OOTP 18 Discussion: Head-to-Head / Online Gaming

[Poweshow]

How about promotion/relegation leagues that fictional league players have been asking for for over a decade now?

[texasmame]

Originally Posted by Markus Heinsohn

Okay, I do not want to get your hopes up too much, but we are currently looking into the idea of getting some sort of mode into the game which lets you play games head-to-head against other human opponents.

Now, there are obviously an infinite number of ways how such a mode could look like, so let me throw some brainstorming at you...

Challenge a friend for an head-to-head exhibition game with your team from your solo league.
Positive: Easy to set up, quick action
Negative: No real reward, cheating is easily possible by editing players

Play head-to-head games in an online league
Positive: Good immersion, games mean something
Negative: Only the first game for a sim period (i.e. 7 days) would be playable, so commishes would have to sim & post league files day-by-day if users want to play out every game. Timing issue (in real life I even have problems meeting friends for a coffee, how likely is it that users in online leagues find the right time to meet and play?)

Something like FIFA's Ultimate Team or MLB The Show's Diamond Dynasty mode
Positive: Great immersion, a new play mode (collect player cards and set up your team with them, card packs can be purchased or unlocked via achievements), no cheating easily possible, can challenge & play against strangers or friends via matchmaking, user teams can take part in automated league play
Negative: Lots of development work, success depends on number of users playing this mode

OK, which one would you use? Do you have a different idea for an online / head-to-head / e-sports mode in OOTP?

Cheers,
Markus

I'd love to see true, built-in online head-to-head play both for exhibitions and seasons!

[USF]

Originally Posted by texasmame

I'd love to see true, built-in online head-to-head play both for exhibitions and seasons!

Play Head to Head would be my choice. Excellent for the playoffs! In our league we have 50-70% of the members online for our live sims so I feel it is more likely than not people would make time for this.

[joestros]

I feel that being able to play head-to-head league games would be great. I can see how those who quick sim games and mainly use the career features would not be interested in online play, but, head-to-head play would be great for those of us who play in yearly draft type leagues.

I would love to see something where the commissioner could schedule any game to be played head to head, and then if one or either manager did not show up, the CPU would manage.

[joestros]

My league would love to play a series per night head to head. In single pitch mode, this would not take much time.

[TheBossJarhead]

I would probably play number 3 the most. I think that would be a cool addition.

[kevrock]

Very interested in online head to head!

The best challenge/most fun I've had in this game is the online leagues, would love additional features!

[strzepeksc]

In agreement............I certainly hope it makes it into the new OOTP 18 game engine. I played head to head with Diamond Mind Baseball many moons ago.............and it would be a great additive to online OOTP freaks!

[psd]

Put me in the camp of not wanting any kind of head to head options. Especially if it takes your limited resources away from the SP aspect of the game. I would much rather see things like the AI trading get improved. Spend the money on improving and/or fixing what you have already, not adding something that in actuality few will use.

[raginhood]

I DO NOT like the idea for online league play. It's fine for two friends who are gonna be there at the same time but, most of us have a life outside of games and it makes it too hard to be there at a "specific" time and day to play online. I found this to be true just for "regular" tcp/ip games online. People say they will be there but, most times they are not.

Then you have the "rage quitters" anyways. If one person is losing badly he/she will usually just "rage quit" and drop. Thus killing the fun an experience an immersion of the game.

So no to online LEAGUE play and yes to FRIENDS who just want to play a friendly skirmish game once in awhile.

[coljesep]

Originally Posted by Markus Heinsohn

Okay, I do not want to get your hopes up too much, but we are currently looking into the idea of getting some sort of mode into the game which lets you play games head-to-head against other human opponents.

Now, there are obviously an infinite number of ways how such a mode could look like, so let me throw some brainstorming at you...

Challenge a friend for an head-to-head exhibition game with your team from your solo league.
Positive: Easy to set up, quick action
Negative: No real reward, cheating is easily possible by editing players

Play head-to-head games in an online league
Positive: Good immersion, games mean something
Negative: Only the first game for a sim period (i.e. 7 days) would be playable, so commishes would have to sim & post league files day-by-day if users want to play out every game. Timing issue (in real life I even have problems meeting friends for a coffee, how likely is it that users in online leagues find the right time to meet and play?)

Something like FIFA's Ultimate Team or MLB The Show's Diamond Dynasty mode
Positive: Great immersion, a new play mode (collect player cards and set up your team with them, card packs can be purchased or unlocked via achievements), no cheating easily possible, can challenge & play against strangers or friends via matchmaking, user teams can take part in automated league play
Negative: Lots of development work, success depends on number of users playing this mode

OK, which one would you use? Do you have a different idea for an online / head-to-head / e-sports mode in OOTP?

