[amwendwa]

First impressions of the game after more than a week of playing time.

I have to say that I am very impressed with OOTPXX. I've tried to stay neutral after reading other peoples views, and just judge the game for what it is.

Yes, I can admit that most of us had gotten used to, and even come to expect 'huge' changes to the game and new features year-over-year for the last few years.
So I can understand how some people may have gotten the impression that the game did not add a lot this time around but after a week with the game I can say that this perception is not entirely true.

There are small changes that are being overlooked -

Visuals.

I LOVE the new look of OOTP 20. The color scheme looks and feels more polished, the team colors blend really well and create a nice smooth visual to the game. (This is especially more pronounced for those like myself who play on the non-dark skin).

I would also like to mention that this game always looks better (visually) on a minimum resolution of 1920 x 1080. The bigger your screen the better!!

3D player movements - Seeing the pitcher go through a windup prior to throwing a pitch is one of the improvements that got me excited. Again a small change but huge for guys who play out games. These visual improvements change the games aesthetics and truly help to improve realism.

Strategy and Logic

First and foremost OOTP has always been about strategy. So anytime additions are made to the game that improve strategy it should always be seen as a huge step forward in the game.


The additional team/player strategies add another layer to realism to an already award winning simulation game.Having players back up in other positions, having an opener and follower in the modern game is huge for guys who want to manage all aspects of a game like real GM/Manager would.

I get it, that for some of the guys who sim an entire season just to see the results only in the end, or those who jump to the draft and then play around with the trade deadline and sim everything else may not see the benefit to these additions, but trust me, these are huge changes to the game.

Improvements to the trade AI and game logic are evident in OOTP20 and they continue to make the game better. I cannot understand how some people don't see this.

Of course we all play on different settings, so the game will give varying results and behave different for all of us, but if you 'keep it real' and stop comparing all aspects of the real MLB to the game simulation, it will improve and change how you see this game and you will enjoy it even more.

Enjoy OOTP for what it is

If you want to enjoy this game focus on immersion and not duplication. You immerse yourself by (believing in the universe created before you). The developers give us a canvass but it is up to us to create our universe within that canvass.

Yes, most of us want that universe to feel like the real baseball world that we are familiar with but remember there will always be some constraints and limitations. There is no perfection even in real life, but OOTP is as close to it when it comes to the game of Baseball (recreated on a computer) than any thing else out there in the world!

So don't look at a trade in real life and then expect things to play out exactly the same way in your (simulated environment). Accept your simulated environment as the new reality and embrace all that happens in that environment. Dig in and follow stories in your world and you will start to really enjoy this game.

Try to make the best decisions you can to help your team win, because ultimately that is why we all play this game but don't cheese or cheat the game.

Ps. I am truly having lots of fun with this game!