I'm so fed up with this game!

MisterPleasant · 04-30-2015, 12:53 PM

First off I'd like to say I absolutely love the game. It's a near-perfect version of OOTP on mobile and it's got everything you'd want in a baseball management game.

That being said, I'm beyond frustrated with having losing season after losing season.

I'm playing as the Padres with their 2015 roster. The first 2 years went pretty good, even if we did get knocked out of the playoffs early both years despite having a top record in the NL. But it's been downhill ever since then.

No matter what players I bring in, my teams consistently underperform. I've always been unsure about whether I should follow the player's ratings or their previous stat history in making personnel decisions. At first I was all about ratings but because I was sucking I started looking more at their stats and tried getting guys that performed well regardless of their ratings. Now I'm doing a combination of both, but I'm STILL not seeing results.

I'll acquire a hot young hitter who's had 30-100-over.300 hitting stats over the last year or two, then they'll join my team and hit .240 with 15 HRs. Or I'll have a guy (like Wil Myers) just mash for a few years, then I sign them to a nice extension, and then they hit .220 the next two years, in their age 27-28 seasons.

The culmination of my frustration happened with my latest season (2020). The first half of 2019 was just terrible (the offense was historically bad) cause I made some poor roster decisions, so I had a major roster turnaround and acquired a new RF, C, and 1B, all of whom were hitting very well at the time and had good ratings (60/80 or above). The rest of the season was a big improvement and we ended up finishing close to .500. I was convinced I had a near contender, so I spent the offseason getting even MORE offensive players (my pitching staff is usually top 5, it's just the offense that's been terrible), namely Machado (78/80) and Profar (70/80), without giving up any other starters. My lineup is now exclusively 55 and above, mostly 65 and above. The RF, C, and 1B I had acquired were all in the 20 HRs 80-100 RBI range, and now I'm adding Machado and Profar who had even better seasons. I'm set, right?

After almost 2 months, I'm 16-27, practically buried in the standings, and everyone in my lineup besides Myers and Profar and my 2B are hitting BELOW .240, 2 of them under .200! These are guys with good ratings, strong track records, and they all decide to take a dump at the plate at the same time. Our offense has scored 135 runs--the next best team has scored 156, with pretty much every other team around 200. My pitching is once again top 5, so no problems there. I'd chalk it up to bad luck, but this is EXACTLY what happened the year before that caused the whole roster turnaround in the first place, except now I have even BETTER players and they're STILL sucking it up.

I've heard that auto-simming will give you worse results than managing yourself, and I do auto-sim most of the time, but even when I manage the game it doesn't make a difference. I can't manage my players to hit over .200, so why would it make a difference to auto-sim?

Again, I love this game (obviously cause otherwise I wouldn't keep trying) but it's become a chore to watch my team underperform again and again despite extensive work made to acquire the right players.

It can't all be bad luck, right? Does anyone else have results like this?

mac2298 · 04-30-2015, 04:34 PM

You have to realise that this is baseball, and it happens. Look at some players who had all the hype when they were traded or when they signed big contracts. Ubaldo Jimenez was the Jeff Samardzija of 2010. Now he's pretty much pitching out of the bullpen. Or Melvin Jr. aka B.J, Upton. There are plenty of other examples of star players that just don't perform, too. It's all part of baseball.

Also, .240 for a player that was traded to your team isn't all that bad. There are plenty of cases of players just not working out on certain teams. And quite frankly, I would trade just about anybody on my Reds to get a .240 hitter at this point...

As a team, there are countless examples of what you're experiencing. The 2013 Blue Jays are a great example. Or before they had all those players, the 2012 Marlins. Teams that stacked up and were all but favorites to win it all, and don't even finish above .500. And, to be honest, the 2015 Padres could be the next team that follows the trend, so your game might be more realistic than you think!

