How do YOU play solo?

[Spook]

I always play fictional leagues (except for 1 league replay that started in 1973 and lasted until about 1975). My leagues are usually contain 16 teams with a 154 schedule, however I'm going to start a new league when OOTP 6 comes out because it seems there are not enough teams that can compete for the title. It's usually only 2 teams from each league that compete to go to the United Cup. Hopefully the extra 8 teams will add more talent allowing more teams to compete (I just hope it doesn't spread the talent pool that much thinner!).

I usually play out 1 game a week, watch the Sunday Night Game of the Week (simming by each half inning), and then sim the rest week-by-week. When I'm in a tight pennant race, trying to improve the lineup, or have a player that is near a milestone I play several games in a row. It takes a while sometimes, but it is so rewarding watching your players develop.

I usually just pick one team at random to control initially, and give myself a contract and goal (I don't like to play with manager mode, just because you can't really change anything should you need to) and if I don't make that goal, I get "fired" and go to another, lower team. I try to do the same with the other "managers" in the league, but sometimes that gets to be too much and I forget. I also like to add superstart players to the management pool after they retire.

I'm still trying to figure out the League Totals screen to tweak the league performances/stats, but overall all of mine have been very life-like.

[Antonin]

I still have STB2k3 on my hard drive and with it I play a couple of MLB leagues.

Mostly, though, I play fictional leagues in OTP5. I have several. I like "exotic" locations and names, and have spent a lot of time making foreign name files for my leagues. One year, all of the rookies in a particular league may be Rumanian. Next year they may be Thai. "Starting pitcher Chesda Prem of the Pyongyang Red Giants fanned six in his team's 10-3 drubbing of the Havana Angels yesterday." I like that kind of stuff.

Strangely enough, I created a test league to teach myself about things like CSV files and name files, and the test league (with random US cities) has been my favorite recently.

Sometimes I play out many games at a time, and sometimes I sim a week or a month here and there.

Sometimes I add the names of people I know to a league.

I really love OOTP's flexibility.

[KurtBevacqua]

I'm currently redoing the history of the team I followed as a kid, the woefully mediocre Cleveland Indians of the 70's. Just to show how easy the AI is to beat I won the series in 75 and 76. The biggest stroke of luck though was a blockbuster trade I made sending Gaylord Perry and Dick Bosman to Milwaukee for Robin Yount and Bill Castro. Yount is Yount and the reason I made the deal, but in my alternate universe Castro has developed into Whitey Ford. The guy is unreal, he hardly ever loses. And Dennis Eckersely is even better than he was in real life. I also picked up Al Hrabosky and Don Baylor as free agents.

When OOTP6 comes out I will probably load one of the new roster sets and start a career with the current Cleveland Indians.

[Rizon]

I control everything about my team. I play out one game a day, just like the MLB schedule. No games in the off season of course. Been doing this for 10 or 11 years.

[kingcharlesxii]

I tend to sim day by day and I don't play out the games. I check the boxscores of the league after every day and check the news stories for interesting events. It's a little slower but it's fast enough where I can usually finish half a season in an evening. I also get a nice connection with the players and the other teams in my division. Currently I'm working on preparing my Scandinavian League for OOTP6 when it comes out.

When I create my fictional leagues, I pick a team to GM and stick with them for the duration of the league. I like to see how the team's history develops, which players were longtime members of the team who might not be outstanding but played hard, stars and goats and who the greatest rivals are, both other teams and players. I get attached to players like Demetrio Lamos who went from mop-up man to All-Star starting pitcher. I learn to hate the other pitchers in my division that always seem to win against me. I guess I sort of play as both GM and Ultimate Fan

[Mel_Ott]

I've tried a bunch of different things - simming all the games, simming weeks at a time, simming seasons at a time, playing out all the games. What I find works best for me are fictional leagues where I play out a game of each series (until the playoffs - if my team makes the postseason, I play out all the games).

After trying a number of different league setups, I've found a 24-team setup works best for me. I have 2 leagues with 2 six-team divisions, and (following one of LGO's suggestions) an unbalanced schedule - each team plays the teams in its division 18 times (90 games), each team in the other division in its league 6 times (a series at home and one on the road) and each team in the other league 3 times (half at home, and half away). This setup usually gives me pennant races, at least a passing familiarity with the better players in both leagues, and more variety than the 6- and 8- team leagues I started off playing with.

I use the "Talent Only" setting, and I set the trading difficulty to "Hard." The league I'm currently playing has the financials off, although I might turn them when the league moves to 6 if I can keep free agency off.

