csv files - don't eliminate them

[thehef]

There's a bug with editing the MiLBTeams.csv file where, if you do (to add teams/leagues, or add/change ballpark names, for examples), the connection to the game "breaks" in that while OOTP will still read the file for your changes, the League Totals on the Stats & AI page will no longer update from the file year to year. Spritze suggests that - rather than a bug - beginning with OOTP 17 the csv's were not be supposed to be used, that the game should be reading everything from the uneditable odb's. More on this can be found here: http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/boar...files-bug.html

In addition, you used to be able to edit the Teams.csv file (for historical majors) to, for examples, change team nicknames or change ballpark names. This no longer works. Although the Teams.csv file is included in the stats folder, OOTP apparently no longer reads from it. More in this can be found here: http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/boar...ical-mode.html

So, my suggestion is for OOTP to go back to reading from the csv's for certain elements of the game (as in the examples above), and to fix the issue with MiLBTeams.csv, rather than making the file useless (as apparently was intended). It's always nice to have more options & ways to customize your game, and OOTP making this move to eliminate the csv's is the opposite of progress in this area.

[mitchkenn]

Originally Posted by thehef

There's a bug with editing the MiLBTeams.csv file where, if you do (to add teams/leagues, or add/change ballpark names, for examples), the connection to the game "breaks" in that while OOTP will still read the file for your changes, the League Totals on the Stats & AI page will no longer update from the file year to year. Spritze suggests that - rather than a bug - beginning with OOTP 17 the csv's were not be supposed to be used, that the game should be reading everything from the uneditable odb's. More on this can be found here: http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/boar...files-bug.html
........
So, my suggestion is for OOTP to go back to reading from the csv's for certain elements of the game (as in the examples above), and to fix the issue with MiLBTeams.csv, rather than making the file useless (as apparently was intended). It's always nice to have more options & ways to customize your game, and OOTP making this move to eliminate the csv's is the opposite of progress in this area.

i tend to agree with this. i don't know how the MiLBs will be worked on for 18. i am assuming various changes will be introduced to make it better. But it would still be nice to be able to customize it - possibly (at least) to manually affiliate different teams the game includes (if the player felt so inclined). The csv files could be one way to do that, and thus - thehef's suggestion has merit.

[thehef]

Originally Posted by mitchkenn

i tend to agree with this. i don't know how the MiLBs will be worked on for 18. i am assuming various changes will be introduced to make it better. But it would still be nice to be able to customize it - possibly (at least) to manually affiliate different teams the game includes (if the player felt so inclined). The csv files could be one way to do that, and thus - thehef's suggestion has merit.

As an example, and assuming OOTP 18 will include a bunch of the bug fixes that historic minor leagues needs, it would be cool to also have the flexibility to play with historic minors AND be able to add as many years as you want of an fictional independent league, or real independent league, via the csv file, so when you progress from year to year, your independent league - complete with the evolution that YOU input - is automatic in the game... Or maybe you simply want the PCL and International Leagues to debut in 1919 with the Texas League, even though those leagues had no affiliates. Sure, no players (as MiLB is currently designed in OOTP) would import to those teams, but that might not be a concern to the gamer...

Spritze mentioned in at least one other thread the idea of coming up with ideas to make historical minors more fun in OOTP. Bugs aside, the main problem, IMO, with historic minors right now is that it is HIGHLY inflexible. Adding flexibility would go a LONG way towards making it fun, IMO And it's not like you can't already do this right now; it's just that it comes with needless consequences, as described in the OP.

[BigRed75]

Originally Posted by thehef

In addition, you used to be able to edit the Teams.csv file (for historical majors) to, for examples, change team nicknames or change ballpark names. This no longer works. Although the Teams.csv file is included in the stats folder, OOTP apparently no longer reads from it. More in this can be found here: http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/boar...ical-mode.html

Are you sure about this? Earlier this year, with OOTP 17, I did a historical replay, and Nap Lajoie didn't leave Philly, so there was no need for Cleveland to call themselves the Naps. I edited teams.csv so they stayed the Blues and had no problems.

[thehef]

Originally Posted by BigRed75

Are you sure about this? Earlier this year, with OOTP 17, I did a historical replay, and Nap Lajoie didn't leave Philly, so there was no need for Cleveland to call themselves the Naps. I edited teams.csv so they stayed the Blues and had no problems.

I am sure that I edited the teams.csv file and changed the names of the 1901 parks (to remove the roman numerals), and my changes were not - in two separate tests - reflected in my OOTP games. That said, I'm not at all doubting your findings, and am hopeful that I screwed up somewhere

More testing is in order...

[BigRed75]

I don't think that teams.csv has an impact on how ballparks are displayed. I think it's only used to match up teams with historical ballparks and there's a separate ballparks file (csv or odb) that actually controls the ballparks.

[thehef]

Originally Posted by BigRed75

I don't think that teams.csv has an impact on how ballparks are displayed. I think it's only used to match up teams with historical ballparks and there's a separate ballparks file (csv or odb) that actually controls the ballparks.

If that's the case - that some other file controls ballpark names - then that is new to v17 (perhaps new to v16, as I'm not sure I ever tested it out w that version)... It might be that one has to (and/or) edit the era_ballparks.txt file in the database folder. That file, too, has ballpark names in it.

[thehef]

Originally Posted by thehef

If that's the case - that some other file controls ballpark names - then that is new to v17 (perhaps new to v16, as I'm not sure I ever tested it out w that version)... It might be that one has to (and/or) edit the era_ballparks.txt file in the database folder. That file, too, has ballpark names in it.

I ran a test and verified that if you change the ballpark names in the era_ballparks.txt file, those changes will be reflected in OOTP, which is good. I haven't tested to see if it messes anything up, though. (If you monkey with the MiLB texts & csv's, it messes up League Totals.)

[mitchkenn]

Originally Posted by thehef

I ran a test and verified that if you change the ballpark names in the era_ballparks.txt file, those changes will be reflected in OOTP, which is good. I haven't tested to see if it messes anything up, though. (If you monkey with the MiLB texts & csv's, it messes up League Totals.)

that's good to know! i never am sure what can be edited and not rain catastrophe. (guess that's why i back up my game after every session .... as i've tended to goof a few lines here and there. )

[Spritze]

All the txt files in the database folder can be monkeyed about with without causing the game to poop out. Changing those files can cause weird stats if you over fiddle though. Changing labels like ballpark names is fairly innocuous. Changing the gravity coefficient to say Mars will cause unusual stats to be generated. Not incorrect for a Martian League just unusual at a casual glance.