BASEBALL MOGUL 2008?

[Galaril]

Though over all I am happy with OOTP 2007 the current few bugs and not working correctly features like rule 5 draft has me wondering about the compettiion. I was shocked not to see any mention of Baseball mogul 2008 here at all. I didn't paly last year but know a lot of people thought it was the best game last year in the baseball text sim field. I look over at the BM08 board and there seems to be a lot of threads about all kinds of whacky AI, stats, etc. I sthat it for BM this year no real new features and kind of buggy? I am not being a smart ass just askigna real question to any who still follows this series.

[FBPro]

It's been mentioned but YAWN!!!!

[Ksyrup]

I gave up on BBM after BBM2K, when I discovered FOF and BBM couldn't seem to progress past its simplistic approach. I don't know if it's gotten better or not since then, but I haven't really had the urge to find out.

[saintjo]

I gave up on BBM a few years back after they screwed over their fanbase with horrible patches and refusing to acknowledge huge bugs.

Somehow I managed to stay on their mailing list and got the email about 2k8. The new features such as better drafting, better in game mode, etc suckered me into buying it.
Unfortunately the support is about where it was when i quit a few years ago. The most annoying bug at the moment is one where after 2-3 years of simulation, players start taking offers less than 1 million a year in free agency. And they are all-star calibur players. They have already had at least 3 patches and none have addressesed it.

Right now, I would recommend you not buy it. If they get the bugs straightened out though, it has a lot of promise.

[JasonC23]

If they get the bugs straightened out though, it has a lot of promise.

Attention Baseball Mogul producers! I smell a marketing slogan here!

[saintjo]

Attention Baseball Mogul producers! I smell a marketing slogan here!

lol

[molson]

Attention Baseball Mogul producers! I smell a marketing slogan here!

It would definitly rival the slogan for OOTP7 suggested in the other thread "There's got to be a setting for that somewhere".

[Young Drachma]

I used to play a lot of Mogul. I tried the demo last year. It just doesn't do enough for me anymore.

[Galaril]

demo released will wait for other guinea pig to try it;)http://www.sportsmogul.com/

[amdaily]

I think BM08 is the most playable initial realase they've had in years. Haven't had a chance to really dig in yet, but I've had alot of fun in the first 5 years I've simmed.

[FBPro]

I think BM08 is the most playable initial realase they've had in years. Haven't had a chance to really dig in yet, but I've had alot of fun in the first 5 years I've simmed.

Not saying much, but to each his own.

[MrIllini]

whatever happened to PureSim?

[miami_fan]

whatever happened to PureSim?

http://www.operationsports.com/fofc/showthread.php?t=56210&highlight=PureSim

[waltwal]

i have been playing both ootp7 and bm08. OOTP has really improved over the disaster of last year and is the better and deeper game. However BM08 is a much improved game and in a couple of areas is better than OOTP. I think BM has steadily improved over the last few years and this release is the best one. OOTP took such a step backwards last year that i was of the opinion it would be hard to recover but , in my opinion, it has rebounded nicely. It is a game that has so much that it will take a great deal of work to get it close to perfect but it seems to be on the right track.

Puresim's creator Sean Sullivan simply had to give up the chase due to work and family considerations. Too bad it was another game that was headed in the right direction.

[rjolley]

iPuresim's creator Sean Sullivan simply had to give up the chase due to work and family considerations. Too bad it was another game that was headed in the right direction.

Just to add, Shaun has given up selling a new version every year. He is, however, still releasing patches with bug fixes and new features. It's called PureSim 2007 Community Edition and has had 3 patches since release. You do have to own PureSim 2007, but after that, there's nothing else to buy. Here's the link to the Matrix forum with more info: http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tt.asp?forumid=210

[Izulde]

OOTP 07 did improve in a lot of ways, but that interface still irritates me.

If we could have 6.5's interface with 07's features, that'd be a fantastic game.

