Updated OOTP 5 features list...

[Markus Heinsohn]

Here is the current list of OOTP 5 features. Keep in mind, new features are being added everyday, so please do not be disappointed if one feature you requested isn't listed yet!!!

The screenshots will be updated in a couple of days as well!

- Improved interface, with hyperlinked player and team names
- Support for mouse scroll wheels for roster and statistics browsing
- Game will ship with three different interface 'skins'
- Most reports (including boxscores, etc.) will be displayed in eparate HTML windows (multiple windows possible)
- Interface sounds and music, in-game stadium ambient sounds
- Brand new A.I. engine, impacting financial model, player evaluation, trading and roster A.I.
- Manager mode replaces challenge mode; this mode allows you to be hired/fired and compile a career as a manager/GM. You may even date women, marry and build a family. If you are lucky you get a son that has baseball skills and will enter the draft pool when he's 18-22 years old. Also, you may spend the money you earn on houses, cars etc. And be careful with your wife. A divorce is expensive!
- Enhanced minor league system with basic team W-L records, better reports and presentation.
- More robust spring training period, possibly with simulated games
- Tracking of career minor league stats
- Tracking of career postseason stats
- Enhanced importing of historical seasons, featuring better ratings calculation (including park effects) and accurate OF positions, resulting in even more accurate historical stats!
- New player development algorithms
- Adding a "financial co-efficient", allowing users to adjust salary demands and financial numbers overall to historical leagues
- New team strategy settings, for example individual stealing tendencies, putting pitchers on pitch-counts limits etc.
- Numerous smaller enhancements, such as a player tracker, a sim multiple seasons option, easier league creation, a new overall player/prospect rating (1-5 stars), importing/exporting teams into a different league, player ratings in/exporter, schedule in/exporter, more reports, better news section with special reports like power rankings or minor league system ratings, rotation mode settings (strict or start #1 if rested) and lots more useful stuff.

[Chappy]

Originally posted by Markus Heinsohn
Also, you may spend the money you earn on houses, cars etc.

Real Houses and Cars?

[Sim Rat]

The coveted salary adjustments for historical league play! Thanks Markus!

As for the wives, kids, and cars, I hope that is a joke. If not, PLEASE tell me it's an option that can be turned off!

[Treches]

That's a pretty solid list, for sure. Power Rankings, minor league system ratings and stealing settings are nifty additions and the hyperlinks and mouse scroll wheels are huge improvements interface-wise. If the off-season gets some tweaks and the pitchers ever become classified as one, I may even quit jabbing Steve from now on.

[kq76]

A few comments:

-more hyperlinks - thank you! it'll make finding the info u want so much faster
-sounds and music - excellent! this was something I was really surprised was missing when I first started playing. that said, I sure hope we can turn it off if we want.
-manager mode - I'm excited about this, but somehow I doubt it'll be as close to the sims as you make it out to be. Let's see, I'd like to have 2 kids, a wife, a maid, a mistress, a silver porsche boxster... I really hope that it will be part of the "custom league" option though and that it won't have the editors off.
-overall player/prospect rating - thank you again!

The only thing I was really hoping to see that is not there yet is the pitchers having no set roles, just having differences in endurance and performance.

[chrisj]

Sounds good... a few comments though:

- Manager mode replaces challenge mode; this mode allows you to be hired/fired and compile a career as a manager/GM. You may even date women, marry and build a family. If you are lucky you get a son that has baseball skills and will enter the draft pool when he's 18-22 years old. Also, you may spend the money you earn on houses, cars etc. And be careful with your wife. A divorce is expensive!

While I like the idea of manager mode... are you serious about the whole married/family/etc stuff? That sounds a bit overboard, don't you think?

- Adding a "financial co-efficient", allowing users to adjust salary demands and financial numbers overall to historical leagues

THANK YOU!

- New team strategy settings, for example individual stealing tendencies, putting pitchers on pitch-counts limits etc.

Good to hear this stuff has been added...

- Numerous smaller enhancements, such as a player tracker, a sim multiple seasons option, easier league creation, a new overall player/prospect rating (1-5 stars), importing/exporting teams into a different league, player ratings in/exporter, schedule in/exporter, more reports, better news section with special reports like power rankings or minor league system ratings, rotation mode settings (strict or start #1 if rested) and lots more useful stuff.

- What exactly is the player tracker?
- More reports = good stuff.
- rotation mode settings will be nice too...

[Markus Heinsohn]

This wife stuff is something that I coded just for fun, didn't take long. And it's really neat because it offers the possibility to manage your 'digital' son if you can draft him or trade for him. Believe me, it's funny, and if you don't like it, do not pay any attention to it

[Markus Heinsohn]

The player tracker is a kind of shortlist, where you can insert any player and have instant access to the list from your team menu. This is rather neat if you want to keep track of the formar #1 picks, for example, or the FA you just couldn't sign...

