Old Time Baseball
Encyclopedia
Old Time Baseball is a baseball
computer personal computer game
(1995) designed and programmed by Don Daglow
, Hudson Piehl, Clay Dreslough
and James Grove. The game appeared on the PC and was developed and published by Stormfront Studios
.
The game was based on the Tony La Russa Baseball
engine, and was an extension of the baseball simulation methods Daglow evolved through the Baseball
mainframe computer game (1971) (the first computer baseball game ever written), Intellivision World Series Baseball
(1983) and Earl Weaver Baseball
(1987).
Old Time Baseball took the Tony La Russa Baseball engine (then the top baseball game in the market), removed the current 28 teams' players and ballparks, and substituted the complete lineups of every major league team from 1871 to 1981, 12,000 players in all. 16 old (often demolished) ballparks were also included in which games could be played with accurate dimensions.
In addition to playing with historical teams, users could build their own teams player by player, and play any team (custom or historical) against any other team.
and juiced the ball so much that the batting average for baseball overall surpassed .300. The following year the ball was returned to more typical physics.
Other popular "let's see what happens" years for players were 1871, when the game visually looked more like softball, and 1942-45, when World War II
stripped the major leagues of most of its established players.
The Baseball Time Machine allowed players to try to resolve the most famous baseball arguments of all time, What would happen if Sandy Koufax
pitched to Babe Ruth?, How would the 1927 Yankees do against the Big Red Machine
?, etc.
Daglow had written the basic mathematical models for the Baseball Time Machine in an unpublished 1980 game with the working title Apple Baseball, an extension of his Baseball
game which he wrote on the then-new Apple II
personal computer
before joining the Intellivision
game design team. The diversion to Mattel
delayed the introduction of the Baseball Time Machine by 15 years.
To create broad patterns of play that were easier to learn and less subject to extremes, the game also offered the chance to play games in any of six different major baseball eras:
of the New York Yankees and Curt Gowdy
, who did network broadcasts for many years in addition to announcing for the Boston Red Sox.
, but entered the market during the baseball strike of 1994-1995 when many fans were angry at baseball in general. It never achieved mainstream success, and was sometimes criticized as being designed to please only hard-core baseball history "nuts". Since it was never updated or re-issued the game is one of the most expensive collectible PC games on ebay
, since serious baseball fans will often bid up the price on good condition copies.
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
computer personal computer game
Personal computer game
A PC game, also known as a computer game, is a video game played on a personal computer, rather than on a video game console or arcade machine...
(1995) designed and programmed by Don Daglow
Don Daglow
Don Daglow is an American computer game and video game designer, programmer and producer. He is best known for designing a series of pioneering simulation games and role-playing games, as well as the first computer baseball game and the first graphical MMORPG, all between 1971 and 1995...
, Hudson Piehl, Clay Dreslough
Clay Dreslough
Clay Dreslough is the creator of the Baseball Mogul and Football Mogul computer sports games, and is the co-founder and President of Sports Mogul, Inc...
and James Grove. The game appeared on the PC and was developed and published by Stormfront Studios
Stormfront Studios
Stormfront Studios was a video game developer based in San Rafael, California which had one of the longest creative histories in the industry. In 2007, the company had over 50 developers working on two teams, and owned all its proprietary engines, tools and technology. As of the end of 2007 over...
.
The game was based on the Tony La Russa Baseball
Tony La Russa Baseball
Tony La Russa Baseball is a baseball computer and video game console sports game series , designed by Don Daglow, Michael Breen, Mark Buchignani, David Bunnett and Hudson Piehl and developed by Stormfront Studios. The game appeared on Commodore 64, PC, and Sega Genesis, and different versions were...
engine, and was an extension of the baseball simulation methods Daglow evolved through the Baseball
Baseball (computer game)
Baseball was one of the first-ever baseball computer games, and was created on a PDP-10 mainframe computer at Pomona College in 1971 by student Don Daglow. The game continued to be enhanced periodically through 1976...
mainframe computer game (1971) (the first computer baseball game ever written), Intellivision World Series Baseball
Intellivision World Series Baseball
Intellivision World Series Major League Baseball is a baseball sports game , designed by Don Daglow and Eddie Dombrower and published by Mattel for the Intellivision Entertainment Computer System. IWSB was the first video game of any kind to use multiple camera angles, and the first sports game...
(1983) and Earl Weaver Baseball
Earl Weaver Baseball
Earl Weaver Baseball is a baseball computer game , designed by Don Daglow and Eddie Dombrower and published by Electronic Arts. The artificial intelligence for the computer manager was provided by Baseball Hall of Fame member Earl Weaver, then manager of the Baltimore Orioles...
