Frequently Asked Questions (F.A.Q.) / Guide All Star Baseball 2003 for Playstation 2 ver 0.6 mcnabb_05@hotmail.com March 12, 2002 Sections: 1. Introduction 2. Version Info 3. Controls a. menu naviagtion b. base control basics c. post-pitch & mid-windup d. fielding e. batting & base running f. pitch / location guess 4. Getting Started (Main Menu) a. game modes b. pausing the game 5. Expansion Mode / Franchise Mode a. expansion strategy b. off season 6. Special Features a. create a player b. complete player card list 7. Hints And Tips 8. Offensive Strategy a. base running 9. Defensive Strategy a. fielding 10. Extra Features a. hanging K's 11. Review 12. Codes and Secrets 13. F.A.Q. 14. The Secret To "GMing" (Kind Of) 15. Credits/Contact/Legal 16. Last Word 17. Sites This FAQ Is On =============================== *** SECTION 1: Introduction *** =============================== Well, it's finally out... All Star Baseball 2003. A lot of us played 2002 and loved it, others steered clear of it because they heard about the glitches, errors, and other horrible AI things. Well, all that and more has been fixed, and it looks like Acclaim has hit the nail on the head and delivered a game that baseball fans of any seriousness will enjoy. Here is the intro from the manual: Baseball fans, welcome to All-Star Baseball 2003. This year we've got a terrific line up of features that make this our best game ever. There's a great Trivia game, where you can test your baseball knowledge, and the new Player Cards recreates the fun and excitement of trading baseball cards. What else is new? You can create an expansion club, complete with logo and choose what city, stadium and league they'll play in. And there's a fun new Franchise feature that lets you select a favorite team and play with them over several seasons, seeing their fortunes and players change over time. Of course, we still have plenty of the great on-field action you've come to expect, like the Home Run Derby, Season and Playoff modes, and tons of off the field management input, too, including creating your own players. You've got all the tools it takes to make a run at the World Series and have a great time doing it! See you in the post season! -Derek Jeter As you can read from that, Acclaim has a lot in store for All-Star 2003. =============================== *** Section 2: Version Info *** =============================== -Version 0.1 Started on March 4, 2002. This is my first FAQ, so any suggetions email me at mcnabb_05@hotmail.com. -Version 0.2- Added complete player card checklist. -Version 0.3- Added some more features, put a link to Inks71 pitching guide (under pitching section) Added some more info to create a player, added tip to expansion mode. -Version 0.4- Minor updates, plus filled in Create-A-Player stants. -Version 0.5- Various new info, and expanded where this faq can be found. -Version 0.6- Started the extra section about finding the K's =========================== *** Section 3: Controls *** =========================== If you are familar with All-Star Baseball 2002, the controls in this game are the same as last year, and are pretty easy to navigate. Menu Navigation X..........Confirm / Next Screen O..........Cancel / Previous Screen Triangle...Show Help Menu Square.....Not Used Select.....Not Used Start......Start / Pause Game D-PAD......Highlight Option (Up/Down) / Toggle Option (Left/Right) R1, R2, L1, L2... Not Used R3.........Highlight / Toggle Options L3.........Not Used Base Control Basics -=At Bat=- When base running, each base matches a direction on the DIRECTIONAL BUTTONS. To move a base runner to or from a base, you press the proper control and the direction of the base the runner currently OCCUPIES. Down.......Home Right......1st Base Up.........2nd Base Left.......3rd Base -=In The Field=- When fielding, each action (symbol) button matches a current or future throw to a base. These are the base equivalents when fielding: X..........Home O..........1st Base Triangle...2nd Base Square.....3rd Base -=Pitch Select=- Each hurler's pitch type types appear on-screen next to a control graphics. Pitch types vary with each pitcher, as do controls. For example, the Triangle Button might be a slider for on pitcher, or a knuckleball for a different player who doesn't throw a slider. Locating pitches: Press the LEFT ANALOG STIC or the DIRECTIONAL BUTTONS to move the pitch target to the desired location. Positioning Fielders: Pressing the L1 BUTTON will cycle through INFIELD positioning options: 1. Normal 2. In - all infielders play on the edge of the infield grass. 3. Deep - all infielders back up to the edge of the outfield grass. 4. Corners - 3B & 1B play in to anticipate a bunt. 5. Lines - 3B & 1B play closer to the foul lines to prevent extra base hits. 6. DP Depth - SS & 2B play a few steps deeper and closer to second base, putting them in better positions for turning double plays. 7. Shade L - all IF move slightly to the third base side. 8. Shade R - all IF move slightly to the first base side. 9. Shift L - more dramatic shift toward third base. 10. Shift R - more dramatic shift toward first base. Positioning Fielders: Pressing the L2 BUTTON will cycle through OUTFIELD positioning options: 1. Normal 2. Normal Left - Outfielders shade toward left field. 3. Normal Right - Outfielders shade toward right field. 4. Deep - Outfielders play a few steps back toward the fences. 