The Annual Settings Thread

[slugga27]

Anyone figure out pitcher stamina settings yet? I typically set it at .950 for starters and .975 for relievers, but I feel like that's too low this year, while default (1.000) is too high.

Also, stolen base attempts...default is .800 for MLB and significantly lower for minors (as low as .400). Speedsters seem to be topping out at 30-35 steals. Any ideas?

[Dem Bums]

Originally Posted by iBrandon

So to set this straight - You all who recommend stats only, it's for fictional leagues. Sim a few years ahead and then take over a team. Is there a way to sim that far ahead or it's a season by season basis? TO take over a team, I need a certain mode on so I can take over whoever when I like?
What are the best quickstart fictonal leagues? I am not good at creating things from scratch. I know there is a fictional quickstart the OOTP guys have ready to go when you boot up.'

If I decide to do an MLB league, don't use stats only, correct?

There is a lot of information here, so my apologies for the repeating questions. Stats only sounds like a blast though. Going to give it a go and try not to look back. Just need to dig through the thread so much to make sure I have everything set up correctly.

If you don't want to go to the trouble of setting up your own fictional league, you can use the MLB quickstart, clear all rosters, (remember to select each minor league and clear those as well) delete all free agents and then fill teams with fictional players. Clear the rosters again and then schedule a draft.

[Abnerdoubleday]

This thread should be renamed "The Annual Highjacked Thread"

[ohiodevil]

Originally Posted by iBrandon

So to set this straight - You all who recommend stats only, it's for fictional leagues. Sim a few years ahead and then take over a team. Is there a way to sim that far ahead or it's a season by season basis? TO take over a team, I need a certain mode on so I can take over whoever when I like?
What are the best quickstart fictonal leagues? I am not good at creating things from scratch. I know there is a fictional quickstart the OOTP guys have ready to go when you boot up.'

If I decide to do an MLB league, don't use stats only, correct?

There is a lot of information here, so my apologies for the repeating questions. Stats only sounds like a blast though. Going to give it a go and try not to look back. Just need to dig through the thread so much to make sure I have everything set up correctly.

I think there is a fictional quickstart in the Add-On Central tab in the game....the US Baseball League. I am not sure if it is updated for 17, but I played it a little bit back in 16 and it was fun.

[MikeS21]

I must be the exception to the group. I tend to set my scouting accuracy a little higher. I hire the highest rated scouting director I can find and depend on him to be as accurate as he can. Obviously no scout is ever 100% correct, but if on average, scouts are correct 20% of the time and I hire the best scout, I expect him to be correct 25%-30% of the time.

I did a stats only league a couple versions ago and wasn't that in to it. I do see some value of past performance, but I tend to want to know what a player is capable of doing and attempt to develop area of his game that he needs to improve. Stats tell me what a player has done in the past, but I want to be able to project how he can perform in today's game against Pitcher X whom he has never faced. Stats have context and I simply don't have the time or the inclination to dig and place them in context. Even if I did, it is history of a player's past performance, but it really doesn't help me with today's game against a rookie pitcher no one has faced. I need to know a hitter's abilities beyond the numbers.

It is great that so many folks enjoy the stats only options. I don't knock them in the least. I'm just not one of them. I have my current AI evaluation settings at 80-10-5-5.

[PhillieFever]

Originally Posted by The Wolf

Create a new league - fictional is best, I usually use a fictional MLB set 5 to 10 years ago (although I did back-sim 30 years once) - let the AI run all the teams as you sim to the current season and then take over a team. Don't ever peek at ratings, and set scouting quality to low. Determine your lineups, pitching staff, trades, promotion, demotions, draft choices all from stats and scouting reports.

The difficulty level goes up amazingly. You get much more of a GM and managerial experience. Is young player X lucky, or is he actually good? Is aging Player Y done for, or just hitting/pitching in bad luck? Is Player Z injury prone? Good luck figuring it all out!

In stats-only you make your decisions on incomplete data and take your chances, just like a real GM. It's not for everyone, most people don't want that much of a challenge. It's your game, play it your way. My way is on hard mode.

Me, I love stats only. But it's your game, play it your way.
__________________

Playing stats only is a fantastic way to play and I wouldn't knock anybody for it, but to say that Big League General Managers do not use "ratings" when they're evaluating players is simply not true. There are official MLB scouting reports all over the internet, and nearly all of them use a 20-80 scale(it used to be 2-8) for current and potential talent. Statistics, especially High School/College are actually rarely used at all in evaluations, they're simply not a good barometer of talent. In this day and age information is king, and those with the best most accurate information, are usually the most successful.

[The Wolf]

Originally Posted by PhillieFever

Playing stats only is a fantastic way to play and I wouldn't knock anybody for it, but to say that Big League General Managers do not use "ratings" when they're evaluating players is simply not true. There are official MLB scouting reports all over the internet, and nearly all of them use a 20-80 scale(it used to be 2-8) for current and potential talent. Statistics, especially High School/College are actually rarely used at all in evaluations, they're simply not a good barometer of talent. In this day and age information is king, and those with the best most accurate information, are usually the most successful.

They use scouting report data, not omnipotent game ratings straight from God. You're talking apples and not just oranges, but Orange County.