[JimboJones]

Originally posted by Mel_Ott
After trying a number of different league setups, I've found a 24-team setup works best for me. I have 2 leagues with 2 six-team divisions, and (following one of LGO's suggestions) an unbalanced schedule - each team plays the teams in its division 18 times (90 games), each team in the other division in its league 6 times (a series at home and one on the road) and each team in the other league 3 times (half at home, and half away). This setup usually gives me pennant races, at least a passing familiarity with the better players in both leagues, and more variety than the 6- and 8- team leagues I started off playing with.

Mel-

Sounds like a pretty good setup. What do you use to generate your schedules?

[andjbock]

1 solo fic league - 32 teams, no DH, no interleague play
2 league (American & World) - non MLB cities and some fictional
3 I play out every game on my team

I hate simming becuase the AI (my bench coach) doesn't make good decisions.

[KurtBevacqua]

I have to play the games. Back to Henry's thread on the creative aspects of the game because I really do feel like I'm painting a picture by playing the games myself. My teams always start slow in the season as I learn how best to use the players, but by the middle of May my teams usually take off with big hot streaks because by then I figured out the best patterns for using the players. In particular pitching, substitutions, platoons, and batting orders. Every season I feel myself grow more conifdant with my team as the year progresses. I can only imagine how a real manager feels. I just don't get anywhere near the same experience simming it. Problem is it takes a lot longer for me to go through the game and I don't have long dynasties.

[Mel_Ott]

Originally posted by JimboJones
Mel-

Sounds like a pretty good setup. What do you use to generate your schedules?

I've used the StickWare program so far. I tried to generate one by hand and made a real hash of it - gave me a renewed respect for LGO and the league's schedule makers.

Of course, due to recent developments I'll be restarting things soon, so I may give schedule design another go.

[cdheer]

When I first got STB2K3, I played out every game. That's still my preference, although it takes a LONG time.

After a while I began simming...either a week or month at a time. But I'd always do playoff games.

When OOTP6 hits I will definitely play out at least a season or two.

--chris

[thomamon]

I simmed the first 7 seasons and took over the team with the worst record. I found that much more of a challenge then doiong the draft myself.

I do play every single game during the season also and control every aspect.

[Kemp]

To make schedules for my solo league, I cheated. I used the Diamond Mind schedule maker and then just entered it into OOTP manually.

Of course, it was kind of easy for me with only 10 teams and 100 game seasons. But if you're willing to do it once, you're done!

[Steve Kuffrey]

Originally posted by Kemp
To make schedules for my solo league, I cheated. I used the Diamond Mind schedule maker and then just entered it into OOTP manually.

I've used the DMB schedule program for years (in DMB of course) but it always gives me screwy schedules also.

[Vris]

I have a few projects going. I have a standard fictional league (30 teams, Major League cities) in Manager mode. I realize that I suck as a manager. It started in 2003, where I'm currently in 2015 and on my 3rd different team. I don't use faces or parks or anything like that.

I am using CBLCardinals 2004 rosters, where I control the Atlanta Braves. I just started that and haven't really got motivated to do much in it.

I also have a league, the Eastern States Baseball Association, thats completely fictional. I created the ballpark factors and everything. 2 leagues, 8 teams in each league, no interleague. I oversee everything about the league, just watching the important things. I started with 6 teams in each league, but expanded with 2 teams in each in 1910 (I started in 1901). It's currently 1918 and I plan on expanding with two teams in each league again in 1920.

When OOTP6 comes out, and if I decide to buy it, I think I'll start a new fictional league, but concentrate on more of the details. Making parks and faces and the like. I have more fun just watching the names and the players than taking the time to create all the little things. I'm anxious to get things going and get the history made.

[AggermanTxR]

I play every game. I'm in my 8th season and my record is 592-563, which is 1155 games. I've probably played entirely 90-95 %. I usually sim in Sept in blowout games, unless still in contention
Here's a year-by-year rundown:
Baltimore O's
2003 76-86 finished 4th, 23 gb
2004 75-87 " 5th 17 gb
2005 84-78 " 1st swept in playoffs (0-3)
2006 83-79 " 2nd 1 gb
2007 80-82 " 4th 13 gb
Atlanta Braves
2008 100-62 " 1st won WS (11-5)
2009 81-81 " 4th 13 gb
2010 13-9 so far

[Bonedwarf]

Gonna reply to a lot of posts in one. Post count be damned

Originally posted by UKRedsFan

I only play 2-3 games an evening so it takes a while but I think it's the most satisfying way to play the game, I think in England we tend to prefer the day-to-day micro-management to simming years at a time.

