OOTP 18 Announced

[Grim.Reaper]

That time of the year again....new version announced, pre orders underway.......I did not end up playing much last year and not sure if any of the new features will get me to bite right away.


OOTP 18 features Challenge mode, 3D highlight reels, tournaments, Negro leagues, and more!
Available March 24, 2017!
Pre-order now, save 20%, and get early access!
You could also get into the game as a draft prospect!

The Chicago Cubs' historic World Series win is still fresh in our minds, and we can't wait to see if they can repeat as champs in Out of the Park Baseball 18, the sequel to Metacritic's 2016 PC Game of the Year 2016!
We know you're excited too, and that's why we're now offering Out of the Park Baseball 18 for $31.99, a 20% discount off the full retail price. But make sure you place your pre-order now, because this deal is only available until Jan. 27! You'll also get access to the Gold Master version of the game on Monday, March 20, 4 days before its March 24 release date.
In addition, you'll be entered into an awesome contest: Five randomly chosen customers who pre-order by Jan. 27 will be added to OOTP 18 as draft prospects in the standard MLB game! We'll announce the winners on Jan. 29. Will you have an OOTP Hall of Fame career that you can brag about to your friends?


If you pre-order OOTP 18 between Jan. 28 and March 23, you'll receive a 10% discount ($34.99) and get access to the Gold Master version before release. Click here to pre-order for Linux.

Info for Steam customers: Unfortunately, due to technical reasons and a change in Steam policies, we have decided to no longer give away a free Steam key of the game for pre-order customers this year. The game will launch on Steam on March 24 with a 10% launch discount that will last for a week.
Join Markus For a Reddit AMA
And if you want to hear from OOTP creator Markus Heinsohn regarding this year's game, stop by r/baseball on Reddit at 12:00 PM Eastern time on Wednesday, Jan. 25 for an AMA (Ask Me Anything) session. You might even win a copy of OOTP 17, which was named Metacritic's 2016 PC Game of the Year.


*** New Features in OOTP Baseball 18 ***
2017 Opening Day Rosters
Our brand new 2017 roster sets include all Opening Day MLB rosters, as well as the complete minor league system down to rookie leagues, including independent leagues. All major league (and over a thousand minor league) player ratings are based on Dan Szymborski's popular ZiPS player projection system. The remaining minor league players are carefully rated by hand by our established research team.
Can the Chicago Cubs repeat as World Series winners, despite the loss of Aroldis Chapman and Dexter Fowler? Or did the Cleveland Indians' successful offseason set them up for at taking the World Series trophy home this year? Will the Boston Red Sox's rotation, anchored by Chris Sale and David Price, dominate in the AL East, or are the rebuilding Yankees already a contender? Which team will win the tight National League West Division, the powerhouse LA Dodgers, led by the best pitcher in baseball, Clayton Kershaw?
Of course, 8 international leagues (Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Australia, Italy, The Netherlands, Mexico and Cuba) and several international independent leagues return to OOTP 18 with accurate and projected 2017 rosters.
New Challenge! Game Mode and Online User Profiles
Ready for an extra challenge? Experience a new game mode in OOTP 18: Challenge! This mode can be enabled in newly created leagues (standard / historical / fictional) and adds a unique twist, along with new rewards, while playing OOTP.
Certain areas of the game are tightly controlled to prevent cheating and the game flow is optimized and more streamlined. Several new types of achievements and statistics are tracked in a new (optional) OOTP online user profile. Are you the best OOTP manager on the planet? Compare your skills to other OOTP gamers and find out how you stack up!
Improved 3D Mode & Game Highlight Reels
With even more ballpark detail than before, the 3D game mode in OOTP has taken another leap forward. More advanced player models and improved on-field movements let you view the action like never before. On top of that, you can optionally save all the 3D action highlights to rewatch the game or catch the highlight reel, no matter if those games were played out or simulated.
Tournaments & Fall Leagues
OOTP 18 now features custom and real world tournaments. Watch the best prospects play in the Arizona Fall League, or set up your own tournament pitting the best of each nation facing off against each other! Set up your own national or international tournaments, choose from different tournament modes, and manage your favorite nation to international glory.
Negro Leagues Added to Historical Minor Leagues
With the help of Seamheads.com, our historical database experts have been able to add most Negro leagues seasons to the historical minor league feature of Out of the Park Baseball 18, including accurate rosters and player statistics. In addition, we have added the Federal League as an unaffiliated minor league in the years 1914 and 1915.
Improved AI
A lot of work has gone into improving the AI throughout the game, resulting in the most challenging gameplay ever. The roster AI, trade AI, and in-game AI have been optimized and enhanced to reflect the latest tendencies (for example, the usage of closers in high-leverage games by certain managers).
Redesigned Injury System
The injury system in OOTP 18 has been reworked to be more realistic and interesting. A detailed injury history is tracked for players, the injury database has been enhanced, there are now nagging little long-term injuries, injuries to different body types have different long-term effects, injuries in historical leagues are more realistic, and much more.
Much More!
Every year we add many smaller features, and OOTP 18 is no exception. It includes:
•   The ability to retain player salaries in trades
•   New options for team promotions and relegations between leagues
•   Many 2017 CBA rule changes are incorporated in modern MLB games
•   Improved player morale / team chemistry system
•   Improved player creation & development system
•   Improved game recaps
•   Enhanced play-by-play text and league news
•   Beautiful new interface with three different skins
•   Much faster import speed of historical minor league seasons
•   ...and more to be announced prior to release!
We can't wait to show you more in the coming weeks, including more OOTP 18 screenshots. How long until pitchers and catchers report? Let's play ball already!
The OOTP Developments Team

[bbmike]

My brain screams buy, buy buy! But I bought 17 and never really played it.  :-[

[Grim.Reaper]

My brain screams buy, buy buy! But I bought 17 and never really played it.  :-[

yep, same issue with me every year......but I always cave:(

[Rybon66]

please ignore. 

