OOTP and Rosters...A Sad Affair

[PSUColonel]

you're all assuming there is going to be a OOTP 2008.

[Tony M]

Originally Posted by PSUColonel

you're all assuming there is going to be a OOTP 2008.

In my posts, replace OOTP2008 with OOTP20xx (where xx is the year of the next version)

[PSUColonel]

that's what I mean...there is after all the possibility that 2007 could be the final installment in the series.

[Tony M]

Originally Posted by PSUColonel

that's what I mean...there is after all the possibility that 2007 could be the final installment in the series.

That would be very odd given that they have opened a next version suggestion forum and a lot of new trouble tickets are being closed with the comment 'to be looked at in the next version'

[PSUColonel]

I hope you are right, but I am just saying "hey, nobody saw the end of EHM either."

[AirmenSmith]

Originally Posted by PSUColonel

you're all assuming there is going to be a OOTP 2008.

Lets say there isn't a new game(even though most indications point to a new one being made again) then SI would have to feel pretty stupid for buying the license of a game and then dumping it after only a few years.

[APujols5]

I'm pretty sure I remember reading during the beginning of the SI merger, That Markus said he still owns the game. So that would mean SI could not stop Markus from making OOTP 2008 if he wants to. Just a matter if SI wants to release. But Who knows, I could be wrong. Just seems like something I do remember reading.

[silvam14]

Originally Posted by PSUColonel

you're all assuming there is going to be a OOTP 2008.

Why this had to be added to this thread is unknown to me...

[gollum65]

I'll post my comments from the prospective of a new OOTP user.

I have been an EHM Hockey fan, and decided this season to buy another product from the same developers, OOTPB.

I came to that decision after I read on this forum before OOTPB came out that roster developers expected to have real world rosters out within days of the release of OOTPB.

Here we are in August (just about), and I've given up on this product, and SI in general. First they stop development of EHM, and then they release OOTPB in a form that can't be customized as easily as most "OOTPB veterans" expected based on previous experiences.

I'm EXTREMELY disappointed and very sorry that I spent my money on OOTPB. EHM was a terrific product and I'd gladly buy it again if they made another version. But as for OOTPB, I think I'm done.

[toadfreak7]

Don't Give Up! FM is by far the best sports sim ever. Nothing compares to it. Sure EHM was great, OOTP is okay (but it's not like PureSim or BM are any better), but FM is clearly the face of SI. Keep that in mind.

[Tony M]

Originally Posted by gollum65

I came to that decision after I read on this forum before OOTPB came out that roster developers expected to have real world rosters out within days of the release of OOTPB.

Here we are in August (just about), and I've given up on this product, and SI in general. First they stop development of EHM, and then they release OOTPB in a form that can't be customized as easily as most "OOTPB veterans" expected based on previous experiences.

I imagine that whilst 2007 was still in beta it was quite hard to work on rosters as the main focus of the beta testers would be on testing the beta.

There is also a lot of work involved in creating a roster especially if you want all the historical data in there as well. The incompleteness between the database files and the html/txt files has probably been an issue as well. What appears in one doesn't necessarily appear in the other which makes changing one and then trying to tie up the other one with a thankless task.

I enjoy playing both fictional and real games (as well as playing around with the database to find what bizarre and wonderful concoctions I can come up with).

Give it a try, you won't be disappointed.

[mattkma]

Originally Posted by gollum65

I'll post my comments from the prospective of a new OOTP user.

I have been an EHM Hockey fan, and decided this season to buy another product from the same developers, OOTPB.

I came to that decision after I read on this forum before OOTPB came out that roster developers expected to have real world rosters out within days of the release of OOTPB.

Here we are in August (just about), and I've given up on this product, and SI in general. First they stop development of EHM, and then they release OOTPB in a form that can't be customized as easily as most "OOTPB veterans" expected based on previous experiences.

I'm EXTREMELY disappointed and very sorry that I spent my money on OOTPB. EHM was a terrific product and I'd gladly buy it again if they made another version. But as for OOTPB, I think I'm done.

In some ways this kind of validates my points.

[pstrickert]

Originally Posted by gollum65

I came to that decision after I read on this forum before OOTPB came out that roster developers expected to have real world rosters out within days of the release of OOTPB.

