Would You Still Buy/Play OOTP If It Didn't Have the MLB License?

kq76 · 09-25-2023, 11:08 AM

As the title says, would you still buy/play OOTP if it didn't have the MLB license? That would mean fake teams, but presumably not necessarily fake players. Sure, some # of people will answer no, but I just wonder if it's as big of a % as we might think it is.

EDIT: FWIW, I don't mean to cause anyone any worry. I don't think OOTP would want to drop the license. I'm just wondering the question out loud is all.

Eugene Church · 09-25-2023, 11:49 AM

Yep... I play fictional leagues... if I wanted to play MLB players I would create them and manually put their real ratings in using Baseball-Reference stats.
I did this years ago with my MLB All-time League... 16 original franchises... used their top player at each position for active roster... used the remaining best players on the reserve roster... this was in the early days of OOTP 3... it worked very well and the players performed pretty much to their ratings, but there were some outliers... Tom Seaver 7-20 with a 5.00 ERA... a few position players did not hit well and were disappointments.

If they continued to work and improve 3D animation, I will buy it each year

With or without MLB, it still a great game.

I am probably in a very, very small minority... I would think most gamers use real players and would no longer purchase the game..

MathBandit · 09-25-2023, 11:59 AM

I would buy it as I play in two online leagues that I presume would keep going (as they're both fictional), but it would probably mean I never play single-player again and use OOTP purely for those two leagues.

Brad K · 09-25-2023, 12:05 PM

The pre license version I have (11) doesn't have fake team names. It doesn't have logos though. Wouldn't that still be the case?

Come to think of it maybe it had the city names but not the team names. But it had drug and domestic violence suspensions!

Anyway I'm OK installing my own logos. Is there anything else we get due to the game beling licensed?

Flying_Canuck · 09-25-2023, 12:16 PM

Sure I would, as long as the game allows us to mod freely and recreate whatever we want. The community here doesn't do it for commercial reasons so we should be able to make real teams and players, or entirely fictional worlds. Definitely can't have another *** situation again......

LansdowneSt · 09-25-2023, 12:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brad K

The pre license version I have (11) doesn't have fake team names. It doesn't have logos though. Wouldn't that still be the case?

Come to think of it maybe it had the city names but not the team names. But it had drug and domestic violence suspensions!

Anyway I'm OK installing my own logos. Is there anything else we get due to the game beling licensed?

There may be a difference between pre-license (too small to bother with) and a company deciding to not pay up after being noticed. Not sure comparing to the "before times" is apples-to-apples to what the game would be like it if it got taken away/not renewed. Even a modder might get notices in that kind of post-license world. We don't know.

mytreds · 09-25-2023, 12:57 PM

Logos and rename mods are easy to make. Might be a pain to do all those players though.

jeffw3000 · 09-25-2023, 02:27 PM

Since I bought OOTP before it had a MLB license, I guess the answer would be yes.

Westheim · 09-25-2023, 02:30 PM

Does the randomize-teams-three-times trick still work?

Ah, whatever, I still play the Raccoons in OOTP 16 and have bought every one since, so it's probably a yes.

BIG17EASY · 09-25-2023, 02:45 PM

Probably, but I wouldn't be in a rush to buy it right away. I'd be more likely to wait for a sale (assuming the base price didn't change).

Sweed · 09-25-2023, 05:57 PM

First I don't see that happening. If it reaches the point of being considered? I think they scrap the game before releasing without license.

To answer the question..

No, probably not. If I could still import my 20 version game intact with all real MLB, MiLB unis, logs, stadiums etc., then maybe.

I would think after having the product licensed but then bowing out of that agreement OOTP would not be flying under the radar in any way shape or form.
The first warning from MLB lawyers to the parent company could result in limits on the ability to mod. MLB might very well lose if challenged, but does the development company want to expend money and time to mount a challenge? Look at how the game was coded to exclude a league already. I believe it could be coded to pretty much exclude anything the company wants it to.

In the end it's not happening anyway, so this post is pretty much worthless.

The Game · 09-25-2023, 07:31 PM

Yes but on 1 condition. DO NOT go into my game and scramble my MLB teams that i have in existing leagues. Only reason I bought 24 on Fastspring vs Steam was so, if i wanted to, i could put the league not to be named back into my universes.

Yarideki · 09-25-2023, 11:10 PM

Honestly, yes I would still buy OOTP even without the license. I'm not really attached to the real players as it is, it's simply more convenient for me to start a game with them. Once I start that game, it is all fictional anyway. So long as I can get rid of the zombie runner, the DH, and restore the 40 player September roster I'm happy. To me, the MLB license is nice, but not a requirement since I've lost attachment to the real life MLB for one reason or another. There will always be a story to tell from my little baseball universe, license or not.

snepp · 09-25-2023, 11:26 PM

Big yes for me. I haven't played an "MLB" save since.....I can't remember. I might have done one in v8 maybe. Most years I never even bothered doing the all-in-one mod.

