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sporr · 03-25-2007, 11:59 AM

I can’t believe that the 8th version of OOTP is almost out. It seems like not that long ago when I first stumbled upon the game. Everyone has their story about how they discovered the game that we’ve all grown to love. Most of us have something in common; we’ve always strived to find that perfect baseball simulation. I knew from the first time that I saw the game that this would be the franchise for me, and the High Heats, Baseball Moguls and Diamond Minds were all left on the shelf after that.

What amazes me the most is how far this series has come since that first version came out back in 1999. Only a few of us around these boards can remember, so I thought I’d take us all on a trip down memory lane…

Out of the Park Baseball
Many of you might not realize it, but the first version of OOTP was a DOS program. The introduction from the 28-page manual makes me wonder if Markus ever realized how big this would become:

Welcome to Out Of The Park Baseball (OOTP), a new baseball simulation which offers everything you expect from a professional simulation and more ...
My name is Markus Heinsohn and I'm the developer of OOTP. I've been working on this piece of software for more than a year, and I'm sure the work paid off as OOTP really has grown into a statistical accurate simulation of baseball which doesn’t just give you realistic results but also is very easy to use and a lot of fun to play.

OOTP was the first text-based game to feature career mode, and that’s what really sucked me in. The hardware requirements were laughable, needing a PC 286 and 16 MB of recommended RAM. I wasn’t able to get the game running in XP, but trust me when I say that the game was very basic.

Here is a recap of the versions since then:

OOTP2
The first Windows version
Financial model
Full minor leagues make an appearance
Game created HTML for online leagues
Real rookies automatically enter historical leagues every season
Split stats

OOTP3
Coaches and scouts
News system
Park and era editor
Big group of beta testers

OOTP4 / Season Ticket Baseball
30-day free agency period
Set lineups/staff for minors
Player history on player card
Weather
FTP support for online leagues
Fatigue

OOTP5
Full minors with standings
Almanac
Player tendencies
CSV export/import
Team/manager strategy settings

OOTP6
New sim engine (Stuff, Control, Movement)
The DFA box
Rule 5 draft
Service time tracked by day

OOTP6.5
Player popularity
7-day lineups
Projected stats listing
Off-season/ Spring injuries

OOTP Baseball 2006
First SI version – Completely redesigned database
Brand new GUI
Pitch-by-pitch
Complete situational strategy
Complete Baseball universe with minor leagues and independents
Expanded defensive ratings
Complete team scouting/coaching staff

That brings us up to the version. The game has grown tremendously over the years and continues to make leaps and bounds into new territory, truly setting the bar for text-based baseball. I can’t even imagine what the game will look like a few years from now, but I’m sure I’ll still be playing it.

03-25-2007, 11:59 AM	#1
sporr Global Moderator Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Muscatine, IA Posts: 8,277	OOTP: Walk Down Memory Lane I can’t believe that the 8th version of OOTP is almost out. It seems like not that long ago when I first stumbled upon the game. Everyone has their story about how they discovered the game that we’ve all grown to love. Most of us have something in common; we’ve always strived to find that perfect baseball simulation. I knew from the first time that I saw the game that this would be the franchise for me, and the High Heats, Baseball Moguls and Diamond Minds were all left on the shelf after that. What amazes me the most is how far this series has come since that first version came out back in 1999. Only a few of us around these boards can remember, so I thought I’d take us all on a trip down memory lane… Out of the Park Baseball Many of you might not realize it, but the first version of OOTP was a DOS program. The introduction from the 28-page manual makes me wonder if Markus ever realized how big this would become: Welcome to Out Of The Park Baseball (OOTP), a new baseball simulation which offers everything you expect from a professional simulation and more ... My name is Markus Heinsohn and I'm the developer of OOTP. I've been working on this piece of software for more than a year, and I'm sure the work paid off as OOTP really has grown into a statistical accurate simulation of baseball which doesn’t just give you realistic results but also is very easy to use and a lot of fun to play. OOTP was the first text-based game to feature career mode, and that’s what really sucked me in. The hardware requirements were laughable, needing a PC 286 and 16 MB of recommended RAM. I wasn’t able to get the game running in XP, but trust me when I say that the game was very basic. Here is a recap of the versions since then: OOTP2 The first Windows version Financial model Full minor leagues make an appearance Game created HTML for online leagues Real rookies automatically enter historical leagues every season Split stats OOTP3 Coaches and scouts News system Park and era editor Big group of beta testers OOTP4 / Season Ticket Baseball 30-day free agency period Set lineups/staff for minors Player history on player card Weather FTP support for online leagues Fatigue OOTP5 Full minors with standings Almanac Player tendencies CSV export/import Team/manager strategy settings OOTP6 New sim engine (Stuff, Control, Movement) The DFA box Rule 5 draft Service time tracked by day OOTP6.5 Player popularity 7-day lineups Projected stats listing Off-season/ Spring injuries OOTP Baseball 2006 First SI version – Completely redesigned database Brand new GUI Pitch-by-pitch Complete situational strategy Complete Baseball universe with minor leagues and independents Expanded defensive ratings Complete team scouting/coaching staff That brings us up to the version. The game has grown tremendously over the years and continues to make leaps and bounds into new territory, truly setting the bar for text-based baseball. I can’t even imagine what the game will look like a few years from now, but I’m sure I’ll still be playing it.