Wow. Never thought that would happen.
Looks like we won't be forced to download official logos now, unless we want to. O0
Quote
Out of the Park Baseball 16 - Officially Licensed by MLB.com, Available in March 2015!
That's right: Out of the Park Baseball 16 is the first entry in our 16-year-old series to feature official MLB.com and Minor League Baseball licenses! That means as soon as you launch a new game, you'll enjoy official league logos, 30 MLB team logos and jerseys, over 150 MiLB team logos, and even historical MLB logos!
That's great news! O0
That's reason enough to buy. I played a ton of 14 but barely touched 15... regardless, I'll preorder 16 without question.
I'm already starting to get the 'when does spring training start?' midwinter itch...
Although having the license is a nice addition, nothing really earth shattering since the previous versions made it pretty easy to download/install the mods. Still nice to have and maybe if more people but the game because of it, further advancements will be made.
Not sure that I will pick this up during the pre-order process, I have always done it in the past, but each year my actual playing the game has decreased. To be honest, probably only played last year's version a couple of hours, if that. Think this might be the year I wait for year end sale and by then all the major issues will be worked out as well.
Wow. That's awesome.
I always open an OOTP thread, reading about what goes on in the game. Not sure I would like to try it, but, I would love to hear what it's like to play it.
Quote from: MetalDog on January 24, 2015, 12:42:57 AM
I always open an OOTP thread, reading about what goes on in the game. Not sure I would like to try it, but, I would love to hear what it's like to play it.
If you are a baseball fan and you think you would enjoy a game about being a owner/general manager/coach of a baseball team, its the best game on the market for that. It has tremendous amount of depth of features and options which makes it a very robust experience. It can be really fun and rewarding to take your favorite baseball team from being a basement dweller all the way to being a yearly threat to win the world series. It has tremendous amount of stats and such that will keep you busy.
The only two issues that hold me back sometimes is the fact when it is released, it usually receives big patches through August and I am a stickler for wanting to start my coaching career after all the patches have been released. Don't get me wrong, the game is very playable out of the gate, but just a quirk of mine about waiting:) The second issue is the fact the game has a ton of options/configurations you can make and sometimes can be daunting determining how you want to setup your baseball universe. It does have some quickstart setup options to aid this.
Again, if you enjoy baseball and like the idea of managing a baseball franchise, you will not find another better game.
I saw this and was going to post about it but as a casual player of the game with no real knowledge of Baseball I had no idea it wasn't officially sanctioned.
I mean - Anaheim Angels is in there...and that is a Team, right? So what's changed? I presume if they weren't officially sanctioned before, they wouldn't have been able to include real teams, no?
I do know players photos were missing - but that wasn't a deal breaker for me because I didn't know any of them anyway.
But - it's always good news to have a game officially recognised and licensed...helps with immersion. O0
Quote from: JudgeDredd on January 24, 2015, 03:51:36 AM
I saw this and was going to post about it but as a casual player of the game with no real knowledge of Baseball I had no idea it wasn't officially sanctioned.
I mean - Anaheim Angels is in there...and that is a Team, right? So what's changed? I presume if they weren't officially sanctioned before, they wouldn't have been able to include real teams, no?
I do know players photos were missing - but that wasn't a deal breaker for me because I didn't know any of them anyway.
But - it's always good news to have a game officially recognised and licensed...helps with immersion. O0
In the last version of the game, they took out the real team nicknames...but you could get them back in there with a workaround. Being officially licensed allows them to include things like team names, logos, jerseys, hats, etc. without you having to install mods to include them. Those stuff were never included. Plus they can market the game as being MLB official which means a lot to people and likely will increase their sales. I am sure more can be done in the future if they choose with stadiums, player photos, etc. and I am guessing they might have more access to official baseball roster/stat information.
Beyond the official license, these are the additional enhancements planned.....
2015 Opening Day Rosters
Our brand new 2015 roster sets include all Opening Day MLB rosters, as well as the complete minor league system down to the rookie leagues. All major league (and certain minor league) player ratings are based on Baseball Prospectus' industry-leading player forecasting system, PECOTA. The thousands of remaining minor league players are carefully rated by hand by our established research team.
Will San Diego's offseason frenzy pay dividends? Is this finally the year the Blue Jays return to the top of the American League East? Find out for yourself!
New International and Independent Leagues Added
Last year, we introduced 7 international leagues in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Mexico, Cuba, Italy and The Netherlands. This year, we added the Australian Baseball League to that list, along with several independent leagues in the US and Japan. All of those leagues feature real rosters, of course, with countless hours of work invested in researching realistic bio info, statistics and ratings for thousands of real players.
