A small update!

[PSUColonel]

I am wondering how the trade balock will work? I know a couple of weeks back everyone gave input into this, I am curious to see which way Markus is leaning.

[bosunmate]

Originally Posted by PSUColonel

I am wondering how the trade balock will work? I know a couple of weeks back everyone gave input into this, I am curious to see which way Markus is leaning.

I'm also curious, it is one feature I really miss.

[Eugene Church]

Originally Posted by lynchjm24

Now if only we didn't have to spend $35 to find out that OOTP 2006 is most certainly not the game you are playing now.

I have been critical of V2006 as it did not meet my expectations and had poor graphics (IMHO), but is still a wonderful game...and gets better the more I try to learn it and use it.

I have just finished setting up my ultimate baseball universe.

I did not waste my $30. Like all of the previous versions, it was money well spent.

I am sure V2007 will be much better and worth the money, too.

I think it will be better tested and old features will be perfected and will work.

I think PBP will be improved and New Stories enlarged.

I hope new features will be limited and thoroughly tested.

I think Markus has learned a lot about his customers and will not repeat the quick, rushed release like V2006.

I can't wait for Springtime.

[bosunmate]

Originally Posted by Eugene Church

I have been critical of V2006 as it did not meet my expectations and had poor graphics (IMHO), but is still a wonderful game...and gets better the more I try to learn it and use it.

I have just finished setting up my ultimate baseball universe.

I did not waste my $30. Like all of the previous versions, it was money well spent.

I am sure V2007 will be much better and worth the money, too.

I think it will be better tested and old features will be perfected and will work.

I think PBP will be improved and New Stories enlarged.

I hope new features will be limited and thoroughly tested.

I think Markus has learned a lot about his customers and will not repeat the quick, rushed release like V2006.

I can't wait for Springtime.

I agree 100 per cent with you Eugene. This has to me been money well spent.

[1998 Yankees]

Originally Posted by bosunmate

I agree 100 per cent with you Eugene. This has to me been money well spent.

I know the concept is anathema to some, but I look at this as a $70 (or so) investment. The first half is paying dividends already. The second half will pay even more.

[MadMax58]

I hope Markus is planning to implement auto-expansion (or easier expansion) for historical leagues, as well as team imports. That would absolutely make my year.

[BruceM]

Originally Posted by 1998 Yankees

I know the concept is anathema to some, but I look at this as a $70 (or so) investment. The first half is paying dividends already. The second half will pay even more.

If you've been playing OOTP since Ver 2 it's a bit more than a $70 investment.

[Kyros]

Originally Posted by Markus Heinsohn

I just wanted to say 'Hi', and mention that I am still alive

I am in the midst of coding OOTP 2007, and the game is making major strides. I can honestly say that this will be the game I personally always wanted to play, it is so much fun that I sometimes have to drag myself away from my league to continue programming. That wasn't really the case while coding 2006, as I simply had no time to really play & enjoy the game myself.

We will not reveal a full list of new features anytime soon, we'll save this for early next year. All I can say right now is that most missing OOTP 6.5 features are back (player popularity, trade block, stars, team focus, weather, bullpen warmup, projected stats, adjustable stats % of AI evaluation etc.) and improved. Of course, we also focus on the existing features in order to improve and fine-tune them. On top of that we'll add more very useful and fancy stuff, and we'll have plenty of time to properly test them too. Beta testing will already start this year! And if all goes well one of these features will be a real blast. And I mean BLAST.

I also took the time to play the products of our competition, and while they did improve their products in 2006 while we had to 'cope' with establishing a new generation of the game, I am very confident that OOTP 2007 will play in a league of its own again next year.

GREAT to hear Markus. If there is one wish I could have it would be that I hope that OOTPBB2006 will be backwards compatable with OOTPBB2007.



edit:
Oh, and expand on the almanac (CATO style) with managers records and such.

[1998 Yankees]

Originally Posted by BruceM

If you've been playing OOTP since Ver 2 it's a bit more than a $70 investment.

Well, yeah. I started with 6.12/6.5 myself, so I'm already past that I guess. You pioneer folks are way beyond that. Still, I'm looking at 2006/2007 as a completely new game, IMO. To me, it's all been worth it, so far.

[Kyros]

Originally Posted by 1998 Yankees

Well, yeah. I started with 6.12/6.5 myself, so I'm already past that I guess. You pioneer folks are way beyond that. Still, I'm looking at 2006/2007 as a completely new game, IMO. To me, it's all been worth it, so far.

Amen! I'm with you on that.

[bosunmate]

Originally Posted by MadMax58

I hope Markus is planning to implement auto-expansion (or easier expansion) for historical leagues, as well as team imports. That would absolutely make my year.

