OS Exclusive: Release-Week Interview with OOTP9 Developer Markus Heinsohn

[Ben E Lou]

OS LINK

Markus Heinsohn, lead developer of the OOTP series, was kind enough to sit down with OS this morning to provide an exclusive interview in the midst of what is a very busy week for him. The latest version of the game, Out Of the Park Baseball 9, will be released tomorrow.

OS: Thanks, Markus, for taking the time to do this during release week. What new feature or features are you most excited about in this version of the game?
MH: First, thanks for giving me the opportunity for this interview! The features I love the most are the new scouting system, the better AI, the revised player development and the ball animation & replay function. The new historical features are great as well, the results are now extremely realistic and the AI picks the right lineups & pitching staffs, which is great for guys who like to replay single seasons.

OS: What new feature or features that you wanted to add didn't make it in?
MH: I wanted to add email support to online leagues, so that commissioners can email all or specific players from inside the game, and an automatic email is sent once the new league files are uploaded. That feature will have to wait for an update since time was short.

OS: Do you play OOTP yourself, or is all your time spent with the game developing, testing and tweaking?
MH: I play the game regularly once beta testing starts, and after release of course!

OS: Very cool. So what are your favorite ways to play? SP? MP? Fictional? Historical? Modern?
MH: I usually start a 24-team fictional league, simulate 50 season to build some history and then I take over a mediocre team and try to turn them into a winner within 5 years. Unfortunately, I suck at playing my own game!

OS: Germany isn't exactly considered to be a hotbed of baseball talent and interest. How did you become interested in the game of baseball?
MH: A friend of mine brought a bat and a glove from a Miami trip back in 1993. We started hitting tennis balls into neighbor’s gardens, and after a year we founded our own baseball club. That year I discovered Hardball for the PC, which got me interested in all the stats baseball has to offer. I saw my first MLB game live on TV in 1995, and have been hooked ever since.

OS: What led you to begin coding the first version of OOTP?
MH: I played Diamond Mind Baseball in 1997, and liked it a lot, but I was shocked that the game just stopped after one single season. I wanted to continue playing with the team I had built, but that was not possible since DMB was a straight replay simulation. So, being able to code a little, I started to write my own little baseball game. Fortunately I did not discover Baseball Mogul when it was released, that may have held me back from coding OOTP since it was exactly what I was looking for back then, minus L/R splits of course

OS: What feature or features in the OOTP series would you like to see improved, even beyond what you've done in OOTP9?
MH: My dream is a 3D engine that displays the play outcomes, but not in PS3 style but rather displaying the entire field from the top, similar to the old Microleague Baseball game. That, coupled with a cool ballpark construction kit would make the game perfect IMO.

OS: From your perspective, what benefits and what difficulties came with the joining with SI, and then the eventual breakup?
MH: The only difficulty was that Take2 purchased the exclusive MLB license, if that hadn’t happened then we’d still be at SI and selling the game in stores. We have learned so much since joining SI, and they were the most friendly and professional people I have ever worked with. Without them, OOTP would never be the game it is now!

OS: As a developer, how do you balance the need to add new features against the need to refine existing features that may not work like you want them to?
MH: Tough question. It really depends. There are certain areas which always need tweaking and never will be 100% perfect, like the AI or player development & aging. I could spend a whole year just working on these two things, but I need to add new stuff for our fans so that they are not disappointed and buy the new versions, which is what keeps us in business.

OS: How do you perceive OOTP as being different from the other major baseball career sims on the market, Baseball Mogul and Puresim?
MH: Well, OOTP is much more complex and offers way more features and options than the other games mentioned, which is not the cup of coffee for everyone. I think there is a market for all the games, BM for the casual gamer who wants to quickly simulate a season, PureSim for the more ambitioned one, and OOTP for those who do not want to make any compromises.

OS: What's your long-term vision for OOTP? Do you ever see it getting to a point where you say "OK. This is it. I'll never add another new feature, just fix lingering issue."
MH: We have thousands of suggestions is our database, so this day will likely never happen!


OS: Here are four common criticisms that I've heard of you and of the OOTP series. How do you respond to these?

