color depth.
JavaScript will be used on many of the web pages.
The various game apps will run as an ActiveX app inside the user’s browser window. ActiveX will be used for IE,
and a plug-in to support ActiveX will be required for Netscape.
Site Requirements




EASports.com’s web site integrates games, content and community. Thus, drawing players to the web site
and keeping them there is the goal of the site. The following are required for each page on the site:
Support a standard area to serve ads to the players
Support a standard navigation structure to navigate the site
Support player login via the Broadvision account structure
Copyright 1999 Electronic Arts.
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Trading Card Baseball
Preliminary Design - Web and Game
Game Focus
The game design is focused on the following areas:

Provide an easy to play and fun to watch baseball experience for both the casual gamer and the hardcore
baseball nut that evokes the thrill of baseball.

Cast the player as Manager. The Manager shapes the game’s strategies by building a team and making
calls on how to exploit its strengths. The Manager should feel he has some control of the game’s outcome.

The Player Cards are the tools to determine the outcome of the Manager’s strategies. The Player Cards
are Archetypes of the players via their season stats, so playing the odds is another Manager strategy.

Encourage players to purchase more players/teams cards to be the best manager in the world.
Game Selling Points

Managers create either Real or Fantasy Team Decks by collecting Major League Baseball Player Cards
from this or past seasons. Initial release should have three seasons of players to choose from as well as
100 Players of the Century. This means there will be about 2550 Player Cards in the initial release (16 NL
and 14 AL teams with ~25 players each season, and 3 different seasons per Player of the Century).

Player Cards or pre-built Fixed Team Decks can be purchased in increasingly more expensive packs that
allow them to filter the types of cards they get. (The more specific the card type, the more it costs.) Costs
go up exponentially for the privilege of selection, which in turn makes trading more desirable.

Players pit their Team Decks against opponents in a game of baseball to gain ranking prestige. The
Manager may make decisions during the game that can drastically influence the outcome, based on the
Player Card stats. Thus, assembling the Team Deck is just the beginning of the Manager’s role to winning.

Managers can choose to practice in solo games against a computer AI or “listen” to a game in progress
while chatting in the Lobby.

Current season Player Cards stats will be updated after each game the the real life player plays. In
addition, any bad effects such as injuries will disable ALL versions of that Player Card until the real player is
off the Disabled List.

Managers will also have to deal with the persistence of “resting” and “rotating” players between games
(especially pitchers or wounded players) to simulate the pressures of a real ball club.

“Deck Managers” will also be available. Initially conceived as a simple AI that helps new players
understand how to build teams and how to make decisions in the game, it may be expanded to represent
real Managers that can be played against in the Solo Game, or purchased to advise how “the pros” do it.
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Trading Card Baseball
Preliminary Design - Web and Game
SITE OVERVIEW
Trading Card Baseball
on EASports.com
~27
pgs
VARIOUS LINKS TO THE TCBB PAGE FROM THE EASPORTS.COM SITE
TCBB MAIN PAGE (in EASPORS.COM)
ACCOUNT CREATION?MAINTENANCE
How to Play
PLAYER LOG IN
Distribue 30 cards
Free or Buyer (how much)
Number/type cards owned
Manager/Team Records
Game Graphic
Top Managers
Other Web Games
Links to the TCBB Site
TCBB TEAM DECK BUILDER (Popup window)
PLAYER LOG IN
Deck Buidler ActiveX App
Load Deck
Rename Deck
Build me a Deck
Advise
Roster Lineup Active X App
Build me a Lineup
Advise
Save Deck
TCBB GAME LOBBY (Popup window)
PLAYER LOG IN
Lobby ActiveX App
chat
change lobbies
"Listen" to a game in play
Reveiw self Information/ choose deck
Reveiw other player info
CHALLENGE PLAYER
Roster Lineup Active X App
Build me a Lineup
Advise
PLAY GAME (replace lobby Popup window)
Game Active X App
TCBB TOP MANAGERS
Top Overall Managers
Top Real Managers
Top Fantasy Managers
By Team Rating
Top Best
Top Abv Avg
Top Avg
Top Below Avg
Top Bottom
TCBB TRADING
Seek By Name
Seek by Team
Seek by Year
TRADING OPTIONS
Select cards to/for trade
Accept Trade
TCBB STORE
Choose Set
Choose Filters
Choose Amounts
Put Items in Cart
TCBB HELP
Troubleshooting FAQ
Strategy FAQ
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Trading Card Baseball
Preliminary Design - Web and Game
MAIN ENTRY PAGE
HTML served from the Broadvision Database
Requirements
 Quick Blurb to Inform players what it is and How To Play (See below)
 List Game Navigation (Create/Edit Team Decks, Chat/Play, Rankings, View Trades/Cards, Buy Cards,
Help)
 Display top 10 Managers (Real, Fantasy and League of the Day)
Details
 Will be inside the EASports.net environment
 Login and Account info is taken care of via Site Navigation (Join|Log In)
 Store Access is via Site Navagation or direct link via Game Navagation
 Each Game Navigation option will usually open a new pop-up window without Site Navigation info
Unknowns
 How can we display how many players are playing and chatting now?
 How can we display any current events?
Example Screen
Browser Window Maximized (790x600)
Minimal Browser Toolbar
(790x125)
Branding Element
Ad Banner
Titles
Arena
Channels
Tech Support
[breadcrumb]
Local Nav Bar
based on which
catagory was
chosen above
Store
Search
Join | Log In
Adv anced
Trading Card Baseball
How to Play
Top TCBB Manage rs
Collect y our own Real or Fantasy Team
Just f ollow these steps tostart play ing
Trading Card Baseball f or FREE!
Ove rall Fantas y
1. Mr Baseball
2. Reboot
1. Login to y our EASports.com account
(click here if y ou need to create an
account)
2. Once y ou hav e logged in,click here to
get 30 random play er cards
3. Go to the Team Deck Builder to
assemble y our team f rom those cards
4. Go to the Game Lobby to chat with
others, practice a solo game, or
challenge another play er.
More We b Gam e s
Web Game 1
Web Game 2
Game Graphic
Ove ral Re al Team s
1. Yankees4Evr
2. Phantom
Scappe r League
1. Kelly
2. Marcus
Go to the
Go to the
Go to the
Go to the
Go to the
Go to the
Team Deck Builder to make a new team
Game Lobby to chat or play a game
Ranking Page to see how you stack up
Card Trading Page to check out w hat deals are being of f ered
Store to buy more cards
Help Screen f or troubleshooting tips and game strategies
Screen Res 800x600 (1/4"=25 pixels) Start Tool Bar Usually Goes Here
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Trading Card Baseball
Preliminary Design - Web and Game
MAIN ENTRY PAGE – HOW TO PLAY WINDOW
HTML served from the Broadvision Database
Requirements
 Overview of how the game works using cards and Link to create a free account, get 30 free cards give
directions on how to log in and watch a game
Details
 The Following text and links are listed in this window:
Collect your own Real or Fantasy Team!
Just follow these steps to start playing Trading Card Baseball for FREE!
1. Login to your EASports.com account (click here if you need to create an account)
2. Once you have logged in, click here to get 30 random player cards
3. Go to the Team Deck Builder to assemble your team from those cards
4. Go to the Game Lobby to chat with others, practice a solo game, or challenge another player.
5. If you Buy more Player Cards or Team Decks, you can also begin to Trade them online!
Unknowns

