Feedback Needed / OOTP 11 Features

[Muzamba]

Just thought I'd whip out an old mock-up I did a few versions ago. This is an idea of how the trade screen might look.

(Keep in mind that for demonstration purposes, I used the same players for each team. In the real version, the St. Louis and Boston rosters would be different.)

A few things to take note of:

• The color coding under Team Needs shows how urgent the need is. Red is most urgent, while yellow means less urgent and green means the team is set at this position. The letters at the top stand for "Starters", "Reserves", and "Minors" and indicate where the needs are within the team/organization
• The dollar amount in parentheses under "Available Cash" would calculate what the new cash amount would be if the trade were completed
• The difference between being "Actively Shopped" and "Listening to Offers" under Trading Block is that those being actively shopped would be more likely to react to their being on the block, plus teams would make more frequent offers for these players than those under "Listening to Offers"
• Disgruntled players would appear in the "Demanding to be Traded" box, drawing more frequent, yet somewhat less desirable offers
• Untradeable players are those who have a NTC that would prevent them from being traded to the specific team being displayed (Players with Ltd. NTCs may show as being untradeable to certain teams, but not to others)
• Players listed as Untouchable would not usually be included in offers from other teams, unless their "untradeables" are included
• Note that a Player to be Named Later can be included
• Depending on difficulty settings, Trade Summary would show the opposing team's reaction to your trade proposal as it is currently configured (Otherwise, it would simply read "Submit Proposal for Response")
• The Save button would allow you to leave the screen and come back to it later without the proposal being erased; The Counter button would draw a counter-proposal from the other team; The Submit button officially makes the offer, allowing you to tinker with the package you offer before submitting it for a reaction

[BusterKing]

Wow, that screen looks awesome Muzamba!

[kq76]

"

The mockups you guys sometimes make are drool-worthy.

I especially love that colour-coded needs section. I end up doing something like that in a spreadsheet every year as it is just so helpful in figuring things out. I'd just wonder if it would colour-code them like I would (maybe have it so you could also manually change the colours). I'd also want it available outside of the trade screen because, IIRC, non-commissioners in an online league can't access that screen and it'd be great for when signing FAs, offering extensions, etc.

[Killing Time]

Originally Posted by Muzamba

Just thought I'd whip out an old mock-up I did a few versions ago. This is an idea of how the trade screen might look.

(Keep in mind that for demonstration purposes, I used the same players for each team. In the real version, the St. Louis and Boston rosters would be different.)

A few things to take note of:

• The color coding under Team Needs shows how urgent the need is. Red is most urgent, while yellow means less urgent and green means the team is set at this position. The letters at the top stand for "Starters", "Reserves", and "Minors" and indicate where the needs are within the team/organization
• The dollar amount in parentheses under "Available Cash" would calculate what the new cash amount would be if the trade were completed
• The difference between being "Actively Shopped" and "Listening to Offers" under Trading Block is that those being actively shopped would be more likely to react to their being on the block, plus teams would make more frequent offers for these players than those under "Listening to Offers"
• Disgruntled players would appear in the "Demanding to be Traded" box, drawing more frequent, yet somewhat less desirable offers
• Untradeable players are those who have a NTC that would prevent them from being traded to the specific team being displayed (Players with Ltd. NTCs may show as being untradeable to certain teams, but not to others)
• Players listed as Untouchable would not usually be included in offers from other teams, unless their "untradeables" are included
• Note that a Player to be Named Later can be included
• Depending on difficulty settings, Trade Summary would show the opposing team's reaction to your trade proposal as it is currently configured (Otherwise, it would simply read "Submit Proposal for Response")
• The Save button would allow you to leave the screen and come back to it later without the proposal being erased; The Counter button would draw a counter-proposal from the other team; The Submit button officially makes the offer, allowing you to tinker with the package you offer before submitting it for a reaction

I wish Markus could do that. Or would.

