Difficulty settings

Skydog3000 · 02-02-2012, 09:12 PM

I'm new to OOTP but a long time Football Manager addict. I don't follow baseball but know enough about rules and strategy to feel not entirely uncomfortable with the game.

I set up a Fictional League with 24 teams and a 2011 start date. The gimmick is that it's a global league with 2 sub leagues "Pacific League" and "Atlantic League". It's mostly American and Canadian cities but with a fair sprinkling of large European and Asian cities as I wanted the world's largest cities to compete for financial reasons. All settings are default except that I have based team budgets on city populations. I started with a serpentine inaugural draft. I had pick 10.

I'm having a lot of fun with it. I'm 6 seasons in now (letting the manager simulate the games but pretty hands-on with all GM tasks).

My question is this. I have been in the World Series for 5 of the 6 seasons and won it 4 times. Last season I had players in the 1, 2 and 3 spots for HRs. Either I am incredibly lucky or incredibly talented or I need to adjust some difficulty settings. I am guessing it's the difficulty settings

.

I have adjusted the trade AI to hard. Should I be doing anything else to make the experience more challenging and therefore rewarding?

PSUColonel · 02-03-2012, 03:59 AM

I'd be curious to see how you compare OOTP & FM

SandMan · 02-03-2012, 09:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PSUColonel

I'd be curious to see how you compare OOTP & FM

Let's see he has been a longtime player of FM and just started playing OOTP. It is fair to say that FM is his game of choice. Why don't you keep this in your other thread. We get it you like FM more but this isn't the place to solicit feedback on another company's game. Two totally different games and sports, can't really compare them side by side.

Cinnamon J. Scudworth · 02-03-2012, 09:41 AM

Another way to make the game harder is to take over a smaller market team.

SandMan · 02-03-2012, 09:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skydog3000

My question is this. I have been in the World Series for 5 of the 6 seasons and won it 4 times.

Should I be doing anything else to make the experience more challenging and therefore rewarding?

You can quit from your team and pick the worse team in the league and try to rebuild that team to the pennant. Whenever I get bored with winning every year I take on the worse team or the team with the lowest budget.

OutS|der · 02-03-2012, 10:05 AM

you could trade away all your stars and start a team full of propects or young players.

Orcin · 02-03-2012, 01:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skydog3000

I started with a serpentine inaugural draft.

My opinion only... this is why you think it is too easy. In my experience, the inaugural draft AI is not up to par with the GM AI. It's pretty simple for the human to draft a very strong roster right out of the gate and continue to dominate for years. You have an established league now, so you could follow the other suggestions in this thread for more competition as opposed to starting over. My personal favorite is to allow my own team to age by keeping my good players until they retire. Eventually, you hit bottom with the opportunity to rebuild.

magnet · 02-03-2012, 01:55 PM

Make trading not only hard, but make the AI favor prospects.

Turn ratings off and play with potential ratings/stats only visible.

An idea I thought of last night after finishing a season 131-31; limit yourself to only signing minor-league contracts.

RchW · 02-03-2012, 02:23 PM

I find the game increasingly difficult. It used to be that the AI would build up good teams that were one-year-wonders. Now I find teams that are consistently strong for up to 5 years in each division. This makes the WS much more difficult to get to never mind winning it. In recent seasons I've even lost the automatic best record and home field advantage that comes with it. If these improvements continue into v13 I'll be a happy camper.

PSUColonel · 02-03-2012, 04:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SandMan

Let's see he has been a longtime player of FM and just started playing OOTP. It is fair to say that FM is his game of choice. Why don't you keep this in your other thread. We get it you like FM more but this isn't the place to solicit feedback on another company's game. Two totally different games and sports, can't really compare them side by side.

I'm just asking the guy...what is the big deal? It as though this somehow offends you are something.

SandMan · 02-03-2012, 04:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PSUColonel

I'm just asking the guy...what is the big deal? It as though this somehow offends you are something.

All I am saying is let him answer in your other thread, why do you feel the need to put OOTP down? We get it, you prefer FM. There is no reason to beat a dead horse. If you dislike OOTP so much why don't you stay on the FM boards and play FM instead of OOTP.

I am not offended. I just think you are trying to hijack this thread into a FM vs OOTP thread.

ukhotstove · 02-04-2012, 02:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by magnet

Make trading not only hard, but make the AI favor prospects.