That's interesting. I remember hearing something to that effect, too. Obviously, the estimate was off not by a little but by a lot. Were the roster makers surprised by the labor-intensive nature of the job? I doubt it. Did they expect to have more free time to devote to making rosters? I don't know. IIRC, CubbyFan let things go because he thought Erich was closer to releasing a roster set. Once he found out differently, CF apologized and tried to make up for lost time. Is the delay due to miscommunication, perhaps? (I'm thinking out loud, I guess.)

[mattkma]

Originally Posted by pstrickert

That's interesting. I remember hearing something to that effect, too. Obviously, the estimate was off not by a little but by a lot. Were the roster makers surprised by the labor-intensive nature of the job? I doubt it. Did they expect to have more free time to devote to making rosters? I don't know. IIRC, CubbyFan let things go because he thought Erich was closer to releasing a roster set. Once he found out differently, CF apologized and tried to make up for lost time. Is the delay due to miscommunication, perhaps? (I'm thinking out loud, I guess.)

And to go back to my original point - these very rosters makers are fighting against a game that seems to be non-conducive to the current roster making methods.

[APujols5]

Matt if you want an indepth roster there's not much that can be done to speed up the process. Things that seem like little things, like service time takes about a month or more to do and there's nothing that can speed htat up

[darkcloud4579]

I think this lessons with rosters this year will prove to the development team that there needs to be an easier way to do it for next season. Because it was needlessly cumbersome this year. A testament to the depth of the game to be sure, but...at the same time, when the game is supposed to be the best baseball sim of all-time, people probably expect to be able to use their favourite players in the game and simulate the current season without a hitch pretty much out of the box. And obviously not using a MLB license, but simply using a 3rd party solution that's ready on game day.

Lesson is there and so, I doubt we'll expect the same problems next year that we had this year. And when you consider that's the biggest problem with this year's game (and the whole integration issues with facegen on occasion)....it's not worse than say, a console game with bugs that'll never get fixed.

[PSUColonel]

Originally Posted by darkcloud4579

I think this lessons with rosters this year will prove to the development team that there needs to be an easier way to do it for next season. Because it was needlessly cumbersome this year. A testament to the depth of the game to be sure, but...at the same time, when the game is supposed to be the best baseball sim of all-time, people probably expect to be able to use their favourite players in the game and simulate the current season without a hitch pretty much out of the box. And obviously not using a MLB license, but simply using a 3rd party solution that's ready on game day.

Lesson is there and so, I doubt we'll expect the same problems next year that we had this year. And when you consider that's the biggest problem with this year's game (and the whole integration issues with facegen on occasion)....it's not worse than say, a console game with bugs that'll never get fixed.

agreed. I've even tried to go fictional, but those templates are screwed up too!! There's really no comprehensive set out there even for fictional players. Icy's set even has all the uniforms and such screwed up and other things as well.

[APujols5]

Originally Posted by PSUColonel

agreed. I've even tried to go fictional, but those templates are screwed up too!! There's really no comprehensive set out there even for fictional players. Icy's set even has all the uniforms and such screwed up and other things as well.

Then why not make something of your own? I have been playing a fictional universe on and off for months in between roster work

[APujols5]

Originally Posted by darkcloud4579

I think this lessons with rosters this year will prove to the development team that there needs to be an easier way to do it for next season. Because it was needlessly cumbersome this year. A testament to the depth of the game to be sure, but...at the same time, when the game is supposed to be the best baseball sim of all-time, people probably expect to be able to use their favourite players in the game and simulate the current season without a hitch pretty much out of the box. And obviously not using a MLB license, but simply using a 3rd party solution that's ready on game day.

Lesson is there and so, I doubt we'll expect the same problems next year that we had this year. And when you consider that's the biggest problem with this year's game (and the whole integration issues with facegen on occasion)....it's not worse than say, a console game with bugs that'll never get fixed.

If you want a good deep roster set, I'd love to know how you expect it to be so much easier?

There's nothing Markus can do to cut down on the research time needed to get things done

[PSUColonel]

Originally Posted by APujols5

Then why not make something of your own? I have been playing a fictional universe on and off for months in between roster work

because I want real teams/colors/logos/stadiums/uniforms and the such, but just fictional players. I think a lot of people would like this actually.