Has ingame bullpen effects been addressed?

[Fyrestorm3]

Originally Posted by oldtimey

Adding to this drama are adjustments that have to be made because of the state of your bullpen. A tired bullpen may force you to use a little-used swingman in the crucial time to bridge the gap to your closer. Or a closer with a couple of days extra rest will warmup to come in the eight for a 6-out save. I've seen these scenarios played out in other sims without having to assume or imagine their occurrences.

I'm really just confused here - how does having the AI not warm up pitchers affect this in the least? The AI still uses the proper relievers, more or less.

[oldtimey]

Originally Posted by Fyrestorm3

I'm really just confused here - how does having the AI not warm up pitchers affect this in the least? The AI still uses the proper relievers, more or less.

My ingame preference is to watch the game Cpu vs Cpu. Been that way since simming using the Commodore 64. I play the role of GM/owner for the entire league, playing a feature series during the weekday and on weekends. I found that managing against the cpu (AI) was no challenge in the least. My teams would play .700 ball, and my best hitters would lead the league in most categories and my best pitchers would shine as well. When I moved to the PC, one sim, the Tony LaRussa series, would significantly show that the game played differently when the game was set on human vs cpu. So I devised a balanced system were I would play "feature games" for every team equally. These feature games would be cpu vs cpu. Some of the sims were tweaked (with sliders, datafliles,etc) to get the closest results between quick-simming and pitch-by-pitch. So,I am simply "covering" the featured game. When the late innings roll around in a close game, when the bullpen comes into play, the sims that I have enjoyed have always incorporated this drama into the play-by-play and/or with graphics. Before I played OOTP, I tried Baseball Mogul. With this aspect missing, I was very disappointed. With BM, no warm-up rule. With the OOTP the AI doesn't have to warm-up its relievers. This, to me, lacks the drama of major league baseball. Which is why I will probably pass on this edition. Without realistic bullpen effects, it doesn't fit the way I enjoy playing.

[Fyrestorm3]

That didn't address my point - I understand that you want the AI to warm up pitchers, and that's fine. But you mentioned using "a little-used swingman" or bringing the closer into the game in the 8th. The AI still does that, from my experience, without warming up pitchers.

In fact, in most baseball games I've played, the AI does BETTER at using the proper relievers when they DON'T have to warm up pitchers.

[The Wolf]

Diamond Mind does a really good job with warming up relief pitchers.

[The Wolf]

Originally Posted by RchW

It's too bad. You are missing the best sim on the market. Reconsider please.

Best career baseball sim, sure. The best season baseball sim is Diamond Mind with a Deluxe season (all historical transactions, lineups, etc.).

[highandoutside]

Gosh, this comes up all the time and it's silly. All I care about is that CPU is competent and makes good decisions. Forcing the CPU to warm up pitchers would assuredly weaken the in-game AI.

However, I would suggest two tweaks:

First of all, it takes way too long for pitchers. DMB has it just about right.
Second, a pitcher should "tire" if he is warmed up too often or too long.
Lastly, it would be nice if there was a screen so you could see in viewing how many pitches each one of your relievers has thrown in the last 5 days.

Thanks.

[Darviathar]

Originally Posted by Hasta la vista pelota

Might I ask which ones? I've played just about all of them and I don't know of any that show who the AI manager is warming up.

The first baseball game of this type that I played way back in 1985, Micro League Baseball had this feature. As did Earl Weaver baseball, and Tony LaRussa baseball, the games I played between that one and OOTP starting back in 2001.

[BusterKing]

At first, many many years ago, it really annoyed me that the AI didn't need to warm up pitchers.

Then I took the position of not using that feature, like using my mind to see the plays in my head reading the pbp I have decided that the relieving pitchers are being handled totally by my competent pitching coach and I can bring in the pitcher on my choice just like the AI is doing. I can now live with it. It was just a frame of mind adjustment and I no longer worry about this bullpen readiness.

This may work for you also.

[thehef]

Originally Posted by highandoutside

...a pitcher should "tire" if he is warmed up too often or too long.

Somewhat agree that a pitcher should tire if warmed up too often, but don't agree that a pitcher should tire if warmed up for too long. I would think that a real-life pitcher knows his warm-up routine and, once he's warm, will not continue to throw bullpen heaters just because nobody has told him to sit down.

[GMLoophole]

Originally Posted by Rizon

I'm pretty sure the Hardball series showed opponent's pitchers warming up.

Will have to reinstall some of them and see, one of these days. Or someone else could beat me to it.

High heat too! And I know you remember that one!