[damientheomen3]

I also suggest a new skin or 2...

[ballman]

I'd like to see the attendance bug fixed.

For example, I was running an expansion team and had an interesting problem with a decimel point. Instead of entering 25 cents, I entered 25 dollars and wound up with more money than I could spend. Realistically, no one should have showed up at the game at all, but I continued to get the minimum number of fans anyway.

Also, better records.

Fix the manager's experience bug.

Reinstitute the ability to run more than one team like it was in version 6.5

[bgstmetfan]

Those reminders to resign coaches, definitely.

[Rockman]

More media interaction, (interviews etc). Players being positively or negatively affected by media hype. Players conducting there own interviews (post game etc) and those interviews having the possibility of consequences.

Basically....media media media. From a post in the suggestions forum i made a few months ago.

While watching PTI today and hearing them talk about Teixeira and Papi, Id love if there was a new attribute that showed how well players react to media pressure.

If a top FA signs with a big market team and can't handle pressure it may cause him to slump early, same with a big HR hitter having problems at the plate.

Im not sure if this already is determined in the game, but the size of the market determines how rapidly a player gains/loses popularity etc.

So much of baseball is scrutinized day to day, maybe more than any other sport, it would be amazing for that to have a bigger role in the game.

[HonusWagner]

Well, it depends what is meant exactly by `improve`.... are these suggestions for improving the game or improving selling status?

If its the former (improving the game) then likely fixing everything up to this point that is supposed to work but doesnt.

Problem is, that doesnt make for sexy reviews.. and sexy reviews singing of all the new features and major sexy upgrades attract new buyers, which is what this game needs most right now, while it risks bankruptcy.

It sounds as though this company has reached the limits re quality it can provide. At this point it requires revenues, and will make `improvements` towards that end.

But I have no affiliation with the company other than as a customer so am just thinking out loud....

[RMc]

I'm sure they'll get lost amongst the zillions of other suggestions, but:

1. Baseball level changed to 0-100, instead of 0-5.
2. International mode: players are automatically given abilities concurrent with their national origin (US and Japanese players are MLB-quality, guys from Zimbabwe not so much).
3. Champions League-style playoffs, or simply allow leagues to "associate" so that their top teams meet in a championship tournament.

[battists]

http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/boar...ml#post2832658

[Muzamba]

Here are some more mock-ups I created for previous versions. They involve a general redesign of the Player Profile screens.

Header

I removed the player's nickname (it never looked right to me up there), plus added his current team, league level, and what organization he plays for. Plus a biggie: I included the star ratings at the top, so they can be easily compared by scanning through multiple profiles.

The 5 tabs within the Player Profile would include: Biographical Info, Status & Contract, Scouting & Ratings, Stats (including Batting/Pitching/Fielding), and History & News. The Biographical Info screen would pop up by default when you right-click on a player's name.

Biographical Info

The Functions area is where you can make changes to the player's photo and perform common actions, including some new ones I'm hoping make it into the game eventually. These are the options currently accessible via the "Actions" button, plus many others that can be done on other screens. I feel that this design makes it easier and more efficient to perform these tasks, as they would all be located in one convenient location. When a button is clicked, a dropdown menu appears. (Also note that the grayed-out buttons are functions that can't be performed for the individual player with their current settings.)

Here's how the "Functions" dropdowns would be organized...

