High School Baseball Simulation 4 (Free High School Baseball Game): Introduction & Strategy Notes | Aim for Koshien as a Coach

There is a free game called "High School Baseball Simulation 4".
This is a free game where you become the manager and lead your high school team to victory in the Koshien tournament, including winning consecutive championships.

This game is overflowing with love for high school baseball.Team management, player development, generational change, and the journey from regional qualifiers to the Koshien tournament—all the essential elements of high school baseball are well-established.

The game offers two modes: a fast-paced mode where the game progresses solely on the scoreboard, and a mode where you give detailed instructions for each at-bat, both of which provide a rich and engaging gaming experience.
There are plenty of events, such as former students being drafted or coming to say hello after turning pro.
This time, I'll be writing an introduction to the game and some notes on how to play it.

Game Overview

First, you need to decide which high school to attend.
You can play as a top-ranked school aiming for consecutive championships, or you can enjoy the thrill of gradually strengthening a weaker school.
To get used to the gameplay, it might be a good idea to choose a moderately challenging opponent first.

Once you've chosen a high school, you then choose its difficulty level.
Please note that once you've made a selection, you cannot change it unless you start over from the beginning.
Until you get used to it, I think it's fine to start with "Normal" or "Easy."
"Coaching ability" is related to various aspects, including the rate at which players develop.
A coach's leadership skills gradually improve as they play more games.

This is the main menu screen.
You might be unsure what to do at first,For now, let's go with "Practice Settings" and "Regular Settings".Let's do it.

On the practice settings screen, I believe everyone is set to "Setting 1" by default.
First, let's start by thinking about and creating the practice content for settings 1 through 5.

First, let's consider how we will use settings 1 through 5 for practice.

For example, let's say we decide on a policy where setting 1 focuses on defensive and base-running practice, and we continue this until the player reaches a certain level of defensive ability.
Then, setting 2 is set to practice that emphasizes power hitting and bat control, and players who have shown a reasonable improvement in their fielding are allowed to switch to this setting.
In this way, it's easier to create various training settings in advance and allow players to choose which training to do according to their progress.
You are free to decide what to include in settings 1 through 5, but it is important to give them a clear direction.

In particular, it will be necessary to have a completely separate training program for players who are designated as pitchers.
At first, you might not know which parameters to prioritize, but you can figure that out through trial and error.

And this is the regular settings screen.
Basically, the third-year students should be the most skilled, so the second and third-year students should make up the starting lineup.
Occasionally, we have exceptionally talented players even in their first year, so we'd like to give those players the opportunity to gain match experience from their first year.

When new members join in April, the system automatically sorts them by ability, so you probably don't need to change anything at first.
However, it's important to check the "Ability 3" tab and list several pitcher candidates.
Having multiple pitchers is reassuring, so train players with high initial pitching ability and talent using pitcher-specific training settings.

In short, if you simply set a "training schedule" and keep going day by day, you will gradually get stronger.
However, that alone is insufficient, so you can further accelerate your growth by holding practice matches and purchasing equipment.

Holding practice matches can help improve the coach's leadership skills and the players' mental strength.
Before the qualifiers begin in July, let's play a few practice matches to check the skill levels of each player.
It's not always the case that players with high ability ratings will achieve good results; sometimes unexpected players will perform well.
Practice matches are effective for collecting that kind of data.
It's not very helpful to play against weaker opponents, so it's better to play against opponents of similar or higher skill levels.
If you purchase a "bus," you can play against high schools from other prefectures.

In the game, the players move automatically.
Since you can issue various instructions, it's necessary to give clear instructions and fight effectively in important matches.
The match screens and player movements are very well-crafted and based on accurate data, making them quite impressive to watch.
There's also a high-speed mode where you progress solely through the scoreboard.

Once the match is over, the results will be displayed like this.
It's quite interesting because you can also see the results of each at-bat in detail.

Once the tournament begins, matches are scheduled one after another according to the tournament bracket.
If they lose in the summer tournament, the third-year students will retire from the team.
No matter how talented a player is, they will only be around for three years, so a development plan that considers generational change is important.

Incidentally, clicking on "Tournament Guide" will display team summaries for all participating schools, like this.
It's also interesting to see how your own school is rated.