Example Screen
Browser Pop-up Window Title Bar (790x600)
Branding Element
Close Box
Ad Banner
Screen Res 800x600 (1/4"=25 pixels) Start Tool Bar Usually Goes Here
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Trading Card Baseball
Preliminary Design - Web and Game
View Rankings (Login Opt.)
HTML served from the Broadvision Database (based on info in the Player Account records)
Requirements
 Sort and view all players rankings by categories
 Display who on the list is online now
Details
 Each Manager will have a Ranking number in his profile (see below), which will represent what
Ranking Sorting
 Overall Ranking
 Top Real Team Managers
 Top Fantasy Team Managers
 Top Red Hot Team Managers
 Top Hot Team Managers
 Top Average Team Managers
 Top Something b/t Average and Underdog
 Top Underdog Team Managers
Unknowns
 How do we Rank the managers (has something to do with total of Manager’s Team Decks)
Example Screen
Browser Pop-up Window Title Bar (790x600)
Branding Element
Close Box
Ad Banner
Screen Res 800x600 (1/4"=25 pixels) Start Tool Bar Usually Goes Here
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Trading Card Baseball
Preliminary Design - Web and Game
View Cards/Trades (Login Opt.)
HTML served from the Broadvision Database
Requirements
 Slight modification of how DA does Sanctum Trades.
 Display, sort and search for specific card types
 Display who wants what for each type of card
 If logged in, user will also be shown which cards they own to help facilitate trading
Details
 Show by Name, Team, Year, or Position
Unknowns
 Is it possible to allow players who have not logged it to see this page? The worry is what happens if you
don’t have an account and it wants to show your cards?
 Should we discard the second trading password, as a convenience for our users? If not, Player Account
will have to support it.
Example Screen
Browser Pop-up Window Title Bar (790x600)
Branding Element
Close Box
Ad Banner
Screen Res 800x600 (1/4"=25 pixels) Start Tool Bar Usually Goes Here
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Trading Card Baseball
Preliminary Design - Web and Game
Copyright 1999 Electronic Arts.
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Trading Card Baseball
Preliminary Design - Web and Game
View Store (Login Opt.)
HTML served from the Broadvision Database based on EA Store Stock
Requirements
 Use EA’s Store to sell cards/teams
Details
 Purchase card Packs in the following ways:
 First, Choose a Set (either year or special set like Century players)
 Then Choose Fixed Team Deck, Player Cards or Grab Bag
 1 Team Deck, Random by Set
 1 Team Deck, Random by Non-Playoff Team of Set
 1 Team Deck, Random by Playoff Team of Set
 10 Player Cards, Random by Set
 10 Player Cards, Random by Position of Set
 5 Player Cards, Random by Non-Playoff Team of Set
 5 Player Cards, Random by Playoff Team of Set
 Grab Bag – 25 Random cards from all available sets
Unknowns
 How to integrate the DA card technology with EA Store
 Will EA’s Store support the idea of randomization and sorting as required?
 Will we support limited editions?
Example Screen
Browser Pop-up Window Title Bar (790x600)
Branding Element
Close Box
Ad Banner
Screen Res 800x600 (1/4"=25 pixels) Start Tool Bar Usually Goes Here
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Trading Card Baseball
Preliminary Design - Web and Game
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Trading Card Baseball
Preliminary Design - Web and Game
Help
HTML served from the Broadvision Database
Requirements
 Troubleshooting FAQ
 Strategy FAQ
Details

Unknowns

Example Screen
Browser Pop-up Window Title Bar (790x600)
Branding Element
Close Box
Ad Banner
Screen Res 800x600 (1/4"=25 pixels) Start Tool Bar Usually Goes Here
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Trading Card Baseball
Preliminary Design - Web and Game
Login Popup / Create Account / Edit Account (Login Req.)
HTML served from the Broadvision Database
Requirements
 Uses EA’s Broadvision login system
 Username, Persona and password will be required
 Once logged in, user’s ID is passed with him, and he is allowed access to the entire site
Details
 This pop-up should appear anywhere where the player clicks to enter an area that requires login.
 Each Player Account can have its own collection (including the ability to get 30 new cards if not a buyer
yet.)
 The Create Account page must be a secure HTML page
Unknowns

 What information about each game will be available in each Player Account? Will score, collection info, or
other information be available here?
 How to implement the following: Players who already own the 30 free cards should be able to choose to
”reshuffle” their existing 30 free cards for 30 different cards. This cannot be done once new cards are
purchased. How about we allow them to redraw their free cards up to five times? It must be made clear
that they can’t undo a redraw.
 If using limited cards, how can we will “pull” free cards back from inactive accounts so they can be issued
again. Players who return will have to get 30 new cards.
 Will a second Password be needed for trading, and if so, can it be remembered here?
Example Screen
Browser Window Maximized (790x600)
Minimal Browser Toolbar
(790x125)
Branding Element
Ad Banner
Titles
Arena
Channels
Tech Support
[breadcrumb]
Store
Search
Join | Log In
Adv anced
Local Nav Bar
based on which
catagory was
chosen above
Screen Res 800x600 (1/4"=25 pixels) Start Tool Bar Usually Goes Here
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Trading Card Baseball
Preliminary Design - Web and Game
Team Decks Builder (Login Req.)
ActiveX program in its own Popup Window
Requirements
This App is a major modification of how DA does Sanctum Deck Building:
 The App checks for existing card images and download them if missing
 Owner will be notified of invalid Decks when the Card/Team is traded
 Managers Filter and Sort their collection to view Player and Team Cards to make a team
 Managers pull down Player and Team Cards to make a valid Team
 Managers create a valid default lineup for their Team Deck.
 Also, the player can get Advice from the “Deck Manager” on ideas on making a good team, either by
clicking Advice or when he moves to the Lineup.
Details
Downloading Card Images
 When the app is launched, it checks to insure the Manager has all his Cards (this is preferable to the DA
“do you want to check if there are any changes to download” pop-up if it does not take too long)
 If a Card is owned and an image is not in the HD, a default “Player Card” or “Team Card” image should be
shown until the image is downloaded.
 It should be possible to use the Team Deck Builder (and play the game) without any Player Card images.
Invalid Deck
 When the app checks to insure the Manager has all his Cards, it will also inform the player if any of his
Team Decks are no longer valid due to cards being traded from his collection.
Tournament Deck
 If a Team Deck is in a Tournament, it should be displayed here. Players cannot change a deck registered
in a Tournament. This will be some work… I consider this a desireable, but cuttable, feature.
Basic Interface Needs
 Collection Window, Number of Cards Owned, Filter Buttons, Sort Buttons, Toggle Pictures/Stats Button
 Team Assembly Area, Minimum Team Indicators, AL Team Indicator, Build me a Team Button
 Player Information Window, Specific Info Selectors
 Load Deck Button, Rename Deck Button
 Advice Button, Help Button, Next Button
Unknowns

Example Screens
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Trading Card Baseball
Preliminary Design - Web and Game
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Trading Card Baseball
Preliminary Design - Web and Game
Team Deck Builder – Collection Sorting
Requirements
 A collection lists each Player and Team Card in the Manager’s collection
 A collection can be have both individual Player Cards and Fixed Team Decks.
 A collection can be Filtered and Sorted
 Stats can be toggled on in the main view, either over or replacing the card image.
 Cards can be dragged down from the Collection list to the Team Assembly List (see below)
Details
Team Cards
 Team Cards may be 2x the size of the standard Player Card, and the Image may be a team photo.
Collection Filtering Buttons
 A collection can be filtered by: Team, Year, Position, Award Winners, Sets, Injury, Name
Collection Sorting Buttons
 A collection can be filtered by: Name, Batting Avg, Pitching ERA, Fielding Avg., Stolen Base %, Catcher
SB%, (Batting Handedness and Pitching Handedness are wanted, but may be too much)
Multiple Card Stat Viewing Button
 A button on the screen (or perhaps also double clicking on the card lineup images) will cause the cards
stats to display (to more easily assess a number of cards with similar stats)
Unknowns

Example Screens
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Trading Card Baseball
Preliminary Design - Web and Game
Team Deck Builder - Viewing Player Cards
Requirements
 All Player Card statistics will be provided by EA
 Each Player Card will represent a Player or Team.
 Each Player Card will have three sections: Overview, Stats, Bio
 Each Team card will have a blurb about the team and directions on how to select it as a deck… managers
will need to select the team as a deck before being able to view the individual players’ stats.
 On Overview, each basic stats has a “League Average Rating”
Details
Viewing the Stat
 Selecting the player will place his information in a information window. Clicking on the selectors in the
information window will display specific information
League Average Rating
 This generalizes the Player Card’s stats against the league average for that year.
 Red Hot
 Hot
 League Average
 Something b/t Average and Underdog
 Underdog
 For example: Hitting: Red Hot (.345 Batt Avg)
Pitcher Endurance Bar

