Daft Question - Playing out vs Simming

CardiffBlue · 06-10-2020, 02:28 PM

This is not a thread moaning about different results when simming vs watching games. I trust that the same engine is used and, while you will get different results, that's just because, well, any given Sunday etc.

My question is: how do you "sim" a game? Is it a simple as just finishing the day when a game is due to be played by clicking "Play" and the "Finish today!" and then checking the box score?

Is that what people mean by simming a game?

I ask because of the below screenshot: my Red Sox were top of the power rankings and in first place etc. I'm playng GM only, so I've done nothing to affect in game outcomes all year - I had, however been watching the games play out. Every single one. But it was taking too long so I thought I'd sim to the end of the regular season, game by game, and then watch the playoffs. I started hitting "finish today!" on 7th September. I then lost 9 in a row.

Prior to that, I was 83-57. Now 83-66 and in a tie for first. I know teams hit rough patches - it's just the timing which concerns me - the day started hitting "finish today!" was the day the losing streak started.

Is this just bad luck or did I mess something up?

PoopyJoe69 · 06-10-2020, 02:34 PM

That's just bad luck, I'm afraid. Those kind of streaks happen all the time, and though they're definitely frustrating to deal with, this just appears to be your team running into a cold patch. You haven't done anything wrong!

BBGiovanni · 06-10-2020, 03:12 PM

I won't *totally* ascribe it to bad luck, as I think there are differences in results when playing vs. simming, and not necessarily because I'm better than the GM. In some cases I think the AI optimizes for the game engine better than me, especially when I don't tinker with all the various strategy settings by game situation.

Anyway, I wanted to point out that you shouldn't necessarily think of this as either "simming" or "playing", because within the game as you play there are various options to sim half innings (which I often do in the regular season), sim until runner is in scoring position (which I usually do in early innings of playoff games), and then simming whole innings, the rest of the game, etc. So, if you are down 11-0 in the 4th inning, you can just sim the rest of the game and get on with your life (but I don't usually do that unless I'm really disgusted because the AI burns up too many relievers for my taste, and sometimes there are rain delays/extra inning games that mess up your pitchers).

RBI Baseball · 06-10-2020, 05:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BBGiovanni

I won't *totally* ascribe it to bad luck, as I think there are differences in results when playing vs. simming, and not necessarily because I'm better than the GM. In some cases I think the AI optimizes for the game engine better than me, especially when I don't tinker with all the various strategy settings by game situation.

I don't think this is applicable to the OP, since if I understand him right, he was GM-only and the AI handled all in-game strategy anyway. I wouldn't think there should be any difference in the game that plays out with the human watching in its entirety vs. the one that generates when you click "Finish Today".

Quote:

Originally Posted by BBGiovanni

So, if you are down 11-0 in the 4th inning, you can just sim the rest of the game and get on with your life (but I don't usually do that unless I'm really disgusted because the AI burns up too many relievers for my taste, and sometimes there are rain delays/extra inning games that mess up your pitchers).

I hate this part. The game I have no more interest in is the one when my team needs me the most.

Giants44 · 06-10-2020, 10:34 PM

So I just experienced this just last weekend.

I love to sim games - been simulating baseball on every possible option since I was a kid in the early 70s and OOTP is great. 95% of my play is solo and on those leagues I always have a mix - some I go fast because i want to draft and do contracts and see long term stuff happen. and then I have a few leagues that I play out every game and of course I am far more immersed in those.

but recently I started a small online league for just my kids and closest friends during stay at home orders and as an online league we sim all of our games. But for playoffs I have made accommodations to allow people to play if they are available.

for the ALCS my son and I had a 7 game battle and we played every single inning. It was awesome and basically came down to one incredible defensive play that sent me to the world series. We both managed every little thing and especially when it came to late bullpen match ups everything went exactly the way I wanted.

so the next day was world series and I am playing against my oldest friend. he and I go back 40 years and our friendship started playing strat o matic way back when. But he wasn't available to play and it would have been an unfair advantage for me to play vs AI. So I set both teams to AI and setup a live stream for him and others in our league to watch. It went to 7 games and although I ultimately won there were a whole lot of decisions the AI made that was driving me crazy - it was almost like watching the game of a team you love coached by a coach whose decisions you dont. Now I had tweaked my strategies and set it all up, it just never matches the exact way you would make decisions if you had control. so long story, well long I guess - I just dont think you can replicate the enjoyment of taking full control. of course that isnt always possible, but no matter how good the AI gets, it still isnt quite the real thing.