[Galaril]

Just to add, Shaun has given up selling a new version every year. He is, however, still releasing patches with bug fixes and new features. It's called PureSim 2007 Community Edition and has had 3 patches since release. You do have to own PureSim 2007, but after that, there's nothing else to buy. Here's the link to the Matrix forum with more info: http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tt.asp?forumid=210


Wow he is a surprise. i read this over on the Puresim Matrix game board posted by Shaun on 4/8/07:

As long as you guys don't desert me.

BTW, I am coming out of my 4 month semi-retirement soon. This is in my blood :)

See #19 post for yourself:)

link:http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=1418679

[MizzouRah]

Wow he is a surprise. i read this over on the Puresim Matrix game board posted by Shaun on 4/8/07:

As long as you guys don't desert me.

BTW, I am coming out of my 4 month semi-retirement soon. This is in my blood :)

See #19 post for yourself:)

link:http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=1418679

That's great news!

[Galaril]

Yeah, I really like PS and think Shaun is greta guy in this text sport sim community.

[rjolley]

Wow he is a surprise. i read this over on the Puresim Matrix game board posted by Shaun on 4/8/07:

As long as you guys don't desert me.

BTW, I am coming out of my 4 month semi-retirement soon. This is in my blood :)


Figured he'd be back in a year or so, but not 4 months. Great to hear. :)

[MrIllini]

good news!

[MizzouRah]

I'm the first to belittle BM, but if Ksyrup is right about ootp (haven't really dug into the game yet) being terrible for the "GM" aspect... I might once again look at Puresim and BM... especially BM since at one time, the game was really addicting.

Who's into BM 2008 this year and what can you tell us about it?

[rjolley]

I played the beta since I bought 2007 to support Clay and liked it enough to buy 2008.

It's a good game, though does have some problems. It's great to pick up and play a quick season. I usually sim a month until June, sim a week then to get trade offers, then sim a month to the end, tweaking my roster for the playoffs. I was usually able to sim through 3-5 seasons in a settling, maybe an hour while watching tv. Also, for the history buffs, it was very easy to set up a league with real players and run a historical league. Expansion happened automatically, including an expansion draft.

However, I found it very easy to get young stars and build a powerhouse team. This was on the second skill level (out of four), so I'm not sure how the trades are on the highest level.

Also, relievers were overused in pre-50's baseball. Seemed to be a lot of complete games, but still more svaes than there should be, and the pitching staffs were too large. Maybe I'm remembering what I've read wrong, but didn't they have smaller staffs back then? The ones for Mogul never alter from 10 spots.

I decided to buy it this weekend because I do enjoy playing the game. I'll have to try the higher skill levels to see if I can fleece the AI and make another run with the White Sox.

[laser]

I have never played BM but am thinking about giving it a try. But I like to play fictional teams with a 12 team league. Is this possible or can you only play with real players? Also how much if any customization is there in terms of league, division, team sizes and schedules?

[amdaily]

I have never played BM but am thinking about giving it a try. But I like to play fictional teams with a 12 team league. Is this possible or can you only play with real players? Also how much if any customization is there in terms of league, division, team sizes and schedules?

As I rcecall, customizeable schedules/playoffs are still being asked for, but you can choose how many games will be played, as well as total control of league & division sizes. Real players are included as well as historical players.

[Galaril]

I want to try this but one look at the support forum on the mogul board an dyou see almost two pages of pretty significant bugs. The problem with Clay's patches is they never make ground each patch causes new bugs and jsut solves the next patch then fixes them but breaks a bunch of the stuff that was ok in the last patch. It is a zero sum process. So, pretty much whatever is released on opening day is pretty much the game until the next version. I might give Puresim another try since I haven't tried it since 06. the problem with PS was it was always more a fictional player/historical roster game not current roster for the current year. In fact I don't ever remember a roster with opening day rosters made by the community. This year I see someone has put together a 2007 40 man rosters which is an improvement. I like to play GM and am not sure which of the three games handles the facets of being a GM like trade,FA, and AI roster mangement the best but it appears non do it very well;(

[Young Drachma]

Of the three, OOTP gives me enough that I can work through the muck to make it work for me. But I'm a solo player who likes to sim fast, make lots of changes on the fly and do lots of random things like incorporate other countries into my sim.