5. Deep Left - Outfielders play a few steps back toward the fences and move a few steps toward the LF line. 6. Deep Right - Outfielders play a few steps back toward the fences and move a few steps toward the RF line. 7. Shallow - Outfielders play a few steps in. 8. Shallow Left - Shift is more extreme. All OF's move. RF moves toward RCF giving up his line, CF moves 4-5 steps into LCF, LF moves 3-4 steps toward the line 9. Shallow Right - Outfielders play a few steps in and move a few steps toward the RF line. X..........Select Pitch Type O..........Select Pitch Type (If Applicable) Triangle...Select Pitch Type (If Applicable) Square.....Select Pitch Type (If Applicable) DPAD.......Move Pitch Target R1.........Select Pitch Type (If Applicable) R2.........Not Used R3.........Pitch Options Menu (Intentional Walks, Hit Chart, Hot-Cold, Pitch History L1.........Cycle Infield Defensive Positioning Menu L2.........Cycle Outfield Defensive Positioning Menu L3.........Move Pitch Target -=Post-Pitch Select=- After selecting your pitch type, you can still change the pitch location. In addition, you can either throw the pitch or try a pick off throw to any base but home. X..........Throw Pitch O..........Pick Off To First Triangle...Pick Off To Second Square.....Pick Off To Third DPAD.......Move Pitch Target R1.........Activate Base Runner Windows (All-Star Mode) R2.........Brush Back Pitch R3.........Move Pitch Target L1.........Activate Base Runner Windows (All-Star Mode) L2.........Pitch Out L3.........Not Used Hold L3 BUTTON while pressing the X BUTTON to use the slide step delivery. -=Mid-Windup=- X..........Not Used O..........Pick Off To 1st For Left-Handers (During Delivery) Triangle...Not Used Square.....Pick Off To 3rd For Right-Handers (During Delivery) DPAD.......Move Pitch Target R1.........Not Used R2.........Not Used R3.........Move Pitch Target L1.........Not Used L2.........Not Used L3.........Not Used -=Fielding=- Before Ball Is Fielded The Spot where a fly ball will land is indicated by a red circle highlight. The currently controlled fielder is indicated by a blue circle highlight (if multiple players are controlling outfielders, there is a different highlight color for each player.) If a fielder isn't on screen at any given time, a red arrow indicates the direction of the ball. To tell that fielder where to throw the ball before he fields it (so he'll immediately throw to that location once he fields the ball), press the associated control (see below). X..........Future Throw To Home O..........Future Throw To 1st Triangle...Future Throw To 2nd Square.....Future Throw To 3rd DPAD.......Move Highlighted Fielder R1.........Dive / Jump / Scale Wall R2.........Dive / Jump / Scale Wall R3.........Not Used L1.........Future Throw To Cut-Off or Relay Man L2.........Switch Control To Player Nearest Ball L3.........Move Highlighted Fielder After Ball Is Fielded X..........Throw To Home O..........Throw To 1st Triangle...Throw To 2nd Square.....Throw To 3rd DPAD.......Move Player R1.........Not Used R2.........Not Used R3.........Not Used L1.........Throw To Relay Man L2.........Switch Fielder L3.........Not Used -=Batting & Base Running=- Pre-Pitch Select Control...................Action Directional Buttons.......Move Batting Cursor/ While Triangle is held, press base direction to steal. Left Analog Stick.........Move Batting Cursor Right Analog Stick........Tilt Batting Cursor Square Button.............Toggle Contact / Power Icon Triangle Button...........Steal Signal (+ DIRECTIONAL BUTTON in current base direction) X Button..................Practice Swing O Button..................Show Sacrafice Bunt L1 Button.................Increase all runners' leads. L2 Button.................Initiate pitch / location guess R1 Button.................Decrease all runners' leads. Stealing Bases To steal a base, hold the TRIANGLE BUTTON then press the DIRECTIONAL BUTTON in the direction of the base the runner currently occupies. For example, if a runner is on first base, hold the TRINALGE BUTTON then press RIGHT on the DIRECTIONAL BUTTON to steal second base. On Rookie and Veteran difficulty settings, the runner will wait until the pitch is released before attempting to steal. On All-Star difficulty level, the runner will break as as you press the DIRECTIONAL BUTTON. You can hold the TRIANGLE BUTTON down, but the runner will not steal until the DIRECTIONAL BUTTON is pressed (the DIRECTIONAL BUTTON highlights the runner) Using The Batting Cursor The triangle-shaped batting cursor is there to help you get good wood the ball and to aim your hits. The wide part of the cursor represents the sweet spot of your bat, so that's where you want to make contact. Press either the DIRECTIONAL BUTTONS or the LEFT ANALOG STICK to position the cursor. Press the RIGHT ANALOG STICK to tilt the cursur to alter the type of hit. Tilting UP will tend to produce grounders, while tilting DOWN will tend to produce balls in the air. Tilt the cursor LEFT to hit the ball to the left side and RIGHT to hit it to the right side. -=Pitch / Location Guess=- You can try to guess the pitch type and location before every pitch. Correctly guessing the pitch type effects the size of the contact area; guessing the location effects the size of the power area. There are eight possible location guesses. Guessing a specific location will have more of an effect on the hitter's icon than guessing a general location. Control..................Action Directional Buttons......Select Location Square Button............Select Corresponding Pitch Type Triangle Button..........Select Corresponding Pitch Type X Button.................Select Corresponding Pitch Type O Button.................Select Corresponding Pitch Type L2 Button................When Released, pitch / location guess mode is deactivated. R1 Button................Select Corresponding Pitch Type Up............Guess High Up + Right....Guess Up & Away Right.........Guess Outside Down + Right..Guess Low & Away Down..........Guess Low Down + Left...Guess Down & In Left..........Guess Inside Up + Left.....Guess Up & In (For Right Handed