JimboJones · 04-30-2015, 09:14 PM

I understand your frustration, but that's life as a GM. You are playing a game. Imagine people who do this as a job, working hard 52 weeks a year to make their team better, all the while thinking they are making all the right moves. And yet teams like the Astros consistently under perform. At least in this game, if your team under performs, you have the ability to quick sim the rest of the season, and try again next year.

It should be s learning process that takes time to find the right formula for building a championship team.

TribeFanInNC · 05-01-2015, 08:41 AM

Sounds like you're at "I'm just sick of their faces" level. Trade everyone, start over, find some new faces to hate.

wodi · 05-01-2015, 01:35 PM

The Padres play in petco, a notorious pitcher friendly park. That explains why your pitching is always so good and hitting usually not.

With that said, I do think the park factors are a little strict in this game and wouldn't mind if they were scaled back just a hair.

mac2298 · 05-01-2015, 02:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wodi

The Padres play in petco, a notorious pitcher friendly park. That explains why your pitching is always so good and hitting usually not.

With that said, I do think the park factors are a little strict in this game and wouldn't mind if they were scaled back just a hair.

That's a very good point as well.

BradC · 05-01-2015, 02:50 PM

+1. Sorry you're feeling frustrated, OP, but that's the way it goes in baseball. I think everyone who plays our games long enough has seen amazing things happen as well as frustrating things.

The Braves had, what, 14 straight division titles with 2 trips to the WS and 1 WS win to show for it? That had to be pretty frustrating for that team's front office.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimboJones

I understand your frustration, but that's life as a GM. You are playing a game. Imagine people who do this as a job, working hard 52 weeks a year to make their team better, all the while thinking they are making all the right moves. And yet teams like the Astros consistently under perform. At least in this game, if your team under performs, you have the ability to quick sim the rest of the season, and try again next year.

It should be s learning process that takes time to find the right formula for building a championship team.

wodi · 05-01-2015, 05:04 PM

I'm full of good points!

But I would like to tune the park effects down just a little. When I pick a team I try to pick a team with a more neutral park.

I wonder if anyone's tested out the park effects and seen if Clayton kershaw could thrive in Colorado or Giancarlo Stanton could hit in Oakland or San Diego.

phillupi · 05-01-2015, 05:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wodi

I'm full of good points!

But I would like to tune the park effects down just a little. When I pick a team I try to pick a team with a more neutral park.

I wonder if anyone's tested out the park effects and seen if Clayton kershaw could thrive in Colorado or Giancarlo Stanton could hit in Oakland or San Diego.

Try it. You can play a season in no time.

mac2298 · 05-01-2015, 08:41 PM

Perfect example of this issue not being an in-game problem. I just started a new game using my Cincinnati Reds, who of course play in the tiny, extremely hitter-friendly Great American Ballpark. In my first game, I won 9-3, with each of my starting 9 players getting a hit (Johnny Cueto even hit a 2-RBI Double!). This is just one game, but it was Opening Day against Garrett Cole and we beat them up offensively. If you want, I can keep you updated on how I do over the first month, season, etc. Again, this is baseball, the most unpredictable sport in the world. Things like this happen!

mac2298 · 05-01-2015, 08:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wodi

I'm full of good points!

But I would like to tune the park effects down just a little. When I pick a team I try to pick a team with a more neutral park.

I wonder if anyone's tested out the park effects and seen if Clayton kershaw could thrive in Colorado or Giancarlo Stanton could hit in Oakland or San Diego.

Well, Johnny Cueto has been great in 3 separate games I started using my Cincinnati Reds. We play in Great American Ballpark, which is really as hitter friendly as they come, and he posted realistic, low-era numbers. Considering he was a runner-up for Cy Young, I think that's a pretty close comparison (and a more realistic one) as Kershaw in Colorado.

MisterPleasant · 05-02-2015, 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mac2298

You have to realise that this is baseball, and it happens. Look at some players who had all the hype when they were traded or when they signed big contracts. Ubaldo Jimenez was the Jeff Samardzija of 2010. Now he's pretty much pitching out of the bullpen. Or Melvin Jr. aka B.J, Upton. There are plenty of other examples of star players that just don't perform, too. It's all part of baseball.

