OOTP 9 - six new screenshots released

[Markus Heinsohn]

Hey there,

in case you're interested, we've just released 6 new screenshots of OOTP 9:
http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/board/ootp-8-2007-general-discussions/165062-6-new-out-park-baseball-9-screens.html

Cheers,
Markus

[MrBug708]

Nice. Fightings Drug test failings. Love it

[Anthony]

if there is drug suspensions in this game then i'm guaranteed to purchase it.


ok, bye.

[Markus Heinsohn]

Suspensions & drug suspensions are optional of course :)

[Eaglesfan27]

That seems like a large number of fights in that one screenshot.

[Anthony]

there is no option. these fuckers must pay for their cheating, performance enhancing ways. excellent addition to the series.

i hope you have it set so like a Brady Anderson - who hit 50 hrs in the 90's out of nowhere - is more likely to get suspended and it isn't some random thing where a .220 career hitter gets suspended for drugs. like if you see a spike in someone's stats one season that should be the guy this happens to.

this is excellent.

[Markus Heinsohn]

That seems like a large number of fights in that one screenshot.

Didn't notice that... it's pretty rare in OOTP, like in real life. Looks like this was just 'bad luck' :)

[rjolley]

Markus, how much longer do I have to preorder? (not trying to get a release date, just wondering because that's a good price to buy the game)

[CraigSca]

there is no option. these fuckers must pay for their cheating, performance enhancing ways. excellent addition to the series.

i hope you have it set so like a Brady Anderson - who hit 50 hrs in the 90's out of nowhere - is more likely to get suspended and it isn't some random thing where a .220 career hitter gets suspended for drugs. like if you see a spike in someone's stats one season that should be the guy this happens to.

this is excellent.

I wonder why Anderson quit using steroids if he did so well while he was on them?

[Anthony]

THAT is a great question.

[JPhillips]

Didn't notice that... it's pretty rare in OOTP, like in real life. Looks like this was just 'bad luck' :)

I know you'll never change, but with all the bugs that have come up over the years that you insisted weren't there wouldn't you want to avoid statements like this? How about, "That does seem odd, I'll take a look at it." Even if you don't do anything it at least saves you headaches if there's a problem discovered after release.

[Markus Heinsohn]

I know you'll never change, but with all the bugs that have come up over the years that you insisted weren't there wouldn't you want to avoid statements like this? How about, "That does seem odd, I'll take a look at it." Even if you don't do anything it at least saves you headaches if there's a problem discovered after release.

Thanks for the lesson. You're aware that the game is in beta, right? ;)

[Eaglesfan27]

Thanks for the lesson. You're aware that the game is in beta, right? ;)

I think that is his point though. Are you sure that screen shot is just an occurence of bad luck or is it indicative of a possible bug that slipped into a beta build? One response might have been, "hmm, that looks odd, I'll take a look at it to see if anything is wrong since it is still in beta." Shrug.

[JPhillips]

I think that is his point though. Are you sure that screen shot is just an occurence of bad luck or is it indicative of a possible bug that slipped into a beta build? One response might have been, "hmm, that looks odd, I'll take a look at it to see if anything is wrong since it is still in beta." Shrug.

Exactly. I have no problem with a small bug like too many fights in a beta, but the way Markus always downplays or denies problems causes a lot of headaches for himself. I'm just surprised he hasn't learned better PR skills so as to minimize those headaches.

[Markus Heinsohn]

Exactly. I have no problem with a small bug like too many fights in a beta, but the way Markus always downplays or denies problems causes a lot of headaches for himself. I'm just surprised he hasn't learned better PR skills so as to minimize those headaches.

:confused: Guys, did I ever say that I'd NOT check the frequency after your initial post? That was the first thing I did, and it was ok, thus my comment... I probably expressed myself the wrong way, please keep in mind that english is not the language I was raised with.

[fantom1979]

:confused: Guys, did I ever say that I'd NOT check the frequency after your initial post? That was the first thing I did, and it was ok, thus my comment... I probably expressed myself the wrong way, please keep in mind that english is not the language I was raised with.

French? ;)

[Markus Heinsohn]

French? ;)

Yeah, pardon my French! :D

[Eaglesfan27]

:confused: Guys, did I ever say that I'd NOT check the frequency after your initial post? That was the first thing I did, and it was ok, thus my comment... I probably expressed myself the wrong way, please keep in mind that english is not the language I was raised with.