 We’ve talked about this a lot at DA and have basically come to the conclusion that Endurance should be ingame only and that rotation should be randomly picked at the start of the game (perhaps weighted towards
the manager’s top starters). Other ways of doing this (such as storing endurance) just seem to easy to
hack.
Injury
 There are two types of Injury: Game and Persistant
 When an Injury is calculated by the game, it is either a Shake Off and Temp Injury
 Shake Offs are injuries that will only affect players for that inning (hurt eye, bruised leg, whatever.)
 Temp Injuries will plague the player the entire game. Managers are best suited to sub the player out.
 In either case, the player’s stats are –25% while injured.
 When an Injury happens to a real player in life, that is a Persistent Injury.
 The player will be out of the game (on the Disabled List) until he is put back in real life.
 All seasons of that player are affected.
 There a number of players who are not active, but still may get a Persistent injury
 Each inactive player will receive a tiny chance of DL injury weighted by his DL’s during his Career.
Each day, each inactive will be checked to see if it is on the 15 day DL list. Again, all seasons of that
card will be affected until 15 days (not games) pass.
Player Card Information – All views
 Name, Team, Year, Position, Batting/Throwing Handedness, Picture
 “Injury” or “Resting“ flag and counter for Game Injury, 15 / 60 DL or for players who need a rest between
games (such as Catchers)
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Trading Card Baseball
Preliminary Design - Web and Game
Player Card Information – Overview
 Hitting Info: League Average Rating (Batt Avg)
 Running Info: League Average Rating (Stolen Base Percentage)
 Fielding Info: League Average Rating (Fielding %)
 Catcher Info (when appropriate): League Average Rating (Stolen Bases Allowed / Caught Stealing)
 Starting Pitcher Info: League Average Rating (ERA)
 Relief Pitcher Info: League Average Rating (ERA)
 Fatigue Bar (max based on Avg # throws per game) Pitcher’s Fatigue Bar lowers on their “off games”
(showing what will happen if the player uses that Pitcher in the game.)
Player Card Information – Stats
 Season Info: Games played
 Hitting Info (Overall, Left or Right, click to choose): At Bats, Batt Avg, SO%, H, 2B, 3B, HR, RBI (Slg. Avg if
desired/used)
 Running Info: # Walks, Stolen Base% (Stolen Bases/Caught Stealing/Games Played?)
 Fielding Info: Fielding%, (PO, A, E, DP stats if desired/used)
 Catcher Info (when appropriate): League Average Rating (ERA), Passed Balls
 Pitcher Info (click on Pitcher Icon at bottom of card to see these stats)
 Starting Pitcher Info (ERA, W/L%, Games Started, Avg IP, Hits/Strikeouts, WP/Bk, H, R, ER, HR,
Grn/Fly Ratio)
 Relief Pitcher Info (ERA, Sv, Games Played, Avg IP, Hits/Strikeouts, WP/Bk, H, R, ER, HR, Grn/Fly
Ratio)
 Fatigue Bar (max based on Avg # throws per game) Pitcher’s Fatigue Bar lowers on their “off games”
(showing what will happen if the player uses that Pitcher in the game.)
Player Card Information - Bio
 Height, Weight, DOB, Awards, Trivia, Quotes
 Fatigue Bar (max based on Avg # throws per game) Pitcher’s Fatigue Bar lowers on their “off games”
(showing what will happen if the player uses that Pitcher in the game.)




UnknownsIdea: let’s store the players’ “virtual” stats of how they’re performing for the particular manager.
These stats get reset when the player is pulled from a team. After the team has played 162 ranked games,
the server checks for any record holders and resets the stats.
What to do about the cool “autograph” upgrade idea? Perhaps this could be given to cards that have their
virtual stats significantly higher than their actual stats after a season (162 ranked games) of play.
What to do about Clutch hitters? We can model this if we can find good stats to use. and save it as a bit on
the server.
How we determine how “hot” a player is
Example Screen
Shawn Estes
1999 SF Giants – Starting Pitcher
Bats Rgt / Throws Lft 22 Games Played
Injury Type or Rest
Overview
Copyright 1999 Electronic Arts.
Stats
Bio
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Trading Card Baseball
Preliminary Design - Web and Game
Hitting: Up and Coming (.266 Batt Avg)
Vs Rgt: AB BA SO% H 2B 3B HR RBI
.271 443 20% 120 22 1 13 65
Running: Up and Coming (10% Steal/Caught)
Run:
Fielding: Red Hot (.968 Fielding)
SB CS
12 7
Field: Fld% PO A E
968 10 20 1
Height:
Weight:
Date of Birth:
Place of Birth:
Awards:
Starting Pitcher: Up and Coming (4.96 ERA)
Fatigue Bar
Pitch: ERA W / L GS Avg IP H/SO WP
4.96 50% 22 6.5 1.2 12
H 2B 3B HR G/F
138 ?
?
15 1.72
Trivia/Quote:
Fatigue Bar
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Trading Card Baseball
Preliminary Design - Web and Game
Team Deck Builder - Viewing Team Cards
Requirements
 Team Cards work the same as Player Cards, with the following exceptions:
 Each Team Card may be 2x the size of a Player Card
 Each Team Card will represent a Team of Players.
 Each Player Card will have two sections: Overview, Bio
 Overview will list the Avg Team Rating and Breakdown.
Details
Team Average Rating
 This averages the Team Card’s stats of all of its players. For example, a team made up of Mostly Red Hot
Hitters and some League Avg hitters will average as an Red Hot Hitting Team.
Team Card Information – All views
 Team, Year, Win/Loss%, Team Picture
 “Injury” or “Resting“ flag if any players are so marked.
Team Card Information – Overview
 Hitting Info: Team Average Rating (Batt Avg)
 Running Info: Team Average Rating (Stolen Base Percentage)
 Fielding Info: Team Average Rating (Fielding %)
 Catcher Info (when appropriate): Team Average Rating (Stolen Bases Allowed / Caught Stealing)
 Starting Pitcher Info: Team Average Rating (ERA)
 Relief Pitcher Info: Team Average Rating (ERA)
Player Card Information - Bio
 Year, place of creation, Home Stadium (why stadium and not team?), Manager for this Season, Awards,
Trivia, Quotes
Unknowns

Example Screen
1997 SF Giants
45% Win/Loss Team Rating: Red Hot
Injury Type or Rest
Overview
Bio
Hitting: League Avg (.286 Batt Avg)
Running: Red Hot (120% Steal/Caught)
Year of Creation
Place of Creation
Home Stadium
Fielding: Red Hot (.958 Fielding)
Current Manager
Starting Pitcher: League Avg (2.96 ERA)
Awards:
Fatigue Bar
Trivia/Quote:
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Trading Card Baseball
Preliminary Design - Web and Game
Team Deck Builder – Team Selection
Requirements
 A Manager will have only a limited number of “deck slots” for his ranked Team Decks. He gains more deck
slots as he buys more cards. Managers have unlimited number of unranked teams decks (which are stored
client-side).
 Each Team must have a minimum number of players in each position
 Based on the overall stats of the Player Cards, a Team Rating is assigned.
 After a valid Team is assembled, the Team Lineup must be created to save it. (see below)
 Advice can be given from the “Deck Manager” (see below)
Details
Deck Slots
 Unlike Sanctum and other CCG’s, players are restricted to a limited number of deck slots. Each slot’s
history is attached to the Manager’s DB file. Thus, each time a player uses the slot (regardless of the
players in it) it’s history and win/loss ratio is updated.
 Each Manager’s Deck Performance is counted for his Rank (see Lobby for more info)
 It is hoped this mechanic will help players when matching against others, as it tells the
Minimum Team Constraints
 Each Team requires 25 players
 Each Team requires 1 player for each position, but no less then 4 for starting pitchers (perhaps we should
up this to require 2 players for each position, which may help when we have players who can cover 2
positions at once.)
 The extra players either make up “bench” players (used as pinch runners and hitters) or “bullpen” pitchers
(extra relief pitchers)
 All teams must also have 10th position to fill, the Designated Hitter. When an AL team plays a NL team, the
server will randomly determine whether the DH is used.
Build me a Deck
 A player can click an option to “build me a deck.” It is assumed that much of the logic required to effectively
build a deck can be used in the Manager Advice routines (see below)
Team Ratings
 Team Ratings are based on its Player Cards Ratings (see Team Decks for more info)
Next
 When done, the app checks to insure the team is valid, gives any final Manager Advice, closes down and
launches the Team Lineup App, passing the Deck Slot info.
Unknowns
 Is there a way for the player to review his deck’s history/stats here? It would be nice, and maybe the “deck
manager” could have something helpful to say based on that info.
Example Screens
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Team Deck Builder – Manager Advice
Requirements
 Using the routines used to build a deck, the app may give advice.
 A Manager can click on “advice” to here the AI Manager Advice any time
 A Manager can click an option to “build me a lineup” and here the AI Manager walk him though the deck
selection process.
 The AI Manager will make a comment when the Manager clicks on Next.
Details
 There will be a checkbox to mute the AI manager.
Unknowns
 If this feature works well, we may want to make it less generic, and license Manager names to add color,
weigh probabilities and represent AI Managers in the game either as opponents or help to you.