Also, .240 for a player that was traded to your team isn't all that bad. There are plenty of cases of players just not working out on certain teams. And quite frankly, I would trade just about anybody on my Reds to get a .240 hitter at this point...

As a team, there are countless examples of what you're experiencing. The 2013 Blue Jays are a great example. Or before they had all those players, the 2012 Marlins. Teams that stacked up and were all but favorites to win it all, and don't even finish above .500. And, to be honest, the 2015 Padres could be the next team that follows the trend, so your game might be more realistic than you think!

I understand this and it makes sense, but what frustrated me most was seeing this happen practically 4 seasons in a row. It seemed like no matter who I got they stunk it up on my team, be they prospects or established guys or whatever.

I see your point about the 2015 Padres. Until last night's game I've been super nervous about these guys becoming the next major letdown, cause if they are we're kinda screwed for the future. But it's only been 1 month!

After simming up to the trade deadline, not much has changed. Averages have raised to around .220 or .250 for some guys but I still have the worst offense in baseball.

I'm trying another strategy. I'm trading Profar (FA after the season) for a stud 1B prospect and some extra pieces, and then getting whatever I can for my age 27-28 guys who are underperforming a ton. I'll have a full lineup of young, 70+ potential guys under age 24 if I can also get some high draft picks (which I certainly will). Basically the Cubs' strategy. I'll just hope 2 or 3 turn into stars, then I'll use the money savings to get some "final pieces" in FA.

I also didn't realize the game had park factors. Petco suppresses hitters, but not THIS much. Just look at this year's Padres for a perfect example (top scoring offense in NL so far). Maybe I should just stock up on RH hitters then...

I'll also start a new campaign with the new OD rosters (Kimbrel on Padres) and just start over. Maybe I'll have better luck. It's almost more encouraging knowing this might just be poor luck and not some flaw in the game. I'll keep trying!

phillupi · 05-02-2015, 03:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MisterPleasant

I understand this and it makes sense, but what frustrated me most was seeing this happen practically 4 seasons in a row. It seemed like no matter who I got they stunk it up on my team, be they prospects or established guys or whatever.

I see your point about the 2015 Padres. Until last night's game I've been super nervous about these guys becoming the next major letdown, cause if they are we're kinda screwed for the future. But it's only been 1 month!

After simming up to the trade deadline, not much has changed. Averages have raised to around .220 or .250 for some guys but I still have the worst offense in baseball.

I'm trying another strategy. I'm trading Profar (FA after the season) for a stud 1B prospect and some extra pieces, and then getting whatever I can for my age 27-28 guys who are underperforming a ton. I'll have a full lineup of young, 70+ potential guys under age 24 if I can also get some high draft picks (which I certainly will). Basically the Cubs' strategy. I'll just hope 2 or 3 turn into stars, then I'll use the money savings to get some "final pieces" in FA.

I also didn't realize the game had park factors. Petco suppresses hitters, but not THIS much. Just look at this year's Padres for a perfect example (top scoring offense in NL so far). Maybe I should just stock up on RH hitters then...

I'll also start a new campaign with the new OD rosters (Kimbrel on Padres) and just start over. Maybe I'll have better luck. It's almost more encouraging knowing this might just be poor luck and not some flaw in the game. I'll keep trying!

If this year works out the same try switching to another team and see how SD does without your involvement. And if you want to keep the team as it is disable trades.

endgame · 05-02-2015, 04:00 PM

These are the kinds of comments, even though frustrated, that tell me the OP is a player actually immersed in the game. That's a wonderful thing. If it doesn't elicit a response, then might as well be painting a wall or something. These reactions are indicative of a GM at work. Good for you. Find your answer.

