OOTP 16 announced w\MLB license

[Sweed]

V16 is announced with MLB and MiLB licenses.

The OOTP 16 announcement thread - OOTP Developments Forums (http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/board/ootp-16-general-discussions/250115-ootp-16-announcement-thread.html)

[RainMaker]

That's pretty cool. For advanced users it was easy to plug in the MLB stuff but I think this gives them a chance to market toward MLB fans who may not want to get into modding.

[DaddyTorgo]

Whoa

[JPhillips]

we are ahead of schedule and will release a very polished product late March

I have never understood why Markus continues to make statements that are almost guaranteed to cause him grief.

As for the game, I hope they work on the GM side of things. The financials just don't seem anything like MLB.

[EagleFan]

Still no true 3d game representation. Thought that was going to be added three releases ago?

[21C]

I have never understood why Markus continues to make statements that are almost guaranteed to cause him grief.
He has a second programmer, Matt Arnold from Canada, who is working alongside him.

[INDalltheway]

It will be easier to market this on Steam with the MLB license, that is for sure.

[Arles]

That's pretty cool for Markus and company. Nice work!

[JPhillips]

He has a second programmer, Matt Arnold from Canada, who is working alongside him.

Yeah, but there are going to be bugs in March. He'd be much better off not making claims of greatness each year.

[APC]

Yeah, but there are going to be bugs in March. He'd be much better off not making claims of greatness each year.

So just tell everyone it's going to be average at best and then ask people to fork over $35 for the pre-order?

[JPhillips]

No, list new features, but don't claim that this year it will be bug free. It never is, yet year after year we're assured that this year there won't be bugs at release. I guarantee that people will be screaming for a patch shortly after release.

[APC]

Perhaps I missed something, but where is the claim that this year's version will be bug free? Most of the people who scream for a patch immediately upon release will find a reason to do so no matter what.

I will say, though, the flop of 3D ball flight in last year's version was just that, a major flop. No sugar-coating that one.

[Solecismic]

I really admire how Markus has grown his company. It's such a gradual process these days, navigating the balance between risk and madness. I know I play it too safe, but OOTP is a terrific achievement and makes me wonder if too safe is a bad thing.

[Dutch]

I always wonder if you spend too much on making the engine "perfect" when it always seems to hover in the 90th percentile of satisfaction from a customer stand-point.

I don't know, but with the advent of Steam, now seems like the perfect time to really focus on user experience satisfaction. Again, the old vets are comfortable, its the new potential buyers that need to be the focus now, I think.

[JPhillips]

Perhaps I missed something, but where is the claim that this year's version will be bug free? Most of the people who scream for a patch immediately upon release will find a reason to do so no matter what.

I will say, though, the flop of 3D ball flight in last year's version was just that, a major flop. No sugar-coating that one.

I should have said "very polished". He just doesn't need to say that, especially with the history of early bugs from 3d to waivers to injuries, etc. But he's always had a need to proclaim things as nearly perfect for some reason.

And I think it's a great game and I buy it almost every year.

[MizzouRah]

Still no true 3d game representation. Thought that was going to be added three releases ago?

I see there will be 30 MLB 3D ballparks this year.. but what I don't see is are there moving players or is it just the ball flying around like it always has except now it's on a 3D field?

OOTP 15 was the first version I just didn't play much. I was tired of all the options in the game, setting this and setting that and messing with trade settings and messing with other options - just to be able to get a realistic MLB model and competitive game out of the AI.

I went back to Baseball Mogul and while it's nowhere close to OOTP in depth, I can at least fire it up and not have to mess with 50 different settings. Probably why I love FOF so much. (I know it's why I do :))

Maybe this year with the MLB license and some of the changes, you can start a MLB game and won't have to start tweaking this and that and just play the game and have a decent challenge out of the box?

[stevew]

I'm sure contract logic got a major overhaul.

[Toddzilla]

Well as much as people cry and bitch about the AI, if you were playing a game and the Oakland AI did what Billy Beane did IRL this offseason, folks would be apoplectic.

[Ryan S]

I think this gives them a chance to market toward MLB fans who may not want to get into modding.

Having OOTP promoted on the mlb.com website and the official MLB branding in the mobile stores will be huge when it comes to attracting casual gamers who would otherwise never consider a text sim.

[FBPro]

Having OOTP promoted on the mlb.com website and the official MLB branding in the mobile stores will be huge when it comes to attracting casual gamers who would otherwise never consider a text sim.

+1

[korme]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I remember seeing OOTP ads on mlb.com in the past

[cuervo72]

Congrats on the MLB license, Markus - that seems like a great get.

[Peregrine]

I'm really excited about some of the new features in 16 - can't wait for March.

[Markus Heinsohn]

I really admire how Markus has grown his company. It's such a gradual process these days, navigating the balance between risk and madness. I know I play it too safe, but OOTP is a terrific achievement and makes me wonder if too safe is a bad thing.

Thanks Jim!

It's certainly a big step for us, but the potential benefits far outweight the risks. So it was an easy decision to make. We have tried to get the license for a few years now, but we were always too small for them to really invest any work in setting us up. But we have grown, and so has MLB's interest in us :)

[Markus Heinsohn]

No, list new features, but don't claim that this year it will be bug free. It never is, yet year after year we're assured that this year there won't be bugs at release. I guarantee that people will be screaming for a patch shortly after release.

I said "very polished", and compared to the complexity of OOTP, the past few releases have been just that, very polished. Now you may disagree, but that's the reality. With a team as small as ours and a complex simulation game with so many options it is impossible to ship a bug-free game.

Granted, 3D was tough to get right last year, but it is pretty stable now and we have a good base which we can improve over the years, including player animations and nice game action. However, 3D is so complex, it will be a very slow process... but, Rome wasn't built in a day.

[Peregrine]

However, 3D is so complex, it will be a very slow process... but, Rome wasn't built in a day.

But the Rome Legion did built a championship winning team in one year in one of my leagues. :)

[Sweed]

Release date announced..

OOTP 16 Official Release Date Announced! - OOTP Developments Forums (http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/board/ootp-16-general-discussions/251463-ootp-16-official-release-date-announced.html)

I think being able to afford to add Matt, the additional coder, has been a big help.

