Out of the Park Baseball 15 Announced!

[BigCity]

Originally Posted by struggles_mightily

But it's been a long time since it really made sense to see OOTP as being geared only to one sort of experience, and the sort of experiences it can provide have diversified through versions.....As graphics and animation become more a part of OOTP, we will have to fight the good fight against people who want another type of narrow experience and think that graphics/animation shouldn't feature in OOTP.

Well said.

Too many folks (me included at one time) have tried to protect our own little corner of OOTP and feared that if Markus strayed from that limited definition, all would be lost. Yes, OOTP is primarily a management sim - but that doesn't mean it can't have other things as well. A few still hold to the idea that all the bugs MUST be fixed before you move on to new things. That is a management style - and not one which everyone subscribes to. Selling any product involves a critical up-front decision = How do I balance "fixes" with new features? Fixes keep old customers and features attract new ones. Markus has successfully balanced that equation for 15 years now - might be time for us to trust his judgement.

[oldtimey]

Originally Posted by Markus Heinsohn

I'd like to hear more details on this, please PM me. I personally feel OOTP's in-game representation (including PbP and the AI) is far better than any other baseball sim on the market. But still, it can always be improved

I have sent a personal message to you and I am looking forward to discussing this further. If the above comparison is to other text-based sims currently available, I cannot argue with you. But, as you say, there is room for improvement and I would love to share my thoughts.

[pstrickert]

Some people would argue that the PbP in DMB is the gold standard. It is definitely better than OOTP in some respects.

[redranger]

By far, for its time.....Baseball for Windows broadcast with Ernie Harwell was absolutely the best IMO.

[olivertheorem]

Originally Posted by MikeS21

*I do wish there was some way to turn off the daily three-time limit on shopping players for trades. I never saw the point of the limit. Is that even a real life rule?

My guess is that it's in there to avoid trade-spamming. That or it's supposed to represent that other GM's will only listen to you so much in a day or don't have the time to talk about every player every day. Just guesses though.

[Le Grande Orange]

Originally Posted by tomwolf2008

Well, I'm going to assume that roster rule won't be that hard to code so this part should not have too much problem.

I'm not as sure. The active/inactive roster that the *** uses (which is also reflected in the low minors in North America) could be problematic from what I recall.

Originally Posted by tomwolf2008

Now the playoff rule, I think it'll be not exactly the same rule. I don't know if OOTP can do a best of 6 series (as in summit series of ***), or ties (which also allowed in *** playoff), or extra inning rule (as used in KBO).

It's not just the ***, but also the KBO and Caribbean winter leagues which have 'specialized' playoff formats. To me, the playoff format is a key part of a real-world league's authenticity.

Note that there are several affiliated minor leagues that don't have the proper playoff formats in OOTP either (e.g. California League, Midwest League, to name two).

[oldtimey]

Originally Posted by redranger

By far, for its time.....Baseball for Windows broadcast with Ernie Harwell was absolutely the best IMO.

You are exactly right! No text-based game could draw you in and keep you riveted like Broadcast Blast. It only lacked pitch-by-pitch, but the the pace and verbiage gave you the impression of pitch-by-pitch. Also, the play-by-play connected with the season, game and individual player achievements and attributes. When a "flamethrower" took the mound, Ernie told you this. When a batter rarely struck out, he told you that. On top of that you could choose a broadcast style that favored the home team or a "game of the week" style that just reported the game. As far as DMB, I only have seen samples of its gameplay and have not experienced it on a day-to-day basis. I think what we all want, no matter what aspect baseball turns you on, is that feeling that you can't wait to get to your game time, and once in, something special is going to happen. This vibe has kept me playing the same game for years, day-to-day, season-by-season. Just like real baseball has been for me since I was 10 years old.

[Déjà Bru]

Man, here we go again. I always feel overwhelmed at this time - so many posts from people we haven't seen in a while, no many new concepts to absorb.

Like, how will the 3D stadiums look? The new ratings system, can I get used to it? How soon can we get screenies of the new interface?