Turn ratings off and play with potential ratings/stats only visible.

An idea I thought of last night after finishing a season 131-31; limit yourself to only signing minor-league contracts.

I'd go with magnet on this, specially the stats only part.

Skydog3000 · 02-04-2012, 07:07 PM

Thanks for the advice, everyone who has responded. I have adjusted the difficulty settings to Hard/Favor Prospects. Given that I enjoy the RPG element of the game, there is no way I could give up management of the team at this point or part with my loyal stars! If I need to make it harder still I will turn off overall ratings.As for FM v OOTP, they are both awesome games. PSUColonel, I'm happy to post more thoughts on that if you want to post a link to your thread on the topic.

PSUColonel · 02-05-2012, 03:01 PM

Here you go sky:

http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/boar...otp-vs-fm.html

02-02-2012, 09:12 PM	#1
Skydog3000 Bat Boy Join Date: Feb 2012 Posts: 2	Difficulty settings I'm new to OOTP but a long time Football Manager addict. I don't follow baseball but know enough about rules and strategy to feel not entirely uncomfortable with the game. I set up a Fictional League with 24 teams and a 2011 start date. The gimmick is that it's a global league with 2 sub leagues "Pacific League" and "Atlantic League". It's mostly American and Canadian cities but with a fair sprinkling of large European and Asian cities as I wanted the world's largest cities to compete for financial reasons. All settings are default except that I have based team budgets on city populations. I started with a serpentine inaugural draft. I had pick 10. I'm having a lot of fun with it. I'm 6 seasons in now (letting the manager simulate the games but pretty hands-on with all GM tasks). My question is this. I have been in the World Series for 5 of the 6 seasons and won it 4 times. Last season I had players in the 1, 2 and 3 spots for HRs. Either I am incredibly lucky or incredibly talented or I need to adjust some difficulty settings. I am guessing it's the difficulty settings . I have adjusted the trade AI to hard. Should I be doing anything else to make the experience more challenging and therefore rewarding?

02-03-2012, 09:41 AM	#4
Cinnamon J. Scudworth All Star Starter Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Washington, DC Posts: 1,119	Another way to make the game harder is to take over a smaller market team. __________________ "Sometimes, this is like going to a grocery store. You’ve got a list until you get to the check-out stand. And then you start reading People magazine, and all this other [stuff] ends up in the basket." -Sandy Alderson on the MLB offseason

02-03-2012, 02:23 PM	#9
RchW Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: The big smoke Posts: 15,628	I find the game increasingly difficult. It used to be that the AI would build up good teams that were one-year-wonders. Now I find teams that are consistently strong for up to 5 years in each division. This makes the WS much more difficult to get to never mind winning it. In recent seasons I've even lost the automatic best record and home field advantage that comes with it. If these improvements continue into v13 I'll be a happy camper. __________________ Cheers RichW If you’re looking for a good cause to donate money to please consider a Donation to Parkinson’s Canada. It may help me have a better future and if not me, someone else. Thanks. “Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition …There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect.” Frank Wilhoit

02-03-2012, 03:59 AM	#2
PSUColonel Hall Of Famer Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 12,990 Blog Entries: 37	I'd be curious to see how you compare OOTP & FM

02-03-2012, 10:05 AM	#6
OutS\|der Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: In A Van Down By The River Posts: 2,247	you could trade away all your stars and start a team full of propects or young players.

02-03-2012, 01:55 PM	#8
magnet Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 5,029	Make trading not only hard, but make the AI favor prospects. Turn ratings off and play with potential ratings/stats only visible. An idea I thought of last night after finishing a season 131-31; limit yourself to only signing minor-league contracts.

02-04-2012, 07:07 PM	#13
Skydog3000 Bat Boy Join Date: Feb 2012 Posts: 2	Thanks for the advice, everyone who has responded. I have adjusted the difficulty settings to Hard/Favor Prospects. Given that I enjoy the RPG element of the game, there is no way I could give up management of the team at this point or part with my loyal stars! If I need to make it harder still I will turn off overall ratings.As for FM v OOTP, they are both awesome games. PSUColonel, I'm happy to post more thoughts on that if you want to post a link to your thread on the topic.

02-05-2012, 03:01 PM	#14
PSUColonel Hall Of Famer Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 12,990 Blog Entries: 37	Here you go sky: http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/boar...otp-vs-fm.html