OOTP 9 update!

[kq76]

Originally Posted by bababui

Byes in baseball are horrible ideas because they would hurt both the hitting (loss of timing) and pitching (losing conditioning). In OOTP? Why not? IRL? Never.

I'd much, much, rather see byes in baseball than the 8th best team in the league take out the best team in a 7, or worse 5, game series after the 162 games of a regular season. Wild card teams taking out the best team in the league in 5 game series are bad enough.

This layoff decline you speak of is over-played and inescapable anyway. Yeah, I'm big on momentum coming in to the playoffs, but hot teams can go cold fast too. And time and again you'll have one series finish early and the other late giving one a lot of time in-between anyway.

If you gave a team the choice of taking a bye and getting the advantages and disadvantages of it vs playing an opening series and possibly losing it, what do you think they'd take? You'd just be being silly if you think they'd rather play the series.

I think I like the playoffs okay enough the way they are (I'd prefer 7 game 1st rds), but if they did insist on expanding, I'd hope they would give the best teams byes like the NFL does rather than have them play teams that really don't deserve to be there and be knocked out.

[Le Grande Orange]

Originally Posted by Markus Heinsohn

Actually I coded it so that this restriction does not apply

Heh, yeah, I just realized that when I looked at the screenshot again. I'm sure someone will find an interesting way to use that situation.

Originally Posted by mh2365

So if you have a 3 division league and you want the 4 best records in the playoffs you could only mark the 4 wildcards and it would pick the 4 best records regardless of the divisions?

Yes, I believe so.

Originally Posted by bababui

Byes in baseball are horrible ideas because they would hurt both the hitting (loss of timing) and pitching (losing conditioning). In OOTP? Why not? IRL? Never.

It depends on the length of the series played while the bye team is idle. For the record, the Gulf Coast League, Dominican Summer League, and the Japanese leagues have used or are using a bye system in their playoffs. The CPBL has a bye in certain situations, and the KBO has a staggered playoff format where the top team has a bye through two rounds and the second place team a bye through the first round.

[Bluenoser]

Originally Posted by kq76

I'd much, much, rather see byes in baseball than the 8th best team in the league take out the best team in a 7, or worse 5, game series after the 162 games of a regular season. Wild card teams taking out the best team in the league in 5 game series are bad enough.

This layoff decline you speak of is over-played and inescapable anyway. Yeah, I'm big on momentum coming in to the playoffs, but hot teams can go cold fast too. And time and again you'll have one series finish early and the other late giving one a lot of time in-between anyway.

If you gave a team the choice of taking a bye and getting the advantages and disadvantages of it vs playing an opening series and possibly losing it, what do you think they'd take? You'd just be being silly if you think they'd rather play the series.

I think I like the playoffs okay enough the way they are (I'd prefer 7 game 1st rds), but if they did insist on expanding, I'd hope they would give the best teams byes like the NFL does rather than have them play teams that really don't deserve to be there and be knocked out.

I'm not so sure I agree with that. Sports is often times a game of momentum, and if you ask most players when the play-offs start, the last thing they want to be doing is practicing everyday and waiting/watching other teams play to see who their opponent is. I bet if you ask, most will say "Let's Play", not "Let's Take the Bye". That's been my experience over many years of watching pro sports and listening to interviews with players who are sitting waiting, they all want to play.

[kq76]

Originally Posted by BruceM

I'm not so sure I agree with that. Sports is often times a game of momentum, and if you ask most players when the play-offs start, the last thing they want to be doing is practicing everyday and waiting/watching other teams play to see who their opponent is. I bet if you ask, most will say "Let's Play", not "Let's Take the Bye". That's been my experience over many years of watching pro sports and listening to interviews with players who are sitting waiting, they all want to play.

Perhaps. I could see that, especially with an experienced confident team like the Red Sox. I more meant management though whose decision that would really be. Would they really chance injuries and having to win another round in the playoffs to get to the real prize of the World Series? I highly doubt it. I know I wouldn't want to risk it even with the extra revenue to be gained.

[mgom27]

NFL the only Pro Sport with a bye and that's what somebody probley asking.
Good to see we can have more then 4 teams from a League in the Playoffs because in real life MLB doesn't allow that yet.
Double Elimation would only be good for College Leagues.
Any word yet on Spring Training Additonal Options like Minor League Camp,Split Squad Games.Non Roster Players and Pitchers,Games against Minor League and College Teams,Spring Training Stadiums and the Rule that Teams can set their Opening Day Rosters anytime in Spring Training not just athe end of it?
How about the option for to Schedule Inter League play all yaer round and the ability to have 10 man Lineup with both the DH and Pitcher in it.

[theasfl]

I know I should just wait instead of asking (Im scared of the answer), but how does this screen effect split-season leagues?

[Antonin]

How I wish we could have a "never get fired" option that resembles what existed in OOTP5, rather than the cumbersome "commissioner mode."

Why was it abandoned?

[professor ape]

First and most importantly, this is a great addition and I really appreciate that it got into OOTP9.