Batters) -=Post-Pitch Select / Mid-Windup=- Control..................Action Directional Buttons......Move Batting Cursor / Comine with TRIANGLE BUTTON to signal steal. Left Analog Stick........Move Batting cursor. Right Analog Stick.......Tilt Batting Cursor. Square Button............Toggle Contact / Power Icon. Triangle Button..........Steal Signal (+ base direction) X Button.................Swing O Button.................Drag Button L1 Button................Increase all runners' leads. R1 Button................Decrease all runners' leads. -=Ball In Play=- Control.................Action Directional Buttons.....Indicate base for individual runner select. Triangle Button.........Advance single runner when combined with DIRECTIONAL BUTTON direction. O Button................Return single runner when combined with DIRECTIONAL BUTTON direction. L1 Button...............Advance all runners. L2 Button...............Stop all runners. R1 Button...............Return all runners. ================================== *** Section 4: Getting Started *** ================================== These are the options that you will see at the All-Star Baseball 2003 main menu. Quick Play: Get right onto the diamond for a single game with computer selected teams. MLB Play: Choose Exhibition play, an All-Star Game, start a New Season or New Series and Manage Saved Games. Expansion: Create your own expansion club in the city and league of your choice, then draft players and bring the club into season play. Franchise: Follow one ball club over the course of up to 20 seasons as they win and lose, as older players move on and exciting new prospects join the club. This is tops for a long term loyalist as you guide your beloved franchise across generations. Player Cards: Forget card shows! Now you can collect player cards right inside the game by earning points for certain exploits. Home Run Derby: Try your swatting skills with and against the best sluggers. Special Features: Access batting practice, the new trivia game, team managment functions statistics, options, and game credits. -=Pausing The Game=- Pressing start pauses the game and brings up the pause menu where you can tune some options depending on the mode. Press start and any time during play to pause the game and bring up this menu. Play Ball: Resumes the game. Box Score: Views games box score. Manage Bullpen: Put pitchers in the bullpen, and other pitching adjustments. Change Lineup: Pinch runners, pinch hitters, changing positions, defensive replacements and double switches. Game Control: Change which human player controls which baseball player on offense or defense. Controller Select: Change the team you want to control. Game Options: Adjust some in game options- Easy Batting: On- No Cursor, Off- Cursor. Pitcher Aid: On- White Pitching Icon Is On, Off- Icon Is Off Strike Zone Aid: On- Rectangle Strike Box On, Off- Box Is Off Fielder Control: Manual- You completly control fielders Assist- Partial control Auto- CPU has full control Defensive Position: Choose Manual or Auto defensive positioning. Leadoff Control: Auto mode CPU does the base leading. Vibration Setings: Off/On Generate Coung (Manage Only Mode)- On- computer auto generates pitch counts Game Speed- Normal or Fast (cut / speed up animations) ================================================== *** Section 5: Expansion Mode / Franchise Mode *** ================================================== Here is some more information on these two new modes in All-Star Baseball 2003. -=Expansion Mode=- Select a city, team name, team ballpark for your franchise club, and which league it will belong to. Once that is done your team goes to a draft of un-protected players from each club, you can then save your team and play up to 20 seasons with it. -=Strategy=- The biggest strategy here is the draft, which is simple. When you enter the expansion team into the game, the computer adds a team to balance out the schedules. So you are competing with them to get the best possible players. I will list some of the top players in the draft, these are my opinions, and age IS a factor (Name, Position, Ranking): Nick Johnson, 1B, B- John Vander Wal, 1B, C+ Travis Lee, 1B, C+ Adam Kennedy, 2B, C+ Marlon Anderson, 2B, C+ Randy Velarde, 2B, C+ Robin Ventura, 3B, B- Edgar Rentaria, SS, C+ Tsuyoshi Shinjo, OF, C+ Rick Ankiel, SP, C+ James Baldwin, SP, C+ Sterling Hitchcock, SP, C+ Jeff D'Amico, SP, C+ Shigtoshi Hasagawa, RP, B- Turk Wendell, RP, B- Brandon Inge, C, C+ Ryan Kohmeier, Closer, C+ This group of players is a good start to get your Expansion team rolling. (Tip from Inks71:) After drafting, use free agent to swap some of your lousy players with higher grade free agent. for example, swap a D player of yours for David Cone. You might not want him because of his age, but you'll use his B- grade in trading. Go to trade with CPU. Use 2 to 2 or 3 to 3 trade. For example, I get Mike Piazza and 2 other C- or D players I really don't want from the Mets and give up David Cone and some C Players or C+ player I have to the Mets. Then I swap the lousy D or C Players I got from the trade with better player from the free agent pool. Then go trade for Nomar, etc, etc. -=Off Season Menu=- After each year in Franchise/Expansion you get to join in the offseason, and try to build up your team for next year, these are your options: Record Holders: View top career and single season records. Franchise History: View your teams history, team leaders and records, plus others. Retirement Announcments: See which players are calling it quits. Hall Of Fame Inductees: After a few years, see what players go into the 'hall'. View Roster: View current major and minor league players. Player Development: View rankings and see if your players