New Team Owner Goals
Real-life GMs may not want smarter owners, but we think you'll appreciate your new team owner, who won't just tell you to go out there and win as many games as you can. Now he'll give you short- and long-term goals, which may include: winning the World Series within X seasons; fixing a certain weakness on your roster; extending the contract of a star player; and much more. Your ability to meet those goals not only decides if you'll be fired but also determines if your contract will be extended at a higher salary, which is another new feature this year.
Improved Team Finances and Reporting
We have redesigned large chunks of the team finance system, including new season ticket sales, a team finances screen based on widgets, a new accounting screen, and much more. You'll be better at the money-related part of your job than ever before. On top of that, we have recoded and improved the entire AI related to finances, resulting in more realistic player contracts and negotiations and more stable long-term team finances.
Completely Redesigned Manager and Coaches System
One of our favorite new features this year is the redesigned coaching model. Managers and coaches now have certain personalities and special skills or preferences, which will result in plenty of interesting choices. Do you want the manager of your team (if you decide to play GM-only) to be an easy-going stathead, or do you need a veteran hard-nosed manager who is able to cope with the disgruntled players in the clubhouse? Do you want a pitching coach who is an expert in working with power pitchers, or is your staff based more on control artists who could benefit from a coach who knows how to work with finesse pitchers?
Recoded Team Strategy System
You spoke and we listened: We agreed that setting your team's in-game strategy was a tedious task, so we've completely redesigned that part of the game. Now you can quickly set your preferred strategies and move on to more important matters. Beware, though: If you play GM-only, you'll find that some managers won't let you dictate certain strategies.
Better Playoff Coverage
The race for playoff berths is the most exciting part of every baseball season, so we added a new Pennant Chase screen that displays the strength of the remaining schedule and the chance for each team to make the playoffs. We also improved the related news coverage. Who will win it all?
Improved 3D Ball Flight
Last year we introduced support for 3D stadiums and realistic 3D ball flight, which was a big step-up for the series. OOTP 16 improves on that 3D presentation and includes great-looking 3D models of all 30 MLB ballparks.
Much More
Of course, that's not all. Every year we offer many smaller features, and OOTP 16 is no exception. It includes:
•New play modes (Manager only, GM only, and GM + Manager), so you can decide exactly how you'd like to run your team
•An improved simulation engine that incorporates the latest research and trends, such as infield shifts and pitcher usage
•Rainouts with automatic rescheduling, adding the realism that comes with rain-shortened and cancelled games. Is your bullpen strong enough to handle those late-season double-headers?
•Better in-game sound
•An enhanced interface, such as a player info pop-up when resting the mouse pointer over a button which links to a player, or automatic syncing between lineups and depth charts when making changes to either of them.
•A great new Find-A-Player feature: Define certain criteria (ratings, stats, salary etc.) and find exactly the player you were looking for
•Recoded All-Star Game features with real voting (including online league support)
•Realistic OOTP Hall of Fame selection process, including simulated voting and new stats like JAWS, HoF Standards, Black & Grey Ink Tests
•More player awards, for example Most Valuable Player, Playoff Series MVPs, best hitters by position and Reliever of the Year
•Better playoff history tracking, including career playoff stats for all real players in the database and playoff leaderboards
•Alternate currencies (Euro, Pounds Sterling, Yen, etc.)
•The option to define background pictures for teams and leagues
•Much more
I was hoping for a bit more progress in the 3D area. :(
It does seem like Markus and co. seriously underestimated how big a project the 3D transition was going to be -- since that was announced as one of the big additions to 15, and it still seems like it's in a fairly 'embryonic' stage even with 16.
I'm impressed by little features like 'rainouts' that are actually not so little -- my sense was that OOTP wouldn't feature this for a long time to come, if ever, because the generating season schedules for 30 teams / 162 games a piece is itself very complex, and rain delays wreak complete havoc with rescheduling.
The list of features is going to make this an easy decision to purchase this year.
The wallet doesn't always hold enough coin for the things I want, but, this looks like a buy at a sensible price.
$35 for the preorder is a complete steal, imo. Already pulled the trigger myself.
I honestly rank OOTP as the best computer/console sports game I've ever played, going back to, I dunno, TecmoBowl.
I've been picking it up on the All-Stars discount later in the season. The initial patching is mostly done by then. I don't usually follow baseball anyway so it's no hurry.
Is it multiple seasons or just the current one? What I mean is, do you only get to play one season, or can this thing sim for the next 20 or 50 or 100 seasons?
Quote from: MetalDog on January 24, 2015, 07:43:34 PM
Is it multiple seasons or just the current one? What I mean is, do you only get to play one season, or can this thing sim for the next 20 or 50 or 100 seasons?
