OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post - Collection of Requests to make Historical Replaying better

rasnell · 07-13-2006, 02:42 AM

In-game, solo play fun of historical play

Shaun Sullivan and Markus have always complimented each other since they both started as independent developers of baseball text sim games. I have always supported both, just as many OOTPers. PureSim 2007 has clearly surpassed OOTP 2006 in dramatic fashion for fun, ease of interface and solo play and here are the specifics on what I believe is essential for OOTP to keep my satisfaction:

1. Study the sheer beauty of the solo play game screen in PureSim. It is very easy to set up your customized stadium, drag and point where you want the fielder and runner boxes to display. The roster cards show both teams' lineups in one screen view while playing. You know who is coming up to bat, you know the pitch count, the righty/lefty of the pitcher, the catcher arm rating, the season stats -- all in the in-game screen view without having to click, toggle or maneuver.

2. You can truly watch the game. The in-ball flight is wonderful. It is easy to customize to any stadium photo, again by simple dragging and clicking where this should appear. No x-y coordinates like OOTP requires.

3. Calling plays is one click and very, very simple (L to jump to lineups; H for hit and run; 2 to steal second base; T to pitch out; P to pitch around). It is so simple; no clickfest; very well-designed.

4. Fonts, text, play by play are all very visible, visually attractive, very easy on the eyes of old-time historical simmers like myself.

5. The play by play text is very valuable. Puresim displays the season stats and that day's game stats for the batter inside the play by play text. It's wonderful.

6. You can actually see the entire play in the play-by-play text window. This is a serious oversight in the current design of OOTP 2006 in my opinion.

7. The current screens to see an OOTP game are a mess. Neither one of the views has the necessary info to truly enjoy solo play of a historical sim. With all of the outstanding stats that OOTP now accumulates -- and what really puts you ahead of any competitor -- how come I can't get the most relevant data in my solo play views? For example, when I'm in the playoffs, I could care less about records in grass, turf, home, away, when it's raining. I just want to know what is that player's season stats when I'm facing him in the playoffs. It's not there, amid all the clutter, stats and info.

8. OOTP 2006 has made a great breakthrough with all the filters and views and bookmarks. How come they cannot apply to the game view window? Why can't I set filters or views to see in-game lineups customized to a season stat view, a today's game stat view, a pitcher matchup view. You're collecting all these stats; why can't you make them simple to see in the solo play view?

9. The ability to see both team lineups, call plays with one click, have essential in-game data in one view for pitch count and catcher arm rating are not feature requests for OOTP 2007. They are essential patch requests for OOTP 2006. Without them, PureSim 2007 is where I'll be.

10. PureSim already has the ability to compare career sim stats with real Lahman database career stats. Look at how elegant the player card data is displayed in PureSim. It tracks and shows you exactly what Lahman has imported for every year in the "real career stats" vs. the "simmed career stats."

My comparison to PureSim and OOTP is meant to be complimentary. Again, I support both developers. Both of you have already surpassed Strat-O-Matic as the gold standard. You've passed Diamond Mind. But neither one of you has hit the home run that will truly satisfy our quest for today's standard.

Markus is winning overwhelmingly for his attempted depth of Rule 5, waivers, and all the complicated interaction of modern-day baseball, the depth of stats and info.

Shaun is winning hands' down for faithfulfulness to historical play -- absolutely no fictional players, a minors with real players, extremely easy interface, very well-designed solo play, and, to me, the biggest deal of all -- in-game ball flight with sounds that are relevant and rewarding.

How am I personally dividing my time right now? I'm closely watching OOTP 2006 for patches and simming almost as a public beta tester waiting for the bugs to go away. I really want to like OOTP because of its depth, complexities and stats. But I'm playing my games, having a blast and enjoying historical sims in PureSim as my "real" game on the desktop right now. This is the first time, in all versions, where I'm leaning toward PureSim as my favorite all around for solo play.

