Total Noob

KGrob · 04-18-2009, 10:35 PM

Just bought OOTP 10...I "pre-ordered" the game. I've never played any baseball sims before. But I love deep complex games with lots of statistics and so forth. And I looked at some reviews and OOTP looked like a winner to me. Anyway, I'm excited to be part of the community.

However...

Since I don't have the game, I downloaded OOTP 9 and I'm playing the 10-day Demo game right now just so I can get a feel for things until version 10 is released (too bad they don't offer a temporary game that you can play all the way until version 10 comes out...that would help entice a lot of buyers to go ahead and purchase the game).

Very fun game...

But I'm lost. LMAO. I really don't know that much about baseball. I've spent most of my time so far reading up on things like "Rule 5" and "free agency" and so on...heheh...didn't know baseball was so complex.

Anyone have any list of hints for newbies, or a FAQ I can read or something like that. I've been looking in the forums, but so far I haven't seen much out there for a total noob...of course, part of the problem is that I don't know where to look for info/help just yet.

Anyway, again, it seems like a great game and I'm looking forward to really getting into it over the summer.

KG

BaseballMan · 04-19-2009, 04:50 AM

If you want to know about Baseball you could always go to a Baseball website
like the baseball reference or the baseball almanac. Some good books are
"Total Baseball", or a Bill James book is always interesting. Theres lots of others.
You could watch some games and whenever you have a question you could always post a question in the forum. You can always search the forums for answers as well.

As for playing the game you will need to choose what is fun for you.
I play mostly historical as a commish and look at the results. Others like taking over a team and playing every game. Sometimes i will take a world series winner and play each game of the season to see if i could win the series as well.
Try different ways of playing then choose what you like best. Then experiment with different settings. Dont try to make it too hard or too easy but where its a challenge and fun for you.

kq76 · 04-19-2009, 06:41 AM

Whenever I'm trying to learn a new sport I go visit wikipedia's entry on it. I think a lot of even casual fans of the game of baseball could learn a lot about it just from WP's baseball entry.

As for tips for newcomers to OOTP I'd just say that you probably want to start simple and just try to enjoy the game at first. Try a quickstart or two then reference the online manual when you need to.

EDIT: This HowStuffWorks article looks like a great intro to baseball too.

BaseballMan · 04-19-2009, 07:03 AM

Yeah i think wikipedia is great as well.

brewertoby · 04-19-2009, 10:27 AM

I kinda think that learning about "rule 5" and free agency first when trying to learn the basics of baseball is somewhat akin to not knowing anything about cars and learning how to overhaul a transmission before you learn how to change the oil. IMHO, there are several smaller steps that should be taken to learn the game. Do you understand R/L splits yet, or why they go that way? Do you know that you would NORMALLY want your strongest outfield arm in right and why? How about situations where you'd want to sac bunt or hit and run?

I guess I don't know just how "noob" you are so please don't take offense. It just seems to me that you may be trying to learn the game tougher aspects first.

BaseballMan · 04-19-2009, 10:56 AM

It would probably be wise to learn the basics first but i guess its
like in school when you look ahead a couple of chapters. Im guessing he was just a little curious. Hey he could have mentioned the VORP vs WinShares or the statistical evidence for the support of clutch ability. But yeah the basics should come first. And if all else fails he could always listen to Joe Morgan. Just kidding.

brewertoby · 04-19-2009, 05:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BaseballMan

And if all else fails he could always listen to Joe Morgan. Just kidding.

And here I thought we were trying to help the guy out.

KGrob · 04-19-2009, 06:38 PM

First, thanks for responding.

Second, no I'm not offended by anyone trying to make suggestions on how to learn. The fact is, I'm very new to baseball and I really don't know much about in-game tactics or strategy or why the OF with the best arm should play right field. I'm not really sure what a "hit and run" is and I've never even heard of a "run and hit" as I saw listed on one of the screen choices. I plan on learning all that stuff though. I've already learned a lot.

And thanks for the wikipedia suggestion, I've already found that and have been making copius 3x5 cards for reference.