[MizzouRah]

Release date announced..

OOTP 16 Official Release Date Announced! - OOTP Developments Forums (http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/board/ootp-16-general-discussions/251463-ootp-16-official-release-date-announced.html)

I think being able to afford to add Matt, the additional coder, has been a big help.

I would agree, at least from what I've read.

[korme]

Do we know if it will be available for pre-order on Steam? Was ready to purchase tonight...

[Young Drachma]

Do we know if it will be available for pre-order on Steam? Was ready to purchase tonight...

They've always said if you pre-order the normal way, you can still get a Steam afterwards. Unless it's different now for some reason.

[Easy Mac]

They're giving away the last version of ootp for free for Android.

[rjolley]

Thanks Easy Mac. Just installed it. Didn't know they made an Android version for 14. Thought OOTP 16 would be the first one.

[MizzouRah]

<table id="post3828825" class="tborder" align="center" border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr valign="top"><td class="alt1" id="td_post_3828825" style="border-right: 1px solid transparent"> OOTP 16: Is it Lonely in the Dugout series
<hr style="color:transparent; background-color:transparent" size="1">
OOTP 16: Is it Lonely in the Dugout? (http://blog.ootpdevelopments.com/ootp-16-is-it-lonely-in-the-dugout/)


OOTP 16: Is it Lonely in the Dugout? Part 2: Dealing With Trades (http://blog.ootpdevelopments.com/ootp-16-is-it-lonely-in-the-dugout-part-2-dealing-with-trades/)


OOTP 16: Is it Lonely in the Dugout? Part 3: Strategy Presets (http://blog.ootpdevelopments.com/ootp-16-is-it-lonely-in-the-dugout-part-3-strategy-presets/)
</td> </tr> <tr><td class="alt2" style="border: 1px solid transparent; border-top: 0px"> http://3935462.r.cdn77.net/board/images2/statusicon/user_online.gif http://3935462.r.cdn77.net/board/images2/buttons/report.gif (http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/board/report.php?p=3828825) </td><td class="alt1" style="border: 1px solid transparent; border-left: 0px; border-top: 0px" align="right"> http://3935462.r.cdn77.net/board/images2/buttons/quote.gif (http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/board/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=3828825)</td></tr></tbody></table>

[MizzouRah]

I haven't been this excited for an OOTP release in awhile. Didn't play 15 much at all, but Markus and team has really added some immersion this year.

[lighthousekeeper]

yeah same here. i'm a sucker for things like the new HOF and all star voting features.

[LastWhiteSoxFanStanding]

I think those things are absolutely key for a baseball game. There just isn't as much strategy as football during the season so the hook has to be immersion.

They also say the news articles are much improved.

I am a bit wary about the new gm/manager feature. It seems great in theory, but brand new features from them are often half-baked. We shall see.

[lighthousekeeper]

for anyone who has beta tested this years version, is the 3d stadium view anything worthwhile?

[MizzouRah]

for anyone who has beta tested this years version, is the 3d stadium view anything worthwhile?

I've been trying to get someone to show a screenshot or something on this. I do know the same player boxes will be on the 3D view this year, but that's about all I know.

[Young Drachma]

I'm ready for this one too. Have played more OOTP in the past year than I did since I dunno ages ago.

[MizzouRah]

Downloaded, installed and ready for when I get off work. Post some impressions!!!

[SirFozzie]

Started playing: Most unrealistic OOTP Yet.... Bartolo Colon threw a no hitter on day 3 of the season ;)

[MizzouRah]

I want my money back! :)

[Young Drachma]

I played the hell out of 15. So pleased for the changes to things that I use a lot...want to see how the financials work too. This weekend will be a wash.

[kcchief19]

Still haven't received my download link for Mac, so I've got my pre-order license but nothing to do with it unless I stumble upon the download this weekend. ;)

I sent an email but assuming I waited too late in the German workday.

[cubboyroy1826]

Right there with you KC. Would love to sit down tonight and give the game a good look see. Hopefully the download link will arrive by tonight.

[Young Drachma]

Yeah there's a lag. I haven't gotten mine yet either.

[frnk55]

Holy shit I forgot about this. Woohoo!!!! Can't wait now.

[21C]

If you are waiting on the link, submit a ticket at OOTP Developments - Powered by Kayako Help Desk Software (http://support.ootpdevelopments.com/)

[MizzouRah]

I have not played OOTP in so long.. OOTP 15 just was blah for me.. I needed a break.

That being said, OOTP 16 has really taken that "leap" of immersion!!! WOW.. a ton was added to this game this year.. little things, but so much adds to the baseball world now.

Well done Markus, WELL DONE!!!

[IlliniCub]

Could you elaborate on what kind of things add to immersion? I'm on the fence this year. I have 15 and usually I'm an every other year OOTP kinda guy.

[LastWhiteSoxFanStanding]

Midseason chemistry reports during the season by the bench coach. Owner goals for each year. Players refusing to sign extensions because they don't get along with the manager. etc

[MizzouRah]

I'll be up all night...

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t27/MizzouRah0971/ootp_zpspxkgmjz8.png

[MizzouRah]

Could you elaborate on what kind of things add to immersion? I'm on the fence this year. I have 15 and usually I'm an every other year OOTP kinda guy.

Read the RtR articles... what LWSFS and then some! Hover over a player and a popup comes up with stats, little icons on the player page for awards, 3d ballparks, etc.. etc..

[SirFozzie]

Quick Notes on Jan 1901-Jan 1921 "Random Debut Historical Sim" which I traditionally do on release day:

Players seen include Yasiel Puig, Thurman Munson (the current Hit King with 2745), Pete Rose (imported at Age 26 in 1901, so, sorry no Hit Dog), Scott Brosius (the current HR King with a career total of.. 102.), the current all time leader in Wins ABove Replacement (and 11 time Gold Glover) Robin Yount.

The three Hall of Famers (remember, five years retired, so you had to be imported young, and play as close to 1915 as possible).

