Overwhelmed...

[James_Druid]

Hello,

I'm new to the OOTP-Series and I'm absolutely overwhelmed by this game.

Can you give me any advice, how to start?

What league should I take first?
What team is good for a newbie?
What are the most important first steps?
What should I watch more carefully?

Thanks a lot,
James.

[endgame]

In your case, you might want to try a Quick-Start league and just select any team and begin playing. Get used to the interface, the options, the routines and requirements, a lot of which you'll develop on your own. Of course, a scan of the online manual couldn't hurt and may provoke further questions that you don't know you have yet.

I wouldn't approach the game, the quickstart that is, like an investment you'll be making for a lifetime, but rather a self-tutorial to familiarize you with the game environment and just how you want to fit into the scheme of things.

Feel free to post a question anytime about anything along the way. We'll help best we can, and rest assured the majority of us were where you are right now. On more than one occasion, we all return to that sense of being overwhelmed, however short-lived, even now. That's the beauty and richness of the game's depth. Start slow. Experience. Plan later. All the best, until then.

[fintach]

Originally Posted by James_Druid

Hello,

I'm new to the OOTP-Series and I'm absolutely overwhelmed by this game.

Can you give me any advice, how to start?

What league should I take first?
What team is good for a newbie?
What are the most important first steps?
What should I watch more carefully?

Thanks a lot,
James.

The first thing I'd say is don't let it overwhelm you. There are more options in this game than you could even realize yet, but that doesn't matter. You can use the default settings to start and adjust/ask questions as you learn the game.

As for the league and team, I'd say go with what you know. That will help you get a feel for the game. For me, I'm a long-time Giants fan, so running a quick-start with the Giants gave me a feel for how the ratings work. I then scrapped that league and started a historical league to run the 1977 Giants, wanting to run them at a time that a) I knew some of the players, but not all, and not too well, and b) the Giants were all right, not the class of the league but not the doormat either.

The most important first step, to me, is figuring out how much of your team you want to control. This is in the Manager's Options tab, and gives you an idea of what to keep in mind. I wanted to run everything, but your mileage may vary. And you can always change these settings.

Two big things come to mind to watch out for:

Injuries: there's a lot of debate on the boards about the settings. Some feel that "normal" is too many. I know that I started on normal, and lost two of my best players to long-term injuries in the first week. I then re-started on low and have been much happier -- I still have to deal with injuries, but I don't feel I am constantly one game away from hell.

Minor league rosters/depth -- if you move someone (up/down the minors, to another team, etc.) or someone gets hurt, and you control these things, you have to make the adjustments or they don't happen.

[TribeFanInNC]

Agree with endgame on all accounts. I would just start a new 2010 Major League game from the main menu and pick a team to start with. If you don't have a favorite team, you can always take good teams like the Yankees or Philadelphia to make it a little easier on you to start. Start by fiddling around with the lineups, then start playing - either by managing individual games are simming a week at a time.

As you get more advanced, the manager home page has a nice list of things you should be doing at present, like looking over the waiver wire or trade blocks.

Enjoy and give it some time. It will be worth it once you figure everything out.

[pstrickert]

Originally Posted by endgame

In your case, you might want to try a Quick-Start league and just select any team and begin playing. Get used to the interface, the options,

I concur with endgame. Start slow. Start small. Get familiar with the interface and options. Then expand to other areas of interest. Soon, you'll begin to feel a lot more comfortable.