iOOTP Baseball 2011 announced!

[Markus Heinsohn]

Hey guys!

We've just officially announced iOOTP Baseball 2011, our upcoming baseball management game for iOS devices (iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad). It is based on the OOTP 11/12 game engine and offers a lot of bang for the buck! The game will be released in April for a price of $4.99.

For more info and screenshots, please see our latest newsletter:
Slip the World Series in Your Pocket with iOOTP Baseball

We are very proud of this little gem, we're sure it will introduce a lot of new people to the great world of sports simulation games.

All the best,
Markus

[samifan24]

Very cool, Markus. Will this app be a universal release?

[Markus Heinsohn]

Originally Posted by samifan24

Very cool, Markus. Will this app be a universal release?

Not yet, it will run on the iPad scaled up, and it does look quite good (better than I expected). Once we have it released, we will focus on optimizing it for the iPad and then update it as a universal.

[samifan24]

Originally Posted by Markus Heinsohn

Not yet, it will run on the iPad scaled up, and it does look quite good (better than I expected). Once we have it released, we will focus on optimizing it for the iPad and then update it as a universal.

Ok, so, I'm sorry, but are you saying that this version will become universal later or the next version ('12) will be the first universal release?

[CleBrownsfan]

So awesome! Can't wait

[Markus Heinsohn]

Originally Posted by samifan24

Ok, so, I'm sorry, but are you saying that this version will become universal later or the next version ('12) will be the first universal release?

The plan is to make this version universal later on, and iOOTP 2012 to be universal from the start.

[samifan24]

Originally Posted by Markus Heinsohn

The plan is to make this version universal later on, and iOOTP 2012 to be universal from the start.

Thanks for the clarification

[Travis]

Very interested in this, thanks for the heads up.

[FrogMan]

this is interesting. Can't say I've ever played OOTP before but I'm always on my iPod Touch and FMHi has sucked a lot of my time in the recent weeks.

I'll keep my eyes open for it.

FM

[SegRat]

Very excited for this. I have only played ootp 8, but I am on my iPad a lot and as frogman said FMHi has received a lot of my time.

[Pyser]

i just got an ipad, so i want to clarify for a second just so i know whats what

if i buy this for my iphone, i can play it on the ipad too, yes?

but then if an ipad-optimized version comes out for the same game ('11), do i have to buy it again for the ipad? or is it "free" since i already paid for the iphone version?

thanks!

[Sebastian Palkowski]

Originally Posted by Pyser

i just got an ipad, so i want to clarify for a second just so i know whats what

if i buy this for my iphone, i can play it on the ipad too, yes?

but then if an ipad-optimized version comes out for the same game ('11), do i have to buy it again for the ipad? or is it "free" since i already paid for the iphone version?

thanks!

Yes, you can buy it now and play it on your iPhone and scaled on your iPad. After the release we will start to work on an HD version and update the app to universal. You don't have to buy the game again, you get the update for free.

[Raiders Army]

Sweet. I can't wait to get it.

[terpkristin]

Oooh looking forward to this one. I like FMHi, but it's too hard for me to play without wanting to use a notebook while I play to keep track of WTF is going on.

/tk

[FBPro]

Just got my iPhone a couple of weeks ago so can't wait.

[Sebastian Palkowski]

For everyone who is interested, I posted the first Road to Release article:

iOOTP Baseball 2011 - Road to Release Part One

It´s perfect to get an idea what to expect from our first mobile release.

Next article will be about simulating and managing games.

[Grammaticus]

Does universal mean it will be on android?

[Sebastian Palkowski]

Originally Posted by Grammaticus

Does universal mean it will be on android?

Sorry, at the moment we do not have an android version planed. We are just a small company and supporting another platform would be to much. But if iOOTP does well, we will certainly look into Andriod too.

[Terps]

Can you mod anything in the game? Player pictures, team logos, etc.?

[SegRat]

Originally Posted by Terps

Can you mod anything in the game? Player pictures, team logos, etc.?

That was asked on the ootp park boards and they said with a third party editor that it would be possible.

[stevew]

I would ideally buy this on my iPhone, which should make it available to download for free on my iPad, right?

[samifan24]

Originally Posted by stevew

I would ideally buy this on my iPhone, which should make it available to download for free on my iPad, right?

