OOTP 18 Released Today

[MrBug708]

You can look at the different roles and see what you need. Not sure if you can search to find a captain/leader

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by frnk55

I broke down and bought it yesterday so my record is perfect. 1-18 all bought I was temped by the new injury system and it was on sale.
Can someone tell me how the team chemistry/player morale is now? Improvement?

The new injury system is the best of any sports sim, lots of DtD injuries and they can go into an "unknown" status if you play them, which adds a layer of strategy depending on if you need them to play now or can afford to sit them out/put on the 10 day DL.

There is a Team Chemistry (I can't remember if that was in 17) screen which pretty much tells you all you need to know and it's separate from player morale now. So your team might be winning and have great team chemistry, but there could be a player unhappy with his playing time/production/etc.

[Atocep]

I picked it up a couple of weeks ago and it's been worth the money for me. Last year's version was the first I've skipped since ootp 3 was released. The DtD injury thing is annoying and finances are obviously still pretty bad.

The biggest challenges I've seen so far are the Diamondbacks (no prospects, Greinke and Thomas' contracts) and Marlins (Loria's demands and way over budget from the start). It seemed like the worse I did the more difficult his demands got. At one point I was ordered to aquire a Cy Young caliber pitcher.

All in all I'm happy with this version. It's not perfect, but it's definitely fun.

[JPhillips]

Trying my first run with 18.

Rule 5 draft comes, Sal Romano was picked by the Royals.

Sal is out until September with rotator cuff surgery.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

The new injury system is the best of any sports sim, lots of DtD injuries and they can go into an "unknown" status if you play them, which adds a layer of strategy depending on if you need them to play now or can afford to sit them out/put on the 10 day DL.

There is a Team Chemistry (I can't remember if that was in 17) screen which pretty much tells you all you need to know and it's separate from player morale now. So your team might be winning and have great team chemistry, but there could be a player unhappy with his playing time/production/etc.

Are you running into issues with not enough players playing 130-140 plus games in a season? The system is kind of cool but I'm just not getting enough starters playing enough games.

Was thinking of turning fatigue to low to balance it out.

Also curious if the game has the same issue it did in previous versions where everyone becomes injury prone 20 years down the line since your injury rating can only go down.

[bulletsponge]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

Trying my first run with 18.

Rule 5 draft comes, Sal Romano was picked by the Royals.

Sal is out until September with rotator cuff surgery.

i did that once, picked a pitcher who was injured the whole season. he wasnt ready to start but had lots of potential

[Marmel]

I keep buying this and keep getting disappointed. Is it any easier to start an MLB league without so many levels of minor leagues to watch over? Can I start a fictional league in short order with a simple minor league system? Do I have to always worry about recalculating stats etc...?

[JPhillips]

Originally Posted by bulletsponge

i did that once, picked a pitcher who was injured the whole season. he wasnt ready to start but had lots of potential

Sal's a two star/two star player with no MLB experience with the worst injury possible for a pitcher. I can't imagine any team would blow a roster spot on a guy with that profile.

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

Are you running into issues with not enough players playing 130-140 plus games in a season? The system is kind of cool but I'm just not getting enough starters playing enough games.

Was thinking of turning fatigue to low to balance it out.

Also curious if the game has the same issue it did in previous versions where everyone becomes injury prone 20 years down the line since your injury rating can only go down.

I had 5 players last season, but in RL in 2016 the Cardinals had 3 players, so I don't see any discrepancies yet.. although I need more seasons to give a more firm answer.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

I had 5 players last season, but in RL in 2016 the Cardinals had 3 players, so I don't see any discrepancies yet.. although I need more seasons to give a more firm answer.

When I sim it's always less than what happens in real life. It's like 70-80 players play over 140 games but in my sims it never turns out more than 45.

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

When I sim it's always less than what happens in real life. It's like 70-80 players play over 140 games but in my sims it never turns out more than 45.

I sim 75%-80% of my games.. in 2017 I had over 100 players play in 140 games or more.

