Suggestion Collection Thread: Management Features

battists · 08-14-2006, 08:15 AM

I'm going to be posting a number of Suggestion Collection threads like this one, each one designed to collect a number of ideas for one specific area of the game. I'm going to compile these suggestions into some kind of helpful format, and see if this helps Marc and Markus. If necessary, I'll create polls later on to gauge the relative interest in different features.

However, if you want to join my thread, you need to follow my rules, and here they are:

1. Only 1 suggestion per post.
2. Suggestions must be on-topic for the thread.
3. Constructive, non-inflammatory suggestions only. I'm flat-out deleting posts that are angry in nature. If you want to do that, start your own thread.
4. No comments on others' suggestions necessary. That means, no posts saying "Great idea!"
5. No linking me to other forum threads. If it's important enough to you that you want it in this thread, then it should be important enough to put it in the format I've asked for here.
6. You can certainly post suggestions that conflict with or build upon earlier suggestions. You can also add screenshots of mockups and such if they help.

Format for Suggestions:
Suggestion: What is your suggestion? Be as specific as possible; include the screen you're talking about, if applicable.
Reason: Why do you think this is important?
Priority: High (MUST have), Medium (should have), Low (nice to have)

Thanks for participating!

Steve

battists · 08-14-2006, 08:16 AM

Today's Topic: Management Features

What's In?
- Suggestions about features that help a player manage a team, for example:

Transactions
Roster Management
Depth Charts
Lineups
Pitching Rotation
etc.

What's Out?
- Discussion of in-game management features. Please put those in the Play-by-Play thread.

Cras · 08-14-2006, 10:44 AM

I assume that this falls under this topic:

Suggestion: Arbitration become more detailed
In order for a team to be allowed to re-sign a free-agent, or get draft pick compensation for a departed free-agent, the team must offer the player arbitration. I suggest that at some point in the off-season the game gives a message that acts much like player options, do you want to offer this player arbitration, y/n?

I also believe that the process should be played out in full. Numbers exchanged and the ability to avoid arbitration by agreeing to a deal before the arbiter gives his decision.

I think arbitration has been the weakest part of transactions for quite sometime since it is far too basic.

That is why I would label this as

Priority: High

f.montoya · 08-14-2006, 11:26 PM

Suggestion: The ability(or option) to negotiate and complete a contract extension immediately without having to sim forward any number of days
Reason: It is a major pain and too time consuming, especially for online leagues, to have to sim day by day waiting for replies.
Priority: High

Raidergoo · 08-15-2006, 11:39 AM

Processed.

Solonor · 08-15-2006, 05:31 PM

Suggestion: Defensive Substitution Roles
Reason: This is totally missing. I understand that the AI "puts the best player in for the job", but that's not good enough. If I want to designated Dave Stapleton to always play for Bill Buckner from the 7th inning on, then that's what I want to happen!
Priority: HIGH

Solonor · 08-15-2006, 05:33 PM

Suggestion: Return of the 7-day lineup
Reason: Especially for an online league that sims a week at a time, the human GM needs to have the ability to set specific lineups for the upcoming week. This is used all the time in our league.
Priority: HIGH

Solonor · 08-15-2006, 05:35 PM

Suggestion: Specific pitching assignments
Reason: Similar to 7-day lineups. When an online GM has to plan for an upcoming sim week, it would be nice to be able to not only set a rotation but to actually set specific pitchers to go against specific teams during the upcoming week, regardless of the rotation.
Priority: Medium

Solonor · 08-15-2006, 05:40 PM

Suggestion: Redefine the Spot Starter Role
Reason: The current spot starter role has a pitcher set to replace only the last pitcher in the rotation a certain percentage of the time. Need two other options for this role:

1. Percentage applies to entire rotation.
The spot starter has a percent chance to replace any pitcher in the rotation.

2. Spot starter only starts in case of injury or fatigue.
The spot starter is only going to start when everyone else is tired or when someone gets hurt.

The AI needs to be adjusted, as well, not to use spot starters, especially with a strict rotation. For example, if you set a 1-man rotation for really old historical sims, the AI is putting a spot starter in 20% of the time. The spot starter should only start in these situations when the starter is fatigued or hurt.

