Nice article on The Athletic site

[Art99]

I think the first version I bought was OOTP 3 and never in my wildest dreams did I think they’d still be improving it 20 years later ! I don’t know how many players there were back then but we were a very dedicated bunch because the game had so much potential. Most of the early users bought the new version every year even if didn’t have many new features in an effort to keep OOTP afloat since they were a very small operation than. I’d do it all over again.

That was a great article too.

[Bobbyraz49]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

Okay, taking that version down now. Here is a better one:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_KR...usp=share_link

MANY thanks for sharing.

Bob in Buffalo

[Bobbyraz49]

Originally Posted by Pdubya64

Thanks for that Bru, great article.

I am glad that I discovered OOTP back in the early 2000's. Sure, it had some rough edges, but I knew immediately that it was a completely different kind of baseball game, one for statheads and baseball nerds.

I can't remember whether I have bought every release or not and it doesn't really matter, but I have enjoyed coming along for the ride Markus.

I always joke to friends that it took a German to do Baseball right, but it's true. So... thanks Markus. You have made an awful lot of people happy with your creation. Please excuse our occasional rants and outbursts, as it's done out of love for the game.

Please take care and get plenty of rest bro.
Love ya!

THIS is when I miss the "Like" button !

[JohnReid99]

I, for one, have gotten literally hundreds of hours of enjoyment out of this franchise. For someone who is disabled and stays home a lot this game has been a big deal. So glad that you and the team were able to overcome what you have and to reach the heights that you also have.

[Bobfather]

Ditto.

[PSUColonel]

Yes, very good article...I finally got a chance to read it (I don't have a subscription to the Athletic) so thank you to those who were kind enough to PM the full article. Very good read, and some great exposure for Markus & OOTP.

[ignats75]

Originally Posted by Ty Cobb

Paywalled

Yes, but I will tell you that The Athletic is probably the only information/news site for sports that is worth the money they charge. The feature articles like this one are tremendous. I once learned the difference between creole and cajun cooking in an article about wandering through the tailgating lots before an LSU football game. During football season, to get my children to come by to watch Ohio State games with me I make a very popular jambalya. But I had no idea I was making a Creole version of it not a Cajun version. All kinds of neat stories in The Athletic.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by ignats75

Yes, but I will tell you that The Athletic is probably the only information/news site for sports that is worth the money they charge. The feature articles like this one are tremendous. I once learned the difference between creole and cajun cooking in an article about wandering through the tailgating lots before an LSU football game. During football season, to get my children to come by to watch Ohio State games with me I make a very popular jambalya. But I had no idea I was making a Creole version of it not a Cajun version. All kinds of neat stories in The Athletic.

Yes, I second this. I normally would not shill for a pay service but I too have found "All kinds of neat stories in The Athletic." The additional charge to add it to my NYT online subscription was nominal.

There. That earns me dispensation for having posted the article in PDF form and linked to it for the enjoyment of us all (see my previous post). The Athletic should feel amply compensated.

EDIT: Here's the link to my PDF version: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_KR...usp=share_link

[smiller]

What I most took away from this article was the hard word and dedication that goes in to creating this game and why it may be okay to bitch once in a while about things we 'd like to see improved, we're very lucky to have such a flexible, in-depth game that would not be available if that initial dedication was lacking.

[Sweed]

Thanks Bru for posting the whole article.

Congratulations Markus, what a path you've traveled.

My first version was v4, 2002 and I've bought every version since while importing and continuing the same game now for over 20 real world years.

I'm retired now, but back then I'd go to work and think what a cool life you must be leading. A young man, working on your own making a baseball game and a good living on top of that. I had no idea how tough it was to get through financially and how close OOTP came to going out of business. I was going to my boring daily job, and sometimes find myself thinking about how fun your work had to be. The grass always looks greener on the other side of the hill, but I guess we never really know, do we? The way you continued, despite the challenges and setbacks, says a lot about how much you love OOTP.

OOTP has given me thousands of hours of enjoyment for over 20 years, and the hours continue to pile up. Thank you!

I wish you, and the entire OOTP team, continued success. You all deserve it.

[Socali]

I could never remember when I actually came across OOTP and tried it and the article helped me sort that out when it mentioned the Sports Interactive "era" in 2005. It was then I realized I had to have jumped in at the beginning or version 2 at least.

Haven't always been loyal in buying and playing the game through the years mainly for time sake but Perfect Team definitely got its hooks on me. So much so that I didn't do PT20 because I'm not one who likes to be addicted to anything so I intentionally avoided PT20. Came back with PT21 and now I regret missing PT20 for the very nice extra loyalty rewards. Oh, well.

I think that article is very much needed for the OOTP community and I would hope engender a more fond connection to it's creator as the article manages to share more than most of us knew about how tenuous this franchise was at times. Obviously, it was more of a struggle than most of us knew.

So, congratulations to Markus for keeping the dream alive and bringing much happiness to many if only for your stick-to-itiveness. We are all the beneficiaries.

[LeiterFanatic]

Good to read this journey I have shared since Version 2

[RchW]

Originally Posted by Sweed

Thanks Bru for posting the whole article.

Congratulations Markus, what a path you've traveled.

My first version was v4, 2002 and I've bought every version since while importing and continuing the same game now for over 20 real world years.

I'm retired now, but back then I'd go to work and think what a cool life you must be leading. A young man, working on your own making a baseball game and a good living on top of that. I had no idea how tough it was to get through financially and how close OOTP came to going out of business. I was going to my boring daily job, and sometimes find myself thinking about how fun your work had to be. The grass always looks greener on the other side of the hill, but I guess we never really know, do we? The way you continued, despite the challenges and setbacks, says a lot about how much you love OOTP.

OOTP has given me thousands of hours of enjoyment for over 20 years, and the hours continue to pile up. Thank you!

I wish you, and the entire OOTP team, continued success. You all deserve it.

Well said Sweed!