I am mildly disappointed that byes did not make it in because I would like to experiment with the set up that I would like to see MLB move to IRL. I would have two wild card teams from each league. They would have a one game playoff (actually more like a play-in) the day after the regular season ends with the winner then playing the #1 seed.

Think about it, this would solve a lot of issues with the current wildcard format. Right now, what is the penalty of being the wild card team? We saw the Sox ease into the playoffs for a few years with no consequence. Who cares about home field advantage? One of the division winners doesn't have home field and the home record has been right around .500 for the past several years.

With the one game play-in you now have only a 50/50 chance of getting to the round of eight which is a strong incentive to go for the division win and not limp into the wildcard spot. On top of that the two wildcard teams will almost certainly use their best pitchers, the winner will have to travel again right away to play the #1 seed and they won't get any rest. Also, the #1 seed now gets the clear advantage of playing the team with the messed up rotation and lack of rest.

You will still see wild card teams get into and sometimes win the Series but it would be much more of a challenge to pull it off. I doubt that you would see three straight wildcard champions like we did earlier this decade.

[Bluenoser]

Originally Posted by kq76

Perhaps. I could see that, especially with an experienced confident team like the Red Sox. I more meant management though whose decision that would really be. Would they really chance injuries and having to win another round in the playoffs to get to the real prize of the World Series? I highly doubt it. I know I wouldn't want to risk it even with the extra revenue to be gained.

Well, now I don't buy that at all. Risk injuries? Everytime you play you risk injuries. Management are, for the most part, idiots when it comes to this sort of thing. Players get cold real quick when they sit around. They want to play. I would be willing to bet that had last years Stanley Cup final began 2 days after Ottawa eliminated Buffalo, instead of 9 or 10 days, that would have been a completely different series. The Sens were on a roll and had a great deal of momentum. They sat around while Anaheim was playing, and risking injury, and by the time the final began they couldn't get anything going. Their momentum was gone and they pretty much sucked the whole 5 games.

The only time I see management worried about risking injuries is for things like the WBC, or the All Star game, because they are meaningless to owners. And don't kid yourself about the extra revenue, Pro Team owners today see one thing and one thing only - revenue. That's why sports has become the circus it is today, because of $$$$$ and greed. If there's a buck to be made, owners want in.

[Long_Long_Name]

If you're that worried about geting cold, why not have intrasquad game?

Anyway, I think all we'll find on the matter, at least in real life, is anecdotal evidence on both sides. I'd love to find the truth, but I do not know that it's possible. I do know, however, that in OOTP, getting cold wouldn't be a matter at all.

[Bluenoser]

Originally Posted by Long_Long_Name

If you're that worried about geting cold, why not have intrasquad game?

Anyway, I think all we'll find on the matter, at least in real life, is anecdotal evidence on both sides. I'd love to find the truth, but I do not know that it's possible. I do know, however, that in OOTP, getting cold wouldn't be a matter at all.

Intrasquad is the same as practice, ask any player. Until you play your actual opponent, you're not playing the real thing. Players know it, it's in the back of their mind. They know it's not the real thing, and they don't play as hard.

Personally if they add a bye system some day, it won't matter to me one bit. I just won't use it. Options are great.

[kq76]

Originally Posted by BruceM

Well, now I don't buy that at all. Risk injuries? Everytime you play you risk injuries. Management are, for the most part, idiots when it comes to this sort of thing. Players get cold real quick when they sit around. They want to play. I would be willing to bet that had last years Stanley Cup final began 2 days after Ottawa eliminated Buffalo, instead of 9 or 10 days, that would have been a completely different series. The Sens were on a roll and had a great deal of momentum. They sat around while Anaheim was playing, and risking injury, and by the time the final began they couldn't get anything going. Their momentum was gone and they pretty much sucked the whole 5 games.

The only time I see management worried about risking injuries is for things like the WBC, or the All Star game, because they are meaningless to owners. And don't kid yourself about the extra revenue, Pro Team owners today see one thing and one thing only - revenue. That's why sports has become the circus it is today, because of $$$$$ and greed. If there's a buck to be made, owners want in.

You might not feel injuries are that big of a risk, but you play more games and they are a risk of some extra degree. How big of a risk, who knows, but I would think there's a greater chance of injury risk after a long season.

As for the extra revenue, I'm pretty sure there's more money to be made by winning the World Series than by winning the first round. Now yeah, if you win the WS and an extra early round then you'd seriously clean up, but if your chances of getting to the WS are higher with getting a bye then I'm thinking you'd make more money winning say 3 rounds including the WS than winning 3 rounds and then maybe or maybe not winning the WS.

I'd be very interested in seeing a team's comparison of the two options financially, but I'm pretty confident that they'd forecast higher expected revenue with the bye than without. Not for the entire league, just a team.

But all that of course all rests on whether there's really a greater likelihood of getting through the second round with only playing one series rather than two, but I can't possibly imagine it being more likely by playing two series.