[The Wolf]

Originally Posted by Abnerdoubleday

This thread should be renamed "The Annual Highjacked Thread"

Stats-only is a function of settings, in case you never realized it.

[Silent_Thunder]

Originally Posted by PhillieFever

Playing stats only is a fantastic way to play and I wouldn't knock anybody for it, but to say that Big League General Managers do not use "ratings" when they're evaluating players is simply not true. There are official MLB scouting reports all over the internet, and nearly all of them use a 20-80 scale(it used to be 2-8) for current and potential talent. Statistics, especially High School/College are actually rarely used at all in evaluations, they're simply not a good barometer of talent. In this day and age information is king, and those with the best most accurate information, are usually the most successful.

The problem is the OOTP scouting engine doesn't have enough variance. Scouts should be able to be up to 10-15 points off on a 20-80 scale sometimes, especially with younger players, but they only ever seem to be able get 5 points (or one tick) off the "true" ratings. And this is on Very Low. The problem isn't that there's scouting data, it's that the scouting data needs to be able to be more wrong. Especially for potential ratings.

Now look what you've done. You've made me agree with an argument by Wolf.

Also most stats only players will say you should leave "Other Ratings" on (Since those are usually either intangibles or stuff that's frankly obvious, like how fast a guy can run) and still look at the scout reports, which still give a good ballpark of current and potential ability.

[NotMuchTime]

I'd like to use ratings, but it makes the game way too easy. I know why, but that's for another thread and another time. :-)

[Silent_Thunder]

What really needs to be done is putting the text scouting report in the main player page in place of the now blank ratings. A lot of the time stats only takes is just down to fighting a UI not designed for it.

I'm hoping OOTP 18 will add a more modular UI, since this would help more than just stats players.

[Matt Uk]

That's a good point. It would be good if it could be on the main page or at least toggled in the morale box with that and status, then you can leave it on whichever you want.

[slugga27]

Originally Posted by slugga27

Anyone figure out pitcher stamina settings yet? I typically set it at .950 for starters and .975 for relievers, but I feel like that's too low this year, while default (1.000) is too high.

Also, stolen base attempts...default is .800 for MLB and significantly lower for minors (as low as .400). Speedsters seem to be topping out at 30-35 steals. Any ideas?

Does anyone have any insight on this?

[SirMichaelJordan]

Originally Posted by Silent_Thunder

What really needs to be done is putting the text scouting report in the main player page in place of the now blank ratings. A lot of the time stats only takes is just down to fighting a UI not designed for it.

I'm hoping OOTP 18 will add a more modular UI, since this would help more than just stats players.

Or have the ability to customize the profile page like FM.

[The Wolf]

"Imagine (tangent incoming) if titles like XCOM 2 had their statistics masked, from health through to hit chance. People would play the game completely differently...I’d quite like to play that game – it would feel unfair, but to be honest, life is unfair, and combat is always a risk. It would become a game of tactical awareness, common sense, and controlled caution." - Dann Sullivan, inadvertently explaining the appeal and correct approach to stats-only

['94 EXPOS]

Originally Posted by The Wolf

"Imagine (tangent incoming) if titles like XCOM 2 had their statistics masked, from health through to hit chance. People would play the game completely differently...I’d quite like to play that game – it would feel unfair, but to be honest, life is unfair, and combat is always a risk. It would become a game of tactical awareness, common sense, and controlled caution." - Dann Sullivan, inadvertently explaining the appeal and correct approach to stats-only

There is....unequivocally, I might add.....no way to dispute your passion for stats only! It's not 'stats maybe' or 'stats sometimes' it is stats f&*#^% ONLY

[OmahaBaseball]

After reading through this thread multiple times, I decided to jump into the "stats only" pool. I have to admit that I have had so much fun setting up my fantasy league (usually play MLB or MLB historical), that I am really looking forward to seeing how it all plays out. I went with 0-65-25-10, 1-10 on "other" ratings, scouting reports set to average, and will sim 1 year at a time for 5 years (starting in 1965) and then take over a team. Using 30 teams split evenly into two AL/NL like structures, with 3 divisions in each league. Not sure how I will pick the team, but thinking bottom 5 of winning percentage, with no playoff appearances.

[SirMichaelJordan]

Originally Posted by Mister_G

Any thoughts on player development and aging settings? Going with the standard MLB QS

Default is pretty good but if you want even more realism then you may want to bump up pitcher aging & development a bit.

[BeanballComin]

Although most of my play is some form of historical, I'm currently in the process of setting up an all fictional / stats league.
So with that being said, this has has been one of the best reading, and most informative threads of the year.

[The Wolf]

Originally Posted by CHOWDERHEAD

After reading through this thread multiple times, I decided to jump into the "stats only" pool. I have to admit that I have had so much fun setting up my fantasy league (usually play MLB or MLB historical), that I am really looking forward to seeing how it all plays out. I went with 0-65-25-10, 1-10 on "other" ratings, scouting reports set to average, and will sim 1 year at a time for 5 years (starting in 1965) and then take over a team. Using 30 teams split evenly into two AL/NL like structures, with 3 divisions in each league. Not sure how I will pick the team, but thinking bottom 5 of winning percentage, with no playoff appearances.

Great! Turn your scouting accuracy down at least one notch.