Where do I start?

theobscure · 04-23-2006, 09:31 PM

Hi. Long time listener, first time caller. I've been checking out OOTP for a few years, but have been hesitant to make the plunge for two main reasons.

1. I like to micromanage in game. Seeing that the upcoming version will have pitch-by-pitch involvement, I am down to one hurdle.

2. Intimidation. Do you have to be a computer genius and/or mathematical wiz to be able to get the customization I would want if I were to make the leap?

I see now that you can download OOTP 5 for free. Would this be useful in terms of getting familiar in preparation for the new version? I see that the game is being totally re-written (whatever that means, I have no experience in computer programming).

So I'm wondering if it would be perfectly pointless to dive in to and familiarize myself with an old version when the new version may bear little resemblance. I wouldn't be interested in the old version in terms of game play. But I'm wondering if it can be helpful in terms of learning how the financials work, or even laying the groundwork for my fictional league (would importing what I accomplish with the old version to the new version even work?).

I miss baseball. I haven't been able to bring myself to watch MLB for a few years. I yearn for the days of sitting in front of the tv and thinking in game strategy or churning over prospective trades in my mind around the trade deadline. I've tried the playstation games and quickly grew disgusted with them (stupid button mashing, poor manage only modes, severely lacking computer AI).

Maybe I can create my own baseball world. Should I take the OOTP plunge? Thank you in advance for any response.

Gorilla Shakespeare · 04-23-2006, 09:36 PM

Yes.

Raderick · 04-23-2006, 10:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gorilla Shakespeare

Yes.

*

Aordolin · 04-23-2006, 11:24 PM

ditto..

You dont have to be a math wiz ( im not heh), or even understand all of the formulas behind how things work. I learned through just trial and error, simulating and trying again until I got the results I was looking for. Plus the community here is amazing and if you dont understand something or are looking for something in particular, a search or a post asking for help will just about always yield some useful results.

I think playing the older version would help. Things are going to be different but I think the overall feel of the game will be the same. The presentation may be different but what makes OOTP a great game exists in previous versions too. So try ver5 and grab a copy of Cato and play around with it and I think you will get a pretty good feel for a good amount of what will be in the new version.

theobscure · 04-24-2006, 12:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aordolin

grab a copy of Cato.

What is this "Cato" of which you speak? Is that something that you buy seperately?

Boozie1580 · 04-24-2006, 01:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theobscure

What is this "Cato" of which you speak? Is that something that you buy seperately?

I wouldn't say you need it in order to try out the game.

It's a third party utility that generates a bunch of HTML reports from a league. An easy way to look at it is that if you were running an online league and had a web page, the HTML files generates by Cato are a lot beter-looking and have a lot more information than those generated by the game. It's great for solo leagues too, to keep track of your league history in a lot more detail than the game would, but it's by no means necessary for trying out the game at all, only if you're going to get pretty involved with an online or solo league.

To answer your other questions, getting OOTP5 would definitely help. OOTP6 is similar to v5 but with a lot of upgrades and new features, and although the game is being totally rewritten I would imagine it would have the same kind of "feel" as the old versions, just with some differences and a lot more in-depth. But, if you want to get the idea of what an OOTP-style text sim is all about, definitely try OOTP5. Also, playing v5 for a while will allow you to look at all the information/screenshots about 2006 and see how the game will be different, but still have a base of the old game so you'll better know what you're looking at. ("Oh, that's the new version of a player card", etc)

For #2, I don't know exactly what kind of customization you would want but I'm going to say I'm 99% sure you'll be fine. Most of the customization is very self-explanatory and easy to figure out, and if there's something you're stuck on, this is one of the best forums out there to get help with a computer game.

In summary, definitely try out v5. It may be difficult to find the mods you're looking for (logos, roster packs, etc) just because it's an old version, but play the game keeping in mind the fact that these things are all over the place for current versions of the game. And, if you aren't really "feeling" the game when you play it, the add-ons do really work wonders (it feels like a whole different game when you have logos, stadiums, player photos, and everything else), so keep that in mind.

Judging by the reasons you don't like the console games it seems like this thing is right up your alley.

Drop me an IM or a PM if you have any questions, I'm a college student so my laptop is basically an extension of my body, it shouldn't take me too long to get back to you.

theobscure · 04-24-2006, 03:59 AM

So I went ahead and downloaded OOTP 5. It looks pretty cool. I also downloaded the total minors roster utility for OOTP 5 and couldn't figure out at first how to create a league using those real rosters. Finally figured it out.