This is a career based game so you manage the franchise for as long as you want....across countless years. You draft players, trade players, bring them up from the minors, etc. it's the closest thing most of us will get to managing a team.
By the way, give the demo a try, it will show you everything you need to know...its towards bottom of this page.
http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/out-of-the-park-baseball/download.php
Thanks!
by the way, you can start a franchise, or league, or what have you, in the 19th century -- doesn't need to be present day -- or the 1920s, or whatever you want.
OOTP is *incredibly* tailor-able to almost anything you can think of. Want to GM the Yomimuri Giants? Go for it. Set up a Cuban league? Sure thing. Basically if it exists in the baseball universe, past or present, you can do it in OOTP.
I have a feeling you'll like it MD. It's all stats and analyzing them. Good times.
Quote from: sandman2575 on January 24, 2015, 08:14:57 PM
by the way, you can start a franchise, or league, or what have you, in the 19th century -- doesn't need to be present day -- or the 1920s, or whatever you want.
OOTP is *incredibly* tailor-able to almost anything you can think of. Want to GM the Yomimuri Giants? Go for it. Set up a Cuban league? Sure thing. Basically if it exists in the baseball universe, past or present, you can do it in OOTP.
I actually don't play the MLB. I play a league a I created.
Just downloaded the demo. Looked at some of the screenshots and most of the first video. Looks pretty in depth. You're right, Bison. It looks like something I will enjoy. Going to give it a try out when W8 and me are done with a session of AoWIII.
Fooled around a bit with it. That's a LOT of information coming at you!! Do you guys ever watch the simulated games? Haven't done so yet, but I will. Probably tomorrow.
Quote from: MetalDog on January 25, 2015, 12:04:08 AM
Fooled around a bit with it. That's a LOT of information coming at you!! Do you guys ever watch the simulated games? Haven't done so yet, but I will. Probably tomorrow.
It depends. I go through phases where I'll sim through 1 or 2 weeks at a time and only deal with transactions based on injury, trades, drafts. And other times I'll manage every game. It's the beauty of the game. You can really choose how much you want to be involved in the details of your team. Frankly it's completely overwhelming at first. I had no idea what the hell I was doing, but I just started messing with different things and learned the interface and found the aspects I enjoyed most. I love building a budget team that competes for the title every year. Draft young talent sign to low cost contracts for 4 or 5 years, pick up a few veterans through free agency to plug the holes in the line up and start simming my way through the weeks.
Quote from: Bison on January 25, 2015, 12:09:36 AM
Quote from: MetalDog on January 25, 2015, 12:04:08 AM
Fooled around a bit with it. That's a LOT of information coming at you!! Do you guys ever watch the simulated games? Haven't done so yet, but I will. Probably tomorrow.
It depends. I go through phases where I'll sim through 1 or 2 weeks at a time and only deal with transactions based on injury, trades, drafts. And other times I'll manage every game. It's the beauty of the game. You can really choose how much you want to be involved in the details of your team. Frankly it's completely overwhelming at first. I had no idea what the hell I was doing, but I just started messing with different things and learned the interface and found the aspects I enjoyed most. I love building a budget team that competes for the title every year. Draft young talent sign to low cost contracts for 4 or 5 years, pick up a few veterans through free agency to plug the holes in the line up and start simming my way through the weeks.
+1....starting out can be overwhelming, even for people that play it every year. A ton to manage, but most of it you can allow your assistant coaches/CPU handle for you if you don't want to perform all the duties (i.e. managing rosters between major and minor league, setting lineups, depth charts, pitcher rotations, etc.). When your starting a new league, they have a few quickstarts you can use which will setup the league how you would like, for example you can use a quickstart to represent the major league. One part I struggle with is I want every setting (and there are a lot) to match the major leagues as close as possible and I am not sure how to setup everything to make sure that happens. Even using the quickstart, if my memory serves correct from old versions, it doesn't necessarily set it up 100% the same. For example, there is an injury setting that has many options.....often a lot of debate as to what setting actually yields realistic results. Same with trades and other things.
Even though might take some learning, like Bison said is it can be a very rewarding game by giving you the opportunity to build a team the way you want and hopefully take them to the world series often.
I spent some time yesterday hiring Coaches and Managers to fill voids in the farm system. I tried to get contracts with the guys that had the best overall ratings in the categories I was hiring for. A couple of things 1) I noticed that there is a rating to teach Fielding, but no place to actually apply it. Have you found that some of the categories that the Coach has that he is not hired for will be useful during the year? 2) I want to instill Pitching and defense as the philosophy of my organization. So, with that in mind, I am hiring the best coaches in the minors that I can. Do any of you play with a set philosophy? And if so, do you find it bears out over the course of time?