Brad K · 09-25-2023, 11:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sweed

In the end it's not happening anyway, so this post is pretty much worthless.

Yes, kind of like posting asking if the board is slow.

AESP_pres · 09-26-2023, 12:58 AM

I don't think there was one when I bought my first version of the game (OOTP2007) and as I always play historical there was no difference with today... obviously I talk about the leagues, the teams and the roosters.

Everything you needed to get the ML stuff was mod... kind of like today to be honest.

But just to be annoying I'll go with maybe... because we never know maybe they would remove the capacity to use mod file

Sweed · 09-26-2023, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brad K

Yes, kind of like posting asking if the board is slow.

Except the board got fixed that day. Your welcome

Brad K · 09-26-2023, 10:07 AM

Yes, thank you. I'm sure without your efforts it would still be slow.

BIG17EASY · 09-26-2023, 10:46 AM

You two need to get a room.

Sweed · 09-26-2023, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BIG17EASY

You two need to get a room.

I took it as a joke, with the emoji. Responded in kind. Nothing more on my end.

View Poll Results: Would You Still Buy/Play OOTP If It Didn't Have the MLB License?
Yes	93	56.02%
No	51	30.72%
I'm not sure / Maybe	22	13.25%
Voters: 166. You may not vote on this poll

09-25-2023, 11:08 AM	#1
kq76 Global Moderator Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 11,486	Would You Still Buy/Play OOTP If It Didn't Have the MLB License? As the title says, would you still buy/play OOTP if it didn't have the MLB license? That would mean fake teams, but presumably not necessarily fake players. Sure, some # of people will answer no, but I just wonder if it's as big of a % as we might think it is. EDIT: FWIW, I don't mean to cause anyone any worry. I don't think OOTP would want to drop the license. I'm just wondering the question out loud is all. __________________ My OOTP Wishlist \| My FAQ List OOTP Wiki \| Your Recommended Team Nicknames, By City (A Crowdsourced Project) Last edited by kq76; 09-25-2023 at 12:13 PM.

09-25-2023, 11:49 AM	#2
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,694 Blog Entries: 1	Yep... I play fictional leagues... if I wanted to play MLB players I would create them and manually put their real ratings in using Baseball-Reference stats. I did this years ago with my MLB All-time League... 16 original franchises... used their top player at each position for active roster... used the remaining best players on the reserve roster... this was in the early days of OOTP 3... it worked very well and the players performed pretty much to their ratings, but there were some outliers... Tom Seaver 7-20 with a 5.00 ERA... a few position players did not hit well and were disappointments. If they continued to work and improve 3D animation, I will buy it each year With or without MLB, it still a great game. I am probably in a very, very small minority... I would think most gamers use real players and would no longer purchase the game.. Last edited by Eugene Church; 09-25-2023 at 11:55 AM.

09-25-2023, 12:05 PM	#4
Brad K Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2016 Location: St Petersburg Florida USA Posts: 6,309	The pre license version I have (11) doesn't have fake team names. It doesn't have logos though. Wouldn't that still be the case? Come to think of it maybe it had the city names but not the team names. But it had drug and domestic violence suspensions! Anyway I'm OK installing my own logos. Is there anything else we get due to the game beling licensed? __________________ Pirates Play Moneyball 1951 to 2008 46,000 views and counting!... Wow, up to 47,000, thank you. Wow, I hadn't checked for weeks. Oct 9 2024 its 79,561. Why do people use different players, different lineups, different strategy, development, talent change randomness, and the development lab, but judge the game on whether it produces historical statistics?

09-25-2023, 12:57 PM	#7
mytreds All Star Starter Join Date: Nov 2019 Posts: 1,081 Infractions: 0/1 (1)	Logos and rename mods are easy to make. Might be a pain to do all those players though. __________________ “Baseball isn’t statistics; it’s Joe DiMaggio rounding second.” “Once, centuries ago, it was the beloved national pastime of the Americas, Wesley. Abandoned by a society that prized fast food and faster games. Lost to impatience.” “ The term ‘WAR’ should be replaced by ‘WAG’. WAR isn’t an actual measurement; it’s just a wild-ass guess” -Bill James RIP National League 1876-2022 Floreat semper vel invita morte. I make custom ballparks.

09-25-2023, 11:59 AM	#3
MathBandit All Star Starter Join Date: Feb 2021 Posts: 1,445	I would buy it as I play in two online leagues that I presume would keep going (as they're both fictional), but it would probably mean I never play single-player again and use OOTP purely for those two leagues.

09-25-2023, 12:16 PM	#5
Flying_Canuck All Star Reserve Join Date: Nov 2015 Posts: 525	Sure I would, as long as the game allows us to mod freely and recreate whatever we want. The community here doesn't do it for commercial reasons so we should be able to make real teams and players, or entirely fictional worlds. Definitely can't have another *** situation again......

