OK, Ready for something new

[brewers22]

I've been purchasing and playing OOTP for many, many years. My usual approach is the same, adopt my favorite team in the current year and start to play out multiple seasons as GM to prove that I can win a championship. About year 3 or 4 I start to run into problems, usually connected to my "expectations" of what should happen with teams, players, etc. (Really?? they would make that trade??? I don't think so!!!.)

I've tried to start fictional leagues, so that the "expectation" component is reduced, but they often don't have the "flavor" of the real MLB. Primarily because the history of league is nil. Who cares if someone set the all time record of home runs of 48 in year 2 of the league??

I'm ready to try again. Is there a way to start a full league with real teams and a full MBL history, but with fictional players? Has anyone tried this??

PLay ball.

[mgom27]

Just randomize names.

[Dem Bums]

What I like to do is start a historical league in 1900, but delete all players and fill with fictional and disable the import of historical rookies. Then I sim to whatever era I want to play in.

[brewers22]

Randomizing names is the perfect solution, except that it also randomizes the names of everyone that has ever played in the league. No historical names at all. So close.....but maybe it as close as I will get.

[NoOne]

Originally Posted by brewers22

I've been purchasing and playing OOTP for many, many years. My usual approach is the same, adopt my favorite team in the current year and start to play out multiple seasons as GM to prove that I can win a championship. About year 3 or 4 I start to run into problems, usually connected to my "expectations" of what should happen with teams, players, etc. (Really?? they would make that trade??? I don't think so!!!.)

I've tried to start fictional leagues, so that the "expectation" component is reduced, but they often don't have the "flavor" of the real MLB. Primarily because the history of league is nil. Who cares if someone set the all time record of home runs of 48 in year 2 of the league??

I'm ready to try again. Is there a way to start a full league with real teams and a full MBL history, but with fictional players? Has anyone tried this??

PLay ball.

i always play with real teams and fictional players all the time.

you can also pre-date a fictional league and run it while you sleep/work upto the date you want to start. This will give you a history before you begin.

you can remake a human player if they don't let you use a post-dated birthday during creation... or, you might be 125 when you start or something, lol.

[Déjà Bru]

Is there a way to start a full league with real teams and a full MBL history, but with fictional players? Has anyone tried this??

Not only have I tried this but, despite recurring thoughts to the contrary, it's the way that I end up playing every time. You get the flavor of MLB without the disappointment of seeing real players not living up to their actual histories (which I understand two things: the game does a good job of recreating such histories but it does allow for randomized variability so that it does not become a boring reenactment).

So, I feel that I get the best of both worlds. I do what Dem Bums described (starting in 1901 instead of 1900 for some reason) but I play everything out from that point forward, letting the game evolve the league according to history. If one of my players flames out, I don't get upset because his name is Ty Cobb.

That should give you a clue as to this: "Who cares if someone set the all time record of home runs of 48 in year 2 of the league??" You DO care about this if you are playing your games out (or at least simming day by day), albeit fictional. You get into the history of your league as if it was real.

That's my advice. I have become convinced that this is the only way that I will ever play this game so I have stopped struggling to do otherwise. I am happy.

[Erik]

Originally Posted by brewers22

I'm ready to try again. Is there a way to start a full league with real teams and a full MBL history, but with fictional players? Has anyone tried this??

Wouldn't this just be starting a new MLB league using 2019 rosters, and then simming the league out 10 years or so and then pick up a team to control? You'd have full MLB history, plus fictional players for the most part at that point.

[italyprof]

Two words: (well to MORE words):

Random debut.

[andyhdz]

Originally Posted by brewers22

Randomizing names is the perfect solution, except that it also randomizes the names of everyone that has ever played in the league. No historical names at all. So close.....but maybe it as close as I will get.

Sounds like you want your cake and eat it too.

[smiller]

I'm another who uses real teams with fictional players. Right now I'm in my tenth season and am looking forward to the league's first 200 game winner and first with 2,000 career hits. Earlier this season we had our first player pass the 400 career home runs total. That's the kind of immersion you get with this kind of a league, especially if you play out most of your games. The players become more real than real-life players.

[sdw1000]

If I play fictional leagues, it's usually with real players. Once in a blue moon, I'll use fictional players but rare. Usually I just play multi-era leagues.

[damientheomen3]

Most longtime fictional players sim seasons before getting into their fictional leagues (often 20 or 25, I like to sim 50-100 if my league isn't too big) to give it some history to work with.