OOTP:FE Update 12/10/04

[Danny]

This was posted at OOTP.com and discussed here a couple weeks ago

[cody8200]

Out of the Park Baseball:FE Update

Unlike former editions of the game, the next version will be a complete re-write. In order to benefit from the great code-base that SI offers, I decided to start from scratch. This also enables us to overcome the limitations of the OOTP 6 game engine and database, for example the limit of 25 years of career stats or the 255 overrun problem. I'll now dig a little bit deeper into the things that will change in the game.

Let's start with the Interface:
The general look and feel will be similar to Football Manager 2005 by SI. However, we will not have the options bar at the left side of the screen, since we need the space for all the stats! Available options will be displayed via tabs on the top of a screen, and via menus in the bottom of a panel frame. Also, right-click context menus are now present, for example in player lists. If you right-click on a player of your team (no matter where in the game), you get all the available options, for example demoting him, shopping him around the league or simply releasing the guy. The interface features forward/back buttons, recent page links, bookmarks and some other useful stuff, like moveable dialogs. Also, you will be able to resize the entire game, so you may utilize a higher resolution than the standard 1024*768 one. The content will adjust properly to the screen size, so you can fill up lists with more info and stats. Speaking of lists, for example player lists, those are totally customizable now. You can select the stats/ratings/info you want to be displayed and save those snapshots for later use. Further, you may define filters. This is how the player search function is implemented as well. You simply go to the screen which lists all players of your baseball world, and define filters there. For example, list all players that bat right-handed, are 24 years old or younger, become free agents in 2 or more years and have at least 10 in contact and 15 in running speed. It's that easy. Filters can be saved as well, of course.

Now on to the roots, the database:
Setting up the final database of the game took me almost 2 months, and I am still adding things while developing. The structure is different to the one of OOTP 6. No longer do you have a fixed amount of space for stats for each player. Everything grows if it needs to. This saves space, since most players never play the number of years for which there was space in previous versions, and it also gets rid of limitations. So, what kind of stats is it able to cover? If you thought OOTP 6 was deep, then you will be blown away by the new one. The game keeps career stats and career L/R splits for every player, at every level and on every team. And it keeps track of every game and at-bat the player has in the current season, enabling the game to generate way more split stats and even double splits. Let's imaging a fictional player, Joe Black. Joe is 30 years old and had an average minor league career, and got to the Majors at age 27. Now, if you want to know how Joe hit against lefties in the Texas league 5 years ago, no problem. And if Joe was traded during the 1997 season, you can see the stats split up into the teams he played for, including L/R splits. Oh, and you wonder how Joe fared in the Venezuelan Winter League 3 years ago? Just check his career stats, every league and every level is covered there. So much for the past, how about the current season? There's much more there. New splits include by game type (spring training/playoffs/regular season), by situation (runner on 1st, 2 outs, bases loaded, leading off etc.), by count (behind in count, ahead in count, 0-1 count, 3-2 count and so on), by month/week, home/away, grass/turf, day/night, by weekday and so on! But the real deal is the ability for double splits. Want to know how Joe hit against lefties on a 1-2 count? How about hitting at night on saturdays? All there! Oh, and Joe is also a proud owner of career fielding stats now, also for every league and level. Did I forget something? Yes. Stats against individual players are now covered as well. So, you can check the lifetime AVG and HR's Joe has against certain pitchers.

"Stats, stats, stats. Where do they come from?"
From the new OOTP game engine! The core of OOTP will be completely rewritten as well, and for good reason. There will be a brand new fielding system implemented (more detail on that in a couple of weeks), and it will feature pitch-by-pitch mode. The play-by-play system will be different at well, and the commentaries rewritten. And it will be fast, very fast. That doesn't mean that it does do less than before, it does more than twice the calculating than the previous engine. However, the things I already learned since being with SI really helped me speed up my code. More on the game engine in a later update.

Random things and final notes:
The game will (pending licensing) include real players and teams from 27 leagues. Those leagues include ALL US minor leagues, down to the Rookie League level. Also, we have some international leagues (for example Japan and Taiwan), Winter Leagues and the AFL. That means it'll feature 300+ teams and 7500+ players. However, the game will not lose it's customization options. That means you can create your infinite baseball universe. You may create new leagues, and for example assign them to other leagues as minor leagues. Or just start from scratch, and build a European League, with 5 leagues per country. It'll be up to you. No limits. And of course you may import historical seasons, teams and players. The other customization stuff will be there as well, for example a player editor, league rules editor or simply a schedule im/exporter. There will be also a file that includes most variables that are used in the game engine, i.e. double play frequency, and you may alter this file to your likings.

Next time I will dig deeper into the game engine, the proposed scouting system and the financial engine, which will be different to the one used in OOTP 6. Also, the present of the SI website will be improved before Christmas, and we'll post new screenshots until then as well.

Cheers,
Markus

PS: By the time you have read this, there should be some screenshots in the OOTP softography section of sigames.com:
OOTP Softography


There are some screens available if anyone is interested


http://www.sigames.com/softography.php?type=view&id=18

[Crapshoot]

its old dude- this came out about a month ago.

[DeToxRox]

This game looks amazing.

Question though. National teams aren't in this, I assume right?

Olympic baseball would be kind of cool.

[GrantDawg]

I hope everybody has broadband, because this is going to be a huge download and there is absolutely no indication that Sega-US cares about distributing SI releases Stateside.

[hukarez]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

I hope everybody has broadband, because this is going to be a huge download and there is absolutely no indication that Sega-US cares about distributing SI releases Stateside.

I was under the impression that SI releases are only released in CD format?

Probably got confused with something else, but I've never bought an SI game. Any info appreciated, of course.

[Eaglesfan27]

Well OOTP has always been released via download. However, I suspect you are correct and that the policy will change now that SI is part of OOTP's production and it will only be available via CD. This is just my assumption of course.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Well OOTP has always been released via download. However, I suspect you are correct and that the policy will change now that SI is part of OOTP's production and it will only be available via CD. This is just my assumption of course.

They actually have offered CM over download (I bought a CM version that way), and I believe the hockey game was offered as a download. I'm telling you, though, you better hope for download or this game is going to be very, very hard to find.

[Cringer]

I'm still pissed the Little League W.S. is left out of this game.....

[hukarez]

Well, I'm hoping there's a download form that'll be available. Last time I bought something via CD, I think was FOF 4th Edition..

[spleen1015]

One way or another, the game is going to be availble in the US. A vast majority of the current customers are in the US.

[JeeberD]

So is the game going to stay around the same price that it's always sold for or is it going to jump up to the crazy FM price?

Damn Brits and their pounds...

[Balldog]

"....it will feature pitch-by-pitch mode."

Ahh...finally.

[hukarez]

Originally Posted by JeeberD

So is the game going to stay around the same price that it's always sold for or is it going to jump up to the crazy FM price?

Damn Brits and their pounds...

Exactly how much is FM anyways? I can never access their website from work...blasted gateway and switches. I could've sworn they've converted over to the "Euro Dollar" already..

[CHEMICAL SOLDIER]

Drooling over create a league mode.....