A litte update!

Markus Heinsohn · 06-23-2014, 04:16 AM

Hey guys,

we've been somewhat quiet lately, but that doesn't mean we have been completely idle.

While Andreas and I have been in rehab mode after the release time & first couple of patches (this is always very stressful for us, as you can imagine), our 3D developer Jorin was hard at work. He has been developing a true physics based 3D ball-flight engine... now, this may sound trivial at first, but it is an extremely complex topic and it took months to get it done right (for example, most games where objects fly basically fake physics, but the engine in OOTP takes all sorts of relevant things into equation in a proper physical model, i.e. air pressure, temperature, wind, ball spin, humidity etc.). Also, he has greatly improved the ballpark import / editor in OOTP to make it more user friendly for the modders / users.

So, we do plan on releasing an update for OOTP 15 in the second week of July which has these 3D improvements implemented, along with plenty of other tweaks and fixes in that area. Further, it fixes reported bugs, makes the free agent compensation / arbitration process more realistic (OOTP now correctly assign FA comp status to all free-agent eligible players who stayed on the team the entire year, and compensation draft picks are only given when the user/AI offered arbitration to this player, which in this case is a one-year contract worth the salary setting for star-calibre players, which is $14m by default) and draft picks with an 'impossible' signability no longer state a demand, so you basically have one shot only to make a substantial offer.

This week, we have our annual company meeting, so we're doing plenty of planning with everyone involved in the company being in Hamburg, Germany. There are exciting times ahead!

Cheers,
Markus

hyde4us11 · 06-23-2014, 04:31 AM

FA compensation being fixed is something I've been waiting for for a very very very long time.

06-23-2014, 04:56 AM

Good news, but when John will work on more important things, e.g. player animations, using player attributes in 3D visualization, umpires and so on?

Orioles1966 · 06-23-2014, 05:20 AM

Any talk of a basketball game at the meetings?

jpeters1734 · 06-23-2014, 06:54 AM

Sounds exciting! I'll be looking forward to the update. I love this game. Leagues ahead of other sims like mogul and 2k front office manager. I can not wait for the football sim.

Cryomaniac · 06-23-2014, 07:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dmytron

Good news, but when John will work on more important things, e.g. player animations, using player attributes in 3D visualization, umpires and so on?

IIRC Markus has said that that will be for OOTP 16 (and beyond).

pjh5165 · 06-23-2014, 07:50 AM

Great news that compensation picks are being fixed.

Caporegime · 06-23-2014, 10:03 AM

Hey, Markus. Is there any truth to the rumor that you sit in a chair similar to this one at your company meetings?

adult photo sharing

BradC · 06-23-2014, 10:25 AM

Caporegime: I am at the company office in Hamburg right now and can confirm that your picture isn't far off. Unfortunately, I am not allowed to post a photo of the real thing.

RE player animations, etc.: What Cryomaniac said is correct. Jorin gave me a demo of the improvements to the stadium editor today, and we talked about player animations, which he said are planned for next year. As Markus said in his post, the 3D part of the game that's there right now took months to get right, and Jorin is a really smart programmer. 3D is tough to do, so it will take a while for player animations.

Markus Heinsohn · 06-23-2014, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dmytron

Good news, but when John will work on more important things, e.g. player animations, using player attributes in 3D visualization, umpires and so on?

1) His name is Jorin.
2) The other stuff is far down the line (several versions), we are not Take2 and do not have 20 3D developers / artists. It will be a slow but steady progress. Just some patience please

IanIachimoe · 06-23-2014, 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jpeters1734

Sounds exciting! I'll be looking forward to the update. I love this game. Leagues ahead of other sims like mogul and 2k front office manager. I can not wait for the football sim.

x 2

wasn't aware of the OOTP series until 14, but it was the kind of game I have always been looking for. haven't even thought of playing anything else since.

thanks for all the hard work that goes into such a great game

Markus Heinsohn · 06-23-2014, 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orioles1966

Any talk of a basketball game at the meetings?

Nope.

Cole416 · 06-23-2014, 01:42 PM

Hey Markus, thanks for developing one of my favorite games of all time

Habsfan18 · 06-23-2014, 02:45 PM

Hey Markus! Is this issue being worked on?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Habsfan18

Why can I still not add the new international leagues to an existing/imported game?

23 MLB GM's were immediately canned and all player salaries became messed up.

I remember this being mentioned the day the game was released.

Is this being worked on? Thanks.

I still can't add the international leagues.

Thanks.

Avindian · 06-23-2014, 04:03 PM

Is there any chance of getting coaching ratings on the personnel screen? It would make identifying and cultivating coaches much easier. I specifically mean the screen under Front Office --> Personnel.

