Ballparks around the world

[Flying_Canuck]

Intercontinental Baseball Stadium

I don't know why but somehow this stadium got me interested in learning about its history and backgrounds. Fortunately the information is plenty and readily available. On this one, I probably spent more time building, modifying, and rebuilding than usual.

Since opening in 2006, Intercontinental Baseball Stadium (臺中洲際棒球場) is an important stadium for Taiwan. It is located in Taichung City and has hosted numerous international competitions including WBC opening round. It is also a key venue for the local professional league CPBL.

What I find interesting about CPBL is that, during its first decade or two, teams didn't operate out of any specific home ballpark. Games can be scheduled in any city with a stadium big enough to host such event. The league was like a traveling road show that goes around the entire Taiwan island every summer. Some time during the 2000s, teams began to emulate similar practices as U.S or Japan. Every team adopted an existing stadium as their home ballpark and really tried to grow the fan base regionally.

CTBC Brothers (formerly known as Brother Hotel Elephants) settled in Intercontinental Baseball Stadium. Wikipedia says: "With its long history from the amateur era plus a successful marketing strategy and management, the team has long been one of the most popular Taiwanese baseball teams, winning the CPBL championship on nine occasions".

I agree from what I saw in various videos. Their fans are very passionate, and the team had transformed the stadium to feel much more professional. I found many pictures that show the difference, so I've done two versions:


Generic Stadium - from the "road show" era

The stadium itself is already pretty cool. I like the look of the unique railing system but I had no idea what it's for. Only after very close inspection did I realize that it is used to hold the front part of the roof with steel cables. There is also a highway that runs behind the stadium. I just had to include it in the model










After becoming the home of CTBC Brothers

Many parts of the stadium have changed colors to fit the team's theme (yellow and navy blue). The playing field improved so the stadium can be part of WBC. I'm showing this by using patterned grass. There is a new digital scoreboard, and a ton of advertisement all over the place.








Generic Version Download link: https://www.mediafire.com/file/h81m5...neric.zip/file

Brothers Version Download link: https://www.mediafire.com/file/w3q08...thers.zip/file


Dynamic Scoreboard (for OOTP26 and beyond)

Generic Version Download link: https://www.mediafire.com/file/6rjlu...c_v26.zip/file


Brothers Version Download link: https://www.mediafire.com/file/364wp...s_v26.zip/file

[low]

Another banger.

[darkcloud4579]

Astounding work, thanks for sharing it!

[Flying_Canuck]

Foothills Stadium

Baseball is not doing so well in Calgary (Alberta, Canada). Looking at Foothills Stadium, it is not hard to tell that the sport has been forgotten in recent years, at least at the professional level.

This stadium opened 58 years ago and had been home to many teams throughout history (AAA Calgary Cannons, Independent league Calgary Vipers, University of Calgary Dinos..... Dawgs, Outlaws, Expos, Cardinals.... you name it). So it is really painful to see how neglected the stadium is nowadays. It is not being used much and frankly I don't think anybody is even interested in maintaining it.

In fact, the city and University of Calgary are actively planning to redevelop the area into a modern athletic park, complete with its own entertainment district. The plan seems destined to succeed and that is great for Calgary, except..... there is no baseball field in the design, as far as I know.

So, Foothills Stadium will be demolished eventually but I still have Calgary Cannons in my OOTP save. The team is not going anywhere and they will continue to play in this stadium

Preview Pictures

Full view of Foothills Stadium and McMahon Stadium (CFL football) in the near distance.



Fun fact: Outfield fences are 20 feet high. I did not realize that Calgary is 3,438 feet above sea level and "foothills" is actually part of the Rocky mountains. This place is not quite Coors Field (which has 5200 ft altitude), but it is still pretty high up. Should be a hitter's ballpark even with those high walls.








Download link: https://www.mediafire.com/file/xx6k2...adium.zip/file


Dynamic Scoreboard version (for OOTP26 and beyond)

Download link: https://www.mediafire.com/file/n1dzr...m_v26.zip/file

[Dutch Alexander]

Hey Canuck, how are things going down south! Some more beauties, my fictional league is now filled with stadiums mostly by you. Really brings the league alive. I was just wondering why you use 2D crowds in some of your parks. Is it more work to implement the 3D crowd or just a personal preference?

[Flying_Canuck]

Originally Posted by Dutch Alexander

Hey Canuck, how are things going down south! Some more beauties, my fictional league is now filled with stadiums mostly by you. Really brings the league alive. I was just wondering why you use 2D crowds in some of your parks. Is it more work to implement the 3D crowd or just a personal preference?

