Deciding whether or not to buy ootp8

[rig99]

Trying to make a decision to buy this game or wait for the later release. I read somewhere that they were making ootp9. Will ootp9 be out soon? I don't want to pay $20 for ootp8 and then ootp9 comes out and have to pay another $20.

Another thing I am curious of is the ease to get into an online league. Is it really hard to play in them? Will I need connections to get into one? And if anyone has the time could you write a little bit about how they work and how to play in them? Is it through the game interface or through forums/im/email?

Thank you for any help.

[Neags23]

Get OOTP8. There's been no announced release date for 9, yet. So enjoy 8 until 9 comes out, gets patched, etc.

Online leagues are very easy to get into. There are a ton listed in the online league subforum.

And as far as how they operate, leagues vary. Some allow you to join even without the game -- though I think that would take an immense amount of joy away from the experience.

Much of the game with online leagues is through the interface, but there is use of forums and instant messaging and the like to converse with the other GMs in the league.

OOTP can be a little intimidating at first, but be patient and you should be able to come around. Never hesitate to ask questions, and don't get overwhelmed. Start with a small league and figure stuff out before trying to immerse yourself in a multi-nation league with 10 levels and college and high school teams.

[The Wolf]

Get OOTP 8. Trust us.

[Raidergoo]

Originally Posted by rig99

Trying to make a decision to buy this game or wait for the later release. I read somewhere that they were making ootp9. Will ootp9 be out soon? I don't want to pay $20 for ootp8 and then ootp9 comes out and have to pay another $20.

Another thing I am curious of is the ease to get into an online league. Is it really hard to play in them? Will I need connections to get into one? And if anyone has the time could you write a little bit about how they work and how to play in them? Is it through the game interface or through forums/im/email?

Thank you for any help.

Get the demo. If you like it, and want to participate in an online league, buy OOTP 8. OOTP 9 is scheduled for Spring 2008. However, most online leagues will not immediately convert to OOTP 9, so you will get good mileage out of OOTP 8.

What do you mean by "connections"? Do you mean internet connection? Yes, you will need a good one. The update file sizes are large. Most of the work is done via the interface. Lots of stuff gets done via IM and also a forum.

If you mean personal connections, in some leagues you will, in most you won't. Many people advertise their leagues in their signatures( Like me!) and there is a forum on this website for online leagues and recruitment.

I will use my team in my league as an example.

Here is my league's home page. You'll notice the forums link.
eMLB has 3 main forums, and about a dozen sub-forums. Some sub-forums are more important than others. On the league home page, you'll also note the owners page. It names the people in the league, lists IM's and email addresses.

Before I joined an online league, I used IM once a month. Today, I have it open 24 hours a day, but really only use it 20-30 minutes a day. I talk trades via IM and email. It usually depends on who I need to talk to and what time of day it is. It's hard to use IM to chat to the Padres GM live, as he's in Australia, so I use a forum. For the Giants, I chat via AIM all the time. With the Angels, I use email. It just depends on who I need to talk to.

Online leagues are challenging and a blast to play in. You are dealing with live human GM's, and not AI. It's one thing to exploit a flaw in the AI, and another thing to rip off a human GM.