Baseball Sims! (Baseball Mogul and OOTP)

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tadashi: Feb 20, 2006

I usually play in commissioner mode just so I can easily make changes if I forget to change a setting when I start the game. I always turn off coaching and scouting and just set the game to use the actual ratings as the displayed ratings. I don't enjoy having to deal with that part of the game. I also turn off amateur draft bonuses because I find that part of the game boring. Since I know I can beat the AI at trading, I set the trading difficulty a level above the default and try to challenge myself a bit in solo leagues to only trade with teams where it would be reasonable. No team who is a serious contender would ever trade their best player in real life, for example. This makes the game a lot more challenging and means I can't always make it to the playoffs in the first season after starting with a bad team.

I'm more into playing historical seasons than starting with the current seasons since it helps me learn more about historical baseball players. OOTP doesn't always get the ratings right but at least it highlights players who had some good seasons and are worth taking note of.

tadashi fucked around with this message at 18:24 on Jul 14, 2014

# ? Jul 14, 2014 15:51

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# ? May 15, 2024 20:24

Empress Theonora: Feb 19, 2001; She was a sword glinting in the depths of night, a lance of light piercing the darkness. There would be no mistakes this time.

Generally I make elaborate fictional leagues (occasionally with the real MLB churning away in the background) and play as commissioner. I usually pick a team to manage and try to do well with, but I'm awful at trades and that's not really the point, anyway-- it's so see how some made-up baseball world develops.

It's like playing Crusader Kings II as a count or something, where a lot of the fun is seeing the history that happens even without your input.

# ? Jul 14, 2014 16:14

Allyn: Sep 4, 2007; I love Charlie from Busted!

OOTP14 is one whole dollar at Humble for the week: https://www.humblebundle.com/weekly

# ? Jul 17, 2014 19:46

triplexpac: Mar 24, 2007; Suck it
Two tears in a bucket
And then another thing
I'm not the one they'll try their luck with
Hit hard like brass knuckles
See your face through the turnbuckle dude
I got no love for you

Allyn posted:

OOTP14 is one whole dollar at Humble for the week: https://www.humblebundle.com/weekly

Nice, I just picked this up. I enjoyed iOOTP for a few months, looking forward to getting back into it.

I'm a pretty casual baseball fan though. Is there a recommended way to set up the game to not have to micromanage everything?

Basically I'd like to handle the top level stuff but don't really care to do the coaching.

# ? Jul 17, 2014 21:58

rujasu: Dec 19, 2013

You definitely don't have to do the coaching. You can just sim past every game (in fact I think most OOTP players do) and just handle the GM duties (trade players, sign FA's, hire coaches, etc.) There is a setting to have the game auto-manage the minors if you don't want to do tedious things like moving players from Single-A to AA. There's also a "quick-start" option to load up a standard MLB setup for the 2013 season. I haven't done single-player OOTP in quite a while so I don't remember exactly which buttons you have to select, but for the most part you'll find there are ways to let the AI do the busy work for you and just oversee things.

# ? Jul 17, 2014 22:09

Allyn: Sep 4, 2007; I love Charlie from Busted!

Apparently I forgot to mention in my post, but remember that OOTP14 is not the latest version (that's 15). But still, it's a dollar, so you can't really go wrong even if it is an old version :shobon:

# ? Jul 17, 2014 22:55

Quad: Dec 31, 2007; I've seen pogs you people wouldn't believe

I bought OOTP14 in a bundle today, question about single player:
If I start early, will the teams/leagues branch out historically, whenever new teams were historically made? Like if I start in 1976, will the league expand and magically contain the Mariners and Blue Jays when I get to 77? If so I want to start playing from the earliest year possible.

# ? Aug 16, 2014 05:13

Petanque: Apr 14, 2008; Ca va bien aller

Quad posted:

I bought OOTP14 in a bundle today, question about single player:
If I start early, will the teams/leagues branch out historically, whenever new teams were historically made? Like if I start in 1976, will the league expand and magically contain the Mariners and Blue Jays when I get to 77? If so I want to start playing from the earliest year possible.

You have the option to disable automatic expansion of historical leagues when you create them, IIRC. If you leave it on it will behave as you said, with expansion drafts occurring in the offseasons prior to the new teams joining.