I began as a Mogul player. I think it's a solid game and you can't beat the fact that it sims so darn fast. But...the lack of depth for me really doesn't make it a must buy anymore. I don't think I've played it since OOTP5.

And I did check out the 2K8 Mogul demo and it didn't really do much for me. I think it does have a place in the market and there is a niche that would benefit from improvements to it, that's for sure. Because if I didn't have the sort of job I did or random free time where I actually enjoyed pouring energy into OOTP, I don't know I'd ever be able to play otherwise. Because it does really command a lot of time and energy if you want any sort of immersion.

[MrBug708]

Welcome to Hollywood

[Young Drachma]

Welcome to Hollywood

Beat me to it!

[rowech]

Don't seel Puresim short guys. I played it quite a bit last summer. I used to play Baseball Mogul and was addicted to it. Slowly, I wanted more. Went to OOTP for a bit....just is too much for me. Puresim is right in the middle.

[Izulde]

I may have to give PureSim another try.

I know some years ago I tried it and didn't care for it, but that was quite a few versions ago.

[Young Drachma]

I think it's true that each game appeals to a different kind of gamer.

[Galaril]

I think it's true that each game appeals to a different kind of gamer.


Could you elaborate,please? I have seen this mentioned and never really could tell what each was best at or which segemnt of the baseball sims fans they each appealed to.

[Young Drachma]

Ok. I'll give it a stab.

Mogul used to appeal to me because it gave me the ability to immerse some with a few tweaks here and there. You had to imagine most of it. And it seems to be a little tighter around the edges. The real life rosters are a huge plus. I like my fictional universes, but few things -- especially during baseball season -- beat having real life rosters at your disposal.

Umm..OOTP is really about the person who wants to know the name of the 7th pick of the 18th round of their draft. You're scouring the world for that gem player who can change your team. I think at its best, OOTP can best simulate the real world experience of the GM than anything else out there. It's rough around the edges. There are still things you need to do to smooth out the experience. And it's no doubt immensely more complex than it ever was before and probably way more than it needs to be.

But I wouldn't trade in complexity and most importantly -- depth -- for less options or to make it more accessible for people who aren't interested in that much immersiveness or who want something less. I think there are other games that can appeal to them.

PureSim I didn't play a lot, so I don't want to give it a comparison. But from what I've seen from the little I played it, it does baseball first and foremost. So while you won't be able to find out what the name of the gnats name hanging out on the ass of the first future Finnish major leaguer, you can play the game and it seemed to appeal -- at least from the stuff I read -- to people who like to play games out or who are more interested in management of teams from the skipper's seat, rather than the overhead view as the GM.

I think that all three are distinctively different games, that appeal to different people and to different interests. I think that PureSim coming back probably signals that there are a lot of frustrated games who could be had, if there was a game that really embraces baseball in the way those of us who are fans of it come to appreciate it.

So I dunno. I could see someone owning two or all three of their games depending on what they want at any given time, etc., but...I think trying out the demos of all of them would be the best way to figure out which appeals to.

OOTP is a dream to me, because I can create almost any conceivable baseball universe or scenario world that my mind can come up with. And to me, that's pretty awesome because I dreamed of it as a kid and it's like over a decade or so later, the game comes out and now I can sit and play it all of the time if I want, when back then I never would've been able to.

So...that's my .02

[MizzouRah]

I think I'm just getting too old. :)

For some reason, I'm really not getting into console games much anymore, in fact I just sold my Xbox 360 to a friend, my psp is about to go on ebay, and I'm really into simple sports text sims now. Go figure.

FOF is about all I play now due to how easy it is for me to sit down for a couple of hours and rattle 2-3 seasons off.

I'm thinking BM used to be that way.. sit down and rattle 2-3 seasons off in an hour or two, although I was really turned off with version 2006. Maybe Clay will fix the bug about star players signing for cheap and I can once again dig into BM?