ratings go up or down, and see point value and length of contract. You can also cut players at this screen. Free Agents: Sign some new players for your team! -=Franchise Mode=- Expansion and Franchise share the same concepts. When selecting a franchise team, you can choose to start with a draft, or use the original rosters. =================================== *** Section 6: Special Features *** =================================== Here is a brief explanation on the new features (external modes) for All-Star 2003. -=Player Cards=- Use your points you earn during game play to "buy" a pack of cards. Each pack comes with 6 cards including stadiums, jerseys, producers, and players. -=Home Run Derby / Batting Practice=- Self explanatory =) -=Trivia Game=- Trivia is a fun option with friends. You pick a team and try to answer some pretty tough questions, and depending on who is "up" you can get a hit. If your power hitters are up, you can even get a home run by answering the questions right. -=Create A Player=- Create a player is in 2003 and it lets you build your own player. Created players enter the free agency once completed. Here are the options for creating a player: Name, Jersey Number, Height and Weight, Bats and Throws Hand, Position (positions determine attribute catagorys), Pitching Delivery, Batting Stance, Skin Color, and Accessories. Setting attributes is a customizable thing you can do. You can create a power hitter, great fielder, or contact player. For pitching you can make the next knuckleballer, or another fast change pitchers. To change the pitches press X, then up and down. -=Create A Player Stances=- Some batting stances are only letters (example: TC), this section will be trying to find out who exactly they are, if anyone knows email me. I'm not positivie if any of these are right, merely a guess from the initals: Batting TC: Ty Cobb PR: Pete Rose SO: Sadaharu Oh (Japenese HR Hitter) MM: Mark McGwire JL: Jim Lyritz GB: George Brett DS: Darryl Strawberry BR: Babe Ruth AB: Albert Belle Pitching FV: Fernando Valenzuela LT: Luis Tiant SK: Sandy Koufax WJ: Walter Johnson -=Complete Player Card Checklist=- Here is a complete list of the 312 Player Cards that there are to collect in All-Star Baseball 2003: 1. Bobby Abreu 2. Edgardo Alfonzo 3. Roberto Alomar 4. Moises Alou 5. Brady Anderson 6. Garrett Anderson 7. Rick Ankiel 8. Tony Armas Jr. 9. Jeff Bagwell 10. Harold Baines 11. Tony Batista 12. Albert Belle 13. Carlos Beltran 14. Adrian Beltre 15. Kris Benson 16. Lance Berkman 17. Craig Biggio 18. Barry Bonds 19. Kevin Brown 20. Jay Buhner 21. Jeromy Burnitz 22. Pat Burrell 23. Ken Caminiti 24. Jose Canseco 25. Sean Casey 26. Luis Castillo 27. Eric Chavez 28. Jeff Cirillo 29. Jermaine Clark 30. Roger Clemens 31. Bartolo Colon 32. David Cone 33. Jose Cruz, Jr. 34. Johnny Damon 35. Eric Davis 36. Carlos Delgado 37. JD Drew 38. Ray Durham 39. Jermaine Dye 40. Jim Edmonds 41. Juan Encarnacion 42. Darin Erstad 43. Carl Everett 44. Steve Finley 45. Cliff Floyd 46. Brad Fullmer 47. Andres Galarraga 48. Freddy Garcia 49. Nomar Garciaparra 50. Jason Giambi 51. Brian Giles 52. Troy Glaus 53. Tom Glavine 54. Juan Gonzalez 55. Luis Gonzalez 56. Mark Grace 57. Shawn Green 58. Rusty Greer 59. Ken Griffey 60. Vladimir Guerrero 61. Tony Gwynn 62. Jeffrey Hammonds 63. Mike Hampton 64. Todd Helton 65. Rickey Henderson 66. Orlando Hernandez 67. Richard Hidalgo 68. Tim Hudson 69. Geoff Jenkins 70. Derek Jeter 71. Randy Johnson 72. Andruw Jones 73. Chipper Jones 74. Jacque Jones 75. Brian Jordan 76. David Justice 77. Gabe Kapler 78. Eric Karros 79. Jason Kendall 80. Adam Kennedy 81. Jeff Kent 82. Byung Hyun Kim 83. Ryan Klesko 84. Chuck Knoblauch 85. Paul Konerko 86. Barry Larkin 87. Carlos Lee 88. Kenny Lofton 89. Terrance Long 90. Javy Lopez 91. Greg Maddux 92. Edgar Martinez 93. Pedro Martinez 94. Tino Martinez 95. Ruben Mateo 96. Fred McGriff 97. Mark McGwire 98. Kevin Millwood 99. Ben Molina 100. Raul Mondesi 101. Mark Mulder 102. Mike Mussina 103. Trot Nixon 104. Hideo Nomo 105. John Olerud 106. Paul Oneill 107. Magglio Ordonez 108. Rafael Palmeiro 109. Chan Ho Park 110. Jay Payton 111. Andy Pettitte 112. Adam Piatt 113. Mike Piazza 114. Jorge Posada 115. Mark Quinn 116. Aramis Ramirez 117. Manny Ramirez 118. Pokey Reese 119. Cal Ripken 120. Mariano Rivera 121. Alex Rodriguez 122. Ivan Rodriguez 123. Scott Rolen 124. Tim Salmon 125. Curt Schilling 126. Richie Sexson 127. Gary Sheffield 128. John Smoltz 129. JT Snow 130. Sammy Sosa 131. Shannon Stewart 132. BJ Surhoff 133. Mike Sweeney 134. Fernando Tatis 135. Miguel Tejada 136. Frank Thomas 137. Jim Thome 138. Jason Varitek 139. Greg Vaughn 140. Mo Vaughn 141. Robin Ventura 142. Jose Vidro 143. Omar Vizquel 144. Larry Walker 145. David Wells 146. Rondell White 147. Bernie Williams 148. Matt Williams 149. Preston Wilson 150. Kerry Wood 151. Brent Abernathy - Rated Rookie 152. Cory Aldridge - Rated Rookie 153. Gene Altman - Rated Rookie 154. Josh Beckett - Rated Rookie 155. Wilson Betemit - Rated Rookie 156. Joe Crede - Rated Rookie 157. Jack Cust - Rated Rookie 158. Alex Escobar - Rated Rookie 159. Pedro Feliz - Rated Rookie 160. Nate Frese - Rated Rookie 161. Carlos Garcia - Rated Rookie 162. Marcus Giles - Rated Rookie 163. Alexis Gomez - Rated Rookie 164. Jason Hart - Rated Rookie 165. Adrian Hernandez - Rated Rookie 166. Eric Hinske - Rated Rookie 167. Cesar Izturis - Rated Rookie 168. Nick Johnson - Rated Rookie 169. Brian Lawrence - Rated Rookie 170. Steve Lomasney - Rated Rookie 171. Nick Maness - Rated Rookie 172. Jackson Melian - Rated Rookie 173. Jose Mieses - Rated Rookie 174. Greg Miller - Rated Rookie 175. Eric Munson - Rated Rookie 176. Xavier Nady - Rated Rookie 177. Blaine Neal - Rated Rookie 178. Abraham Nunez - Rated