# ? Aug 16, 2014 06:03

tadashi: Feb 20, 2006

If you like simulation baseball, the Super League has at least one more spot available for expansion teams: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3665821

Basically, you pick a set of feeders from historic teams and then build a 30 man roster from players on those teams. Simulations are run in Baseball Mogul but you don't need the game to play. If you like playing BBM or OOTP with historic teams, this is a fun league you will probably like. The initial setup is a little tough (but fun) and then you just submit lineup changes as necessary through the thread. There's a great site Baseball-Reference style devoted to tracking players in the SL created by some of the owners in the league and each sim features entertaining write-ups by the league runners.

# ? Sep 23, 2014 15:03

IcePhoenix: Sep 18, 2005; Take me to your Shida

I signed up, but I can't really make my team until after work. Hopefully nobody sneaks in ahead of me, looks fun.

# ? Sep 23, 2014 15:30

tadashi: Feb 20, 2006

IcePhoenix posted:

I signed up, but I can't really make my team until after work. Hopefully nobody sneaks in ahead of me, looks fun.

I don't think there's a rush at this point. It's a fun league. Take the advice at the top of the thread to heart. I find it easier to keep up with than OOTP leagues since I never survive long anyway.

# ? Sep 23, 2014 15:32

Empress Theonora: Feb 19, 2001; She was a sword glinting in the depths of night, a lance of light piercing the darkness. There would be no mistakes this time.

I'm thinking of starting a new game in an 1871 fictional league, but I can't think of an interesting set-up/gimmick/location to use so it's not just the MLB with dumber team names.

Also, in an OOTP fictional historical league, is there a way to cancel or cut short a season to model a player's strike, world war, or other baseball destroying historical disaster? (Or something that depletes the ranks of the players, like when everyone got drafted in WW2 and you get the 1944 World Series) Also, do things like that ever randomly occur on their own?

Empress Theonora fucked around with this message at 18:09 on Sep 30, 2014

# ? Sep 30, 2014 17:00

Moe_Rahn: Jun 1, 2006; I got a question
why they hatin' on me?
I ain't did nothin' to 'em
but count this money
and put my team on
got my whole clique stunnin'
boy wassup
yeeeeeaaaaaahhhh

designated "hitter"

In his entire professional career to date he has 391 hits and 482 walks, and I plan to ride this comedy train until the wheels fall off. The guy was a Texas League All-Star in 2042!

# ? Oct 23, 2014 01:35

uggy: Aug 6, 2006; Posting is SERIOUS BUSINESS
and I am completely joyless

Don't make me judge you

Hey everybody it's the best time of the year, when OOTP is 50 percent off because of the world series. I've bought each of the last four versions at this time of the year and I'm going to continue doing it now.

Buy this game!!

# ? Oct 23, 2014 01:50

Buane: Nov 28, 2005; When all are one and one is all
To be a rock and not to roll

Do you still play OOTP15? Have you recently stopped playing because you're bored, or because baseball is in the offseason? Are you tired of pounding the AI's brains in with easy trades and free agent steals? Do you impose house rules designed to handicap yourself and make it harder to compete against the AI?

Well, maybe you need an Online League in your life!

Last time I came around looking for interest to fill some empty spots in my online league, we were sadly still on the previous OOTP version. Well, good news is, we're about to upgrade to OOTP15, and the $20 price tag means even if you DON'T own the latest version it's a perfect time to take the plunge. I promise you, you'll get at least $20 of enjoyment out of it.

So on the with the sales pitch:

I started the Rising Star League back in 2008, running OOTP...nine?...at the time. Since then we've chugged along through season after season, covering five versions of the game. We're about to put the finishing touches on our 30th online season, achieved in just a little over those 6 real-time years.

New to online leagues and wondering what your time commitment would be? Well, it's really up to you. During the regular season we simulate one week's worth of games every Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. That's a month of games every real-time week. During playoffs/offseason the schedule accelerates a bit, but just to keep things moving along. At the minimum, you can put in your 5 minutes of effort every couple days to check in on your team's progress, take care of your roster, and go on your merry way. Or you can put in as much time as you'd like tinkering, maneuvering your minor leagues, talking trades, checking out the league history, etc. - I know from first-hand experience that there's enough to keep you busy for hours a day, even when no games are being simmed.

The league itself will be pretty recognizable if you have any baseball experience at all, since it's very close in philosophy to real-world MLB. 162 games per season, 5 man rotations, that sort of thing. We do a couple non-standard things as a result of some league nip/tuck here and there over the years, but nothing major. This is just a regular baseball league.

