Advice needed for British newbie

Kusasi · 05-09-2004, 06:34 AM

Hello all,

I'm really looking forward to getting stuck into this game - I've looked for a decent baseball management game on all my many business and pleasure trips to North America and it definitely looks like I've found one

Anyway my first question is how do I play with genuine players? This game just won't be the same without Ichiro Suzuki in my line-up! It looks like a lot of you have real players in your line-up and there is presumably something I can do to get this in my game too.

And my second question is much more open-ended - do any of you have any words of advice to a complete newcomer for the best ways to play the game (or the stupidest things NOT to do). In my experience sports management games like this are won and lost in the first week if you don't make the right contract decisions/line-up choices/transfer (trade) deals, etc .....

Cheers,
Kusasi

Dud_Selig · 05-09-2004, 06:59 AM

First off, welcome aboard! It's always cool when our British cousins are in the house.

The first thing you'll need to simulate using real MLB players is a good roster/league file. You have two viable choices here:

1.) Halofan's roster, which contains not only all the established MLB players, but most of the top prospects in the minors as well. You can download it here:

http://www.simleaguecentral.com/modu...download&cid=1

One small caveat: you'll have to register at that site in order to d/l the roster file, but that's no biggie.

2.) CBL v 2.0. Great league that has all players, most of the prospects, and all of the records contained in the Almanac.

You can get that here: http://www.baseballmaelstrom.com/cbl_version_2.zip

Or Here: http://driscoll-carignan.com/ootp/d...l_version_2.zip

3.) If you're going to sim using real MLB rosters, you'll probably want a facepack that contains all of the MLB players.

The best one available (DD's Facepack) can be downloaded here:

http://driscoll-carignan.com/ootp/

Installation instructions:

After you've downloaded the requisite league files, make sure that the league folder is your OOTP 6 DIR, then simply start a new game in OOTP6, go to "File/Open League" and select the league.

To install the facepack, simply extract the files of the facepack zips you've downloaded to your league's photo folder. So if you d/l CBL 2.0, you will extract the facepacks to CBL 2.0/photo.

That's it (believe me, it's a lot easier than I'm making it sound )

Again, welcome aboard, and enjoy!

Kusasi · 05-09-2004, 07:04 AM

Fantastic - thanks for such a detailed answer so quickly. I'll get over there now and start downloading ...

BaseballMan · 05-09-2004, 07:08 AM

Well first of all welcome to the boards and glad you found the game.

For real players you can use the lahman database. One problem though is that if you use the orginal lahman datbase you may end up with players playing at different postions because thats were they played as rookies. I would use Ankits database if you want a more realistic and results closer to the real thing. Ankit modified the lahman database so that players play closer to how they really did.
But remember repeating baseball history exactly as it happen isnt really what ootp is about. Its more about the what ifs and how you choose to run a team or league. Just because Ty Cobb hit .367 doesnt mean he will do the same in your league. He may get injured in his 2nd year or never develop into the real Ty Cobb. He may end up only batting .305.

I play mostly as a commish so i cant really help you much with being a team owner. But i would take some time and learn how to play thats enjoyable to you. If your team become the Yankees great but it can be just as fun to finally win the championship after 40 years too. I wouldnt try make it too diffcult or too easyand like any game you will have to learn to develop your own house rules.

You might also do a search for some addons the board members have made.
You might want to get Cato's catobase and do a search for facepaks, stadiums, player pics and much more.

You will find that the members here are pretty freindly and helpful
if you need help and if you do a serach you may find a lot a lot of useful info too.

Like i said though ootp isnt about duplicating baseball history exactly as it happened or getting all the best players just to win the championship every year, its about watching an alternate history of baseball and the storys that develop from them.

Take your time and enjoy the game.

Dud_Selig · 05-09-2004, 07:16 AM

It was my pleasure. I hope you enjoy the game as much as I do. Apart from CM, OOTP is hands down the best sports sim on the planet....and it's a close second to CM at that.

BaseballMan mentioned the Lahman database, which is also an excellent choice (and the best for historical accuracy by far). The only problem with it is that it's a little complex for noobs. You'll have to import the database, and search for add-ons on your own.

Ah, you'll get the hang of it..

sporr · 05-09-2004, 04:09 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Kusasi
And my second question is much more open-ended - do any of you have any words of advice to a complete newcomer for the best ways to play the game (or the stupidest things NOT to do). In my experience sports management games like this are won and lost in the first week if you don't make the right contract decisions/line-up choices/transfer (trade) deals, etc .....

Cheers,
Kusasi

This is really a matter of preference. Some folks like to play out their games every day to get to know the players on their team better and they get into the day-to-day decisions of being a manager. Others prefer to sim weeks or months at a time and only step in to make trades, taking on more of a "General Manager" role than an on-field manager. Still others will do some combination of the two by simming large blocks of time but playing out important games. The beauty is that you can play the game any way that you want to.

redmarkYankees · 05-09-2004, 06:14 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Kusasi
And my second question is much more open-ended - do any of you have any words of advice to a complete newcomer for the best ways to play the game (or the stupidest things NOT to do). In my experience sports management games like this are won and lost in the first week if you don't make the right contract decisions/line-up choices/transfer (trade) deals, etc .....