[Markus Heinsohn]

Originally posted by Treches
That's a pretty solid list, for sure. Power Rankings, minor league system ratings and stealing settings are nifty additions and the hyperlinks and mouse scroll wheels are huge improvements interface-wise. If the off-season gets some tweaks and the pitchers ever become classified as one, I may even quit jabbing Steve from now on.

What kind of offseason tweaks do you have in mind?

[statfreak]

Originally posted by Markus Heinsohn
This wife stuff is something that I coded just for fun, didn't take long. And it's really neat because it offers the possibility to manage your 'digital' son if you can draft him or trade for him. Believe me, it's funny, and if you don't like it, do not pay any attention to it

I am very impressed with the current list of features and assume this part of the game will be minimal and is just there to give you the chance of managing your son, or seeing your son play as you stated above.

If everything works the way I think it will, this version will most likely keep me playing long after June/July when I usually tire and move on to other things.

Now, if we could just get the ability to play games head to head over the internet.

I did have a question regarding the new player evaluation AI, will more emphasis be placed on playing high OBP guys over the .190 avg, 25-30 HR guys? This is one of the reasons that I burn out on the game so quickly. I feel the need to manually control every team to make sure the best players are actually playing and not just the players capable of smashing homeruns, but can't hit above .200.

Anyway, as always, really looking forward to V5's release and can't wait for the new screen shots.

Thanks and keep up the good work!

[CommishJoe]

Originally posted by kq76
A few comments:

The only thing I was really hoping to see that is not there yet is the pitchers having no set roles, just having differences in endurance and performance.

I'll 2nd that. Everything else sounds great!!!!!

[Tekneek]

With the required full rosters for the minor league, will the game create additional players just to fill out the roster (so you don't have to "fill" the entire minor league roster with fictional guys)? It would be great for it to just "fill" in with the minimum needed to get through the next game.

[Treches]

Originally posted by Markus Heinsohn
What kind of offseason tweaks do you have in mind?

This might sound egoistical or even pointless for those guys that aren't interested in online play, but the ability to run the draft at the same time the free agency takes place, would be a helluva improvement. The off-season takes a lot right now with the current system, more over for those leagues that fancy editing the potential draftees, given they don't show up for editing until the free agency is thru. That always seemed odd to me, as the game does indeed generate them the moment the league procedes to the next season. I'm not even talking about the need of having two routines going on at the same time within the game (though that would be perfect, it may screw up the engine), but at least the chance to run the draft via message board at the same time, if the editing work was possible meanwhile or before the fa's fight. Nothing much, I think.

[Cole]

So will there now be a "Free Agents" option, a "Player Trade" option, and a "Buy a House" option?

No, I don't know ... it sounds interesting with the marrying and stuff... I suppose it kind of adds another dimension to the game, as you have to try and be succesfull off the field as well as on the field ...

[beorn]

Originally posted by Markus Heinsohn
- New player development algorithms

Personally, I'd love to hear more about this. Is the goal to make development less predictable? Are there other goals?

Also, I'm curious what the impact will be on leagues imported from OOTP4?

[MTGian]

Greetings,

Enhanced importing for historical leagues?!? WOOOHOOO! I am currently breaking my back by assigning defense and speed ratings for every player that is imported in each season. This is a fantastic addition.

Thanks Markus!

Michael T. Gianvecchio

[Markus Heinsohn]

Originally posted by beorn
Personally, I'd love to hear more about this. Is the goal to make development less predictable? Are there other goals?

Also, I'm curious what the impact will be on leagues imported from OOTP4?

Well, it will be less predictable as far as busts/can't miss prospects, and also youngster development speed and aging speed now is less predictable as well!

[Kezzek]

You may even date women, marry and build a family. If you are lucky you get a son that has baseball skills and will enter the draft pool when he's 18-22 years old. Also, you may spend the money you earn on houses, cars etc. And be careful with your wife. A divorce is expensive!

LOL!

It may be a bit much but I think it'll be fun/funny.

So, can we make it like Free Agency?

Courting Day 1...Day 2...etc?

"Let's see...I'd like a wife with strong household skills, good range on her open-mindedness, and 'A' level stamina. Who do we have...ZOWIE!! We've got a BRILLIANT rated left-hander out of Oklahoma City!"

[crackpott]

If you're not gonna implement my lefty specialist reliever, Markus, at least tell us the colour of our wives hair.

[TC Dale]

Classic, Crackpott. I am still laughing.