Should I buy OOTP 14 ? I need advice. :-)

[boss1968]

Hi Gang,

I'm a proud owner of OOTP 8 and OOTP 13, and have fictional (non-historical) draft leagues going on in both for the past few years.
I'd like to purchase OOTP 14 and begin another fictional league, but I'm not honestly sure I should get it, since I feel that, from what I have seen, it is not that much different than the previous version 13.

So, I am kindly asking advice : does 14 differ a lot from 13, or are they basically the same game ? Is it worth it for me to buy 14, or wait until say, 15 comes out ?

I'm mainly interested in how the game screen is set up in 14 ?
Are there improvements in the play by play dialogue ?
Can you move the stadium pics around, as well as the other game screen boxes ?
Can you resize any of the game boxes ?
Is the game screen fully customized now ?
What new additions, if any, does the game screen have in 14 ?

Any help/info would be appreciated. :-)

Thanks !

[spleen1015]

No, you shouldn't buy it. You should continue to deny yourself of the best OOTP experience possible.

[Bluenoser]

I would recommend downloading the Demo and giving it a run through.

It appears you have a good grasp on the game and it's functions, and the UI in 14 is pretty close to 13, so you should have no trouble navigating around.

Also, check the website for the release letter to see what's new in 14.

[boss1968]

Originally Posted by spleen1015

No, you shouldn't buy it. You should continue to deny yourself of the best OOTP experience possible.

Yes, this was very helpful to me. Thank you.

[boss1968]

Originally Posted by Bluenoser

I would recommend downloading the Demo and giving it a run through.

It appears you have a good grasp on the game and it's functions, and the UI in 14 is pretty close to 13, so you should have no trouble navigating around.

Also, check the website for the release letter to see what's new in 14.

Yes, I love the game immensely. But since I already have 13, I don't want to have a carbon copy of it, if I get 14, as well. That is why I just want to know what improvements/additions were made to the game play screen in version 14. Simple question, really.

[spleen1015]

Originally Posted by boss1968

Yes, this was very helpful to me. Thank you.

I should have put a in there. I'm just messing with you homie.

I don't play out games to know if that screen a changed. I think the other improvements are enough to warrant a purchase.

[Bluenoser]

Originally Posted by boss1968

Yes, I love the game immensely. But since I already have 13, I don't want to have a carbon copy of it, if I get 14, as well. That is why I just want to know what improvements/additions were made to the game play screen in version 14. Simple question, really.

Simple answer really - if you can read that is.

Out of the Park Baseball: Home

[David Watts]

Originally Posted by boss1968

Yes, I love the game immensely. But since I already have 13, I don't want to have a carbon copy of it, if I get 14, as well. That is why I just want to know what improvements/additions were made to the game play screen in version 14. Simple question, really.

One thing added to 14 is the ability to set the size of your bullpen completely independent of the stamina and use of relievers settings. This alone make 14 the best version ever in my opinion. If you set use of closers to rarely, 14 now makes use of a "stopper" instead of a closer. Think John Hiller, Goose Gossage etc. 14 also has an option to allow starters to be used in relief. This is great for leagues set up prior to strict rotations. Not sure if any of these are earth shattering, but for me they are huge improvements.

[D-BacksJosh]

Originally Posted by boss1968

Yes, I love the game immensely. But since I already have 13, I don't want to have a carbon copy of it, if I get 14, as well. That is why I just want to know what improvements/additions were made to the game play screen in version 14. Simple question, really.

No changes made to the PBP screen. There has been improvements to the AI, international amateurs and facegen among other things that I personally deem valuable enough to warrant the purchase. Not only that but I want to financially contribute to the ongoing progress of the game every year. The minute this becomes like EA sports, where every new version is basically just a roster upgrade (carbon copy), then I will stop. But I have seen every year that the improvements in the game prove that the developers are not abandoning it.

Edit: I forgot there is the addition of the 'Pitch to Contact' option in PBP.

[mpejkrm]

My answer to every one of these threads - yes.

[Nunyer]

I only recently purchased 14 and like the improvements I'm seeing. Nothing earth shattering yet for my style of play, but lots of little things. Trade AI is an improvement, I actually got an offer from a CPU GM that was remotely worth entertaining... I still turned it down after about 45 seconds of review... but that's a solid 38 seconds longer than I would have to review any CPU offers in previous versions. The international free agency seems solid. I like the new pitching staff / bullpen setup, even though I rarely sim, it's nice to slot your minor league prospects into more clearly defined roles, apply pitch counts, etc.

I still the CPU signing a lot of ridiculous contracts... but I suppose MLB has plenty of ridiculous contracts as well...