Even something like this: "Enhanced player history tracking (yearly salary, 2nd & 3rd place award finishes, grand slams, walk-off hits, 1- hitters, and other game performances)." I was about to start a new league. Do I want to do that now or should I start it in 15 to take full advantage of this feature?

Well, I'm on board, that's for sure. I just pre-ordered. But at this point I go into a bit of watchful hibernation, hunkering down and lurking for a while to see how things go. And enjoying the excitement!

[PSUColonel]

Originally Posted by Bluenoser

Well, he is playing the right game for what he wants. There are many aspects to managing, such as General Manager, who worries about all those rule 5, FA, etc etc things.

Then there's the field manager, who worries about what goes on between the white lines. I believe this is what the OP is referring to, and this certainly is the right game for that.

You don't have to do the GM stuff to play OOTP, and you don't have to like rule 5 drafts, signing FA's, etc etc to like baseball and OOTP. Before OOTP came along I loved baseball just as much as I do now, but I didn't care much about GM stuff. All I cared about was what happened on the field.

This is the right game for the OP.

Then both require far more detail

[Bluenoser]

Originally Posted by PSUColonel

Then both require far more detail

All I'm saying is if one wants to play OOTP and only worry about what goes on between the lines, then this is the right game. It's the right game for many ways of play.

All of them have room for improvement/more detail.

[justafan]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

Like, how will the 3D stadiums look?

Maybe something like this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsKjd_ZMjg0

This 3D model was made with Google SketchUp which does export to the right format, so it may work with OOTP.

[yawgmoth]

Originally Posted by Fyrestorm3

So? I love Fenway. Hate the Red Sox, love the Park.

I went a while back before they did renovations. Just felt dated. Especially in the wake of all the new ballparks that were popping up at the time. Definitely liked it more than old Yankee Stadium but would be interested to see Fenway now. I loved how it was situated in the area. You are walking down the street and then Boom! There it is.

[The Wolf]

Originally Posted by yawgmoth

I went a while back before they did renovations. Just felt dated. Especially in the wake of all the new ballparks that were popping up at the time. Definitely liked it more than old Yankee Stadium but would be interested to see Fenway now. I loved how it was situated in the area. You are walking down the street and then Boom! There it is.

Same thing with Coors. Turn a corner, there it is. There's a nice chop house around the corner, exit it, turn and BOOM.

[The Wolf]

Originally Posted by pstrickert

Some people would argue that the PbP in DMB is the gold standard. It is definitely better than OOTP in some respects.

There's not even any question about it.

[Bigrod]

Originally Posted by redranger

By far, for its time.....Baseball for Windows broadcast with Ernie Harwell was absolutely the best IMO.

I fully agree until they didn't keep it updated with player names. I still play it today just to listen to.

[dave1927p]

I'm even more excited for the football sim...we got the hint!

[Fyrestorm3]

Originally Posted by yawgmoth

I went a while back before they did renovations. Just felt dated. Especially in the wake of all the new ballparks that were popping up at the time. Definitely liked it more than old Yankee Stadium but would be interested to see Fenway now. I loved how it was situated in the area. You are walking down the street and then Boom! There it is.

Meh, you say "dated," I say "classic." I love the old-timey baseball feel, which they have managed to keep despite the renovations. Fenway's upgrade has been one of the few things the Red Sox have done right in this century.

[falkonisback]

Markus, when you manually add a player into the hall of fame, can you have the game automatically record that in player history...just a simple:


20141023 [A]John Smith was inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame!




Of course, the [A] is to be able to sort this as part of the 'Accomplishments' category (this bit of extra info was obviously not for you Markus )


Also Markus, while you're at it, why not add some type of way for the game to generate a Hall of Fame plaque like the baseball cards? That would be pretty cool I think.


Thanks for all your hard work!!!

[captaincoop17]

With the addition of the Dominican Summer League (DSL) and Venezuelan Summer League (VSL), will the international complex still be available? Or will these players go straight to the DSL or VSL?

[captaincoop17]

What will the new Dominican Summer and Venezuelan Summer leagues league level be? Rookie [R]? International [INT]? Or will we have new abbreviations?