07-13-2006, 02:42 AM	#5
rasnell Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Frankfort, Kentucky Posts: 3,739	In-game, solo play fun of historical play Shaun Sullivan and Markus have always complimented each other since they both started as independent developers of baseball text sim games. I have always supported both, just as many OOTPers. PureSim 2007 has clearly surpassed OOTP 2006 in dramatic fashion for fun, ease of interface and solo play and here are the specifics on what I believe is essential for OOTP to keep my satisfaction: 1. Study the sheer beauty of the solo play game screen in PureSim. It is very easy to set up your customized stadium, drag and point where you want the fielder and runner boxes to display. The roster cards show both teams' lineups in one screen view while playing. You know who is coming up to bat, you know the pitch count, the righty/lefty of the pitcher, the catcher arm rating, the season stats -- all in the in-game screen view without having to click, toggle or maneuver. 2. You can truly watch the game. The in-ball flight is wonderful. It is easy to customize to any stadium photo, again by simple dragging and clicking where this should appear. No x-y coordinates like OOTP requires. 3. Calling plays is one click and very, very simple (L to jump to lineups; H for hit and run; 2 to steal second base; T to pitch out; P to pitch around). It is so simple; no clickfest; very well-designed. 4. Fonts, text, play by play are all very visible, visually attractive, very easy on the eyes of old-time historical simmers like myself. 5. The play by play text is very valuable. Puresim displays the season stats and that day's game stats for the batter inside the play by play text. It's wonderful. 6. You can actually see the entire play in the play-by-play text window. This is a serious oversight in the current design of OOTP 2006 in my opinion. 7. The current screens to see an OOTP game are a mess. Neither one of the views has the necessary info to truly enjoy solo play of a historical sim. With all of the outstanding stats that OOTP now accumulates -- and what really puts you ahead of any competitor -- how come I can't get the most relevant data in my solo play views? For example, when I'm in the playoffs, I could care less about records in grass, turf, home, away, when it's raining. I just want to know what is that player's season stats when I'm facing him in the playoffs. It's not there, amid all the clutter, stats and info. 8. OOTP 2006 has made a great breakthrough with all the filters and views and bookmarks. How come they cannot apply to the game view window? Why can't I set filters or views to see in-game lineups customized to a season stat view, a today's game stat view, a pitcher matchup view. You're collecting all these stats; why can't you make them simple to see in the solo play view? 9. The ability to see both team lineups, call plays with one click, have essential in-game data in one view for pitch count and catcher arm rating are not feature requests for OOTP 2007. They are essential patch requests for OOTP 2006. Without them, PureSim 2007 is where I'll be. 10. PureSim already has the ability to compare career sim stats with real Lahman database career stats. Look at how elegant the player card data is displayed in PureSim. It tracks and shows you exactly what Lahman has imported for every year in the "real career stats" vs. the "simmed career stats." My comparison to PureSim and OOTP is meant to be complimentary. Again, I support both developers. Both of you have already surpassed Strat-O-Matic as the gold standard. You've passed Diamond Mind. But neither one of you has hit the home run that will truly satisfy our quest for today's standard. Markus is winning overwhelmingly for his attempted depth of Rule 5, waivers, and all the complicated interaction of modern-day baseball, the depth of stats and info. Shaun is winning hands' down for faithfulfulness to historical play -- absolutely no fictional players, a minors with real players, extremely easy interface, very well-designed solo play, and, to me, the biggest deal of all -- in-game ball flight with sounds that are relevant and rewarding. How am I personally dividing my time right now? I'm closely watching OOTP 2006 for patches and simming almost as a public beta tester waiting for the bugs to go away. I really want to like OOTP because of its depth, complexities and stats. But I'm playing my games, having a blast and enjoying historical sims in PureSim as my "real" game on the desktop right now. This is the first time, in all versions, where I'm leaning toward PureSim as my favorite all around for solo play. Last edited by rasnell; 07-13-2006 at 02:54 AM.