Advice...please

[Swede_06]

WOW...Where do you start, with a Game/Simulation, that is so deep, and detailed as this one is? Every time I think I am focusing on how I would like to proceed, something else comes to mind and slows progress. So if you don't mind, I'll throw a few questions out there...


Before you answer, while I am a noob on here, I had decades of experience with all forms of APBA (dice and computer), and a host of other baseball sims, from dice and spinners, to computers and video game platforms. (I really miss High Heat baseball on the PC.)


Also, I do not offend easily, and developed this thick skin as a life-long Cleveland Indians fan, beginning when I was 10 years old in 1964, when the "real" Tito Francona (Terry's dad) was playing the outfield.


So here goes...


1. If you are doing a historical replay, especially one spanning multiple seasons, do the players move franchise to franchise on their own, or do you make the changes?


2. What happens with a player like Addie Joss, who died of tubercular meningitis at 31, in the middle of a career that would have posted some unbelievable stats. Does he end at the right time? Is there a "what if" scenario possible? Along the same vein, does Babe Ruth go from pitcher to outfielder on his own?


3. What does it take to set up an ongoing fantasy setting, where the Indians make the trade they were offered in 1908, don't make a trade a few years later, and set up one of the greatest outfields of all time with Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker and Shoeless Joe Jackson...and can that keep Jackson from being banned?


4. What is the allure to playing with totally fictional players? I know that is a subjective answer in the making, but I am interested in your answers.


5. Finally (for now), what advice do you have about joining leagues? This really appeals to me, whether it be contemporary, historical and yes, even fantasy players.


While OOTP seems like a huge undertaking, I can see how great it could be. With a little advice from all of you, I am ready to experiment.


BIG THANKS! ahead of time.

[David Watts]

First off welcome aboard.

Yes, players will move on their own if you play a multi-year historical league. The AI will trade, release, sign etc players. That being said if you want to dictate moves in your league you can do so by using commissioner mode. Or, you can choose to use real transactions and the game will make all the trades according to real life.

In the case of Joss, it's kind of up to you. If you want him to retire according to history, there is a box you can check and all players will end their careers according to hisory(season wise that is, not right down to the actual game). You can also select a box that will make players miss individual seasons according to history(ala Eddie Cicotte, 1906 and 7). But, if you want him to play on in a "what if" scenario just don't check the retire according to history box and he will do so. Of course, you will also have to decide whether you want to use recalc only, recalc and player development combined or simply the OOTP player development engine. If it's "what if" you are interested in, I would use either a recalc player development combo or simply player development engine.

Babe Ruth--if using recalc he will start as a pitcher and become a hitter. If you are using the development engine, you will probably have to switch him manually. The ratings will be there, but the game may want to keep him pitching.

One last thing....really try and give this game a chance. I too came from the world of Strat,APBA and Diamond Mind and at first I wasn't sold on this game as a historical sim/game. But, when I started to take into account that this game is doing something that no other game does--the ability to play year to year continuously---I became more and more blown away by how incredible it is as a historical game. Not perfect, but great just the same. Look at the individual players career numbers, not his seasonal ones.

[TribeFanInNC]

Welcome indeed. I usually advise first time players to start with a current MLB game with a favorite team, where they can focus on learning how the game operates and correlating game ratings to their knowledge of particular players. The historical and fictional games can be a bit more complicated in controlling the outputs and rules.

The game can most certainly do pretty much anything you want at this point. Get comfortable with how the game operates, then the forum can guide you how to specifically do things you want (like have Addie Joss play a full career, for example) if you can't figure it out.

Oh... and Go Tribe

[le receveur]

why i prefer fictional. mainly because i then have no expectations that a player should be behaving one way or the other. I can follow the development of a character without preconceived ideas, and wondering why Eric Arce evolved into being an all-star catcher in 2018, from a 2013 quick-start.

[CatKnight]

I'm actually going to suggest against starting with a modern MLB team. In that case all the 'bells and whistles' are on - waivers, DFAs, minors and so forth, and it's very easy to get lost.

For starting out, I recommend historical play: Less rules, less players. As you grow more comfortable you can start adding in rules during each postseason.

As an alternative, there is a fictional quickstart included with the game about mid-range in difficulty.

1. David answered your question admirably. Given your APBA background, if you're really interested in season simulations, I'd turn on historical transactions, and recalc on a 1 or 3 year basis. Anything else is fantasy or 'what if' (which is the mode I prefer.)

2. Again, David answered your question well.

3. Your fantasy scenario (Cobb, Speaker, Jackson) is entirely possible. The big catch is 'making the trade they were offered in 1908.' The AI may not want to. Of course, you could go into commissioner mode and force the issue.

Jackson will not automatically be banned/'retire' unless you have the 'retire according to history' box checked. Nor will any of the other Black Sox.

