Updated OOTP 5 features list...

[SteveBsFan]

Here is a pretty good page with free agent rules. It doesn't seem to cover everything, but it covers a lot.

http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/ne..._mlb&fext=.jsp

[Kevin]

I would like to see:

Arbitration
Easier Expansion
Ability to resign coaches and scouts (should be factors added to make it difficult such as an A coach will only re-sign if promoted)
Rule V Draft
Gold Glove Awards

[Chitown3304]

I would like to see the easier Expansion
With coaches make more coaches available a Minor league Pitching and hitting coaches and bench coaches at all levels along with the regular Managers. This would make more sense since alot of the Hitting and pitching caoches come from with in an organization

[I Am The Game]

Originally posted by Chitown3304
I would like to see the easier Expansion
With coaches make more coaches available a Minor league Pitching and hitting coaches and bench coaches at all levels along with the regular Managers. This would make more sense since alot of the Hitting and pitching caoches come from with in an organization

To have to sign 16 coaches is pretty absurd don't you think?

[darkhorse]

Originally posted by I Am The Game
To have to sign 16 coaches is pretty absurd don't you think?

Not really, in my favorite text sports sim a full staff will run about that figure.

[I Am The Game]

Originally posted by darkhorse
Not really, in my favorite text sports sim a full staff will run about that figure.

And then you're running up 8-10Mil just on coaches, that's a lot to ask for a small market team.

[sixto]

Originally posted by I Am The Game
To have to sign 16 coaches is pretty absurd don't you think?

Conditionally, yes I do. For instance, in Championship Manager you end up having a staff of coaches, a staff of scouts, and trainers...however, in that game it doesn't feel difficult. I think part of it there, though, is that CM really is in charge of the passage of time - you can't rush things too much in CM. Signing coaches doesn't feel like an impediment to progress, it feels like a genuine part of the flow of the sim.

Same with FA signings...in FOF especially, but also a little in OOTP, signing free agents is like get it over with already...but in CM it's my favorite time of the year.

I think there are lessons to be learned in both cases.

[bulldog55]

We need some way to account for the Doc Goodens and Darryl Strawberries of the league, whose careers suddenly become derailed due to something completely outside the game.

That's my one problem with long-term development, is that nothing will really knock someone off course once they get good. Even with injuries, the worst injury (besides, of course, "career over") is "out for season," and they always come right back and return to full form. What about the Jim Parques who are full of promise, then get hurt, and return horribly diminished.

And what about the flashes-in-pans like Kevin Maas?

I think that's a feature that seriously needs to be considered for OOTP5.

[darkhorse]

Originally posted by bulldog55
Even with injuries, the worst injury (besides, of course, "career over") is "out for season," and they always come right back and return to full form. What about the Jim Parques who are full of promise, then get hurt, and return horribly diminished.

This happens all the time in leagues I play in. Player has season ending injury. Loses talent and never become the player he was capable of becoming before said injury.

[statfreak]

Originally posted by bulldog55
We need some way to account for the Doc Goodens and Darryl Strawberries of the league, whose careers suddenly become derailed due to something completely outside the game.

That's my one problem with long-term development, is that nothing will really knock someone off course once they get good. Even with injuries, the worst injury (besides, of course, "career over") is "out for season," and they always come right back and return to full form. What about the Jim Parques who are full of promise, then get hurt, and return horribly diminished.

And what about the flashes-in-pans like Kevin Maas?

I think that's a feature that seriously needs to be considered for OOTP5.

I see these happen all the time. I can't tell you how many Pitcher's of the Year have never had an ERA below 5.00 again or how many times a player has been injured and suffered through several poor seasons before finally hanging it up.

The thing I'd like to see is when someone gets hurt and is out for several seasons, they attempt a comeback. Steve Howe and Strawberry were both out of the game for a while and eventually came back and contributed.

[fantom1979]

I have seen several players have season ending injuries and were never the same after that.

[Kevin]

I've had a pitcher win the Cy Young at age 29 and was in AAA at age 31 because he went downhill. The longest injury he had was six weeks. I see it happen very often.

