I’m about as big an OOTP Homer as one can get. Been around a long time, buy every year, dedicate personal time on the mod board to contribute what I can to make the game more immersive. I’m defensive of the OOTP team too because during that time, I’ve seen a brilliant and dedicated Mom & Pop-sized operation expand and grow OOTP into an even more amazing game that I could have possibly imagined. I’m sure they are reading this thread. And by “they” I don’t mean a farmed-out customer service rep, but the people that manage the databases and write the code. They are fantastic people. So, yes, there will be some long-time fan defensiveness. Apologies in advance on behalf of us all
That said, the original poster and many of the subsequent posters raise a point. In any business there is a pressure to expand. And many of the expansion ideas (coaches, storylines, morale, personalities, etc.) came from the community. There is also pressure to create this or that new stat like catcher framing. Or to include that additional, small foreign league or 1930 Class D minor league that 99% will never notice, or to have one more optional toggle for this or that in the set-up screen…
Each expansion item or additional layer can have side effects. Sometimes it is the new stat dynamic breaking other things that were previously in alignment in the stat engine. Or the once sought storyline/coach/morale/personality dynamic looks stale because it hasn’t been revisited once some its limitations are realized. Or it becomes impossible to remove a toggle box option in the set-up screen that causes more trouble/user-error than its worth. Or because sometimes the 80% solution is all you can afford to do to keep the game moving forward – esp. with all these other things now atop the game engine core that hooked many of us nearly 20 years ago.
Broadly speaking, I think there is merit in taking the next edition or two and just tightening things up. I am 100% focused on the stats over long-term historic sims, but even I don’t need a sim engine “overhaul” or another new stat or any of that. I worry chasing that perfection is like someone getting addicted to just one more nip-and-tuck at the plastic surgeon’s office. Instead, if a previous-expansion dynamic is at the 80% solution, adding depth and attention to it might be best. I’m sure there is a list of things that are known to be in need of attention but are perpetually on the back burner. Every expanding business needs to pause and consolidate its gains from time to time... maybe it’s that time.
Going back to where this post started: The AI bids up and signs FAs to deals (in dollars and years) it immediately hates and that causes AI dysfunction and bad game decisions. Better align the two personalities/decisions of the AI GM. I’ve seen the AI put an unrealistic amount of dead money in draft budgets, leaving little money for FAs. Fixing that money problem can improve everything from FA to roster moves. Fix the fact that the Owner wants me to extend Rich Hill when it ought to be Raffy Devers. The personalities of historic players don’t align with their known personalities. Lock those known personalities in – crowdsource it if need be. Owners could be made to align with history so a historic game could have me deal with Steinbrenner or Charlie Finley. Fan loyalty and market size dynamics could be better developed and historically aligned. Put a post on the board asking the community about new ideas for and consequences of storylines. Update the manual and add an FAQ or even improve the explanations for the toggles in the game set-up screen itself to avoid user error during set-up that look like bugs after a few years of simming. Close all the little bugs, crash drivers, and database issues you've always wanted to within the framework of the existing game construct, but never had time to get to. All these things would improve the game even if they are not great marketing bullets.
Adding depth to and tightening already existing game mechanics – esp. the handling of the finances (as it impacts so many other things) - is a theme I see everywhere on the boards of late and I think that’s my big picture take away from reading all these threads. And it is possible to love the game, understand there is room for improvement, and understand why some things get more attention than others...