Cheers,
Markus

If Managers exist in the online league then how would playing the games out live make sense in an online league if the user's role is GM Only?

[ScottPoseSnag]

Seems like I'm a little late to the discussion, but wanted to throw my two cents in.

Option #2 would be great. I like the solo game. But when I have a friend or two in a private online league, the game really comes to life. We send each other links to our players, news stories, and box scores. We talk about the league at the office, on the phone, and over the weekends. We curse each other's star players, trade prospects for veterans, and then sit slack jawed in disbelief when a traded former prospect hits the game winning double in extra innings in World Series game 6, for the other team! I still remember that stupid catcher's name, because my buddy will never let me forget. THAT is were online transforms a great solo sim into a social and immersive experience.

We pick up the phone like real GMs and chat trades. I once called my buddy and said "Let's make a deal." His sarcastic response before I could even spit out the offer was "You are going to have to do better than that."

Our fictional league becomes more fun to us than real baseball because we are the owners that drafted and developed our own players. There are no art dealer owners pocketing revenue sharing dollars and signing Heath Bell for 10 million to make it seem like he cares. We make the dumb deals. When the playoffs roll around, I broadcast the games over the league site. But actually playing the playoff games out? That would be spectacular. Even a better broadcast feature would be incredible.

The most significant barrier to getting friends to buy and play the game has been the technical difficulty of setting up the league and running it. We've had lost exports, imports, difficulty getting the initial setup working, and it turns off those that haven't already fallen in love with the game. As always, thanks for all the hard work on this game!

[eddieballgame]

As per the "head to head" exhibition game option, a free program called Team Viewer could be used. Only one person has to have the game running & window mode would probably be best. Team Viewer works quite well with other turn based games that don't have an IP option for online play.
Of course, you would want to "know" who you are inviting into your computer.

[baseballonly]

I like the Diamond Dynasty option, it offers something new and exciting and could make the game much better for streaming/youtube.

[pincaviglia86]

OOTP has the potential to be a great game. I have always played Action PC baseball. However, I purchased OOTP 17 and found it to be far superior to Action PC baseball in every aspect except two. This is quite strange, considering the fact that OOTP 17 dwarfs action PC Baseball in size, and is a much more modernized and detailed game. I find it hard to believe, that a roughly 30MB little game...that is based on a game engine that originated some 20 years ago can be so superior to OOTP 17 in ball flight animation, player baserunning, catching, throwing, etc. and SPOT-ON coordination and TIMING with ANY version of windows narrator. As great as the game looks and plays, and with all that it offers...the graphical presentation and immersion of sound reduces the game to about as much fun as reading spreadsheets, or running a few fantasy league teams on yahoo. Anyway, the real deal-breaker, was not so much the animations...but the sound. OK...maybe I could do without the narrator...but the actual game sounds were better on a lot of snes games.
Sure...I know it is supposed to be an armchair "manager's dream" tool and all that...but in the end, if the immersion factor fails...so does this type of game...because sims...whether card-and dice-based or PC based...need the immersion factor to make up for the lack of being an actual baseball game like those on PS4. All this being said....if I knew that the narrator and background sounds of the upcoming OOTP 18 were better...I would buy it now. If the developers would cut back on some of the eye candy, and make the game more immersive with better action and sound...the package would not only be complete, but probably unbeatable. This is just my opinion...but I have been doing baseball sims...in one form or the other (i.e. card and dice or whatever) for a very long time...and I have played them all. Therefore, it is still just an opinion...but a very informed one. Come on developers...don't let a 20-year old game beat you on immersion. What matters more....being able to make a face-gen that rivals the mona lisa painting...or hearing Ernie Harwell call the next play? Does that really need an answer?

[Donevyn]

I would like all 3. But I had to choose, 1 & 3.

[daves]

So did this get added? If so, how can it be done?

[markvacc1]

A web site where a person can start a season, say 1985, and pick a team and wait for opp to take the other team. When done, pick another team and wait for another opp or the same opp taking turns on what team to be. Can have several seasons going at once. Twenty people playing 1985, 40 people playing 2015 and 6 playing 1958 or whatever.

[Colonel Panic]

I know I'm late to the thread -- OOTP 18 is out and doesn't have the feature, and I don't know where the devs are in terms of whether they want to put it in, but I would like to say that I would very much love to see this feature in the game. I come from the land of strat-o-matic, which has had a computerized version of their game for many many years that allows for head to head play. OOTP clobbers that offering in every way -- except no head to head play.

There's very little competition in this market so they guys at Strat-o-matic haven't made a ton of changes in their product over the years. I love the guys over there but I think if OOTP got into that market it would clean up if they offered head to head.

[GunnyB]

I'd much rather you expand the solo player experience.
I'm willing to bet the VAST majority of OOTP players are more solo leaguers than on-line leagues and so on.