I love trying to learn complex things. I don't get much enjoyment from doing things like watching television or stuff like that so I normally sit at my computer most days. And most computer games don't interest me unless they are both realistic and deep (thus OOTP).

So, yes, I'm struggling to understand this game and baseball. But that's part of the fun for me.

By the way, where can I find something as the poster above suggested, that would offer suggestions on the best places to put players with certain skills. That would be great for me.

Thanks.

Kelric · 04-19-2009, 08:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KGrob

By the way, where can I find something as the poster above suggested, that would offer suggestions on the best places to put players with certain skills. That would be great for me.

Here, probably. Or just start googling and find some baseball websites. Some of these can get pretty deep, but jump in anyways. Here are two of my favorites to start you off:

The Baseball Analysts
The Hardball Times

If you want a nice look at baseball history and some excellent insight into it's best players, buy this book. If I can bring one book to a desert island, the New Historical Abstract would get serious consideration.

When constructing a roster, this is what you'll generally find (or what people might consider the stereotypical lineup) more often than not:

Catcher - You want someone who can block pitches in the dirt and throw out runners whenever they try to steal. Some catchers can do neither, some can do one or the other. Find one that can do both and hold onto him. If he hits, even better! Say hello to arguably the best ever: Johnny Bench.

First Base - Usually this is where you stick your worst fielder if he can still hit a ton. Some first basemen are excellent athletes in addition to their hitting prowess, but some are there just because they can't field anywhere else. Dick Stuart's nickname was Dr. Strangeglove for a reason. I love that nickname.

Second Base - Your solid defenders who played shortstop growing up but just didn't have the tools to do that in the bigs can often wind up here. The positions up the middle are the most important on your team. The defensive spectrum (from hardest to easiest positions to play and from most to least important defensively) goes like this IMO: C > SS > 2B > CF > 3B > RF > LF > 1B. These guys also need to be able to turn the double play well, but don't need the arms that SSes and 3Bs do. Dustin Pedroia is maybe the premier player at his position in the game right now. Last year he was considered the best hitter and best fielder at 2B in the American League, as well as the Most Valuable Player in the AL. And he's on my favorite team.

Third Base - Your slower infielders with strong arms tend to play third. Some can't field very well, others are fantastic. This can frequently be another position where you'll find power hitters. Good third basemen are underrated in a lot of baseball circles, just like Darrell Evans.

Shortstop - Maybe the most important position on the field (not counting the pitcher). You want this guy to play the best defense possible. If he's a fantastic defender with great range, most people don't mind if their shortstop doesn't hit. Ozzie Smith is the best defensive shortstop in baseball history but was a below average hitter. Omar Vizquel is another prototype shortstop. Weak bat, brilliant glove, often strong arms.

Left Field - Your worst defensive outfielder will go here (though not always). His arm strength doesn't matter as much as it does to the other outfielders. You want this guy to be an excellent hitter to cover up any defensive shortcomings (historically, LFers are the second best hitters in baseball after 1B). Willie Stargell was an excellent power hitter.

Center Field - This is going to be where you put your best outfield glove. He needs to cover a lot of ground with speed. If he can throw well, great, but a lot of centerfielders don't have strong arms. Willie Mays is the best centerfielder of all time. Some people call him the best player, period.

Right Field - Your strongest throwing arm in the outfield goes to RF, because he needs to dissuade runners from going from first to third on balls hit to him. RF sees some strange combinations of talent. A fast outfielder who isn't quite good enough for CF will often go here, but so will a slow guy with a strong arm. Whereas a slow guy with a weak arm tends to wind up in left. Ichiro Suzuki made one of the best throws I've ever seen in his rookie season. An Oakland player was going from first to third and Ichiro nailed him with a line drive throw that was perfectly accurate. It is the second clip in that video and is shown a number of times.

KGrob · 04-19-2009, 09:43 PM

Kelric,

Wow. I can't tell you how much that helps me. That is just super info for me at my level...perfect. (I sent your info on a trip to my printer and I'll keep it taped next to my computer for at least awhile.)

Thank you so much for your help.

