OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post - The big push to get the WBC added to OOTP.

Caporegime · 07-13-2016, 05:26 AM

Okay guys, this is it. Next year has to be the year we finally get the WBC, or some other option that will at least enable us to create a similar exhibition, to OOTP. Why?...because it’s time. This is one of the last major features OOTP needs to reach its full potential as the ultimate baseball/MLB (Yes, the two are not mutually exclusive) sim.

Next year will be the fourth WBC played. No, the event doesn’t possess the same prestige, buzz, wow factor or social cachet enjoyed by the soccer World Cup and never will. However, with MLB actively seeking to increase its brand’s visibility internationally, and with a whopping 238 foreign-born players (27.5%) on major league rosters as of opening day 2016, I think it’s safe to assume that the WBC isn’t going anywhere. Indeed, as the game becomes more international, I would fully expect MLB to try and continue to expand the tournament and market it aggressively.

Yes, I know there are plenty of great arguments against adding the WBC to the game, not limited to the monumental amount of programing hours such a complex undertaking would require of Markus & co., not to mention all the other bolts under the hood that could use a little tightening first. However, like the old saying goes, nothing worth having is easy. Depending on how it’s implemented, this could allow us to play and enjoy OOTP in new and exciting ways by finally allowing us to use OOTP’s international database to its full potential. OOTP already allows us to create players and leagues in any nation in the world, but being able to pit those players against one another in a global tournament would, IMO, add a whole new dimension of fun and challenge to the game.

I’m no programmer, so I’m not going to sit here and pretend that Markus can magically wave his left hand and make a feature as complex as this one instantly appear in the game. Perhaps the only way he’ll be able to add the WBC to OOTP would be to make it a stand-alone feature, like the Historical Exhibition feature that was added to this year's edition. Then there’s the issue of licensing fees. The WBC is obviously an MLB property, and as we all know, MLB doesn’t give any of their licensed products away for free. Would Markus have to pay MLB and additional fee just to use the name ‘WBC’?

Either way, it will undoubtedly require a lot of work and other possible maneuverings to add this feature. Hopefully, if enough of us want the WBC (or some form of international play) added to OOTP next year, it will happen This is probably the OOTP equivalent of the moonshot. We have the technology; we have the captured German scientists (Sorry Markus & Andreas

); the question is: do we have the desire to get this done ? I hope we do, because this would really be a great feature that I think most of us would enjoy.

07-13-2016, 05:26 AM	#1
Caporegime All Star Starter Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: The Borough of Kings Posts: 1,714	The big push to get the WBC added to OOTP. Okay guys, this is it. Next year has to be the year we finally get the WBC, or some other option that will at least enable us to create a similar exhibition, to OOTP. Why?...because it’s time. This is one of the last major features OOTP needs to reach its full potential as the ultimate baseball/MLB (Yes, the two are not mutually exclusive) sim. Next year will be the fourth WBC played. No, the event doesn’t possess the same prestige, buzz, wow factor or social cachet enjoyed by the soccer World Cup and never will. However, with MLB actively seeking to increase its brand’s visibility internationally, and with a whopping 238 foreign-born players (27.5%) on major league rosters as of opening day 2016, I think it’s safe to assume that the WBC isn’t going anywhere. Indeed, as the game becomes more international, I would fully expect MLB to try and continue to expand the tournament and market it aggressively. Yes, I know there are plenty of great arguments against adding the WBC to the game, not limited to the monumental amount of programing hours such a complex undertaking would require of Markus & co., not to mention all the other bolts under the hood that could use a little tightening first. However, like the old saying goes, nothing worth having is easy. Depending on how it’s implemented, this could allow us to play and enjoy OOTP in new and exciting ways by finally allowing us to use OOTP’s international database to its full potential. OOTP already allows us to create players and leagues in any nation in the world, but being able to pit those players against one another in a global tournament would, IMO, add a whole new dimension of fun and challenge to the game. I’m no programmer, so I’m not going to sit here and pretend that Markus can magically wave his left hand and make a feature as complex as this one instantly appear in the game. Perhaps the only way he’ll be able to add the WBC to OOTP would be to make it a stand-alone feature, like the Historical Exhibition feature that was added to this year's edition. Then there’s the issue of licensing fees. The WBC is obviously an MLB property, and as we all know, MLB doesn’t give any of their licensed products away for free. Would Markus have to pay MLB and additional fee just to use the name ‘WBC’? Either way, it will undoubtedly require a lot of work and other possible maneuverings to add this feature. Hopefully, if enough of us want the WBC (or some form of international play) added to OOTP next year, it will happen This is probably the OOTP equivalent of the moonshot. We have the technology; we have the captured German scientists (Sorry Markus & Andreas ); the question is: do we have the desire to get this done ? I hope we do, because this would really be a great feature that I think most of us would enjoy. __________________ "If you don't know where you are going, you'll wind up someplace else." - Lawrence Peter Berra Last edited by Caporegime; 07-13-2016 at 05:52 AM.