I cannot say that I'd have done OOTP differently; I can say comfortably that I could not have done it at all. The growth of games and companies is an organic thing. This game has been 'alive' nearly as long as some of my employees. And every year I am consistently impressed with the quality of the game. Perhaps moreso, I am impressed by the focus on integrity that Markus and co. demonstrate every version.
I've bought many sims and many times found that these games offer features well in excess of what they can execute. The features are really neat, but the game itself is so easy to exploit that it has stopped being a simulation, and started being a... for lack of a better way of saying it, a slightly masturbatory platform for unrealistic winning and domination. Baseball Manager, Head Coach, Madden (yes, Madden doesn't sell itself as a simulation, just bear with me)... For me at least, the ability to butcher the computer wholesale is less appealing than having a game that successfully models the sport it purports to.
So for me, that OOTP spends every year focused on staying true to its number one goal, being an accurate and realistic baseball management sim, is exactly what I'm looking for. Every iteration is an improvement. To look Markus in the metaphorical face and say "yes, every version is better, but I want it to be better in my way, and not yours" is to totally miss the point. A game of this kind, that is this good... We are fortunate it even exists. To be anything other than respectfully grateful is to miss the chance to appreciate how blessed a situation we find ourselves in.
Things could always be better. But to focus on that means that you've missed out on the chance to be happy by realizing just how good they already are.
