Want to Help Design a Ballpark?

kq76 · 03-20-2026, 11:45 PM

I asked AI to help me with this task and at first I thought it did a good job, but afterwards when I calculated expected park factors without AI, I realized it didn't. So now I'm coming to you, the experts.

I'm going to list some criteria / wants and I'm hoping you can give me some wall distances, heights, and maybe even park factors that will hopefully come to close to accomplishing that.

Overall, I want a pretty average park. There are going to be some aspects I definitely don't want to be close to average, but overall I'd say it should be close to a 1.000 (or 100).

I'd like it to favour lefty batters, but not by too much.

I'd like it to favour speedy players (batters and outfielders) as much as possible, but I also don't want it to be an absolute desert wasteland with regard to HRs.

I want an 8 ft, or so, CF for those epic home run robberies. I also don't want a sub 400 ft CF, but I also don't want it much more than 400 (I like the idea of 404, like "404 error").

I'd like a decently sized (height and width) wall in LF and maybe even a taller than 8 ft wall in RF too. I definitely don't want the green monster or anything, but 16-20 ft in LF, 12-16 ft in RF maybe?

I'd like the OF distances to be different too. I'm thinking maybe 330, 350, 370 in LF, 325, 360, 395 in RF?

Now it sounds like I've maybe gotten too specific ("what do you need me for?", you might ask), but my park factor expectations might not fit those.

I don't want any cheap HRs, but again I don't want too few either. Again, I'd like to favour lefties, but that doesn't need to be true for anything in particular.

But maybe the key thing is I'd like a fair amount of doubles, like 1.1 or so. And on top of that, I'd like even more triples, like 1.2 or so.

To offset this, I'm okay with Avg and even HR being sub 1. I'd rather they be close to 1 overall, but I realize that to fit those doubles and triples in and still keep everything close to 1 that something needs to give. So I'm thinking PFs something like LH Avg 1.01, RH Avg 0.97, Doubles 1.1, Triples 1.2, LH HR 101, RH HR 91, but those numbers don't really seem to work with my wall ideas. So what does?

I'm afraid this might be a puzzle with pieces that just don't fit. Is it?

asrivkin · 03-21-2026, 11:55 PM

OK, this is _not_ me volunteering to do it, because I have too much of a backlog I'm already on the hook for, but I can imagine how I'd do it: either I'd 1) fire up Eriqjaffe's park generator and play around with the numbers until I got (close to) what I wanted for the park factors, while keeping the dimensions and wall heights (close to) what I wanted, and working from that or 2) make the dimensions and wall heights what I wanted in the model and then just tell OOTP the park factors I wanted because ultimately the dimensions/wall heights and the park factors are independent of one another. I could tell OOTP that the walls are all 500 feet high and 1000 feet away in all dimensions and also tell it that the HR park factors are 3 and it'll sort it out somehow (probably with a zillion inside-the-park home runs).

If you did want to take option #1, you'll also probably want to decide where your ballpark is going to be and/or if it'll be a domed stadium and/or if it'll have turf or real grass.

kq76 · 03-22-2026, 12:33 AM

Thanks. #1 is a good idea, but I already tried it before I posted. I should have mentioned that. I also tried 2 other users' park factors files and that's why I'm having trouble because I can't see to get wall dimensions that even come close to the park factors I want. With AI, yeah, it gives me what I want (but AI always wants to do that), but these other ways it gives wildly different park factors for similar dimensions. EDIT: I'll give this another go though. I may have given up on it too easily.

As for #2, yeah, I know.

I just thought with AI and the programs some people have been able to come up with, maybe we might be able to figure this out the other way by now. I mean, the ways I've tried you input the dimensions and the program spits out park factors while what I'd really like is a program that you input park factors, and maybe other info, and it spits out wall dimensions.

It's kind of a silly endeavor really, because, truthfully, I just don't believe that much in park factors. I mean, sure, I think some parks will usually result in more/less doubles or home runs or whatever, but it's kind of silly because most PFs vary so much from year to year. Just think, everyone used to say Dodgers stadium was a pitchers' park, but now it's a hitters' park? The reason why is obvious, they acquired great hitters, but still, it doesn't have as much to do with the actual parks as some people believe.

