All-Star Baseball 2003 - Strategy Guide (Page 02)

Below are the cheat codes, hints and help for All-Star Baseball 2003 - Strategy Guide (Page 02).

[ Glitches ]

My oh my, where do I start.  The awful interface?  The unfinished 
ballparks?  The flawed AI?  The "vacuum" effect?  I enjoy this game a 
great deal, but I wonder how good it would have been if it had been in 
development another 4-6 weeks.

1. Base running glitch
This one was the first so far, because it froze my game.  I stole 
second with Troy Glaus, the catcher threw to second, I was safe.  
However, after Glaus slid he kept running the bases.  The second 
baseman just held the ball as Glaus made it home and then returned to 
the dugout.  The camera remained frozen on the second baseman.  I could 
do nothing but reset.

2. Catcher glitch
For some reason the catcher can't pickup the ball after a wild pitch.  
The ball gets behind him and I run around the ball in circles, as if 
summoning by heretic incantation a baseball demon that will imbue him 
with the power to telepathically lift the baseball into his hand.

3. Foul ball glitch
Sometimes, after a foul pop fly the fielder will just stand there 
holding the ball as I tag and round the bases all the way home.  
Perhaps he is biding his time?

4. "Vacuum glitch"
Ok, I can understand this when a fielder is grabbing a ball on the 
short-hop and the glove isn't positioned perfectly, but when a player 
is diving for the ball, or the ball is launched 10 cyberfeet in the 
air, I don't think it's necessary at all to have them "vacuum" balls 
obviously out of their reach.  This completely eliminates hits down the 
baseline and another thing, I threw the ball into the mound with my 
centerfielder once and it DIDN'T teleport into my catcher's glove!  
Where's the equilibrium?

5. Advance runners glitch
When you get multiple runners on the base, especially with the bases 
loaded, things get hectic.  Sometimes I'll be mashing "L" like a mad 
cow to advance the runners, and the ones on second and third stay put 
while the one on first decides to take off to second!  What the hizzle 
fo sizzle?

6.  Infield error glitch
I'm not sure exactly if it was a fielding error or infield hit, but the 
ball went into a place in the infield very difficult to get to after 
all the runners had been safe and the POOF! It's in my right fielders 
glove!  Strange...

7.  Angels glitch
This irks me terribly.  This season the Angles changed their uniform to 
a more throwback, red and white/gray uniform that is faithfully 
represented in the game.  However, about every other game instead of 
wearing their new jersey they wear their old blue jersey with the wing 
logo!  The worst part of it is they only have the jersey changed - the 
pants, socks, and hat are all still red and gray.  How clashing!

[ Errors ] 
- For the "best baseball game available" I'm being quite nitpicky, but 
these are the facts, and you are the quacks.

1.  Splitters are as fast as 4-seam fastballs.
2.  Breaking balls break less as a pitcher gets tired and velocity goes 
down (though the former is far worse than the latter).  On the 
contrary, there are a quite a few pitchers whose velocity goes up (Curt 
Schilling) and most pitchers' breaking balls break more as they get 
tired, because breaking balls only lose their break when they are 
thrown too hard.  The fatigue actually contributes to their 
effectiveness at times.  However, pitchers do usually lose control as 
they get deeper into games (although there is the inverse, Kaz Ishii).
3.  The AI isn't _bad_, but they're really dumb in some obvious places!  
Why do they throw so many offspeed/breaking balls up in the zone on ALL 
STAR difficulty?  They get crushed!
4.  The AI never attempts a pick off move, making stealing routine and 
100% safe on All Star mode, even for *shudder* the catchers.
5.  The dugouts are unfinished and untextured.  Love the "All your base 
are belong to us!" sign though!
6.  Larry Walker is a b!@#$&#.  He frigging homers off me every game!
7.  When I'm in the playoffs, since Roster Management is disabled, I 
can't look and see if my relievers are tired or when my injured players 
are coming back.  Ba numi?
8.  When I'm looking at player stats, why can't I look at a pitcher's 
pitches, and his velocity?  Why can't I see how a lefty pinch hitter 
fares against righties?
9.  Why don't my lineups EVER make it into the game?  They are always 
horribly disfigured and mutilated and I have to adjust it every 
frigging game I play.
10.  Why can't I design my own team logo? Ever hear of Jet Set Radio?  
Tokyo Extreme Racer 2?
11.  Sometimes (quite frequently actually) when making adjustments to 
your lineup right before a game it will say you're going against a 
right-handed pitcher when you're actually going against a left-handed 
one and vice versa.  Very frustrating.

Submit your own gripes/errors/glitches to spongeking@email.com. If you 
think the game is unrealistic in some way, please explain why. 


----------------------------
|  8. Contact Information  |
----------------------------

This is where I post my home address and invite chums from the internet 
over for free video gaming tutorials and premarital sex.  Or not.

Questions, comments, corrections?  If I get enough emails (one should 
suffice) I'll put up a Frequently Asked Questions section to better 
fulfill this file's namesake.

Email me at spongeking@email.com.

----------------------------
| 9. Copyright Information |
----------------------------

Copyright (c) Andre Castillo 2002. Plagiarize my material and your 
entrails will be looped around a tree.  

Of course the game itself is copyright blah blah blah, I don't know who 
made it.  Acclaim? Ok.