Now I want to try and figure out how to use my own logos. I suppose I would put the logos in the "logos" folder first. After that, though, how would I assign them to the appropriate team?

Aordolin · 04-24-2006, 09:02 AM

You can find Catobase in the Mods section. You dont need it the only reason I suggested it is because the new version is supposed to have alot of Catobase's features built into it. The Almanac and record books while on the surface seemed pretty cool are one of the weakest aspects of the game, and trust me it adds a ton to your leagues, especially fictional leagues I think.

battists · 04-24-2006, 09:10 AM

Here's one vote of dissent from Aordolin's opinion. I would urge you to stay away from Cato unless you're a total baseball stat-head. You can completely enjoy OOTP5 and just start to get a feel for the game without it, and it sounds like you just want to get your feet a little wet.

All Cato does is creates a ton of statistical information in web-page format, based on your OOTP league files.

Not to say that cato isn't cool...which it is.

Cras · 04-24-2006, 10:31 AM

I agree with battists. If you are new to OOTP Cato can get quite annoying to deal with, always uploading new stuff and spending hours creating the web pages. Cool stuff indeed, but for the time being the Almanac offers plenty of goodies and I believe it to be more than sufficient to carry you until May 31st.

Boozie1580 · 04-24-2006, 11:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cras

I agree with battists. If you are new to OOTP Cato can get quite annoying to deal with, always uploading new stuff and spending hours creating the web pages. Cool stuff indeed, but for the time being the Almanac offers plenty of goodies and I believe it to be more than sufficient to carry you until May 31st.

Me too.

Also, to answer your logos question, you can download an OOTP6 logo pack and it should work, the format didn't change. You simply put the logos in the "logos" folder for your league. If any of the logos are switched (the Expos-to-Nationals change caused some issues with logo packs in terms of numbering the teams), just change the numbers in the file names accordingly. (i.e. if the Phillies logo is showing up for the Mets, and the name of the Phillies logo in the folder is "logo22.bmp," find the Mets logo and make that logo22.bmp, while changing the Phillies logo accordingly too). A current facepack should also work too. Just download that and put all the faces in the "photos" folder inside your league folder, just like you did with the logos.

battists · 04-24-2006, 12:11 PM

Honestly, theobscure, here's my recommendation:

1. Download OOTP
2. Play a totally fictional league. Just set up something with 2 8-team divisions or something like that.

That will be enough to get you involved in the game.

All of the customization stuff required to get "MLB-style" leagues will be different in the new version, so you're kinda wasting your time with all of that, if your main goal is just to get your feet wet.

theobscure · 04-24-2006, 01:08 PM

Thanks everyone for the advice.

I think I will hold off on Cato for now until I see what the new version offers. I also intend (I think) to use fictional leagues when I really get down to business; but I decided to download the MLB rosters for two reasons:

1. I wanted to get some idea of how difficult it is to employ utilities or these kind of ancillary programs in OOTP (I'm completely new to this kind of stuff).

2. I thought it might be a little less overwhelming to get a little familiar with how the game works if I had some recognizable names in there as kind of an anchor.(Even though I haven't watched MLB for a few years, I still recognize players and remember their attributes.)

I think I will also create a fictional league and try to figure out the logo stuff and such. Or will that be completely different in the new version too?

From what I understand though the flexibility in creating a fictional league will be much greater than in previous versions. However, I think I discovered that what I really wanted to do will not be possible in the new version either. So I guess it's back to the drawing board on that and probably better wait until I have the new version before putting too much more work into my fictional aspirations.

battists · 04-24-2006, 01:09 PM

See, I think both logos and roster stuff will be pretty different in the new version. I don't think you'll be gaining much there. But, it's up to you!

theobscure · 04-24-2006, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by battists

See, I think both logos and roster stuff will be pretty different in the new version. I don't think you'll be gaining much there. But, it's up to you!

OK..I see. So in the new version I won't have to worry about stuff like converting logos into .bmp and resizing them? I guess I'm just trying to get a handle on what universal basics will be useful to learn now so it doesn't take me until winter to get my fictional league up and running when the new version comes out.

And, while I have your attention. I've read your blog about nations and creating a baseball universe and I'm still a little confused about whether what I want to do will work or not ( I think the answer is no).

I understand that you need to assign each league with a nation. But can you assign subleagues or conferences or divisions with seperate nations? See what I was intending to do is create (4) subleagues or conferences, each with (2) 6 team divisions.

