A note to first timers who are a little frustrated.

[Giants44]

<o></o>I have been around here a long time and while I think the game is far from perfect, I do think it is pretty good and certainly better than anything else in the genre.

If you are new and a little frustrated here are a few things I think you should know:
<o>

</o> 1. Markus is the most available developer I have ever encountered of any software of any kind. He listens to his customer base and constantly improves his game. Can he please everyone? Of course not – I cringe at some of the suggestions I read on these pages. I don’t envy Markus’s job at all trying to sift through all the conflicting suggestions and do what is right for the game. IMO nine times out of ten he is right and the game improves. I can think of 10 things that I have personally recommended or asked for that have been added. I can’t say that about one other software I own. (PS – Markus I have another 100 when you get a chance)


2. You may have just bought ver 9, but what you don’t realize is you are also going to get 9.1, 9.2, 9.3… free of charge. The game is almost always expanding and improving. History has shown us that the first release always has some issues, but these are generally fixed pretty quickly and the patches tend to flow for months. This is not EA we are dealing with here.



3. The game is deep and can be a little intimidating at first. But hey so can MS Excel, chances are you have Excel and don’t use 90% of what is in there. Take the time to learn the game and use simple leagues and templates at first – as you get to know it the game it gets easier, then add a few things, explore some more stuff. It is really one of the joys of the game. I was as outspoken a critic as there was in the first days of the change over to the SI interface. I could not believe Markus had done that to MY game. But once I calmed down, and got into the interface I saw the brilliance in it. Now I wish all of my games used the interface.
<o></o>

<o></o>
Call me a fanboy if you well, and there is probably some truth to that. But it is a fanaticism that has been earned by years of quality coming from Markus and co.

[whitesocks]

Since you mentioned Excell..Could you tell me in the Almanac options it says that you can do a data dump to Access. What does this mean? What would this do?

[silvam14]

Originally Posted by Giants44

<o></o>I have been around here a long time and while I think the game is far from perfect, I do think it is pretty good and certainly better than anything else in the genre.

If you are new and a little frustrated here are a few things I think you should know:
<o>

</o> <!--[if !supportLists]-->1.<!--[endif]-->Markus is the most available developer I have ever encountered of any software of any kind. He listens to his customer base and constantly improves his game. Can he please everyone? Of course not – I cringe at some of the suggestions I read on these pages. I don’t envy Markus’s job at all trying to sift through all the conflicting suggestions and do what is right for the game. IMO nine times out of ten he is right and the game improves. I can think of 10 things that I have personally recommended or asked for that have been added. I can’t say that about one other software I own. (PS – Markus I have another 100 when you get a chance)


<!--[if !supportLists]-->2.<!--[endif]-->You may have just bought ver 9, but what you don’t realize is you are also going to get 9.1, 9.2, 9.3… free of charge. The game is almost always expanding and improving. History has shown us that the first release always has some issues, but these are generally fixed pretty quickly and the patches tend to flow for months. This is not EA we are dealing with here.



<!--[if !supportLists]-->3.<!--[endif]-->The game is deep and can be a little intimidating at first. But hey so can MS Excel, chances are you have Excel and don’t use 90% of what is in there. Take the time to learn the game and use simple leagues and templates at first – as you get to know it the game it gets easier, then add a few things, explore some more stuff. It is really one of the joys of the game. I was as outspoken a critic as there was in the first days of the change over to the SI interface. I could not believe Markus had done that to MY game. But once I calmed down, and got into the interface I saw the brilliance in it. Now I wish all of my games used the interface.
<o></o>

<o></o>
Call me a fanboy if you well, and there is probably some truth to that. But it is a fanaticism that has been earned by years of quality coming from Markus and co.

""

What a great post!

Welcome to you newcomers!

[spot]

It will export all of the stats into a format so you can look at them and sort them in Access.

[Giants44]

Originally Posted by whitesocks

Since you mentioned Excell..Could you tell me in the Almanac options it says that you can do a data dump to Access. What does this mean? What would this do?

I am the wrong person to ask since I haven't use the Almanac since the 6.5 days (I find it unnecessary for me with the history section) but I am sure there are plenty of people here who know the answer. If you don't get the answer in this thread I would suggest starting a new thread based upon your question - one of the things I probably should have added in my original post is what a great community we have here - there are some truly dedicated and helpful people.

[myasu]

Great post, Giants44!

[bosunmate]

Originally Posted by Giants44

I am the wrong person to ask since I haven't use the Almanac since the 6.5 days (I find it unnecessary for me with the history section) but I am sure there are plenty of people here who know the answer. If you don't get the answer in this thread I would suggest starting a new thread based upon your question - one of the things I probably should have added in my original post is what a great community we have here - there are some truly dedicated and helpful people.

Well said...

[bphilipb]

This thread should be a sticky with no more added posts. Great post.

BB

[Giants44]

Another thing I wanted to add is that if you have a question or need some help post a new thread - Try to be as detailed as you can and try to avoid things like "fix problem X now or I will never play again!!!"

I think you will find a lot of people willing to help and some even go to extraordinary lengths. I know that has been my experience. I really can't say enough about this community - I have made friendships (well as much as you can in an online board) gotten advice, given advice and been steered towards some incredible stuff that enhances the OOTP expiernce.

I have been playing OOTP longer than most and still had a couple questions yesterday - I posted them here and had answers to my problems in minutes.

Markus's skill and attitude is the foundation of OOTP, but the community really enhances the entire expierence.

now Markus fix my large resolution ballpark editing problem or I am never playing again!!!!