[chemkid]

please ignore.

+1!

that's what i did with OOTP 17 - got it anyway with one of humblebundle's recent sales... bummer, great game but i don't play it enough and with 17...
i added it to my other versions of OOTP, sorted it under 'sports management' and that was that...

sorry, but i rather ignore this... (still had to post, though.)

[Nefaro]

My brain screams buy, buy buy! But I bought 17 and never really played it.  :-[

Yup.

I fired mine up my OOTP17 for a few minutes, selected team, and did my usual habit of unchecking all the random league expansion options.  Glanced through the players on my roster, quit, and never continued.

Maybe I'll start alternating a season of Baseball Mogul, instead of OOTP, once every few years.  The UI is certainly easier to deal with, and seasons faster to go through.  Would've done so a couple years ago, but there was a rather screwy version at the time due to some redone outcome programming.  I expect some of that got ironed out by now, a couple years later.

Too bad they haven't added new & improved features to their football game for years.  I felt it had real potential if the guy could get it up to BB Mogul's level of detail.  But no.  I figured they were completely focused on their BB game, which was only supported by their outsourcing the roster updates on the FB game, every year, to someone else.

[Grim.Reaper]

My brain screams buy, buy buy! But I bought 17 and never really played it.  :-[

I expect some of that got ironed out by now, a couple years later.

Don't count on it....seems like year over year both their baseball and football game has gone down hill.....they missed an opportunity to offer a more simplistic competitor to OOTP.

[Bison]

I still play OOTP 16.  I always play a homebrew league, so while all of the MLB stuff is nice I almost never use it.  I find it to be much more satisfying playing a custom league with unknown players and creating my own league history.

[Nefaro]

I still play OOTP 16.  I always play a homebrew league, so while all of the MLB stuff is nice I almost never use it.  I find it to be much more satisfying playing a custom league with unknown players and creating my own league history.

Thought about doing an MLB league next time, but with completely generated players.  Possibly a snaking inaugural draft for them.

[sandman2575]

Thought about doing an MLB league next time, but with completely generated players.

This has become my preferred way of playing -- 'real life' MLB/MiLB teams and structure but with fictional rosters. Also I tend to start the league earlier -- like 1980 -- and sim for a bunch of seasons before taking up the reins as GM for a team.

I'll buy 18 and hope to play it -- but even if I don't get a lot out of it, I'll buy to support OOTP Developments. I barely played 17, though not sure why, as I liked what I saw.

[bbmike]

I think I'm going to wait and see what the 3D improvements are. If they are greatly improved I will buy.

[KyzBP]

Has there be any consideration of a Grog's OOTP league?  Maybe that would keep our interest.

[Bison]

We talked about it but the process of setting up and maintaining is a pain in the ass. 

[RedArgo]

So, I finally started playing OOTP 2018 after buying 2016 and 2017 and never playing them.

I've played three seasons, simming most games except managing all the playoff games.  I'm running the Dodgers, so easy mode as far as finances go.

Seems like, and maybe I've just had bad luck, injuries are out of control.  Just in 2019, I lost 5 of my 7 starting pitchers to season ending injures either at the beginning of the season or by August at the latest.  My rotation going into the playoffs was Kenta Maeda, Lance Lynn, Andrew Cashner, Brock Stewart, and Ross Stripling.  At the beginning of the season I had Kershaw (missed the whole season), Darvish (missed the last couple months), Alex Wood (missed the last couple months, and is now out the whole 2020 season), Walter Buehler (missed the whole season), Julio Urias (missed the whole season).  Plus a bunch of every day players who missed significant time.  In 2020, Wood and Giancarlo Stanton went down for the whole season in spring training.

I know some of these guys are injury prone, but not all, and this just makes the game less fun.  I briefly looked for a way to tone down the injuries last night, but I didn't see it.  It seems to hit the AI too as by the time I get to the playoffs it is a bunch of AAA guys playing.

Have any one you guys has similar experience?

Anyway, in three seasons, lost in the WS to Houston, lost to the D-backs in the NLDS, and lost tot Houston in the WS.  Having fun despite the injuries.

Also, on an unrelated note, when i type in this box it is seriously slow.  Sometimes the text doesn't show up for 15-20 seconds or more after I type.

[mirth]

Also, on an unrelated note, when i type in this box it is seriously slow.  Sometimes the text doesn't show up for 15-20 seconds or more after I type.

You probably need to update Chrome

http://grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=21695.0