Anyone heard of this baseball game?

[Tim Tellean]

http://www.sportsdevelopmentstudio.com/

I came across it yesterday seems like a decent game.
If you have the game please offer opinions.

[Oilers9911]

Hi Tim.

I believe the game is modelled after the APBA dice and card game. It is not a career sim but a season replay sim in the same tradition of Strat-o-Matic. I have not heard much about the game in the way of reviews so I cannot comment on that aspect of it but if it is a season replay game you are looking for and not a career sim it may be a good game to look at. You could, of course, always opt for Strat-o-Matic computer baseball also.

[Galaril]

Yeah that looks pretty sweet and for the seasons it is only like $5-7 each so it looks much more affordable than Strat-o-matic's season disks. The quality of the game seems top notch. BTW they have a full featured complete installation that you can download that has evrything including two demo season sets 1973 and 2004 season sets. The only thing is it is limited to playing through half the seasons games. I might take alook at this.

[Tim Tellean]

I wonder how it compares to Action PC baseball in realism?
I've messed with the demo some and it seems decent.

[vtbub]

They, I think, giving the game away right now, or at least a license.

I like how it plays.

[LastWhiteSoxFanStanding]

This really is a lot like APBA Baseball for Windows. It even uses the same ratings. Unfortunately, the play by play isnt nearly as good, and no Harwell announcing.

Still, its a good start!

I wonder if these guys used to work with Miller Associates, the guys who made Baseball for windows.

[Fouts]

This was originally supposed to be the new APBA computer version, but their agreement with APBA broke down somehow. I passed on it because it was too expensive before, might check it out now.

[fenrrris]

Incredible deal on the season sets too. I think they're around 7.50 apiece, which is LOW, coming from an APBA junky's perspective, for a set of replay game seasons.

[Galaril]

This was originally supposed to be the new APBA computer version, but their agreement with APBA broke down somehow. I passed on it because it was too expensive before, might check it out now.

Incredible deal on the season sets too. I think they're around 7.50 apiece, which is LOW, coming from an APBA junky's perspective, for a set of replay game seasons.

I was wondering how much the season sets usually are/were? Also, how is action baseball? Doesn't that one have a career mode or is it also just replay? I tried out the Diamond mind game but too expensive and way too non user friendly and thus sent it back.

[Galaril]

This was originally supposed to be the new APBA computer version, but their agreement with APBA broke down somehow. I passed on it because it was too expensive before, might check it out now.

Incredible deal on the season sets too. I think they're around 7.50 apiece, which is LOW, coming from an APBA junky's perspective, for a set of replay game seasons.

I was wondering how much the season sets usually are/were?

[Fouts]

Usually the game is $40-50, and each season is $20 for APBA. While I like the statistical accuracy of these types of game, I wish they were more fluid in moving season to season. Also, a career stats database would be great. The price and almanac are the reasons I have been playing PureSim over APBA.

Tried the Penant Fever Baseball. I enjoyed it some, but there are some things it needs (or I can't find).

I started with a draft, and it needs a switch for serpentine draft. Also a salary cap would be cool.

Drafted my team and it was just like playing APBA. Only problem I had was the rainout in the middle of the 4th resulted in a shutout win for my team. That needs to be fixed.

I sent an email for a free license and the 1984 season. We'll see if it comes.

[CraigSca]

If this is fully based on the APBA game model, with no computer enhancements, don't be surprised if the realism is suspect. The APBA board game was horrible when it comes to differentiating pitchers. Good pitchers are too good while bad pitchers were off-the-charts terrible.

[vtbub]

Even in the Master Game? This has some control thingies in it as well.

[fenrrris]

I think the APBA Master Game does a reasonably good job of differentiating pitchers, but even in the Master Game it's obvious that APBA is a hitting simulator above all else. Thankfully, the stats are so accurate that it's not really a problem unless you're in direct contact with the mechanics.

[CraigSca]

There's a thread in the APBA Between the Lines forum on Delphi that goes into great detail regarding Baseball for Windows (basically the Master Game, with tweaks) and it's inaccuracies.

I grew up on APBA and loved it. Unfortunately, there were some aspects that always frustrated the heck out of me.

While I think it's probably a great implementation of the APBA game, any computer simulation that doesn't take advantage of the power that a computer can bring to such a game is, imho, like driving a Ferrari in neutral.