Appreciate the quick reply from all my OOTP pals. very helpful info, fellas ;) Took some time to learn where all the screens are and what kind of order they are in when you go chasing something down the rabbit hole. I started a new MLB season and took the Yankees. I am concentrating on just handling the ML team and leaving the Minors to the AI. I am leaving Roster moves in my control and financials, too. I am trying to play one week at a time, simulated. I keep getting interrupted by personal messages, but that's ok as it's information I need to know. I did do one thing that made me smile. I hired George Brett to coach one of my A League teams. :)
Sorry man. Coaches do have an effect on the development of a player, but remember player stats and coaches abilities are an estimate. Ultimately a player will develop if they are given playing time at a position, coach stats effect, and the hidden random nuances of the game. I'm tired and cannot answer more fully but a search at the official ootp forums should yield you some very in-depth and comprehensive information.
I've played OOTP since OOTP 6 and have never even turned on financials. :D
^ One of the great strengths of a game like this, I imagine :)
@Bison: As I suspected. I'd still like an answer from those who play about whether or not they have a philosophy or just wing it.
Quote from: MetalDog on January 29, 2015, 06:58:11 AM
^ One of the great strengths of a game like this, I imagine :)
@Bison: As I suspected. I'd still like an answer from those who play about whether or not they have a philosophy or just wing it.
I don't know enough about the sport to go too in-depth into the backroom. I leave alot of it alone. When I start a season, I start as the Anaheim Angels (yes - every time) and I play. I used to play the games out play by play, but now I just watch the BBN Cast (is that what it's called?)
I haven't ever finished a season 'cos you buggers over there think 200 games is a good number of games to play in a season!! :uglystupid2:
That's why simulation is your friend ;)
Quote from: bbmike on January 29, 2015, 06:21:28 AM
I've played OOTP since OOTP 6 and have never even turned on financials. :D
Wow! I love the financials, personally -- love hunting for free agents and especially the bidding wars that happen in the off-season.
But that's what's so amazing about OOTP -- it is endlessly configurable to whatever style you want to play. The sheer amount of options available to you in setting up your league(s) is staggering.
Quote from: sandman2575 on January 29, 2015, 01:23:52 PM
Quote from: bbmike on January 29, 2015, 06:21:28 AM
I've played OOTP since OOTP 6 and have never even turned on financials. :D
But that's what's so amazing about OOTP -- it is endlessly configurable to whatever style you want to play. The sheer amount of options available to you in setting up your league(s) is staggering.
I think the vast options are both its strength and its curse......its great to have so many options, but I often get stuck on trying to find the best combination of options before I start a career....I end up with analysis paralysis:)
I agree, Grim, and have gotten hung up plenty of times trying to achieve 'perfect' league settings. I still favor a fairly complex setup, but I've also adopted a 'less is more' philosophy in some respects -- no more feeder leagues or international leagues for me.
A good thing to do is save a league Template once you're reasonably happy with all your tinkering and tweaking. Can save a ton of work in the long run.
Quote from: sandman2575 on January 29, 2015, 06:22:55 PM
I agree, Grim, and have gotten hung up plenty of times trying to achieve 'perfect' league settings. I still favor a fairly complex setup, but I've also adopted a 'less is more' philosophy in some respects -- no more feeder leagues or international leagues for me.
A good thing to do is save a league Template once you're reasonably happy with all your tinkering and tweaking. Can save a ton of work in the long run.
Yeah, determining feeders, injuries, trades, rules, etc.....always a challenge for me to get right. I wish there was an out of the box setup that completely mirrored real life. I know they had the MLB quickstarts, but pretty sure the last time I used it, still didn't have all the options preset for you.
Once I become proficient, I am going to create a league that mirrors what I would like to see the Major Leagues use, and have the season complete by the end of September.
Quote from: MetalDog on January 29, 2015, 06:58:11 AM
^ One of the great strengths of a game like this, I imagine :)
@Bison: As I suspected. I'd still like an answer from those who play about whether or not they have a philosophy or just wing it.
I don't dwell too much on my two lower level minors teams. Just try to put good coaches with some young players and hope to have one or two develop to move up the ranks. The major and minor league teams I manage much more and do a mix of home grown talent and free agents. Generally I'll shape my lineups and position off of a few strong players and plug the holes with mid-tier talent. Lazy? Yes. Pitching is were I really like to get in to the muck and develop my 4-5 man starting rotation and a bullpen of mixed r/l hand middle/long relievers with the strong setup and closer.
One word of advice:
If you don't want crazy new MLB teams sprouting up out of nothing, and other such changes, then go turn off all the Dynamic League options.