[RainMaker]

I haven't played Mogul or PureSim but am hoping someone can help.

I really liked 6.51, but would like a few more features and maybe a deeper game than it. The new OOTPs don't have new rosters, and are just too deep for what I need. Do any of these other games play like 6.51? Do they let me control my minors, develop players over years, and give a decent history to look through?

[Godzilla Blitz]

I haven't played Mogul or PureSim but am hoping someone can help.

I really liked 6.51, but would like a few more features and maybe a deeper game than it. The new OOTPs don't have new rosters, and are just too deep for what I need. Do any of these other games play like 6.51? Do they let me control my minors, develop players over years, and give a decent history to look through?

I played PureSim last year for a while. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles of OOTP, but the game seemed solid to me.

[AgustusM]

I always found BM to be fun, but way too simple and unrealistic to hold my attention long term. I don't think I have ever played and not rattled off multiple 110+ win records season after season - entire lineups of 50+ homer guys, 20 win pitchers, etc, etc.

[MizzouRah]

I always found BM to be fun, but way too simple and unrealistic to hold my attention long term. I don't think I have ever played and not rattled off multiple 110+ win records season after season - entire lineups of 50+ homer guys, 20 win pitchers, etc, etc.

I think version 2002 was the best BM ever put out and it held my attention for MANY, MANY, seasons.. but yes, beyond that, it's been awhile.

From what I've read over at their forums, they are still two big bugs that seem to be show stopping.. I'm hoping Clay fixes them.

[Toddzilla]

I played PureSim last year for a while. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles of OOTP, but the game seemed solid to me.What he said.

Being able to go back 100 years and play, with appropriate rookies joining the league every year made this a very immersive game for me. Solid enough for me not to even consider either of the new OOTPs so far.

[DanGarion]

Email from Clay regarding 24 hour sale on Baseball Mogul
Greetings,

I'm writing today to let you know about a special one-time offer for Baseball Mogul 2008.

On Sunday, July 15th, Baseball Mogul 2008 will be featured at www.gamedujour.com. For exactly 24 hours, you will be
able to download the full version of Baseball Mogul 2008 for only $9.95 -- a savings of 60% off the current price.

If you haven't already bought Baseball Mogul 2008, please consider taking advantage of this one-time offer. And if
you already own it, please pass along the following link to your friends (and remind them to visit the site THIS
Sunday).

http://www.gamedujour.com/=bm08-eml

(The sale runs for 24 hours, starting at midnight Central Time)


2. BASEBALL MOGUL 2008 UPDATE

We are still working on the next official patch for Baseball Mogul 2008. (There is a slowdown in the play-by-play
animations on some computers that we are still looking into).

If you don't yet have the current official patch (Version 10.24) and the auto-update feature isn't working for some
reason, you can download it directly from the following URL:

http://www.sportsmogul.com/Updates/BaseballMogul/2008/Files/BB2K8-1024F.exe

Save this file to your desktop and then double-click it to launch. That program will automatically find your
Baseball Mogul 2008 folder and update the correct files.

3. OTHER GAMES

We have also been working on improvements to Football Mogul and Baseball Mogul Online, and we hope to have upgrades
available for both products within the next few months. I should have some more detailed information in the next
newsletter.

Thanks for your continued support!

Best regards,

Clay Dreslough,
President Sports Mogul Inc.
[email protected]
www.sportsmogul.com

P.S. Your purchase of Baseball Mogul 2008 includes free upgrades throughout the year. If you'd like to ask a
question or contribute to the discussion, please visit the Baseball Mogul forum:

http://www.sportsmogul.com/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=1725

[Galaril]

I can't say I expect much but after playing around with the headache inducing complex OOTP I might spend the 9.95 and pick this up.

[DanGarion]

I can't say I expect much but after playing around with the headache inducing complex OOTP I might spend the 9.95 and pick this up.

For 10 bucks, it's worth it. BBM always does a great job being a QUICK sim game for when you want to really just blaze through a lot of seasons quickly.