(1987).
Old Time Baseball took the Tony La Russa Baseball engine (then the top baseball game in the market), removed the current 28 teams' players and ballparks, and substituted the complete lineups of every major league team from 1871 to 1981, 12,000 players in all. 16 old (often demolished) ballparks were also included in which games could be played with accurate dimensions.
Leagues and Teams
Users could replay historical seasons for any league during this period from every major league in baseball history:- National AssociationNational Association of Professional Base Ball PlayersThe National Association of Professional Base Ball Players , or simply the National Association , was founded in 1871 and continued through the 1875 season...
- National LeagueNational LeagueThe National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
- American AssociationAmerican Association (19th century)The American Association was a Major League Baseball league that existed for 10 seasons from to . During that time, it challenged the National League for dominance of professional baseball...
- Union AssociationUnion AssociationThe Union Association was a league in Major League Baseball which lasted for only one season in 1884. St. Louis won the pennant and joined the National League the following season...
- Players LeaguePlayers LeagueThe Players' National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs, popularly known as the Players' League , was a short-lived but star-studded professional American baseball league of the 19th century...
- American LeagueAmerican LeagueThe American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
- Federal LeagueFederal LeagueThe Federal League of Base Ball Clubs, known simply as the Federal League, was an American professional baseball league that operated as a "third major league", in competition with the established National and American Leagues, from to...
In addition to playing with historical teams, users could build their own teams player by player, and play any team (custom or historical) against any other team.
The Baseball Time Machine
The most remarkable feature in the game was the patented Baseball Time Machine, which allowed users to play any game in any individual year from 1871 through the present. This allowed users to play games in unique times like 1930, when baseball sought to lure fans during the DepressionGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
and juiced the ball so much that the batting average for baseball overall surpassed .300. The following year the ball was returned to more typical physics.
Other popular "let's see what happens" years for players were 1871, when the game visually looked more like softball, and 1942-45, when World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
stripped the major leagues of most of its established players.
The Baseball Time Machine allowed players to try to resolve the most famous baseball arguments of all time, What would happen if Sandy Koufax
Sandy Koufax
Sanford "Sandy" Koufax is a former left-handed baseball pitcher who played his entire 12-year Major League Baseball career for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers...
pitched to Babe Ruth?, How would the 1927 Yankees do against the Big Red Machine
The Big Red Machine
The Big Red Machine is the nickname given to the Cincinnati Reds baseball team which dominated the National League from 1970 to 1976, recognized as among the best in baseball. Over that span, the team won five National League Western Division titles, four National League pennants, and two World...
?, etc.
Daglow had written the basic mathematical models for the Baseball Time Machine in an unpublished 1980 game with the working title Apple Baseball, an extension of his Baseball
Baseball (computer game)
Baseball was one of the first-ever baseball computer games, and was created on a PDP-10 mainframe computer at Pomona College in 1971 by student Don Daglow. The game continued to be enhanced periodically through 1976...
game which he wrote on the then-new Apple II
Apple II
The Apple II is an 8-bit home computer, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced in 1977...
personal computer
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
before joining the Intellivision
Intellivision
The Intellivision is a video game console released by Mattel in 1979. Development of the console began in 1978, less than a year after the introduction of its main competitor, the Atari 2600. The word intellivision is a portmanteau of "intelligent television"...
game design team. The diversion to Mattel
Mattel
Mattel, Inc. is the world's largest toy company based on revenue. The products it produces include Fisher Price, Barbie dolls, Hot Wheels and Matchbox toys, Masters of the Universe, American Girl dolls, board games, and, in the early 1980s, video game consoles. The company's name is derived from...
delayed the introduction of the Baseball Time Machine by 15 years.
To create broad patterns of play that were easier to learn and less subject to extremes, the game also offered the chance to play games in any of six different major baseball eras:
- 1871-1892 -- Early Baseball, when the field dimensions were different and pitchers threw the ball softballSoftballSoftball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
-style, underhanded. - 1893-1919 -- The Dead Ball EraDead-ball eraThe dead-ball era is a baseball term used to describe the period between 1900 and the emergence of Babe Ruth as a power hitter in 1919. In 1919, Ruth hit a then league record 29 home runs, a spectacular feat at that time.This era was characterized by low-scoring games and a lack of home runs...
, when the pitcher's mound location and pitching style matched modern baseball, but the ball was marginally softer and would not fly as far. During this era it was routine for 10 home runs to be the league leader's total, and a majority of those might be inside the park home runHome runIn baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s that were the result of speed, not power. - 1920-1945 -- The Babe RuthBabe RuthGeorge Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...
