RBI Baseball History Youtube Video

[BeefMaster]

Guys, Thank you so much for the insight! I am just about done with my script and am currently starting on the preproduction phase. I am still trying to get a hold of Nightwulf, so if anyone would like to offer their insight into a video about the topics of ratings of RBI players and/or the Tengen Vs. Nintendo lawsuit, I would love to setup some interviews. I am currently located in Florida, but I would be willing to travel or possibly a Skype interview. Either way, Thank you all for the help!

I could give a shot at a Skype interview (I'm in South Dakota; I assume a Floridian is not looking to vacation here in the winter) on the ratings stuff if you can't find nightwulf.  I can't speak as authoritatively, but I know the general process of how folks figured things out and what everything means.  I'm also at least somewhat familiar with the ratings in RBI 2 & 3, which use the same setup numerically but are much more strictly stat-based than in the original.

[ultimate7]

I don't think anyone ever figured out those pitchers Unknown values, seems like they possibly had something to do with CPU pitch selection

[MichaelKlug]

I worked at Tengen on RBI, and may be able to help with your history project. Or possibly put you in touch with some of the programmers. Please feel free to PM me.

[fathedX]

GUYS, WE'VE GOT A LIVE ONE HERE!

Welcome, Mr. Klug

[Gantry]

Indeed, welcome Michael!  Did you work with Peter Lipson? 

[BeefMaster]

GUYS, WE'VE GOT A LIVE ONE HERE!

Welcome, Mr. Klug

YES

[MichaelKlug]

I know Peter, but did not work with him on the first RBI for NES. I started at Tengen about when RBI NES was completed, and actually tested the game at home while the Tengen offices were setup down the street from Atari Games. I was the QA Manager, and worked closely with the development teams on all subsequent versions of RBI. Because I was a baseball fan, a gamer, and had won first place for the United States (lost in the finals to the player from Japan) in an RBI contest, I got to contribute to the RBI series for stats, gameplay, etc. As I recall, I am the leadoff hitter on the Tengen Team.

[MichaelKlug]

RBI Baseball Contest article from the Japanese magazine "Young Jump".
I believe the contest site was Lakewood Mall, near Los Angeles.

[Gantry]

Great stuff!  We should do a new run of those RBI Baseball shirts

[edfan]

I know Peter, but did not work with him on the first RBI for NES. I started at Tengen about when RBI NES was completed, and actually tested the game at home while the Tengen offices were setup down the street from Atari Games. I was the QA Manager, and worked closely with the development teams on all subsequent versions of RBI. Because I was a baseball fan, a gamer, and had won first place for the United States (lost in the finals to the player from Japan) in an RBI contest, I got to contribute to the RBI series for stats, gameplay, etc. As I recall, I am the leadoff hitter on the Tengen Team.

To be immortalized in an RBI baseball game is pretty cool!

[MichaelKlug]

Found the Nintendo Power article about the contest:

[fightonusc]

How much better was the Japanese kid than everyone else?

[ultimate7]

And what teams were used in the championship game?

[MichaelKlug]

In the championship game:
He played with the National League All-Stars.
I played with the American League All-Stars.

[MichaelKlug]

How much better was the Japanese kid than everyone else?

I believe he won every game he played that day.
As the Ninteno Power article stated, he had to get through a tournament of 600 players in Japan.
He likely had more experience from playing Family Stadium (the Namco game RBI is based on), while RBI was released in the states shortly before the contest here.
I think he had an advantage by using the National League all-star team, but also, he won fair-and-square

[Gantry]

I remember reading about some tournament back in the day where Boston was in the finals, but can't remember the details. 

[TempoGL]

I remember reading that blurb in Nintendo Power when I was a kid

[BeefMaster]

I know Peter, but did not work with him on the first RBI for NES. I started at Tengen about when RBI NES was completed, and actually tested the game at home while the Tengen offices were setup down the street from Atari Games. I was the QA Manager, and worked closely with the development teams on all subsequent versions of RBI. Because I was a baseball fan, a gamer, and had won first place for the United States (lost in the finals to the player from Japan) in an RBI contest, I got to contribute to the RBI series for stats, gameplay, etc. As I recall, I am the leadoff hitter on the Tengen Team.

I actually realized that you were the real deal when I saw your posts partially because I remembered your last name from the Tengen Team.  BLAZING SPEED!

How much are we allowed to interrogate you about RBI 2 & 3?  Things I am curious about...

1) We found a string that says "HITTING EDITOR" while looking through the RBI 3 ROM but couldn't find where it matched up to actual code.  Do you know what that was from?

2) Was there any automation in the player ratings generation in those games?  The first one obviously was done by hand, because there's not a direct correlation between the ratings and stats, but 2 & 3 seem fairly deterministic, at least for the BA/Contact and HR/Power combinations (with a few exceptions - Canseco has a high power in RBI 2 despite a lower homer total because of his injury-shortened season), which made me wonder if some of the ratings stuff was scripted somehow.

3) Who was the Cubs fan who beefed up the '84 team?

I will probably come up with even more if you're game.

[MichaelKlug]

I know Peter, but did not work with him on the first RBI for NES. I started at Tengen about when RBI NES was completed, and actually tested the game at home while the Tengen offices were setup down the street from Atari Games. I was the QA Manager, and worked closely with the development teams on all subsequent versions of RBI. Because I was a baseball fan, a gamer, and had won first place for the United States (lost in the finals to the player from Japan) in an RBI contest, I got to contribute to the RBI series for stats, gameplay, etc. As I recall, I am the leadoff hitter on the Tengen Team.

I actually realized that you were the real deal when I saw your posts partially because I remembered your last name from the Tengen Team.  BLAZING SPEED!

How much are we allowed to interrogate you about RBI 2 & 3?  Things I am curious about...

1) We found a string that says "HITTING EDITOR" while looking through the RBI 3 ROM but couldn't find where it matched up to actual code.  Do you know what that was from?

2) Was there any automation in the player ratings generation in those games?  The first one obviously was done by hand, because there's not a direct correlation between the ratings and stats, but 2 & 3 seem fairly deterministic, at least for the BA/Contact and HR/Power combinations (with a few exceptions - Canseco has a high power in RBI 2 despite a lower homer total because of his injury-shortened season), which made me wonder if some of the ratings stuff was scripted somehow.

3) Who was the Cubs fan who beefed up the '84 team?

I will probably come up with even more if you're game.

1. I don't have an answer for the "hitting editor".

2. There was no automation in generating player ratings. I believe I just did those by hand. As you said, games played was taken in to account. i might have that paperwork in the garage, will dig around, and let you know.

3. Maybe because the lead programmer was a Cubs fan
I'll contact him, and see if I can get him on these forums to answer questions.
I'll check with Peter and Bill too.
Unfortunately, the lead animator, Greg Williams, and one of the audio guys, Brad Fuller, have passed away.

[Gantry]

Peter was super kind and generous with his time with I tracked him down before, man was that 10 years ago? 

I remember that 2nd team in the national RBI tournament finals was SF, who played Bo.  Have no idea why I remember that or even what tournament it was, which probably means I'm wrong.  Want to say it took place in Cali and want to say the blurb was in Nintendo Power.