Suggestion Collection Thread: Play-by-Play

[battists]

I'm going to be posting a number of Suggestion Collection threads like this one, each one designed to collect a number of ideas for one specific area of the game. I'm going to compile these suggestions into some kind of helpful format, and see if this helps Marc and Markus. If necessary, I'll create polls later on to gauge the relative interest in different features.

However, if you want to join my thread, you need to follow my rules, and here they are:

1. Only 1 suggestion per post.
2. Suggestions must be on-topic for the thread.
3. Constructive, non-inflammatory suggestions only. I'm flat-out deleting posts that are angry in nature. If you want to do that, start your own thread.
4. No comments on others' suggestions necessary. That means, no posts saying "Great idea!"
5. No linking me to other forum threads. If it's important enough to you that you want it in this thread, then it should be important enough to put it in the format I've asked for here.
6. You can certainly post suggestions that conflict with or build upon earlier suggestions. You can also add screenshots of mockups and such if they help.

Format for Suggestions:
Suggestion: What is your suggestion? Be as specific as possible; include the screen you're talking about, if applicable.
Reason: Why do you think this is important?
Priority: High (MUST have), Medium (should have), Low (nice to have)

Thanks for participating!

Steve

[battists]

Today's Topic: Play-by-Play

What's In?
- Suggestions about the SION Broadcast and Webcast screens
- Suggestions about play-by-play functionality
- Other suggestions related to the play-by-play (managing a game) experienced

[Mr. Capo]

Suggestion: Optionally offer a simpler, less colorful version of the play by play.

Reason: A more satisfying experience, especially in one-pitch mode. Also, after a while, one becomes increasingly aware of the "multiple choice" aspect of the selection of phrases, and rather than creating the desired illusion of a human announcer, it actually has the opposite effect.

Priority: high

[Mr. Capo]

more regarding my previous post:

Suggestion: An announcing team of two: play-by-play, and color. The color announcer can be turned off.

They could even have names, and be hired and fired like scouts or coaches. You could save money by not hiring a color guy. Better announcers could result in more media revenue.

Reason: "Flashing the leather," and "Oh-ho, doctor" are becoming tedious. Such stuff could belong to the color guy. The P-B-P guy wouldn't need to be entirely dry, as in "single to left" or "strike out." It could be like: "fly ball to short left, it falls in for a base hit," or "struck him out swinging on an inside fastball," etc.

Priotity: high

[Mr. Capo]

Suggestion: The announcer should be aware of and announce:

• Developing no-hitters, cycles, etc.
• Personal milestones.
• Record-tying or record-setting accomplishments.
• League-leadership changes.
• Pitching changes and pinch hitters.

In the 2-announcer setup I proposed in my previous post, these announcements could be the province of the color announcer. For example:

P-B-P: "going ...going ...GONE!"
Color: "That's homer number 32 for Joe, giving him the league lead."
or,
P-B-P: "Swing and a miss, he struck him out!"
Color: "...and that is career strikeout number 1,000 for Roger."

Reason: It would be much more fun and realistic to be aware of, and follow these accomplishments as they happen during the game, rather than reading about them in the news or browsing the leaderboards after the game.

Priority: High. I think of most proposed improvements to the play-by-play as high, since it is the means by which we experience the game. The more enjoyable the P-B-P, the more we'll play out our games, enriching the whole OOTP experience.

[Raidergoo]

Suggestion: Calculate HR distance directly after determining an HR has been hit

Reason: Smarter sounding PBP. Here is a recent example, with M's Rule providing the variables. This HR was an epic blast and the guy called for it and jumped for it.

here's the pitch. . .
here's a swing. . .
hammered. . .
[235-12163]toward the gap in right field . . .
[NIB]Bowling calls for it. . .
[277-7394]Bowling leaps . . .
and he . . .
can't get it!
HOME RUN for Dunn!
[280-10318]that shot was measured at 453 feet
Adam Dunn Belts a solo home run!

Priority: Medium

[Raidergoo]

Processed to this point.

[JinAZ]

(I'm surprised this isn't already in here)

Suggestion: Allow a strategic one-pitch mode, especially when on defense. This would allow you to make defensive decisions that would play out during the at-bat without requiring you to go pitch by pitch. For example, allow users to Hold Runners or Pitch Around and yet still operate in one-pitch mode. Rather than having to hit a hotkey, it could work in a drop-down box like the defense ratings, with users toggling between "Pitch by Pitch Mode" or "One Pitch Mode" whenever they want to change modes.

Reason: I don't like to go in one pitch mode except in very specific, key situations (trying to steal a base, for example). But currently, I'm forced to go one-pitch at a time every time a runner is on base if I want my defense to pay attention to him. This makes the process of playing out games unnecessarily slow.

Priority: High

[Nutlaw]

Possibly too ambitious, but:

Suggestion: Create a customizable Broadcast/Webcast screen that allows the user to display the stats of his choosing, much like what one can do with the in-game Views used for the spreadsheet-type lists.

Reason: Everyone seems to have their own wishes for what they'd like to see on the SION SION Broadcast and Webcast screens, so this would allow each person to choose the information that would be most useful for them.

Priority: Low

[dougaiton]

Suggestion: Include player photos on the Webcast

Reason: It would be nice!

Priority: low

[Raidergoo]

Processed to this point.

[professor ape]

Suggestion:On the Webcast mode in one pitch mode I would like to see the log of pitches and display of pitch locations update before the play by play starts. Right now the PBP starts up with blank information.

Reason:It's seems like a simple fix and would allow you to see how a player has been pitched in the AB up to the point where the ball is put into play.

Priority: Low

[professor ape]

Suggestion: Develop 2D (or 3D) engine to annimate plays on the PBP screens.

Reason: This should be obvious. It would add so much to the game to be able to watch the action. At minimum there should be icons after the play to show where the ball was hit.

Priority:High (It would add a lot to the game)

[Football23]

Suggestion: Fights/charging the mound; when a batter is hit by a pitch or for some other reason

Reason: This, obviously, does occur sometimes in baseball. The PbP already says something along the lines of, "and he's shouting something at <pitcher's name here> when a batter gets hit by a pitch. Why not make it a possibility, a rare one, but one nontheless to have a batter charge the mound? You could also implement a suspension punishment for a batter who gets in a fight and maybe have it have to do with his intelligence rating whether he charges the mound or not?

Priority: Low

[Pirate Fan]

Suggestion: Have far fewer great fielding plays.

Reason: When there are a dozen or more of these per game they become monotonous. Players quickly learn that if an outfielder dives for a ball in OOTP he will catch it.

Priority: Low

[Raidergoo]

Processed.

[akw4572]

Suggestion: Replace the word "charging" with "tracking".

Reason: Lots of plays that the ball is charged on, it ends up at the wall, or missed and going to the wall.

Priority: To me, it would be nice.

[Raidergoo]

Processed.

[gregb7]

SUGGESTION: The ability to call a specific pitch and/or location as the defense and the ability to figure out the pitch (with an increased % of a favorable result) based on the situation as the offense. High and tight fastball followed by down and away slider etc etc

REASON: The heart and soul of baseball is the confrontation between the pitcher and the batter. Adding this guessing game for those that play in pitch by pitch mode would add this essential element. On/off toggleable.
I suppose setting up the AI to use this intelligently might be a challenge however.

PRIORITY: HIGH (for me at least)

[Eugene Church]

Text Database

Suggestion: battists, please get Markus to put the updated Text Database in the next patch.

M's rule has made many corrections and improvements in the Text and News Stories and there have been some expansion of the Shutout category.

Reason: to get the latest text into the game.

Priority: High