Alright Boyz, Here We Go!!!! (OOTP 2007 release thoughts!!!)

[Drake]

I left my lowest minors unlimited and haven't seen the sign-and-release issue. I leave all of my minors management up to the AI managers and the largest I've seen my A-ball team get is around 60 players. The AI has done a pretty solid job so far of trimming guys that shouldn't be on the roster.

For the record: I run only 3 levels of minors with 35-man roster limits on AAA and AA. A good number of my draft prospects don't pan out, but I can't tell if that's an issue (i.e., lack of playing time) or a feature (i.e., busts/booms). Whichever it is, I like it. Just like in real life, outside of the first round or so, the draft is a crapshoot.

[Ksyrup]

I don't mind leaving the minors management to the AI, but just playing time/lineups, etc. I want to control who is on the team. If you sign or trade for guys that you end up sending to the minors (or just demote someone from the major leagues to minors), and the AI is controlling your minor league transactions, have you run across any instances where the AI has released someone you otherwise wanted to keep? That would be my biggest concern.

[Drake]

Oh yeah, I've had that happen, especially with guys who are borderline but I want to keep for sentimental reasons. I agree with you completely in that I'd like to see a "lock" button on roster moves I could make that would override the AI. Many times, I've got a 5th starter or a role player that I love and want on my 25-man roster, but the AI evaluates someone on my AAA squad as better. This happens pretty frequently with utility infielders -- guys without much bat, but who defend four or five positions really well. I'm partial to utility guys with great gloves, even if they can't hit (minimizes the number of players I need to carry to combat fatigue issues). Apparently the AI is not as hot on them as I am.

[Young Drachma]

Yeah, the AI loves to release guys before I'm ready to lose them. I didn't realize you could use that AI button on a human team and it's worked well for so far. So that's what I've been doing. I took over the Blue Jays in 2008 and lost the World Series to the Dodgers. But this was after a crash and so, I wasn't really as happy with this team (despite a 100+ win season) as I was with the one I had pre-crash.

So I'm going to remake the club a bit and I haven't figured out if I want to add another level of minors or if I want to add a feeder league of prospects to evaluate. I like the idea that this game allows me to track prospects from their early days well into their into the majors. It just seems like a better way to do it than just letting the draft recreate random kids, which is why I turned it off for this past season.

I'm tinkering a bit, but I've largely found that it's better to keep things small in the early going if I want to be able to keep up with everything that's happening.

And I've noticed by and large that I don't have to micromanage stupid AI moves like the computer did in past versions. Which is a good thing.

[Drake]

I must say that I really, really, really dig being able to start small and then run the expansion utility when I feel like getting bigger. That's a nice feature.

[Young Drachma]

The whole league creation utility in the universe, crash bug is really annoying. They said it was fixed after the last patch, but..it isn't.

[Drake]

Hmm. I haven't seen that one yet. My game always crashes as it's closing down (when the save progress bar gets to 94%), but other than that, the only crashes I've had have involved the scouting tasklist tab.

[Ksyrup]

I've found that bug to still be happening, but it's not a big deal to me, since the crash only happens once, it doesn't mess up the universe, and the league is always created successfully the second time. I've gotten to the point where I just create a league I don't intend to keep just to make the crash happen, then when I bring the universe back up and create the league the second time, I do it the way I want it.

[Marc Duffy]

The whole league creation utility in the universe, crash bug is really annoying. They said it was fixed after the last patch, but..it isn't.

Can you ping me a PM - I have an updated exe for you to test.

[Young Drachma]

Originally Posted by Drake

Hmm. I haven't seen that one yet. My game always crashes as it's closing down (when the save progress bar gets to 94%), but other than that, the only crashes I've had have involved the scouting tasklist tab.

The few times I've seen that particular bug (where the game closes and crashes on close down), it's made my universes unplayable after it happens. I'm so paranoid about it that I tend to save my league that I'm playing, open a new one and close out using one that I don't care about on purpose, so if it happens..I don't lose anything that I wanted to keep.