For you OOTP vets, there's only a couple notable league-specific to mention. First is that this is a Potential Only league, meaning that 'current' talent ratings are hidden. Second, we play with coaching and scouting turned off, since we find it more fun to act as your own scouting/personnel department rather than be making decisions based off the game's RNG.

Anyway, that about sums up the league from a high level snapshot point of view. From time to time, we snobbish online leaguers grow frustrated with OOTP's lack of innovation from version to version and try to skip a version entirely (gently caress you OOTP12). I think we were leaning in that direction with OOTP15 but unfortunately there are enough open spots in the league currently that I feel we need to be on the latest version to grab some new blood.

We have open teams that would suit people of all skill levels and team preferences. Want to take over a team in good shape that gives you some leeway if you make some rookie mistakes? Check. Want to take over the worst team in league history with no record of success that you can mold into a winner? Got you covered. Never played an OOTP online league before? People like you are usually the most active & loyal participants, don't hesitate to let me know you're interested, I can walk you through the very easy initial setup.

We have a few goons who have been longtime members, and others who have had brief stints. So if you like OOTP but want to take it to the next level, let me know you're interested! Shoot me a PM, reply here in thread, whatever.

# ? Nov 12, 2014 16:20

rujasu: Dec 19, 2013

Ugh, I just can't see buying another new version of OOTP that adds basically nothing interesting that wasn't in the last version. Even for $20, meh.

Rising Star League is pretty badass though and you should definitely join it if you have OOTP15.

# ? Nov 12, 2014 22:03

Kyyrewyyoae: Jul 20, 2007; Vae debilibus!

Buane posted:

We have a few goons who have been longtime members, and others who have had brief stints. So if you like OOTP but want to take it to the next level, let me know you're interested! Shoot me a PM, reply here in thread, whatever.

I'm interested and I have OOTP15. I haven't played in an online league before, and I'm no expert, but it sounds like fun. Don't have PMs, but my email is my username at gmail.com.

# ? Nov 13, 2014 02:34

Buane: Nov 28, 2005; When all are one and one is all
To be a rock and not to roll

Kyyrewyyoae posted:

I'm interested and I have OOTP15. I haven't played in an online league before, and I'm no expert, but it sounds like fun. Don't have PMs, but my email is my username at gmail.com.

I'll drop you a line with some of the league specifics today, let you choose one of the open teams and then we'll go from there. Couple open teams spoken for so far.

Still a free spot or two remaining, if anybody else is interested! Now is definitely the best time to get in and join, we're concluding the League Championship in the next 48 hours, and then it'll be the start of the offseason. Getting in on the ground floor of the draft & free agency is a good idea!

# ? Nov 13, 2014 15:01

Buane: Nov 28, 2005; When all are one and one is all
To be a rock and not to roll

One team left! Last bump as I look to fill our last remaining spot!

# ? Nov 19, 2014 02:00

tadashi: Feb 20, 2006

Buane posted:

One team left! Last bump as I look to fill our last remaining spot!

This was one of the best teams in the league last year and a good entry point. They just lost some players to free agency but the next owner has a ton of money to spend and a pretty good core of players.

# ? Nov 20, 2014 15:55

IcePhoenix: Sep 18, 2005; Take me to your Shida

I just got an e-mail hyping OOTP 16 pre-orders and stuff, including the list of new stuff.

quote:

Here are the new and revamped features you'll find in OOTP 16. As in past years, more surprise features will be added as we get closer to shipping.

2015 Opening Day Rosters
Our brand new 2015 roster sets include all Opening Day MLB rosters, as well as the complete minor league system down to the rookie leagues. All major league (and certain minor league) player ratings are based on Baseball Prospectus' industry-leading player forecasting system, PECOTA. The thousands of remaining minor league players are carefully rated by hand by our established research team.

Will San Diego's offseason frenzy pay dividends? Is this finally the year the Blue Jays return to the top of the American League East? Find out for yourself!

New International and Independent Leagues Added
Last year, we introduced 7 international leagues in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Mexico, Cuba, Italy and The Netherlands. This year, we added the Australian Baseball League to that list, along with several independent leagues in the US and Japan. All of those leagues feature real rosters, of course, with countless hours of work invested in researching realistic bio info, statistics and ratings for thousands of real players.

