Five Minutes

84CubsFan · 03-22-2007, 10:21 PM

Five minutes.

Five minutes is all that it took for me to get my OOTP excitement back.

OOTP 2006 is, in my opinion, a horrible game. I tried it. I tried it again. And then I tried it again a few more times. I told myself that the patches would fix the major problems and make it fun again. But it never happened.

Since then I've been playing version 6.5, and only online. I lost my interest in solo leagues. I was sceptical about v.2007 and almost decided to wait for the demo. But I decided I couldn't wait. I decided that I would preorder and take the discount for the new game that I knew I would eventually buy anyway.

I did this because I have, like many who frequent this community board, for the past 20 years of my life been searching for the perfect computer baseball game. OOTP 2007 will not be perfect. But after five minutes I know it will be a game that I will play.

The install was flawless.

The interface is perfectly smooth and fast -- far smoother and faster than any other OOTP I've ever played.

Within seconds I created a fictional league using one of the many possible default settings (hmm...cool...let's see a Japanese league...why not?). I decided that maybe I'd start as commissioner. Click. No, wait. Unclick. Actually I'll start unemployed. I remembered the tedium of this in v.2006, but I thought hey, if I try it at least I'll know. So I clicked to create the league and again, within seconds (like ten or less), the fictional world was born.

I wanted to see FaceGen, fearful that it might not work. I was amazed by how easy it was to navigate from manager screen to league home to team home to lineups to top players to top organizations and back again. I wasn't able to do this in v.2006 right after install. No way.

Then I clicked on a name. With lightning speed and smoothness, there was a face staring back at me. So cool. I clicked another player. Then another. Then I tried a coach (not only was it easy to find the coaches, they looked 55!).

Then I simmed to opening day. It took not ten minutes. Not five minutes. Not one minute. Seconds.

I simmed a game. Seconds.

I smiled.

And then I turned the game off and came here.

I'll say again, OOTP2007 will not be perfect for me. I'll find flaws (two very minor ones already!) and there will be frustrations and I will hope for future improvements. But after this quick spin -- I know it's not much -- I'm sure of one thing: I'm going to have a good time playing with this game. It's a good time I haven't experienced since v.5. And that is very cool.

I know I don't post here all that often so my recommendation may not carry much weight. But I'm a rabid baseball fan. Have been since I was a little kid. For those of you who are still sitting on the fence, try the demo. Just try it.

Try it for five minutes.

redsox45 · 03-22-2007, 10:37 PM

Very nice post, 84Cubs...

I hope you post your suggestions on the suggestions forum, and your bugs in the tech support forum. Just because the game is released doesn't mean Markus & crew are going to sit around and wait for 2008....

Will

General_Eagle · 03-22-2007, 10:59 PM

I completely agree with CubsFan. I was excited about 2006 last year, but stayed away after seeing the deluge of negative comments and growing quickly frustrated with the demo. As someone else said, 2006 seemed like a spreadsheet game, more numbers than personality.

2007, on the other hand, is easy to navigate yet extremely deep. There is such a wide range of options, and it is intuitive. Best of all, FaceGen adds to the immersion, allowing you to know your players better. Names and stats without faces only develops so much personality. Now you can see the joker who won't sign with you because he "doesn't like your organization." You can also quietly nod at your superstar, watching him grow old and promising him that he will retire with your ball club.

All in all, I have an exam tomorrow and keep promising myself that I will turn the game off and get back to studying. The game is winning....

aleib · 03-22-2007, 11:04 PM

I'm in agreement with you. I'm not a big poster on these boards but I've been playing OOTP since version 2. My greatest interest was always in solo leagues though I have been in online leagues here but not recently. With the demise of the online leagues I was in I was looking forward to getting into 2006 with some solo time, however I didn't find the game fun or enjoyable. There were to many screens, they were to hard to navigate etc. 2007 has made everything easy again. Setting up the league was easy, simming was fast and easy etc. So far I'm only a few games into my fictional league but I can tell that already that I will be playing 2007 for a long time(well until 2008 anyway).

I want to thank Markus for this great creation, and I want to thank SI and all the members of the forum for sticking by Markus.

Raidergoo · 03-22-2007, 11:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by General_Eagle

All in all, I have an exam tomorrow and keep promising myself that I will turn the game off and get back to studying. The game is winning....

Sid says sleep is for the weak!

HolyCow98 · 03-22-2007, 11:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by General_Eagle

2007, on the other hand, is easy to navigate yet extremely deep. There is such a wide range of options, and it is intuitive. Best of all, FaceGen adds to the immersion, allowing you to know your players better. Names and stats without faces only develops so much personality. Now you can see the joker who won't sign with you because he "doesn't like your organization." You can also quietly nod at your superstar, watching him grow old and promising him that he will retire with your ball club.