Alas, I'd still kind of like to have a ballpark with dimensions close to what I'd like, that would also provide park factors close to what I'd like, with a neutral roster. But maybe it's just too much to ask for.

asrivkin · 03-22-2026, 01:20 PM

Ah! I should have recognized you wouldn't be coming to this cold. No disrespect meant, of course!

There is, now that I think about it, an option #3--the equations used to do the calculations of the various park factors (doubles/triples, home runs, hits, etc.) as a function of ballpark characteristics (dimensions of the field, amount of foul territory, altitude, etc.) should exist out in public somewhere. So in principle, one could presumably either substitute in your desired values for the factors and characteristics and see what the other values that you're not specifying need to be, or else demonstrate that there is no solution that fits everything. It's pushing 40 years since I took a class on differential equations, but solving a bunch of simultaneous equations _does_ seem like something that can be done with AI by people who know what they're doing.

Having said that, the philosophical issue about what park factors even mean are real ones, especially in regard to the OOTP engine. I haven't followed particularly closely, but I am vaguely aware of discussions on the forum about how hits or home runs get distributed, and certainly the actual outcomes in the park you're designing will be dependent upon the other parks in play in the league and their character, and (I think?) the overall league stats that are entered.

So, not sure if this is encouraging, discouraging, or just confirming what you suspected. And I'll note once more that I've only been playing around with the ballpark model-making end of this, I really have been chugging along with the game itself mostly with its default settings and taking the park factors that the game calculates from the park dimensions and location that I input...

03-20-2026, 11:45 PM	#1
kq76 Global Moderator Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 12,048	Want to Help Design a Ballpark? I asked AI to help me with this task and at first I thought it did a good job, but afterwards when I calculated expected park factors without AI, I realized it didn't. So now I'm coming to you, the experts. I'm going to list some criteria / wants and I'm hoping you can give me some wall distances, heights, and maybe even park factors that will hopefully come to close to accomplishing that. Overall, I want a pretty average park. There are going to be some aspects I definitely don't want to be close to average, but overall I'd say it should be close to a 1.000 (or 100). I'd like it to favour lefty batters, but not by too much. I'd like it to favour speedy players (batters and outfielders) as much as possible, but I also don't want it to be an absolute desert wasteland with regard to HRs. I want an 8 ft, or so, CF for those epic home run robberies. I also don't want a sub 400 ft CF, but I also don't want it much more than 400 (I like the idea of 404, like "404 error"). I'd like a decently sized (height and width) wall in LF and maybe even a taller than 8 ft wall in RF too. I definitely don't want the green monster or anything, but 16-20 ft in LF, 12-16 ft in RF maybe? I'd like the OF distances to be different too. I'm thinking maybe 330, 350, 370 in LF, 325, 360, 395 in RF? Now it sounds like I've maybe gotten too specific ("what do you need me for?", you might ask), but my park factor expectations might not fit those. I don't want any cheap HRs, but again I don't want too few either. Again, I'd like to favour lefties, but that doesn't need to be true for anything in particular. But maybe the key thing is I'd like a fair amount of doubles, like 1.1 or so. And on top of that, I'd like even more triples, like 1.2 or so. To offset this, I'm okay with Avg and even HR being sub 1. I'd rather they be close to 1 overall, but I realize that to fit those doubles and triples in and still keep everything close to 1 that something needs to give. So I'm thinking PFs something like LH Avg 1.01, RH Avg 0.97, Doubles 1.1, Triples 1.2, LH HR 101, RH HR 91, but those numbers don't really seem to work with my wall ideas. So what does? I'm afraid this might be a puzzle with pieces that just don't fit. Is it? __________________ My OOTP Wishlist \| My FAQ List OOTP Wiki \| Your Recommended Team Nicknames, By City (A Crowdsourced Project) For Beta/Devs: Full screen (1920x1080)