[Ironhead]

Have been having fun with OOTP recently. Probably the first version I have played since....the early 2000s? Unfortunately I just made a big mistake at the draft. I didn't understand the initial difference between "Draft" and "Draft and Offer Slot" and accidentally screwed up my ability to negotiate with my top draftees. Ugh.

[MrBug708]

I always try to meet demand. When I draft impossible guys, I always wait, because you get one shot at them.

[MizzouRah]

Their forums are jacked up tonight.. throwing up malware warnings for me.

[Ironhead]

Looking for some board thoughts on this one. I have the two attached draftees who are going to be impossible signings.

• I am using the 20 to 80 scale.
  
• Based on each of their demands I realistically will only have room in the budget to convince one of them to sign.
  
• Both are "Normal" in all of the Personality traits with the exception of McMahon who has "Low" for Leadership.
  
• My Scout has an outstanding rating for evaluating draft talent.
  
• Timetable isn't an issue although both look like they are probably many years away.

McMahon seems like unless he were to get injured he will probably make it to the majors. Even if his development doesn't work out he could probably still be a serviceable mid to back of the rotation starter. I also just had one of my top starter prospects tear his UCL so getting another good prospect in the pipeline is appealing.

I do like that Rodriguez already has some decent power developed at a young age (he's only 17) and has a number of tools (decent speed/range, great outfield arm, excellent power potential). He is also a switch hitter which is nice and it looks like his power carries against both lefties and righties. He seems like more of a risk as it wouldn't take much for him to miss on his development to become just another outfield prospect of which I have many in the system. That said, with some luck in his development (maybe a slight bump in contact or eye) he could become a really dangerous hitter.

Thoughts?

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by Ironhead

Looking for some board thoughts on this one. I have the two attached draftees who are going to be impossible signings.

• I am using the 20 to 80 scale.
  
• Based on each of their demands I realistically will only have room in the budget to convince one of them to sign.
  
• Both are "Normal" in all of the Personality traits with the exception of McMahon who has "Low" for Leadership.
  
• My Scout has an outstanding rating for evaluating draft talent.
  
• Timetable isn't an issue although both look like they are probably many years away.

McMahon seems like unless he were to get injured he will probably make it to the majors. Even if his development doesn't work out he could probably still be a serviceable mid to back of the rotation starter. I also just had one of my top starter prospects tear his UCL so getting another good prospect in the pipeline is appealing.

I do like that Rodriguez already has some decent power developed at a young age (he's only 17) and has a number of tools (decent speed/range, great outfield arm, excellent power potential). He is also a switch hitter which is nice and it looks like his power carries against both lefties and righties. He seems like more of a risk as it wouldn't take much for him to miss on his development to become just another outfield prospect of which I have many in the system. That said, with some luck in his development (maybe a slight bump in contact or eye) he could become a really dangerous hitter.

Thoughts?

50 Contact and 50 Eye potential would scare me off of a guy that far away from the majors. If he reaches the majors I wouldn't be surprised if he ended up being a .240/.310/.450 type in right field.

The pitcher is intriguing. The stuff is there, the pitch mix and potential of each pitch is there, and he has the stamina to be a starter. Seems like a safe-ish bet as an 18 year old with the potential to be a championship level 3 or low end 2 starter.

I'd take McMahon. Rodriguez has the type of profile I tend to avoid.

[RainMaker]

I like the RF. He looks to have potential to be a 35 homer guy in the majors and can switch hit. Your prototypical three outcome guy. Has a nice arm too.

I guess I'm looking at upside. The RF has potential to be a huge power bat in the middle of the lineup and make All-Star teams. The pitcher looks at best to be a middle of the rotation starter. I feel like it's easier to find a 4th starter than it is to find a guy who can mash 35 homers.

[Ironhead]

I went back and forth on it constantly over the past two days and eventually decided to sign the pitcher. I saw both players as having very similar value but like Rainmaker said I thought the potential upside on Rodriguez was higher. Ultimately I felt McMahon was the safer pick and that I needed the extra depth in my pitching prospect pool.