Version 2, baby, Version 2 
Example Screens
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Team Lineup – From Team Builder
ActiveX program in its own Popup Window
Requirements
 Managers set their lineup here
 After a lineup is chosen, the player can save the deck
 “Manager Advice” is available here too.
Details
 After clicking Next in the team creation screen, Managers will set up their default lineup here.
 Team Decks will create a Batting Lineup, Pitching Rotations, Bullpens, Benches and a Disabled List.
Unknowns

Example Screens
Browser Pop-up Window Title Bar (790x600)
Branding Element
Close Box
Ad Banner
Screen Res 800x600 (1/4"=25 pixels) Start Tool Bar Usually Goes Here
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Team Lineup – From Start Game
ActiveX program in its own Popup Window
Requirements
 The starting pitcher is randomly picked, perhaps weighted towards the best starters.
 Managers review and modify their lineup here
 The other Team’s Starting Pitcher, default lineup and scouting report is available
 After a lineup is chosen, the player can begin play
 “Build me a Lineup” and “Manager Advice” is available here too.
 After the first Manager signals Ready, the other manager has 1 minute to make final changes.
Details
 Managers can modify the Batting Lineup here. Their default lineup is used first.
 The Pitcher is automatically chosen from the existing Starting Rotation.
 The Player can see if he is Visiting (up first) or Home.
 Players can again review the Profiles of the other Manager, Team Decks and Scouting Reports to help
decide his Lineup
Unknowns

Example Screens
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Team Lineup – Manager Advice
Requirements
 Using the routines used to build a deck, the app may give advice.
 A Manager can click on “advice” to here the AI Manager Advice any time
 A Manager can click an option to “build me a lineup” Tips on building a lineup are available in Help.
 The AI Manager will make a comment when the Manager clicks on Next.
Details
 There will be a checkbox to mute the AI manager.
Unknowns
 If this feature works well, we may want to make it less generic, and license Manager names to add color,
weigh probabilities and represent AI Managers in the game either as opponents or help to you.
 If licensing managers makes sense, the players will purchase Manager Cards, and select them as a
member of the team to activate them (only 1 manager at a time.)
Example Screens
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Player Lobby (Login Req.)
ActiveX program in its own Popup Window
Requirements
This App is a major modification of how DA does Sanctum Lobbies:
 Managers will be notified of invalid Decks (due to off-line trading) when entering the Lobby.
 The player may choose to move to other chat rooms (number players in the room should be listed when
choosing)
 A player is represented by his name and Icon of his current Team w/ year and Level of play
 The player can view his own or other players Manager information, and edit his own.
 A list of games in progress will show who is playing now, and allow a player to “listen” to the game text.
 The Manager can view another Manager’s Team information and challenge by clicking on their Icon
 A Manager can choose to play a Solo game against the computer AI
Details
Basic Interface Needs
 Lobby List with number of players inside each
 Lobby Area displaying Icons
 Game Area displaying Icons, Listen Button
 Manager Information Area
 Chat Window Area, Chat box, Whisper Button, Mute Button
 Info/Challenge Button, Help Button
Unknowns

