[Le Grande Orange]

Warning: The following post contains biting sarcasm. Reader discretion is advised.

Originally Posted by lukasberger

Beyond that, it's very much worth mentioning that the specific details you're discussing were only revealed by the Can-Am in mid-January. [remainder snipped for brevity's sake]

Originally Posted by megamanmatt

LGO if you don't like how the league is setup don't use it. There is absolutely no reason and no call to threadjack a topic to push your own personal agenda. [remainder snipped for brevity's sake]

Originally Posted by frangipard

Am I the only one that read this and literally laughed out loud? I mean, to the point of someone else hearing me and asking what was so funny? [remainder snipped for brevity's sake]

That whooshing sound you heard was the point sailing over your heads.

As the first Road to Release article is out, let me offer a hypothetical news conference.

Q: So, fully complete rosters for every major league organization, real logos for all the major and minor league clubs, fully accurate 3D stadiums for every MLB team. That's an impressive attention to detail! So presumably all these included leagues have their proper respective playoff formats, yes?
A: *crickets chirping*
Q: Wait, am I to presume that a vast amount of time and effort was poured into getting a plethora of details right, yet leagues still do not have one of their most basic details, namely, which teams make the playoffs, how they match up, and when they play, accurately depicted?
A: *crickets chirping*
Q: The customizable playoffs featured was added way back in OOTP 9. We're now seven versions later, and there's been no improvement in that feature in all that time such that the basic league details as it pertains to their post-seasons can be accurately recreated?
A: *crickets chirping*
Q: The associations feature has been included in the game for a few versions now. There's been no improvement there either? In spite of the benefits it offers in regards to more accurately recreating certain basic league details?
A: *crickets chirping*

Rinse and repeat for a few other long(er)-standing features.

Admittedly the above is harsh, but it nonetheless illustrates the underlying point. Moreover, what some of the responses in this thread have amply demonstrated is the attitude as long as it's not my particular ox being gored, I don't care. But it's actually worse than that. It's not enough for those who aren't interested in a given feature aspect to simply disengage from a conversation since it has no bearing on them. No, they instead have to actively **** upon a feature aspect that has no bearing on them. I've seen this happen several times in the past (and this thread is another example). More worryingly, it seems to be something which is occurring more frequently.

There are plenty of folks who like to play in online leagues. It's not an area in which I'm involved. When those folks hold discussions as to what things they want to see that would make that aspect better for them, if I have a comment which may be pertinent I'll post it, but mostly I disengage from the conversation because it's not an area to which I have an interest. I'll let those folks into that area have their conversation. What I don't do is go in and take a steaming **** all over any ideas or concerns they have in regards to their preferred focus. I follow that same approach applies to playing out games, real-life rosters, or any other aspect which is not an area of interest to me. But, it seems, there are those who forgo that approach and eagerly and happily take a steaming **** over any idea, feature, concept, or proposal that does not fit into their particular game play/focus 'orthodoxy'. Burn the heretic at the stake!

As if that's not bad enough, there is a negative self-reinforcing cycle, a catch-22 which makes things even more problematic: Because only a few people use/care about a given feature it never gets improved. But the reason few people use/care about the given feature is because it hasn't been improved. How is one to break that cycle? That catch-22 will doom any feature, idea, or proposal caught within its trap. Throw in the pressure towards certain game play focuses and anything not within an accepted 'orthodoxy' will never see the light of day. I consider that an enormous shame as many potentially interesting things will be left by the wayside. Instead of an ever-broadening horizon, the result seems more towards a narrowing tunnel.

I'll never be able to wrap my mind around the cherry-picked focuses some folks round here have on what constitutes realism details that must be included. Enormous time and effort is poured into some small details yet others languish untouched for years, even though those details are every bit as fundamental as others lavished praise and attention. But they are outside the focus 'orthodoxy' so banishment it is. You are exiled from the realm under penalty of death!

I suppose I wouldn't care about it except I find it maddeningly frustrating in its seemingly almost arbitrary inconsistency. Couple that with the tendency towards active decrying of features by those who should be otherwise disinterested and disengaged and the result is a most unpleasant brew.

If this is the shape of things to come, it is not a future I welcome with open arms. Those so inclined may greet it with great fanfare but I will not be among them as I likely would have long since left for other shores.