Era, when then-pitcher Ruth changed the game by his tremendous power, and the live ball replaced the dead ball as baseball sought to make fans forget the Black Sox Scandal. - 1946-1960 -- The Golden Age, when post-war optimism, televisionTelevisionTelevision is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
and the integration of baseball by Jackie RobinsonJackie RobinsonJack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson was the first black Major League Baseball player of the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947...
, Larry DobyLarry DobyLawrence Eugene "Larry" Doby was an American professional baseball player in the Negro leagues and Major League Baseball....
and Branch RickeyBranch RickeyWesley Branch Rickey was an innovative Major League Baseball executive elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1967...
created a new level of success for the game. - 1961-1976 -- The Expansion Era, when baseball added many new teams, both increasing its influence and diluting its talent even as other sports like American footballAmerican footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, basketballBasketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and ice hockeyIce hockeyIce hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
eroded its dominance of TV sports. - 1977-1995 -- Modern Baseball, when continued expansion and the Free AgencyFree AgentsFree Agents is a romantic black comedy starring Stephen Mangan, Sharon Horgan and Anthony Head. Originally a pilot for Channel 4 in November 2007, the series began on 13 February 2009. It spawned a short lived US remake, which was cancelled after just 4 episodes aired.-Plot:Alex works for CMA, a...
created by the growth of the players union continued to change the game.
Ballparks
Many of the historical ballparks were built based on actual old construction blueprints. Stadiums included:- Ebbets FieldEbbets FieldEbbets Field was a Major League Baseball park located in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, New York, USA, on a city block which is now considered to be part of the Crown Heights neighborhood. It was the home of the Brooklyn Dodgers of the National League. It was also a venue for professional football...
, former home of the Brooklyn Dodgers, with the "hit this spot, win a suit" and the Schaefer's Beer sign on the outfield walls. - Old Comiskey ParkComiskey ParkComiskey Park was the ballpark in which the Chicago White Sox played from 1910 to 1990. It was built by Charles Comiskey after a design by Zachary Taylor Davis, and was the site of four World Series and more than 6,000 major league games...
, at that time scheduled for demolition by the Chicago White SoxChicago White SoxThe Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
. - Crosley FieldCrosley FieldCrosley Field was a Major League Baseball park located in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was the home field of the National League's Cincinnati Reds from 1912 through June 24, 1970, and the original Cincinnati Bengals football team, members of the second and third American Football League...
, former home of the Cincinnati RedsCincinnati RedsThe Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
. - Fenway ParkFenway ParkFenway Park is a baseball park near Kenmore Square in Boston, Massachusetts. Located at 4 Yawkey Way, it has served as the home ballpark of the Boston Red Sox baseball club since it opened in 1912, and is the oldest Major League Baseball stadium currently in use. It is one of two "classic"...
, as it appeared in the heyday of Ted WilliamsTed WilliamsTheodore Samuel "Ted" Williams was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 21-year Major League Baseball career as the left fielder for the Boston Red Sox...
, Johnny PeskyJohnny PeskyJohn Michael Pesky , nicknamed "The Needle" and "Mr. Red Sox", was a Major League Baseball shortstop, third baseman, and manager. During a 10-year career, he played in 1942 and from 1946-1954 for three different teams. He missed all of the 1943, 1944, and 1945 seasons while serving in World War...
and Bobby DoerrBobby DoerrRobert Pershing Doerr is a former Major League Baseball second baseman and coach. He played his entire 14-year baseball career for the Boston Red Sox . He led American League second basemen in double plays five times, tying a league record, in putouts and fielding percentage four times each, and...
. - Polo GroundsPolo GroundsThe Polo Grounds was the name given to four different stadiums in Upper Manhattan, New York City, used by many professional teams in both baseball and American football from 1880 until 1963...
, former home of the New York GiantsSan Francisco GiantsThe San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
, with its cavernous center field where Willie MaysWillie MaysWillie Howard Mays, Jr. is a retired American professional baseball player who played the majority of his major league career with the New York and San Francisco Giants before finishing with the New York Mets. Nicknamed The Say Hey Kid, Mays was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979, his...
caught the famous Vic WertzVic WertzVictor Woodrow Wertz was a Major League Baseball first baseman and outfielder. He had a seventeen year career from 1947 to 1963. He was signed as a free agent by the Detroit Tigers in 1942 and played for the Tigers, St...
drive in the 1954 World SeriesWorld SeriesThe World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
. - Shibe Park, former home of both the Philadelphia PhilliesPhiladelphia PhilliesThe Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
and the Philadelphia Athletics. - Sportsman's ParkSportsman's ParkSportsman's Park was the name of several former Major League Baseball ballpark structures in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, all but one of which were located on the same piece of land, the northwest corner of Grand Boulevard and Dodier Street on the north side of the city.- History :From...