Example Screen (Sanctum)
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Player Lobby – Manager Profile
Requirements
 A Manager is represented by his name and current Team Deck Icon
 Each Manager will receive a lifetime record for others to view before they challenge him
 Each Manager may have a Ranking of where he sits in relation to the other players.
Details
The Manager’s Icon
Tony, our inclination on the lobby is to display managers in the lobby in the same way File Explorer displays files
when you select “Small Icons” under the view menu. We could display the team in that size icon and the year in
parenthesis before the Managers’ names. Level of play could be indicated by icon background color. We’d
want all this information, along win/loss stats, displayed in text when the icon is selected (so newbies who don’t
know the “code” will understand who they’re challenging).
Manager Profile
 Similar with the Sanctum Interface, the Manager’s basic info will be displayed at the bottom of the screen
when his Icon is selected.
 Manager name (from Player Account), Total games won / lost percent, current Ranking (see Ranking
Web site for details)
 Manager quote, his Currently selected team (click to get list of his other Teams)
 The Quote and Selected team may be changed by the owning manager at any time in this interface
Unknowns
 Should we keep the Manager’s history of games on the HD, so anyone can click on the win/loss percent
and get the “history” for this Manager? What does the history entail? If it is overall stats (not on a game by
game basis) that sounds great. We can also have a scouting report on the Manager’s last game.
Example Screen
MANAGER NAME
Quote: ____________________________________________
Game Record
Games Played Win% Ranking
75
68%
245,783
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Player Lobby – Player Challenge Popup
Requirements
 Each Team Deck will have a profile to show how well it has done in the past.
 Each Manager can choose his game preferences for that team
 A Challenging Manager can review this information before issuing a challenge.
Details
When a Manager’s Icon is double clicked (or a “challenge” button is pressed), the Team Deck Profile and
Challenge Information pop-up shows. Managers can click on themselves to choose a new Current Team Deck.
 The following Team Deck info is displayed: total games played, win/lost percent, Last Date Modified, How
many cards traded, Scouting report of last game, Team Roster list
 Next to the name of the Team Deck, the following may be displayed:
 Type: Either Real (if 100% same team and same year) or Fantasy
 Year: Either the specific year (if 100% of the team is from the same year) or nothing
Under the Team Deck info, the Manager’s game preferences are shown (Managers can edit their preferences
by clicking on themselves.)
 Current game preferences:
 Real Team Only?: If checked, this Manager only wants games that are with real teams.
 This Season Only?: If checked, this Manager only wants games that are of the same year as his
Currently selected Team Deck (shadowed if Current Team Deck is not a certain year)
 Inning Length: checkboxes of Inning lengths the Manager is interested in: 3, 6 or 9. At least one must
be selected. The challenging player then may choose one from those.
 Ranked: If checked, the game will count as a ranked game (see unknown below for counterpoint to
this). Shadowed if the Manager has not bought cards, or is checked as Unlisted.
 Unlisted: if checked, that player’s ranking is not shown, and players only have the Unranked option.
 No Challenges: If checked, the player’s Icon is changed to No Challenges, and players can view him,
but never issue a challenge to him.
Unknowns
 Should we keep the Team’s history of games on the HD, so anyone can click on the win/loss percent and
get the “history” for this Team?
 Is a Time preference important (I assume 15 sec “get ready” delay is good enough for all games.) Time for
what? Is this that a player has 15 sec to finish the move after his opponent has? I suggest that this isn’t
long enough (we should play test this)… I suggest giving 30 sec, 60 sec, and 90 sec as the time out
options. Also, this timeout should be longer when doing a substitution.
 Is Ranking/Unlisting important? Shouldn’t all human vs. human games be ranked, since players can paly
their decks against the AI? If “unranked” does that mean the deck history information is invalid? Do these
concepts still hold up under these new mechanics and scope of players (millions)? Unranked manager’s
don’t have stats. Unlistedmanagers (which we should definitely support) should have their stats hidden and
frozen until the manager decides to become listed again.
Example Screen
Team Deck:
Real/Fantsy_Year_____________________________
Team Record
Games Played Win%
25
55%
Last Modification: ______
Cards Traded: ____
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Scouting Report
Team Roster
Game Challenge Preferences
(ranked games are only available with 9 innings)
Game Type:
Real Teams Only?__
This Year Only?__
Inning Length: 3 Innings__
6 Innings__
9 Innings__
Ranked Game:__
Unlisted: __
No Challenges:___
Time out: 30 sec, 60 sec, 90 sec
Challenge
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Player Lobby – Listening to Another Game
Requirements
 Other Manager’s games can be seen
 Players can “listen” to the chat messages (player messages and color commentary) of other players
games.
Details
 Games in play will have some indication of what is happening (perhaps the two players Icons with a Vs, a
score beneath, and the current Inning?)
 By selecting a game and either double clicking it or selecting the “Listen” button, that game will be “turned
on” and the player will be able to see the text messages generated from that game in the Lobby (great for
Tournaments.)
Unknowns
 Should we offer a Private Game option, so other Managers cannot overhear the chat if they select their
game to listen to?
Example Screen
Proposal:
That managers can watch a number of games (maybe up to three?) while they are in the lobby. Watching a
game brings a small window up that has a abstract diamond on it (showing runners), the outs, and the strike
count. Perhaps the box score is across the top. At the bottom is a text box showing the AI play-by-play
commentary (but not the manager chat).
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Player Lobby - Playoff Games (Tournaments)
Tony, This is all server side stuff, so we could develop and “ship” this after initial customer
“ship”
Requirements
 Allow Managers or EA to set up an area for players to play many games with the same deck.
Details
 Managers go to the Playoff (Tournament) lobby to create/join/or view current Playoffs
Create a Playoff Ladder
 When created, a specifier is chosen as to who can enter. The specifier can be Team Rating (one or any),
Team Type (Real, Fantasy, Specific Year?)
 A Registration Date is then specified (1-3 days).
 Each Playoff Ladder will support up to 8 players.
 The Playoff Ladder is then created, and players may then join.
Registration Phase
 Once created, the Playoff Tournament will accept Managers (up to its limit) until time runs out.
 When a Manager signs up, he chooses a Team Deck that fits the specifier. That Deck is “marked” as in a
Tournament, and cannot be changed until the Tournament is over, or the player withdraws. Cards in a
Tournament Deck cannot be traded (they will not be displayed as “available” when trading).
 When Time has expired, the players are randomly assigned.
Play Phase
 Each night, Managers must log on, enter the page, and challenge their opponent to a game. A standard
time is set every night for players the meet. (9pm EST)
 Each game has a “time field” that either player can edit to change the expected time of the game
(which may then be e-mailed privately to the other player.) The Time is only changed if both
 Each name assigned to a game will have an “online” indicator to show who is online at that time.
 If both players show, one simply challenges the other.
 If only one player shows after the time set, he can challenge the computer.
 If neither player shows up by 12:00am, the computer will play both teams.
 The Playoff Ladder is Double Elimination, so at least 2 games will be played. Are we talking about a simple
bracket best of 3 or a double elimination in what manner?
 The last 10 Winners of 8 Manager Playoffs will be posted in the Rankings page. Those playing with less
then 16 players will not be posted.
Unknowns
 How to view the Playoff structure inside the lobby area?
Example Screen
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Game App – Lineup
ActiveX program in its own Popup Window
Requirements
 Players download the other team’s Player Card graphic files before play begins.
 Server determines which manager is the “visitor”. Because the server picks, we can have it determined in a
particular manner for tournaments, but otherwise random.
 Players must create a Lineup before play begins (See Lineup section above)
 Game then begins
Details
 A generic baseball diamond will be used in the initial release, but the idea of offering “field” cards (as well as
weather effects) should be planned for in the future

Unknowns
Example Screen

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Game App – New Batter
ActiveX program in its own Popup Window
Requirements
 The Pitcher gets the ball thrown back to him
 The Next Batter in the order goes to the plate
 Appropriate Color Commentary is printed
Details
 “Next up, Number #14, Jimmy “Dynamite” Walker.”
Unknowns
 For this version let us just use color commentary from a library and in the future think about having
commentary specifically for top players.
Example Screen

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Game App - At The Plate – Offensive Options
Requirements
 The Offensive Manager makes his choices
 The Offensive Manager clicks a Ready button to final his play (before the timer runs out).
Details
Manager Choices before the batter is Ready
 Signal runner for lead off to increase the chance of making it to the next base (increases chance of getting
picked off)
 Signal Normal Lead, Aggressive Lead, Steal




Substitute a player for a Pinch Hitter or a Pinch Runner (once the player is out of the game, he’s out for
good)
View play sheet of current game (tally of Player Card actions previously, such as what happened the last
time this batter went against this pitcher)
Change the “global” base-running setting (normal, aggressive)
Call Bat Style (which confirms the manager’s orders for that turn)
 Green Light (default – standard read/swing)
 Slug (swing for the fences, read suffers, fly ball chance increases)
 Make Contact (the batter swings at anything, and with little power for greatest contact chance
 Bunt (try to lay down a bunt)
 No Swing
 Let’s not allow taking a hit intentionally
Unknowns
 How to view box score… maybe it pops up when the cursor rolls over the top of the screen?
Example Screen

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Game App - At The Plate – Defensive Options
Requirements
 The Defensive Manager may make a few choices before the timer runs out. (see below)
 When Ready (before the timer runs out), the Defensive Manager clicks a Ready button.
Details
Manager Choices before the Pitcher is Ready
 Move infield
 Move In to increase chance to get 3rd out before home, but decreases chances of double play (this
option is only available if a runner is on 3rd).
 Corners In to slightly increase 3rd base out and slightly decrease double play,
 Guard the Line to move the linemen out more to protect the lines from extra run hits

(we don’t have stats on how hitters pull)Move Back to normal
 Move outfield around
 Move In when potential winning run is on 3rd and a sacrifice fly may get the third out
 Move out
 Move Back to normal position
 Bring in relief pitcher (let’s display fatigue via the endurance bar and not have the “only check once per
inning”… it’s trying too hard to be realistic).
 Sub out or swap a player
 Call Pitch Style (selecting pitch confirms the manager’s orders for that turn)
 Throw a Strike (aim for the center of the strike zone, imperative that you throw a strike)
 Throw for the Edges (try for the outer edges of the strike zone)
 Overpower (use your best pitch to confound the hitter)
 Throw Junk (use when you purposefully want to throw a ball, but not an intentional walk)
 Pitchout (a Fastball Ball to the Catcher to stop a player from Stealing)
 Intentional walk
 Specify base runner to watch (the computer automatically decides whether to do the pickoff)
Unknowns

