How Does OOTP Compare....

[Gambo]

Originally Posted by joestros

Hi Jeff. I am with you on the type of league. The only other thing I want is for the game to keep career records, like the DMB Encyclopedia. Not career stats that are used to determine the outcome, just historical records.

Not sure what exactly you mean here. If lets say you start at 1977 and you import complete history then it will have all the players stat's up to 1976 and add the 1977 stats of your replay. If you want just your replay stats then don't import complete history when you create the league.

What's good is that you can go on to 1978 immediately after 1977 if you have real transactions enabled.

If you are the type who wants to run a 1961 replay and then a 1977 replay then go back to 1927 (which is common in DMB, Strat, APBA community) then I'm not sure you can.

Buuuuut...I suppose when you finish your season you can export stats to excel and combine them later. This would actually be a great mod for someone to come up with or even include in the game...an encyclopedia to combine replay seasons...or even not progressive leagues.

[joestros]

Hi Gambo. I want to set up a fictional league that uses real players and real stats. I'd like to be able to be sure I can play our season using, say, 2015 stats, then, next year, keep the same rosters to start the season but have the game use 2016 stats (when they are available). We also want to be able to keep league history and stats (not stats to use to determine results, but just a record of past seasons).

[TribeFanInNC]

Originally Posted by joestros

Hi Gambo. I want to set up a fictional league that uses real players and real stats. I'd like to be able to be sure I can play our season using, say, 2015 stats, then, next year, keep the same rosters to start the season but have the game use 2016 stats (when they are available). We also want to be able to keep league history and stats (not stats to use to determine results, but just a record of past seasons).

Unfortunately I think the only way to do that would be to manually update the player ratings yourself every season. Which would take a billion hours. But it is not impossible. Depends on the size of your league.

[joestros]

Diamond Mind has a feature called "Migrate", where you can migrate the recently completed season to the new season. Players remain on the same teams (same player IDs kept), compiled stats are reset, and the real stats and ratings used to generate results are updated to the new season. Their Encyclopedia will compile league statistical history. It is disappointing to hear OOTP cannot do this. So it sounds like if you want a league that keeps history (not a one and done), players stats and ratings have to evolve per the game, not per their real life performance?

[CMH]

Originally Posted by joestros

Diamond Mind has a feature called "Migrate", where you can migrate the recently completed season to the new season. Players remain on the same teams (same player IDs kept), compiled stats are reset, and the real stats and ratings used to generate results are updated to the new season. Their Encyclopedia will compile league statistical history. It is disappointing to hear OOTP cannot do this. So it sounds like if you want a league that keeps history (not a one and done), players stats and ratings have to evolve per the game, not per their real life performance?

To be clear, you want to start off in 1996, for example, play out the season, make trades, etc and then move into 1997 with real 1996 stats and player performance ratings but with all of the transactions completed in your rewritten 1996?

So essentially you'll be starting a new 1997 league but with all of the roster moves from your previous league file.

I feel like this can be done though it might involve some work. It would be really nice to essentially export your roster file from another historical league and import it into another year so that the game kept its real life stats but updated the roster transactions.

[Gambo]

Originally Posted by joestros

Hi Gambo. I want to set up a fictional league that uses real players and real stats. I'd like to be able to be sure I can play our season using, say, 2015 stats, then, next year, keep the same rosters to start the season but have the game use 2016 stats (when they are available). We also want to be able to keep league history and stats (not stats to use to determine results, but just a record of past seasons).

If I'm reading this right then your basically talking about doing a fictional league with the 2015 players then you want to be able to continue it next year. Actually not as hard as you think but involves a work around. You need to have recalc each year turned on and draft turned off or dated for late December or something like that. I believe that makes the game not import 2016 stats/players til mid November. Just finish your 2015 season and let it sit until the next version comes out or the database is updated. That should work...but test it out 1st.

Now if you did a fictional league like that using a previous season there's no need to worry since you have the recalculate each year based on real stars turned on.

[Gambo]

Originally Posted by CMH

To be clear, you want to start off in 1996, for example, play out the season, make trades, etc and then move into 1997 with real 1996 stats and player performance ratings but with all of the transactions completed in your rewritten 1996?

So essentially you'll be starting a new 1997 league but with all of the roster moves from your previous league file.

I feel like this can be done though it might involve some work. It would be really nice to essentially export your roster file from another historical league and import it into another year so that the game kept its real life stats but updated the roster transactions.

The game automatically does this. The only difference between replay and regular league are a few options. If your league has import real players and recalculation turned on then your league will automatically update your 1995 season to 1996 using 1996 stats and players etc. if you don't have real transactions turned on the guys will stay on your teams. If you don't want free Agency etc ...turn it off.

This is no fault of of your own but I think a failing on how the marketing promotes it's "replay" capabilities. Too many options makes it a bit confusing.

[Gambo]

Originally Posted by joestros

So it sounds like if you want a league that keeps history (not a one and done), players stats and ratings have to evolve per the game, not per their real life performance?