Class of 1919:
Johnny Sain (201-130, 2.29 ERA) 77.6% of votes
Alex Fernandez (254-204, 2.53 ERA) 85.7%

Class of 1920:
Steve Carlton (201-178, 2.54 ERA) 76.1 %

[lungs]

That time of year... I've been at it since Version 2, bought every iteration since.

[Peregrine]

I think my favorite thing is the nickname project mod - just helps so much in making fictional leagues.

My favorite new thing about OOTP - OOTP Developments Forums (http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/board/ootp-16-general-discussions/251964-my-favorite-new-thing-about-ootp.html)

[SirFozzie]

1921-1940 in: Some notable hall of famers:

Larry Doby (.310, 192 HR, 1304 RBI, 2844 Hits) (1912-1933) 94.7% (1st year on Ballot)

Chris Carpenter (209-152, 12 SV, 2.73 ERA) (1913-1929) 79.9% (3rd year on Ballot)

Robin Yount (.271, 38 HR, 931 RBI) (1905-1925) (7th year on Ballot)

Oil Can Boyd (279-223, 12 SV, 2.98 ERA) (1911-1926) 82.5% (Fifth Year on Ballot)

Sid Fernandez (221-149, 16 SV, 2.60 ERA) (1914-1929) 90.1% (first year)

And funny story about one of the new features, in 1931 Jamie Moyer (221-179, 2.55 ERA) was in his 8th year of 10 years on the ballot. He had built up slowly in the Hall of Fame Voting:

1924: 39.3%
1925: 49.3%
1926: 53.8%
1927: 57.8%
1928: 58%
1929: 66%
1930: 73.5%

So he had three years left to get in. Shoe in, right? Except, he got even CLOSER to the magic 75% in 1931, 74%, and then fell off in the last couple years. (67.5%, 57.9%). Sad thing was in 1931 NO one got elected (no one got in from 1914-1918 (obviously, the game had just started, five year waiting period AFTER a hall of fame career, etcetera), but no one got in 1924, 1929, 1930-1931, or the year that the writers hated everyone, 1938 (when the top vote getter, gets 55% of the vote, you know that there's not a legit Hall of Famer in the group)


Record holders of note

Single season batting average (.426) Eddie Collins, 1930, who is still chugging along at age 36 next season (1941) with 3,580 hits and a LIFETIME batting average of .369 (also tops)

The ex-Miracle Met, Art Shamsky holds the single season HR record with 40, Fred Luderus holds the career record with 354.

El Guapo, Rich Garces holds the records for most games pitched (926) and saves (112)

Bryan Rekar holds the record for both most wins (383) and losses (311)

[SirFozzie]

And before I go to bed, one little bit from the 1941-1960 sim that's complete

Apparently Shoeless Joe Jackson can't get a break in any universe, real or OOTP.

He comes in at age 17 in 1943 and hits .383 for the White Sox. Year after year, he churned out great hitting (by year, .369, .376, .371, .349, .366, .372)

Then came that fateful day: May 12th, 1950: In a game against the New York Yankees, Jackson is hit by a pitch, and suffers a career ending fractured skull. He was hitting .400 in the early part of the season too.

Despite the fact that he holds the career batting average mark of .370, the writers refused to consider him for the Hall of Fame, because players had to have 10 years in the league.

In this case, I'm glad there's still a manual override, because damnit, the story's too good.

[lighthousekeeper]

from the screenshot it looks like you get a vote in the HOF balloting. How much is your vote "worth"? Is it 1 vote among 100, 500, 5000?

[SirFozzie]

I'm not sure. I'm trying to find an option to do so (maybe I can't see it because I'm unemployed for this History of Baseball Sim). The options are "Waiting Period", Years on Ballot, Minimum Service Years, Induction Threshold Percent, Drop Players Who Get Below X%, and Max Votes per ballot (With it set to 10, it varies: the low is 4.38 players per Ballot, highest year was 7.65 players on average)

edit: you can manually induct players into the HoF, so that may be the option, like I did with Shoeless Joe

[TroyF]

I do not and cannot understand how scouting can be so horrific in OOTP. Start a career with the Rockies. Jonathan Gray is rated by my scout as 2 star potential and starts out in A ball.

My scouts ratings?

Majors - Excellent
Minors - Excellent
International - Excellent
Amateurs - Outstanding

Ok, i guess they screwed up the Rockies system. I turn scouting off and suddenly Gray is the 11th best prospect in baseball. My brilliant scout thinks the #11 prospect in baseball is the 16th best prospect in my organization? Ugh.

[MizzouRah]

I do not and cannot understand how scouting can be so horrific in OOTP. Start a career with the Rockies. Jonathan Gray is rated by my scout as 2 star potential and starts out in A ball.

My scouts ratings?

Majors - Excellent
Minors - Excellent
International - Excellent
Amateurs - Outstanding

Ok, i guess they screwed up the Rockies system. I turn scouting off and suddenly Gray is the 11th best prospect in baseball. My brilliant scout thinks the #11 prospect in baseball is the 16th best prospect in my organization? Ugh.

Maybe a bug? I show him as the 185th prospect in baseball and 8th in the organization.

[SirFozzie]

Done through 2010 season.

Selected hall of famers:

Mike Schmidt (1987-2004), (.297, 660 Homers, 1751 RBI) 96% on 1st Ballot
Jim Rice (1986-2003) (.298, 496 Homers, 1685 RBI) 80.9% on third ballot (and somethings never change, he's below average on all the game's Hall of Fame metrics)
Edgar Martinez (1977-1997) (.290, 291 Homers, 1223 RBI) 75.3% on fifth ballot (Not sure how he got in, but he was a 7 time All Star)
Christy Mathewson (1965-1983) (342-149, 2.25 ERA) 97.4% on first ballot (even though he played in the semi-deadball era before the power splurge, holy shit, those numbers! And to add, he's the career strikeout leader with: 5,363... (!!!!) )

Others inducted include:
Mo Vaughn
Lenny Dykstra (no word if he's a embezzling scumbag in this world too)
Freddy Lynn
Andy Van Slyke
Will Clark
Mark Texiera
Frank Robinson
Bobby Bonds
Hank Aaron
Lou Gehrig

Career Homer Leader is High Pockets Kelly (great name from the 1910's-20's) who hit 948 (!!!!) Homers from 1953-1976.He also has 4,440 hits to be the hit king).