Kelric · 04-20-2009, 07:26 AM

Not a problem. I love talking baseball.

tellville · 06-04-2009, 01:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brewertoby

I kinda think that learning about "rule 5" and free agency first when trying to learn the basics of baseball is somewhat akin to not knowing anything about cars and learning how to overhaul a transmission before you learn how to change the oil. IMHO, there are several smaller steps that should be taken to learn the game. Do you understand R/L splits yet, or why they go that way? Do you know that you would NORMALLY want your strongest outfield arm in right and why? How about situations where you'd want to sac bunt or hit and run?

I guess I don't know just how "noob" you are so please don't take offense. It just seems to me that you may be trying to learn the game tougher aspects first.

I was going to post a similar thread but I think I will just jump onto this one. I am so noob that I barely understand any of this

I am at a level now where I think I have an idea what you are talking about but I am not really confident.

Kelric's little FAQ there about the different positions is AMAZING. Anymore excellent summaries like that anywhere for the rest of baseball or on how to play OOTP. I am seriously overwhelmed! But I am determined. I have been playing NHL Eastside Manager for years now and I am in love with it. But I wanted to become addicted to another major sport and I find baseball a close second to hockey. OOTP seems like a more polished and complicated version of Eastside. Add on to that complication of OOTP wth the fact that I am still learning some of the basics of baseball (let alone things like draft rules??) and we have a total NOOB here (:So any help would be appreciated!

And I already love the customization of OOTP. So awesome.

Hagglepants · 06-04-2009, 01:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brewertoby

I kinda think that learning about "rule 5" and free agency first when trying to learn the basics of baseball is somewhat akin to not knowing anything about cars and learning how to overhaul a transmission before you learn how to change the oil. IMHO, there are several smaller steps that should be taken to learn the game. Do you understand R/L splits yet, or why they go that way? Do you know that you would NORMALLY want your strongest outfield arm in right and why? How about situations where you'd want to sac bunt or hit and run?

I guess I don't know just how "noob" you are so please don't take offense. It just seems to me that you may be trying to learn the game tougher aspects first.

I've been casually watching baseball for a year now. So I guess I'm still a "noob" to the sport.

Can someone explain the R/L splits to me? I did a search of google but to no avail.

Also maybe a few examples of when are good situations to sac bunt/hit and run.

Thanks.

Mt Fire Fighter · 06-04-2009, 02:53 AM

Hi Guys, welcome to OOTP! You have picked the best baseball that is out there not to mention a great sport. There are a lot of super good people here that will help you alot so do feel shy about asking questions.

Rule 5, well I was on the Beta team and I had to learn about it to see how the AI(artificial intellegence/computer) used it in OOTP and I have been following baseball forever. One thing that you will sooon find out is that there is so many ways to play OOTP, I prefer playing using historical teams and I dont use financials, scouting etc, I prefer being the field manager instead of the general manager.

As for r/l splits, they are how a LH(lefthand) batter or a RH(righthanded) batters hit against right or left handed pitchers. On offense the advantage goes to a batter that hits opposite from the pitcher, LH batter does better against RH pitcher and vice versa. The picher gets the advantage against a batter that hits from the same side.

A sac bunt gives up an out in order to move a baserunner up to the next base. Mostly pitchers bunt with less than two outs because they hit poorly, so if they strikeout alot they move up the runner by bunting. One thing when you bunt with two strikes on the batter and the bunt goes foul it is considered a strikeout.

Hit and run, in baseball the runner breaks for the next base,usually second base, and the hitter hits the ball to move the runner, avoid double plays, it gets the infileds moving to cover the base and this gets them out of position to catch the batted ball. The problem is caught line drives, batters missing the pitch etc. Best time to use it? Well you want a runner with some speed and a batter that makes contact

Well I rambled for too long, hope the rambling helps explain things a bit.

John

tellville · 06-04-2009, 03:35 AM

Thanks John, that was also really helpful! This thread has already really helped me out a lot!

