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I love everything about the game from the GM up. It's a terrific sim. The best BB sim ever, by a wide margin.
But I don't love the play-by-play management because none of the little sim players know how to play the game (and I think the 3D modelling is hurting, not helping, in a lot of cases).
Examples:
Outfielders routinely air-mailing long throws to the catcher, but baserunners never take advantage to grab an extra base. Guys on second not tagging up on balls hit deep to right. The infield (70 range 2B) playing deep and balls hit beside (not over) the mound routinely make it to the outfield. The cutoff man (when the OF bothers to hit him) getting the throw with a runner just barely past third and then standing around with the ball as the runner goes another 80 feet to score.
A lot of these weren't issues before the 3D because if the text said the throw goes to the cutoff man but the runner scores without a play at the plate you would assume he was almost home before the SS caught the ball, not still rounding third. You couldn't see the 2B standing stock still on the OF grass as the grounder dribbled past him for a hit.
I get it: It's all because there's this fabulously complicated statistical engine driving the play behind the scenes and the batter is destined to get a hit, but when the play-by-play process renders it, it comes out wrong.
Or the last game I played ... top of the 10th, runners on first and third, nobody out. Just an OK pitcher on the mound ... 4 Ks per game kind of guy. The batter and the guy on third with good wheels. The hitter's my lead-off guy. Really good contact hitter. He strikes out swinging on four pitches. He can't do that. He has to try to get the ball in play. Shorten up on the bat / the swing / whatever and ... Put. The. Ball. In. Play. Now I understand sometimes guys strike out in that situation and the sim reflects that reality, but the game doesn't note it. The commentary is the same as if he struck out with nobody on in the third. The post-game doesn't note it as a big moment, but in real life a .350 hitter has to make contact there or somebody has to explain why or get excited about it.
With the old board-and-card games, you knew that if you rolled a certain number on the batter's card, it was a hit regardless. It was obviously an abstraction. But OOTP has gotten so good that I expect it to look like it's being played by guys who understand the basics of the game. Instead, it looks like what it is -- a stats engine driving a PbP script. Constantly pulls me out of the moment and I can't stand to watch it.
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