As a strictly historical player I think that would be a biggie also, lets keep our fingers crossed

[renn]

Markus, Keep Up The Great Work!

[Cooker]

Markus, thanks for the update. Very much appreciated.

Sounds like OOTP2007 is ahead of schedule. That's great. Now don't tell Marc Duffy this, but if you get the new game tested and ready for release before opening day (like in February or March), I suspect that almost all of us would gladly put our money into SI's pockets sooner next year!

Personally I love OOTP2006, but I can't wait for 2007. As others have said, this year's version was definitely money well spent (I play it constantly).
Looking forward to the next edition!

[Curtis]

Don't listen to Cooker! Take as long as you need to get it right. I don't want to be waiting for 2007.3 to get a playable game out of this.

[Cooker]

Originally Posted by Curtis Cook

Don't listen to Cooker! Take as long as you need to get it right. I don't want to be waiting for 2007.3 to get a playable game out of this.

Curtis, please don't misunderstand. I said when the game is tested and ready. Like you, I'm not asking for a half-baked product!

But if it is tested and ready earlier than this year, and I mean really ready, then they shouldn't wait till opening day to release it. Most of us here aren't just seasonal baseball game buyers.

That's all.

[BusterKing]

Where can we send you the money to reserve our copy?

Lets get the ball rolling on this.

[Raidergoo]

Originally Posted by Curtis Cook

You do realize that half the things that've been mentioned as 'brought back' here will be brand new to to new players like me?

I have no idea what stars are, except that they must be bad because mostly obnoxious people keep asking for them. Now there are different colored stars? Far out.

I also have no clues about how player popularity, team focus (whatever that is), 'adustable stats % of AI evaluation' (which I can't even read) and seven day lineups would work. It sounds like a whole new, and much more complicated, game.

I'm looking forward to it.

Stars makes play eval instantaneous. It's often misleading, but boy is it quick. Stars is a theological debate best left untouched. You'll see it when you get it. Chances are, you'll love it. Chances are, once immersed in the game, you'll outgrow it.

Player popularity can affect attendance. Try trading a Pete Rose from the Reds when he's hitting .260 for the second straight year, and watch what happens at the box office.

Team focus = win now, win later, prefer vets, prefer prospects, and such as that. It gives a bit of direction to the AI, guiding it to make the big deal to cinch a pennant, or to give up on a fading season and prepare for next season.

"adustable stats % of AI evaluation" is a very cool feature. I'll use an example to explain it. Suppose you are the Astros, in first place by 1 1/2 games at the beginning of June, and you see that the AI owned Brewers just had their superstar ace starting pitcher go down for 3 months with an injury. The Brewers have to bring up a 29 yr old scrub who has flopped three times in the majors.

The scrub wins, and wins, and wins. In 12 starts, he's 9-0, with an ERA of 1.98 and a K/9 ratio of 11.0.

Right now, the AI pays no attention to stats. It's always about the ratings.

But, why would ANY GM send to AAA a guy who is flat out dominating hitters like Joe Scrub? The adjustable stat % of AI evaluation allows you to weigh the actual performance of the players vs the just the ratings. Joe Scrub may be trash, but if you have stat % turned way up, the AI is going to try to ride Joe Scrub all the way to the World Series, and hope that he gets a ring before he turns into a pumpkin.

[witwerk8267]

Looking forward to it.

[Kaitiaki]

And 7 Day Lineups are just what they sound like: the ability specify specific lineups for use for each of the upcoming 7 days. For solo play, this isn't a huge deal. But for online leagues, in which owners can't play out the games directly and where games are typically simmed a week or more at a time, 7 Day Lineups give owners the ability to guarantee that the right players get days off at the right time, that the AI doesn't start three scrubs when going up against your divisional rival, etc.

It's a more precise version of the depth chart, essentially. Instead of simply saying "start my backup LFer every third game" you get to specify exactly which games he should start in, allowing you to optimize your matchups to a greater degree.

- Kai

[rogmax11]

How about more realistic, or even era-contextual name generation?

And a reset button.

And fully integrated historical database.

And configurable stadiums, with weather factors, that actually have a physical impact on the game output. So that a 325' line drive that bangs off the Green Monster is merely a loud out in Wrigley.

And built-in manager AIs that mimic the managers from years gone by.

And some sort of filter so one lousy missed rating abnormality doesnt create a monstrous stat error that completely guts the pseudo-reality of a hundred-hour universe effort. Or at least the ability to undo ( see reset reference above ) such things when they occur.

And the ability to import entire teams, leagues, and players at a single stroke, across all eras, and have them normalized for whatever era one wishes to play in.

Other than these few items, thanks for planting the hook once again.