Izzy Alcantra, who was best known for Karate Kicking a catcher in the face after a brushback pitch in real life, is the single season HR king with 68 (he just got fortunate)

Somethings never change, Mariano Rivera is the all time saves leader (544)

[lighthousekeeper]

how does one obtain the nickname 'High Pockets'?

[LastWhiteSoxFanStanding]

https://covers.openlibrary.org/b/id/6723015-M.jpg

[Ben E Lou]

After all these years, is there still no way to equalize all finances/cities/stadiums/etc. in one shot?

[TroyF]

After all these years, is there still no way to equalize all finances/cities/stadiums/etc. in one shot?

I really have grown to love OOTP. . . but this just floors me. It was a request from the first one on and it still has never been implemented. So frustrating.

As GM of the Rockies, my owner gave me goal of not sucking too hard, getting a better 3B (yeah, 3B, that's where our problems are) and getting the team in playoff contention by 2020.

[SirFozzie]

how does one obtain the nickname 'High Pockets'?

George Kelly (baseball - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Kelly_(baseball))

No less an illuminary then Bill James has called High Pockets Kelly the worst player in the hall of fame. :)

[lungs]

15 world templates work in 16. So instead of spending 2 months setting up my fictional world, I'm already running some test sims of the setup. That nickname project thing with the logos helped 1000x over.

[Karlifornia]

I'm pretty sure the Royals not being embarrassing added to his immersion

[SirFozzie]

Bizarre moment in the History of Baseball at the end of 2012 season

We have a 3.5 way tie for the 2 wild card spot.

How do you get that?

4 teams are tied at 92-70, Detroit, Cleveland, Baltimore and Boston. To make things more complicated, Detroit and Cleveland are tied for first in the AL Central

How the game broke the ties:

Boston played Baltimore for home field in the Wild Card game. (Boston won, and got home field)
Cleveland played Detroit for the AL Central title. (Detroit won, clinches AL Central)

To make things even more bizarre, the Red Sox are up 7-0 in the 6th inning against Baltimore when the rains come, and the umps decide the game can't continue. So, the Sox are awarded home field in the wild card game.. and the Orioles have to fly out to Cleveland to determine the 2nd Wildcard team.

The Orioles win that game 7-1 and fly BACK to Boston to play the Wild Card Game, and lose again to Pete Alexander (who beat them in the first tiebreaker game), 8-2.

[RainMaker]

I do not and cannot understand how scouting can be so horrific in OOTP. Start a career with the Rockies. Jonathan Gray is rated by my scout as 2 star potential and starts out in A ball.

My scouts ratings?

Majors - Excellent
Minors - Excellent
International - Excellent
Amateurs - Outstanding

Ok, i guess they screwed up the Rockies system. I turn scouting off and suddenly Gray is the 11th best prospect in baseball. My brilliant scout thinks the #11 prospect in baseball is the 16th best prospect in my organization? Ugh.

What about if you just left scouts on and just simulated a month and looked at the prospect rating? Maybe it takes a month for the stock rosters to calculate the rankings properly?

[TroyF]

What about if you just left scouts on and just simulated a month and looked at the prospect rating? Maybe it takes a month for the stock rosters to calculate the rankings properly?

Simmed through a month. He's at mid A ball. 5 starts, 3-1 with a 1.53 ERA. I ask the AI to set up the organization and it gives him a green arrow, but leaves him right where he is. I slide him up a level, green arrow. Slide him up to AA and it says he's where he belongs.

He's now the 8th best prospect in the organization. (where Mizzou had him)

I click off scouting and he becomes the 21st best prospect in MLB. (down from 11 at the start of the game, but still great) The Rockies minor league system moves from 28th to 12th. (started the year at 28th with scouting on, 8th with scouting off)

If I turn scouting on with "very high" accuracy, Gray becomes the 60th best prospect and the Rockies drop two spots to 14th.

I'm just not going to mess with scouting at this point. If a top of the line scout isn't smart enough to figure out the #11 ranked prospect in the game should be ranked 8 or below in his own organization, I'm just going to go with the idea it's broke.

This isn't an I HATE OOTP post. I'm going to play the hell out of it tonight. . . but the scouting is simply broken IMHO.

[MizzouRah]

I remember some scouting posts from either v14 or v15 (I didn't play 15 that much or surf the boards).

I would send Markus a PM.. at least he will listen and maybe take a look.

[bhlloy]

I thought that anyone who has played any OOTP knows that the scouting is fundamentally ridiculous and the way it works is a feature not a bug. I'm surprised this is even a question at this point TBH. Just turn it off and pretend it's not there.

[RainMaker]

How is the AI? In-game or just roster management. Seems like it's usually the weak spot for OOTP.

[stevew]

How is the AI? In-game or just roster management. Seems like it's usually the weak spot for OOTP.

PureSim better.

[TroyF]

I thought that anyone who has played any OOTP knows that the scouting is fundamentally ridiculous and the way it works is a feature not a bug. I'm surprised this is even a question at this point TBH. Just turn it off and pretend it's not there.

I remember scouting being off, but not this off. As for what you suggested, it's exactly what I just did.

[TroyF]

Something that's kind of cool:

Go to front office, finances screen. One of the widgets shows your rule 5 eligible players. Another shows any vesting options and bonuses. i don't remember that from last year. Really nice touch.

[Bigsmooth]

I remember scouting being off, but not this off. As for what you suggested, it's exactly what I just did.

I usually just set it to be 100% accurate that way you can still feel like you are using the scouting aspect of the game.

[MizzouRah]

How is the AI? In-game or just roster management. Seems like it's usually the weak spot for OOTP.

With the addition of manager profiles (was that in last year?) and the ability to be GM, Manager or GM+Manager, it seems much better this year. I'm the GM of the Cardinals and Matheny seems to do a better job with lineups and what not (although I do override some of his decisions). I saw the Cubs manager batting the pitcher 8th.

[lungs]

Some free agents will simply tell you they are not interested in joining your organization. Interesting touch, don't think I've seen that before.