Rookie 179. Jose Ortiz - Rated Rookie 180. Jeremy Owens - Rated Rookie 181. Pablo Ozuna - Rated Rookie 182. Corey Patterson - Rated Rookie 183. Carlos Pena - Rated Rookie 184. Wily Mo Pena - Rated Rookie 185. Timo Perez - Rated Rookie 186. Adam Pettyjohn - Rated Rookie 187. Luis Rivas - Rated Rookie 188. Wilkin Ruan - Rated Rookie 189. Duaner Sanchez - Rated Rookie 190. Alfonso Soriano - Rated Rookie 191. Rafael Soriano - Rated Rookie 192. Ichiro Suzuki - Rated Rookie 193. Billy Sylvester - Rated Rookie 194. Juan Uribe - Rated Rookie 195. Carlos Valderrama - Rated Rookie 196. Eric Valent - Rated Rookie 197. Matt White - Rated Rookie 198. Mike Young - Rated Rookie 199. All Star Cheat 200. All Star Plate 201. Jeff Bagwell - Special Card 202. Tony Batista - Special Card 203. Barry Bonds - Special Card 204. Roger Clemens - Special Card 205. Carlos Delgado - Special Card 206. Jim Edmonds - Special Card 207. Jason Giambi - Special Card 208. Troy Glaus - Special Card 209. Ken Griffey Jr. - Special Card 210. Vladimir Guerrero - Special Card 211. Tony Gwynn - Special Card 212. Todd Helton - Special Card 213. Richard Hidalgo - Special Card 214. Reggie Jackson - Special Card 215. Dave Justice - Special Card 216. Harmon Killebrew - Special Card 217. Mark McGwire - Special Card 218. Roy Oswalt - Special Card 219. Rafael Palmeiro - Special Card 220. Mike Piazza - Special Card 221. Albert Pujols - Special Card 222. Manny Ramirez - Special Card 223. Alex Rodriguez - Special Card 224. Nolan Ryan - Special Card 225. CC Sabathia - Special Card 226. Mike Schmidt - Special Card 227. Gary Sheffield - Special Card 228. Tsuyoshi Shinjo - Special Card 229. Sammy Sosa - Special Card 230. Ichiro Suzuki - Special Card 231. Frank Thomas - Special Card 232. Jim Thome - Special Card 233. Robin Yount - Special Card 234. Astrodome - Classic Stadium 235. Classic Fenway - Classic Stadium 236. Classic Wrigley - Classic Stadium 237. Classic Yankee - Classic Stadium 238. Acclaim Sports Park - Classic Stadium 239. Enzo Field - Classic Stadium 240. Fischbach Field - Classic Stadium 241. Lockodome - Classic Stadium 242. Old Snavely Stadium - Classic Stadium 243. Whitaker Grounds - Classic Stadium 244. Zentmeyer Dome - Classic Stadium 245. Forbes Field - Classic Stadium 246. Polo Ground - Classic Stadium 247. Riverfront - Classic Stadium 248. Tiger Stadium - Classic Stadium 249. Brandon Adcock - Dingers (Developer Card) 250. Kevin Brinson - Dingers (Developer Card) 251. Randy Buck - Dingers (Developer Card) 252. Nigel Cook - Dingers (Developer Card) 253. Malc Crummack - Dingers (Developer Card) 254. Peyton Duncan - Dingers (Developer Card) 255. Nelson Everhart - Dingers (Developer Card) 256. Tim Flier - Dingers (Developer Card) 257. Tom Green - Dingers (Developer Card) 258. Bill Kydd - Dingers (Developer Card) 259. Matt Liverman - Dingers (Developer Card) 260. Andrew Locko - Dingers (Developer Card) 261. Wes Mailman - Dingers (Developer Card) 262. Mike Mann - Dingers (Developer Card) 263. Matt McEnerney - Dingers (Developer Card) 264. Shawn Nicholson - Dingers (Developer Card) 265. Dan Rubel - Dingers (Developer Card) 266. Cooper Sellers - Dingers (Developer Card) 267. Mike Skinner - Dingers (Developer Card) 268. PJ Snavely - Dingers (Developer Card) 269. Ryan Starr - Dingers (Developer Card) 270. Sarma Vanguri - Dingers (Developer Card) 271. Mario Ventrella - Dingers (Developer Card) 272. Rob Whitaker - Dingers (Developer Card) 273. Justin Withers - Dingers (Developer Card) 274. Tom Zentmeyer - Dingers (Developer Card) 275. Dingers - Teams 276. Pixels - Teams 277. Islanders - Teams 278. Rated Rookies - Teams 279. AL Legends - Teams 280. NL Legends - Teams 281. Wrinklies - Teams 282. Angels - Alternate Throwbacks 283. Astros - Alternate Throwbacks 284. Athletics - Alternate Throwbacks 285. Blue Jays - Alternate Throwbacks 286. Braves - Alternate Throwbacks 287. Brewers - Alternate Throwbacks 288. Cardinals - Alternate Throwbacks 289. Cubs - Alternate Throwbacks 290. Devil Rays - Alternate Throwbacks 291. Diamondbacks - Alternate Throwbacks 292. Dingers - Alternate Throwbacks 293. Dodgers - Alternate Throwbacks 294. Expos - Alternate Throwbacks 295. Giants - Alternate Throwbacks 296. Indians - Alternate Throwbacks 297. Mariners - Alternate Throwbacks 298. Marlins - Alternate Throwbacks 299. Mets - Alternate Throwbacks 300. Orioles - Alternate Throwbacks 301. Padres - Alternate Throwbacks 302. Phillies - Alternate Throwbacks 303. Pirates - Alternate Throwbacks 304. Rangers - Alternate Throwbacks 305. Reds - Alternate Throwbacks 306. Red Sox - Alternate Throwbacks 307. Rockies - Alternate Throwbacks 308. Royals - Alternate Throwbacks 309. Tigers - Alternate Throwbacks 310. Twins - Alternate Throwbacks 311. White Sox - Alternate Throwbacks 312. Yankees - Alternate Throwbacks ================================= *** Section 7: Hints And Tips *** ================================= According to the Manual, here are some tips: -Make good use of the batting target. Angle the target up to hit a ground ball, and tilt it down for a ball in the air. Remember the wide part of the triangle represents the sweet spot of the bat. Line them up right and you'll be crushing the ball. -On the controller select screen you can switch team uniforms by pressing L1 or R1+up or down on the directional buttons. -Use future throws to make quick, seamless plays. The future throw buttons must be pressed before a batted ball is fielded. Future throws can also be used to field bunts, turn double plays, make relay thwos, and play balls hit off of the outfield wall. -Defensive positioning can prevent runs if you use it wisely. Even with the defensive position opition turned on, the user can still override the CPU decisions. -Guessing the pitch type will affect