[__JR__]

Originally Posted by Giants44

now Markus fix my large resolution ballpark editing problem or I am never playing again!!!!

Newegg.com - ViewSonic E50B Black 15" CRT Monitor 0.28mm Dot Pitch D-Sub - CRT Monitors


Plus its only $120

[RchW]

Nicely put Giants44.

[kq76]

Add my props to the list. I always admired your writing style.

[Andreas Raht]

Great post, thanks! I just fixed the &lt;!-- --&gt; issues.

[ootp3to6]

Originally Posted by Giants44

<o></o>I have been around here a long time and while I think the game is far from perfect, I do think it is pretty good and certainly better than anything else in the genre.

If you are new and a little frustrated here are a few things I think you should know:
<o>

</o> 1. Markus is the most available developer I have ever encountered of any software of any kind. He listens to his customer base and constantly improves his game. Can he please everyone? Of course not – I cringe at some of the suggestions I read on these pages. I don’t envy Markus’s job at all trying to sift through all the conflicting suggestions and do what is right for the game. IMO nine times out of ten he is right and the game improves. I can think of 10 things that I have personally recommended or asked for that have been added. I can’t say that about one other software I own. (PS – Markus I have another 100 when you get a chance)


2. You may have just bought ver 9, but what you don’t realize is you are also going to get 9.1, 9.2, 9.3… free of charge. The game is almost always expanding and improving. History has shown us that the first release always has some issues, but these are generally fixed pretty quickly and the patches tend to flow for months. This is not EA we are dealing with here.



3. The game is deep and can be a little intimidating at first. But hey so can MS Excel, chances are you have Excel and don’t use 90% of what is in there. Take the time to learn the game and use simple leagues and templates at first – as you get to know it the game it gets easier, then add a few things, explore some more stuff. It is really one of the joys of the game. I was as outspoken a critic as there was in the first days of the change over to the SI interface. I could not believe Markus had done that to MY game. But once I calmed down, and got into the interface I saw the brilliance in it. Now I wish all of my games used the interface.
<o></o>

<o></o>
Call me a fanboy if you well, and there is probably some truth to that. But it is a fanaticism that has been earned by years of quality coming from Markus and co.

I agree 100%.

[Markus Heinsohn]

Thanks

[Giants44]

Originally Posted by Andreas Raht

Great post, thanks! I just fixed the <!-- --> issues.

thanks - for most posts I just use the board. But when I am feeling a little long winded like I was here I generally use word and copy over - when that happens I sometimes get some character oddities, though it is very odd I never saw them.

[Arctic Blast]

Great post, Giants44. As a new player, I can tell you, in my first attempt at a league, I was rather frustrated. But, rather than throwing something across the room and having a hissy fit, I started a new league, but a much simpler one, with a lot of options turned off. Now, I can learn the basics without being overwhelmed by everything else, and I'm really enjoying it. Once I get comfortable, and figure out the layout of the game a bit better, I'll start adding options back in. This is one of the best parts of this game that I've seen, so far, the total cusomizability of it.

[rasnell]

Here are some other tips to make life simple in the beginning:

Instead of using the MLB 08 rosters or the MLB quickstart, create a new historic league and choose any year prior to 2008. Only add AAA as your only minors.

Turn off coaches, scouting, only save your box scores and game logs, and turn off all of the complicated roster rules like Rule 5 waivers, spring training and the All-Star game.

This will give you a lean, mean simming machine.

Go into your manager options and turn off all of the e-mail interruptions related to trades and personal messages and only ask for news from your organization, not the entire league.

This stops the interruptions. You still get e-mail that stops the sim during critical injuries and when players are ready to come back from the DL.

And you can still see the league news and trade offers when you decide to stop the game and look. For example, by simming one week at a time.

Make sure to add bookmarks for your favorite screen views to save enormous time.

Remember that the manager home page has links to almost everything you want to do. Bookmark that page and you can just about run everything with one click of a shortcut key. It really helps you find your way around quickly when there is an overwhelming variety of stats and info to search out.

Also recognize that you have discovered the deepest, richest baseball text sim ever perfected by an independent developer. And that means the learning curve can also reward you with many, many hours of detail.

I have played every version of OOTP and spent enormous amounts of hours with this current game (beta testing) and I'm still learning and finding stuff that I can do with the game.

[SittingDuck]

There is a definite learning curve to building leagues that suit your taste. It is truly a live-and-learn experience. Or try and fail, again and again. I see no way around it, because everyone wants various things a certain way, and no set of defaults will ever accomplish that.

So, as said by a previous poster, the best way is to learn by making small fictional leagues. See what does what. Or if you go historical, do NOT import history. That takes forever (unless you do an early year league).

Accept the fact that you'll start a league and then ditch it, realizing something that you either want/don't want with your current league. Consider turning off facegen for awhile until you like the league you're running, then turn it on.

Final point - become very, very familiar with the GAME SETUP menus and what all of the various things mean. I cannot stress that enough. And learn how to create a league via the Wizard at first, then switch over to the Advanced Mode right on the last step (when you are creating YOU as the manager). This will give you the most bang for your buck in the formating area.

A time to build up and a time to tear down - leagues, that is.

Above maintain patience. It will pay off.

[conception]

About the Markus being accessible thing- this is incredibly true. The way he incorporates things into the game is truly amazing. Also, its pretty darn cool to get the developer of a game to answer some of your questions about the games features.