[Drake]

The one time I thought it blew up a league of mine, I went in and shut off FaceGen, restored from my most recent backup and it worked when I fired it up. Then I turned FaceGen back on again and it recreated the FaceGen data file that handles the image/player id connection.

[Young Drachma]

Originally Posted by Drake

The one time I thought it blew up a league of mine, I went in and shut off FaceGen, restored from my most recent backup and it worked when I fired it up. Then I turned FaceGen back on again and it recreated the FaceGen data file that handles the image/player id connection.

Ooh. Good idea. I did think to disable FaceGen, but didn't think to restore the backups after that, rather than before. I'll note that for the next time. (Hopefully it won't come)

[Young Drachma]

Game won't past June 9th, the 2nd year into my most recent universe. This is after I had some facegen problems too. I can't figure out of it's just because of the database I'm using or if it's something else.

[korme]

I hope this works. I started in 1950, with the inauguration of the Nippon Pro Baseball league. Using baseball-reference's Bullpen (wiki), I have been able to correctly reassign teams for up until 2007. When 2007 comes, I plan to import MLB's entire history.

Now, will I be able to view past player cards or will the leaders like Rose and Aaron be unclickable?

[Ksyrup]

I'm not sure I understand what you're doing at all. Are you playing a fictional league with MLB structure and then wanting to layer the MLB leader board on top of it? I don't get what you started in 1950 with, what happened between 1950 and 2007, and why you would need MLB's history at that point. Sorry.

[Fouts]

My league is stuck. I took over an expansion franchise before the 1969 season and now we are up to the next expansion. For some reason I cannot set my protection list for the upcoming expansion draft.

I tried starting a test league just before the 1977 expansion and the protect list link was on my manager homepage. So it sounds like a bug with expansion franchises. The only workaround I see is to resign as manager to keep the league going. Maybe I can get the job back after the draft (but lose players I might have wanted to keep).

Anyone know any other options?

[korme]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

I'm not sure I understand what you're doing at all. Are you playing a fictional league with MLB structure and then wanting to layer the MLB leader board on top of it? I don't get what you started in 1950 with, what happened between 1950 and 2007, and why you would need MLB's history at that point. Sorry.

Ksyrup, I am recreating Japan's league history (The NPB is where Ichiro, Matsui, Matsuzaka, et al come from)... Fictional, but I used the real teams, fic players however; when I hit 2007 I want the MLB with all of it's history, and I thought that was possible.

[bhlloy]

Damn, this game crashes a ton. Trying to create a MLB universe starting in 95 with correct minor league teams, logos and uniforms and I can no longer access the Atlanta Braves (game crashed while I was editing the logo) or the Chicago Cubs (tried to delete one of their minor league affiliates)

I understand I am probably doing things the wrong way, but is an error message and allowing me to correct the error of my ways too much to ask?

This league is pretty much shot and I'll start again tomorrow... let's hope the saved template works properly otherwise I just dropped a couple of hours of work for nothing.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by Marc Duffy

Just wanted to say here that the team that made OOTP 1 to 6.5 are the very same team that made 2006 and 2007. 'SI' didn't re-do anything - Markus and his team led the project as per normal

Again SI didnt get involved in the direction of the game. Markus drove the game forward and it's all his great vision (as it was before). SI provided the tools and framework to allow Markus to carry out his vision.

The UI can be attributed to SI but you misunderstand fundamentally that it's the same guys making this game that made 6.5.

Then I think it's Markus who messed up. He took a pretty solid game and morphed it into a very complicated and tedoius excursion. I'm certain people like that, enjoy spending 2 weeks just setting up their universe. But those who I've talked to, those who complained last year and this year, all have had the same gripes that they just don't need this whole universe.

Originally Posted by Marc Duffy

I'm not sure I understand how you can say they are a small % of the fanbase?

