[NoOne]

yeah, it's not supposed to be a standard distribution. a pyramid is a better description than a bell. very few at the top, many at the bottom

1 - they definitely stay consistent, within reason. we want some fluctuation, of course. with static ltm you will get a range of results that you can count on. that means the talent is remaining consistent to get those results year after year. i had a 100year league in ootp18 that used static LTM/LTs and it did not tailspin, nor did it escalate out of control. (stats and ai settings - unchanging totals and modifiers)

caveat: seed players and RL mlb players are not the same distribution and make-up. so, adjusting ltm while transitioning from such players will be required to ~control results during this time. if fictional, i just pre-date league and zoom out 30 years before erasing history etc, and starting on intended date wiht a nice robust player base built from drafts and normal game processes.

2 - meh... there are custom lineups, 7-day lineups and depth charts... the depth charts still have problems. it still does what it wants. e.g. i have a catcher in ootp18 i put to "never" on backup... it subs him at "97%" still.

it's probably better than it was, and if you go 7 days at a time you can get exactly what you want.... e.g. i think it bumps the subbed catcher down to 9 instead of just placing in lineup at same slot... 95% sure that is 'fixed'

3 - i really don't play out games much anymore. i think if you found a screenshot of it and looked at the available options, you'd recognize what's new. on ootp's website there's media to look at, i'm certain one is an in-game preview pic... or google etc. i bet the defensive positioning options are new for shifts.