[lungs]

Kind of an odd one. Guy signs a 6 year $139 million contract and then his ratings go down, gets hurt for a few months, and the team just eats $139 million?

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ykr3luez71bpaev/Screen%20Shot%202015-03-22%20at%201.41.46%20PM.png?dl=0

[TroyF]

Kind of an odd one. Guy signs a 6 year $139 million contract and then his ratings go down, gets hurt for a few months, and the team just eats $139 million?

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ykr3luez71bpaev/Screen%20Shot%202015-03-22%20at%201.41.46%20PM.png?dl=0


First thing I do every year is turn down the talent randomness setting. On default, you get some unbelievable shifts fairly consistently. You'll sign a big name free agent and within 2 years he's pure garbage and not even good enough to be on your roster.

I turn it down to 25. You still have the rare case where something like this happens and you still have plenty of changes. . . they just aren't so extreme as default.

[lungs]

First thing I do every year is turn down the talent randomness setting. On default, you get some unbelievable shifts fairly consistently. You'll sign a big name free agent and within 2 years he's pure garbage and not even good enough to be on your roster.

I turn it down to 25. You still have the rare case where something like this happens and you still have plenty of changes. . . they just aren't so extreme as default.

Thanks, hadn't thought of that.

[MrBug708]

Some free agents will simply tell you they are not interested in joining your organization. Interesting touch, don't think I've seen that before.

Been around for a while, less often more recently.

[lungs]

Been around for a while, less often more recently.

That's right, but it was pretty much only guys that you'd previously released, right? This was just some random free agent.

[Peregrine]

Not sure if anyone is interested but I figured out how to edit the icons for various awards - I was annoyed by how blah the grey MVP and Cy Young Awards were.

actually figured out how to manually change the icon color - you can download the skin files for each of the three skins in the add-ons list - then in the /data/skins/whicheverskin /images folder you can see all the award icons. I used an online image editor to give the grey ones some color - not too hard to do and makes all the difference. Then you have to delete the skin.bin file in the skin folder, reload it by switching to something else, then back and you should be good to go. Make sure to restart the game after switching skins or you'll get some weird results.

Quick changes to Cy Young, MVP and Platinum Bat. To be honest I'd love to see the MVP replaced totally by something more snazzy but I'm not much of an image creation guy.

http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o510/kmiles123/Cy_zpsjnjoz78h.jpg

http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o510/kmiles123/mvp_zpsrrudvvub.jpg

[korme]

Not sure if anyone is interested but I figured out how to edit the icons for various awards - I was annoyed by how blah the grey MVP and Cy Young Awards were.

actually figured out how to manually change the icon color - you can download the skin files for each of the three skins in the add-ons list - then in the /data/skins/whicheverskin /images folder you can see all the award icons. I used an online image editor to give the grey ones some color - not too hard to do and makes all the difference. Then you have to delete the skin.bin file in the skin folder, reload it by switching to something else, then back and you should be good to go. Make sure to restart the game after switching skins or you'll get some weird results.

Quick changes to Cy Young, MVP and Platinum Bat. To be honest I'd love to see the MVP replaced totally by something more snazzy but I'm not much of an image creation guy.

http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o510/kmiles123/Cy_zpsjnjoz78h.jpg

http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o510/kmiles123/mvp_zpsrrudvvub.jpg

You should post this over at OOTP and see what the mod guys can do

[Peregrine]

Yeah I did post it but not in the mods area.

[cougarfreak]

Quick Notes on Jan 1901-Jan 1921 "Random Debut Historical Sim" which I traditionally do on release day:

Players seen include Yasiel Puig, Thurman Munson (the current Hit King with 2745), Pete Rose (imported at Age 26 in 1901, so, sorry no Hit Dog), Scott Brosius (the current HR King with a career total of.. 102.), the current all time leader in Wins ABove Replacement (and 11 time Gold Glover) Robin Yount.

The three Hall of Famers (remember, five years retired, so you had to be imported young, and play as close to 1915 as possible).

Class of 1919:
Johnny Sain (201-130, 2.29 ERA) 77.6% of votes
Alex Fernandez (254-204, 2.53 ERA) 85.7%

Class of 1920:
Steve Carlton (201-178, 2.54 ERA) 76.1 %

For those of you that play random debut, do you use the feature of recalculating each or every 3rd year, or use the OOTP engine? I wasnt sure if you selected the recalc. if it would work right with players playing in different years than they actually played.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

A new first for me. I'm in Reykjavik, Iceland this week. Just purchased OOTP16 for 26.99 Euros. Never bought a game with Euros before.

[dubb93]

For those of you that play random debut, do you use the feature of recalculating each or every 3rd year, or use the OOTP engine? I wasnt sure if you selected the recalc. if it would work right with players playing in different years than they actually played.

I've never played random debut, but I always use the OOTP engine. I'm not playing for a straight replay. I want the unexpected that randomness can give me.

[Peregrine]

I use the OOTP engine also for the same reason that dubb gave.

[SirFozzie]

Streaming OOTP on Twitch: Twitch (http://www.twitch.tv/sirfozzie)

[PilotMan]

I think my favorite thing is the nickname project mod - just helps so much in making fictional leagues.

My favorite new thing about OOTP - OOTP Developments Forums (http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/board/ootp-16-general-discussions/251964-my-favorite-new-thing-about-ootp.html)

I can confirm that this works good in 15.

[korme]

I feel like FaceGen got a major improvement to the generated faces. I don't think I've seen such a unique face in past versions.

http://i.imgur.com/nzROM6Y.png?1

[MizzouRah]

The game itself for a text sim is simply beautiful. I can't believe it, but I'm in love with the 3d stuff (which isn't even close to deep graphics, but at least it's a MAJOR improvement from 15).

[Dutch]

I was going to make a fundamental change in how I play OOTP from game by game to straight simming....now this whole 3d thing has me rethinking that.

[MizzouRah]

I was going to make a fundamental change in how I play OOTP from game by game to straight simming....now this whole 3d thing has me rethinking that.

I've played all mine so far and I'm more of a simmer as well. :lol:

[Peregrine]

For some reason the 3D mode annoys me because all the player names disappear during a play. I don't know why this aggravates me but it really does.