Picture Tools:

• Use Real Photo
• Use FaceGen Photo
• Edit FaceGen Photo
• Regenerate Photo
• Freeze Photo
• Change Hair Color
• Change Facial Hair
• Change Background
• Change Angle
• Disable Photo

Roster Transactions:

• Add to Secondary Roster
• Remove from Secondary Roster
• Place on Waivers
• Place on Irrevocable Waivers
• Remove from Waivers
• Release
• Designate for Assignment

Promotion / Demotion:

• Promote to Major Leagues
• Promote / Demote to AAA
• Promote / Demote to AA
• Demote to A Club #1
• Demote to A Club #2
• Demote to A Club #3
• Transfer to A Club #1
• Transfer to A Club #2
• Transfer to A Club #3

Disabled List

• Place on 15-Day DL
• Place on 60-Day DL
• Remove from DL
• Place on Bereavement List
• Remove from Bereavement List

Trade Options

• Open Trade Window
• Open Contract Negotiations
• Ask to Waive No-Trade Clause
• Add to "Actively Shopping" List
• Add to "Listening to Offers" List
• Remove from Trading Block
• Add to "Untouchable" List
• Remove from "Untouchable" List

Other Actions

• Scout
• Set Game Strategy
• Assess Fine
• Add to Shortlist
• Remove from Shortlist
• Force to Retire
• Copy Player
• Delete Player

In addition to the Functions, the Biographical Profile screen would feature the following sections: Sound Cues, Physical Attributes, Personality, Background Info, Familiarity, and Text Scouting Report

Sound Cues would allow the player's name to be "spoken" by an in-game PbP Announcer and a 10-second music clip to be played when a player comes to the plate or takes the mound.

Physical Attributes is self-explanatory, although I threw in "Gender" just in case people really wanted to do a women's league.

Personality includes an all-important Character Rating that determines how often the player gets into trouble on and off the field, which could eventually be divided into ratings that reflect attitude toward opponents, umpires, teammates, managers/coaches, front office, and society in general. It also determines how likely he may be to make playing time and trade demands.

Background is also fairly obvious, but it would contain some additional info, like more specific geographical locations for more realistic free agency preferences, high school / college attended, and family info, which could be useful in determining off-field morale and may even foreshadow offspring ultimately playing in the league.

Familiarity would help determine where a player may want to play, based on how many of his relatives, friends, or former teammates are on the team. Having enemies could result in a greater probability of conflict when the 2 players face each other in a game.

The Text Scouting Report is displayed on this screen for convenience.

Status & Contract

The Status & Contract screen contains 5 sections: Health, Non-Injury / Suspension Status, Morale, Current Contract, Contract Extension, Service, Miscellaneous, and Signability Factors.

Health is basically self-explanatory, as is Fatigue.

Non-Injury / Suspension Status lets you know why and for how long a player may be out due to suspension or other off-field factors.

Morale would be the same as before, but would also take into account his happiness with what's going on off the field in his personal life, as well as his contract status.

Current Contract info is pretty much the same as before, although the information is more detailed. Also note that there would be different types of No-Trade Clauses: Full, Partial (listing the teams a player CAN be traded to), and Limited (listing the teams a player CAN'T be traded to.)

Contract Extension contains basically the same info, but for an upcoming extension to the contract that has already been signed.

Service info is generally the same, although it would also implement the 10-5 Rule and list teams the player can or can't be traded to if there is a Prtl./Ltd. NTC in his contract.

Miscellaneous info includes the player's agent, which could determine how difficult contract negotiations might be (if agents are eventually included in the game) and how likely the player is, given the current circumstances, to sign or re-sign with your team.

Signability Factors show what a player values, as far as where he wants to sign as a free agent or which teams he would include in a partial or limited NTC.

History & News

The History section shows all Transactions, Injuries/Suspensions, League Records, major Milestones in the player's career, his Personal Best season and game performances, Major Accomplishments, and a list of News Involving Player, with a window for viewing selected articles to the right.

Footer

At the bottom, you'll notice I consolidated all the (frankly, unnecessary) buttons/drop-downs into 4 functional buttons: Help (to the left), Editor, Print Screen, and Convert to HTML.

The Help button would give easy access to help for the specified screen, either by linking to the area in the manual where info on the screen is located, or by presenting the info in a pop-up window transposed over the screen.

The Editor button (which would appear on EVERY screen within the Player Profile) would allow all information contained therein to be customized, not just the limited number of fields that are currently editable.