It will be interesting to compare where Rodriguez's ratings are a year from now as an 18 year old when the draft rolls around next year.

[korme]

Ironhead - first of all, nice change of pace to see two prospects who aren't sure things. Usually, when people post draft choices I expected to pick between Roger Clemens and Ken Griffey and it was more like looking at Richie Sexson and Homer Bailey. That said, I think you take the hitter. I know you took the pitcher, but I can just never justify that low of control for a pitcher. Let us know how they both turn out!

[Huckleberry]

Shameless recruiting link here in the forum with the most traffic:

World Baseball Association (WBA) - OOTP 16 - Front Office Football Central

Originally Posted by Huckleberry

So my last league a year-and-a-half ago didn't have any takers here, but that's cool. I will try again.

World Baseball Association:

League Website: World Baseball Association
Constitution: WBA Constitution

Fictional, 20 teams, worldwide split basically into the two hemispheres, regionally locked drafts but trades and free agency between leagues allowed, custom financials, etc., etc. Take a look and hopefully someone will bite.

Originally Posted by Huckleberry

Bump. Hopefully somebody sees this and is interested.

Karachi and New York City are available.

Now using OOTP 18.

If interested register at that forum, or email me at huckleberry AT worldbaseballassociation.com or PM me here.

[CrescentMoonie]

I'll buy again when they fix the ridiculously broken minor league affiliates during expansion.

[Ironhead]

Originally Posted by Ironhead

Looking for some board thoughts on this one. I have the two attached draftees who are going to be impossible signings.

• I am using the 20 to 80 scale.
  
• Based on each of their demands I realistically will only have room in the budget to convince one of them to sign.
  
• Both are "Normal" in all of the Personality traits with the exception of McMahon who has "Low" for Leadership.
  
• My Scout has an outstanding rating for evaluating draft talent.
  
• Timetable isn't an issue although both look like they are probably many years away.

McMahon seems like unless he were to get injured he will probably make it to the majors. Even if his development doesn't work out he could probably still be a serviceable mid to back of the rotation starter. I also just had one of my top starter prospects tear his UCL so getting another good prospect in the pipeline is appealing.

I do like that Rodriguez already has some decent power developed at a young age (he's only 17) and has a number of tools (decent speed/range, great outfield arm, excellent power potential). He is also a switch hitter which is nice and it looks like his power carries against both lefties and righties. He seems like more of a risk as it wouldn't take much for him to miss on his development to become just another outfield prospect of which I have many in the system. That said, with some luck in his development (maybe a slight bump in contact or eye) he could become a really dangerous hitter.

Thoughts?

Update 1 year later.

McMahon had a rough 1st year in rookie ball posting a FIP of 6.91. His stuff potential has dropped from 70 to 65. No other change in his potential ratings.

Rodriguez is obviously back in the draft pool again since we didn't have the budget to sign him. Now at 18 his current and future power is down from 35/70 to 30/65. There is a 5 point bump in both his current and future contact from 25/50 to 30/55 and a 5 point bump in his avoid K potential. No other changes. From a development standpoint his current ratings are still pretty raw compared to most 18 year olds.

One year out and with more of an understanding of OOTP's ratings I would say I am leaning towards regret on not signing Rodriguez over McMahon. Assuming both hit their potential McMahon seems like the more easily replaceable of the two.

[CraigSca]

Originally Posted by CrescentMoonie

I'll buy again when they fix the ridiculously broken minor league affiliates during expansion.

I don't play with expansion, but what do you mean by this?

[CrescentMoonie]

Originally Posted by CraigSca

I don't play with expansion, but what do you mean by this?

When expansion happens for a league that starts with the current league setup, the programmers didn't set up A and Advanced A ball as separate levels. Every expansion team ends up with AAA, AA, low A, short season A, and rookie ball. Even worse is that they typically end up with two short season or two rookie ball teams and usually both are in the same league. It's laughable and they argue that they're right to only have the one full season A ball team.