MisterPleasant · 05-02-2015, 07:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by endgame

These are the kinds of comments, even though frustrated, that tell me the OP is a player actually immersed in the game. That's a wonderful thing. If it doesn't elicit a response, then might as well be painting a wall or something. These reactions are indicative of a GM at work. Good for you. Find your answer.

"Immersed" is right. Spend way too much time playing this game. I'm thinking about trades while I'm at work!

mac2298 · 05-02-2015, 11:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MisterPleasant

I understand this and it makes sense, but what frustrated me most was seeing this happen practically 4 seasons in a row. It seemed like no matter who I got they stunk it up on my team, be they prospects or established guys or whatever.

I see your point about the 2015 Padres. Until last night's game I've been super nervous about these guys becoming the next major letdown, cause if they are we're kinda screwed for the future. But it's only been 1 month!

After simming up to the trade deadline, not much has changed. Averages have raised to around .220 or .250 for some guys but I still have the worst offense in baseball.

I'm trying another strategy. I'm trading Profar (FA after the season) for a stud 1B prospect and some extra pieces, and then getting whatever I can for my age 27-28 guys who are underperforming a ton. I'll have a full lineup of young, 70+ potential guys under age 24 if I can also get some high draft picks (which I certainly will). Basically the Cubs' strategy. I'll just hope 2 or 3 turn into stars, then I'll use the money savings to get some "final pieces" in FA.

I also didn't realize the game had park factors. Petco suppresses hitters, but not THIS much. Just look at this year's Padres for a perfect example (top scoring offense in NL so far). Maybe I should just stock up on RH hitters then...

I'll also start a new campaign with the new OD rosters (Kimbrel on Padres) and just start over. Maybe I'll have better luck. It's almost more encouraging knowing this might just be poor luck and not some flaw in the game. I'll keep trying!

Well, 4 seasons isn't a huge sample size. As mentioned above, the Atlanta Braves had huge, consistent success during the season for about 15 years without a lot of postseasons success to show for it. A closer example to your situation, though, would be the Billy Bean's Oakland A's. Bean and the A's have tried and tried for about 15 years to construct a winning team. It never worked out for them.

Switching from explaining your slump to remedying it, you should try using older, established players that will provide consistent offence to your team. 26-27 year olds are still young in baseball terms, and can't be relied upon quite as much as 30-32 year olds, unless they're huge names like Trout. I don't like the Cubs strategy IRL, and don't think it will work for you in-game, at least not until your team starts getting older. Trade up for established stars and see if that helps.

Some other tips are to play a couple series manually. I find simming can get your team into a funk, for multiple reasons. I've had more stable results by playing a few series to get the team back on track. It's not always ideal, but could help.

Also, not sure how much stadiums really affect the game. While PETCO is pitcher-friendly, I'm not sure that RH vs LH hitters make a huge difference. Again, not sure though.

And finally, I think you might be right to reset. I've had seasons where the team gets into a funk that just lingers, but on a new game they thrive. Try it out. Best of luck!

JimboJones · 05-02-2015, 11:23 PM

I don't understand why simming would put your team at a disadvantage. It should instead put you on a level playing field with the other teams handled by the computer. Granted, an experienced human should be able to outplay the CPU. Simming would take away the human advantage, but your team should be handled no worse than the other computer teams.

phillupi · 05-03-2015, 07:38 AM

Check your strategy. Maybe you are using hit and run too often or not often enough. Maybe you're stealing too much or not enough.

mac2298 · 05-03-2015, 10:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimboJones

I don't understand why simming would put your team at a disadvantage. It should instead put you on a level playing field with the other teams handled by the computer. Granted, an experienced human should be able to outplay the CPU. Simming would take away the human advantage, but your team should be handled no worse than the other computer teams.

Since iOOTP, I have always done worse simming rather than playing. Always.

johan25 · 05-03-2015, 01:51 PM

Honestly my favourite team to start as is the Astros simply because they are so bad. I like to see how fast I can get them to be a contender.