Just look at the sales numbers. Just look at the boards. This game isn't growing anymore. A few years ago, the OOTP boards were banging, there were multiple roster sets, tons of leagues, and a huge base of guys writing up their leagues. Now you have a slow moving board with few leagues, and a couple guys making mods. Heck, there isn't even a roster set out yet. In old versions, there were 4-5 by this time, and always one ready for release day. If those aren't signs of alienating the majority of the userbase with these last 2 versions, I don't know what is (I'll add that I guarantee you that the lack of a roster set has caused sales numbers to drop. This was always a staple of OOTP games whether it's your guys fault or not).

An example of the small fanbase having such a huge impact is evident on the boards. The game is adding stuff like feeder systems, player morale, and face gen technology. But the game hasn't touched huge AI problems that have plagued the game for awhile now. Players develop ridiculously fast in the minors, the amateur draft pool is riddled with lopsided talent pools that feature positions that never have good prospects and star middle relievers who never get picked, and the computer still drops great players for no reason at all. You guys are adding some great features to the game, but the stuff I listed is much more important than player morale.

Originally Posted by Marc Duffy

Markus has come out and said publically that a complete rewrite was much needed in order to allow him to take the game forward. You make a lot of assumptions and I believe that on many counts you are very wrong but I respect your opinion.

I have no problem with him needing a re-write. But the re-write didn't need to be so complex. I know you're sold on the universe idea, but I truly feel it hurt this game. The nuts and bolts of the game was based around major league baseball. While you had a lot of fictional fans, most of the diehards played historical sims and modern day sims with the actual major league format. This game was built around major league baseball, and the last 2 versions have shifted from that.

I felt the game should have stuck to what worked and expanded on it. It should have allowed more flexibility to the minor leagues, cleaned up historical play (which you've done well in 2007), expanded the almanac and bolstered the AI so that you could actually sit and play as a GM. I'm sorry, but take a team, be a GM, and see how ridiculous the moves the computer makes. It doesn't take more than a couple years to make the worst team in the league the best.

And I know you're just doing your job, and maybe you don't understand where some of the old timers are coming from with the game. All the belles and whistles, all the different variations of universes, and all the 300-page instruction books in the world don't matter if the AI of the game is bad. I can deal with a different interface, with some more complicated setups, but I have a hard time dealing with bad AI, bad development, and a game that does not mimic anything we see in modern day baseball.

But maybe I'm wrong, maybe I'm in the minority. I played OOTP because I liked being a GM/manager and building up a team to a level of the Yankees. I liked having to be savvy, keep an eye on players, develop them over years. Now I can pick up another teams best prospect because they released him. I can watch as the high school kid I drafted is ready for the majors in less than a year. The new versions are not built for people like me.

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by Shorty3281

Ksyrup, I am recreating Japan's league history (The NPB is where Ichiro, Matsui, Matsuzaka, et al come from)... Fictional, but I used the real teams, fic players however; when I hit 2007 I want the MLB with all of it's history, and I thought that was possible.

OK, I got you. I thought you were referring to one league, not adding another league. Yes, this is possible, although I think you'll probably have to bring in the MLB for the 2006 season. I really haven't done much with importing around 2006/2007, but I'm sure you're aware that Lahman doesn't have 2007 info, so my guess is the best you can do is import the MLB for the start of the 2006 season, since that's the last importable season. Maybe someone else can definitively answer that for you.

What you would do is add a new major league, and make sure you create it as an historical league and check the box that imports the league's entire history. A word of caution, which may or may not apply to your computer - several of us have reported bizarre problems with importing history for seasons beyond 1977 or so. There's something screwy going on for some of us that may have someone to do with our computers, I don't know. But when I import for, say, 1969, it probably takes 20-30 minutes to pull all of the people and pics into the game and set it up. If I try 1977 or later...the last time I tried it, it took almost 12 hours to import 1977. So something strange is going on. I just wanted to point that out to you, although it might not effect you.

[Cringer]

Just bought this game over the weekend. (Been busy on the road, forgot about it coming out).

I must say that so far this is the OOTP (and baseball sim in general) that I have been waiting years for I guess. Last year I didn't even try OOTP 2006, and instead went with PureSim. PureSim last year was the first baseball sim I was finally able to get into after a couple failed attempts with OOTP. OOTP 2007 has taken it to the next level now. Love the game. A ton to learn, but I am having fun with it which is something OOTP never really did for me in the past.