CardiffBlue · 06-11-2020, 01:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RBI Baseball

I don't think this is applicable to the OP, since if I understand him right, he was GM-only and the AI handled all in-game strategy anyway. I wouldn't think there should be any difference in the game that plays out with the human watching in its entirety vs. the one that generates when you click "Finish Today".

That's what I wanted to check.

So, it seems that I'm not doing anything wrong - it was just a bad run which would/could have happened if I'd actually watched the games. And that the run coincided with simming instead of watching is a coincidence.

Thanks for the input all.

06-10-2020, 02:28 PM	#1
CardiffBlue Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Apr 2019 Posts: 36	Daft Question - Playing out vs Simming This is not a thread moaning about different results when simming vs watching games. I trust that the same engine is used and, while you will get different results, that's just because, well, any given Sunday etc. My question is: how do you "sim" a game? Is it a simple as just finishing the day when a game is due to be played by clicking "Play" and the "Finish today!" and then checking the box score? Is that what people mean by simming a game? I ask because of the below screenshot: my Red Sox were top of the power rankings and in first place etc. I'm playng GM only, so I've done nothing to affect in game outcomes all year - I had, however been watching the games play out. Every single one. But it was taking too long so I thought I'd sim to the end of the regular season, game by game, and then watch the playoffs. I started hitting "finish today!" on 7th September. I then lost 9 in a row. Prior to that, I was 83-57. Now 83-66 and in a tie for first. I know teams hit rough patches - it's just the timing which concerns me - the day started hitting "finish today!" was the day the losing streak started. Is this just bad luck or did I mess something up? Attached Images

06-10-2020, 03:12 PM	#3
BBGiovanni All Star Starter Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Republic of California Posts: 1,911	I won't totally ascribe it to bad luck, as I think there are differences in results when playing vs. simming, and not necessarily because I'm better than the GM. In some cases I think the AI optimizes for the game engine better than me, especially when I don't tinker with all the various strategy settings by game situation. Anyway, I wanted to point out that you shouldn't necessarily think of this as either "simming" or "playing", because within the game as you play there are various options to sim half innings (which I often do in the regular season), sim until runner is in scoring position (which I usually do in early innings of playoff games), and then simming whole innings, the rest of the game, etc. So, if you are down 11-0 in the 4th inning, you can just sim the rest of the game and get on with your life (but I don't usually do that unless I'm really disgusted because the AI burns up too many relievers for my taste, and sometimes there are rain delays/extra inning games that mess up your pitchers). __________________ Let's Go (San Jose) Giants, Let's Go Mets! Current Project: WBAT/AABBA: Organized Base Ball And the "New Normal" World Baseball Aid Tournament 2023 trophy round underway!

06-10-2020, 10:34 PM	#5
Giants44 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: San Francisco Bay Area Posts: 2,408	So I just experienced this just last weekend. I love to sim games - been simulating baseball on every possible option since I was a kid in the early 70s and OOTP is great. 95% of my play is solo and on those leagues I always have a mix - some I go fast because i want to draft and do contracts and see long term stuff happen. and then I have a few leagues that I play out every game and of course I am far more immersed in those. but recently I started a small online league for just my kids and closest friends during stay at home orders and as an online league we sim all of our games. But for playoffs I have made accommodations to allow people to play if they are available. for the ALCS my son and I had a 7 game battle and we played every single inning. It was awesome and basically came down to one incredible defensive play that sent me to the world series. We both managed every little thing and especially when it came to late bullpen match ups everything went exactly the way I wanted. so the next day was world series and I am playing against my oldest friend. he and I go back 40 years and our friendship started playing strat o matic way back when. But he wasn't available to play and it would have been an unfair advantage for me to play vs AI. So I set both teams to AI and setup a live stream for him and others in our league to watch. It went to 7 games and although I ultimately won there were a whole lot of decisions the AI made that was driving me crazy - it was almost like watching the game of a team you love coached by a coach whose decisions you dont. Now I had tweaked my strategies and set it all up, it just never matches the exact way you would make decisions if you had control. so long story, well long I guess - I just dont think you can replicate the enjoyment of taking full control. of course that isnt always possible, but no matter how good the AI gets, it still isnt quite the real thing. __________________ "In a text sim - Immersion is everything" -Me "Judge a man not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character" -Martin Luther King "Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts." -Einstein "The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life." -Muhammad Ali "Baseball statistics are like a girl in a bikini. They show a lot, but not everything." -Toby Harrah

06-10-2020, 02:34 PM	#2
PoopyJoe69 Major Leagues Join Date: Mar 2015 Posts: 301	That's just bad luck, I'm afraid. Those kind of streaks happen all the time, and though they're definitely frustrating to deal with, this just appears to be your team running into a cold patch. You haven't done anything wrong!