New Team Owner Goals
Real-life GMs may not want smarter owners, but we think you'll appreciate your new team owner, who won't just tell you to go out there and win as many games as you can. Now he'll give you short- and long-term goals, which may include: winning the World Series within X seasons; fixing a certain weakness on your roster; extending the contract of a star player; and much more. Your ability to meet those goals not only decides if you'll be fired but also determines if your contract will be extended at a higher salary, which is another new feature this year.

Improved Team Finances and Reporting
We have redesigned large chunks of the team finance system, including new season ticket sales, a team finances screen based on widgets, a new accounting screen, and much more. You'll be better at the money-related part of your job than ever before. On top of that, we have recoded and improved the entire AI related to finances, resulting in more realistic player contracts and negotiations and more stable long-term team finances.

Completely Redesigned Manager and Coaches System
One of our favorite new features this year is the redesigned coaching model. Managers and coaches now have certain personalities and special skills or preferences, which will result in plenty of interesting choices. Do you want the manager of your team (if you decide to play GM-only) to be an easy-going stathead, or do you need a veteran hard-nosed manager who is able to cope with the disgruntled players in the clubhouse? Do you want a pitching coach who is an expert in working with power pitchers, or is your staff based more on control artists who could benefit from a coach who knows how to work with finesse pitchers?

Recoded Team Strategy System
You spoke and we listened: We agreed that setting your team's in-game strategy was a tedious task, so we've completely redesigned that part of the game. Now you can quickly set your preferred strategies and move on to more important matters. Beware, though: If you play GM-only, you'll find that some managers won't let you dictate certain strategies.

Better Playoff Coverage
The race for playoff berths is the most exciting part of every baseball season, so we added a new Pennant Chase screen that displays the strength of the remaining schedule and the chance for each team to make the playoffs. We also improved the related news coverage. Who will win it all?

Improved 3D Ball Flight
Last year we introduced support for 3D stadiums and realistic 3D ball flight, which was a big step-up for the series. OOTP 16 improves on that 3D presentation and includes great-looking 3D models of all 30 MLB ballparks.

Much More
Of course, that's not all. Every year we offer many smaller features, and OOTP 16 is no exception. It includes:

New play modes (Manager only, GM only, and GM + Manager), so you can decide exactly how you'd like to run your team
An improved simulation engine that incorporates the latest research and trends, such as infield shifts and pitcher usage
Rainouts with automatic rescheduling, adding the realism that comes with rain-shortened and cancelled games. Is your bullpen strong enough to handle those late-season double-headers?
Better in-game sound
An enhanced interface, such as a player info pop-up when resting the mouse pointer over a button which links to a player, or automatic syncing between lineups and depth charts when making changes to either of them.
A great new Find-A-Player feature: Define certain criteria (ratings, stats, salary etc.) and find exactly the player you were looking for
Recoded All-Star Game features with real voting (including online league support)
Realistic OOTP Hall of Fame selection process, including simulated voting and new stats like JAWS, HoF Standards, Black & Grey Ink Tests
More player awards, for example Most Valuable Player, Playoff Series MVPs, best hitters by position and Reliever of the Year
Better playoff history tracking, including career playoff stats for all real players in the database and playoff leaderboards
Alternate currencies (Euro, Pounds Sterling, Yen, etc.)
The option to define background pictures for teams and leagues
Much more

I was really thinking of skipping this year but man, a lot of things that bothered me in the past are getting changed/fixed...

IcePhoenix fucked around with this message at 22:14 on Jan 23, 2015

# ? Jan 23, 2015 22:11

rujasu: Dec 19, 2013

Definitely sounds interesting. Also, they're apparently going to be MLB and MiLB licensed this year. Not sure if that will have a positive, negative, or negligible impact on the game. They don't have a deal with the Player's Association, so you won't see likenesses of the players, but that may be for the better considering the problems that has caused for the console MLB games (Jon Dowd instead of Barry Bonds, prospects being missing, etc.)

# ? Jan 23, 2015 22:59

algebra testes: Mar 5, 2011; Lipstick Apathy

rujasu posted:

Definitely sounds interesting. Also, they're apparently going to be MLB and MiLB licensed this year. Not sure if that will have a positive, negative, or negligible impact on the game. They don't have a deal with the Player's Association, so you won't see likenesses of the players, but that may be for the better considering the problems that has caused for the console MLB games (Jon Dowd instead of Barry Bonds, prospects being missing, etc.)