09-25-2023, 02:27 PM	#8
jeffw3000 Major Leagues Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 307	Since I bought OOTP before it had a MLB license, I guess the answer would be yes.

09-25-2023, 02:30 PM	#9
Westheim Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Germany Posts: 12,824	Does the randomize-teams-three-times trick still work? Ah, whatever, I still play the Raccoons in OOTP 16 and have bought every one since, so it's probably a yes. __________________ Portland Raccoons, 88 years of excell-.... of baseball: Furballs here! 1983 * 1989 * 1991 * 1992 * 1993 * 1995 * 1996 * 2010 * 2017 * 2018 * 2019 * 2026 * 2028 * 2035 * 2037 * 2044 * 2045 * 2046 * 2047 * 2048 * 2051 * 2054 * 2055 * 2061 1 OSANAI : 2 POWELL : 7 NOMURA \| RAMOS : 8 REECE : 10 BROWN : 15 HALL : 27 FERNANDEZ : 28 CASAS : 31 CARMONA : 32 WEST : 39 TONER : 46 SAITO Resident Mets Cynic - The Mets from 1962 onwards, here.

09-25-2023, 02:45 PM	#10
BIG17EASY Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 3,291	Probably, but I wouldn't be in a rush to buy it right away. I'd be more likely to wait for a sale (assuming the base price didn't change).

09-25-2023, 05:57 PM	#11
Sweed Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Iowa Posts: 6,516	First I don't see that happening. If it reaches the point of being considered? I think they scrap the game before releasing without license. To answer the question.. No, probably not. If I could still import my 20 version game intact with all real MLB, MiLB unis, logs, stadiums etc., then maybe. I would think after having the product licensed but then bowing out of that agreement OOTP would not be flying under the radar in any way shape or form. The first warning from MLB lawyers to the parent company could result in limits on the ability to mod. MLB might very well lose if challenged, but does the development company want to expend money and time to mount a challenge? Look at how the game was coded to exclude a league already. I believe it could be coded to pretty much exclude anything the company wants it to. In the end it's not happening anyway, so this post is pretty much worthless.

09-25-2023, 07:31 PM	#12
The Game Hall Of Famer Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Inside The Game Posts: 30,936	Yes but on 1 condition. DO NOT go into my game and scramble my MLB teams that i have in existing leagues. Only reason I bought 24 on Fastspring vs Steam was so, if i wanted to, i could put the league not to be named back into my universes. __________________ Go today don't wait for tomorrow It isn't promised, all the time you get borrowed Don't live your life for other people Don't bottle your emotions till they crack and fill a couple just sorrows Take your mind and refocus go get a paper write your goals out Throw your middle fingers to all your haters "Stay Strong"

09-25-2023, 11:10 PM	#13
Yarideki Minors (Double A) Join Date: Mar 2016 Posts: 162	Honestly, yes I would still buy OOTP even without the license. I'm not really attached to the real players as it is, it's simply more convenient for me to start a game with them. Once I start that game, it is all fictional anyway. So long as I can get rid of the zombie runner, the DH, and restore the 40 player September roster I'm happy. To me, the MLB license is nice, but not a requirement since I've lost attachment to the real life MLB for one reason or another. There will always be a story to tell from my little baseball universe, license or not.

09-25-2023, 11:26 PM	#14
snepp All Star Starter Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 1,459	Big yes for me. I haven't played an "MLB" save since.....I can't remember. I might have done one in v8 maybe. Most years I never even bothered doing the all-in-one mod.

09-26-2023, 12:58 AM	#16
AESP_pres Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Province of Quebec Posts: 3,992 Blog Entries: 25	I don't think there was one when I bought my first version of the game (OOTP2007) and as I always play historical there was no difference with today... obviously I talk about the leagues, the teams and the roosters. Everything you needed to get the ML stuff was mod... kind of like today to be honest. But just to be annoying I'll go with maybe... because we never know maybe they would remove the capacity to use mod file __________________ The FGs I did for the Universe Facegen pack if you don't want to download the complete file everytime the pack is updated. The complete set (1871 to 1978) Just the update. Last edited by AESP_pres; 09-26-2023 at 01:04 AM.

09-26-2023, 10:07 AM	#18
Brad K Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2016 Location: St Petersburg Florida USA Posts: 6,309	Yes, thank you. I'm sure without your efforts it would still be slow. __________________ Pirates Play Moneyball 1951 to 2008 46,000 views and counting!... Wow, up to 47,000, thank you. Wow, I hadn't checked for weeks. Oct 9 2024 its 79,561. Why do people use different players, different lineups, different strategy, development, talent change randomness, and the development lab, but judge the game on whether it produces historical statistics?

09-26-2023, 10:46 AM	#19
BIG17EASY Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 3,291	You two need to get a room.