[Pelican]

I can't disagree with the animation grade; although it's not a very important factor in my enjoyment of the game. That's where, if graphics is your thing, the "arcade" games like The Show are going to be more flashy and impressive. Not my thing.

I would give the Development Engine at least a B+ based on admittedly partial trials. Maybe incomplete is a better assessment. I have been impressed with how it has been refined. It is clearly improving, with lots of effort. I appreciate that.

I play mostly historical, and I would give that database a B+. Again, a long work in progress to incorporate Negro League players with meaningful equivalencies. And a long effort to complete the minor leagues and early days. There has been steady and at times remarkable improvement on this in the four years I have been playing. The trend is favorable, and of course this is tremendously labor-intensive.

I would have to give Stadiums (stadia?) an A, when one considers the vast array of awesome mods that are available for download. I might not put a premium on animation; but it boggles the mind that I can play Federal League games from 1914 and 1915 in magical renderings of the original ballparks. That does enhance the experience of playing the game.

Comparisons? I have played just about every baseball simulation from cards and dice to primitive computer (DOS) versions to arcade games. I have landed on OOTP, and I'm unlikely to play others at this point. (Except of course for OOTP Go! when I'm away from my computers...) I agree that we should - in this thread - be comparing OOTP 25 to 24, and so forth. Not to other games with other schemes and audiences. I find 25 to be an improvement overall. But I also know that 25 will continue to get better, with patches and new releases (like today), thanks to our feedback.