Good that you checked. It just seemed that the reply in under 2 minutes and the nature of the reply, I wasn't sure if you checked.

[Markus Heinsohn]

Good that you checked. It just seemed that the reply in under 2 minutes and the nature of the reply, I wasn't sure if you checked.

I had a test sim running, so all I had to do is quit simming and look at the test variables, took 20 seconds or so...

[Ksyrup]

Any vague hints about a release time frame, outside of "spring"? Closer to 1 week or 5 weeks? Bump once for 1 week and twice for 5 weeks. Thanks! :D

[Markus Heinsohn]

Any vague hints about a release time frame, outside of "spring"? Closer to 1 week or 5 weeks? Bump once for 1 week and twice for 5 weeks. Thanks! :D

I wish I could say more than "Spring", but right now this is not possible... but definitely not within the next 2 weeks.

[Anthony]

Any vague hints about a release time frame, outside of "spring"? Closer to 1 week or 5 weeks? Bump once for 1 week and twice for 5 weeks. Thanks! :D

You're aware that the game is in beta, right? ;)

i know your post was tongue in cheek, but let him take his time. seriously.

[Ksyrup]

He can take his time, but that time might be close to over, and I was hoping he would let on a little. And he did. That was good enough.

BTW, I'm going on vacation starting June 21st, so I hope that was excellent planning on my part.

[dickysty]

Hey Markus,

One thing I've noticed that's been absent since 6.5 is the ability for the AI to use pinch runners in certain situtations. Currently the only time I see the AI use pinch runners is if a player had been injured.

Has this been added back in for 9?

[Huckleberry]

Not in the next 2 weeks = no earlier than May 31st.

Spring = no later than June 20th, 6:07 p.m. Central DST.

So he's locked into those two parameters.

Time to start squeezing him in. After we do that we will start asking for more features. Constantly.

[Ksyrup]

I'm satisfied with "not in the next 2 weeks." That means he's either shooting for June 1st, or closer to June 20th. I can wait; I just want to align my expectations properly, because I'm going to be trying some things with the historical sim feature that I need to prepare for.

[Markus Heinsohn]

Hey Markus,

One thing I've noticed that's been absent since 6.5 is the ability for the AI to use pinch runners in certain situtations. Currently the only time I see the AI use pinch runners is if a player had been injured.

Has this been added back in for 9?

That really hasn't changed, the AI in the current version uses pinch-runners as well if the situation makes sense... maybe the frequency needs tweaking, I'll check the bug database if there is a report about it.

[johnnyshaka]

That really hasn't changed, the AI in the current version uses pinch-runners as well if the situation makes sense... maybe the frequency needs tweaking, I'll check the bug database if there is a report about it.

What about pinch-hitters, then? Just lost the World Series in very dramatic fashion...bottom of the 9th...down one with a couple of guys on base...2 outs...and the AI leaves the pitcher in to hit. Huh?

[Ksyrup]

It was Micah Owings.

[dickysty]

That really hasn't changed, the AI in the current version uses pinch-runners as well if the situation makes sense... maybe the frequency needs tweaking, I'll check the bug database if there is a report about it.

Are you sure about that?

I've checked tons of box scores and played out many a games and have never seen the AI use a pinch-runner. The only exception like I said earlier is when the player at bat gets an injury.

I could be wrong but I don't think so. Thanks for replying

[RainMaker]

Question, is there going to be an MLB roster set for this version? I've never been able to get into fictional leagues and the newer versions have destroyed any semblance of creating and using accurate MLB rosters.

[DanGarion]

Question, is there going to be an MLB roster set for this version? I've never been able to get into fictional leagues and the newer versions have destroyed any semblance of creating and using accurate MLB rosters.

Yes there will be, they have said this a couple times already.

[TroyF]

I had a test sim running, so all I had to do is quit simming and look at the test variables, took 20 seconds or so...

OK, I really don't want to be an ass here. . . but I can be good at it so what the hell.

You checked ONE test sim and everything was OK, so it's not a problem? Was this test sim set up with the same parameters of the screen shot in question? Did any of the other beta testers report a problem with this. Did you send something out to have them check this in their leagues?

Even if this were a bug, it's not a deal breaker for me, I'd just turn the fights off. But when someone brings up a concern, checking one league in under two minutes doesn't prove something. The best answer is always "I'll look into it and make sure it's not an issue before we release the game"

Back to your regularly scheduled programming :)

[Cringer]

Maybe he has checked it several times, but hasn't felt like posting the results of every test run.