The news of a new update always fills me with joy.

PedroGuerrero28 · 06-24-2014, 01:07 AM

Just wanted to say thanks for all your hard work. I am avid fan of the MLB The Show, but I think they are going to focus on the PS4, which I cannot afford. I am turning to OOTP as a less expensive alternative to my baseball gaming fix.

I am curious to know what will 3d players look like? Will they look like the players in this video link below?

Tony LaRussa Baseball II Gameplay - YouTube

Quote:

Originally Posted by Markus Heinsohn

Hey guys,

we've been somewhat quiet lately, but that doesn't mean we have been completely idle.

While Andreas and I have been in rehab mode after the release time & first couple of patches (this is always very stressful for us, as you can imagine), our 3D developer Jorin was hard at work. He has been developing a true physics based 3D ball-flight engine... now, this may sound trivial at first, but it is an extremely complex topic and it took months to get it done right (for example, most games where objects fly basically fake physics, but the engine in OOTP takes all sorts of relevant things into equation in a proper physical model, i.e. air pressure, temperature, wind, ball spin, humidity etc.). Also, he has greatly improved the ballpark import / editor in OOTP to make it more user friendly for the modders / users.

So, we do plan on releasing an update for OOTP 15 in the second week of July which has these 3D improvements implemented, along with plenty of other tweaks and fixes in that area. Further, it fixes reported bugs, makes the free agent compensation / arbitration process more realistic (OOTP now correctly assign FA comp status to all free-agent eligible players who stayed on the team the entire year, and compensation draft picks are only given when the user/AI offered arbitration to this player, which in this case is a one-year contract worth the salary setting for star-calibre players, which is $14m by default) and draft picks with an 'impossible' signability no longer state a demand, so you basically have one shot only to make a substantial offer.

This week, we have our annual company meeting, so we're doing plenty of planning with everyone involved in the company being in Hamburg, Germany. There are exciting times ahead!

Cheers,
Markus

pastimesteve · 06-24-2014, 01:08 AM

Markus - regarding 3D stuff, I had suggested this a couple of versions ago, but what if -- as an interim step well before player animations -- there were 2D representations of player "uniforms" (represented as a circle with the player's number in the center) on the playing field as an option instead of the player names/ratings that are typically shown on the field? The user would have the ability to edit the border color, number color, select pinstripes or solid color fill, pinstripe color, etc. I just think this would add to the atmosphere of the game if you're the GM and just like watching key games unfold.

The circles would move along the base paths, defensive players' "uniforms" would move to the location of the ball based on the new physics engine, etc. I'm dating myself, but I'm thinking back to an NFL computer PC game where the X's and O's would move up and down the playing field, except with OOTP, the uniform circles would be reflected in the action.

Just a thought and I may be the only one who would like this sort of thing.

Steve

BradC · 06-24-2014, 08:48 AM

From my conversation with Jorin, we still don't really know how they will look yet. It will take some time to figure that out. Stay tuned, as they say.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PedroGuerrero28

Just wanted to say thanks for all your hard work. I am avid fan of the MLB The Show, but I think they are going to focus on the PS4, which I cannot afford. I am turning to OOTP as a less expensive alternative to my baseball gaming fix.

I am curious to know what will 3d players look like? Will they look like the players in this video link below?

Tony LaRussa Baseball II Gameplay - YouTube

PedroGuerrero28 · 06-24-2014, 10:28 AM

Hey pastime Steve,

The game are you thinking about is called XOR Nfl Challenge

XOR NFL Challenge - YouTube

The circles would move along the base paths, defensive players' "uniforms" would move to the location of the ball based on the new physics engine, etc. I'm dating myself, but I'm thinking back to an NFL computer PC game where the X's and O's would move up and down the playing field, except with OOTP, the uniform circles would be reflected in the action.

The Wolf · 06-24-2014, 11:00 AM

3-d, bah. Improve the simulation and the AI!