[Ramzavail]

I didn't like 3D mode at all. I immediately shut it off.

[korme]

The news stories are just so immersive this year. Check out this little snippet.

http://i.imgur.com/JUUigdl.png?1

[MizzouRah]

Waiver wire needs work
<hr style="color:transparent; background-color:transparent" size="1"> I haven't seen this in a LONG time.. is anyone else seeing good players being waived and then not pulled back by the AI?


I just picked up Brandon Morrow from waivers.

Two starts for SD and a 1.08 ERA.. no way they would let him go.


http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t27/MizzouRah0971/morrow_zpsm00vevaq.jpg
http://3935462.r.cdn77.net/board/images2/statusicon/user_online.gif http://3935462.r.cdn77.net/board/images2/buttons/report.gif (http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/board/report.php?p=3836761) http://3935462.r.cdn77.net/board/images2/buttons/edit.gif (http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/board/editpost.php?do=editpost&p=3836761)

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t27/MizzouRah0971/bmo_zpsrw6e30px.jpg
<hr style="color:transparent; background-color:transparent" size="1">

[lighthousekeeper]

...edit...
ahh ootp being ootp.

maybe related to the injury in his first start?

[MizzouRah]

I'll chalk it up to the MLB roster set. Hopefully he pitches like he did for me in his first game with us!

If I can game the AI.. it will be a short lived v16 for me. :(

By now... the AI should present a real challenge, even being the Cardinals.

[BYU 14]

The game itself for a text sim is simply beautiful. I can't believe it, but I'm in love with the 3d stuff (which isn't even close to deep graphics, but at least it's a MAJOR improvement from 15).

+1 much better and despite being rudimentary is still immersive enough for me to play more than I sim. Can't wait until they add players running around!!

[EagleFan]

I let myself get tempted into picking this up. Has anyone had an issue with the Steam community screen popping up out of nowhere as if you hit shift-tab? I have been trying to setup a new league and it seems every couple teams that I enter that randomly pops up while I am typing in team information.

[EagleFan]

Ugh, now it won't allow me back to the game screen. Actually pressing shift-tab does nothing.

[EagleFan]

Tried the same exact thing in OOTP 15 and no problem (same league name, team names, etc... to make sure it wasn't a weird keyboard issue). Once I get to the league setup screen in OOTP 16 and start typing names it seems shift most anything brings up that screen (unless I actually do shift-tab in which case it does absolutely nothing).

[RainMaker]

...edit...
ahh ootp being ootp.

maybe related to the injury in his first start?

Yup, no matter how many features they add to the game and how immersive they make it, the Achilles heel has always been the AI. The same problems have been prevalent in it for over a decade.

[Peregrine]

I let myself get tempted into picking this up. Has anyone had an issue with the Steam community screen popping up out of nowhere as if you hit shift-tab? I have been trying to setup a new league and it seems every couple teams that I enter that randomly pops up while I am typing in team information.

Not sure EagleFan since I am not playing it through Steam. If you hadn't already bought the game I would have recommended to buy it through OOTP since I'm not convinced about how well its integration with Steam works.

[Dutch]

I had that happen the first I loaded it bit hasn't happened the other two times...

[korme]

Is there a way to disable shift+tab steam popup? It's an extremely annoying occurance playing OOTP where I shift tab a lot while renaming things

[korme]

Ugh, now it won't allow me back to the game screen. Actually pressing shift-tab does nothing.

To get rid of the screen I have to hit 'X' on the OOTP game screen up top, then like bring up a web browswer and then re-click the OOTP icon at the bottom

[Peregrine]

Is there a way to disable shift+tab steam popup? It's an extremely annoying occurance playing OOTP where I shift tab a lot while renaming things

I believe you can disable the entire Steam overlay but don't think you can do it on a per-game basis.

[dubb93]

I think I'm playing a random debut for the first time this year. Backed it up to 1871 and calculated that I should average about 6.59 rounds per draft year. I'm one year in and the game seems to have the league up with not a single dominant pitcher...maybe not even more than a handful of good ones. On the hitting side a 20 year old Mickey Mantle and a 21 year old Mike Trout seem set to dominate the league for an extremely long time. The only other truly elite guys are Deacon White and Jake Beckley (who was already good but boomed up 6 points in contact over the offseason).

I also turned on free agency from the start. Never done it before this early in historical so I will see how it plays out. I gave teams tons of control though with 8 years required for FA and no arb.

[Peregrine]

I've never tried with such a small number of draft rounds - usually I go with a more normal amount, but it runs out of players after around 50-60 years. I guess either way works.

[nilodor]

shift+tab is the hotkey to goto the steam overlay. From there you can turn it off. Although in Cities:Skylines it wants to keep my key over the bulldoze button regardless of what I try.

[EagleFan]

shift+tab is the hotkey to goto the steam overlay. From there you can turn it off. Although in Cities:Skylines it wants to keep my key over the bulldoze button regardless of what I try.

That does absolutely nothing when I am in OOTP 16. It is still randomly going to that screen and locking the game up. At this point OOTP 16 is a waste of my money. Should have skipped this version and not been tempted into it; live and learn.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

That does absolutely nothing when I am in OOTP 16. It is still randomly going to that screen and locking the game up. At this point OOTP 16 is a waste of my money. Should have skipped this version and not been tempted into it; live and learn.

FWIW......I've had the same issue. It's not locking up all the time, but it's definitely a problem. You should be able to at least return to the game from that screen. It's locking the game and you have to use the Windows program manager to close it.

[dubb93]

I've never tried with such a small number of draft rounds - usually I go with a more normal amount, but it runs out of players after around 50-60 years. I guess either way works.

Yea, I'm specifically trying to avoid running out of players. To get that number I took the total number of players in the database and subtracted the number of players generated in the initial database + my first player draft which I had set to 5 rounds by mistake. Then I just ran the math on the number of teams in the league by each year and divided that into the total numbers of players I had left in the database. It doesn't seem as small when you consider all the players in the database have already completely gone through the farm system and are MLB ready by the time they appear in the historical game.

I'm just going to roll 6 rounds one year followed by 7 the next. I think I'll toss in an 8 rounder every 10-15 years or so. Should get me my 6.59 number or very close.