Example Screen

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Game App - The Pitch
Requirements
 Any Pickoffs are resolved before the pitch
 The Pitcher’s ERA vs. the Batters Batting Avg. determines what happens (see below)
 The chance of catcher error is slim
 If the ball is hit, go to Fielding. If not, count an out or throw another
 If the ball is a Pitchout, and the Runner is stealing, resolve the Pitchout
Details
Pickoff
 If the Off Manager told a Player Card to lead off and the Def Manager told the Pitcher/Catcher to Hold him,
a pickoff may occur before the pitch
 Roll against the Pitchers Pickoff%. If made, pitcher throws the ball. Roll for the Runner against his
Steal% . if made, runner gets back on base safe. If Runner misses roll, he’s out.
Made Roll
Missed Roll
Pitcher (Pk %)
Pitched to base
Never Pitched to base
Runner (Steal%)
Made to base safe
Did not make it back safe.
The Pitch
There are four possibilities for the type of pitch: Nibble, Overpower, Throw Junk, and Throw a Strike.
Combining these four possibilities with the five batting options (Green Light, Slug, Bunt, Make Contact, Take a
Pitch), we have a resulting matrix of 20 outcomes.
(A) Pitch Type: Nibble
When nibbling, a pitcher is trying to throw the ball over the edges of the strike zone. He is trying to put the ball in
an area where the batter will have a hard time reading whether the pitch is going to be a ball or a strike. So, the
chance of actually throwing a strike is somewhat low.
(A1) Pitch Type: Nibble, Hit Type: Green Light
This is a neutral matchup, perhaps this could be considered the average situation (where the numbers are not
modified). The pitcher is trying to place the ball in the perfect spot, while the batter is on his normal read. There
would be chances for called strikes, whiffs, home runs, etc., all of which wouldn’t deviate much from the
statistical norm because of the managerial choices.
(A2) Pitch Type: Nibble, Hit Type: Slug
This is a fairly good matchup for the pitcher, because the hitter on Slug is anxious to drive the ball hard and is
more worried about timing the pitch than pitch location. If placed well (in a hard to hit position), the slugger has
a low chance to get good wood on the ball. If the pitch misses off the plate, the hitter has a good chance to
whiff. If the pitch misses toward the center of the plate, the slugger does have a good chance of pounding the
ball.
(A3) Pitch Type: Nibble, Hit Type: Bunt
Bunting against a nibble probably favors the batter slightly. The bunter can deal with a superbly located pitch
better than an overpowering or junk pitch.
(A4) Pitch Type: Nibble, Hit Type: Make Contact
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This is a neutral matchup. The pitch is probably going to be near the plate, and doesn’t have the pitcher’s best
stuff (velocity & movement), so there is a low chance that the hitter will whiff. Because of the good possibility of
pitch placement, the hitter will have a low chance of getting a base hit.
(A5) Pitch Type: Nibble, Hit Type: Take a Pitch
The batter does not swing. Simply calculate the pitcher’s chance of throwing a strike while Nibbling (medium).
(B) Pitch Type: Overpower
The pitcher on Overpower mode is breaking out his best stuff, whether it is the high heat or the killer change up.
The overpower pitch’s purpose is to “blow away” the hitter, and will garner the highest whiff chance for the
pitcher. Because of the fact that on Overpower, the pitcher tends to have an advantage, I think we should
implement some sort of pitcher fatigue system where Overpower costs more fatigue than other types of pitches.
(B1) Pitch Type: Overpower, Hit Type: Green Light
Slight advantage to the pitcher.
(B2) Pitch Type: Overpower, Hit Type: Slug
This is a classic power vs. power matchup. Here you have higher than normal chances of extreme outcomes,
both favoring the pitcher (the whiff) and the batter (the home run).
(B3) Pitch Type: Overpower, Hit Type: Bunt
This is a slight advantage for the pitcher. Basically, the more velocity and/or movement on a pitch, the harder it
is to bunt (I think).
(B4) Pitch Type: Overpower, Hit Type: Make Contact
I think that again, this is an advantage to the pitcher. The hitter is told to swing and put the bat on the ball, but
the overpower pitch that misses the strike zone (picture a dropping split fingered fastball) is a tough ball to hit. If
the ball is in the strike zone, however, the batter will probably make contact, because of the shortened swing.
(B5) Pitch Type: Overpower, Hit Type: Take a Pitch
The batter does not swing. Simply calculate the pitcher’s chance of throwing a strike with Overpower (medium).
(C) Pitch Type: Throw Junk
By telling your pitcher to Throw Junk, you are in effect telling him that you would rather see a ball (generating a
walk) than a base hit. This would be a common order to give a pitcher when first base is empty with less than
two outs, and you want to set up a potential double play with the next batter. By Throwing Junk as opposed to
issuing an Intentional Walk, you still maintain the possibility of getting the batter at the plate out, especially if he’s
overanxious to swing at balls (via Slug & Make Contact).
(C1) Pitch Type: Throw Junk, Hit Type: Green Light
This is an advantage to the hitter, because he is on his normal read, and will probably detect the fact that the
pitch is going to be a ball.
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(C2) Pitch Type: Throw Junk, Hit Type: Slug
This is a clear advantage for the pitcher. The hitter is anxious to get a big hit, while the pitch is probably not
going to be a good ball to hit. Whiff chance is high, ball chance is somewhat high (as with all Junk balls), and
chances of solid hits upon contact are lower all across the board.
(C3) Pitch Type: Throw Junk, Hit Type: Bunt
This is an advantage to the batter, because he will most likely identify the pitch as being a bad one, and hold
back on the bunt. However, if a suicide squeeze play is on, this situation has an above average chance for the
bunter to goof up and not get the bat on the ball, and thus hanging the runner coming on 3rd out to dry.
(C4) Pitch Type: Throw Junk, Hit Type: Make Contact
This is an advantage to the pitcher, because Make Contact is typically called to implement hit-and-run plays.
Because the pitch is probably not going to be a good pitch to hit, this is the best chance that a hit and run will be
messed up by a whiff.
(C5) Pitch Type: Throw Junk, Hit Type: Take a Pitch
The batter does not swing. Simply calculate the pitcher’s chance of throwing a strike while Throwing Junk (low).
(D) Pitch Type: Throw a Strike
Throwing a Strike is a command telling the pitcher to “just get the ball over the plate.” This command would
typically only be given in a situation where the pitcher is behind in the count, 2-0, 3-0, and 3-1 counts. As such,
whenever a batter is told to swing, it is clearly going to be in his advantage.
(D1) Pitch Type: Throw a Strike, Hit Type: Green Light
Advantage to the hitter because of the fact that the pitcher is giving him a good pitch to hit.
(D2) Pitch Type: Throw a Strike, Hit Type: Slug
This is an advantage to the hitter. He’s sitting on a fastball down the middle, and that’s what the pitcher is giving
him. While he won’t have as high of a chance of getting a hit as if he had been on Green Light, he will have a
higher chance of hitting for power (2B, 3B, HR).
(D3) Pitch Type: Throw a Strike, Hit Type: Bunt
Clear advantage to the hitter. There is no easier ball to bunt than a fastball down the middle.
(D4) Pitch Type: Throw a Strike, Hit Type: Make Contact
Again, advantage to the hitter.
(D5) Pitch Type: Throw a Strike, Hit Type: Take a Pitch
The batter does not swing. Simply calculate the pitcher’s chance of throwing a strike while Throwing a Strike
(high). This is one of the best possible combinations for the pitcher. The pitcher will probably throw a strike
(and not strain his fatigue while doing it), and the batter definitely will not swing.
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How the Numbers Are Crunched:
(1) Calculate Location: Does the ball hit the strike zone and if so what part does it hit?
Possibilities:
Right Down the Middle / Fat Pitch (Zone a)
Center (Zone b)
Edge of the Plate (Zone c)
Nipped the Corner (Zone d)
Just Missed (Zone e)
Missed By a Lot (Zone f)
Calculating this level of detail will allow the game announcer to describe pitches, giving more information to
players. Examples: “Ball, way outside,” “Bonds takes a massive cut but whiffs at a pitch way too high.”
Base Chances of Hitting the Zones (Chance in 100):
fat
Pitch Type
Nibble
1
Overpower
15
Throw Junk
1
Throw a Strike 25
center
a
14
20
5
30
edge
b
25
15
9
25
nip
c
15
10
5
5
miss
d
40
35
45
14
way off
e
5
10
35
1
f
55/45
55/45
20/80
85/15
strike/ball
(2) Calculate Stuff Rating: What kind of “stuff,” i.e. movement and velocity, is on the pitch?
