How long does it take you to start a league?

Mr. Baseball · 07-22-2015, 08:46 AM

Once you start one, between finding jerseys, logos, caps, cities, settings, etc. How long after creation do you start playing?

Tends to take me about 2 weeks then I get anxious and rush in to it before I'm completely ready.

Bluenoser · 07-22-2015, 09:12 AM

Once created I start playing

I get an idea for a new league, I start rolling it around in my head for a day or 2, then start jotting things down on paper. After another couple days I pretty much have it planned out.

Open OOTP, create (takes a forenoon), fine tune and run a few tests (afternoon), usually start playing that evening.

So about a 4-5 days, but have done the entire thing in a day or 2 as well as taken longer. League size has a big bearing on that.

One thing I like to do during creation is come up with story lines for the league. Get a back story of course, but I like to create my own too as well as what's in OOTP.

One time I took a guy who was the #2 over all pick at 19 yrs old. He bombed out and was out of the game in less than a year. My storyline went like this.

20 yr old kid - dejected, depressed, not sure about life and future. Bums around for a while, job to job, but no real direction in life.

Heads to South America and works in a missionary for a couple years, trying to figure out life and what he wants to do. He finds faith and direction while he's there.

Of course all this time at the mission he also teaches kids how to play baseball and have fun. After a couple of years he really "finds" himself and feels a new drive in life.

People convince him to try baseball again, so he goes back home and signs with an Indy Lg team. Starts to do good and turn some heads. Next thing he's got ML teams knocking on his door. He goes on to a long career in the majors.

Anyway, you get the picture - nice little story about a kid who went from being a top pick, to the bottom of the barrel, and back to the top again.

That's the sort of detail I like to spend time on, but creating those story lines is always going on in my head, before, during, and after creation.

David Watts · 07-22-2015, 09:54 AM

I'm the opposite. I've never timed it, but I bet on average it takes me less than an hour to set up a league. I play random debut for the most part, so my setups aren't that elaborate. More often than not, I use reserve rosters, so that makes things easier. I also love the nickname project (the fact that it was included in 16 is one of this games best additions), so I spend very little naming teams.

battists · 07-22-2015, 10:09 AM

Takes me for freaking ever.

Definitely elapsed weeks, although I don't have all that much playing time on a daily basis, so it's probably not all that huge in terms of hours.

The caps/jerseys/logos always takes quite a while, and then once I have all of the structure set I do a number of "test runs" where I sim for 10+ years and poke around, just to see if there is anything super-out of whack like errors or numbers looking strange.

I think I get more enjoyment out of the building process than I do actually playing, because I inevitably lose steam once I start playing, and then start from scratch with the next version of the game.

cmaug · 07-22-2015, 11:22 AM

I often fall victim to paralysis by analysis.

I need to get way more comfortable with tweaking a league over time rather than having it "perfect" when I start.

I've gone several weeks fretting over jerseys and division allignments...

swoboda · 07-22-2015, 02:54 PM

Takes me at least a week I like to run several Sims to ensure I have the stats right before I play out all 162

iggyhood · 07-23-2015, 03:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by battists

Takes me for freaking ever.

Definitely elapsed weeks, although I don't have all that much playing time on a daily basis, so it's probably not all that huge in terms of hours.

The caps/jerseys/logos always takes quite a while, and then once I have all of the structure set I do a number of "test runs" where I sim for 10+ years and poke around, just to see if there is anything super-out of whack like errors or numbers looking strange.

I think I get more enjoyment out of the building process than I do actually playing, because I inevitably lose steam once I start playing, and then start from scratch with the next version of the game.

I'm with Battists on this one...sadly I am still setting up my OOTP15 league structure!!

I spend far too much time thinking of league ideas, structures, names and then getting into logos, jersey creation etc - and then I usually think its not quite right and start again!

Hopefully I am almost there now and hoepfully I can get into it!

Westheim · 07-23-2015, 04:44 AM

Set up my Raccoons back when 12 was hot in about two hours. It might show a bit, but it more or less works. Did the same in 14 with a different fictional league which became a complete mess.

Yeah, that's it. I have created two leagues in three years. Somebody stop me!

The Game · 07-23-2015, 08:36 AM

My reboot of my ABF league took me about 6 hours. IBL took me 2 hours. Anything that has to do with MLB takes 20 mins.

Mr. Baseball · 07-23-2015, 12:28 PM

I'm OCD. All of my logos need to have similar formats, I can't have too many
'Joe's or 'Jose's', every stadium has to be named individually. It takes me forever but once I'm all done I have a pretty solid base and work from there.

Bluenoser · 07-23-2015, 12:37 PM

Just wanted to add to my initial reply, something I started doing back around v12.

