The End of the Road

Karl Pagel Blues · 10-05-2025, 08:43 AM

Let me start by saying something that doesn't get said enough around here:

OOTP is a wonderful game. Even after all these years, Out of the Park Baseball remains truly in a league of its own.

To the Developers, I want to say this:

I don’t envy your job. It must be incredibly frustrating to spend an entire development cycle working on new features and fixes, only to see the forum flooded with complaints and negativity – most of it critical and much of it repetitive. I can only imagine how exhausting that must feel. And yet… the vast majority of those posts come from people like me who care. Because the game is worth caring about.

I pre-ordered every version since OOTP 16. I always played in modern-day and single-player mode, acting as GM and Manager.

Year after year, we got new features, tweaks, and cosmetic improvements. But underlying problems remained, many of which existed for years. To those of us who noticed them, these issues never seemed to get the attention they deserved.

For the past hour, I was reading through forum posts from 2022 and 2023.

Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.

There’s nothing for me to say that hasn’t already been said.

So, for me, the road ends here. The same core flaws have outlived my patience.

OOTP’s so-called “AI” doesn’t deserve to be called AI. It’s a legacy logic tree making static decisions with no memory, no learning, and often no context.

No, I’m not angry. Disappointed? Yes. In a world where almost everything feels like a clone or a cash-grab, OOTP has always stood out as something genuinely unique. There’s nothing else like it. There never has been. And for that, I’ll always be grateful.

But it's time to move on.

BarneyRubble · 10-06-2025, 08:04 AM

I stopped playing in 2022 only to give it another shot (26). A lot of things seemed to have improved. I like the scouting changes.

It is a great game, however, the AI is pitiful.

mytreds · 10-06-2025, 02:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BarneyRubble

I stopped playing in 2022 only to give it another shot (26). A lot of things seemed to have improved. I like the scouting changes.

It is a great game, however, the AI is pitiful.

A game that pits the human versus the CPU is good, despite the CPU being pitiful? Interesting.

eas9898 · 10-06-2025, 08:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mytreds

A game that pits the human versus the CPU is good, despite the CPU being pitiful? Interesting.

There are many great things about the game. That's why we're all here. But let's not just ignore where the major issues are, and one of them is the AI.

The developers are adding new features each year to try to stay attractive to repeat buyers, but they've been neglecting the underlying systems for so long that they have become liabilities to the core game play -- which is to be a simulation of baseball management.

Without a good AI, the game is nothing more than a glorified spreadsheet with 3D graphics that literally add nothing to the actual core of the game.

We all love the game, and want it to be the best it can be. The developers are lucky to have such interested fans, and would be well-served by listening to them.

Paul Reuschel's Mustache · 10-08-2025, 08:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eas9898

The developers are adding new features each year to try to stay attractive to repeat buyers, but they've been neglecting the underlying systems for so long that they have become liabilities to the core game play -- which is to be a simulation of baseball management.

Without a good AI, the game is nothing more than a glorified spreadsheet with 3D graphics that literally add nothing to the actual core of the game.

We all love the game, and want it to be the best it can be. The developers are lucky to have such interested fans, and would be well-served by listening to them.

Well said and I agree 100%.

LeiterFanatic · 10-10-2025, 04:24 PM

Which version of the game had the best AI logic for realistic replays?

KJDelaney · 10-10-2025, 08:26 PM

I tried playing 26, sporadically played 25. That also holds true to the FHM series.

Wasnt fun or realistic. Too many head scratching roster moves, manager moves, players just not playing "right"

i do wish OOTP well.

phightin · 10-10-2025, 09:24 PM

I mean i think OOTP has been the same with the AI and issues for a long time but if you give yourself a few house rules i really think its been the same from a challenge standpoint over the last decade or so. Is it relatively easy to build a winning higher level team against the computer, yes, but i wouldnt say its easy to win a championship every year or even most years. So I’m ok with that. I get those wanting more of a daunting challenge but the in my experience it’s always been that of the above which still makes it fun and challenging.

10-05-2025, 08:43 AM	#1
Karl Pagel Blues Minors (Double A) Join Date: May 2018 Posts: 106	The End of the Road Let me start by saying something that doesn't get said enough around here: OOTP is a wonderful game. Even after all these years, Out of the Park Baseball remains truly in a league of its own. To the Developers, I want to say this: I don’t envy your job. It must be incredibly frustrating to spend an entire development cycle working on new features and fixes, only to see the forum flooded with complaints and negativity – most of it critical and much of it repetitive. I can only imagine how exhausting that must feel. And yet… the vast majority of those posts come from people like me who care. Because the game is worth caring about. I pre-ordered every version since OOTP 16. I always played in modern-day and single-player mode, acting as GM and Manager. Year after year, we got new features, tweaks, and cosmetic improvements. But underlying problems remained, many of which existed for years. To those of us who noticed them, these issues never seemed to get the attention they deserved. For the past hour, I was reading through forum posts from 2022 and 2023. Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose. There’s nothing for me to say that hasn’t already been said. So, for me, the road ends here. The same core flaws have outlived my patience. OOTP’s so-called “AI” doesn’t deserve to be called AI. It’s a legacy logic tree making static decisions with no memory, no learning, and often no context. No, I’m not angry. Disappointed? Yes. In a world where almost everything feels like a clone or a cash-grab, OOTP has always stood out as something genuinely unique. There’s nothing else like it. There never has been. And for that, I’ll always be grateful. But it's time to move on. Last edited by Karl Pagel Blues; 10-05-2025 at 09:07 AM.

10-06-2025, 08:04 AM	#2
BarneyRubble Minors (Double A) Join Date: Jan 2022 Posts: 162	I stopped playing in 2022 only to give it another shot (26). A lot of things seemed to have improved. I like the scouting changes. It is a great game, however, the AI is pitiful. __________________ I hate the DH and 'OPS', so what do I know?

10-10-2025, 08:26 PM	#7
KJDelaney All Star Reserve Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 576	I tried playing 26, sporadically played 25. That also holds true to the FHM series. Wasnt fun or realistic. Too many head scratching roster moves, manager moves, players just not playing "right" i do wish OOTP well. __________________

10-10-2025, 04:24 PM	#6
LeiterFanatic All Star Starter Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 1,348	Which version of the game had the best AI logic for realistic replays?

10-10-2025, 09:24 PM	#8
phightin All Star Reserve Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 586	I mean i think OOTP has been the same with the AI and issues for a long time but if you give yourself a few house rules i really think its been the same from a challenge standpoint over the last decade or so. Is it relatively easy to build a winning higher level team against the computer, yes, but i wouldnt say its easy to win a championship every year or even most years. So I’m ok with that. I get those wanting more of a daunting challenge but the in my experience it’s always been that of the above which still makes it fun and challenging.