Priority: HIGH

Bluenoser · 08-15-2006, 06:04 PM

Suggestion: The ability to set a players primary position as we used to be able to in previous versions. In OOTP 2006 you have to be in Commish mode to do this.
Reason: As a manager, you should be able to make that decision without having to go through the Commisioners office. For online leagues it's a pain sending a list to the Commish and have him go through everyones team to set this up.
Priority: High

ifspuds · 08-15-2006, 06:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Solonor

Suggestion: Return of the 7-day lineup
Reason: Especially for an online league that sims a week at a time, the human GM needs to have the ability to set specific lineups for the upcoming week. This is used all the time in our league.
Priority: HIGH

Agreed, with the following modification:

Suggestion: Set Multi-Day Lineups
Reason/Comment: Some online leagues sim 3 days, a week, 2 weeks, whatever at a time. I would love to have the ability to define a "sim length" and have lineups set for each day in that sim length.
Priority: Solonor's suggestion should be high. My modification to it is probably medium.

Raidergoo · 08-16-2006, 06:01 PM

Processed to this point.

CaLíKrAzY · 08-17-2006, 06:42 AM

Suggestion: Setup your favorite pinch hitters/runners.

Reason: This is a vital part of late game management.

Priority: HIGH

tk19 · 08-17-2006, 01:22 PM

Suggestion: As a GM of a club, I should be able to designate certain prospects as guys who I want to play as much as possible.

Reason: Currently, a minor league manager will play to win, and if your super-duper prospect isn't currently as good as your role player veteran guy with no upside, then the manager will play the veteran instead. (Also, even if I set up the lineups to play the prospects, veterans will pinch hit late in the game, also, even if I have my prospect pitchers to be my top relievers, frequently the veteran relievers will be used ahead of them).

This would also allow player development to be similar to the way it used to be, and it is in other games: that you have certain prospects, and ghost players to fill in. With that, your prospects would always play a lot.

Priority: High (MUST have)

tk19 · 08-17-2006, 01:24 PM

Suggestion: In lieu of my suggestion directly above, a setting could be added to have a minor league manager favor playing prospects over playing veterans, OR to have the manager favor playing prospects over trying to win the game.

Reason: Currently, a minor league manager will play to win, and if your super-duper prospect isn't currently as good as your role player veteran guy with no upside, then the manager will play the veteran instead. (Also, even if I set up the lineups to play the prospects, veterans will pinch hit late in the game, also, even if I have my prospect pitchers to be my top relievers, frequently the veteran relievers will be used ahead of them).

This would also allow player development to be similar to the way it used to be, and it is in other games: that you have certain prospects, and ghost players to fill in. With that, your prospects would always play a lot.

Priority: High (MUST have)

Solonor · 08-17-2006, 01:30 PM

Suggestion: Rehab stints in the minors
Reason: Going along with the above suggestions about minor league preferences, you need to have the ability to tell the minor league manager to override his preferences and use a major leaguer that is working out a rehab assignment (assuming we get the ability for rehab assignments).
Priority: Medium

Raidergoo · 08-21-2006, 10:11 AM

Processed to this point.

redsox45 · 08-21-2006, 03:34 PM

Suggestion: Create real managers and coaches with their own unique baseball philosophies.

Reason: So much of baseball is about strategy. Each manager in the game needs to have a profile like they do in FM where you hire coaches based on philosophy and style as much as anything else. Some managers like to bunt, some wait for the long ball, some want aggressive hitters while others want hitters to be choosy and work the pitch count. The point being, while you can set team strategies it's not like having "real people" with real baseball philosophies that translate on the field.

another way to look at it is not just one AI but independent AIs for each team. The biggest mistake we're making is "THE AI..." is this or that...It's NOT "the" AI but in a real life MLB setup 30 different AIs competing against one another. Impossible, maybe, but without approaching management from a different angle, we're always going to have "AI lapses" because we're missing part of the equation.

Priority: HIGH

Will

redsox45 · 08-21-2006, 03:49 PM

Suggestion: Create real GMs with real baseball philosophies

Reason: Just like field managers, each GM is different. Some want youth, others want veterans, others want low cost players. Some are hands on, others let the field manager run the club on the diamond. Each GM has a different approach to the game of baseball, and has different motivations. You've got guys that are profit driven, others that are results driven, others still who played the game or managed it. It's a diverse world out there.

Priority: HIGH -- Just like managers, each GM is his own man. Don't look at them as AI, but real people who attack a problem from a different point of view. "The AI" is only part of the equation, each exec should have their own "AI".