I got a few seasons into one game I had been enjoying a couple years ago and then some new stinkin' Pro team was randomly added (something like the Albany Magpies or some shit). It used the terrible generic logos and brutally yanked me out of the immersion.
The rules and contract changes could be annoying to remember but this was the last straw. Been disabling that stuff right after a new game first loads up ever since.
Is that a default setting do you know?
Yeah, pretty sure 'enable dynamic league evolution' *is* the default setting, which is ridiculous. Folks on the OOTP forum have been after Markus to change this for some time.
Nefaro is right -- definitely disable this unless you enjoy unexpected wackiness ...
Yes all that stuff is On by default. You have to dig down into the World Settings (or whatever it's called) to find them. Fortunately there is a single checkbox that allows you to turn them all off in one go IIRC.
Thanks for the tip fellas. Learning more every time I turn the game on.
Hoping their upcoming football text sim will become similarly deep.
Yes - definitely hope so - but given their hockey game and the lack of enthused feedback on that (at least on release), we might be asking for too much for a first attempt.
What about the hockey game? Has that received patches? Is there a new release planned?
Quote from: JudgeDredd on January 30, 2015, 02:38:22 AM
Yes - definitely hope so - but given their hockey game and the lack of enthused feedback on that (at least on release), we might be asking for too much for a first attempt.
What about the hockey game? Has that received patches? Is there a new release planned?
They plan on one final patch for the old version and are in the middle of working on the new release. They have been completely quiet for the most part on details and release dates because the initial release went so bad. No idea when to expect it and how much it will actually improve. The current version did receive a number of patches but appears most people still feel it is buggy and not a great user interface.
Are you still playing the demo or did you upgrade to a full version?
Demo. Unless the IRS fairy brings me a big, fat, chunk of cash I haven't accounted for, my parsimonious ways will continue and I will look for an opportunity to buy this at a discount in the future. But it will be bought. AND....it appears that there is a MP function to this. Not sure how that would work, or who would be interested, but, I would certainly be up to give it a go.
Metaldog, you may be able to find ootp 14 really cheap if you look around -- it was just on sale somewhere recently for a couple of bucks. 14 still has plenty of mileage left in it, still a fantastic, full-featured game if 15 is too pricey. (I played a ton more 14 than 15 in fact).
Quote from: MetalDog on January 30, 2015, 05:19:59 PM
Demo. Unless the IRS fairy brings me a big, fat, chunk of cash I haven't accounted for, my parsimonious ways will continue and I will look for an opportunity to buy this at a discount in the future. But it will be bought. AND....it appears that there is a MP function to this. Not sure how that would work, or who would be interested, but, I would certainly be up to give it a go.
There are tons of online leagues out there. If you check the ootp forums there should be a forum dedicated to it.
With Richard Nixon's head and John Candy making the endorsements, how could I lose ;)
Well have been talking about starting up a league for sometime. The multiplayer takes a bit to setup, but it's been awhile since I've looked at it. I also think everyone needs to be on the same version.
OOTP 15 is $20 on Steam, this is a good version and should hit a sale in the next month or so just before they release 16. 16 comes should if history holds true just after the 1st or 2nd week of the season and it'll go on sale at all star break.
I Just added '15 to my Wishlist. If any of you should happen to see it on sale from its $20 price point, please let me know. If not, I may hold out until the All Star break for a reduced price '16. In either case, count me in for MP and let me know what I need to have, '15 or '16.
Quote from: Bison on January 30, 2015, 06:26:13 PM
Well have been talking about starting up a league for sometime. The multiplayer takes a bit to setup, but it's been awhile since I've looked at it. I also think everyone needs to be on the same version.
OOTP 15 is $20 on Steam, this is a good version and should hit a sale in the next month or so just before they release 16. 16 comes should if history holds true just after the 1st or 2nd week of the season and it'll go on sale at all star break.
I've played in a MP league before and it is a lot of fun, especially if everyone kind of knows each other. I would be interested in playing in a Grog League as long as I'm not the Commissioner. Hopefully the MP setup is a little easier now.
Quote from: KyzBP on January 31, 2015, 08:15:55 AM
Quote from: Bison on January 30, 2015, 06:26:13 PM
Well have been talking about starting up a league for sometime. The multiplayer takes a bit to setup, but it's been awhile since I've looked at it. I also think everyone needs to be on the same version.
OOTP 15 is $20 on Steam, this is a good version and should hit a sale in the next month or so just before they release 16. 16 comes should if history holds true just after the 1st or 2nd week of the season and it'll go on sale at all star break.
I've played in a MP league before and it is a lot of fun, especially if everyone kind of knows each other. I would be interested in playing in a Grog League as long as I'm not the Commissioner. Hopefully the MP setup is a little easier now.