I think it means that they can ship the default start with logos with the game, and I'm pretty sure we all use logos, don't we? So that'd be nice and helpful. I'm not sure if MLB is going to promote OOTP like they promote all the other dumb rear end baseball games but if they do that'd be really awesome for OOTP I'd bet.

# ? Jan 24, 2015 01:55

rujasu: Dec 19, 2013

Yeah, it mainly means they get to include the team names, logos, award names, etc. with the game so you don't have to download a mod for that stuff.

# ? Jan 24, 2015 04:15

tadashi: Feb 20, 2006

IcePhoenix posted:

I just got an e-mail hyping OOTP 16 pre-orders and stuff, including the list of new stuff.

I was really thinking of skipping this year but man, a lot of things that bothered me in the past are getting changed/fixed...

They're actually making the ownership and coaching a relevant portion of the game to play in solo mode in a way that feels more transparent. If/when I get this version, I'm definitely going to give that a try. I haven't used coaches or scouts in a solo league since OOTP 11.

# ? Jan 29, 2015 15:20

Armitage: Aug 16, 2005; "Mathman's not here." "Oh? Where is he?" "He's in the Mathroom."

I was ready to finish up my 2033 campaign in my long running solo play historical OOTP game when I noticed the Nationals had a pitcher that was 0-21 with a month to go.

He left a game holding a 4-1 lead on the first place Phillies when the bullpen blew it for him. Next time out against my Mets, and of course the Mets would be the ones that got him the win. The pen almost blew that one too, but they were able to close out a 6-5 win.

I'd be somewhat miffed if we weren't rebuilding.

# ? Jan 30, 2015 13:36

Dick Trauma: Nov 30, 2007; God damn it, you've got to be kind.

That guy's like a one man '88 Orioles.

# ? Jan 30, 2015 15:52

tadashi: Feb 20, 2006

Armitage posted:

I was ready to finish up my 2033 campaign in my long running solo play historical OOTP game when I noticed the Nationals had a pitcher that was 0-21 with a month to go.

He left a game holding a 4-1 lead on the first place Phillies when the bullpen blew it for him. Next time out against my Mets, and of course the Mets would be the ones that got him the win. The pen almost blew that one too, but they were able to close out a 6-5 win.

I'd be somewhat miffed if we weren't rebuilding.

That's impressive. What are the chances he'll beat Anthony Young's 3-30 over a 2 season span?

# ? Feb 4, 2015 21:14

Armitage: Aug 16, 2005; "Mathman's not here." "Oh? Where is he?" "He's in the Mathroom."

tadashi posted:

That's impressive. What are the chances he'll beat Anthony Young's 3-30 over a 2 season span?

I'm starting 2034. The Nats punted him to AAA

# ? Feb 5, 2015 22:40

Empress Theonora: Feb 19, 2001; She was a sword glinting in the depths of night, a lance of light piercing the darkness. There would be no mistakes this time.

If I want my fictional league to miss a season because of a player's strike, what's the best way to set that up?

EDIT: lmao I asked this same question on this page, didn't I? Oh well, I'm still trying to figure it out.

Empress Theonora fucked around with this message at 17:58 on Feb 10, 2015

# ? Feb 10, 2015 17:34

tadashi: Feb 20, 2006

I guess Curt Schilling told John Henry about OOTP or something because he's the latest "celebrity" endorsement: http://blog.ootpdevelopments.com/red-sox-principal-owner-john-henry/

# ? Feb 12, 2015 17:56

Infidel Castro: Jun 8, 2010; Again and again
Your face reminds me of a bleak future
Despite the absence of hope
I give you this sacrifice

tadashi posted:

I guess Curt Schilling told John Henry about OOTP or something because he's the latest "celebrity" endorsement: http://blog.ootpdevelopments.com/red-sox-principal-owner-john-henry/

Too bad nobody told Schilling about Game Dev Tycoon. He probably could have picked up a pointer or two.

And like always, I preorder OOTP16 (aka Minnesota Twins Rebuilding Simulator 2015) like a sucker.

Infidel Castro fucked around with this message at 03:14 on Feb 13, 2015

# ? Feb 13, 2015 03:09

Dick Trauma: Nov 30, 2007; God damn it, you've got to be kind.

Just sneak Kent Hrbek in there somewhere.

# ? Feb 13, 2015 03:25

IcePhoenix: Sep 18, 2005; Take me to your Shida

Infidel Castro posted:

Too bad nobody told Schilling about Game Dev Tycoon. He probably could have picked up a pointer or two.