03-21-2026, 11:55 PM	#2
asrivkin Major Leagues Join Date: Aug 2020 Location: Maryland Posts: 378	OK, this is _not_ me volunteering to do it, because I have too much of a backlog I'm already on the hook for, but I can imagine how I'd do it: either I'd 1) fire up Eriqjaffe's park generator and play around with the numbers until I got (close to) what I wanted for the park factors, while keeping the dimensions and wall heights (close to) what I wanted, and working from that or 2) make the dimensions and wall heights what I wanted in the model and then just tell OOTP the park factors I wanted because ultimately the dimensions/wall heights and the park factors are independent of one another. I could tell OOTP that the walls are all 500 feet high and 1000 feet away in all dimensions and also tell it that the HR park factors are 3 and it'll sort it out somehow (probably with a zillion inside-the-park home runs). If you did want to take option #1, you'll also probably want to decide where your ballpark is going to be and/or if it'll be a domed stadium and/or if it'll have turf or real grass.

03-22-2026, 12:33 AM	#3
kq76 Global Moderator Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 12,048	Thanks. #1 is a good idea, but I already tried it before I posted. I should have mentioned that. I also tried 2 other users' park factors files and that's why I'm having trouble because I can't see to get wall dimensions that even come close to the park factors I want. With AI, yeah, it gives me what I want (but AI always wants to do that), but these other ways it gives wildly different park factors for similar dimensions. EDIT: I'll give this another go though. I may have given up on it too easily. As for #2, yeah, I know. I just thought with AI and the programs some people have been able to come up with, maybe we might be able to figure this out the other way by now. I mean, the ways I've tried you input the dimensions and the program spits out park factors while what I'd really like is a program that you input park factors, and maybe other info, and it spits out wall dimensions. It's kind of a silly endeavor really, because, truthfully, I just don't believe that much in park factors. I mean, sure, I think some parks will usually result in more/less doubles or home runs or whatever, but it's kind of silly because most PFs vary so much from year to year. Just think, everyone used to say Dodgers stadium was a pitchers' park, but now it's a hitters' park? The reason why is obvious, they acquired great hitters, but still, it doesn't have as much to do with the actual parks as some people believe. Alas, I'd still kind of like to have a ballpark with dimensions close to what I'd like, that would also provide park factors close to what I'd like, with a neutral roster. But maybe it's just too much to ask for. __________________ My OOTP Wishlist \| My FAQ List OOTP Wiki \| Your Recommended Team Nicknames, By City (A Crowdsourced Project) For Beta/Devs: Full screen (1920x1080) Last edited by kq76; 03-22-2026 at 12:36 AM.

03-22-2026, 01:20 PM	#4
asrivkin Major Leagues Join Date: Aug 2020 Location: Maryland Posts: 378	Ah! I should have recognized you wouldn't be coming to this cold. No disrespect meant, of course! There is, now that I think about it, an option #3--the equations used to do the calculations of the various park factors (doubles/triples, home runs, hits, etc.) as a function of ballpark characteristics (dimensions of the field, amount of foul territory, altitude, etc.) should exist out in public somewhere. So in principle, one could presumably either substitute in your desired values for the factors and characteristics and see what the other values that you're not specifying need to be, or else demonstrate that there is no solution that fits everything. It's pushing 40 years since I took a class on differential equations, but solving a bunch of simultaneous equations _does_ seem like something that can be done with AI by people who know what they're doing. Having said that, the philosophical issue about what park factors even mean are real ones, especially in regard to the OOTP engine. I haven't followed particularly closely, but I am vaguely aware of discussions on the forum about how hits or home runs get distributed, and certainly the actual outcomes in the park you're designing will be dependent upon the other parks in play in the league and their character, and (I think?) the overall league stats that are entered. So, not sure if this is encouraging, discouraging, or just confirming what you suspected. And I'll note once more that I've only been playing around with the ballpark model-making end of this, I really have been chugging along with the game itself mostly with its default settings and taking the park factors that the game calculates from the park dimensions and location that I input...