[Young Drachma]

I'm trying to plan a relegation/promotion league using major league teams. I'm going to probably wait until the last of the major leagues (using Gambo DB) retire, before really kicking into it, though it might be sooner depending on how bored I get.

The idea is to consolidate both the AL and NL into single table leagues again, with the winner going to the World Series just like the old days, no more playoffs other than that.

I haven't figure out how many teams are optimal, I'm thinking two 10-team leagues, would work.

And then the rest would be in lower divisions with a similar setup. The worst team gets demoted, the winner of each league gets promoted. And down the road, I might do a best-of-three game series between the 2nd and 3rd worst teams with the loser being relegated and rather than having a post-season series at the 1st, 2nd (and maybe 3rd) division levels, just having no playoffs in those leagues promoting the league champs each year.

We'll see...

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

But maybe I'm wrong, maybe I'm in the minority. I played OOTP because I liked being a GM/manager and building up a team to a level of the Yankees. I liked having to be savvy, keep an eye on players, develop them over years. Now I can pick up another teams best prospect because they released him. I can watch as the high school kid I drafted is ready for the majors in less than a year. The new versions are not built for people like me.

I did buy 2006 and 2007, didn't play 2006 much but I felt Markus patched the game well.

I do agree with a lot of what you said though. Even with all of this "in-depth" baseball bliss for some, I still think it might come to a point after my historical sim takes me to where I'm going to actually start playing the game, that I won't get bored and fire up 6.5 once again or turn to Puresim. I'll save that judgement for later, but I hear what you are saying.

One thing I definitly notice is how slow the ootp forums have become since it's switched over to SI and went a new direction.

[darkenigma510]

I'm confused about the "universe" criticisms when you have a choice not to create a universe, just an MLB league.

[DanGarion]

Originally Posted by darkenigma510

I'm confused about the "universe" criticisms when you have a choice not to create a universe, just an MLB league.

People don't like options, they'd rather have it set up like real life and then be able to complain they can't customize.

Welcome to Hollywood!

[darkenigma510]

Originally Posted by dangarion

People don't like options, they'd rather have it set up like real life and then be able to complain they can't customize.

Welcome to Hollywood!

I sometimes think that is it. People must feel compelled to create a massive universe or they feel like they are missing out. My advice to anyone new to OOTP (or who feels overburdoned) is set up a simple MLB structure with either reserve rosters or AAA/AA and then forget about the rest of the options for a little while.

If you are new, play around with a small simple league rather than reading the manual from start to finish.

[Fouts]

I love this version of OOTP, and I've played each version since OOTP2. I'm not sure why people would complain about the game growing the way it has. Did people want to keep paying for upgrades like we did from 6.0 to 6.5? I think Markus went as far as he could within that framework.

I will agree that it is pretty easy to win (moreso than 6.5). I have to restrain myself. If I really want that FA stud, I can get him. I do not initiate trades with the fear that I would fleece the computer. Maybe future versions with have different modes of play (i.e. easy, normal, expert).

[adubroff]

I just had a couple of my minor league staff (hitting coach/pitching coach) leave. I went looking for a replacement and found one that looked good in the "available personell" screen, but I do not seem to have the ability to actually hire him. Is this something I should be doing myself or do the minor league teams do it on their own?

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by dangarion

People don't like options, they'd rather have it set up like real life and then be able to complain they can't customize.

Welcome to Hollywood!

I like it setup like RL with 0 options!

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by darkenigma510

I'm confused about the "universe" criticisms when you have a choice not to create a universe, just an MLB league.

My only criticism of it is that if you're going to include it in the game and tout it as a feature, it ought to work reasonably well out of the box. If I have to pull out a scientific calculator just to figure out the correct settings for the right mix of talent, etc., to make the universe remotely resemble an actual baseball league, I don't think it's fair to say, "Well, you don't have to play it that way, just stick with MLB." It's touted as a feature of the game, a way to play. Why shouldn't I expect it to work?