How exactly does a league work in OOTP? Do you have a combination of human and computer owned teams or do all teams have to be human controlled? Assuming you just setup your team's rosters/lineups and then somehow exchange game files to see results? How often do you exchange stuff, after every single game after month's worth? etc. Just trying to understand how much involvement is required and the mechanics.
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on January 31, 2015, 08:22:44 AM
Quote from: KyzBP on January 31, 2015, 08:15:55 AM
Quote from: Bison on January 30, 2015, 06:26:13 PM
Well have been talking about starting up a league for sometime. The multiplayer takes a bit to setup, but it's been awhile since I've looked at it. I also think everyone needs to be on the same version.
OOTP 15 is $20 on Steam, this is a good version and should hit a sale in the next month or so just before they release 16. 16 comes should if history holds true just after the 1st or 2nd week of the season and it'll go on sale at all star break.
I've played in a MP league before and it is a lot of fun, especially if everyone kind of knows each other. I would be interested in playing in a Grog League as long as I'm not the Commissioner. Hopefully the MP setup is a little easier now.
How exactly does a league work in OOTP? Do you have a combination of human and computer owned teams or do all teams have to be human controlled? Assuming you just setup your team's rosters/lineups and then somehow exchange game files to see results? How often do you exchange stuff, after every single game after month's worth? etc. Just trying to understand how much involvement is required and the mechanics.
I've never played in a league (so may be talking right out of my ***), but my understanding is there is a central location where things are downloaded/uploaded by the game. The commissioner is responsible for simming a certain period of time, and posting the updated files. Owners download the update, then people make roster moves, set strategy, so on, and upload those updates. There probably usually is a mix of human/cpu owned teams with perhaps some rules/oversight in place for trades with cpu teams. I need to buckle down and really spend some time learning the game (or I could just take the cubs), and I'll be happy to join a grog league.
Looks like some solid interest for a Grog league. It'd be easier on my wallet to get '15. And it's the one I am a little familiar with. I'd really like to have the MLB license though.
Interested:
MetalDog
Bison
KyzBP
vyshka
Any thoughts on what league parameters might be? Current players? Historical? Small league? Large league? Multiple Human owned teams? Season length? And on and on... ;)
I could be on board for giving this a try.......although, does look like it requires some kind of web setup to run. Here is a link to the OOTP15 manual that talks about the league play. I would vote for the OOTP16 version since likely most people will be moving towards that and will want to play the current version. But certainly understand if others prefer the older version.
http://manuals.ootpdevelopments.com/index.php?man=ootp15&page=ootpb_online_leagues
The league I joined had been going for some time so the players were all fictional, as were the teams. I think there were 12 or 14 teams in 2 divisions. All teams were human controlled. We simulated in either 10 or 14 day increments. I think we simed on Tue, Thu, Sat. They had a website for the game but I don't think it's necessary although it did help with immersion.
The great thing about OOTP is how flexible it is. We could set it up however we wanted with expansion as an option if the league garners more interest. I believe you can mix human and CPU teams. If we weren't going to use real players and teams, I'd suggest starting with OOTP15 to keep it as economical as possible. We could upgrade to 16 when 17 comes out and so on.
I'm definitely in as long as someone else is the commish.
If it was fantasy baseball, I'd commish in a heartbeat. I just don't have that experience with OOTP. So...I nominate Bison. :P
I'll look at how to set a league up. I just remember it being a convoluted pain in the ass or at least that's what I remember thinking when I read it last time.
Quote from: Bison on January 31, 2015, 07:16:08 PM
I'll look at how to set a league up. I just remember it being a convoluted pain in the ass or at least that's what I remember thinking when I read it last time.
On my first read, I got the same impression....
Yeah a league requires an FTP server to host and a few other things that are just a pain in the ass.
Quote from: Bison on February 01, 2015, 12:20:19 PM
Yeah a league requires an FTP server to host and a few other things that are just a pain in the ass.
Yep, way too much work for me unfortunately.....
I might be able to get something set up. Let me play around a bit.
Reached the end of the demo. Wondered what they would do to send you to the purchase screen. Turns out that it cuts you off at the trade deadline. :( That's ok, though. I gained some valuable insight and experience. Still a bunch of stuff to learn, but I'm looking forward to it.
Well I've been playing my fictional league and completely forgot how much of a rebuilding mode my team is in right now. I need some many positions and skills it's frankly frightening. I thought I'd managed to put a solid bandage on my middle relief and 4 and 5th starters, but my bullpen has struggled and my 3B, 2B, and CF are awful offensively and defensively. Not good.
Was that a through the farm system build? Or mostly Free Agents? Or a mixture?
