What would get you to get OOTP9?

[Morty Ruth]

I am extremely happy with ootp2007 -- but if ootp 9 includes the ability to import historical leagues from 1871 - 1900, I will be all over it. Might even preorder, which would be a first.

[theasfl]

Ill be getting it regardless, but complete playoff edit/customizability/schedulization

[emcgman]

Probably get it regardless, but here's the wish list.

1) Auto play of individual games with variable speed/detail option, so you can watch a `telecast' of your game. Doesn't have to be console level graphics or animation, just a brief play by play and some animation to set the scene.

[toadfreak7]

My thoughts:

1) Better creation of fictional players: I'm tired of guys that are 6'4", 225 that are 80 or above at 1B, 2B, 3B, and SS. I think creation should be based on models like these:

a) speedy, defensive middle infielders that can't hit
b) big, slow corner OFers that hit for power and average and K a lot.
c) slow catchers that have great defense (and I'd like the AI to put more emphasis on preferring a catcher's defense and arm ratings over offense)
d) the DH type. Bad 1B or corner OF defense, but a good hitter
e) fast CFers that hit for average, but with low OBP and power.

etc etc etc

I think there'd be about 20 or 25 different models at least. And it'd definitely be more realistic than random.

2) A stripped down option: I'd like an option that takes most of the menu animations and high-res graphics and pares them down so you could run it on a slower machine. And I like the look of the simpler graphics.

[swampdragon]

Originally Posted by Morty Ruth

I am extremely happy with ootp2007 -- but if ootp 9 includes the ability to import historical leagues from 1871 - 1900, I will be all over it. Might even preorder, which would be a first.

""

[koohead]

I'll be buying OOTP9 regardless, but I would love to see a schedule editor similar to the stickware program from the OOTP6 days. Mainly, I want to be able to specify a start date, and end date, and number of games, and have it generate the sched. Options such as interleague games (being able to specify which division would be nice), unbalanced schedules, and the sort would be great.

Better handling of Spring Training and Sept call ups. A player shouldn't have to clear waivers in order to get demoted during these times, and a player shouldn't be added to the 40 man roster during these times either...unless that's how it works in real life? Well def not spring training, and I think I'd settle for that.

The feeder league concept was a huge step, but I'd like to see it improved. Model it more along the lines of the real College and HS world...where players can leave collee early for the draft and not have it depend on age. Also the addition of a "senior" league would be great, where players past their prime won't necessarily hang it up but go play in the senior leagues.

Winter leagues. MLB clubs should be able to send players to winter leagues for additional playing time.

Fix personnel. should be able to promote or demote a coach from one level to the next and that should have an impact on his morale just like players are affected when promoted.

[endgame]

Originally Posted by koohead

I'll be buying OOTP9 regardless, but I would love to see a schedule editor similar to the stickware program from the OOTP6 days.

" " " " "

Amen, amen, amen!

[Cryomaniac]

Originally Posted by koohead

The feeder league concept was a huge step, but I'd like to see it improved. Model it more along the lines of the real College and HS world...where players can leave collee early for the draft and not have it depend on age. Also the addition of a "senior" league would be great, where players past their prime won't necessarily hang it up but go play in the senior leagues.

I agree, those things would be cool.

[JoseRijo]

Online league trading solution that doesn't require commissioner intervention is my biggest issue.

[metsgeek]

I really don't know. Simplification for online leagues, maybe. For the life of me, I cannot get into any league beyond 6.5. Just too much sensory overload.

[wilkiburger]

You have a wealth of stats already in the game. I love this, but I want to see it incooporated into the game play. If a milestone is near I want to hear about it. "With that hit, Ramirez takes the second spot in Marlins history overtaking Cabrera with 1567 hits, he is now only 234 hits off of Jo Bloggs"

Further to that I would like to see career results kept of head to head Marlins 40 wins to Braves 76 Wins and individual stats of the games between.

"Ramirez now has more 2B hits against the Braves than anyone else" Etc.

These sort of stats are always up on the TV so if we can get them in then please do!!!

Oh, sound and 2D? Why not, but Id fore go both for my request.

Dont do what SI have done and do a 2D engine that is static and positional. (Footy manager)

[SRJeff]

Originally Posted by Anisoptera

What would get you to get OOTP9? FaceGen (best feature ever?) and the myriad of needed improvements over 2006 were enough for me to get 2007, but I'm not sure about 9. Even in-game graphics, as awesome as they would be, I'm not sure would get me as I rarely play out games.

A little late to the discussion (and new to the forum), but I'm getting v.9 regardless. My only suggestion is to allow a FaceGen/database of female players. Makes for great fictitious blogging.

[Cryomaniac]

Originally Posted by SRJeff

A little late to the discussion (and new to the forum), but I'm getting v.9 regardless. My only suggestion is to allow a FaceGen/database of female players. Makes for great fictitious blogging.

I agree, you should be able to make female players.

[Jestre]

I'm going to have to weigh in on the interface issue. I too much prefer the 6.5 model. Yes the 2006/7/8 is easy enough to figure out and use but it is just too much. There always seems to be an extra step or two to get anything done. Information presentation is much more effective and pleasing for me in the 6.5 format. I do not like the Manager format of the game, having to switch manager profiles to play more than one team is cumbersome. Setting up leagues, adding photos and logos are all more difficult in the 2006/7/8 game. To me the bottomline is that 2006/7/8 simply takes the game over the line in the work/fun ratio. I would much rather see an improved 6.5 version than OOTP2009 etc. That being said I am not expecting to see that happen but I think it is important to let Markus and the OOTP powers know how a lot of the fan base feels and why many of us are disillusioned with the direction of the game.
Personnally I have been spending most of my time with Puresim these days. PS has made some tweaks to their game that makes it quite attractive to deadball period players such as I am. Sean is back working on the game now and will hopefully take PS more in the direction I prefer.