Print Screen does what is says: prints out the screen (and may include the option of saving a screenshot, as well.)

And the Convert to HTML creates a web page with all the info contained on the screen. This would replace the limited SION Player Page the game currently employs.

(I didn't include the Scouting & Ratings or Stats screens.)

[Corsairs]

Very impressive work, Muzamba!

[Afino]

That kind of reminds me.

Please put nicknames back into the PbP. Currently they are nearly cosmetic, and the only way I even know someone has a nickname is by their player page.

Don't understand why they were taken out for X.

[Eephus Swift]

Repeat of what I had posted in a previous thread. Not sure if this has been covered, but I don't have the time this evening to scroll through the rest of this thread. Apologies in advance for any redundancy.

SUGGESTION
Allow for import/export of full teams and/or systems from one universe to another.

REASON
This would allow for three things:

1. 'World Championship/WBC' scenario (or whatever tournament-style flex you wanted, within the scheduling limits).

2. Great opportunities for users to swap teams for fun to see which team is 'best'.

3. Finally, it would allow for multiple online leagues to form a rough confederation once per season/year/whatever time frame to do a 'best of best' series.

The possibilities are far reaching, and it would make the online world incredibly flexible (and realistic - what if a team leaves one league for another? ), as well make single-player scenarios far more robust and creative.

PRIORITY
High for me. I've skipped this year's version despite the fact that it looks much nicer. I'm waiting for a more flexible 'world baseball' scenario through either means similar to that which I've suggested (if that's feasible) or a combo of what others have said (MogulChamp, etc.). I'm a 'lifer' if that kind of flexibility arises in the game. Thanks for reading.

[mgom27]

PTNL would be good.
On that Trade Screen how about which Minor Leagues are off limits?
Counter Offer like in Baseball Mogul?
Person's Information like Strasburg saying was Drafted by the Nats June 9 2009 or MO Rivera was never Drafted.

Build new Stadium/Dome pick what Food and so on are available/

Olympics?

[Afino]

What about having like an "AI class" during beta?

You want to improve the AI to make it more like humans? Well use human input! Poll the beta team or the greater community with a strategy question and ask them what they would do in that situation.

Give the beta testers a list of 60 men (or however many) and have them come up with a 40-man roster and then a 25-man roster. Incorporate those results into the AI intelligence based on the type of players that are selected.

Give the beta testers a draft class and have them do a "mock draft" based on team needs and actual talents.

[Vinny P.]

Muzamba:

This: This: And a million times, this:

In addition to the whole HS-College feeds, I would like the NFL-style rule to be optional where a player must have four complete years after highschool before they can be drafted/signed. This encourages kids to migrate to college (would actually make the whole HS-college feeder thing more effective in OOTP anyway.)

and one more thing:

I would absolutely LOVE for the infamous pick-off curse to be wiped out the game as well!

[DrSatan]

I apologize if this has been posted already. I don't have time to read every post.

1. Seperate Talent Change Randomness settings for Minor and Major League Players. This way we could set it higher for for minor league players to reduce predictability, and lower for major league players, so established players don't crash for no reason. I hate it when a guy is an allstar for his first 4 years, and then his ratings crash. No injury, nothing, just forgot how to play. With the current settings it's all or none. Lower it and your big league guys stay around longer, but at the same time you won't have as many busts, or late round guys who become big.

2. Contracts for draft picks. Which could also lead to guys holding out until the next years draft.

3. A system for teaching minor league players new skills. For example, a point system where you can devote points towards pitchers learning a new pitch, or players learning a new position. The points would be like extra coaching. To promote putting more emphasis on having a winning minor league systems, you could award more points based on a minor league teams record.

[cephasjames]

League Associations that can be set up and taken down between leagues. This can be used instead of/along side sub-leagues. Maybe with the potential of associating more than two leagues for a "world cup" sort of thing?