Usage shows that 65% play modern MLB, 25% fictional & 10% historical

[pizzaddict]

As someone mentioned earlier. Most of the features that are done to enhance the MLB experience end up being beneficial to those that run fictional/historical leagues too. I'm just glad something like OOTP exists so I can nerd out on baseball like this.

[Sweed]

I am not surprised at all that current MLB is the driving force in a baseball simulation. Did some have any real doubt? I am actually surprised fictional outdoes historical.

I've played a lot of sports titles in my time. Strat(all sports), Lance Haffener (all sports), FM, FBCB, FBPB, DDSPBB, FOF, Madden, The Show, etc. etc. etc. In all that time I never had the thought to search the net for a game that allowed me to play in a pretend world. So needless to say I play a MLB setup

My game was started with the real MLB setup in v4 (2002). Some would now count me as a fictional player but I wouldn't agree. Sure my game has been taken over by fictional players but it would have never been started at all if it meant starting that way. My fictional players are as real to me as Harmon Killebrew or Kris Bryant and play in the same baseball world these players played/play in. In my mind I play the modern game but I do wonder now, how the usage tracker in OOTP reports my style of play? I would hope I'm in the 65% category.

The good news is a lot of what is developed for modern play also helps fictional and historical. But those players need to understand why things like relegation, women's leagues, etc. are not high on the list of things to do. You're not being ignored or disrespected, it just comes down to how many will use a niche feature compared to time to code, and will it generate sales.

[Nzsftbl]

For the fictional player who uses promotion/relegation (as I do), there is a workaround that is easy to implement, even though the whole system of promotion/relegation is "flawed" (teams aren't aware they are about to get relegated, a playoff works as a league playoff, etc)

However: even though this has never been a part of MLB per se, there is something else that would benefit historical players, as well as MLB players, not to mention fictional players: the ability for a player to "play" for 2 teams at once.
This not only would cover the AFL/ABL/any winter leagues, but would also pave the way to international tournaments. (BTW - how much programming would it take to add the option of holding an international tournament?)
The Baseball World Cup (since defunct) was played 38 times between 1938 and 2011, and has since been replaced by (WBC/Premier12). The Olympics would be fun to simulate. Also - didn't All-Star teams regularly travel to Japan and other world spots (first documented trip - 1888)?

Any thoughts?

[Hammercraft]

Originally Posted by The Wolf

Fictional and historical players need to be very aware that they are both in small minority groups

Baseball imho is 10% "what happened", "30% what's going to happen" and 60% "what could have happened"

[Honorable_Pawn]

Originally Posted by ThePretender

I'm actually surprised more people don't have the send usage data to OOTP disabled, but then I'm more concerned about my privacy then most. Not surprised though that modern is higher than the other leagues.

I can relate. I usually don't provide this kind of information. But OOTP Developments has earned my trust over the years.

[DreamTeams]

Not surprised by the results at all. Just happy that this game already has the deepest fictional elements and tools than any other title. The numbers simply reveal that Markus & co have done an amazing balancing act and in my opinion get better at it each year. Not to mention trying to please the toughest sports base... baseball fans!

[swoboda]

As a 100% historical player , I have no complaints about the game that would be particular to historical. Improvements to interface, AI trading and game strategy, sim speed all help me as well.
My sole request would be please keep historical as part of the package even though I too am a little skeptical of the numbers. I am a privacy hawk as well so I do not submit my data to OOTP, even though I certainly trust them more than something like Google.

[jpeters1734]

How does sending usage data violate privacy?

[swoboda]

Originally Posted by jpeters1734

How does sending usage data violate privacy?

I don't mean to suggest that OOTP is not doing exactly what they say they are doing with data

I tend to go overboard protecting privacy, as in maxing out all the privacy settings in windows, google, using duck duck go, etc
I just feel like the world knows enough about me already at a super detailed level

[tward13]

I always start a new MLB and then a couple of historical during the year. I never play true fictional.

[Cinnamon J. Scudworth]

Originally Posted by Winnipeg59

Is there any further data to suggest how long each is played?