When I joined the Beta team...this was the single most important thing I needed to be sold on. I remember while I was waiting to get my license one of the guys also on the team who I was in an online league telling me all the great new things and while I was interested.... in the back of my mind...all I could think about...hoped is more like it...is that I hope it doesn't have that tedious work feel to it.

It was the main reason that OOTP 2006 was not as enjoyable for me in the same way previous versions had always been. 2007 is still a beast of a game but unlike 2006, its just easy to tame it so to speak. Its got even more stuff in it then 2006 did but yet it "feels" easier to use. Now I can get down to whats important...and thats run my franchise in my fictional league and watch everything evolve and develop and look back at the history as time goes on....in a nutshell...have fun.

General_Eagle · 03-22-2007, 11:32 PM

Oh yeah, I also don't want to forget to thank the entire development team: Markus, Marc, Battists, all of the beta testers, et al. You all are the reason I gave this another shot. Even during the hectic posting sessions post-release last year, I could tell there was a dedicated development team, not a faceless company, behind the game. It amazes me to see those people working so closes with the people who play the game, trying to make it perfect. Thanks for the hard work and thick skin! We appreciate it, even when people are already asking for the next patch.

Markus Heinsohn · 03-23-2007, 01:28 AM

I can't tell how happy I am reading impressions like this

Thanks guys!

thomamon · 03-23-2007, 04:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Markus Heinsohn

I can't tell how happy I am reading impressions like this

Thanks guys!

I feel your blood pressure dropping ;-)

thomamon · 03-23-2007, 04:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 84CubsFan

I'll say again, OOTP2007 will not be perfect for me. I'll find flaws (two very minor ones already!) and there will be frustrations and I will hope for future improvements. But after this quick spin -- I know it's not much -- I'm sure of one thing: I'm going to have a good time playing with this game. It's a good time I haven't experienced since v.5. And that is very cool.

I know I don't post here all that often so my recommendation may not carry much weight. But I'm a rabid baseball fan. Have been since I was a little kid. For those of you who are still sitting on the fence, try the demo. Just try it.

Try it for five minutes.

Everyone's recommendation matter! Let your voice be heard, tell us what you want to make it perfect for you. You never know, it may be included in patch #1. Remember, "Its your game, play it your way" :-)

84CubsFan · 03-23-2007, 08:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Markus Heinsohn

I can't tell how happy I am reading impressions like this

Thanks guys!

You did a really great job, man (and team). I'm going to give your AI a workout over the next few weeks, though, so expect a new wish list soon!

Thanks again.

marky32082 · 03-23-2007, 08:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thomamon

...play it your way

Out of the Park 2007: The Burger King of Sports Video Games

03-22-2007, 10:21 PM	#1 (permalink)
84CubsFan Major Leagues Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 356 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0x in 0 posts	Five Minutes Five minutes. Five minutes is all that it took for me to get my OOTP excitement back. OOTP 2006 is, in my opinion, a horrible game. I tried it. I tried it again. And then I tried it again a few more times. I told myself that the patches would fix the major problems and make it fun again. But it never happened. Since then I've been playing version 6.5, and only online. I lost my interest in solo leagues. I was sceptical about v.2007 and almost decided to wait for the demo. But I decided I couldn't wait. I decided that I would preorder and take the discount for the new game that I knew I would eventually buy anyway. I did this because I have, like many who frequent this community board, for the past 20 years of my life been searching for the perfect computer baseball game. OOTP 2007 will not be perfect. But after five minutes I know it will be a game that I will play. The install was flawless. The interface is perfectly smooth and fast -- far smoother and faster than any other OOTP I've ever played. Within seconds I created a fictional league using one of the many possible default settings (hmm...cool...let's see a Japanese league...why not?). I decided that maybe I'd start as commissioner. Click. No, wait. Unclick. Actually I'll start unemployed. I remembered the tedium of this in v.2006, but I thought hey, if I try it at least I'll know. So I clicked to create the league and again, within seconds (like ten or less), the fictional world was born. I wanted to see FaceGen, fearful that it might not work. I was amazed by how easy it was to navigate from manager screen to league home to team home to lineups to top players to top organizations and back again. I wasn't able to do this in v.2006 right after install. No way. Then I clicked on a name. With lightning speed and smoothness, there was a face staring back at me. So cool. I clicked another player. Then another. Then I tried a coach (not only was it easy to find the coaches, they looked 55!). Then I simmed to opening day. It took not ten minutes. Not five minutes. Not one minute. Seconds. I simmed a game. Seconds. I smiled. And then I turned the game off and came here. I'll say again, OOTP2007 will not be perfect for me. I'll find flaws (two very minor ones already!) and there will be frustrations and I will hope for future improvements. But after this quick spin -- I know it's not much -- I'm sure of one thing: I'm going to have a good time playing with this game. It's a good time I haven't experienced since v.5. And that is very cool. I know I don't post here all that often so my recommendation may not carry much weight. But I'm a rabid baseball fan. Have been since I was a little kid. For those of you who are still sitting on the fence, try the demo. Just try it. Try it for five minutes. Last edited by 84CubsFan; 03-22-2007 at 10:25 PM.