It's been that way for each version since expansion was introduced, people have pointed it out over and over, and instead of fixing it by separating the two A ball levels they spend their time on idiotic crap like promotion relegation in obscure leagues that 6 people know exist. Of course, they've never fixed the financial system, so it's clear that they're just coasting along with no interest in improving the core aspects of the game that are flawed. I got last year's version as part of a Humble Bundle and still feel like I overpaid.

[Young Drachma]

Originally Posted by CrescentMoonie

When expansion happens for a league that starts with the current league setup, the programmers didn't set up A and Advanced A ball as separate levels. Every expansion team ends up with AAA, AA, low A, short season A, and rookie ball. Even worse is that they typically end up with two short season or two rookie ball teams and usually both are in the same league. It's laughable and they argue that they're right to only have the one full season A ball team.

It's been that way for each version since expansion was introduced, people have pointed it out over and over, and instead of fixing it by separating the two A ball levels they spend their time on idiotic crap like promotion relegation in obscure leagues that 6 people know exist. Of course, they've never fixed the financial system, so it's clear that they're just coasting along with no interest in improving the core aspects of the game that are flawed. I got last year's version as part of a Humble Bundle and still feel like I overpaid.

It's not that big a deal and it doesn't impact development. They surely make a lot of bizarre priority focusing things, but this is really nitpicky. Expansion doesn't create minor league teams evenly, but it can be fixed manually without much of an issue. I do think it'd be nicer if minor league team creation for expansion teams worked better, heck in real life, minor league teams start a few years before the major league does (in the last two MLB expansions) so that they have a system before the team starts in the bigs, OOTP doesn't model that either, but like...a game can't do everything.

With OOTP, the game generally can do it, you just have to do it manually.

[CrescentMoonie]

Originally Posted by Young Drachma

It's not that big a deal and it doesn't impact development.

Considering all the existing teams do have it programmed for players to go to low A, high A, AA, and AAA, it does impact development. It's also something that should be extremely easy to fix, but they don't give a damn because the crackheads on their message boards think adding inane features is more important.

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by CrescentMoonie

Considering all the existing teams do have it programmed for players to go to low A, high A, AA, and AAA, it does impact development. It's also something that should be extremely easy to fix, but they don't give a damn because the crackheads on their message boards think adding inane features is more important.

The game is so in depth and not run by a human brain. I give it a pass on minor leagues. Do I like that the AI run minor league teams have a bunch 27+ non prospects filling Triple A? No. I just live with it and to keep things fair I just let the AI run my minor league system as well.

I mean Football Manager has tons of flaws as well yet seems to get a pass.

Maybe some day they will fix the issues you talk about and others but I wouldnt let it ruin your enjoyment. The boards over at OOTP do have some strange things they latch on to and that is part of the problem with any programmer. A game is only as good as how many people buy it. Creating a game only for niche MLB based crowds limits the possible market quite a bit so its hard to argue with his Markus's decision.

[CrescentMoonie]

Football Manager is several orders of magnitude more accurate, and handles a significantly larger database with ease.

My favorite part of sports is scouting/drafting/expansion. OOTP sucks at all three of those and Marcus has shown zero interest in fixing any of them.

[jbergey22]

Normal tone of conversation Im not arguing or debating with you. In Football Manager from my experience is very easy to build a winning squad despite the fact that I know very little about world soccer. The depth and accuracy of the game I would have no idea but it just baffles me how I can basically listen to the assistant and make a few moves and suddenly my team is a contender. Just makes me kind of wonder how good the AI really is when it lets someone who knows so little about the sport of soccer can build a winning team with relative ease.

Out of the Park Baseball can be quite easy to exploit as well but at least in that game I know the players and what sort of team I want to build. I have a feeling if I knew as little about baseball as I do soccer that game would be very difficult.

These are really mostly just questions as I have a hard time debating Football Manager as I know so little. I really enjoy playing it and I love the depth I just dont feel Out of the Park is so much different that it should be getting crapped on as bad as it does in these parts.