Two balls thrown in the fat part of the plate are not the same to the hitter. One ball might be a straight 85 mph
fastball, while another might be a 99 mph fastball with horizontal movement. Obviously, the hitter is going to
have a much easier time getting a hit against the 85 mph straight fastball.
Base Stuff Chart:
Pitch Type
Nibble
5
Overpower
7
Throw Junk
3
Throw a Strike 1
Stuff
The pitcher’s strikeout rating (+3 to –3), current fatigue level (0 to –5), and random situation (+2 to –2) can all
modify Stuff. Random situation means that some days a pitcher has better or worse stuff than normal. The
color commentator could notice this sometime in the first few innings and comment on it, giving a hint to the
player that his pitcher’s stuff is being negatively modified. For example: “Roger Clemens doesn’t appear to
have his best stuff today.”
(3) Based On Location, Stuff, and Batter’s Command and Ability, Determine What Kind of Read Occurs & Hit
or Miss.
Base % Chance of Swinging
Batter Command
Green Light
95
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fat
85
center edge
75
50
39
nip
33
miss
20
way off
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Slug
Bunt*
Make Contact
Take a Pitch
95
99
100
0
95
90
100
0
85
80
100
0
75
60
100
0
65
50
100
0
50
25
100
0
* On a bunt where at least one runner is told to steal, the bunter “swings” 100% of the time, as the interface
interprets this as a hit-and-run (possibly suicide squeeze) command.
(4) Base % Chance of Making Contact (When the Batter Swings – Stuff=3)
Batter Command
Green Light
85*
Slug
80
Bunt
95
Make Contact
95
Take a Pitch
NA
fat
75*
70
90
90
NA
center edge
65*
50*
50
33
85
80
80
75
NA
NA
nip
40*
20
60
55
NA
miss
25*
10
40
40
NA
way off
* Issue: We may want to modify Green Light numbers when there are 2 strikes on the batter to simulate
Strikeout Chances for hitters based on their known Strikeout percentages and the pitcher’s known Strikeout
numbers? In effect, a Green Light with 2 pitches sort of means “protect the plate,” and the chance of whiffing
on a 3rd strike will depend more on the hitter/batter stats than anything else? If we do implement this, the power
numbers should be slightly lowered on a 2-strike count Green Light.
Stuff Modifier To Chance of Making Contact
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Stuff
1.10
1.06
1.03
1.00
0.96
0.92
0.88
0.84
0.80
0.76
0.72
Modifier
(5) Base % Chance of Putting the Ball In Play (On Contact)
Batter Command
Green Light
60
Slug
50
Bunt
80
Make Contact
70
Take a Pitch
NA
Chance
(6) Determining whether a Ball in Play is a Hit:
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Theory: First, average the known statistics for the pitcher and the batter, as in how many non-walk ABs end in a
Single, Double, Triple, Home Run, Out (but not strikeouts). Then modify these possibilities by the commands
given. (It’s actually slightly more complicated than this, because we have to deal with one or both players not
having enough chances to create a good statistical average.)
In Play “Hit” Outcome Possibility Spread Modifiers By Hit Command
Batter Command
1B
2B
3B
HR
Green Light
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
Slug
0.80
1.05
1.10
1.10
Bunt
0.25
0.00
0.00
0.00
Make Contact
0.90
0.50
0.40
0.30
In Play “Hit” Out Outcome Possibility Spread Modifiers By Pitcher Command
Pitcher Command
1B
2B
3B
HR
Nibble
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
Overpower
0.95
1.05
1.00
1.05
Throw Junk
0.95
0.95
0.95
0.95
Throw a Strike
1.10
1.10
1.10
1.10
(7) Finally, even when a hit is determined, there is a chance that a superb defensive play “robs” the batter of his
hit. Likewise, if an out is determined, there is a chance of a fielding error. This should be based off of the
defender’s speed, special attributes, fielding percentage, etc.? So we need a chart for spreading hits out around
the field, so as to determine what fielder has a chance to rob the batter of the hit.
There is also the issue of runner advancement. Most hits reach the outfield and allow all runners on base to
advance at least one base, but in real baseball, a small but significant percentage of hits never leave the infield,
in which case sometimes a runner on 2nd does not advance to 3rd.
Example: Jon Lieber is pitching against Cal Ripken. A ball is put into play.
Jon Lieber’s stats: Opp BA: 0.282 K: 150 1B: 108 2B: 40 3B: 6 HR: 17 OUT: 285
Cal Ripken’s stats: BA: 0.271 K: 65 1B:121 2B: 27 3B: 1 HR: 14 OUT: 373
Nibble vs. Green Light Situation (the unmodified situation)
Determine result:
1B: 108+121=229 2B: 40+27=67 3B: 6+1=7 HR: 17+14=31 OUT: 285+373=658 (Tot. Poss.=992)
Pick a random # between 1 and 992 to determine the result, thus:
Chance of 1B: 229/992 = 0.2308 (23.08%)
Chance of 2B: 67/992 = 0.0675 (6.75%)
Chance of 3B: 7/992 = 0.0071 (0.71%)
Chance of HR: 31/992 = 0.0313 (3.13%)
Chance of OUT: 658/992 = 0.6633 (66.33%)
Nibble vs. Slug Situation
Take the unmodified numbers and apply the appropriate Slug modifiers (0.80, 1.05, 1.10, and 1.10).
1B: 229 * 0.80 = 183
2B: 67 * 1.05 = 70
3B: 7 * 1.10 = 8
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HR: 31 * 1.10 = 34
OUT: 658 * 1 = 658
Total Possibilities = 183+70+8+34+658 = 953
Chance of 1B: 183/953 = 0.1920 (19.20%)
Chance of 2B: 70/953 = 0.0735 (7.35%)
Chance of 3B: 8/953 = 0.0084 (0.84%)
Chance of HR: 34/953 = 0.0357 (3.57%)
Chance of OUT: 658/953 = 0.6905 (69.05%)
So, comparing Slug to Green Light with the current set of numbers (which will certainly need to be tweaked),
Slug gives a +14% chance of hitting a home run (3.57% compared to 3.14%), not that big of a difference. Your
chances of getting a hit on Slug vs Green Light drop by 8%. This seems like a reasonable payoff, because we
have to remember that your chances of whiffing on Slug are higher.
Determining Type Of Out
What to do when the outcome of a ball put into play is OUT?
First of all, just because a result is determined to be OUT, does not necessarily mean that the batter will be out.
Other things must be factored in first.
First, calculate what type of an out it is: groundball out, short popup out, deep fly out?
If Out, Outcome Possibility Spread Modifiers By Hit Command
Batter Command
Ground Ball Out
Green Light
1.00
1.00
Slug
0.95
0.50
Bunt
1.00
0.30*
Make Contact
1.00
1.00
Short Fly Out
1.00
1.20
0.00
0.50
Deep Fly Out
* = On a bunt, a short fly out is always a VERY short fly out, to the P, C, 1B, or 3B.
If Out, Outcome Possibility Spread Modifiers By Pitcher Command
Batter Command
Ground Ball Out
Nibble
1.10
1.00
Overpower
1.00
0.80
Throw Junk
1.20
1.00
Throw a Strike
1.00
1.00
Short Fly Out
0.90
1.20
1.00
1.00
Deep Fly Out
Examples: Cal Ripken makes an OUT against Jon Lieber.
Jon Lieber’s GB to FB Ratio = 1.2
Green Light vs. Nibble Situation
First, get base numbers from the pitcher’s fly ball to ground ball ratio. (Issue: will we have this stat?)
Work with 1000 outs, calculating # of ground balls (g) with the formula:
G = 1000R / (1+R)
Lieber’s 1000 outs with R=1.2-> ground balls = 545, fly balls = 455
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Then, assume 1/2 of the fly outs are short fly balls and 1/2 of the fly balls are deep fly balls. Modify them by the
above spread modifiers based on the commands.
First, modify based on Hitter’s Command (Green Light; 1.0, 1.0, 1.0)
Ground Balls = 545 * 1.0 = 545
Short Fly Balls = 228 * 1.0 = 228
Deep Fly Balls = 228 * 1.0 = 228
Then, modify based on Pitcher’s Command (Nibble; 1.1, 1.0, 0.9)
Ground Balls = 545 * 1.1 = 600
Short Fly Balls = 228 * 1.0 = 228
Deep Fly Balls = 228 * 0.9 = 205
Total Possibilities = 600+228+205 = 1033
Chance of Ground Ball Out: 600/1033 = 0.581 (58.1%)
Chance of Short Fly Out: 228/1033 = 0.221 (22.1%)
Chance of Deep Fly Out: 205/1033 = 0.198 (19.8%)
Bunt vs. Nibble Situation (a more interesting example)
Lieber’s 1000 outs with R=1.2-> ground balls = 545, fly balls = 455
First, modify based on Hitter’s Command (Bunt; 1.0, 0.3, 0.0)
Ground Balls = 545 * 1.0 = 545
Short Fly Balls = 228 * 0.3 = 68
Deep Fly Balls = 228 * 0.0 = 0
Then, modify based on Pitcher’s Command (Nibble; 1.1, 1.0, 0.9)
Ground Balls = 545 * 1.1 = 600
Short Fly Balls = 68 * 1.0 = 68
Deep Fly Balls = 0 * 0.9 = 0
Total Possibilities = 600+68 = 668
Chance of Ground Ball Out: 600/668= 0.898 (89.8%)
Chance of Short Fly Out: 68/668= 0.102 (10.2%)
Chance of Deep Fly Out: 0/668= 0.000 (0.0%)
Special Situational Events: One definite situational event that can modify the result of OUT is the situation where
the infield playing IN, anything determined to be a groundball out has a chance to get through the infield for a
base hit. We’ll have to ask our baseball expert to come up with some probability modifiers for this case.
Another event could be when the outfield is playing IN (presumably with less than 2 out with a runner on 3rd),
some percentage of deep fly balls will drop in for hits (mostly doubles?).
Unknowns
 What to do about Clutch hitters? (if we can find stats we’ll use the concept)
Example Screen