From a British ex-newbie, it's well worth the effort.

IMO, as with any game, use your first attempt or two to get used to the mechanics, recognise talent, experiment with different ways of playing the actual games (a nice compromise is to 'play' each game, then sim an inning or half-inning at a time to allow substitutions etc, playing out occasional crucial innings in full). Run through a couple of seasons, then go back and take things more seriously. At the start of a career, you can spend a lot of time working out trades, etc to get your team set how you'd like.

05-09-2004, 06:34 AM	#1
Kusasi Bat Boy Join Date: May 2004 Location: Oxfordshire, U.K. Posts: 2	Advice needed for British newbie Hello all, I'm really looking forward to getting stuck into this game - I've looked for a decent baseball management game on all my many business and pleasure trips to North America and it definitely looks like I've found one Anyway my first question is how do I play with genuine players? This game just won't be the same without Ichiro Suzuki in my line-up! It looks like a lot of you have real players in your line-up and there is presumably something I can do to get this in my game too. And my second question is much more open-ended - do any of you have any words of advice to a complete newcomer for the best ways to play the game (or the stupidest things NOT to do). In my experience sports management games like this are won and lost in the first week if you don't make the right contract decisions/line-up choices/transfer (trade) deals, etc ..... Cheers, Kusasi

05-09-2004, 06:59 AM	#2
Dud_Selig Minors (Triple A) Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 274	First off, welcome aboard! It's always cool when our British cousins are in the house. The first thing you'll need to simulate using real MLB players is a good roster/league file. You have two viable choices here: 1.) Halofan's roster, which contains not only all the established MLB players, but most of the top prospects in the minors as well. You can download it here: http://www.simleaguecentral.com/modu...download&cid=1 One small caveat: you'll have to register at that site in order to d/l the roster file, but that's no biggie. 2.) CBL v 2.0. Great league that has all players, most of the prospects, and all of the records contained in the Almanac. You can get that here: http://www.baseballmaelstrom.com/cbl_version_2.zip Or Here: http://driscoll-carignan.com/ootp/d...l_version_2.zip 3.) If you're going to sim using real MLB rosters, you'll probably want a facepack that contains all of the MLB players. The best one available (DD's Facepack) can be downloaded here: http://driscoll-carignan.com/ootp/ Installation instructions: After you've downloaded the requisite league files, make sure that the league folder is your OOTP 6 DIR, then simply start a new game in OOTP6, go to "File/Open League" and select the league. To install the facepack, simply extract the files of the facepack zips you've downloaded to your league's photo folder. So if you d/l CBL 2.0, you will extract the facepacks to CBL 2.0/photo. That's it (believe me, it's a lot easier than I'm making it sound ) Again, welcome aboard, and enjoy! Last edited by Dud_Selig; 05-09-2004 at 07:05 AM.

05-09-2004, 07:04 AM	#3
Kusasi Bat Boy Join Date: May 2004 Location: Oxfordshire, U.K. Posts: 2	Fantastic - thanks for such a detailed answer so quickly. I'll get over there now and start downloading ...

05-09-2004, 07:08 AM	#4
BaseballMan Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 6,561	Well first of all welcome to the boards and glad you found the game. For real players you can use the lahman database. One problem though is that if you use the orginal lahman datbase you may end up with players playing at different postions because thats were they played as rookies. I would use Ankits database if you want a more realistic and results closer to the real thing. Ankit modified the lahman database so that players play closer to how they really did. But remember repeating baseball history exactly as it happen isnt really what ootp is about. Its more about the what ifs and how you choose to run a team or league. Just because Ty Cobb hit .367 doesnt mean he will do the same in your league. He may get injured in his 2nd year or never develop into the real Ty Cobb. He may end up only batting .305. I play mostly as a commish so i cant really help you much with being a team owner. But i would take some time and learn how to play thats enjoyable to you. If your team become the Yankees great but it can be just as fun to finally win the championship after 40 years too. I wouldnt try make it too diffcult or too easyand like any game you will have to learn to develop your own house rules. You might also do a search for some addons the board members have made. You might want to get Cato's catobase and do a search for facepaks, stadiums, player pics and much more. You will find that the members here are pretty freindly and helpful if you need help and if you do a serach you may find a lot a lot of useful info too. Like i said though ootp isnt about duplicating baseball history exactly as it happened or getting all the best players just to win the championship every year, its about watching an alternate history of baseball and the storys that develop from them. Take your time and enjoy the game.

05-09-2004, 07:16 AM	#5
Dud_Selig Minors (Triple A) Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 274	It was my pleasure. I hope you enjoy the game as much as I do. Apart from CM, OOTP is hands down the best sports sim on the planet....and it's a close second to CM at that. BaseballMan mentioned the Lahman database, which is also an excellent choice (and the best for historical accuracy by far). The only problem with it is that it's a little complex for noobs. You'll have to import the database, and search for add-ons on your own. Ah, you'll get the hang of it..