I play fictional only, and my favourite setups are 24 teams, 12 teams, and 6 team leagues.

So I have one of each type league setup and saved at the day 1 point, ready to play. A lot of times, all I have to do to make it a new league is go in, change a few teams to other cities, change a few nicknames, maybe play with stats/finances a bit, generate all new players, hold fantasy draft, and it's like starting a brand new league without spending a few days for setup.

Takes about an hour to make a few changes and it's good to go.

The real beauty in it is creating the new players. You have to learn everyone all over again, no pre knowledge. That alone makes it like starting a new fictional.

battists · 07-23-2015, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. Baseball

I'm OCD. All of my logos need to have similar formats, I can't have too many
'Joe's or 'Jose's', every stadium has to be named individually. It takes me forever but once I'm all done I have a pretty solid base and work from there.

Totally with you on all of that stuff. My current league has a few logos in different styles and I had a really hard time letting that go. Ultimately I had to convince myself that in real life, the different teams wouldn't care if their logos matched other teams' logos.

The one thing I have managed not to get sucked into is stadiums. Mine are all generic names and pictures. I'm kind of afraid to open that version of Pandora's Box.

rogmax11 · 07-23-2015, 02:43 PM

If one is OCD then OOTP is a lodestone to your magnet.

I bet I spend 80-90% of my considerable time investment in this game setting up
the details rather than actually playing out games, managing, etc. Definitely
get my moneys worth of value though each version.

Mr. Baseball · 07-23-2015, 03:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by battists

Totally with you on all of that stuff. My current league has a few logos in different styles and I had a really hard time letting that go. Ultimately I had to convince myself that in real life, the different teams wouldn't care if their logos matched other teams' logos.

The one thing I have managed not to get sucked into is stadiums. Mine are all generic names and pictures. I'm kind of afraid to open that version of Pandora's Box.

It's the little things. I'm really glad OOTP has the eyedropper tool now when you pick your teams primary and secondary colors because I used to spend 3-5 minutes on each one making sure the shade of each color was a perfect match to the logo.

We're a couple of weirdos.

battists · 07-23-2015, 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. Baseball

It's the little things. I'm really glad OOTP has the eyedropper tool now when you pick your teams primary and secondary colors because I used to spend 3-5 minutes on each one making sure the shade of each color was a perfect match to the logo.

We're a couple of weirdos.

I put the hex codes in the logo names (as you can see from the files I sent you). That way, when you load the logos, it automatically sets the primary/secondary colors!!

07-22-2015, 08:46 AM	#1
Mr. Baseball All Star Starter Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Mequon, Wisconsin Posts: 1,020	How long does it take you to start a league? Once you start one, between finding jerseys, logos, caps, cities, settings, etc. How long after creation do you start playing? Tends to take me about 2 weeks then I get anxious and rush in to it before I'm completely ready. __________________ Duluth Danger (HBL) Dynasty Report -- Online League Franchise Duluth - 1985/1989 North League Champions!

07-22-2015, 02:54 PM	#6
swoboda All Star Starter Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Guarding The Line Posts: 1,205	Takes me at least a week I like to run several Sims to ensure I have the stats right before I play out all 162 __________________ "...If you want to look ahead to the bottom of the ninth, the Mets will be sending up Buddy Harrelson, Jerry Buchek , and Don Bosch, we'll be right back after this word from Rheingold Beer" The late great Lindsey Nelson

07-23-2015, 04:44 AM	#8
Westheim Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Germany Posts: 11,887	Set up my Raccoons back when 12 was hot in about two hours. It might show a bit, but it more or less works. Did the same in 14 with a different fictional league which became a complete mess. Yeah, that's it. I have created two leagues in three years. Somebody stop me! __________________ Portland Raccoons, 83 years of excell-.... of baseball: Furballs here! 1983 * 1989 * 1991 * 1992 * 1993 * 1995 * 1996 * 2010 * 2017 * 2018 * 2019 * 2026 * 2028 * 2035 * 2037 * 2044 * 2045 * 2046 * 2047 * 2048 * 2051 * 2054 * 2055 1 OSANAI : 2 POWELL : 7 NOMURA \| RAMOS : 8 REECE : 10 BROWN : 15 HALL : 27 FERNANDEZ : 28 CASAS : 31 CARMONA : 32 WEST : 39 TONER : 46 SAITO Resident Mets Cynic - The Mets from 1962 onwards, here.