And like always, I preorder OOTP16 (aka Minnesota Twins Rebuilding Simulator 2015) like a sucker.

How to rebuild the Minnesota Twins: a simple guide

step one: try your best to trade away lovely contracts (note: this does not include Joe Mauer you stupid sheep)
step two: lol you don't have to do anything else our farm is loaded

# ? Feb 13, 2015 06:25

Infidel Castro: Jun 8, 2010; Again and again
Your face reminds me of a bleak future
Despite the absence of hope
I give you this sacrifice

IcePhoenix posted:

How to rebuild the Minnesota Twins: a simple guide

step one: try your best to trade away lovely contracts (note: this does not include Joe Mauer you stupid sheep)
step two: lol you don't have to do anything else our farm is loaded

Pitching depth still sucks. I don't recall a game where Meyer, May, or Gibson really own out. Last year I would up trading for Cashner, Paxton and de Grom because the rotation was so bad.

Last year I also signed Rusney Castillo at $8m/year and all he did was win ROY hitting .300 with 40 HR. :smug:

This year I may have to go with Milwaukee for a challenge.

Infidel Castro fucked around with this message at 18:42 on Mar 1, 2015

# ? Mar 1, 2015 18:38

IcePhoenix: Sep 18, 2005; Take me to your Shida

I got an e-mail this morning hyping the new GM-Only mode

quote:

Congratulations! You are the new General Manager of the Amsterdam Lions, one of the proud franchises comprising the Planetary Extreme Baseball Alliance - the preeminent baseball league in all the land! That dream job you always wanted has sailed into harbor, and the ship is yours, sir. There's nothing stopping you from steering her as you see fit. Swindle your fellow GMs! Dictate game strategies! Ruthlessly cut dead weight players! Why, you can practically get away with murder when you're the big boss!

... And you would have gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for that meddling owner.

Under Pressure From Above ...

Paul L. Woodward is Unhappy. Yes, with a capital U. The vein creasing his forehead throbs in time with the metal spheres clicking back and forth in the Newton's Cradle sitting on his desk.

I asked just a few simple things of you. Extend 3B Takeshi Hayashi. Boost our attendance to boost my bottom line. Shape up the roster so we can pitch the Lions as legitimate playoff contenders next season. And please, try not to suck completely this season.
How many of these simple goals have you accomplished? Nada.

Oh, I'm sorry, did you say that you let Hayashi walk because he's 38 and needs a scooter to get around since undergoing that third knee surgery? Tough beans. His #42 jersey sold like Crocs in the aughts. How are we going to get more butts in the seats if you ditch our most popular player? I told you, I want another 4,000 concession buyers filling the park each game this year. Don't gawk at me-it wouldn't be hard if you can just give people a sense that we're building toward something here.

Mr. Woodward picks a baseball up from his desk. He begins tossing it into the air, catching it on the fall.

Look, I'm a reasonable guy. I realize you're only a few months on the job. Take your time. Amsterdam is all about The Long View. I want you to make the moves you need to make to finally get us back to the playoffs. Whatever you need to do, do it. I'm here to support you in any way.

What's that? You say we need to trade our MVP for prospects and begin a five-year rebuild that's going to require a total overhaul of our moribund farm system?

The baseball smacks down into Mr. Woodward's tightening palm. His fingernails seem to be tearing into the ball's seams.

Get out of my office.

... And From Below

Lions Manager John King leans back in his chair. He folds his hands behind his head and nods toward the piece of asphalt resting in a frame on his desk.

Know why they call me "The Highway"?

I'll tell you why they don't call me "The Highway." They don't call me that 'cause I let any wet-behind-the-ears GM waltz into my office and tell me how to manage a game. I got my own ideas on how to run a railroad.

Been in this game for 28 years, son. Seen everything there is to see. Even saw that robot replica of Morganna the Kissing Bandit smooch my right fielder when we played that exhibition in Tokyo. Wish I could un-see that one.

Don't get me wrong: I'm no Luddite. Some of this newfangled technology has its uses. Time was when I had to fiddle around for hours, laying out my game strategies. Now it's a snap to prepare for each game and let the coaches know how I want things done. And I have a very particular way of wanting things done.