A Mexican subleague or conference, a Cuban one, a Venezuelan one, and (here's where it was going to get tricky) a Dominican Republic/Puerto Rican one (there'd be one division from each nation). Each conference would only consist of players from that nation.

The first round of playoffs would be between the 2 conference division winners to determine a "national champion" and then those national champs would advance to determine the overall champ.

There would be no intra-conference play until the "final four". Is this just impossibly delusional? (It wouldn't be the first time). Thanks again for your help.

battists · 04-24-2006, 01:52 PM

Yes, all of the logo stuff will be different, so don't bother learning the "old" way.

As for your idea, it's cool, but it won't work, at least not gracefully. Each league can only have one nation, and nations cannot be assigned at the team, division, or sub-league level.

theobscure · 04-24-2006, 02:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by battists

Yes, all of the logo stuff will be different, so don't bother learning the "old" way.

Quote:

OK..good enough

As for your idea, it's cool, but it won't work, at least not gracefully. Each league can only have one nation, and nations cannot be assigned at the team, division, or sub-league level.

That's disappointing, but I kind of came to that conclusion from your blog. Oh well. Since it also appears that there's no way to link seperate leagues into a playoff system, I guess I'll scale my plans back.

Thinking maybe I'll do a larger Mexican league where I am commish and GM for one team and then maybe a smaller Venezuelan league where I start out as a minor league manager (I think I read somewhere that will be an option).

I guess I don't really see the point of creating a bunch of seperate leagues that have no linkage. Maybe I'll understand the attraction to that once I get more familiar. Thanks again for your quick responses, battists.

battists · 04-24-2006, 03:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theobscure

I guess I don't really see the point of creating a bunch of seperate leagues that have no linkage. Maybe I'll understand the attraction to that once I get more familiar. Thanks again for your quick responses, battists.

Well, it's the same linkage you have today. What linkage is there between MLB and the Japanese league? None, other than that free agents can sign with the other leagues, which is doable here.

(And yes, you can control multiple manager identities, and you can play as a minor league manager...)

Boozie1580 · 04-24-2006, 03:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theobscure

That's disappointing, but I kind of came to that conclusion from your blog. Oh well. Since it also appears that there's no way to link seperate leagues into a playoff system, I guess I'll scale my plans back.

Thinking maybe I'll do a larger Mexican league where I am commish and GM for one team and then maybe a smaller Venezuelan league where I start out as a minor league manager (I think I read somewhere that will be an option).

I guess I don't really see the point of creating a bunch of seperate leagues that have no linkage. Maybe I'll understand the attraction to that once I get more familiar. Thanks again for your quick responses, battists.

I think the point of this was just to expand OOTP to make it a representation of the actual baseball scene in the world. I don't necessarily think that the whole "world" thing is the main point of the new game, just a huge expansion of the scope of the game for those who want to use it.

Boozie1580 · 04-24-2006, 03:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by battists

Well, it's the same linkage you have today. What linkage is there between MLB and the Japanese league? None, other than that free agents can sign with the other leagues, which is doable here.

(And yes, you can control multiple manager identities, and you can play as a minor league manager...)

Or, what he says.

04-23-2006, 09:31 PM	#1
theobscure Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 38	Where do I start? Hi. Long time listener, first time caller. I've been checking out OOTP for a few years, but have been hesitant to make the plunge for two main reasons. 1. I like to micromanage in game. Seeing that the upcoming version will have pitch-by-pitch involvement, I am down to one hurdle. 2. Intimidation. Do you have to be a computer genius and/or mathematical wiz to be able to get the customization I would want if I were to make the leap? I see now that you can download OOTP 5 for free. Would this be useful in terms of getting familiar in preparation for the new version? I see that the game is being totally re-written (whatever that means, I have no experience in computer programming). So I'm wondering if it would be perfectly pointless to dive in to and familiarize myself with an old version when the new version may bear little resemblance. I wouldn't be interested in the old version in terms of game play. But I'm wondering if it can be helpful in terms of learning how the financials work, or even laying the groundwork for my fictional league (would importing what I accomplish with the old version to the new version even work?). I miss baseball. I haven't been able to bring myself to watch MLB for a few years. I yearn for the days of sitting in front of the tv and thinking in game strategy or churning over prospective trades in my mind around the trade deadline. I've tried the playstation games and quickly grew disgusted with them (stupid button mashing, poor manage only modes, severely lacking computer AI). Maybe I can create my own baseball world. Should I take the OOTP plunge? Thank you in advance for any response.