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Fielding – Defensive Play
Tony, this is an ok general overview, but we will need to work out the details.
Requirements
 While simultaneously moving the offensive runners…
 Determine who the ball is heading to
 Determine if they catch the ball – resolve out if a fly (see below)
 If outfield, determine who they throw to
 If infield, determine if they tag an out or who they throw to
 Throw back to Pitcher
Details
Fielding
 Move player towards balls eventual destination. If the player cannot get to the ball fast enough, he will not
catch the ball, and it will roll appropriately until he gets to it (or until a closer man gets to it)
 Roll against players Fielding % to determine if they get the ball while still in air
Made Roll
Missed Roll
Fielder (Fielding %)
Caught ball
Missed it
Let’s only check the outfielder’s throw, not the cut-off man’s catch (which should be good almost always).
Player Tries to Tag out Runner (only some of the possibilities here, but a standard logic flow should be
established based on position and runners on base)
 If a runner is at a base, he should tag it to force out a runner who is forced to it.
 If a runner is closer to the Player, he should try to tag him before he gets on base.
 If a runner is between bases, a squeeze play begins.
Unknowns

Example Screen
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Fielding – Offensive Play
Requirements
 While simultaneously moving the defensive fielders…
 Advance Runners who must advance
 Determine who wins if a close call between Runner and Fielder

 The computer automatically chooses whether the runner tries to advance bases (the manager sets
how aggressive the base running is).
Details
Left handers being closer to 1st base is already modeled in the batting average.
Watching the Fly Ball
No one moves far during a fly, since they can be tagged out if the caught ball gets to their original base before
they do. (except with 2 outs because if the ball is caught the inning is over anyway)
Automatic Advances
 We will determine players’ stealing speed statistically.
 Run the bases and see if they get to them before the ball is in the infield
In version 3.0 () we will allow managers to tell players to advance bases… for now we need to skip because of
our architecture and how it handles network lag.
Tag Attempt
 Determine if the player tries to slide to get to the base before he is tagged. (this is really just graphical output
and not significant in statistical modeling)
Unknowns
 How many sprites are we using
Example Screen
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Scouting Reports (After the game)
Requirements
 An overview of the last game played for each team
 Final Score in X innings
 % of S, 2b, 3b, HR
 # of Bunts, Stolen Bases and Caught Steals
 # of Double and Triple Plays
 And any other interesting fact (shutout, MVP that game)
 Box score
Details

Unknowns
 define “overview”
Example Screen
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Offensive Stat Info
Definitions of Modifiers
Imported = We need to pull in this information from a data source.
Modeled = We will model this information into the simulation.
Tracked = We will track this “virtual stat” for players during online games.
Calculated = We do not need storage allocation for this statistic, as it can be calculated from other imported
values.
Avg, - Batt Avg (tot hits/official times at bat .300 is good), (Modeled, Tracked, Calculated)
AB - At Bats (Imported, Modeled, Tracked)
R - Runs (Personal time they scored?) (Imported, Tracked)
H – Hits (Imported, Modeled, Tracked)
2B – Double (Imported, Modeled, Tracked)
3B – Triple (Imported, Modeled, Tracked)
HR - Home Run (HR per At Bat should be 1 in 20 for a very good hitter) (Imported, Modeled, Tracked)
RBI - Runs Batted In (how many runs the batter scored with his hit) (Imported, Tracked)
SB - Stolen Bases (Imported, Modeled, Tracked)
CS - Caught Stealing (Imported, Modeled, Tracked)
BB- Total Bases on Balls (walks) (Imported, Modeled, Tracked)
SO – StrikeOuts (should have more TBB then SO. Also, power hitters have more SO. SO per At Bat should be
1 in 20 for an excellent hitter) (Imported, Modeled, Tracked)
OBP - On Base Percent (tot hits, TBB, HBP / tot at bats, TBB, HBP and Sac Fly .400 is very good), (Modeled,
Tracked, Calculated)
SLG - Slugger Percent(tot bases / at bats .500 is a heavy hitter.) (Modeled, Tracked, Calculated)
Batting Average with Runners in Scoring Position (for clutch hitting) (Imported, Modeled)
Defensive Stat Info
PO - Put Out (Imported, Tracked)
A - Assisted in a PO (Key statistic for outfielders to show they can get the ball to base in time) (Imported,
Tracked)
E – Error (Imported, Tracked)
DP - Double Play (Poor teams may have good DP since they have more opportunities) (Tracked for Teams
only)
Fpct - Fielding Percent (PO+A / PO+A+E. Infielders usually have lower then outfielders. .900 is a good player)
(Imported, Modeled, Tracked)
(I would love to model range, but I don’t realistically see us acquiring range statistics for players)
Catcher Only Statistics
Runners Caught – for catchers only (Imported, Modeled, Tracked)
Runners Not Caught – for catchers only (Imported, Modeled, Tracked)
Passed Balls – for catchers only (Imported, Modeled, Tracked)
Golden Glove – Awarded to Best Fielder in each position (Imported, Tracked on the records page)
Pitching Stat Info
ERA – Earned Run Avg (Earned Runs * 9 / Innings Pitched ERA for a Starter under 3.0 is superior, less so for
a Reliever) (Imported, Tracked)
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W – Wins (Starting: Pitched 5 or more innings and team was ahead, and team never lost lead. Relievers have
more complex rules) (Imported, Tracked)
L – Losses (Starting: if replaced while behind, or inherited runners cause to be behind) (Imported, Tracked)
Sv – Save (Relief pitcher gets a Save if the game is won while he is pitching, along with some other rules.)
(Imported, Tracked)
GS – Games Started (Imported, Tracked)
CG – Complete Games (Imported, Tracked)
IP – Innings Pitched (Imported, Modeled, Tracked)
H – Hits Allowed (Imported, Modeled, Tracked)
R– Runs Allowed (Imported, Tracked)
ER – Earned Runs Allowed (Imported, Tracked)
HR – Home Runs Allowed (Imported, Modeled, Tracked)
BB– Total Bases on Balls (walks) (Imported, Modeled, Tracked)
IBB – Intentional Bases on Balls (walks) (Imported, Tracked)
SO – Strikeouts (Imported, Modeled, Tracked)
G/F – Ground to Fly Ball Ratio (If we can get this data) (Imported, Modeled)
WP – Wild Pitch (Imported, Modeled, Tracked)
Sh (What is Sh?? I’m guessing it’s not important)
SG (What is SG?? I’m guessing it’s not important)
ShO – Shutout game(?) (Imported, Tracked)
HB (What is HB?? I’m guessing it’s not important)
Hld – Hold (Reliever enters a save, gets at least one out and leaves without relinquishing the lead. Passes the
Save Opportunity to the next Pitcher) (Imported, Tracked)
RS (What is RS?? I’m guessing it’s not important)
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