07-23-2015, 08:36 AM	#9
The Game Hall Of Famer Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Inside The Game Posts: 30,803	My reboot of my ABF league took me about 6 hours. IBL took me 2 hours. Anything that has to do with MLB takes 20 mins. __________________ Go today don't wait for tomorrow It isn't promised, all the time you get borrowed Don't live your life for other people Don't bottle your emotions till they crack and fill a couple just sorrows Take your mind and refocus go get a paper write your goals out Throw your middle fingers to all your haters "Stay Strong"

07-23-2015, 12:28 PM	#10
Mr. Baseball All Star Starter Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Mequon, Wisconsin Posts: 1,020	I'm OCD. All of my logos need to have similar formats, I can't have too many 'Joe's or 'Jose's', every stadium has to be named individually. It takes me forever but once I'm all done I have a pretty solid base and work from there. __________________ Duluth Danger (HBL) Dynasty Report -- Online League Franchise Duluth - 1985/1989 North League Champions!

07-22-2015, 09:12 AM	#2
Bluenoser Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: In The Moment Posts: 13,680	Once created I start playing I get an idea for a new league, I start rolling it around in my head for a day or 2, then start jotting things down on paper. After another couple days I pretty much have it planned out. Open OOTP, create (takes a forenoon), fine tune and run a few tests (afternoon), usually start playing that evening. So about a 4-5 days, but have done the entire thing in a day or 2 as well as taken longer. League size has a big bearing on that. One thing I like to do during creation is come up with story lines for the league. Get a back story of course, but I like to create my own too as well as what's in OOTP. One time I took a guy who was the #2 over all pick at 19 yrs old. He bombed out and was out of the game in less than a year. My storyline went like this. 20 yr old kid - dejected, depressed, not sure about life and future. Bums around for a while, job to job, but no real direction in life. Heads to South America and works in a missionary for a couple years, trying to figure out life and what he wants to do. He finds faith and direction while he's there. Of course all this time at the mission he also teaches kids how to play baseball and have fun. After a couple of years he really "finds" himself and feels a new drive in life. People convince him to try baseball again, so he goes back home and signs with an Indy Lg team. Starts to do good and turn some heads. Next thing he's got ML teams knocking on his door. He goes on to a long career in the majors. Anyway, you get the picture - nice little story about a kid who went from being a top pick, to the bottom of the barrel, and back to the top again. That's the sort of detail I like to spend time on, but creating those story lines is always going on in my head, before, during, and after creation.

07-22-2015, 09:54 AM	#3
David Watts Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Looking for a place called Leehofooks Posts: 8,865	I'm the opposite. I've never timed it, but I bet on average it takes me less than an hour to set up a league. I play random debut for the most part, so my setups aren't that elaborate. More often than not, I use reserve rosters, so that makes things easier. I also love the nickname project (the fact that it was included in 16 is one of this games best additions), so I spend very little naming teams.

07-22-2015, 10:09 AM	#4
battists Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 18,506 Blog Entries: 7	Takes me for freaking ever. Definitely elapsed weeks, although I don't have all that much playing time on a daily basis, so it's probably not all that huge in terms of hours. The caps/jerseys/logos always takes quite a while, and then once I have all of the structure set I do a number of "test runs" where I sim for 10+ years and poke around, just to see if there is anything super-out of whack like errors or numbers looking strange. I think I get more enjoyment out of the building process than I do actually playing, because I inevitably lose steam once I start playing, and then start from scratch with the next version of the game.

07-22-2015, 11:22 AM	#5
cmaug Major Leagues Join Date: Sep 2012 Posts: 344	I often fall victim to paralysis by analysis. I need to get way more comfortable with tweaking a league over time rather than having it "perfect" when I start. I've gone several weeks fretting over jerseys and division allignments...

07-23-2015, 12:37 PM	#11
Bluenoser Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: In The Moment Posts: 13,680	Just wanted to add to my initial reply, something I started doing back around v12. I play fictional only, and my favourite setups are 24 teams, 12 teams, and 6 team leagues. So I have one of each type league setup and saved at the day 1 point, ready to play. A lot of times, all I have to do to make it a new league is go in, change a few teams to other cities, change a few nicknames, maybe play with stats/finances a bit, generate all new players, hold fantasy draft, and it's like starting a brand new league without spending a few days for setup. Takes about an hour to make a few changes and it's good to go. The real beauty in it is creating the new players. You have to learn everyone all over again, no pre knowledge. That alone makes it like starting a new fictional. Last edited by Bluenoser; 07-23-2015 at 12:39 PM.

07-23-2015, 02:43 PM	#13
rogmax11 All Star Starter Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 1,320	If one is OCD then OOTP is a lodestone to your magnet. I bet I spend 80-90% of my considerable time investment in this game setting up the details rather than actually playing out games, managing, etc. Definitely get my moneys worth of value though each version.