03-22-2007, 10:37 PM	#2 (permalink)
redsox45 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Machias, Maine Posts: 4,571 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0x in 0 posts	Very nice post, 84Cubs... I hope you post your suggestions on the suggestions forum, and your bugs in the tech support forum. Just because the game is released doesn't mean Markus & crew are going to sit around and wait for 2008.... Will __________________ Top Five Books I Ever Read: 1. Murder of Roger Ackroyd -- Agatha Christie 2. Birds of Prey -- Wilbur Smith 3. King Solomon's Mines - H. Rider Haggard 4. Comstock Lode -- Louis L'Amour 5. Andersonville -- McKinley Kantor

03-22-2007, 10:59 PM	#3 (permalink)
General_Eagle Bat Boy Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Texas Posts: 19 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0x in 0 posts	I completely agree with CubsFan. I was excited about 2006 last year, but stayed away after seeing the deluge of negative comments and growing quickly frustrated with the demo. As someone else said, 2006 seemed like a spreadsheet game, more numbers than personality. 2007, on the other hand, is easy to navigate yet extremely deep. There is such a wide range of options, and it is intuitive. Best of all, FaceGen adds to the immersion, allowing you to know your players better. Names and stats without faces only develops so much personality. Now you can see the joker who won't sign with you because he "doesn't like your organization." You can also quietly nod at your superstar, watching him grow old and promising him that he will retire with your ball club. All in all, I have an exam tomorrow and keep promising myself that I will turn the game off and get back to studying. The game is winning.... __________________ "You are here because you are real men and all real men like to fight. When you, here, everyone of you, were kids, you all admired the champion marble player, the fastest runner, the toughest boxer, the big league ball players, and the All-American football players. Americans love a winner. Americans will not tolerate a loser. Americans despise cowards. Americans play to win all of the time. I wouldn't give a hoot in hell for a man who lost and laughed. That's why Americans have never lost nor will ever lose a war; for the very idea of losing is hateful to an American." -General George S. Patton

03-22-2007, 11:32 PM	#7 (permalink)
General_Eagle Bat Boy Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Texas Posts: 19 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0x in 0 posts	Oh yeah, I also don't want to forget to thank the entire development team: Markus, Marc, Battists, all of the beta testers, et al. You all are the reason I gave this another shot. Even during the hectic posting sessions post-release last year, I could tell there was a dedicated development team, not a faceless company, behind the game. It amazes me to see those people working so closes with the people who play the game, trying to make it perfect. Thanks for the hard work and thick skin! We appreciate it, even when people are already asking for the next patch. __________________ "You are here because you are real men and all real men like to fight. When you, here, everyone of you, were kids, you all admired the champion marble player, the fastest runner, the toughest boxer, the big league ball players, and the All-American football players. Americans love a winner. Americans will not tolerate a loser. Americans despise cowards. Americans play to win all of the time. I wouldn't give a hoot in hell for a man who lost and laughed. That's why Americans have never lost nor will ever lose a war; for the very idea of losing is hateful to an American." -General George S. Patton

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03-22-2007, 11:04 PM	#4 (permalink)
aleib Minors (Single A) Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: El Sobrante, Ca Posts: 58 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0x in 0 posts	I'm in agreement with you. I'm not a big poster on these boards but I've been playing OOTP since version 2. My greatest interest was always in solo leagues though I have been in online leagues here but not recently. With the demise of the online leagues I was in I was looking forward to getting into 2006 with some solo time, however I didn't find the game fun or enjoyable. There were to many screens, they were to hard to navigate etc. 2007 has made everything easy again. Setting up the league was easy, simming was fast and easy etc. So far I'm only a few games into my fictional league but I can tell that already that I will be playing 2007 for a long time(well until 2008 anyway). I want to thank Markus for this great creation, and I want to thank SI and all the members of the forum for sticking by Markus.

03-23-2007, 01:28 AM	#8 (permalink)
Markus Heinsohn Developer OOTP Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Germany Posts: 14,004 Thanks: 606 Thanked 7,113x in 1,336 posts	I can't tell how happy I am reading impressions like this Thanks guys!