Will

Mr. Capo · 08-23-2006, 06:17 PM

Suggestion: provide a control to globally adjust "favor L/R matchups" ...probably under League Setup / Strategy & Equivalencies

Reason: There is too much platooning. Computer managers go overboard in platooning, probably because it is strategically sound as the game is now set up. In order to compete properly, I'm forced to platoon at any position possible to take advantage of the exaggerated L/R bias. But it is in excess of real baseball.

It has been suggested that the L/R bias is being figured twice (pitcher and hitter) when it should accurately be figured only once, accounting for a double bias.

Priority: High. It skews the game unrealistically, keeping stars from being everyday players.

08-14-2006, 08:15 AM	#1
battists Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 18,506	Suggestion Collection Thread: Management Features I'm going to be posting a number of Suggestion Collection threads like this one, each one designed to collect a number of ideas for one specific area of the game. I'm going to compile these suggestions into some kind of helpful format, and see if this helps Marc and Markus. If necessary, I'll create polls later on to gauge the relative interest in different features. However, if you want to join my thread, you need to follow my rules, and here they are: 1. Only 1 suggestion per post. 2. Suggestions must be on-topic for the thread. 3. Constructive, non-inflammatory suggestions only. I'm flat-out deleting posts that are angry in nature. If you want to do that, start your own thread. 4. No comments on others' suggestions necessary. That means, no posts saying "Great idea!" 5. No linking me to other forum threads. If it's important enough to you that you want it in this thread, then it should be important enough to put it in the format I've asked for here. 6. You can certainly post suggestions that conflict with or build upon earlier suggestions. You can also add screenshots of mockups and such if they help. Format for Suggestions: Suggestion: What is your suggestion? Be as specific as possible; include the screen you're talking about, if applicable. Reason: Why do you think this is important? Priority: High (MUST have), Medium (should have), Low (nice to have) Thanks for participating! Steve Last edited by battists; 08-14-2006 at 12:10 PM.

08-14-2006, 10:44 AM	#3
Cras Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: LEO Posts: 3,789	I assume that this falls under this topic: Suggestion: Arbitration become more detailed In order for a team to be allowed to re-sign a free-agent, or get draft pick compensation for a departed free-agent, the team must offer the player arbitration. I suggest that at some point in the off-season the game gives a message that acts much like player options, do you want to offer this player arbitration, y/n? I also believe that the process should be played out in full. Numbers exchanged and the ability to avoid arbitration by agreeing to a deal before the arbiter gives his decision. I think arbitration has been the weakest part of transactions for quite sometime since it is far too basic. That is why I would label this as Priority: High __________________ The Chicago White Sox 1906, 1917, 2005 World Series Champions 1900, 1901, 1906, 1917, 1919, 1959, 2005 American League Champions 2000, 2005, 2008 American League Central Division Champions 1983, 1993 American League West Division Champions OOTP \| Orbiter \| SSMS \| FSX \| LoL \| MLP:FIM! Last edited by Cras; 08-15-2006 at 05:32 PM.

08-14-2006, 11:26 PM	#4
f.montoya Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 6,077	Suggestion: The ability(or option) to negotiate and complete a contract extension immediately without having to sim forward any number of days Reason: It is a major pain and too time consuming, especially for online leagues, to have to sim day by day waiting for replies. Priority: High __________________ Fidel Montoya Asahi2 Baseball League ex-Commissioner(Historical League Since 2004) Ex-Web Host Current Mod Maker??

08-15-2006, 05:31 PM	#6
Solonor Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Maine Posts: 4,467	Suggestion: Defensive Substitution Roles Reason: This is totally missing. I understand that the AI "puts the best player in for the job", but that's not good enough. If I want to designated Dave Stapleton to always play for Bill Buckner from the 7th inning on, then that's what I want to happen! Priority: HIGH __________________ Solonor's Groovy Computer Baseball League - Making baseball a hobbit since 2003! "Beings will come, Frodo. The one constant through all the years has been baseball. Middle Earth has rolled by like an army of Mumakil. It has been erased like a slate, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Frodo. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh... beings will come Frodo. Beings will most definitely come." - Gladden Field of Dreams