[Peregrine]

Eaglefan, you can try disabling the overlay while playing OOTP 16 - should fix your issue (I hope.) Open Steam and go to your Library - right click on OOTP 16, select properties, then in General tab unclick "Enable Steam Overlay while in-game."

[Peregrine]

The second patch is now out on the OOTP page.

[dubb93]

So in hindsight, I traded the best player in the league and three other starting caliber players (including a good SP) for a guy who plays the same position as the best player in the league. Got to love the random booms.

I'd fire myself.

[MizzouRah]

Still shows only 6 RP's on the team home screen when I have 7, ugh.

[Balldog]

Eww
Heading into the end of May as the Rays tied with the Yankees for 1st in the East...then Longoria goes down for the year and we lose 5 straight. Our offense was sputtering before he went down, now it blows!

Having fun but damn...

[RainMaker]

First thing I do every year is turn down the talent randomness setting. On default, you get some unbelievable shifts fairly consistently. You'll sign a big name free agent and within 2 years he's pure garbage and not even good enough to be on your roster.

I turn it down to 25. You still have the rare case where something like this happens and you still have plenty of changes. . . they just aren't so extreme as default.

Doesn't this limit the busts in the draft? Seems the lower this setting is it almost guarantees top picks pan out and become great.

[TroyF]

Doesn't this limit the busts in the draft? Seems the lower this setting is it almost guarantees top picks pan out and become great.

Maybe. All I know is that with it set to 100, guys will go from MVP calibur players to one star players in a single offseason. Once in awhile and thats perfect. Seemingly every top player became a sieve. 8 years into the league every team was stuck with horrific contracts because guys would drop from 3 stars to a half star at age 28. I couldnt take it anymore

[Mota]

I found that happened after injuries for sure, which is pretty realistic.

I've played quite a few seasons with the default randomness and did not find an overabundance of this happening. It's always sad when it happens to your best guys though, I had a pitcher who was on track to be the best ever after 10 seasons and then he suddenly lost his control and became a mediocre pitcher. Look at Justin Verlander, it happens all the time in real life.

On a different topic, I'm trying to resign a 1* player at the age of 36 and he was asking for 10 million a year. The guy is borderline replacement level, that's asking a lot! I checked one of my 40 year olds and he is also asking for big big bucks!

[TroyF]

I found that happened after injuries for sure, which is pretty realistic.

I've played quite a few seasons with the default randomness and did not find an overabundance of this happening. It's always sad when it happens to your best guys though, I had a pitcher who was on track to be the best ever after 10 seasons and then he suddenly lost his control and became a mediocre pitcher. Look at Justin Verlander, it happens all the time in real life.

On a different topic, I'm trying to resign a 1* player at the age of 36 and he was asking for 10 million a year. The guy is borderline replacement level, that's asking a lot! I checked one of my 40 year olds and he is also asking for big big bucks!

Does it happen all of the time? Well, it depends on what you mean by all of the time. You bring up Verlander. What about him? He's pitched for 9 years. Last year, he hit a wall and had a poor year. Even in his poor year, he was still a 1.1 war player. Not an ace, not worth his contract, but not someone you had to cut either.

The best example would be Tim Lincecum. But even with him, he was never in danger of being cut. I guess you have a different experience than me. If you are talking about a 10 year pitcher suddenly losing it and becoming a mediocre pitcher, it's not my experience of a superstar 28 year old becoming a guy who can't make a single 25 man roster in the league in April of the following year.

I could live with your scenario (and still do with the randomness set to 25) I can't live with case after case after case of the other.

[Balldog]

Anyone else finding the CPU lineup odd from day to day? Ie for a 3-game series I've seen a guy bat 4th, next day 8th, next day lead off.

Seems odd to me, this is using the MLB setup.

Also, had a game where they played 3 players out of position.

[MizzouRah]

Anyone else finding the CPU lineup odd from day to day? Ie for a 3-game series I've seen a guy bat 4th, next day 8th, next day lead off.

Seems odd to me, this is using the MLB setup.

Also, had a game where they played 3 players out of position.

Playing GM only I saw wacky lineups so I restarted with me being GM+Manager. Peralta batting leadoff? Heck NO!

[path12]

Quick Notes on Jan 1901-Jan 1921 "Random Debut Historical Sim" which I traditionally do on release day:

Players seen include Yasiel Puig, Thurman Munson (the current Hit King with 2745), Pete Rose (imported at Age 26 in 1901, so, sorry no Hit Dog), Scott Brosius (the current HR King with a career total of.. 102.), the current all time leader in Wins ABove Replacement (and 11 time Gold Glover) Robin Yount.

The three Hall of Famers (remember, five years retired, so you had to be imported young, and play as close to 1915 as possible).

Class of 1919:
Johnny Sain (201-130, 2.29 ERA) 77.6% of votes
Alex Fernandez (254-204, 2.53 ERA) 85.7%

Class of 1920:
Steve Carlton (201-178, 2.54 ERA) 76.1 %

Foz, I don't usually buy OOTP but decided to get this years version mainly both because of not having to find logos and crap but also loving the idea of this random debut historical league.

I've had a couple of stabs at getting it started up but I don't think I've got the settings right in two areas:

The teams are drafting a ton of relievers and maybe like 12 position players. I'd like to be more of a 14 position/11 pitching mix for a 25 man roster.
Also, I'm making my team the Seattle Pilots but when expansion hits it is screwing things up.

Could you share some of the settings you use for this? Thanks.

[SirFozzie]

When you set up the game in advanced, you can tell it to use year by year settings, you can also change the AI's preferred roster setup (Stats&AI tab, General AI roster settings) I don't change team names or cities

[TroyF]

I built the Rockies up to a playoff team. I lose in 2020 and look at my owners goal in 2020:

Acquire a Cy Young Award winner.

Okily dokily. I looked, but couldn't find any 40 year old former winner available and moved on with my offseason.

[EagleFan]

"Random Debut Historical Sim" which I traditionally do on release day:


Isn't this only the second release to have that option at release day? Not sure that makes a tradition... :)

[TroyF]

in the career I just talked about, I realized I could get Jose Fernandez for hardly anything. See, between then end of his age 25 season and spring training of his age 26 season his stamina dropped from 60 (the 20 to 80 scale) to 20.