04-24-2006, 03:59 AM	#7
theobscure Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 38	So I went ahead and downloaded OOTP 5. It looks pretty cool. I also downloaded the total minors roster utility for OOTP 5 and couldn't figure out at first how to create a league using those real rosters. Finally figured it out. Now I want to try and figure out how to use my own logos. I suppose I would put the logos in the "logos" folder first. After that, though, how would I assign them to the appropriate team? Last edited by theobscure; 04-24-2006 at 04:51 AM.

04-24-2006, 10:31 AM	#10
Cras Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: LEO Posts: 3,789	I agree with battists. If you are new to OOTP Cato can get quite annoying to deal with, always uploading new stuff and spending hours creating the web pages. Cool stuff indeed, but for the time being the Almanac offers plenty of goodies and I believe it to be more than sufficient to carry you until May 31st. __________________ The Chicago White Sox 1906, 1917, 2005 World Series Champions 1900, 1901, 1906, 1917, 1919, 1959, 2005 American League Champions 2000, 2005, 2008 American League Central Division Champions 1983, 1993 American League West Division Champions OOTP \| Orbiter \| SSMS \| FSX \| LoL \| MLP:FIM!

04-23-2006, 09:36 PM	#2
Gorilla Shakespeare Banned Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 405	Yes.

04-23-2006, 11:24 PM	#4
Aordolin All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 586	ditto.. You dont have to be a math wiz ( im not heh), or even understand all of the formulas behind how things work. I learned through just trial and error, simulating and trying again until I got the results I was looking for. Plus the community here is amazing and if you dont understand something or are looking for something in particular, a search or a post asking for help will just about always yield some useful results. I think playing the older version would help. Things are going to be different but I think the overall feel of the game will be the same. The presentation may be different but what makes OOTP a great game exists in previous versions too. So try ver5 and grab a copy of Cato and play around with it and I think you will get a pretty good feel for a good amount of what will be in the new version.

04-24-2006, 09:02 AM	#8
Aordolin All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 586	You can find Catobase in the Mods section. You dont need it the only reason I suggested it is because the new version is supposed to have alot of Catobase's features built into it. The Almanac and record books while on the surface seemed pretty cool are one of the weakest aspects of the game, and trust me it adds a ton to your leagues, especially fictional leagues I think.

04-24-2006, 09:10 AM	#9
battists Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 18,506 Blog Entries: 7	Here's one vote of dissent from Aordolin's opinion. I would urge you to stay away from Cato unless you're a total baseball stat-head. You can completely enjoy OOTP5 and just start to get a feel for the game without it, and it sounds like you just want to get your feet a little wet. All Cato does is creates a ton of statistical information in web-page format, based on your OOTP league files. Not to say that cato isn't cool...which it is.

04-24-2006, 12:11 PM	#12
battists Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 18,506 Blog Entries: 7	Honestly, theobscure, here's my recommendation: 1. Download OOTP 2. Play a totally fictional league. Just set up something with 2 8-team divisions or something like that. That will be enough to get you involved in the game. All of the customization stuff required to get "MLB-style" leagues will be different in the new version, so you're kinda wasting your time with all of that, if your main goal is just to get your feet wet.

04-24-2006, 01:08 PM	#13
theobscure Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 38	Thanks everyone for the advice. I think I will hold off on Cato for now until I see what the new version offers. I also intend (I think) to use fictional leagues when I really get down to business; but I decided to download the MLB rosters for two reasons: 1. I wanted to get some idea of how difficult it is to employ utilities or these kind of ancillary programs in OOTP (I'm completely new to this kind of stuff). 2. I thought it might be a little less overwhelming to get a little familiar with how the game works if I had some recognizable names in there as kind of an anchor.(Even though I haven't watched MLB for a few years, I still recognize players and remember their attributes.) I think I will also create a fictional league and try to figure out the logo stuff and such. Or will that be completely different in the new version too? From what I understand though the flexibility in creating a fictional league will be much greater than in previous versions. However, I think I discovered that what I really wanted to do will not be possible in the new version either. So I guess it's back to the drawing board on that and probably better wait until I have the new version before putting too much more work into my fictional aspirations.

04-24-2006, 01:09 PM	#14
battists Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 18,506 Blog Entries: 7	See, I think both logos and roster stuff will be pretty different in the new version. I don't think you'll be gaining much there. But, it's up to you!

04-24-2006, 01:52 PM	#16
battists Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 18,506 Blog Entries: 7	Yes, all of the logo stuff will be different, so don't bother learning the "old" way. As for your idea, it's cool, but it won't work, at least not gracefully. Each league can only have one nation, and nations cannot be assigned at the team, division, or sub-league level.