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by Fouts

I will agree that it is pretty easy to win (moreso than 6.5). I have to restrain myself. If I really want that FA stud, I can get him. I do not initiate trades with the fear that I would fleece the computer. Maybe future versions with have different modes of play (i.e. easy, normal, expert).

I'm playing a pre-free agency historical sim with trading on hard and favor prospects, and I don't feel like I can fleece the AI. And since there aren't that many FAs available, and trading is pretty much the only way to build a team aside from what players are placed on the team (I'm not playing with the draft, either), I'm finding it to be pretty challenging.

[lighthousekeeper]

Originally Posted by Fouts

I will agree that it is pretty easy to win (moreso than 6.5). I have to restrain myself. If I really want that FA stud, I can get him. I do not initiate trades with the fear that I would fleece the computer. Maybe future versions with have different modes of play (i.e. easy, normal, expert).

I find it odd to hear that. I'm finding my current ootp07 universe to be the most challenging ootp game yet. I took over a Cinncinnati team in 2015 that is in horrible financial shape, and despite my best efforts, my team has the worst record in the entire league.

If you're finding the game to be too easy, try setting the trading diffixulty to 'hard'. That's what I have it set at now and I am basically unable to make rip-off-type trades.

[Ksyrup]

Yep. The difference between average and hard trading is pretty steep. Just try the "shop around" feature on hard, and then try it on average, and you'll see a big difference in the number of offers you can get on average versus the scraps the AI throws at you on hard. I'd move it to very hard, but since trading is basically the only way I can make changes in my league, I'm afraid I'd just be playing with the exact historical rosters.

[Swaggs]

Originally Posted by adubroff

I just had a couple of my minor league staff (hitting coach/pitching coach) leave. I went looking for a replacement and found one that looked good in the "available personell" screen, but I do not seem to have the ability to actually hire him. Is this something I should be doing myself or do the minor league teams do it on their own?

If he is available to be hired, you should be able to right click and offer a contract to him.

[highfiveoh]

Anyone know if the sign and release bug is due to be fixed in the next patch? I'm finding it very annoying having to leave the roster size of my lowest minor league unlimited.

[lynchjm24]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

Yep. The difference between average and hard trading is pretty steep. Just try the "shop around" feature on hard, and then try it on average, and you'll see a big difference in the number of offers you can get on average versus the scraps the AI throws at you on hard. I'd move it to very hard, but since trading is basically the only way I can make changes in my league, I'm afraid I'd just be playing with the exact historical rosters.

I've got it on very hard and favor prospects and I can still find a deal that favors me everytime I shop a player unless he has a contract so bad no one will take it on.

Players develop too quickly and the draft pools are a mess. The AI has not improved at all. All the FaceGen in the world isn't going to fix these.

[lynchjm24]

Originally Posted by highfiveoh

Anyone know if the sign and release bug is due to be fixed in the next patch? I'm finding it very annoying having to leave the roster size of my lowest minor league unlimited.

I might check out permanently if this doesn't get fixed next time. The AI's decisions on the minor league players are horrendous.

[BigPapi]

Originally Posted by lynchjm24

I might check out permanently if this doesn't get fixed next time. The AI's decisions on the minor league players are horrendous.

I am with you and Rainmaker on this as well- I have about had it with the games AI regarding its top prospects- nothing short of ridiculous....Having said that- I will defend the player development curves in this version- I have HS and College feeder leagues- but guys take between 2 and 5 years to develop depending on from which level they are drafted from. Twenty years in- and I have only seen one teenager and very few guys except the top 5 picks in the draft reach The Show in the season they were drafted. For me- at least- this aspect of the game is improved.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by darkenigma510

I'm confused about the "universe" criticisms when you have a choice not to create a universe, just an MLB league.