He's now a great bullpen guy. Still pricey for a closer with his contract, but I could trade for him.

[lighthousekeeper]

in the career I just talked about, I realized I could get Jose Fernandez for hardly anything. See, between then end of his age 25 season and spring training of his age 26 season his stamina dropped from 60 (the 20 to 80 scale) to 20.

He's now a great bullpen guy. Still pricey for a closer with his contract, but I could trade for him.

and you have scouting turned off?!

[lighthousekeeper]

Started playing: Most unrealistic OOTP Yet.... Bartolo Colon threw a no hitter on day 3 of the season ;)

I'm really pulling for a colon no-hitter today.

[lighthousekeeper]

I'm really pulling for a colon no-hitter today.

my dream did not last long.

[EagleFan]

Has anyone seen this?

I started a new game and am managing an Independent League team. Trying to improve my outfield I tried to get a free agent to sign and received an irate response:

"Is this how you reward loyalty? I've enjoyed playing in Camden and would love to continue playing here but I am not going to take a minor league contract to do that."

Um, what? This is a 30 year old career minor leaguer who last played two seasons ago as he missed all of last season with an injury... for a different team in a different league.

[TroyF]

and you have scouting turned off?!

yes, scouting is turned off and talent randomness is set to 25. With it set here, I still see strange things, but it isn't nearly as bad as when it is set at 100 or higher. It can get really strange at times.

The strange thing is he wasn't a closer for his team last year. He was a set up man. A 27 million dollar a year set up man with 4 upper tier pitches.

When they signed him to his FA contract, he was a solid started. he gave them 210 innings and won 17 games his first year. He didn't make the rotation his second year with the team.

[Mota]

I had a similar experience and it is because the AI uses the pitch system instead of stamina to determine if a pitcher should be a starter or reliever. I had a pitcher with 2 amazing pitches and one good one. The good pitch became mediocre after a few seasons and then all of a sudden the AI thinks he's a bullpen guy. He was still lights out with his performance, but the scouting reports all of a sudden all said that he was a terrible player that should not be in the majors.

I only saw that happen once in about 10 seasons though.

[TroyF]

Not a real shock, but without working on the finances each year, disaster happens down the road.

2020 FA group includes Harper, Trout and some other huge names. Trout and Harper demanded 44 million each. Considering nobody outside of me had anything more than 6 million in their budget, I simply waited it out. In February both agreed to 5 year, 15 million a year contracts.

Ugh.

[RainMaker]

That's unfortunate but inevitable when the game was built around being able to setup the Zimbabwe Underhand Pitch League instead of just making an MLB simulator. Always been the Achilles heel of the game.

[Balldog]

I wrapped up my first season with the Rays by sneaking into the Wild Card. With 2 games to go there were 6 teams tied for the Wild Card spots and we were 6th on the tie breaker.

We managed to beat the A's in the playoff game then got swept by the White Sox.

My 3 goals were to upgrade 1B, play above 0.500 ball, and acquire a hometown player.

I didn't end up upgrading at 1B because Loney played above expectations most of the year hitting .281 with 70 RBIs. Of course I got dinged for that...

Then the owner said while we played better than .500 ball he was secretly hoping we would make the ALCS. So my score was only 51 and he expected improvement.

Dick.

I think my biggest pet peeve is how the CPU handles the lineup. Day to day lineup changes drive me nuts. Alex Avilla hit lead off for the Tigers one game...

Is there a setting that can fix this?

Also too many players trying to bunt for hits...

[heybrad]

Not a real shock, but without working on the finances each year, disaster happens down the road.

2020 FA group includes Harper, Trout and some other huge names. Trout and Harper demanded 44 million each. Considering nobody outside of me had anything more than 6 million in their budget, I simply waited it out. In February both agreed to 5 year, 15 million a year contracts.

Ugh.

Troy... how do you handle this? I'm running into the same problem. Do I need to go in and adjust the budgets of every team?

[MizzouRah]

Latest patch is out and I started over being just the GM of the Cleveland Indians. This should be interesting!

[Young Drachma]

Not a real shock, but without working on the finances each year, disaster happens down the road.

2020 FA group includes Harper, Trout and some other huge names. Trout and Harper demanded 44 million each. Considering nobody outside of me had anything more than 6 million in their budget, I simply waited it out. In February both agreed to 5 year, 15 million a year contracts.

Ugh.

Agreed. But he continues to ignore it.

Nonetheless the "fix" is to make sure teams have significant pools of cash so this doesn't happen. So raising team tvdeals and standardizing it.

[sooner333]

Agreed. But he continues to ignore it.

Nonetheless the "fix" is to make sure teams have significant pools of cash so this doesn't happen. So raising team tvdeals and standardizing it.

Is there a way to quickly fix this as a universal yearly increase, or does it require attention year after year? I purchased OOTP for the first time in about 10 years (with the exception of the iPad game, which was difficult for me to get into because of the platform).

[Young Drachma]

Is there a way to quickly fix this as a universal yearly increase, or does it require attention year after year? I purchased OOTP for the first time in about 10 years (with the exception of the iPad game, which was difficult for me to get into because of the platform).

I created a whole tool for this, but it's too complicated for playing fast.

The easiest way to do it is how I attached it.

- standardized your national media contract (same for every team)
- turn off the salary cap
- Zero out local media money and merchandise money
- make all revenue available
- turn off revenue sharing
- make the cash max several times the tv money (for me it's 5x)

With this setup, teams have money to sign FAs, they don't go into the red and therefore, you have a "free" market of however many teams doing whatever and it tends to keep things flowing well.

There are other ways, but this is what works for me when i'm playing fast.

[MizzouRah]

I'm in year 2020 with my Indians and we still have never been to a World Series. It's definitely been a challenge keeping the owner happy.

I had to cut payroll this season, so it should be interesting.

The Cubs haven't been to a World Series yet either.. but they have one hell of a team.

[fortheglory]

I am in the midst of a Philadelphia rebuild...I now have the best ranked farm system for prospects.