When you have recalculate each year using real stats it will recalculate their ratings according to their historical stats. The game will reset the player to how he would be rated the next year.

(There is a caveat but it's a good one --- and I'll get to this in a second)

There best thing I can recommend selecting advanced mode when you create your league. This will give you more options such as editing league structure, draft days, extent of free agency. (and actually see all your options)

Here is the way to look at it.

There is no replay mode, just like there's no fictional mode. All they are a is a preset group of options that create a league type. Instead of single season disks like APBA or DMP or Strat, OOTP has a database of historical players and seasons.

If you create a historical season in 1995 with generate ratings based on one season then you have created the "1995 season disk". If you have
real lineups and/or transactions turned on then it will play that season using real transactions and/or lineups. I.e. a replay. If you edit the league structure, make your own moves etc. it is a "fictional replay"

You can stop there or you can continue to the next year. If you have "recalculate ratings each year enabled" then it will automatically update your players to how they would be on a "1996 season disk". (This usually occurs sometime in November if I recall). If you have "retire according to history" then if they didn't play after 1995 they would retire in your game. All the stats from your league are there, all the players are on the teams they should be (either your quasi-fictional teams or their real teams).

And so on and so on...

Here are the two caveats... if a player did not play in 1996 (or missed that season due to injury etc.) and you do not have "retire according to history" turned on, then the game will not automatically update him, instead it will keep his development to that point and continue him accordingly. Think of it like a how he would appear on a projected disk. If you don't have retire according to history turned on then you can do what ifs for Thurman Munson, Roberto Clemente etc, or if Dave Winfield hadn't missed a season. In your league they would continue according to their development "in game" while the rest of your players updated according to the real history. (No you're not stuck with 1979 Thurman Munson in 1985, he'll likely be an old guy competing with Don Baylor at DH)

The second caveat is the draft. The game will either import rookies for a draft or assign them to their real teams. If real teams is enabled they will be imported at the same time as the ratings are updated (November?) and assigned to their real teams. If you have the draft option selected in your league, by default, the draft is scheduled for June. This means the game will import the 1996 rookies in June. Meaning they will be available to play in 1995. To avoid this, simply schedule the draft for after the season in mid-November. This means they will technically import in 1995 but wont be available til 1996.

Any questions?

[Gambo]

Quick note here...

In a league created with historical players you can have it import full history which means all the players stats, league champions etc are imported up to that date. Essentially a pre-started encyclopedia complete to the day your league starts. You league stats, awards, events are added automatically to the "encyclopedia" as each day progresses.

**On each player screen there is a tab that shows "real life stats" that you can always look at to compare real world with game performance.

So the migrate and encyclopedia features are part of the base OOTP game.

[joestros]

Wow, thanks so much guys. I think I am getting it, and will give it a shot this weekend.

Another question, does the game use ratings or stats to determine results? I am only seeing players real life total stats, and not any real life splits displayed anywhere. I do see split ratings, but, both sides are identical, and, the computer generates the same lineups vs. L and R.

Thanks again.

[Gambo]

There is an option to do have the game generate left right splits or not. You likely have it turned off in that spot. Keep in mind that if you do have the generate L/R splits set up, because the database does not have splits, then they are generated using available information.

I.E. I believe the splits are dependent on playing time and not real stats. A player who played 140 games will have less of a split that guys who played 80 games. This is actually how a lot of the older games such as APBA would do splits as it was more of a tool to weigh playing time than generate realistic splits.

[pstrickert]

Not to mention that most single-season split data is such a small sample that game-generated L/R splits may be just as representative of a player's true abilities. (I read a detailed argument about it once upon a time.)

[Reed]

For someone new to the game, start out very simple! I think some people start out with the idea of creating there own league etc. and get overwhelmed with the options.. I started out replaying the 1960 season as a manager, turned off financials, and let the AI act as the GM. As I got use to the game, I started looking at all the possibilities, took over GM role, enabled financials, restrutured a league to my liking changed team names, created my own schedule and started my current league in 1901 with real historical player era from that year. Their stats accumulate from year to year, new players enter the league the same year they did in real life. Many prefer play with fictional players starting any year they desire and now minor league play is available, although I haven't tried that yet. Once you get use to the game, you can play it just like any other PC baseball game(or create your own baseball world)--except you don't have to buy these expensive season disk!!

[Reed]

For someone new to the game, start out very simple! I think some people start out with the idea of creating there own league etc. and get overwhelmed with the options.. I started out replaying the 1960 season as a manager, turned off financials, and let the AI act as the GM. As I got use to the game, I started looking at all the possibilities, took over GM role, enabled financials, restrutured a league to my liking changed team names, created my own schedule and started my current league in 1901 with real historical player era from that year. Their stats accumulate from year to year, new players enter the league the same year they did in real life. Many prefer play with fictional players starting any year they desire and now minor league play is available, although I haven't tried that yet. Once you get use to the game, you can play it just like any other PC baseball game(or create your own baseball world)--except you don't have to buy these expensive season disk!!

[pstrickert]

Good advice, Reed. Keep it simple at first, then reach for more when you feel comfortable.