Funny, since I'm English I live in Canada now though. I play Championship Manager and tend to spend hours searching for the right player, but in OOTP I like to build up the universe quickly. My first ever league, I simmed entire seasons, and planned too until 25 years in. Sadly I lost it all in a system failure

Originally posted by Kemp
I play completely fictional. Fictional players, cities, leagues, etc. I’ve started and trashed enough fictional leagues to have learned some lessons about fictional leagues. Things I’ve learned:
* Keep the league small. I’ve tried 20 teams, 16 teams, 14, and now I’m at 10. I’d rather know 10 teams very well than have 100’s of random names flying around.
* Don’t sim too much at a time. I just can’t seem to “connect” with fictional players while simming a month or a season at a time. You really lose the “up and down” career flows you get playing out (or simming slowly) the games.
* Shorten the season. This was a tough one for me because I got used to major league “milestones”. 20 wins, 40 homers, 100 rbi, etc. But I’ve gone to a 100 game schedule and I’ve gotten used to it.
* I never was big into facepacks and logos and stadiums until I took a look at the Graphics forum. Wow. People do such excellent work (and are so nice about sharing it) that I began stealing various art work for my league. I was surprised by how much it’s made my league come to life.

Hope this wasn’t too wordy!

I've always run 16 team leagues. (2 leagues with 2 divisions.) My new fictional league (loosely based on the departed CBL) will require me to change for the first time

As for simming too much, I know what you mean. When my first player was headed to HOF numbers, I started simming a day at a time to follow him. Harshest thing I've seen was when he was on the verge of 2000 RBI... At about 1997 he went down injured! Fortunately it wasn't career ending!

And I tend to favour 128 game seasons.

Originally posted by Spook
I usually just pick one team at random to control initially, and give myself a contract and goal (I don't like to play with manager mode, just because you can't really change anything should you need to) and if I don't make that goal, I get "fired" and go to another, lower team. I try to do the same with the other "managers" in the league, but sometimes that gets to be too much and I forget. I also like to add superstart players to the management pool after they retire.

[/B]

I started doing that with the AI managers. After a season, the team with the worst record in the league, their manager was fired and replaced Sadly I didn't keep track of names, so said "manager" never got a chance to come back LOL!

Originally posted by Antonin

Mostly, though, I play fictional leagues in OTP5. I have several. I like "exotic" locations and names, and have spent a lot of time making foreign name files for my leagues. One year, all of the rookies in a particular league may be Rumanian. Next year they may be Thai. "Starting pitcher Chesda Prem of the Pyongyang Red Giants fanned six in his team's 10-3 drubbing of the Havana Angels yesterday." I like that kind of stuff.

Sometimes I add the names of people I know to a league.

On the first part, that's pretty cool On the second part, so do I. A friend and I started doing that with games where you could create players back in the late 80's. (When we were still youngun's. Albeit about 18) We've stuck with it now. We both still do the same thing. In fact I've even had another friend ask me on several occasions how he was doing. (He was the league leader in triples for about 3 seasons). Sadly the league died when my system did. Too bad, he was probably a HOF'er

To try and keep it mostly realistic, I now no longer edit the players I create as friends beyond their name and details, since it's no fun to create a bunch of super players. It's far more satisfying seeing them rise to the top without your help. (Or in all cases since I changed to this method, sink like a stone.)

[AnotherAlias]

Originally posted by Bonedwarf


Do you manage a team? Or just let your universe run?

I manage a team. Every minute detail.

If you manage, do you play individual games? Or just set the lineups and sim?

I play out all individual games, every season.

And that's the way it is.







1866 - June 14 - Beginning of the Austro-Prussian War, when the Austrians and most of the medium German states declare war on Prussia.

[Antonin]

Originally posted by Bonedwarf

To try and keep it mostly realistic, I now no longer edit the players I create as friends beyond their name and details, since it's no fun to create a bunch of super players. It's far more satisfying seeing them rise to the top without your help. (Or in all cases since I changed to this method, sink like a stone.)

I never create super players either. I like to let histories develop on their own.

In one STB2K3 league I eventually lost to a hard drive failure, I went through most of the names in the starting draft and changed them to guys in my high school class. I ignored the attributes and just went down the list and renamed players. When I ran out of names from my own class I went through my yearbook and used guys from the class before mine and the class after mine. I went to a Catholic boys' school, so there were lots of names to choose from, actually.

It was great fun with that league to see what guys wound up with what teams and to follow their careers, including trades, etc. Playing out games with the team I chose to GM or watching games between other teams was great because I already "knew" all of the players.

[metsgeek]

Originally posted by Jonzard
I play naked

Damn it...I wanted to post that!