The game is slowly opening up more around me. I've been watching Ken Burns Baseball documentary on top of watching nothing but Baseball movies lately

I am currently reading 3 Nights in August and I read a couple of pages from The Baseball Field Guide every day. I am also playing MLB The Show 09 as well as playing Fantasy Baseball (simple draft at MLB.com). I am also watching baseball games of my two favourite teams when I get the chance (I made my avatar

) I've loved these theams since I was a kid, not sure why since I was never really into baseball. I guess the Blue Jays make sense as I live in Canada and I saw them win both of their World Series live on TV when it happened. Very fond memories of the Coke commerical

The Mets, no clue, just loved their name and logo. I am slowly starting to understand OOTP (I started a bit ago on OOTP 9) but it is still really foggy.

Anyway, all this to say that I am determined and really appreciate everyone's help!

Mt Fire Fighter · 06-04-2009, 02:43 PM

tellville,

Sounds like you are getting immersed into the baseball world and that you are doing well. I have MLB 09 The Show on PS3, and wow!!! what graphics but I seem to hit the wrong button at the wrong time.............

John

kq76 · 06-04-2009, 05:06 PM

Welcome to the forums, guys!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mt Fire Fighter

...

As for r/l splits, they are how a LH(lefthand) batter or a RH(righthanded) batters hit against right or left handed pitchers. On offense the advantage goes to a batter that hits opposite from the pitcher, LH batter does better against RH pitcher and vice versa. The picher gets the advantage against a batter that hits from the same side.

...

I thought I'd point out how I remember the above. So Pitchers prefer Same handed batters and Batters prefer Different handed pitchers. B comes before P in the alphabet just like D comes before S. So, B and D go together like P and S go together.

tellville · 06-04-2009, 05:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mt Fire Fighter

tellville,

Sounds like you are getting immersed into the baseball world and that you are doing well. I have MLB 09 The Show on PS3, and wow!!! what graphics but I seem to hit the wrong button at the wrong time.............

John

Lucky, I have the PS2 version. Though the PS2 version is definitley a step up from the last baseball game I regularly played: World Class Baseball for the Turbo Grafx 16

VaCubbie · 06-05-2009, 11:26 AM

I used to play mostly as the field manager and left the front office stuff to the AI, which was frustrating at times, but figured it was sort of realistic in that the manager sometimes has little say in the overarching team decisions...but nonetheless, a great book that got me interested in learning all the front office ins and outs is Moneyball by Michael Lewis. Once you learn the art of Rule V and Waivers and all the little ins and outs, this book will really inspire you to build a team rather than trying to spend a lot of money chasing free agents. The biggest thrill I get from this game now is managing my farm system and watching great players develop...even if I don't keep them around past arbitration, I still short list them and follow thier careers. This is a terrific game because you can do pretty much as much or as little as you would like. Enjoy!

Outlaw III · 06-05-2009, 12:44 PM

I played Baseball Mogul for 2 years before I stumbled on to OOTP9 last year. (Mogul is Rookie ball compared to Ootp) I have a pretty good understanding of the game of baseball, but wow I knew nothing about Rule 5, Draft (no trading picks) and Designating for assignment vs. waivers. I learned so much last year and I continue to learn. I truly love drafting kids and watching them mature (or not) and bringing them up to The Show. I am so pumped to begin another journey with Ootp10. Good luck to all!

04-18-2009, 10:35 PM	#1
KGrob Minors (Double A) Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 155	Total Noob Just bought OOTP 10...I "pre-ordered" the game. I've never played any baseball sims before. But I love deep complex games with lots of statistics and so forth. And I looked at some reviews and OOTP looked like a winner to me. Anyway, I'm excited to be part of the community. However... Since I don't have the game, I downloaded OOTP 9 and I'm playing the 10-day Demo game right now just so I can get a feel for things until version 10 is released (too bad they don't offer a temporary game that you can play all the way until version 10 comes out...that would help entice a lot of buyers to go ahead and purchase the game). Very fun game... But I'm lost. LMAO. I really don't know that much about baseball. I've spent most of my time so far reading up on things like "Rule 5" and "free agency" and so on...heheh...didn't know baseball was so complex. Anyone have any list of hints for newbies, or a FAQ I can read or something like that. I've been looking in the forums, but so far I haven't seen much out there for a total noob...of course, part of the problem is that I don't know where to look for info/help just yet. Anyway, again, it seems like a great game and I'm looking forward to really getting into it over the summer. KG