I don't see any of the customization options that the OP is looking for... so that could be a factor for him... But from my perspective, it was a good purchase. As others have said, sometimes it's good just to kick your $40 towards the cause even if you know that you could get by just fine with last year's version.

[DreamTeams]

Originally Posted by boss1968

Hi Gang,

I'm a proud owner of OOTP 8 and OOTP 13, and have fictional (non-historical) draft leagues going on in both for the past few years.
I'd like to purchase OOTP 14 and begin another fictional league, but I'm not honestly sure I should get it, since I feel that, from what I have seen, it is not that much different than the previous version 13.

So, I am kindly asking advice : does 14 differ a lot from 13, or are they basically the same game ? Is it worth it for me to buy 14, or wait until say, 15 comes out ?

I'm mainly interested in how the game screen is set up in 14 ?
Are there improvements in the play by play dialogue ?
Can you move the stadium pics around, as well as the other game screen boxes ?
Can you resize any of the game boxes ?
Is the game screen fully customized now ?
What new additions, if any, does the game screen have in 14 ?

Any help/info would be appreciated. :-)

Thanks !

The in-game screen is pretty much identical to ootp13 as far as what you can move around. But, 'win probability' has been added to the Field Header. The biggest addition to the in-game screen are automatic switch-out of home/away jerseys. If you play out games that's a big addition and a solid reason to get ootp14 (IMHO). I have noticed some improvements to play-by-play dialogue in that there seem to more possibility that fielders will drop catches.

[Déjà Bru]

I think the display screens and fonts in 14 are way better than 13, even after the final patch of 13 that tweaked the fonts, finally:

http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/boar...rendering.html

I cannot say enough about that and, please know, I'm not elderly and weak in eyesight. 14 was worth the money for this improvement alone; the other enhancements in 14 that the guys mentioned above were gravy for me.

[boss1968]

Originally Posted by DreamTeams

The in-game screen is pretty much identical to ootp13 as far as what you can move around. But, 'win probability' has been added to the Field Header. The biggest addition to the in-game screen are automatic switch-out of home/away jerseys. If you play out games that's a big addition and a solid reason to get ootp14 (IMHO). I have noticed some improvements to play-by-play dialogue in that there seem to more possibility that fielders will drop catches.

Ah, so now we are getting someplace. Thanks. There are home and away uniforms for the player pics in version 14 ?

[Walsh06]

reasons to buy:

Development reports
Home and away jerseys
International amateurs
Better bullpen management
Setting Pitcher roster sizes for the league

[DreamTeams]

Originally Posted by boss1968

Ah, so now we are getting someplace. Thanks. There are home and away uniforms for the player pics in version 14 ?

Correct. You can now assign each team a home and away jersey. However, the only places that the away jerseys show up are on the in-game graphics (field, etc.) and the 'performance of the day' post-game graphic. Wonderful addition.

[Questdog]

The biggest reason to purchase OOTP14 over OOTP13 has nothing to do with any added features or UI improvements....the biggest advances are things that are "under the hood"........if it matters to you that your baseball sim be as realistic as possible (as far as game results are concerned), then OOTP14 is worth every penny....if it doesn't matter to you that players perform in ways that are not consistent with real life, then OOTP14 is not that much different than OOTP13....(though at $30, it certainly has earned its value just on the fancy new features).....

[boss1968]

Originally Posted by DreamTeams

Correct. You can now assign each team a home and away jersey. However, the only places that the away jerseys show up are on the in-game graphics (field, etc.) and the 'performance of the day' post-game graphic. Wonderful addition.

Yes ! That is what I am talking about ! I'm really interested in finding out about the new 'cosmetic' changes the game has in version 14. Home and Away uniforms are just the thing I am looking for. Nice additions like that to make the game even more eye catching.

Can the stadium pic be resized in the game screen ? Or any of the other game screen boxes, like the pitcher/batter pics ?

[DreamTeams]

Originally Posted by boss1968

Can the stadium pic be resized in the game screen ? Or any of the other game screen boxes, like the pitcher/batter pics ?

Yes. The stadium pic can be resized to three different sizes. The player pics can be resized to present more information although the actual player images remain the same size. Other boxes like the Team Info box and the out of town scoreboard can be resized, to include more info, as well. Just make sure your screen resolution is large enough or else it won't all fit on the screen at the increased sizes.

[boss1968]

Originally Posted by DreamTeams

Yes. The stadium pic can be resized to three different sizes. The player pics can be resized to present more information although the actual player images remain the same size. Other boxes like the Team Info box and the out of town scoreboard can be resized, to include more info, as well. Just make sure your screen resolution is large enough or else it won't all fit on the screen at the increased sizes.

Much obliged, my good man ! You have been most helpful. I feel a OOTP 14 purchase coming up !