In your case I would aim for a couple high draft choices, but don't rush them. When they are ready, trade the guys you currently have starting for prospects. Also doesn't matter up if you already have a good prospect at that position. Prospects are already unpredictable. Sometimes I will end up with 3 4-star second basemen when I get lucky and everyone develops, so I then trade 2 of them to fill other team needs. The shop player feature has really come in handy here.

04-30-2015, 12:53 PM	#1
MisterPleasant Bat Boy Join Date: Apr 2015 Posts: 3	I'm so fed up with this game! First off I'd like to say I absolutely love the game. It's a near-perfect version of OOTP on mobile and it's got everything you'd want in a baseball management game. That being said, I'm beyond frustrated with having losing season after losing season. I'm playing as the Padres with their 2015 roster. The first 2 years went pretty good, even if we did get knocked out of the playoffs early both years despite having a top record in the NL. But it's been downhill ever since then. No matter what players I bring in, my teams consistently underperform. I've always been unsure about whether I should follow the player's ratings or their previous stat history in making personnel decisions. At first I was all about ratings but because I was sucking I started looking more at their stats and tried getting guys that performed well regardless of their ratings. Now I'm doing a combination of both, but I'm STILL not seeing results. I'll acquire a hot young hitter who's had 30-100-over.300 hitting stats over the last year or two, then they'll join my team and hit .240 with 15 HRs. Or I'll have a guy (like Wil Myers) just mash for a few years, then I sign them to a nice extension, and then they hit .220 the next two years, in their age 27-28 seasons. The culmination of my frustration happened with my latest season (2020). The first half of 2019 was just terrible (the offense was historically bad) cause I made some poor roster decisions, so I had a major roster turnaround and acquired a new RF, C, and 1B, all of whom were hitting very well at the time and had good ratings (60/80 or above). The rest of the season was a big improvement and we ended up finishing close to .500. I was convinced I had a near contender, so I spent the offseason getting even MORE offensive players (my pitching staff is usually top 5, it's just the offense that's been terrible), namely Machado (78/80) and Profar (70/80), without giving up any other starters. My lineup is now exclusively 55 and above, mostly 65 and above. The RF, C, and 1B I had acquired were all in the 20 HRs 80-100 RBI range, and now I'm adding Machado and Profar who had even better seasons. I'm set, right? After almost 2 months, I'm 16-27, practically buried in the standings, and everyone in my lineup besides Myers and Profar and my 2B are hitting BELOW .240, 2 of them under .200! These are guys with good ratings, strong track records, and they all decide to take a dump at the plate at the same time. Our offense has scored 135 runs--the next best team has scored 156, with pretty much every other team around 200. My pitching is once again top 5, so no problems there. I'd chalk it up to bad luck, but this is EXACTLY what happened the year before that caused the whole roster turnaround in the first place, except now I have even BETTER players and they're STILL sucking it up. I've heard that auto-simming will give you worse results than managing yourself, and I do auto-sim most of the time, but even when I manage the game it doesn't make a difference. I can't manage my players to hit over .200, so why would it make a difference to auto-sim? Again, I love this game (obviously cause otherwise I wouldn't keep trying) but it's become a chore to watch my team underperform again and again despite extensive work made to acquire the right players. It can't all be bad luck, right? Does anyone else have results like this?

04-30-2015, 04:34 PM	#2
mac2298 Minors (Double A) Join Date: Mar 2015 Posts: 107	You have to realise that this is baseball, and it happens. Look at some players who had all the hype when they were traded or when they signed big contracts. Ubaldo Jimenez was the Jeff Samardzija of 2010. Now he's pretty much pitching out of the bullpen. Or Melvin Jr. aka B.J, Upton. There are plenty of other examples of star players that just don't perform, too. It's all part of baseball. Also, .240 for a player that was traded to your team isn't all that bad. There are plenty of cases of players just not working out on certain teams. And quite frankly, I would trade just about anybody on my Reds to get a .240 hitter at this point... As a team, there are countless examples of what you're experiencing. The 2013 Blue Jays are a great example. Or before they had all those players, the 2012 Marlins. Teams that stacked up and were all but favorites to win it all, and don't even finish above .500. And, to be honest, the 2015 Padres could be the next team that follows the trend, so your game might be more realistic than you think! Last edited by mac2298; 04-30-2015 at 04:37 PM.