Hey, how are ya? I'm doing pretty good, especially after the World Series, ha ha ha. (Happy for the Dodgers and sorry for the Yanks)

As for your question -- Most of the screenshots on the forum were captured in Sketchup because it is just easier and sharper. And those screenshots show the original 2D texture. But all of my stadiums should have 3D crowd enabled in game. If any is not working correctly, let me know which ones and I'll check them.

[Dutch Alexander]

In my game Royal Athletic Park has a 2D crowd. I believe all others that I use have 3D crowds.

[Flying_Canuck]

Originally Posted by Dutch Alexander

In my game Royal Athletic Park has a 2D crowd. I believe all others that I use have 3D crowds.

Oh boy.... you are right! I forgot to enable 3D crowd code in MTL file for that stadium. Just fixed it and uploaded the zip here: https://www.mediafire.com/file/hjxbe...k_fix.zip/file

Try it and this one should have 3D crowd. Thanks for letting me know

[Dutch Alexander]

Thanks mate. Love Royal Athletic, beautiful little Park. Even better with a 3D crowd.

[Flying_Canuck]

Estadio Cibao

I feel that my coverage of the Caribbeans is a little thin, so I will try to look at their stadiums more in the future. Some of the ballparks have unique designs that are different from North America or Asia. One particular stadium caught my eye so I will start with this one first.

With 18,077 seats, Estadio Cibao is the biggest baseball stadium in Dominican Republic. It is home of the Aguilas Cibaenas in LIDOM. The "Eagles of Cibao region" also happens to be one of the most successful team in the league, and their home one of the most intimidating place to play for the opposing team.

Make sure Estadio Cibao is included if you already have a league in the Dominicans or plan to expand there. From everything that I've learned, this is the center of the baseball world in the country. (Some would argue for another stadium called Estadio Quisqueya, and I will look into that one for sure!)

Preview Pictures











Download link: https://www.mediafire.com/file/368qv...Cibao.zip/file


Dynamic Scoreboard version (for OOTP26 and beyond)

Download link: https://www.mediafire.com/file/xotoe...o_v26.zip/file

[tehsuigi]

Yo, F_C! How keen are you on another request? The Hanwha Eagles have a new ballpark opening next season, and my baseball construction kit version just ain't cutting the mustard.

It's called Baseball Dream Park, and from the drone footage and construction photos, it'll be done on time.

[Flying_Canuck]

Originally Posted by tehsuigi

Yo, F_C! How keen are you on another request? The Hanwha Eagles have a new ballpark opening next season, and my baseball construction kit version just ain't cutting the mustard.

It's called Baseball Dream Park, and from the drone footage and construction photos, it'll be done on time.

I think their new stadium looks amazing! But sorry to say that I'm not inclined to build this one. OOTP has KBO license so I'm sure it will be included in the game (perhaps in next year's 26?). The official OOTP stadiums are so much nicer than anything I can do

In anticipation of the eventual update, I am actually saving the current Daejeon Stadium on my hard drive because I am still playing in the historical years and would hate to lose the old stadium.

[Ty Cobb]

Thanks for another quality contribution! I'll sneak into a league for sure.

[linih]

Originally Posted by Flying_Canuck

Intercontinental Baseball Stadium

I don't know why but somehow this stadium got me interested in learning about its history and backgrounds. Fortunately the information is plenty and readily available. On this one, I probably spent more time building, modifying, and rebuilding than usual.

Since opening in 2006, Intercontinental Baseball Stadium (臺中洲際棒球場) is an important stadium for Taiwan. It is located in Taichung City and has hosted numerous international competitions including WBC opening round. It is also a key venue for the local professional league CPBL.

What I find interesting about CPBL is that, during its first decade or two, teams didn't operate out of any specific home ballpark. Games can be scheduled in any city with a stadium big enough to host such event. The league was like a traveling road show that goes around the entire Taiwan island every summer. Some time during the 2000s, teams began to emulate similar practices as U.S or Japan. Every team adopted an existing stadium as their home ballpark and really tried to grow the fan base regionally.

CTBC Brothers (formerly known as Brother Hotel Elephants) settled in Intercontinental Baseball Stadium. Wikipedia says: "With its long history from the amateur era plus a successful marketing strategy and management, the team has long been one of the most popular Taiwanese baseball teams, winning the CPBL championship on nine occasions".

I agree from what I saw in various videos. Their fans are very passionate, and the team had transformed the stadium to feel much more professional. I found many pictures that show the difference, so I've done two versions:


Generic Stadium - from the "road show" era

The stadium itself is already pretty cool. I like the look of the unique railing system but I had no idea what it's for. Only after very close inspection did I realize that it is used to hold the front part of the roof with steel cables. There is also a highway that runs behind the stadium. I just had to include it in the model










After becoming the home of CTBC Brothers

Many parts of the stadium have changed colors to fit the team's theme (yellow and navy blue). The playing field improved so the stadium can be part of WBC. I'm showing this by using patterned grass. There is a new digital scoreboard, and a ton of advertisement all over the place.