I can see why Markus only has 200+ posts in 6 years on this board, the guy doesn't do anything right to some guys it seems, including posting.

[Eaglesfan27]

Maybe he has checked it several times, but hasn't felt like posting the results of every test run.

I can see why Markus only has 200+ posts in 6 years on this board, the guy doesn't do anything right to some guys it seems, including posting.

He replied in under 2 minutes that it wasn't a problem. It just seems like it wasn't a very through check and Markus has a history of saying there isn't a bug present when there is. So, that will cause some scrutiny of statements despite his language issues. Shrug.

[Huckleberry]

I'm pretty sure Markus' post claiming that it's not a bug and was only bad luck resulted from a quick check of the programming code. My theory is that it was only a surface check where he looked at the frequency with which these incidents are coded to happen. And I believe him that it's not an issue at that level.

The problem is, of course, that I would think most bugs in a game as comprehensive as OOTP arise because of interaction between different features coded into the game. So the concern is that while the top-level instructions seem reasonable it's still possible that there's something deeper and harder to find going on so that the fights really will be too frequent. And that's the kind of bug that lingers and can't possibly be checked in two minutes. Hence the concern.

I also would hope that Markus sent out a quick note asking people to check fight frequency in their beta tests.

Oh, and also of course he needs to make league prestige an editable field. But only for Ksyrup and Hell Atlantic. :D

[Cringer]

He replied in under 2 minutes that it wasn't a problem. It just seems like it wasn't a very through check and Markus has a history of saying there isn't a bug present when there is. So, that will cause some scrutiny of statements despite his language issues. Shrug.

I have no problem with people ripping on 'bugs' that have been around for years. To rip on something in which not one person on here can actually claim is a bug or any type of problem because no one here has the game and the piece of evidence is one screen shot then it seems pointless to get worked up over it, IMO.

I won't say a damn thing in his defense if after the game comes out it ends up being a problem. Then there is something to actually complain about. Double shrug back at ya pal! ;) :p

[TroyF]

Maybe he has checked it several times, but hasn't felt like posting the results of every test run.

I can see why Markus only has 200+ posts in 6 years on this board, the guy doesn't do anything right to some guys it seems, including posting.


I was only using his exact words. I'm sorry. I'm a person who purchased the original OOTP and with the exception of a single year, have purchased every game in the series to this point. I've been critical of the game in the past, but think last years version was pretty solid.

I'm simply pointing out to him that making a quick statement after saying he checked one league can be concerning, because there have been "bugs" in the OOTP franchise that spanned multiple versions of the game.

The internet message boards are a double edged sword for a developer. It's ALWAYS better to say soemthing like "I'm going to check on that and make sure it isn't a problem" than to post instantly after the concern is raised that you checked a test league and everything is fine. You may call it being an ass on my part and I'm fine with that assessment. Yet I can assure you that I'm not the only one who read his quick response and wondered why more wasn't done to check on it.

Like it or not, this is about PR and every posting by Markus needs to take that into account.

[RainMaker]

Yes there will be, they have said this a couple times already.
They said it last version too. Big difference in actually building rosters to go with the game and releasing them with it and giving a copy of the game to a couple dolts a couple months early who won't do shit and whine on the boards about their life looking for attention.

[korme]

I'm surely this is only cosmetics so this will be ignored, but I'd love to have hats on pictures default to the first initial of the city as the hat graphic symbol, rather than a circle with 3 letters in it.

[rowech]

I'm debating buying this game and folks are beginning to worry me. I'm playing with last year's demo to try and get an idea and I think the game is unbelievable. Are many of you saying it's not worth it? I've played BM and Puresim but have never taken the plunge on OOTP.

[KWhit]

Well, I personally think it's a great game that blows PS and BM out of the water. There are things that can be improved, but it's the best on the market by far, IMO.

[Huckleberry]

Best game of its kind, rowech.

There is a lot more traffic on the OOTP threads discussing problems and suggested improvements for two reasons, both of which are based on the above.

1.) More people own this game and so more people are inclined to comment.
2.) It's closer to being what people want in a game than any of the others, so more people are inclined to comment.

That's not to say it's a perfect game, because no game of that magnitude can be perfect, IMO. I'm just saying don't let this thread scare you.

[Blade6119]

Anyone else notice the typo in screen shot #5? Heros?

[DaddyTorgo]

ok I need to preorder. I have had the webstore up in my browser on a background tab for like...more than a week

[TroyF]

Well, I personally think it's a great game that blows PS and BM out of the water. There are things that can be improved, but it's the best on the market by far, IMO.