4. le receveur answered this. As he said, this avoids preconceptions about characters. For example, I might be disappointed if I started your fantasy scenario and Jackson just didn't pan out (injuries, bad die rolls, what have you.) I wouldn't mind as much with a fictional. Further, it lets you play with dream scenarios: Want to start a league in Canada? Or the Moon? Then fictional's for you.

5. I'm guessing here you mean multiplayer leagues. My advice would be to find one that's stable and has been around awhile, and one that is new player friendly. Sometimes these leagues will offer you a mentor - another GM to make sure you understand what's going on and don't make too many mistakes.

Lastly, by all means experiment. It took me a few VERSIONS to become fully comfortable with the game, and even now I still have my moments. There is A LOT going on.

It may help to remember that there's a solid core to the game (the baseball simulation), and everything else is just attached. A lot can be turned on or off depending on your league's needs and your confidence with the game.

[The Game]

DW answered the majority so i will just take 4 & 5.
In my main league I play a fictional historical replay with modern MLB starting from 1999. My Endor League is from when i gave up playing with GI Joe's and Star Wars and turned them into baseball players. I have had my league since 1988 on PC games but it started with some dice & baseball card game around 1985. I created the players and played until the 2036 season on High Heat 2k3 until i discovered OOTP 11. Since OOTP lets me create my league 100 times better then it was before, I decided to start from the beginning.
I play every style you can on here but I prefer fictional because when Frank Thomas goes down with a CEI in 1993 when the Sox are 11 games up over the Tribe I get royally PO'd. When John Smith goes down with a CEI I dont care as much. You can create any style of fictional league in OOTP, whereas you are limited in what you can do for real MLB. Trying to recreate pre1900 leagues is a ton of work.
Some fictional league that i have:
EBL vs MLB http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/boar...beyond-51.html

The Great Chicago Fire: North vs South. What would baseball be like had the North not won the Civil War. In 1877 now.

The 4 Sports League - NDL, NHL & NBA quite playing football and hockey because they were deemed to violent by Congress and NBA quite because it was boring. So they become baseball leagues. NBL still plays 16 games in the fall & winter. NBA plays Nov-June NHL same. This league is a work in progress.

Top 25 league Random Debut. I consider this fictional with a historical backdrop. My top 25 players of all time on one team from their 2st ML AB to theior last. No one is traded. If they retire they will be replaced by the next player on my top 100 list.

For online league I am in 3 of them;
USBL Historical 2002 Chicago Cubs
RDBL 2014 modern after this is becomes random debut. White Sox
Fullcount Chicago Southpaws 2030? I think i made a good team bad.
The top 2 I know have openings.
It is much more challenging to win in an online league then in a solo league. I traded away my 3B from the southpaws for a C prospect and a MR and I have a feeling that I will regret that trade.

[Swede_06]

Talk about some great replies..Thanks Guys!


You are getting me pointed in the right direction...I hope some others chime in on this.


As a side note...I have always found that winning was not the most important thing about leagues...PLAYING was...and shooting the breeze with someone either while trading, or just for the heck of it.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Swede_06

4. What is the allure to playing with totally fictional players? I know that is a subjective answer in the making, but I am interested in your answers.

Originally Posted by le receveur

why i prefer fictional. mainly because i then have no expectations that a player should be behaving one way or the other. I can follow the development of a character without preconceived ideas, and wondering why Eric Arce evolved into being an all-star catcher in 2018, from a 2013 quick-start.

I just want to echo lr's answer. Some game players love historical recreations. They thrive on reproducing history and I respect them for it, but it's not for me. Two reasons: I like the challenge of the unexpected and I would not like the disappointment that I see in other members at times when replay simulation does not come close enough to actual results in their estimation.

That doesn't necessarily mean ignoring history altogether, however. Some of my most satisfactory leagues have been a blend of historical and fictional in this manner: Start with, say, an historical MLB league based in 1901 and retain all progression options (that is, the settings that import actual league totals, player modifiers, and financial data season by season). Keep the team names, ballpark parameters, uniforms and logos as accurate as possible while allowing the league to evolve according to history.

But staff the teams with fictional players. The way you do this is to release and delete all the historical guys, populate all the teams with new fictional players, release them too, and schedule an inaugural draft.

Best of both worlds, in my opinion.

[le receveur]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

I just want to echo lr's answer. Some game players love historical recreations. They thrive on reproducing history and I respect them for it, but it's not for me. Two reasons: I like the challenge of the unexpected and I would not like the disappointment that I see in other members at times when replay simulation does not come close enough to actual results in their estimation.
.

and i think Déjà Bru highlights another one of my fear about trying to play non fictional, i would lose one of my biggest fiction as it relates to 1994. :-)


(but then maybe i should redo 1981, and not bring steve rogers in the 9th)

[Honorable_Pawn]

Welcome aboard. Very nice to have you around.

[Swede_06]

Originally Posted by Honorable_Pawn

Welcome aboard. Very nice to have you around.

Now THIS is amazing!