Mixture. I only play down one level in my farm teams and the international pool. I just find it to be too much micro once I get beyond AAA. I play basically a stats league, which means I've turned off the stars and simmed out a few years to create a history. Now when I look at free agents, trades, and across the major and AAA leagues I see players with I think 4 years of stats history.
I do most of my rebuild pieces with free agency filling bench and AAA with decent players that can play off days or fill in case of an DL stretch of a starter. I tend to hurt myself during with my stars prior to free agency because I hate 6-7 year contracts with huge guaranteed money. I just lost the best 2B in the league that way because I could not free up the cap space and get him to sign a lesser contract. Oh well, I signed a decent older 2B for a 2 year contract at about 3 mil per season with the hopes a younger player shows up in free agency or the one prospect I have at AAA develops into a mid-tier starter in 2 seasons.
Hired coaches that I thought would help Fielding and Pitching. Negotiated a couple of ML contracts. I let the AI Auto Draft the MLB Amateur draft and then negotiated the contracts myself. But I haven't set Lineups at any level and only manipulated the roster for call ups and disabled list. I'm seriously digging this though.
It depends at what level I'm playing the game. Generally I just play GM and let my manager set the lineups. I'll check them, because lord knows they make some head scratching decisions.
I had Lineup decisions driven home to me. I wanted to sit my rookie 2B because the vet was performing better. I changed it and left the screen to simulate the next month. At the end of the month, I got a notice that my rookie 2B had one Rookie of the Month. Go figure. Really what I want to manage is roster, signings, and try to impose a Pitching/Defense philosophy throughout the organization so I can build from within and add Free Agents as needed.
Release dates announced...
Pre orders get their copy on March 20, everyone else march 23.
awesome -- can't wait. :D
(Can't exactly recall, but this seems particularly early -- I thought 15 didn't come out until April last year, after MLB season had already begun...)
Anyway, spring and baseball and ootp can't arrive early enough for my liking. Worst. Winter. Ever.
For those that pre-ordered, game was released today....just finished downloading, hope to give it a go this weekend. But I usually don't get too involved with it until after the first couple of patches come out:)
This is why I wait awhile before getting serious with this game, patches routinely come out after release...patch #1 already destined for tomorrow, although technically that is the official release date. I know my save games are likely compatible with the patches, I just always think in my mind it might produce different results for part of my career. The game seems to be getting positive feedback so I do look forward to getting involved sometime in the near future once things settle down.
Patch #1 & Official Release Info
Alright guys,
this has been the best pre-release we have ever had. Considering the number of customers that got their hands on the game on Friday the number of reported problems were very small and most of them related to hardware incompatibility issues (i.e. not up-to-date vodeo card drivers).
Still, we have been hard at work over the weekend and have fixed all the reported bugs that we were able to reproduce with the info provided. So, tomorrow's official launch version will also be patch #1 for the preorder customers.
Here is the current changelist:
Version 16.1
- Fixed crash when creating a fictional historical league
- Fixed Yankees history in 2014 league history section (need to start new game for changes to apply)
- Updated rosters (need to start new game for changes to apply)
- Fixed a bug that caused pitchers warming up in the bullpen to tire during a rain delay
- Fixed problem with pitcher fatigue in rescheduled games
- Fixed a problem with generated fielding experience of young fictional players
- Fixed player popups not working in reports
- Fixed a crash when selecting All-Star voting in the off-season
- Fixed HOF card issues
- Fixed job offers from all teams for inexperienced coach
- Improved news articles
- Improved owner goal evaluation
- Improved qualifying offer logic
- Changed expansion team finances
- Adjusted HOF voting
- Fictional MLB games now import proper ballpark info & pictures when creating the game
- Added "Webcast View" to view menu when playing out a game, even when fullscreen field mode is enabled
- Added proper off-the-wall bounces in 3D mode
- Darkened default team background
- Darkened table headers in the dark skin
- Fixed several minor bugs
I expect the final version to be available sometime in the morning tomorrow, Monday the 23rd. Patching your game will be easy, simply download the full installer (there is no patcher available) and install it over your current installation. If you have installed mods which have overwritten original files (i.e. new name files), please back them up and restore after updating.
The Steam version will be available later in the day we hope.
Cheers,
Markus
Read through the blog post and user forum, picked up the game, have been playing, no regrets. Best Yet.
PE
Quote from: PanzersEast on March 23, 2015, 05:23:12 PM
Best Yet.
Agree.
OOTP is just unsurpassed. Definitely one of the handful of pc games I'd take with me to the proverbial desert island...
Well, I've bought every edition for the last nine years and this release is bad luck for me. I've tried everything but the game keeps overwriting my custom logos/uniforms/caps. Posted in the bug thread but no response yet. :(
Need one of you baseball lovers to join the grogheads fantasy league. Use the link in my signature line t
For joining information.
