The Ultimate Way to Play

Déjà Bru · 05-31-2016, 10:57 PM

How many years have they had this Manager's Office that I hardly every used? Now I cannot get enough of it. This is simply the best way to monitor all important aspects of organization management.

Challenge me on this!

Related gameplay notes:

Windowed, Maximized with task bar on auto-hide is a must to take full advantage of the Manager's Office screen. (Avoid Full Screen and the sometimes problematic Ctrl+Tab window switching).
You still need the icon bar for stuff, but on the side of the screen, not on the bottom.
Set News Subscriptions to only personal messages. For all other news, monitor the headlines in the Manager's Office.
Use bookmarks for out-of-the-way, frequently visited spots. Right now, that's primarily the league and team history indexes.
Depending on screen resolution, you only get a certain amount of boxes. I got 15, which means making choices. I do not use: Your Next Game (that's what the icon bar is for); Inbox (when I get a personal message, I know it); Team Finances (do you really follow your $$ every day?); Team Roster (I check my box scores every day and otherwise there are icons for this, too); Your Minor League System (which usually stinks, but as long as my prospects are developing, who cares?); and Team Rankings (I'm only interested in where my team is in terms of Team Stats Rankings, not the top other teams).

This is it, The Ultimate Way to Play. Challenge me on this!

discodude5 · 06-01-2016, 12:24 AM

Thanks for posting this.
It got me looking into it and I agree it seems very useful.
I had been using the standings/leaders screen and constantly having to look around at different areas to get all the info.
I'm sure it's been talked about before of why it's so good, but for me the screenshot with a little explanation of why you thought it was great peaked my interest.

MrBojangles · 06-01-2016, 01:08 AM

I didn't realize it was possible to get so many options on this screen. Mine has 4x2 rows for 8. I'll play around with this.

SxSnts9 · 06-01-2016, 01:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrBojangles

I didn't realize it was possible to get so many options on this screen. Mine has 4x2 rows for 8. I'll play around with this.

Yea me too, how exactly does one get more boxes?

BigRed75 · 06-01-2016, 07:40 AM

I think it has to do with window size and screen resolution. On my little laptop screen, I'm only ever going to get 4x2, even in full screen mode...

andyhdz · 06-01-2016, 12:31 PM

I like how you have your pitching and batting leaders right on top of the league's pitching and batting leaders for comparison. I agree with all boxes except for the personal info box since that seems useless.

Statsman1 · 06-01-2016, 12:45 PM

I have to admit, that title made me think, "It is unlike Déjà Bru to start another needless debate about ratings vs stats only." so I had to check it out, and as always, he has a solid, virtually unassailable point.

Are some of those screens configurable? Can you pick and choose what those boxes display?

TribeFanInNC · 06-01-2016, 12:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Statsman1

Are some of those screens configurable? Can you pick and choose what those boxes display?

Yes, the little arrow V at top right of each title bar is a dropdown that you can select what each window is.

But no, the ultimate way to play is stats only...

TribeFanInNC · 06-01-2016, 12:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SxSnts9

Yea me too, how exactly does one get more boxes?

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigRed75

I think it has to do with window size and screen resolution. On my little laptop screen, I'm only ever going to get 4x2, even in full screen mode...

Yes, more screen resolution gives you more boxes. That is true on a lot of screens (like the Team Rosters and Transactions tab).

SxSnts9 · 06-01-2016, 02:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TribeFanInNC

Yes, more screen resolution gives you more boxes. That is true on a lot of screens (like the Team Rosters and Transactions tab).

Noob question alert...how do I change my screen resolution? I have a windows 10 laptop. :

Westheim · 06-01-2016, 02:08 PM

Way too much clutter on that screen for my taste.

Bluenoser · 06-01-2016, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by andyhdz

I like how you have your pitching and batting leaders right on top of the league's pitching and batting leaders for comparison. I agree with all boxes except for the personal info box since that seems useless.

Every box has a dropdown window so you can customize what you wish to view.

TribeFanInNC · 06-01-2016, 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SxSnts9

Noob question alert...how do I change my screen resolution? I have a windows 10 laptop. :

It's in the main OOTP game settings area. Sorry, game isn't in front of me, but I think it is File > Settings. You can change a bunch of things there like skins, windowed/non-windowed, etc...

