This is the text without the actual computer screenshots.
First, you will need to download the Bench Sim League.lg file that I provide on the website.
Save it to your computer desktop!
Then, click my computer, and go to My Documents folder...look for "Out of the Park Developments"
Once you click Out of the Park Developments, then click OOTP Baseball 12
Then click saved_games folder
Once you open the saved_games folder, you'll see a folder with a .lg extension for any leagues you have created on your game. This folder is where you will want to copy the files from The Bench Sim League.zip folder than you downloaded at the beginning. If you right click the file and select unzip (or extract) pick the above saved_games folder to extract to...OR you can extract/unzip to the desktop and drag/drop The Bench Sim League.lg folder into the saved_games folder.
When you are all done, you should have a folder showing "The Bench Sim League.lg" as shown below.
NEVER OPEN OR MODIFY THE .lg folder. That holds ALL of the BSL files on your computer and there is nothing you will need to access on your end! You can, however, mess up your ability to access the commissioner updates if you play around with those files!
ON TO THE ACTUAL GAME ITSELF.
From the main screen, click the LOAD GAME option
Double click The Bench Sim League to load the league file. If you do not have it listed, the .lg file is not in the correct folder specified above!
A list of manager names will come up once the league loads....find your name and double click it. I am using Heath's for this example as he is a non-commissioner.
You're now into the manager homepage for your manager name. Click your name above in the bar and a drop down will occur. Click manager options.
Check the "Use password for login" box and enter a password for your team. This will make it so other teams cannot access and control your roster. Note how on the bottom tool bar, the league settings button is grayed out. That is a commissioner-only field. Under the "team control" settings on the upper right, you can modify what you want the computer to control. My personal settings are only to allow the computer to control the Minor Leauge Lineups/Depth/Pitching. I don't like allowing them to control promotions, releases, or ANY of the major league moves. The News Subscription settings on the lower left will create in-game messages (the white envelope on the bottom bar) for you to read. You can exclude certain messages by unchecking the boxes. I would recommend at least the news from your entire organization be selected, but you can view most of this information elsewhere in the game.
Now, click the manager home tab (or click your name and go back to manager home). On the right, you see a timeline for the upcoming season. On the left side, you'll have recent news/updates. The two most important features for the BSL are the CHECK FOR UPDATED LEAGUE FILES button and the EXPORT TEAM VIA FTP button both in red.
The "Check for Updated League Files" button will access the server and will download any updates to your computer so you can view them (after a sim, these files are created).
The "Export Team via FTP" button will SEND any changes you have made to your files to the commissioner (contract offers, lineup changes, waivers, releases, etc).
Click the BSL drop-down and you'll see a menu. The important ones to know:
BNN Home Page (this is a in-game copy of the main BSL page on the website...you all should know this well)
Trades will be handled OUTSIDE of the game in the forums.
Waiver Wire will allow you to see who is on the wire, and to right click them and make a claim on the player if desired.
Everything else is explorable and self-explanatory.
Now, click your team name on the upper bar for a drop-down.
This is where you will do the vast majority of your work. ALWAYS PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT YOU ARE DOING BEFORE YOU DO IT AS IT IS USUALLY NOT REVERSABLE!
Most important links are:
Disabled list - you can add/remove players from the 15/60 day DL here.
Minor Leagues - you can promote/demote players from minors to minors or minors to majors, etc. Remember when a player goes from minors to majors they are then on the 40-man roster and their service time starts.
Waivers and DFA - the most confusing, and easiest to make big mistakes. Any player played on waivers may be lost...some you have the option of revoking the claim automatically...in most cases I would recommend just letting them go when you place them on waivers. ANY player you "acquire" whether it be waivers, drafts, trades, etc will be listed in the Designated for Assignment (DFA) section. It is YOUR responsibility to assign them to the proper team (majors, minors, etc). They will sit there for weeks doing nothing if you do not assign them manually where they should be!
The part most will be excited about is "Pitching Staff" "Lineups" and Team/Player strategy. You can customize/set these however you want (drag and drop) this is the exact lineup the computer will use during the sim, barring injuries (that is why we have depth charts). I wouldn't recommend playing around with the PLAYER strategy much if at all unless you feel very comfortable with it.
Front office shows you the financial end of your team. Pending Free Agents, salary obligations, etc.
Personnel and Scouting are TURNED OFF in the BSL.
That is pretty much a basic overview. ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS ASK QUESTIONS BEFORE YOU DO SOMETHING if you don't know. It is very important to learn the ropes before diving in!