Quote from: bbmike on March 24, 2015, 02:54:24 PM
Well, I've bought every edition for the last nine years and this release is bad luck for me. I've tried everything but the game keeps overwriting my custom logos/uniforms/caps. Posted in the bug thread but no response yet. :(
Does this version use the same style of logo as the most popular user-made one in recent years? That one with the reflective circular logo pin?
I didn't like that logo mod much, and it was a real bitch to track down the one with the individually shaped logos. They looked much better in the UI. I suppose people didn't flock to that one just because it wasn't featured on the in-game logo mod downloader, which is very unfortunate.
If the current OOTP version's logo modding is buggy, it's all the more reason to wait until the mid-season sale. Despite my home town team actually making it to the world series for the first time in ages last year. ;)
Started a new series of placing all players from the 1800's until now, initial draft and with rookies from the available players pool and they will be naturalized stats and at a young age when entering into the new player draft. Using the 2015 league format.
I am playing as the the GM only of the Cubs so the manager will set lineups etc... My first pick in the initial draft was Hank Aaron, although there was another player I came close to drafting and did not take him.... a mistake that would come back to haunt me for the first two seasons (Back to Back Cy Young winner) and drafted by the Reds.
Anyway I managed for the past two seasons to make the play-offs by Wild-Card. Both times I won the Wild Card play in game, however a rivalry has brewed between Chicago and you guessed it, the Cincinnati Reds. And not just the Reds, but a rivalry with Lady Baldwin, the very pitcher I passed on during the initial draft. Not only is it a personal rivalry, but he is hated in Chicago.
This past season I came within 1 Game of winning the NL central, however Cincinnati one for the second year in a row. Not only that, they also put us out of the playoffs two years and have gone on to win back to back World Series. And this past season it was Lady who put us out and has gone 4-0 versus us in the playoffs. He has also gone on to win a Cy Young award, series MVP etc....
Anyway, it is now season 3 and I have a good pitching staff anchored by Sandy Koufax and Dutch Ruether. So now the fans are wondering, can we get over the Cincinnati hump in Season 3?
PE
Quote from: Nefaro on March 25, 2015, 04:14:10 PM
Quote from: bbmike on March 24, 2015, 02:54:24 PM
Well, I've bought every edition for the last nine years and this release is bad luck for me. I've tried everything but the game keeps overwriting my custom logos/uniforms/caps. Posted in the bug thread but no response yet. :(
Does this version use the same style of logo as the most popular user-made one in recent years? That one with the reflective circular logo pin?
I didn't like that logo mod much, and it was a real bitch to track down the one with the individually shaped logos. They looked much better in the UI. I suppose people didn't flock to that one just because it wasn't featured on the in-game logo mod downloader, which is very unfortunate.
If the current OOTP version's logo modding is buggy, it's all the more reason to wait until the mid-season sale. Despite my home town team actually making it to the world series for the first time in ages last year. ;)
You a KC native, Nefaro?
Good news, 16 doesn't use the circular reflective logos. I agree, I didn't like the look of them myself. Overall, I really liked the look of 14 better than 15 in many ways. But very much enjoying 16 so far.
Quote from: sandman2575 on March 26, 2015, 11:49:14 AM
Quote from: Nefaro on March 25, 2015, 04:14:10 PM
Quote from: bbmike on March 24, 2015, 02:54:24 PM
Well, I've bought every edition for the last nine years and this release is bad luck for me. I've tried everything but the game keeps overwriting my custom logos/uniforms/caps. Posted in the bug thread but no response yet. :(
Does this version use the same style of logo as the most popular user-made one in recent years? That one with the reflective circular logo pin?
I didn't like that logo mod much, and it was a real bitch to track down the one with the individually shaped logos. They looked much better in the UI. I suppose people didn't flock to that one just because it wasn't featured on the in-game logo mod downloader, which is very unfortunate.
If the current OOTP version's logo modding is buggy, it's all the more reason to wait until the mid-season sale. Despite my home town team actually making it to the world series for the first time in ages last year. ;)
You a KC native, Nefaro?
Good news, 16 doesn't use the circular reflective logos. I agree, I didn't like the look of them myself. Overall, I really liked the look of 14 better than 15 in many ways. But very much enjoying 16 so far.
I grew up on a farm in the Ozarks, in the hill country SW of LongBlade's old haunts, but I've lived in KC most of my adult life. Close enough I suppose. The Royals was always the "home team" either way.
Good to hear they're not using the "hat pin" circular ones by default. O0 I'll pick this up sometime, maybe even before the sale, but I've not been doing much digital gaming in over a week. On pc gaming hiatus. :)