Déjà Bru · 06-01-2016, 09:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by andyhdz

I like how you have your pitching and batting leaders right on top of the league's pitching and batting leaders for comparison.

Perceptive fellow! Yes, I did arrange those boxes (and rearranged them) after much thought.

Quote:

Originally Posted by andyhdz

I agree with all boxes except for the personal info box since that seems useless.

Yes, except I am a vain person (actually, an insecure person

) and where else can I look at my name and see myself called OUTSTANDING, EXCELLENT, LEGENDARY?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Statsman1

I have to admit, that title made me think, "It is unlike Déjà Bru to start another needless debate about ratings vs stats only." so I had to check it out, and as always, he has a solid, virtually unassailable point.

Are some of those screens configurable? Can you pick and choose what those boxes display?

Thanks, and as others have said, use those downward-pointing arrows.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigRed75

I think it has to do with window size and screen resolution. On my little laptop screen, I'm only ever going to get 4x2, even in full screen mode...

Quote:

Originally Posted by SxSnts9

Noob question alert...how do I change my screen resolution? I have a windows 10 laptop. :

Quote:

Originally Posted by TribeFanInNC

It's in the main OOTP game settings area. Sorry, game isn't in front of me, but I think it is File > Settings. You can change a bunch of things there like skins, windowed/non-windowed, etc...

Well, yes and no. What you are talking about in Settings are window sizes.The important thing is your monitor/laptop screen resolution. In Windows, right-click on the Desktop and choose Screen Resolution. I'm playing on a laptop with a screen resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. That's how I get 15 boxes in my Manager's Office. The tradeoff is, the normal font is too small. What you are seeing above is with Increased Font Size (also in Settings). Thank goodness for that option!

BeanballComin · 06-01-2016, 09:05 PM

Re: Avoid Full Screen and the sometimes problematic Ctrl+Tab window switching.

If you play OOTP inside a VMware virtual machine, you can always play in full screen mode, and never have that issue.
The OS only sees it as another tab to open/close/minimize, without any of the potential Ctrl+Tab window switching problems.

Déjà Bru · 06-01-2016, 09:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BeanballComin

Re: Avoid Full Screen and the sometimes problematic Ctrl+Tab window switching.

If you play OOTP inside a VMware virtual machine, you can always play in full screen mode, and never have that issue.
The OS only sees it as another tab to open/close/minimize, without any of the potential Ctrl+Tab window switching problems.

Yes, that may have actually been an out-of-date comment from me. Just to test, I put my game on Full Screen mode tonight and I'm switching in and out of it, no problems. I think in the last version (16) they finally licked that Full Screen / Ctrl+Tab / crash issue that had been going on for ages. Knock on wood.

TribeFanInNC · 06-02-2016, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

Well, yes and no. What you are talking about in Settings are window sizes.The important thing is your monitor/laptop screen resolution. In Windows, right-click on the Desktop and choose Screen Resolution. I'm playing on a laptop with a screen resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. That's how I get 15 boxes in my Manager's Office. The tradeoff is, the normal font is too small. What you are seeing above is with Increased Font Size (also in Settings). Thank goodness for that option!

True. I guess I automatically interpreted what he said to be that he wanted to know how to change the window size. But yes, you have to make your computer's resolution big enough to handle the window size you select as well. Good catch.

Déjà Bru · 06-03-2016, 08:51 PM

You guys know that I am goofing about the "ultimate" way to play, of course. Play the game your way!

But, if I could share some notes with you on this style of play, using the Manager's Office, maybe you will want to try some of it.

First, know that I have shut off all Exit Auto-Play notice options. You will see why I am saying this now as I go forward.

Next, andyhdz is right. The Personal Info box is useless. It's also narcissistic if you are doing and rated well, and depressing if you are not!

So I put in my Inbox instead. What this allows me to do is to turn off the Exit Auto-Play notices about personal messages and trade offers. I can see the messages as they come in and choose whether to stop and read them or not based on the subjects (Note: recommended only if you sim a day or a week at a time; otherwise you may miss something).