The MLB league AI is flawed. The minor league management is horrid, the computer is clueless building a club, and the trade AI is still bad. All these things are worse in 2007 than in 6.51. My argument has been that the universe was built at the expense of the actual MLB style setup. It plays nothing like real baseball anymore.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by lighthousekeeper

I find it odd to hear that. I'm finding my current ootp07 universe to be the most challenging ootp game yet. I took over a Cinncinnati team in 2015 that is in horrible financial shape, and despite my best efforts, my team has the worst record in the entire league.

If you're finding the game to be too easy, try setting the trading diffixulty to 'hard'. That's what I have it set at now and I am basically unable to make rip-off-type trades.

It's not really the trades that kills the realism. I can stay away from trading or just make sure that they are somewhat even. I'm still sad that after all these years, there isn't a somewhat realistic trade algorithm in the game where non-contenders are dumping veterans for prospects and vice versa. There was a team 15 games out of first at the deadline, yet I was able to trade them 2 guys in the final year of their contract for a decent prospect they had. There is no reason any team that is out of contention would do that. Teams playing for next year is an important facet of the game that still hasn't been touched (but atleast I can setup a feeder league in Guatemala).

But the biggest problem is the free agency and prospect dumping. Teams dump big name prospects for no reason. If they don't have room, or didn't feel the guy would be on their roster someday, then they should trade them for talent they need. But right now, teams are dumping top 50 prospects all season long. I can pickup 2-3 a season (along with other good ones that get dumped). This at the same time when mid-to-late 20 year olds with no chance of making the big leagues are kept on minor league rosters. Just by cruising the free agents throughout the year, you can take a bad minor league system to a great one in one year.

Then there is the draft. You simply can't find guys who play SS in there that are good (or atleast I've never seen one in years of simming). There is also a ton of elite middle relievers who never get picked. I can snag a bunch of them, many of which have endurance to be starters, and can build up a phenomenal pitching staff that way.

I don't consider myself that savvy building teams, but I can build a contender out of anyone in a couple years by simply grabbing easy to find prospects.

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by lynchjm24

I've got it on very hard and favor prospects and I can still find a deal that favors me everytime I shop a player unless he has a contract so bad no one will take it on.

Players develop too quickly and the draft pools are a mess. The AI has not improved at all. All the FaceGen in the world isn't going to fix these.

If the standard you're looking for is "dead even" trade, then you're looking for something that will never exist. A trade can "favor" you and still not be a bad deal. I guess your definition of "fleecing the AI" and mine are different. Last night, I tried to "fleece" the AI for an extra player in a relatively even deal that was offered to me when I shopped a guy. That player was Christy Mathewson. I couldn't get anything to work, and when I hit the "make this trade work" button, the only way I could get 24-year old Mathewson was by adding 20-year old Ty Cobb, a 24-year old 4-star 3B, or my 28-year old top SP. The added issue here is that obviously, even with recalc off, I know that Mathewson has a decent chance of have a long career and the AI doesn't, so from that perspective, I could have made a deal that "favors" me in giving up a 28-year old very good pitcher for a 24-year old one. But I had no problem with the restrictions the AI put on that trade, and I didn't feel like I was taking advantage of the AI if I had chosen to make that trade. Of course, I'm also not going to go around and shop for all of the 18-22 year old prospects I know will end up great, unless the AI offers them up.

Not to mention, I've had plenty of trades offered to me that would not have been a good deal for me. So even if I'm looking at complete balance as being the sole determining factor of whether the trading AI is flawed, I'm not consistently seeing one-sided deals at all.

[Ksyrup]

With unlimited minor league rosters, the sign-and-release issue has definitely gone away. Of course, the flipside of that for me is that there are no FAs available at all. No prospects, no scrubs. I guess once I get further into my historical career and more players show up, the FA pool will grow. But right now I'm not having the problem of the AI dropping good prospects.

[Drake]

KSyrup,

I start seeing a better FA pool about 3-5 years in with an unlimited A-ball roster. One other thing that I do to keep my minor league rosters semi-realistic is set an age limit of 28 for A-ball and 30 for AA. I figure that any guy still playing at A by 28 isn't going to develop, so I force the AI to either promote him or cut him. That seems to push more guys into FA and typically solves the problem of old dudes with 4A talent getting all of the playing time in the minor leagues.