05-01-2015, 01:35 PM	#5
wodi All Star Reserve Join Date: Aug 2014 Posts: 535	I'm so fed up with this game! The Padres play in petco, a notorious pitcher friendly park. That explains why your pitching is always so good and hitting usually not. With that said, I do think the park factors are a little strict in this game and wouldn't mind if they were scaled back just a hair.

05-02-2015, 04:00 PM	#14
endgame Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 16,843	These are the kinds of comments, even though frustrated, that tell me the OP is a player actually immersed in the game. That's a wonderful thing. If it doesn't elicit a response, then might as well be painting a wall or something. These reactions are indicative of a GM at work. Good for you. Find your answer. __________________ "Try again. Fail again. Fail better." -- Samuel Beckett _____________________________________________

04-30-2015, 09:14 PM	#3
JimboJones Minors (Triple A) Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 210	I understand your frustration, but that's life as a GM. You are playing a game. Imagine people who do this as a job, working hard 52 weeks a year to make their team better, all the while thinking they are making all the right moves. And yet teams like the Astros consistently under perform. At least in this game, if your team under performs, you have the ability to quick sim the rest of the season, and try again next year. It should be s learning process that takes time to find the right formula for building a championship team.

05-01-2015, 08:41 AM	#4
TribeFanInNC Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 4,019	Sounds like you're at "I'm just sick of their faces" level. Trade everyone, start over, find some new faces to hate.

05-01-2015, 05:04 PM	#8
wodi All Star Reserve Join Date: Aug 2014 Posts: 535	I'm full of good points! But I would like to tune the park effects down just a little. When I pick a team I try to pick a team with a more neutral park. I wonder if anyone's tested out the park effects and seen if Clayton kershaw could thrive in Colorado or Giancarlo Stanton could hit in Oakland or San Diego.

05-01-2015, 08:41 PM	#10
mac2298 Minors (Double A) Join Date: Mar 2015 Posts: 107	Perfect example of this issue not being an in-game problem. I just started a new game using my Cincinnati Reds, who of course play in the tiny, extremely hitter-friendly Great American Ballpark. In my first game, I won 9-3, with each of my starting 9 players getting a hit (Johnny Cueto even hit a 2-RBI Double!). This is just one game, but it was Opening Day against Garrett Cole and we beat them up offensively. If you want, I can keep you updated on how I do over the first month, season, etc. Again, this is baseball, the most unpredictable sport in the world. Things like this happen!

05-02-2015, 11:23 PM	#17
JimboJones Minors (Triple A) Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 210	I don't understand why simming would put your team at a disadvantage. It should instead put you on a level playing field with the other teams handled by the computer. Granted, an experienced human should be able to outplay the CPU. Simming would take away the human advantage, but your team should be handled no worse than the other computer teams.

05-03-2015, 07:38 AM	#18
phillupi All Star Reserve Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 814	Check your strategy. Maybe you are using hit and run too often or not often enough. Maybe you're stealing too much or not enough.

05-03-2015, 01:51 PM	#20
johan25 Minors (Single A) Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Canada Posts: 56	Honestly my favourite team to start as is the Astros simply because they are so bad. I like to see how fast I can get them to be a contender. In your case I would aim for a couple high draft choices, but don't rush them. When they are ready, trade the guys you currently have starting for prospects. Also doesn't matter up if you already have a good prospect at that position. Prospects are already unpredictable. Sometimes I will end up with 3 4-star second basemen when I get lucky and everyone develops, so I then trade 2 of them to fill other team needs. The shop player feature has really come in handy here.