[eneubaue]

Markus and company,

Version 5.0 features sound great - I can't hardly wait!!

Just a couple of things I wanted to add as comments:

1) Any chance that the annoying habit of the computer AI training a player for a new position doesn't set the fiedling percentage at .000?

I have had several instances of outfielders (left fielder, for example) trained for a new position (such as centerfield) assigned an initial fielding percentage of .000. Outfielder fielding percentages shouldn't be much different (a few points lower if a left fielder is being trained for centerfielder). Likewise, if a player is being trained as a catcher (or some other unusual switch in positions). I can realistically deal with an initial fielding percentage of, say, .800 or .850, but not .000.

2) More realistic usage of bullpens, taking advantage of lefty/righty matchups. I know this is difficult to code, but at the very least have a lefthander/righthander come out of the bullpen to face the first batter if he is lefthanded/righthanded in certain late game situations.

Also, just wanted to say thanks for all your hard work and dedication in making OOTP one of the best sports sims ever!!

[Smellyface]

I can't wait for OOTP5!

[The_Offspring187]

I had a season ending injury result in a player's ratings dropping in an online league...I had a dominant ace get hurt and taken out for the season, and his avoiding runs dropped and his talents dropped...it makes me sad. He was the one constant on our team, and the first draft pick of the Initial Draft by my team...he was the go-to guy, the guy you could always count on to end a losing streak or to give you a good quality game.

[Jermanfu]

Speaking of players and comebacks, I wouldn't mind seeing something like a player retiring and then trying to make a comeback. We don't see this often in real life, but it does happen from time to time.

[Erithtotl]

I would suggest reducing or eliminated the 'quality' of all the management/scouting/coaching positions. It makes the game too easy, since is a human player I always just pay as much as I have to to get the best coaches/scouts/etc.

I also think the current system is not that accurate. If it was easy to know who was the best minor league pitching coaches, then people wouldn't be hiring the crappy ones for tons of money all the time.

Rather, why not have each coach/scout have certain tendancies. For example, you might have a 'toolsy' scout who is big on speed and power and throwing arm, or a stats-scout who is big on strike-zone judgement. And how about each minor league manager having strengths and weaknesses. Like, he might promote pitching control (BB/K ratio) over, say, conditioning (endurance). This would be more interesting and challenging, forcing each player to make tough decisions with their coaching staff, and allowing to customize their franchise in the image they want, without just going out and buying the 'best' coaches.

Personally, I've found playing with coaches and scouts 'on' makes the game way too easy, so I play it with them off (the game is too easy then anyway, but a little less predictable).

One more thing:

With the trading AI be willing to trade prospects for prospects? If I have a top prospect and so does he, even if mine is slightly better the AI will NEVER make that trade. But if I trade him an established star, he'll give me every good prospect on his team, even if he has no chance of condending in the near future.

[nymfan2]

How bout the ability to ask for new stadiums and move? Like FOF, that would be great.

Also I'd love expansion

And to the people saying to scout worldwide and draft picks for FA signings, under the new CBA, you can't get draft picks for FA's who leave your team any more, and they will soon make a worldwide draft

[sixto]

I think everything I've seen and heard about OOTP5 is great so far. Here are two things I'm wondering about:

1) Will players' salary demands be based at least partially on their performance? Giving a 21-year old free agent a $2 million a year contract just because his old team was dumb enough to release him is unrealistic, though I know it's done to protect the game from getting too easy.

2) Will the AI be any more sophisticated in its talent evaluations? Will the AI be better able to identify gaps in the ranks of backup and potential backup players so that it will never be stuck with only a single-A 3B as backup? This, I suppose, goes hand in hand with my desire to see a glut of always-available slightly-below-average talent (i.e., career AAA players) who can be had for cheap and won't lead a team to a pennant but will prevent .132 hitters from being in the lineup.

[Kemp]

Markus wrote:
- Enhanced importing of historical seasons, featuring better ratings calculation (including park effects)

What exactly does that mean? Does that mean that during import, OOTP will consider the park effects that affected that player and adjust them accordingly?

Just curious.