I don't set an age limit for AAA because I want to be able to drop my limited ability older guys/injury fill-ins there (sort of like a reserve roster).

This works well for me, but I've also got the Rule 5, waiver stuff and 40 man roster business turned off. I always turn that stuff off because I don't like dealing with options, guys refusing to be demoted, etc, so your mileage may vary.

[Ksyrup]

I turn all of that off also. And I only use the one level of minor leagues (AAA). Do you force just your players to be cut when they reach those ages, or the AI's as well?

[BigPapi]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

With unlimited minor league rosters, the sign-and-release issue has definitely gone away. Of course, the flipside of that for me is that there are no FAs available at all. No prospects, no scrubs. I guess once I get further into my historical career and more players show up, the FA pool will grow. But right now I'm not having the problem of the AI dropping good prospects.

You know..I am having the opposite problem...Tons of free agents- and the Ai empties- and I mean EMPTIES their respective Rookie league teams at the end of each season. A ball affillliates refuse to pick up players as needed- and I am constantly filling rosters manually- even with teams computer managed and set to allow roster changes. This is also the period which I see teams drop it's best prosepects (if they haven't already).

I wonder if this dynamic isnt' associated with using different roster sets...Though I cant imagine why. What I have noticed is- just for testing- is that when I create a purlely fictional league using MLB constraints- the computer handling of rosters and prospects is better- but if I, say, import a roster from last year- all hell breaks loose...And yet- the prospects I see being dropped are indeed top 50 material- yet the AI has a horrible time managing them in a converted roster....Which sucks for me- becasue I can't play fictional- at least to start. Really weird...Sigh......

[BigPapi]

Originally Posted by Drake

KSyrup,

I start seeing a better FA pool about 3-5 years in with an unlimited A-ball roster. One other thing that I do to keep my minor league rosters semi-realistic is set an age limit of 28 for A-ball and 30 for AA. I figure that any guy still playing at A by 28 isn't going to develop, so I force the AI to either promote him or cut him. That seems to push more guys into FA and typically solves the problem of old dudes with 4A talent getting all of the playing time in the minor leagues.

I don't set an age limit for AAA because I want to be able to drop my limited ability older guys/injury fill-ins there (sort of like a reserve roster).

This works well for me, but I've also got the Rule 5, waiver stuff and 40 man roster business turned off. I always turn that stuff off because I don't like dealing with options, guys refusing to be demoted, etc, so your mileage may vary.

Actually- Markus has confirmed that age limits for minor leagues don't work...He actually said they were never intended to be in the game in the first place- and were overlooked when the game was released. You might want to check and see if htey are working for you- becasue they never worked for me at all...I am pretty sure they were removed altogether with the first patch.

[Drake]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

I turn all of that off also. And I only use the one level of minor leagues (AAA). Do you force just your players to be cut when they reach those ages, or the AI's as well?

I force everyone. It's one of the league setup options. I'd tell you where it is, but I don't remember off the top of my head and I don't have the game with me (but I'm pretty sure it's under the Rules or Options tab).

[Drake]

Originally Posted by BigPapi

Actually- Markus has confirmed that age limits for minor leagues don't work...He actually said they were never intended to be in the game in the first place- and were overlooked when the game was released. You might want to check and see if htey are working for you- becasue they never worked for me at all...I am pretty sure they were removed altogether with the first patch.

Interesting. Maybe I need to pay closer attention, because I thought it was working.

[Ksyrup]

He said it wasn't intended to be in the game and was removed with the first patch, but a bunch of us responded that we liked it and it should be put back in.

[BigPapi]

Originally Posted by Drake

Interesting. Maybe I need to pay closer attention, because I thought it was working.

LOL...Me too- until I actually went and checked my league....Roster management regarding player ages was pretty good, mind you- but, for example- my A affiliate had 25 man roster- 22 of which were 22 or younger- but I actually had a 30 year old and a 28 year old floating around...A little annoying- but not a gamekiller IMO.