the size of the contact icon. Guessing the pitch location will affect the size of the sweet spot. -A hitter's batting target will be affected by the opposing pitcher's handedness. For some hitters, the differnce will be extreme, while other hitters will have no differance at all. -Drag bunts can be an effective way to get the runners on base. Sacrafice bunts should be used to advance a runner to the next base. -Use easy batting if you prefer not to use a batting target. -When changing a team's pitching staff in the Set Pitching Staff Screen, starters may be used as relievers and vice versa and the results will vary. -Raising and lowering a Created Player's attributes will affect the stat lines that are generated. -Check Free Agent list in Seasons mode to see who has been dropped. Memory Card: 1701 kb. 1-2 Players, 1-4 with multitap. ===================================== *** Section 8: Offensive Strategy *** ===================================== Obvisously, hitting is important. I am fond of the cursors, so I will use them as my example. First, for righties, tilt the bat so it is pointing to right-center field. Try to land the ball in the "sweet spot" of the bat, and hope it doesn't get caught. If you can get that to work, the ball might sail into the gap, and most of the time leading to a double. A good suggestion for setting a batting order is this: #1 through #3 are contact, speed guys. #4 through #6 are your power hitters, and #7 and #8 are hopefully contact hitters. This is so you can get your first 3 guys on base, then hit them in, and repeat. Using the power cursor is an advantage when your batter has the advantage. What I mean by this is: Bobby Abreu had a big cursor Vs. righties, but when he is vs. a lefty, the power cursor is basically gone. Alright, now to something a lot of people are having trouble on... hitting!! You don't get much time to decide what to swing at, which is pretty realistic. You can try to watch the ball coming from the pitcher (something I haven't tried) or just hope you can guess right and get the cursor there. It isn't easy, but practice and you will get it :). Again, base running is easy too. When about to get to first, use L1 (send all) to make him go for two. To send one runner, press triangle and the base he occupies, I'm sure this is not a hard concept for us baseball fans ;). ===================================== *** Section 9: Defensive Strategy *** ===================================== This section discuss's the two most important defensive strategies: Pitching and Fielding. Pitching is very important in All-Star Baseball 2003, probably more than a lot of other games I've played. If you think your #3-#5 are going to be able to fly through the computer and rack up K's and if you think your lowly rated bullpen is going to be able to hold them down, you got another thing coming. ASB2003 takes advantages of any missed opportunities you give them like if your pitchers stamina is decreasing, they will start swinging for the fenses. Your pitchers best pitch is his X pitch (2nd is the pitch below it, third, fourth) for some it is a slider, but for most its the fast ball. My big pitching strategy was to send two fastball/change ups inside, and then try to nail a slider or curve the other way. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Paint the corners, throw some low and away, or high and inside, keep the batters head up, and randomize your pitches, and don't throw pitches in the same location. I once gave up back to back to back home runs, all because I threw 3 pitches that were in the same spot, and the same, since then I've never done that again. Use the hot-cold zone to see which areas the batter has trouble with (the blue) and which area the batters knock around a lot (the red), and avoid them. Warm up relievers for 1.5-2 innings, the more the better. The last thing you want is a relief pitcher coming in at a crucial point, and blowing the game. Keep your head up, and never give up, I have gotten out of bases loaded with 0 outs using smart game play. As far as fielding goes, it isn't too hard. The future throw is VERY helpful in stopping runnings, and double plays. Simply press the base you want the ball to go BEFORE you pick it up... by learning this early, you will save a lot of headaches and runs. As soon as you get the ball press L1 to throw it to the relay man if you are unsure what to do. Get that ball to the infield as quick as you can. Here is a awesome guide dedicated just to pitching: http://db.gamefaqs.com/console/ps2/file/all_star_baseball_2003_pitching.txt It's from Inks71, I suggest you guys that still need help in pitching check it out. ================================== *** Section 10: Extra Features *** ================================== Some extra neat features some take for granted: -Broken Bats... I love watching Lieberthal smacking broken bat HR's :) -Weather. The weather effects the ball, and nothing beats playing a game in the snow. -Chicago Cubs fans throw visitor HR's back on to field. -Over 70 Injury types. -Computers steal bases. (Overall upgraded AI) -Pitcher and batter ejections. -Going....Going...Gone! Press L1 at the end of the day of games to see who hit home runs that day and their current total! -See box scores for any game! -Wrinklies: Parody of Triple Play -Pixels: Parody of High Heat (credit due to Inks71 for these:) -Accessories -Broken Up Double Plays -Comebackers off of the pitchers gloves -Special stadium effects -Slide step, pick off move out of windup -Variety of 1st baseman catching animations -Overthrows -Pitching history (I love this feature :) -Bare handed toss's. -Intentional Walks, Dropped 3rd strikes -Commentary (during replays, etc.) Email me to add to the list (see contact