Yes, it will be a universal app so one purchase price = both versions, just not right away.

[Marc Vaughan]

Originally Posted by stevew

I would ideally buy this on my iPhone, which should make it available to download for free on my iPad, right?

If you purchase an item on iTunes you can install it on multiple devices that you own - so yes, purchase once and you can install on your iPhone and iPad.

(initially from what I understand it'll run as a sized up iPhone application on the iPad (same as FMHi does at the moment) - but eventually it'll turn into a universal application and support the iPad in HD)

[Schmidty]

So when is 12 coming out? I'm planning on preordering tomorrow for the discount, but I'm curious how long before it comes out.

[fantom1979]

Originally Posted by Schmidty

So when is 12 coming out? I'm planning on preordering tomorrow for the discount, but I'm curious how long before it comes out.

Last time I checked (last week) the beta testing hasn't started for OOTP 12, so I wouldn't expect it in April.

[Schmidty]

Originally Posted by fantom1979

Last time I checked (last week) the beta testing hasn't started for OOTP 12, so I wouldn't expect it in April.

Ah, ok. Guess I might have to pick up Puresim......although playing the free version seemed a bit bare. Very spartan.

[MizzouRah]

Late April, early May for OOTP 12 per Markus.

[Blackadar]

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

Late April, early May for OOTP 12 per Markus.

I know of two people this weekend that were looking for a good sports sim (one of 'em is me) and thought, "hey, let's check out OOTP". But since it wasn't released, the other guy bought FM and I decided to buy a wargame.

Still, I'll keep an eye out for OOTP 12. I haven't played one of his games in a number of years, but I remember they were pretty good.

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by Blackadar

I know of two people this weekend that were looking for a good sports sim (one of 'em is me) and thought, "hey, let's check out OOTP". But since it wasn't released, the other guy bought FM and I decided to buy a wargame.

Still, I'll keep an eye out for OOTP 12. I haven't played one of his games in a number of years, but I remember they were pretty good.

I've read ootp 11 was $7.99 at best buy.. definitely worth the purchase.

IMHO, ootp 11 is the best in the series.. I'm in my 5th season and play it just about every day.

[Sebastian Palkowski]

We just released our second Road to Release article:

Welcome back to the Road to Release for iOOTP Baseball 2011, a portable version of Out of the Park Baseball planned for late April release on iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. In the first installment, I started a new 2011 season and took over the Boston Red Sox. I showed you around the game and set up my team in preparation for Opening Day. Today, I will begin my season and play out the first game in Texas.

The real Boston Red Sox lost their first 3 games in Texas, so let’s see if I can guide my Red Sox to a better start.

Above is the Home Screen from last time. As you can see, my first game is tomorrow, so I just tap "Finish Today" on the right side.

The game simulates the day and now I, one day later, I have the option to play out my game.

After tapping "Play at Texas," I come to a screen where I can set some options. I could let the CPU handle parts (or all) of my job, I can decide between full Play by Play (PbP) detail or just one line describing the play, and I can set how fast the text should be presented.

I want to make all my own managerial decisions, so I leave those settings on the defaults. I do the same with the PbP detail. The Play by Play database in iOOTP Baseball 2011 is rich and varied, so it’s a lot of fun to follow the detailed descriptions while managing my club. It’s like listening to a radio or TV announcer call the action.

Next, the starters for today's game:

For me, lefty Jon Lester takes the mound against Brandon Webb.

On the last screen I get to set my lineup:

I prepared the lineup during my last article, so I can just move on to the game. iOOTP uses the preset lineups you created before the season starts, but sometimes you might want to shuffle your players if you want to give someone the day off or if you’re looking to shake a sleepy offense out of its doldrums.

Now it’s time to play ball!

Now let's take a look around the game screen. On top you always see the most important information: the score, base runners, outs, and the inning. The bottom bar has all the buttons necessary to play out a game:

Quickplay lets you jump ahead a half inning or an inning, or you can just finish the game.

Swing (it reads Pitch when you’re on defense) starts the at-bat; with my first batter up and the bases empty, I’ll tap it to get the action started.
Strategies gives you such options as steal a base or put on a hit-and-run, and the baseball field icon lets you switch to different views. We’ll get to those buttons in a moment.

That's the first part of the Play by Play text, giving you some basic information about the game. Then Ellsbury leads off with …

... a line drive single to right, and my leadoff man is on base!

