Looks like another year without OotPbb.....

[ravinhood]

Still waiting on that graphics face lift and I won't just throw money to the wind for a few simple updates each year for a $40.00 price tag. Lemme know when you finally get to the graphics portion of this game. Sealing the deal with MLB you should have lots of money now.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by ravinhood

Still waiting on that graphics face lift and I won't just throw money to the wind for a few simple updates each year for a $40.00 price tag. Lemme know when you finally get to the graphics portion of this game. Sealing the deal with MLB you should have lots of money now.

I find this surprising in two ways:

• You've been around here more than 10 years, yet you still don't get the idea of a text simulation game being much more about histories, dynasties, statistics, and strategy than visual imagery? *
• I thought the financial situation would be in reverse, at least at first: OOTPB pays MLB for the privilege of using real names and logos, then OOTPB proceeds to make more money from their new customers for whom this is important.

I'm not putting down your comments. I just find them strange - maybe it's me. Just don't get defensive because that is not my intent.

* From Wikipedia: "Text Sim (which stands for text simulation) refers to a type of computer or video game that focuses on using a text based element to simulate some aspect of the real world. Text sims typically focus on creating as detailed a simulation of their object as possible, and therefore, other traditional game elements are often set aside in pursuit of creating an accurate simulation experience for the user. This pursuit of accurate simulation often comes at the expense of some or most audio or graphical elements."

[ravinhood]

You ever hear of this other word in our lives called "change"? I'm not saying do away with the sim feature I'm just saying add graphical features to it. I've been on this horse for yes 10 years. Just like the real world "change" in inevitable if one wants to continue to grow.

Even Markus sees that with getting a deal with MLB. It's change.

[RchW]

Originally Posted by ravinhood

You ever hear of this other word in our lives called "change"? I'm not saying do away with the sim feature I'm just saying add graphical features to it. I've been on this horse for yes 10 years. Just like the real world "change" in inevitable if one wants to continue to grow.

Even Markus sees that with getting a deal with MLB. It's change.

How you tie it to him having more money escapes me.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by ravinhood

You ever hear of this other word in our lives called "change"? I'm not saying do away with the sim feature I'm just saying add graphical features to it. I've been on this horse for yes 10 years. Just like the real world "change" in inevitable if one wants to continue to grow.

Even Markus sees that with getting a deal with MLB. It's change.

I hear you but there is a school of thought which holds that it is best to keep the focus of this game on reality simulation in terms of the things that I mentioned above rather than shifting focus and resources to what that school considers to be eye-candy. Then another school of thought enters the fray, saying there is no reason why you cannot have a super-realistic, ultra-detailed, easily customizable OOTPB that looks and sounds like "MLB: The Show."

I tend to discount the first school somewhat; if it were up to them (and I admit I was one of them years ago), we would not even have Facegen in the game, much less ball animation and 3D stadiums. However, I strongly doubt the second school's opinion. I cannot bring myself to believe in such miracles. It simply does not stand to reason.

One last nitpick about the other item. You said to OOTPD, "Sealing the deal with MLB you should have lots of money now." The change will come and they will get lots of money (well, more than they have been getting) but they don't have that money now. That change which you allude to will come down the line with hopefully many more customers. Perhaps then they will afford to give us a bit more of "The Show."

[Goody]

Lets just face it, the market has changed and people have spread to different things... life etc...

But I applaud them for keeping it real and the same with minor improvements. Its not their fault the original fan base and the world spread out in different ways.

[ravinhood]

Originally Posted by RchW

How you tie it to him having more money escapes me.

More people will come incontact with the game now that it is licensed by MLB. The more that see it the more income he will have. Just economics.

With that comes "investing in the future" much like the futures of commodities or energy. The money will come I have no doubt of that now. I'm sure he's got plenty of reserves after so many years without MLB and THAT money can be use to invest in the future of his product. (With graphics)

[ThatSeventiesGuy]

Guess I'm weirdly in-between on the graphics thing...I absolutely LOVE facegen and uniform mods, and find the game a bit, I don't know...soulless without them. I'd probably still play it, but not nearly as much or as obsessively. But the 3D thing...I really have no use for it, never use it, kinda wish they'd put their time/effort into other areas. Seeing the flight of the ball? Big whoop. Just doesn't excite me that much. I never was much of a graphics snob. Give me Power Pros over MLB: The Show any day of the week, and give me OOTP over either any day of the week and twice on Sundays.

But we all play it differently, and CAN play it our own way(s), which makes OOTP such a great game, IMO. The customizability is what I love the most about it.