"1. OOTP is too complicated for a new user to get into."

"2. Markus listens too much to the 'fringe' elements who want things like the ability to play a league in any nation in the world, and doesn't put enough attention into the core elements of the game."

"3. Markus gets too focused on adding new features, and doesn't fix lingering issues in the game from version to version."

"4. OOTP is a good stat generator, but it doesn't 'feel' like baseball, probably because Markus is German and doesn't really understand the game. Things like player creation and development don't seem to work like they do in real life."

MH: 1. That is a common misunderstanding. You can create a simple league with a couple of clicks, or a full MLB game with just 1 click from the main screen. You do not need to use all the options which are presented to you. Also, regarding the interface, it is just a matter of watching the basics tutorials we have on our site and you’re ready for experiencing the greatest baseball game available.
2. The core elements already work better and more realistic than in any other game, so I’d disagree with this statement.
3. The issues brought up in these discussions are 99% design decisions that have been made to not make the game even more complex. Issues like AI problems are tackled in every development phase, and are very high priority.
4. I have been playing baseball since 1994, and own a baseball coaching license. Also, I watch about 3-4 live games per week for years now, so in my opinion my understanding of baseball is quite good. Sure, I learn more things each day, but isn’t that the way life works? Player creation & development works closer to real life than most realize, but again, these are areas that need constant tweaking and are always a work in progress.

OS: What has been the most difficult aspect of being a game developer?
MH: It is hard to relax because I work from home, so my job is always just a few feet away. I need to force myself to make breaks, and shut my PC off at times, but it is very hard to follow these rules. In the past I had health problems because of that, but I am doing better for about a year now

OS: What would you say to the folks reading this interview who have never tried OOTP, or text sims in general? How would you convince them to try OOTP9?
MH: If you want to use your brain, learn more about baseball and enjoy using your imagination then text-based games, especially OOTP, is the right thing for you. In Europe sports management games are always near the top of the sales charts, and I hope that people in the US will one day learn that simulation games are a great hobby!

OS: What are the top three features and/or enhancements that you'd like to add for OOTP10?
MH: Real 2D/3D graphics… and plenty of surprises

(Note: The attached screenshots are from a user-created mod that can be found here.)

[Young Drachma]

Thanks for doing this, Ben. And thanks to Markus for being open and honest.

[Subby]

Two questions I would have liked to have seen asked:

1. Do you feel like there is a future for a web-based version of OOTP?

2. Do you foresee a version of OOTP where users can play head to head over the Internet?

[DaddyTorgo]

Nice little interview during a very busy time. I appreciated the insight into the relationship with SI - maybe I was the only one who wasn't clear as to why it dissolved, but that of course makes perfect sense, and it's good to see that it was amicable.

[CleBrownsfan]

Good read - Looking forward to the release date tomorrow!

[Ksyrup]

It's been a while (well, a year or so) since I got OOTP7. Do I need to download the newest Lahman Database? I can't remember what I did last year.

[CleBrownsfan]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

It's been a while (well, a year or so) since I got OOTP7. Do I need to download the newest Lahman Database? I can't remember what I did last year.

It's coming with 2008 opening day rosters - not sure if that's what you're looking for. I've never really been a historic simmer....

[Icy]

Good interview and big congrats to Markus and team for a new OOTP release.

[Ksyrup]

No, I don't care about 2008 rosters. I'm talking about for historical replay purposes. I think I need to upgrade to Lahman 5.5 because I believe that would include the 2007 stats, but I'm not sure if that's correct, or whether the game comes with it.

[Young Drachma]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

No, I don't care about 2008 rosters. I'm talking about for historical replay purposes. I think I need to upgrade to Lahman 5.5 because I believe that would include the 2007 stats, but I'm not sure if that's correct, or whether the game comes with it.

Last year's game had Lahman. I don't know if this year's does, but the game is compatible with them for always, so either way, you could use it. OOTP8 came with the 2007 Lahman db.

[Ksyrup]

Cool, I couldn't remember.

[spleen1015]

It is possible to get suggested questions from FOFC for any future interviews?

[Ben E Lou]

Yes. I thought about doing it this time, and probably will in the future.