I'm interested in that, too. I suspect that the "games created" metric is a little biased toward modern MLB, because every new version of OOTP gives a player the incentive to create a new MLB game in order to have updated rosters. Whereas, speaking just for myself, I've been running the same fictional league for years, importing it into each new version of OOTP.

[Lukas Berger]

Originally Posted by swoboda

I just feel like the world knows enough about me already at a super detailed level

Well, you did make one of the most famous and important catches in MLB history.

Have to expect a bit of notoriety after that

[MarkInCincy]

Solo is 99%, historical or some version of it, but random debut mostly, I only lbs are split 50//50 fictional or semi hist/hist

[GoBucsGo]

I've tried fictional, over and over and over again. I always seem to come up with a cool idea of a game world that I want to run, set it all up, and then I just can't seem to find enjoyment from it.

I don't connect with the players, teams, anything. Whenever I play a standard MLB game though, it's players I know, leagues, teams, everything that I know. I get some immersed in the game world that I go hours and hours playing. I never do that with a fictional game.

How do you guys stay immersed in a fictional set up? How do you care about your players and leagues?

[Le Grande Orange]

Originally Posted by The Wolf

I'm with the two thirds that play the modern game. I had already figured out that the numbers had to be something like this. Fictional and historical players need to be very aware that they are both in small minority groups, that OOTP knows that, and that these the numbers mean that the game's focus is going to need to be on the modern game from now on for audience and marketing reasons.

One in four is not a "small minority". That's a fairly sizable portion.

Historical users are one in ten. In which case, shouldn't you be saying the effort put into the new "historical" minor leagues option was a waste of effort given that it will be of benefit to only 10% of OOTP users?

[tejdog1]

I can't wait to start up a historical 2004 Mets league now that there's real minor leaguers everywhere.

KAZMIR, Wright, Reyes, etc... ima do that right. AS IN NOT TRADE KAZMIR FOR *(# &()$() ZAMBR*(#*#(_*0-0

(I'm not really mad at that anymore, it's been 11 1/2 years, but still)

[actionjackson]

Originally Posted by Le Grande Orange

One in four is not a "small minority". That's a fairly sizable portion.

Historical users are one in ten. In which case, shouldn't you be saying the effort put into the new "historical" minor leagues option was a waste of effort given that it will be of benefit to only 10% of OOTP users?

I can't begin to count the number of "I can't wait to try a historical game for the first time in eons" posts that I've seen since this new feature (brought about by a Herculean effort) was announced. Perhaps the potential historical crowd is a sleeping giant that was waiting for something like this to awaken.

[JaBurns]

Originally Posted by GoBucsGo

I've tried fictional, over and over and over again. I always seem to come up with a cool idea of a game world that I want to run, set it all up, and then I just can't seem to find enjoyment from it.

I don't connect with the players, teams, anything. Whenever I play a standard MLB game though, it's players I know, leagues, teams, everything that I know. I get some immersed in the game world that I go hours and hours playing. I never do that with a fictional game.

How do you guys stay immersed in a fictional set up? How do you care about your players and leagues?

I just started a fictional league, one thing I did was to change some of the names to people I know or knew and put teams in the minors where I use to play either hockey or ball when I was young. Keeps me interested and have now gone into my 6th season in 2.5 months.

[frangipard]

Originally Posted by Habsfan18

So, my question to you guys is..Do these results surprise you?

Not at all. If I'd have guessed, I'd had have gone more like 70/15/15, or even 80/10/10.

The difference between heavy users of a product and the users at large is a well-recognized phenomenon that all marketing people take into account. It's a manifestation of the Pareto Principle, though in the case of OOTP buyers and this forum, it's probably, along the lines of 95% of the consumer feedback coming from 5% of the purchasers.

That doesn't mean you ignore those 5%, as they are your loyal repeat customers, your brand evangelists, etc. But you take what they say with a grain of salt.

[The Wolf]

Originally Posted by Le Grande Orange

One in four is not a "small minority". That's a fairly sizable portion.

Perhaps things are taught differently in Canada but I was taught that less than 50% was a minority and that 25% or less was a small minority. Certainly when modern players outnumber fictional and historical players combined by almost two to one we are not dealing with significant minorities.

As to what I should or should not write, I can't even believe that you would try to decide that for me.