[MizzouRah]

CM - have you PM'd Matt Arnold? He answers all my questions I throw at him. Maybe he could help or at least get Markus's ear on your issues?

As far as OOTP 18 goes, I think it's the best sports sim on the market. I only play MLB as a GM of the Cardinals and it does a fantastic job pulling me into its world. Add the graphical play and I'm in sports sim heaven this year.

I'll never forget Yadier Molina's game tying HR in the bottom of the 9th last season in the Wildcard game (2019) vs the Mets. He lost the starting job that season, but became the hero that night. Watching the ball fly out into the LF bleachers was something to behold!

We ended up losing in the NLCS to the Dodgers, a team without Kershaw (DL) but the best lineup in the league as well as the best bullpen. They would beat the Yankees to win back to back Championships.

[CrescentMoonie]

I've tried to get everyone's attention over there, but they have a loyal base that ignores glaring flaws and says everything is great. Several people have pointed out how bad the financials are. Scouting is wonky at best. If I want graphics I'll play MLB The Show, it's a nice thing for OOTP but not a necessity.

The game bills itself as being an accurate sports sim and it's really not. I honestly liked the game much better in earlier incarnations as it feels like the last several years have been half assed attempts at things like expansion along with a ton of fluff that doesn't improve the accuracy of the sim at all.

A simple solution for expansion would be to allow it to be forced to manual each time. That way those of us who don't want a team with no high A affiliate and two rookie ball teams in the Florida league can make sure it doesn't happen. We can also have the luxury of not having to rename a bunch of teams because OOTP likes to do things like put South Atlantic League team in Wyoming.

Of course, the A+/A ball distinction has been brought up for years and they've not only not fixed it, but argued that it's right to not treat them as different levels, so I doubt anything will ever happen on that front.

[MizzouRah]

I guess I just don't see the flaws with financials or stats in a normal MLB setup.

[RainMaker]

FM is more polished but it's also a huge staff if I'm correct. Their customer base is also more passionate about soccer than OOTP's customer base is about baseball. I still think OOTP does a pretty good job all things considered.

I can understand the anger toward OOTP because of the areas they tend to focus on. Expansion is an important part of the game of baseball and it should be a priority to fix it. Promotion/relegation has nothing to do with baseball.

If FM ignored some key parts of today's soccer game (let's say it screwed up how teams are chosen for the Champions League) but added in things like being able to score two points for shots outside the penalty box, I think their customer base would be upset. OOTP is a great game but I still think it's core problem is that it's made by people who wish baseball was soccer.

[RainMaker]

I'd also add I think they'd sell a boatload more copies of the game if it was streamlined for baseball fans. There are a lot of stat nerds out there in the baseball world who would love to play GM. But the settings are a bit confusing to a newcomer (for instance there should be a basic settings section and a button to access the advanced settings). Maybe even a walkthrough when setting up a league.

Also one of the issues I have with the OOTP forums is when someone new comes in with a question like "Why isn't computer having Chapman closing for the Yankees?". This leads to a bunch of older players saying "you'll have more fun with fictional players" or worse "the game doesn't understand who Aroldis Chapman is". Well baseball fans do understand who Aroldis Chapman is and want him closing for the Yankees. So maybe that stuff should be more important to the staff. I don't think they understand how important that MLB license is to American sports fans.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

I don't think they understand how important that MLB license is to American sports fans.

It's a developer that's never shown much understanding -- nor willingness or interest -- to even attempt to understand what American sports fans want nor what baseball is. This isn't exactly a new development for the series.

Most insufferably arrogant dev I've ever encountered, and that's against some heady competition for the dubious honor.

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

Also one of the issues I have with the OOTP forums is when someone new comes in with a question like "Why isn't computer having Chapman closing for the Yankees?". This leads to a bunch of older players saying "you'll have more fun with fictional players" or worse "the game doesn't understand who Aroldis Chapman is". Well baseball fans do understand who Aroldis Chapman is and want him closing for the Yankees. So maybe that stuff should be more important to the staff. I don't think they understand how important that MLB license is to American sports fans.