Generic Version Download link: https://www.mediafire.com/file/h81m5...neric.zip/file

Brothers Version Download link: https://www.mediafire.com/file/w3q08...thers.zip/file

That is amazing. I wonder if you can produce Taipei Dome, the new and most modern ballpark in Taiwan.

[Flying_Canuck]

Yes, I plan to build every CPBL stadium, and that will include Taipei Dome as well. I can't say when but it will get done some time in the future.

I just need to study the roof some more and figure out the best way to do all those curved rafters. I had watched the Premiere 12 preliminary round which took place in Taipei Dome. Wrote down a lot of notes and took many pictures, too

Congratulations on the Premiere 12 victory by the way. It's an awesome achievement for Taiwan!

[linih]

Originally Posted by Flying_Canuck

Yes, I plan to build every CPBL stadium, and that will include Taipei Dome as well. I can't say when but it will get done some time in the future.

I just need to study the roof some more and figure out the best way to do all those curved rafters. I had watched the Premiere 12 preliminary round which took place in Taipei Dome. Wrote down a lot of notes and took many pictures, too

Congratulations on the Premiere 12 victory by the way. It's an awesome achievement for Taiwan!

Hi, Thanks for your greeting for Taiwan's unbelievable win in the championship game! I also want to share my enjoyable experience watching CPBL games in Taipei Dome this summer.

https://streamable.com/g490jv

[Flying_Canuck]

Originally Posted by linih

Hi, Thanks for your greeting for Taiwan's unbelievable win in the championship game! I also want to share my enjoyable experience watching CPBL games in Taipei Dome this summer.

https://streamable.com/g490jv

Very nice! The atmosphere feels incredible. What stood out is the seat colors. Why is it white?? That's interesting. We don't have white seating option in OOTP. The closest we can do is gray, ha ha.

[Flying_Canuck]

Parc Labatt

This is a special project for me because I spent 6 years of my life living in Montreal and really miss the Expos. Needless to say, I refuse to let them go in my game. In my alternative MLB universe, the Expos never left town and the Washington Nationals entered the league in 2005 as an expansion team. The league approved this decision based on one important condition........ that the proposed new stadium for the Expos actually gets built. And that stadium is Parc Labatt.

I use heavy reference from the concept that was announced in 1998. For the most part, the model stays true to what was shown. I did make a few changes or additions for areas that are not too clearly defined. The size of the model also has to fit the planned site bordered by Rue St. Jacques, Rue de la Montagne, Rue Notre Dame, and Rue Peel:




Compared to the cavernous Olympic Stadium, Parc Labatt is much more compact and intimate. I added a little bit more seating capacity to make it 38,000. It has a clear and beautiful view of downtown skyline in the background (similar to other MLB parks in Baltimore, Cleveland, Seattle and Pittsburgh)




Design of the stadium is up to par with modern standards. Field shape and rounded sides are a little bit like the big O. I consider that a tribute to the long time former home of the Expos. Stadium lighting system is also one of a kind. It looks like some type of new LED technology. You can achieve the same illumination and coverage without needing any large and heavy light towers (don't ask.....)




Other features include a Plaza/shopping/rest area beyond right field, a gathering place in center with a nice view into the bullpen, digital infotainment system.....etc. At night, downtown Montreal lit up like a Christmas tree. Take note that the front of the roof also has ambient lighting at night, adding to the atmosphere of the ballpark even more.








As I finish writing this long post and get ready to walk out of the stadium, there is another small touch at the exit. Hope you guys like it. LONG LIVE the EXPOS!!!!!!




Download link: https://www.mediafire.com/file/mu5tr...abatt.zip/file


Dynamic Scoreboard version (for OOTP26 and beyond)

Download link: https://www.mediafire.com/file/5qxq5...t_v26.zip/file

[Quinton_Upchurch]

Fantastique!

[dishnet34]

Great job on Labatt! That's pretty dang neat, and another one to add to my horde of custom parks!

Originally Posted by linih

Hi, Thanks for your greeting for Taiwan's unbelievable win in the championship game! I also want to share my enjoyable experience watching CPBL games in Taipei Dome this summer.

https://streamable.com/g490jv

I was there for the Championship Game (I'm a contributor with the WBSC for their eSports stuff), and that was an amazing game to watch. The energy was great from both Japan and Taiwan fans (heck, for both days, which I was there for), and it was an amazing victory. Well done!