Take a look at the new situation: Ellsbury on first base, Pedroia at bat. Ellsbury is fast and a good base stealer (Speed 20, Stealing 20) and the Texas catcher has only an average arm (Catcher Arm 9). See the screenshot:

Let me show you more options you have: the middle part of the screen is used to display different views you can switch between. The default is the Field View, on which you can see the batter, pitcher, defense and base runner, with the most important ratings displayed. Long-time OOTP players will recognize this view.

I want to put pressure on the pitcher early and try to steal second base, but first I want to check the pitcher’s ability to hold runners. To do so, I switch the view to Batter/Pitcher by tapping the baseball field icon at the bottom of the screen and selecting that option.

Note that this menu also lets you view the team rosters, the scoreboard and next three batters due up, the in-progress box score, and basic information about both teams (the number of available pinch hitters and pitchers, as well as basic team stats). From Field View, you can tap any player’s name and see basic information about him, including his biographical details, ratings overview, and stats from the past three seasons.

However, you’ll want to use the Batter/Pitcher screen to see more in-depth ratings for both players, which will give you better information for making decisions.

As you can see, Webb has a Hold rating of 9, which is average. I will take my chances. To order the base runner to try a steal, I switch back to Field View (you can use any view you want when executing decisions; I just use the Field View most of the time) and tap Strategies:

You can see the different options you have above. I tap Steal 2nd Base ...

... and Ellsbury is out at second base. Texas had a feeling I might try that, so they called for a pitch-out, which gave their catcher with an average arm a much better chance at throwing out Ellsbury, despite his speed. Now I have one out and Pedroia is still at bat.

I will finish my offensive half inning and welcome you back when Boston takes the field ...

As you can see, nothing more happened: after Ellsbury was caught stealing, Webb retired the next two batters. Now Lester is on the mound, so let’s check out your options on defense. In iOOTP Baseball 2011, you can set your defense separately for the infield ...

and the outfield ...

You can position your defense according to the current situation. Is it a close game with a runner on third? Bring the infield and outfield in to defend against the run at home plate. Are you facing bases loaded with one out? Set your infield at normal depth for your best shot at a double play. Have a hunch that the next batter will try to lay down a sacrifice bunt? Bring in your first or third baseman, or both of them.

Those are the basics of managing, so I’ll continue my game and check back in when it’s done…

Wow, what a game! I took an early 1-run lead in the second inning, but Texas came back in the 4th with 2 runs and added another in the 8th inning. Up by 2 runs in the top of the ninth inning, Texas brought O`Day in to close the game, but my batters got the best of him and I was able to score 3 runs to take the lead! Looking to seal a stunning come-from-behind victory in the bottom of the ninth, I brought in my closer, Papelbon, to finish the game and he delivered a strong 1-2-3 inning with 2 strikeouts. Take a look at the box score, which scrolls so you can view all the information:

Part 2:

Part 3:

That was a nice way to start the season: an exciting Opening Day victory that should provide some nice momentum.

That`s it for today. You now have a good idea how to manage games in iOOTP Baseball 2011. Next time I will set up my team to allow me to simulate games without handling the managing, which is useful if you want to quickly get through chunks of the season. Then I will simulate a few weeks and show you all the player, team, and league information at your fingertips as you undertake that marathon known as the baseball season.

[Marmel]

Nice preview. I am really looking forward to this.

[CleBrownsfan]

Awesome stuff there... this will for sure get a lot of playing time on my iPhone. Is it safe to play while driving??

[Ksyrup]

As long as you don't text the results to anyone - yes.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Really nice. Definitely going to buy this app.

[fantom1979]

That Texas manager had a pretty slow hook to allow the middle reliever to give up a hit and 4 walks while blowing the game.

[Ksyrup]

My guess is the Rangers are set up with Feliz starting in that league (default rosters set up that way?). That wasn't a middle reliever situation, that was the closer situation. That was the top of the 9th.

Also, if Brandon Webb is healthy in the game AND Feliz is starting, the Rangers aren't going to look much like they do IRL.

[fantom1979]

Ah, good point, that would be a closing situation. He would probably be given some leeway then. I would have pulled the pitcher by then, but I don't expect the AI to be me. I am sure there have been closers in MLB to put up a similar stat line. It just caught my eye.