04-19-2009, 06:41 AM	#3
kq76 Global Moderator Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 10,703	Whenever I'm trying to learn a new sport I go visit wikipedia's entry on it. I think a lot of even casual fans of the game of baseball could learn a lot about it just from WP's baseball entry. As for tips for newcomers to OOTP I'd just say that you probably want to start simple and just try to enjoy the game at first. Try a quickstart or two then reference the online manual when you need to. EDIT: This HowStuffWorks article looks like a great intro to baseball too. __________________ My OOTP Wishlist Your Recommended Team Nicknames, By City (A Crowdsourced Project) Last edited by kq76; 03-03-2010 at 06:28 PM.

04-19-2009, 10:27 AM	#5
brewertoby Minors (Double A) Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: CC Texas Posts: 121	I kinda think that learning about "rule 5" and free agency first when trying to learn the basics of baseball is somewhat akin to not knowing anything about cars and learning how to overhaul a transmission before you learn how to change the oil. IMHO, there are several smaller steps that should be taken to learn the game. Do you understand R/L splits yet, or why they go that way? Do you know that you would NORMALLY want your strongest outfield arm in right and why? How about situations where you'd want to sac bunt or hit and run? I guess I don't know just how "noob" you are so please don't take offense. It just seems to me that you may be trying to learn the game tougher aspects first. __________________ Any time OOTP makes an AI mistake, I will just imagine that Ned Yost was coaching the other team.

04-19-2009, 04:50 AM	#2
BaseballMan Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 6,271	If you want to know about Baseball you could always go to a Baseball website like the baseball reference or the baseball almanac. Some good books are "Total Baseball", or a Bill James book is always interesting. Theres lots of others. You could watch some games and whenever you have a question you could always post a question in the forum. You can always search the forums for answers as well. As for playing the game you will need to choose what is fun for you. I play mostly historical as a commish and look at the results. Others like taking over a team and playing every game. Sometimes i will take a world series winner and play each game of the season to see if i could win the series as well. Try different ways of playing then choose what you like best. Then experiment with different settings. Dont try to make it too hard or too easy but where its a challenge and fun for you.

04-19-2009, 07:03 AM	#4
BaseballMan Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 6,271	Yeah i think wikipedia is great as well.

04-19-2009, 10:56 AM	#6
BaseballMan Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 6,271	It would probably be wise to learn the basics first but i guess its like in school when you look ahead a couple of chapters. Im guessing he was just a little curious. Hey he could have mentioned the VORP vs WinShares or the statistical evidence for the support of clutch ability. But yeah the basics should come first. And if all else fails he could always listen to Joe Morgan. Just kidding.

04-19-2009, 06:38 PM	#8
KGrob Minors (Double A) Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 155	First, thanks for responding. Second, no I'm not offended by anyone trying to make suggestions on how to learn. The fact is, I'm very new to baseball and I really don't know much about in-game tactics or strategy or why the OF with the best arm should play right field. I'm not really sure what a "hit and run" is and I've never even heard of a "run and hit" as I saw listed on one of the screen choices. I plan on learning all that stuff though. I've already learned a lot. And thanks for the wikipedia suggestion, I've already found that and have been making copius 3x5 cards for reference. I love trying to learn complex things. I don't get much enjoyment from doing things like watching television or stuff like that so I normally sit at my computer most days. And most computer games don't interest me unless they are both realistic and deep (thus OOTP). So, yes, I'm struggling to understand this game and baseball. But that's part of the fun for me. By the way, where can I find something as the poster above suggested, that would offer suggestions on the best places to put players with certain skills. That would be great for me. Thanks.

04-19-2009, 09:43 PM	#10
KGrob Minors (Double A) Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 155	Kelric, Wow. I can't tell you how much that helps me. That is just super info for me at my level...perfect. (I sent your info on a trip to my printer and I'll keep it taped next to my computer for at least awhile.) Thank you so much for your help.

04-20-2009, 07:26 AM	#11
Kelric Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Greater Boston Area Posts: 3,992	Not a problem. I love talking baseball.