[Galaril]

Usually the game is $40-50, and each season is $20 for APBA. While I like the statistical accuracy of these types of game, I wish they were more fluid in moving season to season. Also, a career stats database would be great. The price and almanac are the reasons I have been playing PureSim over APBA.

Tried the Penant Fever Baseball. I enjoyed it some, but there are some things it needs (or I can't find).

I started with a draft, and it needs a switch for serpentine draft. Also a salary cap would be cool.

Drafted my team and it was just like playing APBA. Only problem I had was the rainout in the middle of the 4th resulted in a shutout win for my team. That needs to be fixed.

I sent an email for a free license and the 1984 season. We'll see if it comes.

Have you found Puresim comparable as realistic results and stats when playing historical replays?

[Galaril]

There's a thread in the APBA Between the Lines forum on Delphi that goes into great detail regarding Baseball for Windows (basically the Master Game, with tweaks) and it's inaccuracies.

I grew up on APBA and loved it. Unfortunately, there were some aspects that always frustrated the heck out of me.

While I think it's probably a great implementation of the APBA game, any computer simulation that doesn't take advantage of the power that a computer can bring to such a game is, imho, like driving a Ferrari in neutral.

Craig,

Out of curiousity, do you play any of the "Big three" in PC baseball Puresim,OOTP 06 or Baseball Mogul 07 and what are your general feelings on those for historical replay?

[Fouts]

Have you found Puresim comparable as realistic results and stats when playing historical replays?

Not quite. Puresim makes up the difference with other features, and one price. Puresim still needs work with draft/trade AI, IMO.

Another thing is in games like APBA, players will have up and down years (based on their real life performance). In Puresim, the star players seem to play at the top level all the time.

[Tim Tellean]

I've messed with the demo a little more and it seems clunky but one thing thats cool (or seems to be) is a stadium designer.

[Galaril]

Can you trade players or are they only able to move as they did in real life that season?

[fenrrris]

There are separate "as-played" files which make all historical transactions, but they're optional. I'm pretty sure you can trade freely when you're not using them.

[Fouts]

I believe you can make trades, but there is no AI negotiating for the other team.

[CraigSca]

Craig,

Out of curiousity, do you play any of the "Big three" in PC baseball Puresim,OOTP 06 or Baseball Mogul 07 and what are your general feelings on those for historical replay?

I played Baseball Mogul when it originally came out and then bought 2005, I think. I found it too simplistic. I have Puresim and played it about 5 mins. I've had every OOTP since 2, and, like Puresim, played the last one about 5 mins.

Of the straight replay games, I have DMB, Strat and had an old copy of APBA BBW (when I was a teenager). Of these games, I play DMB occasionally and used to play Strat until I got sick of the whole registration code garbage they jam down your throat.

I play the replay game strictly for replay, and the career-based games strictly for fictional. Of the engines out there, I trust DMB the most, but I find it aesthetically like playing baseball in a sterile ICU. There's no "fun" involved to keep me playing.

I'm in the minority on this one, but what I WOULD like to play is a replay game that offers disks that take the extreme numbers out of the mix. What kind of extremes? Well, small sample sizes like a guy going 3 for 4 against lefties being abused by the game system.

Beyond that, however, I'd like to see each year's season disk molded by it's surrounding years. For instance, there was a discussion on another board about George Brett's 1980. We all know he had a tremendous year, batting .390. However, I would venture to say that his .390 BA that year was on the extreme right-hand side of his performance expectation. Why do I think this? He never batted over .335 in his career again. Let's say I think his skills at the time were roughly that of a .330 hitter. Based (approximately) on his 449 atbats in 1980, we can expect Brett to his anywhere from .286 to .374. Instead of having a George Brett that bat .390 on the disk, I would prefer to have a player with the SKILLS of George Brett. See, a replay disk will take that extreme .390 batting average and make THAT the midpoint. Therefore, we should expect Brett to hit anywhere from .346 to .434 (eek!). The same thing happens with a Roger Maris of 1961 - the replay game will make 61 HRs the midpoint (where I would argue it should be about 49-51) and thus some replays will have him hitting 70 HRs.

I want to play with only the skills of the players, not with the white noise of sample-size thrown into the mix. So far, I haven't really found it.

[Galaril]

So, I am curious on the state of replay baseball games. I have been looking at getting either Strat-o-matic computer version, or Action Pc baseball. SOM's season are a little more expense so I might hold off for the new 2008 Pennant fever game due out soon I hope. As of now you can't buya game from those guys. There is anew version of Baseball for windows but it is delayed until fall.