Getting Started: Your First Season
What to do when you first launch ROBOT BASEBALL, and in what order to tackle things to get through your first season smoothly. The game starts right in your browser, with nothing to install and no sign-up.
1. Create a new game
You are the robot in command of a club: the Operator. On the first screen, choose your Operator call sign and a starting mode. There are three starting modes. The league's background (home worlds across the Solar System, credits and operating power, etc.) is covered in the setting section of League Rules.
| Starting mode | What it's like | Recommended for |
|---|---|---|
| Take over an existing club as Operator | You take charge of one of the 10 fictional clubs. Each club has a different squad, finances and facilities. | First-time players |
| Buy a club | You buy an existing club and choose a new home world, club name (an animal), colors and emblem. You inherit the squad as is. | Players who want a club of their own |
| Found an expansion club | You start with a weak squad and a founding grant, and have to build the team over several seasons. | Players who enjoy long-term development |
You can also pick a Challenge mode if you want. Challenges add restrictions such as a ban on signing free agents, so it's easier to skip them at first.
2. Get to know your club (before Opening Day)
Once the game starts, the Home screen brings together the season date, standings, next game, finances, news and tasks to handle. Check these four things before Opening Day.
- Squad — The Majors roster holds 28 units. Make sure your 9 regulars, 5 starting pitchers and bullpen roles (closer, setup man) are properly filled. Putting a unit at a position it isn't suited for weakens your defense and leads to more errors.
- Owner's goal — The owner (the parent company's management AI) sets a target finish. You're evaluated every month, and if the owner's trust bottoms out you can be fired. Weak clubs have low targets, so there's no need to push for a championship.
- Finances — Check your credits (CR) on hand, your squad's total operating power and the power cap (budget). Club finances are counted in credits, while unit contracts are counted separately in operating power (kW·season). If total operating power exceeds the cap, you can't sign free agents and will need to ask the owner AI to raise the power cap from the Club menu. See the Club Management guide for details.
- Ballpark — Ballparks differ in fence distance, solar wind and gravity currents, and heat index, so some are home-run friendly and some favor pitchers. Building a squad that fits your home park pays off. You can compare them in The 10 Clubs & Their Ballparks.
3. Advancing the calendar and the Inbox
Use the advance button on the Home screen to move the calendar forward. When something needs a decision, such as a comms request from a unit, a trade offer or a power allocation dispute, the game pauses and you get a notification in the Inbox. Your choices change unit uptime, fan satisfaction and the owner's trust, so read them before you choose.
4. Three ways to watch a game
- Instant — You get the result right away. Use it to move through a season quickly.
- Manage Live · Full Game mode — Every pitch is called, down to balls, strikes, swinging misses and fouls, and you can make a call at every plate appearance.
- Manage Live · Highlights mode — Shows only the deciding pitch (the one that produces the result) of each plate appearance, so it moves faster. You can make the same calls.
- Both modes can be watched as text, a 2D field view, 3D, or a 4D broadcast with unit animations and camera work.
The types of calls and how to use them are covered in Game Tactics.
5. What to keep an eye on during the season
- Tuning and malfunctions — When a regular's tuning drops, giving it a day of maintenance pays off in the long run. Remove malfunctioning units from the Majors and call up a replacement. A removed unit can't be re-registered for 10 days (except units out with a malfunction).
- Training focus — You can set a training direction for each unit. A safe approach is to work on weak stats for prototypes and maintain strengths for regulars. See Unit Stats & Upgrades for details.
- Trade deadline — Trades are only allowed through July 31. If you're in the Postseason race, shore up weak positions before then.
- All-Star Game — Held after the games on day 80 of the season. It's a good time for a first-half checkup.
6. When the season ends
After the 144-game Regular Season, the top 5 teams play in the Postseason. Then awards, retirements and offseason upgrades are processed, and the game moves on to the Offseason (Power Allocation negotiations → Prototype Draft → Free Agency). If you skip the Offseason, the auto System Director feature handles re-signing key units and filling out the roster for you. For your first few seasons, we suggest doing it yourself to learn how Free Agency and the draft work. Each stage is explained in Scouting, Draft, Free Agency & Trades.
7. Saving and backups
Game data is stored in your browser (IndexedDB). Since nothing is sent to a server, your save won't be there if you clear the browser's site data or move to another device. Back up long-running saves now and then with Settings → Export to JSON file. On another device, import that file to pick up where you left off.