League News is good for monitoring headlines. For one thing, having it next to your Inbox means you can shut off all news items going into your Inbox. Also, I used to stop every week, when I remembered, and read the newspaper but now I wait until I see something interesting show up in this box. Then I read it immediately.

In Notes & Tasks, you probably already know how useful that can be. Let me point out one big detail: For the first time in all the years that I have been playing this game, I am regularly checking the waiver wire. Why? Because Notes & Tasks tells me to do so and gives me a link to it!

League Events is self-explanatory but League Transactions is useful as well. Say you just released a player. You want to see who picked him up, if any, or gain satisfaction as days and weeks go by without seeing his name pop up. Big trades of recognizable names? You will see them in here. Discoveries of international prospects, etc., etc.

Who's Hot/Not? These are helpful prompts to tweak lineups and rotations.

Team Injuries - Keeping an eye on this box means you can turn off the Exit Auto-Play notifications for these as well. No jumping to another screen; you can put a guy on the DL on your Manager's Office screen.

You can see how your Team Top Prospects are doing here as well. No need to look them up on minor league roster screens.

The Team Schedule allows you to click on yesterday's box score.

You can see how your Team Leaders stack up against the League Leaders. The League Leader boxes are especially valuable to me now because I can watch batting title, home run, MVP, and CY Young races without leaving the Manager's Office screen.

And on and on. The game flows better, without as many interruptions. You still need to go places other than the Manager's Office, of course, but not as often.

I get worked up over things with OOTPB and this has made me happy.

Antonin · 06-03-2016, 09:14 PM

I always make the manager's screen my default screen.

05-31-2016, 10:57 PM	#1
Déjà Bru Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Long Island Posts: 11,740	The Ultimate Way to Play How many years have they had this Manager's Office that I hardly every used? Now I cannot get enough of it. This is simply the best way to monitor all important aspects of organization management. Challenge me on this! Related gameplay notes: Windowed, Maximized with task bar on auto-hide is a must to take full advantage of the Manager's Office screen. (Avoid Full Screen and the sometimes problematic Ctrl+Tab window switching). You still need the icon bar for stuff, but on the side of the screen, not on the bottom. Set News Subscriptions to only personal messages. For all other news, monitor the headlines in the Manager's Office. Use bookmarks for out-of-the-way, frequently visited spots. Right now, that's primarily the league and team history indexes. Depending on screen resolution, you only get a certain amount of boxes. I got 15, which means making choices. I do not use: Your Next Game (that's what the icon bar is for); Inbox (when I get a personal message, I know it); Team Finances (do you really follow your $$ every day?); Team Roster (I check my box scores every day and otherwise there are icons for this, too); Your Minor League System (which usually stinks, but as long as my prospects are developing, who cares?); and Team Rankings (I'm only interested in where my team is in terms of Team Stats Rankings, not the top other teams). This is it, The Ultimate Way to Play. Challenge me on this! Attached Images __________________ - Bru Last edited by Déjà Bru; 05-31-2016 at 11:23 PM.

06-01-2016, 07:40 AM	#5
BigRed75 Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 2,430	I think it has to do with window size and screen resolution. On my little laptop screen, I'm only ever going to get 4x2, even in full screen mode... __________________ Mainline team SPTT team Was not a Snag fan...until I saw the fallout once he was gone and realized what a good job he was actually doing. - Ty Cobb

06-01-2016, 12:45 PM	#7
Statsman1 Major Leagues Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Marmora, Ontario, Canada Posts: 340	I have to admit, that title made me think, "It is unlike Déjà Bru to start another needless debate about ratings vs stats only." so I had to check it out, and as always, he has a solid, virtually unassailable point. Are some of those screens configurable? Can you pick and choose what those boxes display? __________________ Statsman1

06-01-2016, 02:08 PM	#11
Westheim Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Germany Posts: 13,788	Way too much clutter on that screen for my taste. __________________ Portland Raccoons, 92 years of excell-.... of baseball: Furballs here! 1983 * 1989 * 1991 * 1992 * 1993 * 1995 * 1996 * 2010 * 2017 * 2018 * 2019 * 2026 * 2028 * 2035 * 2037 * 2044 * 2045 * 2046 * 2047 * 2048 * 2051 * 2054 * 2055 * 2061 1 OSANAI : 2 POWELL : 7 NOMURA \| RAMOS : 8 REECE : 10 BROWN : 15 HALL : 27 FERNANDEZ : 28 CASAS : 31 CARMONA : 32 WEST : 39 TONER : 46 SAITO Resident Mets Cynic - The Mets from 1962 onwards, here.