I think the engine behind Pure Sim is better, but so far the interface and execution is better for OOTP. I actually think Pure Sim is a vastly underrated title and am very anxious to see what Wolverine will do for the game.

That said, OOTP is currently the closest to nirvana for a career sim baseball text geek currently out there. If you don't expect perfection and can handle a few WTF moments, it's a pretty damned good game.

[MizzouRah]

BM is great to just rattle off seasons, but OOTP is much, much deeper than BM and Puresim.

I'm excited about v9 but I'm a bit worried as I barely played 7/8.

[RainMaker]

I'm debating buying this game and folks are beginning to worry me. I'm playing with last year's demo to try and get an idea and I think the game is unbelievable. Are many of you saying it's not worth it? I've played BM and Puresim but have never taken the plunge on OOTP.
Depends what you're looking to do. Fictional I think it's great. For a current MLB roster league, OOTP doesn't really offer an ability to do it.

[KWhit]

Depends what you're looking to do. Fictional I think it's great. For a current MLB roster league, OOTP doesn't really offer an ability to do it.

The new version will have current MLB rosters.

[RainMaker]

The new version will have current MLB rosters.
That's been said before in previous versions to no avail. Even if there is a roster set, it doesn't mean it'll be good nor work well with the game. I believe last version eventually got a set together but was riddled with bugs.

[fantom1979]

That's been said before in previous versions to no avail. Even if there is a roster set, it doesn't mean it'll be good nor work well with the game. I believe last version eventually got a set together but was riddled with bugs.

My understanding is that this game will include rosters right "out of the box" instead of depending on a third party to produce it.

[KWhit]

Correct.

[MizzouRah]

I hope ICY can put a quickstart together for the MLB roster set... he's so good with that stuff.

[Icy]

I hope ICY can put a quickstart together for the MLB roster set... he's so good with that stuff.

Not anymore I'm afraid, as I'm part of Wolverine Studios now and the man behind the new DDS:Baseball (from Puresim developer) interface., but thanks for thinking on me :)

[MizzouRah]

Not anymore I'm afraid, as I'm part of Wolverine Studios now and the man behind the new DDS:Baseball (from Puresim developer) interface., but thanks for thinking on me :)

Should be interesting to see what you can do with Puresim. Looking forward to it. ;)

[Icy]

Should be interesting to see what you can do with Puresim. Looking forward to it. ;)

Thanks, this is my last post in this thread to not to thread jack Markus's work, but i have been posting some mockups of my work on puresim at WS forums so you can check it.

Btw Markus, game looks great, Aurelio is doing a great job on OOTP as always. I still have you guys in my heart after betatesting OOTP for a few years and enjoying it a lot. Also I must be grateful of how well you handled me leaving the OOTP beta team to join WS after i told you about it, not like another developing company that decided to kick me out from their forums all the sudden and without notice just because I joined a "rival" company, after all that i have done for them in the past as mod maker for their games.

You showed your class while "that other company" showed how classless they are not even answering my message asking for a reason for the ban.

[path12]

not like another developing company that decided to kick me out from their forums all the sudden and without notice just because I joined a "rival" company, after all that i have done for them in the past as mod maker for their games.

You showed your class while "that other company" showed how classless they are not even answering my message asking for a reason for the ban.

Really? That seems odd. I had thought we were all one happy text-simmin' family around here....

[Markus Heinsohn]

Really? That seems odd. I had thought we were all one happy text-simmin' family around here....

Unfortunately there is one exception :(

[Markus Heinsohn]

Thanks, this is my last post in this thread to not to thread jack Markus's work, but i have been posting some mockups of my work on puresim at WS forums so you can check it.

Btw Markus, game looks great, Aurelio is doing a great job on OOTP as always. I still have you guys in my heart after betatesting OOTP for a few years and enjoying it a lot. Also I must be grateful of how well you handled me leaving the OOTP beta team to join WS after i told you about it, not like another developing company that decided to kick me out from their forums all the sudden and without notice just because I joined a "rival" company, after all that i have done for them in the past as mod maker for their games.

You showed your class while "that other company" showed how classless they are not even answering my message asking for a reason for the ban.

Thanks for all you did for us buddy. Shaun and Gary are great guys, I am sure you will enjoy your time with them! :) I'll keep an eye on DDSB, it will a fine game, I'm sure about that.