08-15-2006, 05:33 PM	#7
Solonor Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Maine Posts: 4,467	Suggestion: Return of the 7-day lineup Reason: Especially for an online league that sims a week at a time, the human GM needs to have the ability to set specific lineups for the upcoming week. This is used all the time in our league. Priority: HIGH __________________ Solonor's Groovy Computer Baseball League - Making baseball a hobbit since 2003! "Beings will come, Frodo. The one constant through all the years has been baseball. Middle Earth has rolled by like an army of Mumakil. It has been erased like a slate, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Frodo. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh... beings will come Frodo. Beings will most definitely come." - Gladden Field of Dreams

08-14-2006, 08:16 AM	#2
battists Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 18,506	Today's Topic: Management Features What's In? - Suggestions about features that help a player manage a team, for example: Transactions Roster Management Depth Charts Lineups Pitching Rotation etc. What's Out? - Discussion of in-game management features. Please put those in the Play-by-Play thread.

08-15-2006, 11:39 AM	#5
Raidergoo Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 9,005	Processed.

08-15-2006, 05:35 PM	#8
Solonor Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Maine Posts: 4,467	Suggestion: Specific pitching assignments Reason: Similar to 7-day lineups. When an online GM has to plan for an upcoming sim week, it would be nice to be able to not only set a rotation but to actually set specific pitchers to go against specific teams during the upcoming week, regardless of the rotation. Priority: Medium __________________ Solonor's Groovy Computer Baseball League - Making baseball a hobbit since 2003! "Beings will come, Frodo. The one constant through all the years has been baseball. Middle Earth has rolled by like an army of Mumakil. It has been erased like a slate, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Frodo. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh... beings will come Frodo. Beings will most definitely come." - Gladden Field of Dreams

08-15-2006, 05:40 PM	#9
Solonor Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Maine Posts: 4,467	Suggestion: Redefine the Spot Starter Role Reason: The current spot starter role has a pitcher set to replace only the last pitcher in the rotation a certain percentage of the time. Need two other options for this role: 1. Percentage applies to entire rotation. The spot starter has a percent chance to replace any pitcher in the rotation. 2. Spot starter only starts in case of injury or fatigue. The spot starter is only going to start when everyone else is tired or when someone gets hurt. The AI needs to be adjusted, as well, not to use spot starters, especially with a strict rotation. For example, if you set a 1-man rotation for really old historical sims, the AI is putting a spot starter in 20% of the time. The spot starter should only start in these situations when the starter is fatigued or hurt. Priority: HIGH __________________ Solonor's Groovy Computer Baseball League - Making baseball a hobbit since 2003! "Beings will come, Frodo. The one constant through all the years has been baseball. Middle Earth has rolled by like an army of Mumakil. It has been erased like a slate, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Frodo. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh... beings will come Frodo. Beings will most definitely come." - Gladden Field of Dreams

08-15-2006, 06:04 PM	#10
Bluenoser Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: In The Moment Posts: 14,477	Suggestion: The ability to set a players primary position as we used to be able to in previous versions. In OOTP 2006 you have to be in Commish mode to do this. Reason: As a manager, you should be able to make that decision without having to go through the Commisioners office. For online leagues it's a pain sending a list to the Commish and have him go through everyones team to set this up. Priority: High

08-16-2006, 06:01 PM	#12
Raidergoo Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 9,005	Processed to this point.

08-17-2006, 06:42 AM	#13
CaLíKrAzY All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Costa Mesa, CaLí Posts: 722	Suggestion: Setup your favorite pinch hitters/runners. Reason: This is a vital part of late game management. Priority: HIGH Last edited by CaLíKrAzY; 08-17-2006 at 06:46 AM.

08-17-2006, 01:22 PM	#14
tk19 Minors (Single A) Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 66	Suggestion: As a GM of a club, I should be able to designate certain prospects as guys who I want to play as much as possible. Reason: Currently, a minor league manager will play to win, and if your super-duper prospect isn't currently as good as your role player veteran guy with no upside, then the manager will play the veteran instead. (Also, even if I set up the lineups to play the prospects, veterans will pinch hit late in the game, also, even if I have my prospect pitchers to be my top relievers, frequently the veteran relievers will be used ahead of them). This would also allow player development to be similar to the way it used to be, and it is in other games: that you have certain prospects, and ghost players to fill in. With that, your prospects would always play a lot. Priority: High (MUST have)