Great point and so true. I know the exact person that seems to chime in with that comment on almost every thread although I havent seen him around this year(The Wolf).

[Young Drachma]

OOTP probably sells more now than it ever did before with the MLB license the past two years. Their CMO was just on MLB network talking about the game. So yeah, they're not really hurting for sales.

Expansion works better than it did ever did, I've never played with coaches or scouts, so I can't speak to that.

But on the whole FM glorification, that game churns out the same game off and on for years, save games aren't compatible with new versions whereas with OOTP they've always been able to upgrade from the previous year.

And one can take a glance at the comments for FM18 and see that those fans have a ton of issues with how lazy SI has gotten making that game. OOTP has flaws and issues and all of the stuff we always comment on, but it's get 90% of things right and it's grown exponentially from what it was back in the OOTP 5/6 days when it was just a hobbyist sim.

In a world where text sim play is mostly down (besides FM), to see a baseball sim getting licensed and being played by major leaguers, tons of sports writers and other baseball enthusiasts is pretty remarkable. I think the game is more tailored now towards a MLB-centric experience over fictional and online leagues were never the priority, but again...there isn't a better supported baseball game out right now and there hasn't been in years.

[MizzouRah]

Starting up an MLB GM style game is never as easy as it is now. There are really no settings you need to change from the default setup unless you maybe want a different ratings scale.

There are also how to video tutorials. I think the game has never been more accessible to those who just prefer a real team/players MLB setup.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

Starting up an MLB GM style game is never as easy as it is now. There are really no settings you need to change from the default setup unless you maybe want a different ratings scale.

There are also how to video tutorials. I think the game has never been more accessible to those who just prefer a real team/players MLB setup.

I still think the settings section is a bit daunting for a newcomer. But I guess with something like Challenge Mode it makes it easier. I'm probably being too hard on the game in this area.

One minor nitpick with the rosters is I think they should be more aggressive in changing ratings (even if it's based on small sample sizes). There was a thread this year about Aaron Judge who isn't nearly the force in OOTP that he is in real life. Now the excuse is small sample size which is entirely correct. But again, a lot of people want to simulate what they see happening in real life.

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

I still think the settings section is a bit daunting for a newcomer. But I guess with something like Challenge Mode it makes it easier. I'm probably being too hard on the game in this area.

Yeah I'm playing challenge mode and you can't really even change many options.

[spleen1015]

I love baseball and I want to play a baseball text sim. Even with all of the flaws, nothing else even comes close to OOTP.

I can definitely see how a newcomer to the game would be intimidated by the amount of options, etc. I'm that way with FM so I won't play it.

[PilotMan]

Hey guys, I have a question on the player profiles, under salary history. What is the significance of the number under the # sign? I can't seem to find it anywhere or make any sense of it.

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

Hey guys, I have a question on the player profiles, under salary history. What is the significance of the number under the # sign? I can't seem to find it anywhere or make any sense of it.

Got a screenshot? I'm at work.

[Bobble]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

Hey guys, I have a question on the player profiles, under salary history. What is the significance of the number under the # sign? I can't seem to find it anywhere or make any sense of it.

I think that's the player's jersey number.

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by Bobble

I think that's the player's jersey number.

Yeah, that must be it. Thanks. For some reason, when I saw it initially that didn't click because a lot of the guys must have changed numbers and then later went for their 'preferred' number. I didn't know that was a thing in the game.

[Poli]

Been thinking of giving OOTP another run. I haven't bought it in about 7 years or so.

[MrBug708]

It'll be a lot different, so it's probably worth the plunge

[MizzouRah]

I'm in 2025 with the Cardinals, went to the World Series once and lost to the Red Sox. I signed Harper to a crazy contract in the 2018-19 offseason and now it's killing my payroll.



3D has really been improved and flows nicely for the most part. You can also shop multiple players now and specify want you want back in a trade (all/veterans/prospects/position specific).

[MrBug708]

Playing like the AI huh?