Roughly speaking, the game progresses in this manner.
Until I've gained experience as a coach, I'm just a teacher, so I'm sometimes transferred to other schools.
However, if you build up a track record and become a "freelancer," you can stay at the same high school indefinitely.
My immediate goal is to strengthen my high school, improve my leadership skills, and achieve results.

Strategy Notes

How to change your high school name to your real name

On the screen where you select opponents for practice matches, if you click on a high school name while holding down the Ctrl key, it will change to the real name.
It may not appear to have changed immediately after the operation, but if you go back to the previous screen, you should be able to confirm that it has been changed to your real name.

Selection of new club members

First, we select pitcher candidates from the new recruits.
We select players in the following order: control, velocity, skill, sharpness of each pitch, and pitching sense.
Control is especially important, so if I'm unsure, I'll develop two to four players as pitchers.
You can never have too many pitchers.

Even if a pitcher has decent abilities, it's best to avoid players with negative traits such as poor set-up or poor quick pitching.

Next, we'll look for catcher candidates from the remaining players.
Since C-Lead is a talent, we'll choose one player with a high C-Lead and good throwing arm and infield defense.

The remaining members will be considered as position players.

About practice

Setting up practice sessions is time-consuming, so in my case, I set it up somewhat systematically.
It's just like being a real coach; you can't really keep an eye on each and every team member.
I created a fictional high school to start playing, so my high school rank started at the lowest possible level, G.

First and foremost, it's important to strengthen our defense.
When the defense becomes solid, the results of matches also become more consistent.
Here's an example of a practice setup:
(Numbers are in percent)

• Practice 1: Infield defense 50, sprints 30, base running 20 (strengthening infield defense)
• Practice 2: Toss batting 30, tee batting 30, sprints 20, base running 20 (for improving hitting ability)
• Practice 3: Free batting 35, practice swings 35, sprints 20, base running 10 (to improve power hitting)
• Practice 4: 200m tube training, 40m long throws, 20m running, 20m throwing practice (to improve ball speed and sharpness)
• Practice 5: 40 throws, 60 shadow throws (for control improvement)

The fielders will proceed in the order of 1→2→3.
The timing for transitioning from level 1 to 2 is when the infield defense reaches a C to B level.
If your high school rank improves, it's fine to wait until you reach B or S rank.
The transition from version 2 to version 3 is similar.

You might be wondering, "Do I really need to play outfield?" But in this game, there are quite a few players who are naturally good at outfield defense.
Those players should be placed in the outfield, and from the beginning, they should be given batting practice (2 and 3) to develop into players who prioritize hitting.

The pitchers will proceed in the order of 5 → 4.

For pitchers, control is the most important thing, so we will focus solely on control.
Once you're satisfied with your control, move on to practice number 4, focusing on ball speed, sharpness, and stamina.

Since the limit of your ball speed is capped by the strength of your arm, it's important to dedicate time to long-distance throwing as needed.

Equipment that should be purchased as a priority

First and foremost, aim for the lighting.
It's relatively inexpensive, yet it extends practice time, which accelerates the player's development.

After that, they aim for things like rakes, protective nets, and batting cages, which reduce the chances of injury.

When an injury occurs, the player's development stops until they fully recover, which is a great waste.
Just like in reality, injuries are the worst thing that can happen.
After that, we'll save money for the baseball field and dormitory, while also acquiring all the smaller items.

However, things that cost money every month, such as coaches and supplements, can be expensive in the beginning, so you don't need to buy them right away.

Bus videos are an extra element, so you can put them off for later.
In short, I prioritize things that can extend practice time and improve effectiveness.
By the time they can afford to buy a baseball field and dormitories, they should already be a regular participant in the Koshien tournament.
If you can purchase both, I believe it will be possible to continue winning consecutively from three years onward, when you can reap the maximum benefits of that training.

How to play in a match

For the match, high-speed mode is generally fine.

Ideally, the pitcher should be in above-average condition.
It's okay to be rough about it, but we'll substitute them when their stamina starts to run low.

Additionally, batters with good overall statistics from practice games and other matches will be promoted to the top of the lineup.
What's interesting is that simply having high stats doesn't necessarily mean a good performance.
Winning games and participating in the Koshien tournament enhances the coach's leadership skills and reputation, making it easier to attract good players.
Let's actively aim for victory.

In particular, if you make it to the Koshien tournament, you'll receive a 1 million yen donation, so you'll want to aim for at least that point, even if it means resetting and reloading your progress.