Totally New to Sim; is OOTP for me?

[renojedi]

OK, as background I love baseball and have channeled that love through console games on the PS2 and X-Box. I wasn't happy with this year's console games so I started looking at sims.

I bought PureSim baseball 2007 so that is my baseline. When I read about OOTP I was struck by how much deeper it appeared. So, with that, I have some specific questions to help with my purchase decision. Please help if you can.

1. The way I like to play is to have the actual MLB and then add an expansion team. I don't mind replacing a team if I cannot add a team. I then like to stock it with the second tier guys from the other teams (like a real expansion draft). My question is can I add a team or two to the MLB (making a 32 team league) or can I only replace a team? And are there global roster tools to allow me to select the players I want from other teams or do I have to go through a trade process for it. Or better yet, is there an expansion team feature?

2. I like to manage every game so that interface is important. I like the way pure sim shows the logos of the two teams, the pictures of the batter and the pitcher, the picture of the actual stadium you are playing in, and I like the ball flight animation it has. Are all of those present in OOTP?

3. I assume this works with the Lahman database to get real players. Does that come stock like PS07 or do you download it later? And after downloading does it automatically stock the teams with the appropriate players or do you have to do that manually?

4. How are the in-game sounds? I really like what PS07 does with a crowd noises throughout with various organ music pieces, the crack of the bat, etc.


You comments are appreciated. I recognize some of these questions are found elsewhere on this board but I want personal feedback as opposed to simply reading the features list.

Thanks in advance!

[edm]

Honestly, after reading your post it sounds like Puresim might be better suited for your tastes. Don't get me wrong, I personally think ootp is the better game, and I know this is an ootp board, so I don't want to come across as steering you to the competition, but I'm just trying to be honest.

Expansion drafts are not part of ootp, but you can do this via the edit league structure menu. Where you can add/remove/move teams.

Manage mode doesn't have any kind of animations and there are no in game sounds at all. It is also pitch by pitch and does not support one pitch mode this year.

As for the Lehman database, it's doesn't come installed, but you can download the csv version from baseball1.com, which ootp2006 supports.

Why not give the demo a test run though and decide for yourself?

btw, welcome to the board

[Steve Kuffrey]

There is ONE pitch mode in this year's version, bottom of the screen you can use your mouse, the enter key or F1 key to move from one atbat to the next with one stroke.

[edm]

Sorry for the misinformation because there is that option. I just meant there is no true 'one pitch mode' option as there has been in previous versions. Meaning, if you want to apply managerial strategies (steal, hit and run, etc.) you have to play pbp.

I'm not painting this as a negative mind you, as many of us here, including myself, begged and pleaded for pitch by pitch mode, but I was just pointing it out the the OP in case he had a preference.

[Zorro]

What I really like about this game is you can be a REAL general manager. Hiring a manager really counts in this game. I play every game but I have my manager make all the decisions on the field. So the manager I hire makes a HUGE difference. {Just like in reaL life} I have never seen a game before where hiring the manager is like real life. {In other games I was the manager so my staff was not as important.}This game makes me feel like a real GM because if I hire the wrong manager I have to pay for it on the field and could lose my job over it. This was a GREAT innovation and I thank you for this. [I thank whoever thought of this idea.} .................................................. ..Z

[piperclap]

" "

I too am digging this-can't wait for the rosters to be done so I can get going.


But really, the game is as deep or shallow as you care to make it. Right now, I'm basically playing Baseball mogul by just being the GM and setting the rosters and lineups myself and simming months at a time.

Once the rosters come out, i'll set up a proper universe and start off low and work my way up, getting more into the depth of the game

[eriqjaffe]

Originally Posted by renojedi

1. The way I like to play is to have the actual MLB and then add an expansion team. I don't mind replacing a team if I cannot add a team. I then like to stock it with the second tier guys from the other teams (like a real expansion draft). My question is can I add a team or two to the MLB (making a 32 team league) or can I only replace a team? And are there global roster tools to allow me to select the players I want from other teams or do I have to go through a trade process for it. Or better yet, is there an expansion team feature?

You can add & remove teams all you want, but there is no built-in expansion draft mechanism - you'll have to do that via trades, release & sign, or via the Waiver wire.

Originally Posted by renojedi

2. I like to manage every game so that interface is important. I like the way pure sim shows the logos of the two teams, the pictures of the batter and the pitcher, the picture of the actual stadium you are playing in, and I like the ball flight animation it has. Are all of those present in OOTP?

Logos, player photos & ballparks (and MLB rosters, for that matter) are all "after-market", so you'll have to manually add them - but once you do, they are all visible in-game. There is no in-game animation, however. All the game action is conveyed via the text play-by-play.

Originally Posted by renojedi

3. I assume this works with the Lahman database to get real players. Does that come stock like PS07 or do you download it later? And after downloading does it automatically stock the teams with the appropriate players or do you have to do that manually?

PureSim has an exclusive license to re-distribute the Lahman database, so you'll have to download it seperately (make sure it's the CSV version). When you import a historical season, the players will all be assigned to their correct teams.

Originally Posted by renojedi

4. How are the in-game sounds? I really like what PS07 does with a crowd noises throughout with various organ music pieces, the crack of the bat, etc.

OOTP has no in-game sound in this version (and the sound in previous versions was problematic, anyways).