[Izulde]

I'll probably demo Puresim at some point, but lately I've been having a lot of fun with my OOTP 6.5 fictional league where I control all the teams.

Still have the original 8 teams... started in 1900 and I'm in the 1903 offseason right now.

[MizzouRah]

I still mess around with it here and there.

I just wish Clay would expand his testing crew so he wouldn't have to release patch after patch.

[Fouts]

10 bucks? I'm in.

[Ben E Lou]

I still mess around with it here and there.

I just wish Clay would expand his testing crew so he wouldn't have to release patch after patch.

Actually, I don't think size of the testing crew has anything to do with it. He has a good number of testers every year. He just uses a very different model than most text sim developers. I used to call him "Patch-A-Day Clay." He just releases the game on a certain date, ready or not, fully intending to continue doing patch after patch after patch for three months or so. I don't get the impression that he has any intention of the initial release being all that bug-free, but at least he's committed to supporting his products. After all these years of doing it that way, I guess it's hard to argue against it (meaning from a business perspective).

[MizzouRah]

Actually, I don't think size of the testing crew has anything to do with it. He has a good number of testers every year. He just uses a very different model than most text sim developers. I used to call him "Patch-A-Day Clay." He just releases the game on a certain date, ready or not, fully intending to continue doing patch after patch after patch for three months or so. I don't get the impression that he has any intention of the initial release being all that bug-free, but at least he's committed to supporting his products. After all these years of doing it that way, I guess it's hard to argue against it (meaning from a business perspective).

Yeah, I guess you're right. Patch a day Clay is definitly spot on. :D

[LloydLungs]

One thing I've never understood about the Baseball Mogul series: The arrangement of the stats within the box score. It's disorienting. Why not arrange it in the standard AB R H RBI fashion, or at least something closer to that? Same with the pitching line, which is supposed to be more like IP H R ER BB SO. I know something so cosmetic shouldn't bug me so much, but what can I say. It does and I find the box scores hard to read as a result.

[dj_morton]

10 bucks was a steal for this game...glad I waited to buy it this year

[MizzouRah]

I will say, it's sooooooooooo much easier to jump in and play a few months worth of baseball than it is with OOTP.

[Pumpy Tudors]

I ended up buying the game just because of the discount. Honestly, I don't even know if I'm ever going to play it. That's kinda stupid, I guess, but I'd rather risk throwing away $10 than decide I want to play it in a month and have to spend $25.

[JPhillips]

It's still what it's always been, a fun, although not very accurate, baseball sim. As long as you don't drive yourself crazy worrying about realism, you'll be able to enjoy zipping through seasons in seconds.

Well worth ten bucks if for no other reason than BBM is what got me started with text sims.

[condors]

I have bought several bbmoguls but didn't think i would be again anytime soon. With the 10 dollar offer i am glad i made it in before the deadline.

[Toddzilla]

$10 for Baseball Mogul is quite the steal - not sure in whose favor, though...

[MizzouRah]

$10 for Baseball Mogul is quite the steal - not sure in whose favor, though...

Quite the steal is right.

I've bitched more than anyone when 2006 came out, but since I purchased 2008 a few months ago, I'd have to say I've played this game for many hours.. most of the time early into the morning.

With patch 10.28 which lowered the draftee ratings, everything seems quite well as far as I'm concerned. Yes, it's not near as accurate as OOTP, but it's 110% simpler and the interface might be the best of any text sim I've played.

We talk about simplicity in a text sim, and this one fits it perfectly. I'm amazed at how nice everything is setup and easy to get to. I've become more of a non-hardcore sports gamer lately and I applaud Clay for his hard work on this version.

Thank you Clay!

(There's a nice 2007 roster set (thanks HoustonGM) you should grab before you start) - but for $10 it's a no brainer, imho. (Heck, I paid full price and have gotten my $$$$ worth)

Edit: I'm 17 games out of 1st with the Cardinals in my first season.. can't wait for the challenge this brings. :)