below). I will add more later. This is a list where you can find the "K"'s hanging in each stadium after a strike out: (Thanks to the people from the ASB GameFaqs board for helping me fill these in) Anaheim- Left field, above bullpens Arizona- Atlanta- Baltimore- Boston- Center field wall, can be seen if ball is hit that way. Chicago C- Left field Chicago W- Left field wall Cincinnati- Right field, upper deck Cleveland- Right center field Colorado- Detroit- Florida- Houston- Kansas City- Los Angelse D- Milwaukee- Minnesota- Montreal- NY Mets- Left-Center, Picnic area NY Yanks- Left field, upper-deck Oakland- Philly- Pittsburg- St Louis- Left field line, close to pole San Diego- San Fran- Seattle- Tampa Bay- Texas- Toronto- ========================== *** Section 11: Review *** ========================== Here is the review that I submitted to GameFaqs: After hyping the game since the beginning of Feburary, I was excited when I finally got the chance to sit down and play All Star 2003. The game made me and my friend say ''wow'' after every new animation, and marvel at the gameplay. Grahpics: 9. 2002 didn't have bad graphics, so 2003 follows that tradition. You can now recognize your favorite star by looking at their face, instead of trying to the look for the number. The fans look pretty good, and the stadiums are amazing! In the stadium, you can see planes taking off in Atlanta, clouds moving in during the day time, and neon K's when your ace pitcher strikes out batters. Sound: 10. Bottom of the 9th, 2 outs - the fans let you know this game is close. My friend and I played such an intense game strikeout-catchup, the crowd didn't stop their cheering from the 7th to the 9th. You hear the crack of the bat, and can tell instantly how the ball was it. The occasional heckler in the crowd is there too. The sound is just perfect. Gameplay. 9. Most importantly, to clear anything up, on All-Star difficulty, this years All Star baseball is not a home run contest. In my franchise I have 3 in 2 games, and I feel very lucky to have them, and the only reason I have two is due to the fact of them leaving their pitcher in too long. Which brings me to gameplay. Everything wrong with 2002 was fixed. So yes, no more backwards throwing, the players catch the ball on the red star spot, and no more crappy AI base running. The stamina bar is true to life in this years version, when it starts to blink after their time, hitting is a little easier, and if they are still in, you'll crank the homers off of them. I have also given up a couple triples because of their agressive base running! The game also comes with a speed option, to make the games quicker. I personally don't like this option, but some find it very useful. Modes: 10. Franchise, Expansion, trivia contest (very fun for two big baseball fans), drafts, this game has it all. After a lot of exhibition, I played around with the Expansion and Franchise modes, to observe the options, and alls I can say, again, was wow. Records of every sort and kept, trades, farm team, the dl, computer offered trades. It was very addicting to to be the GM and sim, seeing if I could make it to the world series. You sign big free agents with points, and after a few years, you will have to release some big players, because you can't sign them anymore. It's very tough to keep A) the young up and comers, or B) veteran power houses. The trivia contest is a external mode, where you and a friend pick a team, and see who can answer the most hard questions. You score runs depending on who is highlighted when you get a correct answer. Example is, my friend got one right while Ichiro was highlighted for a double, I got one right while Bonds was highlighted for a ''run'' or point. The trading card touch is nice. I like after each game opening the packs, seeing if I can get any extra cheats, or something for next time my friends show up Rent/Buy: BUY!!. This game has so many new features, that it would take a long time to be bored with them all. After playing a few games, try your luck at the trivia mode, or become a GM and lead your team to the World Series. This game has very accurate rosters (Feb 01) and is just an amazing experience, which reminds me, why am I here, when ASB is in the other room!! Pick this game up today! Yeah, I was a little excited when I bought it =) (You can read all my reviews on my Contributer Page, which can be found here: http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/recognition/16949.html) ====================================== *** Section 12: Cheats And Secrets *** ====================================== To use your cheat cards, at the controller select screen press one of the top buttons to bring up a options menu where you can change the stadiums, and at the bottom is an option for cheats. I'm sure there will be more to come. ========================== *** Section 13: F.A.Q. *** ========================== Q: Has the pitcher stamina been fixed? A: This year ASB 2003 seems to have nailed this, so it all depends on who you are using and how good they are doing. I have pitched a complete game with Brandon Duckworth, because I kept my hits and runs down, and when the stamina was red and flashing, I moved the pitches around. Most starters can go 6-7 innings, and the game requires a strong pen to finish off the game. Q: Is this game homer happy? A: Any game is homer happy when you become a pro at it. On All-Star difficulty, it is NOT homer happy. My team leader currently (15 games in) is tied with Bonds with 8 each. This was corrected, and hitting is a lot tougher than 2002. (I'm assuming you will all move to up the difficulty too ;) Q: Have you heard, you can't save your rosters for exhibition? A: Yes... I've tried to solve this, and haven't gotten