06-04-2009, 02:53 AM	#14
Mt Fire Fighter Major Leagues Join Date: May 2008 Location: Butte, MT Posts: 300	Hi Guys, welcome to OOTP! You have picked the best baseball that is out there not to mention a great sport. There are a lot of super good people here that will help you alot so do feel shy about asking questions. Rule 5, well I was on the Beta team and I had to learn about it to see how the AI(artificial intellegence/computer) used it in OOTP and I have been following baseball forever. One thing that you will sooon find out is that there is so many ways to play OOTP, I prefer playing using historical teams and I dont use financials, scouting etc, I prefer being the field manager instead of the general manager. As for r/l splits, they are how a LH(lefthand) batter or a RH(righthanded) batters hit against right or left handed pitchers. On offense the advantage goes to a batter that hits opposite from the pitcher, LH batter does better against RH pitcher and vice versa. The picher gets the advantage against a batter that hits from the same side. A sac bunt gives up an out in order to move a baserunner up to the next base. Mostly pitchers bunt with less than two outs because they hit poorly, so if they strikeout alot they move up the runner by bunting. One thing when you bunt with two strikes on the batter and the bunt goes foul it is considered a strikeout. Hit and run, in baseball the runner breaks for the next base,usually second base, and the hitter hits the ball to move the runner, avoid double plays, it gets the infileds moving to cover the base and this gets them out of position to catch the batted ball. The problem is caught line drives, batters missing the pitch etc. Best time to use it? Well you want a runner with some speed and a batter that makes contact Well I rambled for too long, hope the rambling helps explain things a bit. John

06-04-2009, 03:35 AM	#15
tellville Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 22	Thanks John, that was also really helpful! This thread has already really helped me out a lot! The game is slowly opening up more around me. I've been watching Ken Burns Baseball documentary on top of watching nothing but Baseball movies lately I am currently reading 3 Nights in August and I read a couple of pages from The Baseball Field Guide every day. I am also playing MLB The Show 09 as well as playing Fantasy Baseball (simple draft at MLB.com). I am also watching baseball games of my two favourite teams when I get the chance (I made my avatar ) I've loved these theams since I was a kid, not sure why since I was never really into baseball. I guess the Blue Jays make sense as I live in Canada and I saw them win both of their World Series live on TV when it happened. Very fond memories of the Coke commerical The Mets, no clue, just loved their name and logo. I am slowly starting to understand OOTP (I started a bit ago on OOTP 9) but it is still really foggy. Anyway, all this to say that I am determined and really appreciate everyone's help!

06-04-2009, 02:43 PM	#16
Mt Fire Fighter Major Leagues Join Date: May 2008 Location: Butte, MT Posts: 300	tellville, Sounds like you are getting immersed into the baseball world and that you are doing well. I have MLB 09 The Show on PS3, and wow!!! what graphics but I seem to hit the wrong button at the wrong time............. John

06-05-2009, 11:26 AM	#19
VaCubbie Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 34	I used to play mostly as the field manager and left the front office stuff to the AI, which was frustrating at times, but figured it was sort of realistic in that the manager sometimes has little say in the overarching team decisions...but nonetheless, a great book that got me interested in learning all the front office ins and outs is Moneyball by Michael Lewis. Once you learn the art of Rule V and Waivers and all the little ins and outs, this book will really inspire you to build a team rather than trying to spend a lot of money chasing free agents. The biggest thrill I get from this game now is managing my farm system and watching great players develop...even if I don't keep them around past arbitration, I still short list them and follow thier careers. This is a terrific game because you can do pretty much as much or as little as you would like. Enjoy!

06-05-2009, 12:44 PM	#20
Outlaw III Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: WI Posts: 28	I played Baseball Mogul for 2 years before I stumbled on to OOTP9 last year. (Mogul is Rookie ball compared to Ootp) I have a pretty good understanding of the game of baseball, but wow I knew nothing about Rule 5, Draft (no trading picks) and Designating for assignment vs. waivers. I learned so much last year and I continue to learn. I truly love drafting kids and watching them mature (or not) and bringing them up to The Show. I am so pumped to begin another journey with Ootp10. Good luck to all!