These Items Resolved In OOTP 9?

[Charlie Hough]

1. The play-by-play does not recognize astroturf ballparks. It routinely refers to balls hit along the "grass" and doesn't seem to have any commentary that distinguishes games played on turf. This would be a nice addition, especially for bad hops, strange hops, balls just inside the line in the infield, etc.


2. There needs to be a way to select BOTH pitch around AND hold runners. If you pitch around without holding the runner, the AI loves to attempt steals, even with bad base runners with no speed. If you hold the runner and don't pitch around to a great hitter, then you pay the price. This is absolutely stupid, because in real life you can do both.


3. When are we going to be able to shade the outfield to the left or right for pull hitters? Why is it that infield shifts are the only possibilities?


4. When will playing the 'outfield in' actually have an effect on results with runners on second base? It seems to do absolutely nothing to thwart runners from scoring from second, and it doesn't seem to have much effect on limiting base hits either. I see no appreciable difference between playing the infield in and not doing it. If I do it with a runner on second, a base hit into short left, center or right will always score the runner anyway. In reality, the outfield would almost always throw to the plate, and the runner would likely stay at third. Granted, the strategy is mostly used to stop bloop singles, but it doesn't even seem to do that in OOTP.

5. A left-handed pull hitter tends to bunt the ball up the first base line all the time. Pull tendencies should not apply to bunts. Bunts up the third base line are always a higher percentage, and a pull hitter would know enough to deliberately bunt it toward third if that's what the manager wanted.

[OldFatGuy]

Originally Posted by Charlie Hough

1. If you want to do a double or multiple switch and end up with the pitcher batting in a slot other than 9th, the game doesn't seem to be able to put the pitcher in that other slot unless you first designate the other player as being in the pitching position. But that ends up putting that field player in the pitching area of the box score with 0 IP and no batters faced.

Maybe I've been doing something wrong all along, but if I try to swap the pitcher for a a slot other than 9th that is occupied by a player who just pinch hit, the game puts the pitcher in the 9th slot and replaces whoever was there. The only way to avoid this is by doing what I described above.

Yeah, you can do this. After you pinch hit and the inning is over and takes you to the substitution screen, do THIS:
1)In the batting order slot, click on the Pinch Hitter and designate his positions as "-"
2)Do the same for the position player you want the pitcher to replace.
3) drag the new fielder into the ninth slot (or if you want you can leave the PH there.
4) drag the new pitcher down into the batting slot of the fielder he will bat in.
5) Click the drop down by the pitcher and make him "P" and the other guy whatever position he is playing.


I don't know enough about the other issues to comment.

[OldFatGuy]

But this does bring up an issue I just had in a game involving an injured pitcher. He was injured while in the field on the last play of the 2nd inning and when it took me to the substitution screen, I saw the pitcher's slot was due up second so I figured I would pinch hit for him since he's injured anyway. But it wouldn't let me back to the game screen until I had put a pitcher in, even though I was batting.

So, I put a 1B in and just designated him a pitcher so he could hit and then when in the field I would put in a new pitcher. Well, this resulted in the position player being credited with the Win even though he never threw a pitch, or took the field on the mound for that matter.

I figure its one of those baseball stories Nathanial Martin will be able to tell his grandchildren years from now..... "Yeah, did I ever tell you about my career 1.000 winning percentage in the bigs?"

[Charlie Hough]

Originally Posted by OldFatGuy

Yeah, you can do this. After you pinch hit and the inning is over and takes you to the substitution screen, do THIS:
1)In the batting order slot, click on the Pinch Hitter and designate his positions as "-"
2)Do the same for the position player you want the pitcher to replace.
3) drag the new fielder into the ninth slot (or if you want you can leave the PH there.
4) drag the new pitcher down into the batting slot of the fielder he will bat in.
5) Click the drop down by the pitcher and make him "P" and the other guy whatever position he is playing.


I don't know enough about the other issues to comment.

Yeah, I already figured this out by the time you posted, and I'd already edited my original posting Thanks anyway, and you bring up a great example of how the box score is still screwy with any unusual pitching changes. Even if you accidentally change a player's position to pitcher for just a moment while changing your lineups, OOTP puts him in the box score as a pitcher. OOTP should wait until you exit the lineup screen to make any of the changes official in the box score.

[Curtis]

Originally Posted by Charlie Hough

OOTP should wait until you exit the lineup screen to make any of the changes official in the box score.

Yes, it should.

[Erik W.]

I've been preaching that since the first SI version, but he never listens to me.

[The Wolf]

He should start listening.

[StyxNCa]

Originally Posted by Charlie Hough

OOTP should wait until you exit the lineup screen to make any of the changes official in the box score.

This has been a huge issue to me, one I have bought up before each of the past 3 releases. Players aren't officially in a game until they step foot in the batters box or out in the field (during the game), and to me that shouldn't happen until I have left the lineup screen. As long as I'm at the lineup screen, I see myself with paper and pencil in hand figuring out who is going to do what. The idea that if I drop someone into a slot, then change my mind, or drop him into the wrong slot, means I lose that player for the game if I take him out of the lineup is ridiculous since I didn't make the move "official" by leaving the lineup screen.