As for the MLB license...as long as it doesn't interfere with gameplay or mods, I'm all for it. Whatever can get them more visibility can't be bad, as long as those things are kept intact.

[The Game]

When I 1st started playing OOTP seriously back on 11, I longed for the day when this game would have graphics like The Show. I said if I ever won a $500 mil Powerball that I would give Markus the $$ to put The Show type graphics into OOTP. Now I probably would abandon OOTP and go to Mogul if it ever happened. While OOTP in some ways would be cool with graphics, I think it is best the way it is, with some minor tweaks graphically. OOTP may someday evolve into The Show and become the best all around baseball game ever, but I would still say that is 5+ years away and many longtime OOTPers will leave if it starts to look to much like The Show.

[RchW]

Originally Posted by ravinhood

More people will come incontact with the game now that it is licensed by MLB. The more that see it the more income he will have. Just economics.

With that comes "investing in the future" much like the futures of commodities or energy. The money will come I have no doubt of that now. I'm sure he's got plenty of reserves after so many years without MLB and THAT money can be use to invest in the future of his product. (With graphics)

Seems like you are trying to have it both ways. You claim more income before the release of the first MLB licensed version, and also claim "plenty" of reserves from so many years without MLB.

Need I say you can't have it both ways.

[Westheim]

I resent high graphics games, because I just don't bother about all the sparkling pixels. Leave me alone, I don't care, I care about sound gameplay.

That being said, I would struggle so much more with this game (more than my track record would suggest I do anyway) without facegen, because I am just outright terrible with names, and it gets worse the more common a family name is. Ask all the Lopezes and Martinezes on the Raccoons, who I have called just about everything the last 24 seasons. The (fictional) player pics help me greatly with identifying certain guys.

But I have absolutely zero interest in a true graphics engine with guys hustling after balls and seeing yet another dead straight fastball by my inept hurler being sunk in the rightfield stands.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by The Game

When I 1st started playing OOTP seriously back on 11, I longed for the day when this game would have graphics like The Show.

Originally Posted by Westheim

But I have absolutely zero interest in a true graphics engine with guys hustling after balls and seeing yet another dead straight fastball by my inept hurler being sunk in the rightfield stands.

Two great examples of my "schools of thought" mentioned above. I thanked them both.

[Mancandy]

I have to admit, I don't understand the point of this thread.

This is a text based simulation. Graphics, by definition, are not text based. So why you want or expect graphics in a text based simulation is beyond me. The post about "change" does nothing to clarify that point, because your example of change was the MLB license...being a text based simulation doesn't preclude them from getting an MLB license. It's still a text based simulation, just with an MLB license. Adding graphics would mean it's no longer a text based simulation. It'd be a game like The Show, which I would encourage you to play if you want graphics. So, as you can see, the comparison between those two types of changes makes no sense.

Another thing is, you mentioned you don't want to spend the money for minor updates. This is also odd to me, because a graphics facelift is the definition of a minor update. It's literally the most minor update possible, because it has nothing to do with gameplay. It's literally a purely cosmetic feature. And one, by the way, that quite a few(most?) players wouldn't use even if it were available. I know I wouldn't.

On the other hand, every year you get significant updates that actually improve the game. This year alone they've already announced independent leagues, improved finances, an overhaul of the manager/coach system, and better AI. Last year they introduced international leagues, which was big enough on its own, among other things. All of these are much more "major" updates than what would literally be a purely cosmetic update.

I could see an argument for graphics if this games ever gets to the point where it's peaked as a text based sim. But right now, despite all of the new significant features(which graphics would not be) added over the years, this game still has a lot of room to grow. It doesn't even have a build-a-stadium feature, for crying out loud! The expansion process can be greatly improved. The feeder system needs to be rebuilt from the ground up, including a better way of filling the draft without going full feeder system. There are a number of ways to more accurately represent historical simulations. I just don't see why you would want a minor cosmetic feature, which would take so much more time to add than it'd be worth, when there's so many things to be done to actually improve gameplay.

[Steve509]

Just because Markus signed an MLB licensing agreement doesn't mean he has the budget of a company like Sony Entertainment to develop a game with graphics like MLB:The Show. If he were to devote most of his resources to hiring more developers and to create a graphics engine suitable for console players he risks alienating his core players and losing them. Which in the end no body wins. As others have said it's a text based sim, marketed as a text based sim, and will continue to be developed as a text based sim.

It doesn't mean plans in the future can't or won't change, but I doubt very much Markus wants to risk significant resources(again, licensing doesn't give you the ability to print money out of thin air) on developing a game that may not even bridge the gap of players who want text based gaming vs graphics based gaming.