[MizzouRah]

Can we get some ootp 12 screen shots? :P

[Sebastian Palkowski]

Originally Posted by fantom1979

Ah, good point, that would be a closing situation. He would probably be given some leeway then. I would have pulled the pitcher by then, but I don't expect the AI to be me. I am sure there have been closers in MLB to put up a similar stat line. It just caught my eye.

The rosters are not final. That's probably the reason my beloved Redsox do better in iOOTP then in real life.

[Sebastian Palkowski]

Welcome back to the Road to Release for iOOTP, a portable version of our acclaimed baseball sim. Let’s recap the first two installments:

I took over the Boston Red Sox to play the 2011 season and beyond. In the first article I showed you around the game, tweaked my game settings, and set up my team in preparation of Opening Day. In the second entry, I played out my first game of the season against the Texas Rangers and showed you the in-game part of iOOTP Baseball 2011.

Today, I want to continue the season and show you how to simulate games without your direct involvement.

The season marches forward on the Manager Home Screen, as shown above. You have two options for advancing your campaign: one day at a time or a week at a clip.

But when you simulate a game, how can you influence it? The game will be managed by your assistant coach (the computer), but you have many ways to give the computer guidance, beginning with setting your lineups, bullpen, and starting rotation. The computer will make decisions based on those settings. I previously showed you how to setup your lineup and pitching (Road to Release - Part 1), so I will focus on your additional possibilities.

First, you have your Depth Charts:

You use this screen to set a starter and utility player for each position, along with how often the utility player will get to start. For example, as you can see in the screenshot above, I have Varitek set as the utility catcher for starter Saltalamacchia and instructed the CPU to let him start every 3rd game (it’s not a bad idea to do this for your catcher as the position is very tough to play and you want him to stay healthy during a long season).

All other utility players are instructed to get into the starting lineup whenever the starter is tired. As you can see, I have Lowrie as a utility player for 2B, 3B and SS, so he will get the start whenever one of the starters needs a day off. A guy who can play a lot of defensive positions is always worthwhile because you are only allowed to have 25 men on your active roster, so Lowrie gives me some flexibility.

You can set your Depth Charts for four different scenarios: vs. RHP, vs. RHP+DH, vs. LHP and vs. LHP+DH. For example, if you have a lefty and a righty platooning at a position, you can have the former start against RHP and the latter go up against LHP.

Next, you can set game strategies according to the players you have available and the style of play you want the computer to use.

On the screenshot above you see the offensive strategies available. Please keep in mind that you only need to set these strategies when you simulate games; if you manage games yourself, then you make those decisions during the game (Road to Release - Part 2).

This lets you decide how often the computer should give a green light to players for stealing, how aggressive your base runners should be on the base paths, how often you want to try a hit and run, and how often players should attempt a sacrifice bunt.

While these settings are for the team’s overall approach, the computer will still take the player and situation into account. For example, even if you have base stealing set at maximum, David Ortiz will still not steal many bases.
So you can get a good look at all available strategies, here are more screenshots:

Pitching:

Defense:

Substitutions:

One last thing you should check out is on a screen you already know, the pitching staff screen:

I set up my staff last time, but when I simulate games it is important to set the roles for each pitcher on the roster. As you can see, I elected a traditional 5-man rotation and I defined my Middle Relievers, Setup and Closer. When I start simulating, the computer will take always the next starter for each game. Then, during the game, based on the situation, the CPU will bring in relievers as I defined them, so, for example, with a close lead it would bring in Bard to set up Papelbon, who would get the call in the 9th to close out the game.

If you want even more control over your pitching, you can set the rotation mode: with Strict it will always move through the rotation in order (you can change the rotation size from 5 to something smaller, which you will want to do for the playoffs) and then back to the number one starter. With Highest Rested, it will skip the last (usually the weakest) starter whenever your team has an off day and your number one starter can start on normal rest.

After I create all my settings, I go back to the Manager Home screen. Now I can get the season rolling.

I will use the Finish Today option first.

I won again. As you can see, all the key information is presented on this screen: I won 4-3 in Texas and I'm now 2-0 and in first place. By tapping the blue link where the score is, I can open the box score of that game.

It went extra innings, but it’s still another one for the W column. Since my team settings are humming along smoothly, I will now continue with my second option, Finish Week.