[kq76]

Originally Posted by professor ape

First and most importantly, this is a great addition and I really appreciate that it got into OOTP9.

I am mildly disappointed that byes did not make it in because I would like to experiment with the set up that I would like to see MLB move to IRL. I would have two wild card teams from each league. They would have a one game playoff (actually more like a play-in) the day after the regular season ends with the winner then playing the #1 seed.

Think about it, this would solve a lot of issues with the current wildcard format. Right now, what is the penalty of being the wild card team? We saw the Sox ease into the playoffs for a few years with no consequence. Who cares about home field advantage? One of the division winners doesn't have home field and the home record has been right around .500 for the past several years.

With the one game play-in you now have only a 50/50 chance of getting to the round of eight which is a strong incentive to go for the division win and not limp into the wildcard spot. On top of that the two wildcard teams will almost certainly use their best pitchers, the winner will have to travel again right away to play the #1 seed and they won't get any rest. Also, the #1 seed now gets the clear advantage of playing the team with the messed up rotation and lack of rest.

You will still see wild card teams get into and sometimes win the Series but it would be much more of a challenge to pull it off. I doubt that you would see three straight wildcard champions like we did earlier this decade.

You bring up a good point. If people have so much of a problem with the layoff from a full length round bye, you could instead just have a 1 (3?) game opening series. There's much less of a layoff with that and the teams in that opening round would go full out trying to win it and use their best pitcher(s). Not having to face a team's ace would be a very nice bonus.

The only thing is those wild card teams might have not been able to set up their ace to start game 1 if they had to do all they could to just make the playoffs. Maybe their ace had to pitch one of the very last games of the regular season just to make it in. Either way, it's just an extra day or 2 rest.

[professor ape]

Originally Posted by kq76

You bring up a good point. If people have so much of a problem with the layoff from a full length round bye, you could instead just have a 1 (3?) game opening series. There's much less of a layoff with that and the teams in that opening round would go full out trying to win it and use their best pitcher(s). Not having to face a team's ace would be a very nice bonus.

The only thing is those wild card teams might have not been able to set up their ace to start game 1 if they had to do all they could to just make the playoffs. Maybe their ace had to pitch one of the very last games of the regular season just to make it in. Either way, it's just an extra day or 2 rest.

Agreed that you won't automatically get the aces pitching in the play-in games but you will use one of your top hurlers. Either way the winner will mess up their rotation going into the LDS round.

The biggest change is that in this scenario the wild card teams have to play an extra round. A one-game round but another round none the less. All things being equal that means that the division winners have a one in eight chance at the championship while each wild card team has a one in sixteen chance.

Also, think about the potential TV bonanza. Picture a "Wild Card Monday" with a 4PM and an 8PM winner-take-all game. I'd be watching.

[DrSatan]

Just a quick observation about the screenshot that has probably been fixed already. It says "Please select which teams will quality for the playoffs", I think it should say qualify. Again, this is probably already fixed, just posting my observation.

[Le Grande Orange]

Originally Posted by mgom27

NFL the only Sport with a bye.

Incorrect. Baseball has them. See the Central League and Pacific League in Japan, the Korean Baseball Organization, the Chinese Professional Baseball League, and the California League (Class A-Advanced).

Originally Posted by theasfl

I know I should just wait instead of asking (Im scared of the answer), but how does this screen effect split-season leagues?

I'm wondering that myself. I covered them, but the split-season format has always given Markus a bit of trouble.

[jbmagic]

how the game going to handle tie breakers to qualify for the playoff?

[theasfl]

Originally Posted by jbmagic

how the game going to handle tie breakers to qualify for the playoff?

thats another issue that's caused problems in the past

[Le Grande Orange]

Originally Posted by jbmagic

how the game going to handle tie breakers to qualify for the playoff?

No idea. I did make a separate suggestion to give tiebreakers a much-needed upgrade. Basically, the player could choose whether to have playoff games in every instance of a tie of playoff bound teams, only in those cases where a post-season berth is riding on the outcome, or never have a playoff game and only use non-game tiebreakers (with these mostly following MLB's rules).

Tiebreakers are one of those little details that it's easy to overlook but is in fact rather important to get right.

[theasfl]

Originally Posted by Le Grande Orange

No idea. I did make a separate suggestion to give tiebreakers a much-needed upgrade. Basically, the player could choose whether to have playoff games in every instance of a tie of playoff bound teams, only in those cases where a post-season berth is riding on the outcome, or never have a playoff game and only use non-game tiebreakers (with these mostly following MLB's rules).

Tiebreakers are one of those little details that it's easy to overlook but is in fact rather important to get right.

To add on to what LGO said, with this new feature coming in its going to likely give the average user the ability to think about more playoff teams in his universe in varying ways, the more playoff teams the more likely there is to be a playoff and the more likely there is to be a large tie for a playoff spot. I really hope tiebreakers get fixed up in some fashion for that reason. It still pains me to see 5 teams tie for the last wild card spot and only two of them playoff seemingly at random.