08-17-2006, 01:24 PM	#15
tk19 Minors (Single A) Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 66	Suggestion: In lieu of my suggestion directly above, a setting could be added to have a minor league manager favor playing prospects over playing veterans, OR to have the manager favor playing prospects over trying to win the game. Reason: Currently, a minor league manager will play to win, and if your super-duper prospect isn't currently as good as your role player veteran guy with no upside, then the manager will play the veteran instead. (Also, even if I set up the lineups to play the prospects, veterans will pinch hit late in the game, also, even if I have my prospect pitchers to be my top relievers, frequently the veteran relievers will be used ahead of them). This would also allow player development to be similar to the way it used to be, and it is in other games: that you have certain prospects, and ghost players to fill in. With that, your prospects would always play a lot. Priority: High (MUST have)

08-17-2006, 01:30 PM	#16
Solonor Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Maine Posts: 4,467	Suggestion: Rehab stints in the minors Reason: Going along with the above suggestions about minor league preferences, you need to have the ability to tell the minor league manager to override his preferences and use a major leaguer that is working out a rehab assignment (assuming we get the ability for rehab assignments). Priority: Medium __________________ Solonor's Groovy Computer Baseball League - Making baseball a hobbit since 2003! "Beings will come, Frodo. The one constant through all the years has been baseball. Middle Earth has rolled by like an army of Mumakil. It has been erased like a slate, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Frodo. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh... beings will come Frodo. Beings will most definitely come." - Gladden Field of Dreams

08-21-2006, 10:11 AM	#17
Raidergoo Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 9,005	Processed to this point.

08-21-2006, 03:34 PM	#18
redsox45 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Machias, Maine Posts: 4,573	Suggestion: Create real managers and coaches with their own unique baseball philosophies. Reason: So much of baseball is about strategy. Each manager in the game needs to have a profile like they do in FM where you hire coaches based on philosophy and style as much as anything else. Some managers like to bunt, some wait for the long ball, some want aggressive hitters while others want hitters to be choosy and work the pitch count. The point being, while you can set team strategies it's not like having "real people" with real baseball philosophies that translate on the field. another way to look at it is not just one AI but independent AIs for each team. The biggest mistake we're making is "THE AI..." is this or that...It's NOT "the" AI but in a real life MLB setup 30 different AIs competing against one another. Impossible, maybe, but without approaching management from a different angle, we're always going to have "AI lapses" because we're missing part of the equation. Priority: HIGH Will __________________ Top Five Books I Ever Read: 1. Murder of Roger Ackroyd -- Agatha Christie 2. Birds of Prey -- Wilbur Smith 3. King Solomon's Mines - H. Rider Haggard 4. Comstock Lode -- Louis L'Amour 5. Andersonville -- McKinley Kantor

08-21-2006, 03:49 PM	#19
redsox45 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Machias, Maine Posts: 4,573	Suggestion: Create real GMs with real baseball philosophies Reason: Just like field managers, each GM is different. Some want youth, others want veterans, others want low cost players. Some are hands on, others let the field manager run the club on the diamond. Each GM has a different approach to the game of baseball, and has different motivations. You've got guys that are profit driven, others that are results driven, others still who played the game or managed it. It's a diverse world out there. Priority: HIGH -- Just like managers, each GM is his own man. Don't look at them as AI, but real people who attack a problem from a different point of view. "The AI" is only part of the equation, each exec should have their own "AI". Will __________________ Top Five Books I Ever Read: 1. Murder of Roger Ackroyd -- Agatha Christie 2. Birds of Prey -- Wilbur Smith 3. King Solomon's Mines - H. Rider Haggard 4. Comstock Lode -- Louis L'Amour 5. Andersonville -- McKinley Kantor

08-23-2006, 06:17 PM	#20
Mr. Capo Minors (Triple A) Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 240	too much platooning Suggestion: provide a control to globally adjust "favor L/R matchups" ...probably under League Setup / Strategy & Equivalencies Reason: There is too much platooning. Computer managers go overboard in platooning, probably because it is strategically sound as the game is now set up. In order to compete properly, I'm forced to platoon at any position possible to take advantage of the exaggerated L/R bias. But it is in excess of real baseball. It has been suggested that the L/R bias is being figured twice (pitcher and hitter) when it should accurately be figured only once, accounting for a double bias. Priority: High. It skews the game unrealistically, keeping stars from being everyday players.