My next full day off, I will dive in-depth into this thread...WOW!

[TribeFanInNC]

Originally Posted by CatKnight

I'm actually going to suggest against starting with a modern MLB team. In that case all the 'bells and whistles' are on - waivers, DFAs, minors and so forth, and it's very easy to get lost.

For starting out, I recommend historical play: Less rules, less players. As you grow more comfortable you can start adding in rules during each postseason.

This is also a good recommendation if you are not already familiar with modern rules like waivers, Rule V, 40-man rosters, etc. I agree people can get intimidated with these (especially how waivers work).

The only reason I typically don't recommend historical is because the recalc v. development concept is generally pretty unusual to new players. Players of other programs are usually only used to replay games (DMB, Strat, et al.) and OOTP doesn't really fit that mold. I think this causes a lot of in new players.

But as noted, I certainly don't disagree with CK's proposed starting point as an alternative.

[Swede_06]

One final note...


Do you all prefer to actually play each game (chosen tem, or all games), or do you sim? Maybe a combination of both?

[TribeFanInNC]

Originally Posted by Swede_06

One final note...


Do you all prefer to actually play each game (chosen tem, or all games), or do you sim? Maybe a combination of both?

Pretty much all the above is popular. I've always liked playing out every game, but it takes a really long time to get through a season that way.

I think the answer sometime depends on how much time you have to spend on it. If you spend time daily playing, then playing out games is somewhat feasible. If you only play on Friday nights or just occasionally, then you would have to sim to progress a meaningful amount each time.

[Rich Tiger Fan]

Originally Posted by Swede_06

One final note...


Do you all prefer to actually play each game (chosen tem, or all games), or do you sim? Maybe a combination of both?

I do a combination. I like to get things moving along but find it easier to get to know the league (I play Fictional) when playing out at least some games. So I generally play out every 4th or 6th game. Why not every 5th because generally there are 5 man rotations and I like to get some variations in who is pitching. I used to sim playoffs but after playing out every game of a recent playoff series, I decided playing all playoff games (If I am in the playoffs) is the way to go. To bad I lost in five games.

[David Watts]

Originally Posted by Rich Tiger Fan

I do a combination. I like to get things moving along but find it easier to get to know the league (I play Fictional) when playing out at least some games. So I generally play out every 4th or 6th game. Why not every 5th because generally there are 5 man rotations and I like to get some variations in who is pitching. I used to sim playoffs but after playing out every game of a recent playoff series, I decided playing all playoff games (If I am in the playoffs) is the way to go. To bad I lost in five games.

Just glad to see someone else that's a fan of the right team enter this thread.

[The Game]

Originally Posted by Swede_06

One final note...


Do you all prefer to actually play each game (chosen tem, or all games), or do you sim? Maybe a combination of both?

I play out all games unless I am 10 games up or 10 games back. Then I sim the majority of the rest of the regular season. i tend to play all interleague even if my team sucks.and I like playing September games.

[Swede_06]

OK...I am narrowing down the process, and would like to run a few ideas by you, and ask a question or two...


I have narrowed down to three viable scenarios that interest me...
1. Fictional, with 8 major league level teams, and a 2-3 tiered minor league system. I am still waffling on what start-era I would chose.
2. Historical, starting in 1956, ending in 1959, and controlling my Cleveland Indians, so I can get a feel for my favorite player, Rocky Colavito.
3. Custom, taking the Indians in 1901, and moving forward in a purely-fictional "what-if" environment.


Right now, #1 is winning, so that I have no expectations on player performance.


Suggestions?


So here's a question...If I go fictional, and use a draft to fill rosters, can I spread the draft out? In other words, start it one day, and finish over time, as I work a screwy schedule right now.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Swede_06

OK...I am narrowing down the process, and would like to run a few ideas by you, and ask a question or two...


I have narrowed down to three viable scenarios that interest me...
1. Fictional, with 8 major league level teams, and a 2-3 tiered minor league system. I am still waffling on what start-era I would chose.
2. Historical, starting in 1956, ending in 1959, and controlling my Cleveland Indians, so I can get a feel for my favorite player, Rocky Colavito.
3. Custom, taking the Indians in 1901, and moving forward in a purely-fictional "what-if" environment.


Right now, #1 is winning, so that I have no expectations on player performance.


Suggestions?


So here's a question...If I go fictional, and use a draft to fill rosters, can I spread the draft out? In other words, start it one day, and finish over time, as I work a screwy schedule right now.

I would save #1 and #3 for future projects. I would advise you as a new player to start with #2 because it is limited in scope and will be more familiar as you learn how the game works. Less variables to deal with, I think.

As to your question, I don't think you can "spread the draft out." The draft is scheduled for "draft day" and must be finished before the simulation of that day can be completed.

[Swede_06]

Let me change the question...I realize I was not clear...can I start a draft, pause and save, and finish on a different day, my time, not the game's...in other word's, do you have to do the draft in one sitting?