You don't like the sacrifice bunt? That's too bad, because my team lays down bunts like Cornelius Vanderbilt laid down railroad tracks. Yeah, that's right: my team. You may supply the bats and the arms, but once they walk into the locker room, they're mine to manage as I see fit. Don't like the way I call a game? Well then, you know what you can hit?

Manager King leans forward in his chair. He taps the asphalt in its frame.

The highway.

It's a Bottom Line Business

Assistant GM Mike Robinson appears worried. The signs are subtle, if you failed Remedial Subtlety. He tugs his starched collar and mops his brow, which is starting to resemble a waterfall after a heavy thunderstorm.

We ... uh, we have a problem.

Season ticket sales are down almost 10%. People are angry over your proposed $2 ticket hike. I know we need the cash flow to get Mr. Woodward that power arm he's been on about, but the fans aren't buying in. We're getting all kinds of angry letters. Get a load of this one: "Paying more money to watch the Lions recast the national pastime into a Stooges-esque farce is as appealing a notion as sucking the roe from a still-writhing shad." I have no idea what that means, but it sounds negative to me.

Mr. Woodward relies on those advance season ticket sales when he starts drawing up next year's budgets. Now we have no safety net. I feel like Nik Wallenda walking a wire over Niagara Falls with no safety net. Did I tell you I hate heights?

It gets worse. Tracking just came in, and fan interest for the upcoming season ... yeah, it's ugly. We're looking at a possible 40% drop in per-game attendance. The bean counters tell me we're going to burn through Mr. Woodward's allotted cash reserve by season's end. Don't take my word for it, though: all the info's on the new Accounting tab. You may want to bite down on a stick before you have a look, though.

I'm telling you, it's going to be a bloodbath if we don't do something to spike season ticket sales, and fast. I dunno ... maybe we shouldn't have let Hayashi walk, after all.

Why are you looking at me like that?

GM or Manager � Play Your Way

For the first time ever, OOTP lets you select just the role for you. Want to focus on the game-to-game details and leave the business side of baseball behind? The manager role is for you. Let someone else build the roster; you'll find a way to turn it into a winner.

Maybe you find glory in signing the big free agent, swinging the big trade, and nailing that late-round steal in the draft. If so, you were born to play as a general manager. Make the big macro-level calls, but don't think you'll be able to push the skipper around when it comes to setting lineups and strategies ... he's bound to have his own ideas.

Of course, you can still play both roles if you like. Better yet, OOTP 16 introduces new levels of customized automation. Don't want to bother with the draft? Bored with setting budgets? Confused by those international amateurs clamoring for your attention? Turn those tasks-and any other you like-over to an AI more robust than ever before.

Expanded Roles, Expanded Identities

That new AI means no two coaches will coach alike. Need a light touch with the sensitive boys in the locker room? There's a manager for that. Is it time to break out the ruler and start slapping wrists? We've got you covered there, too. Don't forget to match skills with talent. A pitching coach who specializes in squeezing every drop of talent out of power pitchers won't do much for your rotation of noodle-tossers.

Characters bring fictional leagues to life, and OOTP 16 has more character than any previous iteration in this proud series. So go ahead, play the game your way. Build your world and your baseball empire in it. Just make sure to keep Mr. Woodward happy, and remember never to cross The Highway.

Is it Friday yet?

# ? Mar 16, 2015 14:38

tadashi: Feb 20, 2006

What's the deal with the free Steam key? Does that mean I basically get another free key for the game (tied to Steam) when I buy the game from OOTP?

# ? Mar 18, 2015 19:49

algebra testes: Mar 5, 2011; Lipstick Apathy

tadashi posted:

What's the deal with the free Steam key? Does that mean I basically get another free key for the game (tied to Steam) when I buy the game from OOTP?

it says "Additional" so that's what it sounds like

# ? Mar 19, 2015 01:05

IcePhoenix: Sep 18, 2005; Take me to your Shida

I got my download link in my e-mail this morning as I was leaving for work and now I can't play for another like seven hours

# ? Mar 20, 2015 14:55

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# ? May 15, 2024 20:24

Empress Theonora: Feb 19, 2001; She was a sword glinting in the depths of night, a lance of light piercing the darkness. There would be no mistakes this time.

This is the first time I've actually been in the middle of playing a league when an edition changeover happens. How painless is moving to a new version? Would I be better off just sticking with last year's version, or what?

# ? Mar 20, 2015 15:30

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Sports Argument Stadium > The Armchair Quarterback > Baseball Sims! (Baseball Mogul and OOTP)

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