[Zitofan75]

Originally Posted by koohead

The feeder league concept was a huge step, but I'd like to see it improved. Model it more along the lines of the real College and HS world...where players can leave collee early for the draft and not have it depend on age. Also the addition of a "senior" league would be great, where players past their prime won't necessarily hang it up but go play in the senior leagues.

I'd like some high school players to head on to college in some cases.

Originally Posted by koohead

Winter leagues. MLB clubs should be able to send players to winter leagues for additional playing time.

""

[Zitofan75]

For the original question, I'll put down money the day it opens for pre-order. I like the game Markus puts out and I like supporting small developers. Personally I'm glad he's no longer associated with SEGA. I really like the strides that he made with OOTP7 and saw it as realizing the promise found in OOTP6. OOTP8 has been nice too, milestone tracker was a needed addition.

OOTP7 has gotten me interested in historic play more than ever. I was never excited about having to remember when to add a particular team for example. I also like to play with multiple leagues, something prior versions of OOTP wouldn't allow at all and OOTP6 wouldn't allow you to add as you went on. I look forward to more of this in future versions and hope for more realistic treatments of the minors (a huge task I know) with hopefully independent minor leagues slowly being enfolded into MLB over time.

I hesitate to enter the interface debate as A) it still raises some hackles and B) it's probably pointless. However I would point out that when they announced their split from SI and mentioned OOTP9 they stated that the current interface will stay. So unless they have a secret plan in the works to bring the old interface back it's a moot point. Anyhow, the criticism of the interface and the game itself was much more intense a year ago after OOTP6 then it is now. The mood was alot more pessimistic back then that OOTP would do well in the future and there was much tentativeness about OOTP7. If there was ever going to be a time when Markus might've been tempted to "change back" it was probably then when such a change would've been met with a more favorable response from the boards. Now, with the success of OOTP7 it seems alot more people have moved on from that issue and changing back now would be unecessarily disruptive IMO. We've had two versions of the game with the interface and many people are structuring their games around it and looking forward to OOTP9, often with the assumption that the interface will remain. Swinging back to the old ways to please some of your customer base (and it's not clear how large that group is compared to those who prefer/like/or are satisfied with today's version) is simply messing with the rest of your customer base and that's not a good idea. Anyhow, Markus has tweaked the interface over time to make it more functional. The bookmark feature is a good example of that. I imagine it will continue evolve in the future.

[Anisoptera]

Now that Markus has made an update about OOTP9 I thought this thread could use a bump.

[RchW]

I'll buy because this is the only title that keeps me playing on. Worth every penny I've spent since v5.

[Vinny P.]

Well, now. OOTP 9, and it's last update has come, and OOTP 10 is now being worked on. I just now noticed this thread when doing a google search for a collegiate league for OOTP9 (I am creating one myself at this point, because I failed to find a real college league, with all 30 conferences and teams. I may provide this to the community at some future date. Perhaps when OOTP 10 comes out.)

Anyway, that being said: I at first was a bit intimidated by the interface myself, but have come to love it. The functionality of the interface is pretty incredible, and quite powerful, with links to look at whatever the hell information you wanna look at, with no restrictions.

The biggest thing that still needs worked on, IMO, is the league creation process.

The collegiate league that I am working on, for instance, is taking a lot of time to set up. I cannot save the progress I have made so far in creating the league without actually finishing it, and continuing into the actual game. (30 D1A conferences with at least 10 teams each, with all of their own cities and stadiums and etc....this naturally take a long time just to do the research alone!) would be nice that once you start the game, ALL options will still be available, in order that we can save the league first as a template (a nice feature that it currently has) once the entire league structure is set up, then be able to test the league with the various different options throughout, rather than having to recreate the ENTIRE THING once again from scratch.

An example:

Player suspensions option, both for fighting, and drugs.

If you leave it unchecked at the beginning of the league, once you start the game, it is too late to go back and add it in again. Same with being able to "scout foreign countries" option. This is especially true for historical simulations.

I started a historical sim once with "Hidden Players" checked, and my 1871 league (up to 1873 by this point) became so incredibly chocked by foreigners, it wasn;t even funny at all. 3/4 of my team were from foreign countries.

I started it again, this time I wanted to test a different type of historical league. I started a league in the year 2000, with "hidden players off." Year of simming later, I couldn't turn Hidden Players back on if I wanted to.

The point:

I wold like to start a career in 1871 with all historical players, and simm al the way up until 2008, and switch over to being able to scout for hidden players.

That is when I turned my attention to creating a modern college league, and there are STILL more options tht I cannot mess with once the league is created, which is why I wish that either the current league creation process can be saved, before actually CREATING the league, or being able to go back and use ALL options available only during league creation. This way I can save the league as a template once I am happy. Test a few years, tweak some options until I am happy, and test a few more years and so on, until I have the "perfect" set up. Then I can go back to my saved template and start again with the "perfect" settings and start from year 1, and be happy with the league forever.

Not to make my post seem "TOO" pessimistic, the game is by far the greatest baseball sim ever created. But no matter how great a game/program is, there is ALWAYS room for improvement! That is what we call the "strive for perfection."

[AirmenSmith]

I'm easy to please. Just make it so relievers won't be put in as starters.