, former home of the St. Louis CardinalsSt. Louis CardinalsThe St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
and St. Louis BrownsBaltimore OriolesThe Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
where more games were played than any other park in history. - Wrigley FieldWrigley FieldWrigley Field is a baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, United States that has served as the home ballpark of the Chicago Cubs since 1916. It was built in 1914 as Weeghman Park for the Chicago Federal League baseball team, the Chicago Whales...
, from the days of Ernie BanksErnie BanksErnest "Ernie" Banks , nicknamed "Mr. Cub", is a former Major League Baseball shortstop and first baseman. He played his entire 19-year baseball career with the Chicago Cubs . He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977.-High school years:Banks was a letterman and standout in football,...
and Ron SantoRon SantoRonald Edward Santo was an American professional baseball player and long-time radio sports commentator. He played in Major League Baseball from 1960 to 1974, most notably as the third baseman for the Chicago Cubs. A nine-time All-Star, he was a powerful hitter who was also a good defensive...
. - Yankee Stadium, in its pre-1970s form with the short right field porch and spacious left field, all designed to aid Babe Ruth and inspiring the nickname, The House that Ruth Built.
Announcers
Users could select between Play by play announcers Mel AllenMel Allen
Mel Allen was an American sportscaster, best known for his long tenure as the primary play-by-play announcer for the New York Yankees. During the peak of his career in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, Allen was arguably the most prominent member of his profession, his voice familiar to millions...
of the New York Yankees and Curt Gowdy
Curt Gowdy
Curtis Edward "Curt" Gowdy was an American sportscaster, well known as the longtime "voice" of the Boston Red Sox and for his coverage of many nationally-televised sporting events, primarily for NBC Sports in the 1960s and 1970s.-Early years:The son of a manager for the Union Pacific railroad,...
, who did network broadcasts for many years in addition to announcing for the Boston Red Sox.
Legacy
The game was a cult hit among serious baseball fans such as members of SABR and fans of sabermetricsSabermetrics
Sabermetrics is the specialized analysis of baseball through objective, empirical evidence, specifically baseball statistics that measure in-game activity. The term is derived from the acronym SABR, which stands for the Society for American Baseball Research...
, but entered the market during the baseball strike of 1994-1995 when many fans were angry at baseball in general. It never achieved mainstream success, and was sometimes criticized as being designed to please only hard-core baseball history "nuts". Since it was never updated or re-issued the game is one of the most expensive collectible PC games on ebay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
, since serious baseball fans will often bid up the price on good condition copies.
See also
- BaseballBaseball (computer game)Baseball was one of the first-ever baseball computer games, and was created on a PDP-10 mainframe computer at Pomona College in 1971 by student Don Daglow. The game continued to be enhanced periodically through 1976...
mainframe computer game - Intellivision World Series BaseballIntellivision World Series BaseballIntellivision World Series Major League Baseball is a baseball sports game , designed by Don Daglow and Eddie Dombrower and published by Mattel for the Intellivision Entertainment Computer System. IWSB was the first video game of any kind to use multiple camera angles, and the first sports game...
- Earl Weaver BaseballEarl Weaver BaseballEarl Weaver Baseball is a baseball computer game , designed by Don Daglow and Eddie Dombrower and published by Electronic Arts. The artificial intelligence for the computer manager was provided by Baseball Hall of Fame member Earl Weaver, then manager of the Baltimore Orioles...
- Tony La Russa BaseballTony La Russa BaseballTony La Russa Baseball is a baseball computer and video game console sports game series , designed by Don Daglow, Michael Breen, Mark Buchignani, David Bunnett and Hudson Piehl and developed by Stormfront Studios. The game appeared on Commodore 64, PC, and Sega Genesis, and different versions were...
- ESPN Baseball TonightESPN Baseball TonightESPN Baseball Tonight is a baseball video game for the PC, Super NES, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, and Sega CD.-Summary:The game was licensed by MLB, but not by the Players Association, so while actual team names and logos are used, no player names are in the game.The lead programmers for the project...
External links
- Stormfront website
- Old Time Baseball at GameFAQsGameFAQsGameFAQs is a website that hosts FAQs and walkthroughs for video games. It was created in November 1995 by Jeff "CJayC" Veasey and was bought by CNET Networks in May 2003. It is currently owned by CBS Interactive. The site has a database of video game information, cheat codes, reviews, game saves,...