it. Fortunatly, this is something I don't really care too much about, but I know this is huge to some people. Q: Can you use created players in Franchise / Expansion teams in Franchise? A: Yes to both. Q: HELP!! Why is the computer subbing some of my players out?! A: (From Page 18 of the manual) During Season Play, the CPU may alter the pre-set lineups to give players rest days. You can void that by pressing L1 at the controller select screen. Q: How do you drag bunt? A: First, make sure the cursor is on the ball, then press O when you would normall press X, it's tricky, but if it works, can be very useful. Q: How do I intentionally walk a batter? A: Press "R3" then press X for Int Walk. Q: Can more than one person control a team in Franchise? A: No sorry. AIM/MSN to start getting some questions up, I also check the ASB 2003 (ps2) board daily, and will respond there, and add a lot of questions here too. ========================================= *** Section 14: The Secret To "GMing" *** ========================================= The franchise mode was a great addition for the "GMers" that like to see if they can turn a losing team like Tampa Bay into a World Series winner. For fun I will use my Philadelhpia Phillies. When you first go in, check the free agents. I usually sign Jeff Shaw, David Cone, and Jose Canseco and release 3 lower guys. Some awesome guys to get while GMing are: Aramis Ramirez, Adam Dunn, Albert Pujols, Ichiro, Rollins, and some others, back to the season. This year I'm going after Ramirez in the beginning... the deal was Abreu, Person, and Shaw for Ramirez, Kendall, and Wilson. Then I send Cone, Coggin, and Santiago to Florida for Beckett, Clement, and some scrub :) After fixing my line up, I sim 10 games, and go 5-5. I usually do a few weeks at a time. Less than a week later, Canseco is out for 3-4 months with a broken knee cap, cool huh? I press O so the CPU auto deals with it. Then come the trade offers, the Blue Jays want Ramirez, and are trying to give up Jose Cruz, I laugh as I press Ignore. The dodgers offer Shawn Green for Scott Rolen and I accept (Ramirez can start 3B now) After a lot of injuries and offers, I check my standings. 82-73, 1 game back with 7 days left..... I win the last two, and get the wild card Vs. San Francisco. Well, I lost, but in awesome news, the home run record was broke... someone hit 80... and it was none other than Barry Bonds, now the real fun begins, the offseason. The free agency is tough, I usually release all the lesser knowns to save points for the pricy players. I have 107 points to sign 14 free agents, that's not too good, and I will probably lose like 10 of them. Well, I will rebuild and send them again, and hope I get farther, this is a very fun feature. If anyone wants to add strategies here, email me, and I'll dedicate a little section here with your name and strategy and let others read it. :). So basically you try to get a lot of higher ranking people that you can trade, get YOUNG guys, and have points for the off season. In another franchise, that I actually worked on I went pretty far with people like Dunn , Pujols, and Jimmy Rollins. I ended up winning the division for the 17 years in a row. ============================================== *** Section 15: Credits / Contacts / Legal *** ============================================== I'd like to give credit when it is due. GameFaqs is an awesome place to post and talk with other gamers, no where else I'd rather talk games then here;). Acclaim, you guys did a wonderful job in making All-Star baseball this year... Congrats... Also want to thank P.J. Snavely, for taking time out and keeping us informed on this years game, I know a lot of us appreciated that. Also a thanks to Operation Sports (www.operationsports.com) for answering some questions before the game came out, and keeping me humored, and I think they are a fine site ;) I want to give a shout-out to the people from the ASB2003 board on GameFaqs, they've helped with a lot of this stuff. Here are the ways of contacting me: MSN Messenger: mcnabb_05@hotmail.com AIM Messenger: iverson mcnabb 1 Email: Mcnabb_05@hotamil.com This FAQ was written by me, with some help from the manual, and it is illegal to post on any website without my permission. Copyright 2002 by the author, me, and can not be reproduced without email me and asking. If you would like this guide on your site, email me and ask politely, and I'll probably agree. I will keep my version here at GameFaqs as up to date as i can. Thanks. ============================= *** Section 16: Last Word *** ============================= Well, it's finally done, my first F.A.Q. =) I didn't ever think that it would be finished. Anyway, when All-Star 2002 came out last year, it was a good game, but had a lot of flaws and glitches, and a lot of hardcore fans shunned this game. Acclaim did a great job in fixing those, and adding all these new features in the short time that they had from releasing ASB2002 for the Game Cube to making ASB2003 for the Playstation 2 (and all next-gen consoles.) This is the best console baseball game to date, and they really hit the nail on the head this time. With minor flaws still there, and every mode conceivable, I wonder how ASB 2004 can be any greater. If you guys have any questins, contact me (see above), and thanks again for reading. ========================================== *** Section 17: Site This Can Be Found *** ========================================== GameFaqs: http://www.gamefaqs.com Cheat Happens: http://www.cheathappens.com Neo Seekers: http://www.neoseeker.com Cheat CC: http://www.cheatcc.com www.ps2domain.net www.cheatportal.com www.911cheats.com www.911codes.com www.fastcheater.com www.25000cheats.com www.skali.com