06-23-2014, 04:16 AM	#1
Markus Heinsohn Developer OOTP Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Germany Posts: 24,805	A litte update! Hey guys, we've been somewhat quiet lately, but that doesn't mean we have been completely idle. While Andreas and I have been in rehab mode after the release time & first couple of patches (this is always very stressful for us, as you can imagine), our 3D developer Jorin was hard at work. He has been developing a true physics based 3D ball-flight engine... now, this may sound trivial at first, but it is an extremely complex topic and it took months to get it done right (for example, most games where objects fly basically fake physics, but the engine in OOTP takes all sorts of relevant things into equation in a proper physical model, i.e. air pressure, temperature, wind, ball spin, humidity etc.). Also, he has greatly improved the ballpark import / editor in OOTP to make it more user friendly for the modders / users. So, we do plan on releasing an update for OOTP 15 in the second week of July which has these 3D improvements implemented, along with plenty of other tweaks and fixes in that area. Further, it fixes reported bugs, makes the free agent compensation / arbitration process more realistic (OOTP now correctly assign FA comp status to all free-agent eligible players who stayed on the team the entire year, and compensation draft picks are only given when the user/AI offered arbitration to this player, which in this case is a one-year contract worth the salary setting for star-calibre players, which is $14m by default) and draft picks with an 'impossible' signability no longer state a demand, so you basically have one shot only to make a substantial offer. This week, we have our annual company meeting, so we're doing plenty of planning with everyone involved in the company being in Hamburg, Germany. There are exciting times ahead! Cheers, Markus __________________ Buy Out of the Park Baseball 25 now! Download OOTP Go 25 for iOS Download OOTP Go 25 for Android

06-23-2014, 04:31 AM	#2
hyde4us11 Major Leagues Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 369	FA compensation being fixed is something I've been waiting for for a very very very long time. __________________ AIM: hydecubs FCB- Washington D.C. Freedom FOD- Washington D.C. Freedom HRBL- Hartford Riverhawks

06-23-2014, 10:03 AM	#8
Caporegime All Star Starter Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: The Borough of Kings Posts: 1,714	Hey, Markus. Is there any truth to the rumor that you sit in a chair similar to this one at your company meetings? adult photo sharing __________________ "If you don't know where you are going, you'll wind up someplace else." - Lawrence Peter Berra

06-23-2014, 04:56 AM	#3
dmytron Guest Posts: n/a	Good news, but when John will work on more important things, e.g. player animations, using player attributes in 3D visualization, umpires and so on?

06-23-2014, 05:20 AM	#4
Orioles1966 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 2,869	Any talk of a basketball game at the meetings?

06-23-2014, 06:54 AM	#5
jpeters1734 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Juust a bit outside... Posts: 5,974	Sounds exciting! I'll be looking forward to the update. I love this game. Leagues ahead of other sims like mogul and 2k front office manager. I can not wait for the football sim.

06-23-2014, 07:50 AM	#7
pjh5165 Major Leagues Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Philadelphia Posts: 410	Great news that compensation picks are being fixed.

06-23-2014, 10:25 AM	#9
BradC All Star Starter Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: northern CA Posts: 1,874 Blog Entries: 1	Caporegime: I am at the company office in Hamburg right now and can confirm that your picture isn't far off. Unfortunately, I am not allowed to post a photo of the real thing. RE player animations, etc.: What Cryomaniac said is correct. Jorin gave me a demo of the improvements to the stadium editor today, and we talked about player animations, which he said are planned for next year. As Markus said in his post, the 3D part of the game that's there right now took months to get right, and Jorin is a really smart programmer. 3D is tough to do, so it will take a while for player animations.

06-23-2014, 01:42 PM	#13
Cole416 Minors (Single A) Join Date: Jun 2014 Posts: 63	Hey Markus, thanks for developing one of my favorite games of all time

06-23-2014, 04:03 PM	#15
Avindian Minors (Triple A) Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 274	Is there any chance of getting coaching ratings on the personnel screen? It would make identifying and cultivating coaches much easier. I specifically mean the screen under Front Office --> Personnel. The news of a new update always fills me with joy.

06-24-2014, 01:08 AM	#17
pastimesteve Bat Boy Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 18	Markus - regarding 3D stuff, I had suggested this a couple of versions ago, but what if -- as an interim step well before player animations -- there were 2D representations of player "uniforms" (represented as a circle with the player's number in the center) on the playing field as an option instead of the player names/ratings that are typically shown on the field? The user would have the ability to edit the border color, number color, select pinstripes or solid color fill, pinstripe color, etc. I just think this would add to the atmosphere of the game if you're the GM and just like watching key games unfold. The circles would move along the base paths, defensive players' "uniforms" would move to the location of the ball based on the new physics engine, etc. I'm dating myself, but I'm thinking back to an NFL computer PC game where the X's and O's would move up and down the playing field, except with OOTP, the uniform circles would be reflected in the action. Just a thought and I may be the only one who would like this sort of thing. Steve

06-24-2014, 10:28 AM	#19
PedroGuerrero28 Bat Boy Join Date: Feb 2014 Posts: 8	Hey pastime Steve, The game are you thinking about is called XOR Nfl Challenge XOR NFL Challenge - YouTube The circles would move along the base paths, defensive players' "uniforms" would move to the location of the ball based on the new physics engine, etc. I'm dating myself, but I'm thinking back to an NFL computer PC game where the X's and O's would move up and down the playing field, except with OOTP, the uniform circles would be reflected in the action.