As iOOTP simulates the season, you can still watch your team’s progress.

After the week is finished, I take a look at the new situation.

A 7-2 record, not bad. But I'm only in 3rd place, so let's take a look at the standings. For that, I tap League Info:

Here you can get all the information about your league. I choose Standings first.

Baltimore and Toronto are in front of me, both with a 8-1 record. That's nothing I'm afraid of. And the Yankees are behind me — that's something I want to see until the end of the season.

Beside the division standings, you can also check the Wild Card standings, but this early in the season they’re not really interesting.

If you are interested in the games you (or other teams) played during the simulated time, you can check out the schedule.

Beside the scores, you can take a look at any box score you are interested in. If you are only interested in your games, then the team schedule is a better place to look.

But that is not all. You can also get in-depth statistics, something all baseball fans love to sift through.

Batting:

Pitching:

Defense:

Not enough? Then let’s check out the League Leaders for Batting (a total of 16 categories):

and Pitching (14 categories):

Still not enough? We know, baseball is all about the statistics and we put in a lot of stats. So for each player, iOOTP tracks a lot of stats, both the actual season and his career.

First, you get an overview of his last 3 years and his actual season for the most common statistics on his profile page:

Then you can go to his Stats page by tapping View and tapping the Stats button on the pop-up screen:

His basics stats here cover his whole career. They are even split by teams in case he was traded mid-season!

Tap the dropdown at the top and select Expanded Statistics to view even more batting stats.

That dropdown also has a Split Statistics option for a few split stats (vs. LHP and vs. RHP) and playoff stats.

You get the same detailed stats for Pitching and Fielding.

So now you know how to set up your team when you want to simulate games and how to tap into the wealth of information you can get about the league, your team and your players. But iOOTP Baseball 2011 is not only about stats. The game is also about a living world that unfolds with every week you play, with every season you continue into your career. You will see young players get drafted and begin their careers, you will see records get broken, and you will even see players get elected to the Hall of Fame. Just to give you a small hint of the exciting things happening in iOOTP, here is a final screenshot from the League News screen.

Just six news headlines in my young season, but you can already see how the world of iOOTP evolves as you guide your team.

That’s it for today. Next time I will show you more from the League News screen, simulate the season to the end, and make a few tough decisions regarding trades, injuries, and contract signings. And then there’s the most important question of all: Will I make the playoffs?

[MizzouRah]

I'm not going to say this again.. OOTP 12 screenshots!

[CleBrownsfan]

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

I'm not going to say this again.. OOTP 12 screenshots!

but iOOTP does look pretty sweet

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by CleBrownsfan

but iOOTP does look pretty sweet

If I ever get an ipad, I'm sure I'll purchase.

[Arles]

Has the release date been announced? I can't wait to fire this up on my new iPAD2

[Sebastian Palkowski]

Originally Posted by Arles

Has the release date been announced? I can't wait to fire this up on my new iPAD2

We aim for a late April release. We are in the final stages of testing.

[JPhillips]

I'd buy OOTP 6.5 optimized for IPad right now.

[MikeVic]

Haven't clicked in this thread before, but with baseball starting it lured me in. Count me as excited for this as well. I'd pay $4.99 just to try it out and support development. I know I didn't really get along with OOTP before because I was used to the simple Baseball Mogul (OOTP required too much of my time). But I'll try this one out!

[stevew]

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

I'm not going to say this again.. OOTP 12 screenshots!

wrong thread.

[Sebastian Palkowski]

Originally Posted by MikeVic

Haven't clicked in this thread before, but with baseball starting it lured me in. Count me as excited for this as well. I'd pay $4.99 just to try it out and support development. I know I didn't really get along with OOTP before because I was used to the simple Baseball Mogul (OOTP required too much of my time). But I'll try this one out!

Then iOOTP is perfect for you. You can do a lot of stuff with the game but it is much easier to learn and use as it is strip down to the most important things a GM has to do. And the best thing? You can take the game with you and play it whenever you have a few minutes to kill.

[Sebastian Palkowski]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

I'd buy OOTP 6.5 optimized for IPad right now.

To be honest, I see iOOTP go into exactly that direction. I think the 2011 version, our first release, is a great basis to build onto. We have a lot of great ideas to add in updates and later versions.