06-03-2016, 08:51 PM	#18
Déjà Bru Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Long Island Posts: 11,740	You guys know that I am goofing about the "ultimate" way to play, of course. Play the game your way! But, if I could share some notes with you on this style of play, using the Manager's Office, maybe you will want to try some of it. First, know that I have shut off all Exit Auto-Play notice options. You will see why I am saying this now as I go forward. Next, andyhdz is right. The Personal Info box is useless. It's also narcissistic if you are doing and rated well, and depressing if you are not! So I put in my Inbox instead. What this allows me to do is to turn off the Exit Auto-Play notices about personal messages and trade offers. I can see the messages as they come in and choose whether to stop and read them or not based on the subjects (Note: recommended only if you sim a day or a week at a time; otherwise you may miss something). League News is good for monitoring headlines. For one thing, having it next to your Inbox means you can shut off all news items going into your Inbox. Also, I used to stop every week, when I remembered, and read the newspaper but now I wait until I see something interesting show up in this box. Then I read it immediately. In Notes & Tasks, you probably already know how useful that can be. Let me point out one big detail: For the first time in all the years that I have been playing this game, I am regularly checking the waiver wire. Why? Because Notes & Tasks tells me to do so and gives me a link to it! League Events is self-explanatory but League Transactions is useful as well. Say you just released a player. You want to see who picked him up, if any, or gain satisfaction as days and weeks go by without seeing his name pop up. Big trades of recognizable names? You will see them in here. Discoveries of international prospects, etc., etc. Who's Hot/Not? These are helpful prompts to tweak lineups and rotations. Team Injuries - Keeping an eye on this box means you can turn off the Exit Auto-Play notifications for these as well. No jumping to another screen; you can put a guy on the DL on your Manager's Office screen. You can see how your Team Top Prospects are doing here as well. No need to look them up on minor league roster screens. The Team Schedule allows you to click on yesterday's box score. You can see how your Team Leaders stack up against the League Leaders. The League Leader boxes are especially valuable to me now because I can watch batting title, home run, MVP, and CY Young races without leaving the Manager's Office screen. And on and on. The game flows better, without as many interruptions. You still need to go places other than the Manager's Office, of course, but not as often. I get worked up over things with OOTPB and this has made me happy. Attached Images __________________ - Bru Last edited by Déjà Bru; 06-03-2016 at 08:58 PM.

06-01-2016, 12:24 AM	#2
discodude5 Major Leagues Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Saskatchewan Posts: 370	Thanks for posting this. It got me looking into it and I agree it seems very useful. I had been using the standings/leaders screen and constantly having to look around at different areas to get all the info. I'm sure it's been talked about before of why it's so good, but for me the screenshot with a little explanation of why you thought it was great peaked my interest.

06-01-2016, 01:08 AM	#3
MrBojangles All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: low and inside Posts: 568	I didn't realize it was possible to get so many options on this screen. Mine has 4x2 rows for 8. I'll play around with this.

06-01-2016, 12:31 PM	#6
andyhdz All Star Starter Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Fresno, CA by way of Texas Posts: 1,754	I like how you have your pitching and batting leaders right on top of the league's pitching and batting leaders for comparison. I agree with all boxes except for the personal info box since that seems useless.

06-01-2016, 09:05 PM	#15
BeanballComin Minors (Double A) Join Date: Apr 2013 Posts: 162	Re: Avoid Full Screen and the sometimes problematic Ctrl+Tab window switching. If you play OOTP inside a VMware virtual machine, you can always play in full screen mode, and never have that issue. The OS only sees it as another tab to open/close/minimize, without any of the potential Ctrl+Tab window switching problems.

06-03-2016, 09:14 PM	#19
Antonin Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Ohio Posts: 2,537	I always make the manager's screen my default screen. __________________ "Ever get the feeling you've been cheated?" - Johnny Rotten (Sex Pistols), San Francisco, 14 January 1978