This game sucks now

[cquinsland]

I'm sorry, but I've played this game every year since 2016, but it's gotten so much worse.

When playing out games, HR's are impossible no matter how strong your lineup is. I have 1 HR from Devers for the Red Sox through 10 games, 0 from everyone else. I did a fantasy draft and played through 40 games with Tatis Jr, Bichette, and other guys that have power. I had 4 total HR's through those 40 games. I went into commissioner mode and made the players have 80 HR power, still no difference, yet my opponents hit league average HR's.

Relief Pitching, is a joke, everyone sucks. I blow any lead I have in the 7th, 8th, and 9th. I'll trade for the best closers and have a 3 headed bullpen for closers, they still blow it, nearly every time. You still win some games, but the wild pitches consistently with a man on 3rd is something that should've been fixed years ago.

Starting pitching is someone accurate, but above average pitchers predictably fall apart in the 5th and 6th, which is frustrating if they have a shutout or no-hitter through 4. Nearly every time is ridiculous, quality starts are common in real life, most starters can make it through 6 with less than 3 runs given up if they're dealing, especially under 100 pitch count.

I love this game, it's still the best baseball simulator out there, but there are still so many issues. The 3d gameplay is jittery, the development tool for your franchise is still a mystery, and adding the micromanaging of extra coaches and trade reputation is just making the game suck, not more challenging, just annoying.

[OutS|der]

What's 80 HR power in commissioner mode? It's a 0-255 rating there. 80 is the scouting rating, not the actual rating. IE if best player has 125 power rating then that would be an 80.

besides small sample size anyways

[cquinsland]

200 HR power, with 80 scouting as the cut off

[BIG17EASY]

OP, do you know how many home runs Rafael Devers has in his last 15 games in real life? I'll assume you don't and give you the answer - 0.

[wallewalls]

So you just want nothing to go wrong when you play the game? I don't know where the fun is in that. I get it's frustrating, but that's what happens in real life (see: 2023 Mets, Padres, Cardinals, among others). Players slump, bullpens blow leads, it's baseball.

I recommend simming more than ten games though and see things start to balance out.

Also, you can turn off coaching and the trade reputation system if it bothers you so much.

[Sweed]

The good news is you can turn off things you don't like, ie "the micromanaging of extra coaches and trade reputation". But being around since 2016 means you already know that and just want to whine.

The bad news is it seems you don't understand how baseball works.


You could have posted in a much simpler way and still got the message across. Something like..

I'm losing, OOTP sucks.

Fewer words, same message. Efficiency at it's best.

[Déjà Bru]

The realistic thing about OOTPB is that nothing is guaranteed ... as in real life.

I just got done reading in The Athletic about the pressure gathering on Steve Cohen to justify his $359 million investment by finding a scapegoat in his GM or manager. That's like an OOTPB player complaining that he, too, has the highest payroll in his league but his team sucks. That's baseball.

This game does not suck. And it has greatly improved since 2016.

[uruguru]

I play this game extensively and it's the same basic game since I started 5-6 years ago. Just better in that it's more polished and the underlying model seems more solid.

[cquinsland]

I apologize, my post came on a little strong. I was frustrated and venting. I like this community and understand everyone's responses coming to the defense of the game.

I do want to clarify, I do know baseball, I've played this game for years with a lot of hours, and look forward to the new releases every season.

Again, I should have used a better choice of words, and not posted the way I did. I could have asked for advice because maybe I'm doing something wrong. So I do apologize, if anyone has any advice outside a small sample size, I would love to listen.

When simulating out games vs playing through games, there has been a dramatic difference in HR's in my experience. Maybe I'm alone in that, maybe I'm not.

[Millerp16]

I have had the same problems and frustrations. I also play out almost every game and noticed my team (Phillies) were not hitting in game home runs. I went into the league settings and noticed the home runs modifier was very low. I changed it to 1.21 and have noticed a difference in my game. Maybe that will help, it made the game more enjoyable for me!

[uruguru]

Originally Posted by cquinsland

I apologize, my post came on a little strong. I was frustrated and venting. I like this community and understand everyone's responses coming to the defense of the game.

I do want to clarify, I do know baseball, I've played this game for years with a lot of hours, and look forward to the new releases every season.

Again, I should have used a better choice of words, and not posted the way I did. I could have asked for advice because maybe I'm doing something wrong. So I do apologize, if anyone has any advice outside a small sample size, I would love to listen.

When simulating out games vs playing through games, there has been a dramatic difference in HR's in my experience. Maybe I'm alone in that, maybe I'm not.

Are you just watching the players play, or are you calling the pitches and whatnot?

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by cquinsland

I apologize, my post came on a little strong. I was frustrated and venting. I like this community and understand everyone's responses coming to the defense of the game.

I do want to clarify, I do know baseball, I've played this game for years with a lot of hours, and look forward to the new releases every season.

Again, I should have used a better choice of words, and not posted the way I did. I could have asked for advice because maybe I'm doing something wrong. So I do apologize, if anyone has any advice outside a small sample size, I would love to listen.

When simulating out games vs playing through games, there has been a dramatic difference in HR's in my experience. Maybe I'm alone in that, maybe I'm not.

Thanks for this, although it was not necessary. It is unusual for someone to come back and alter his commentary upon second thought.

Remember two things, one of which you have already mentioned: small sample size. If players have good ratings, their performances will tend to come true over time. In the short term, however, OOTPB intentionally and randomly will "benight" (I love that word, even though it's archaic now) many of them to simulate slow starts and slumps.

The other thing is, the game doesn't know Devers, Tatis, and Bichette from Moe, Larry, and Curly. It is not programmed to recognize those names and to instantly respect them and override its natural tendency to benight them at times. Over time they likely will excel, but not all the time and not every one of them, perhaps.

That last part is why I always play fictionally. Keep that in mind and take my comments with a grain of salt, in fact. I don't play with real MLB and therefore have no preconceived notions.

[Syd Thrift]

I literally just had a guy hit 65 HRs in my league in 1971, so I don’t buy “nobody hits HRs anymore”. You’d need to back up this with actual league data. Is your team hitting fewer HRs? What do league totals look like? What’s your park? How are guys’ ratings relative to the league (a “200” isn’t necessarily that high if you’re doing some like superstar league where there are 10 players with that rating)?

[Pelican]

Originally Posted by cquinsland

I apologize, my post came on a little strong. I was frustrated and venting. I like this community and understand everyone's responses coming to the defense of the game.

I do want to clarify, I do know baseball, I've played this game for years with a lot of hours, and look forward to the new releases every season.

Again, I should have used a better choice of words, and not posted the way I did. I could have asked for advice because maybe I'm doing something wrong. So I do apologize, if anyone has any advice outside a small sample size, I would love to listen.

When simulating out games vs playing through games, there has been a dramatic difference in HR's in my experience. Maybe I'm alone in that, maybe I'm not.

If we only had a bit more of this kind of humility and respect (and self-knowledge) and less venting and posturing, these forums would be a better experience. Kudos to you. It can be a tough crowd. And everybody - whether or not they can admit it - gets frustrated with the game once in awhile. But when it sucks, there is normally a remedy.