Useful & intelligent minor league AI managing?

[JoseRijo]

Originally Posted by PhillieFever

It seems to me that,you get better results controlling the minor league promotions/demotions yourself while letting the AI handle the day to day activities.The AI does a pretty good job of setting lineups/rotations/relief strategies/yada yada yada

My question regarding this is does the AI set up its rotations/lineups in order to maximize playing time for those with the highest potential or to just try to win games with the best current players? I bet its the latter so I've never had the nerve to let the managers handle it.

[SteveP]

Originally Posted by JoseRijo

My question regarding this is does the AI set up its rotations/lineups in order to maximize playing time for those with the highest potential or to just try to win games with the best current players? I bet its the latter so I've never had the nerve to let the managers handle it.

Minor league teams have to win games and sell tickets. Managers and coaches at that level may be judged more by their ability to develop players, but the economics of the situation are no different than at the ML level. So, yeah, it's a reasonable assumption that the AI is trying to win games at the minor league level.

[RchW]

Originally Posted by HonusWagner

In version 9 the AI minor league management is simply a joke. Has it been improved significantly in version X?

I am referring of course to the apparently zero consideration applied to signing players, assigning roles, and promoting/demoting. After one season of using AI managers I cannot recognize my organization. Total butcher job. Signing of 33yo FAs for short A, pushing 20 yo prospects onto the bench; on 30 man rosters having 9 pitchers and 21 fielders, ensuring my staff play in perpetual exhaustion and my fielders dont play at all; having prospects ready to move up but cant because they are blocked by 31 yo MLB vets having *hot* seasons in A ball, etc etc.

Have these issues been radically improved upon?

Once again I reach a threshold with this game. I have reached a few thus far and have managed to keep playing. However, with the work required to oversee an entire organization feeling more like work work than fun, this may be the final threshold. So something is at stake here.

Have you set your minor league strategy setting for each team to favor prospects?

Are you using coaches and scouts? If so they may be negatively affecting roster moves. I don't use them so I don't know if they have individual settings for prospects vs veterans etc.

I agree it can be too much work, especially if you have more than 3 levels of minors. PhillieFever gave good advice earlier.

It seems to me that,you get better results controlling the minor league promotions/demotions yourself while letting the AI handle the day to day activities.The AI does a pretty good job of setting lineups/rotations/relief strategies/yada yada yada

I control promotions/demotions but I occasionally click the set up complete minors to see where the AI and me disagree. If things appear way off I change 'em back. Too bad there isn't a "reverse last change" button. That would save some work.

My last point is difficult to check but your lowest minor league team may be full of "filler" players, who have no future (potential) but who may have current ratings that get them some playing time. I check who is playing at that level and release any player who is getting playing time ahead of a prospect who may have lower current ratings. The strategy settings if correct may eliminate that issue.

[HonusWagner]

Originally Posted by SteveP

I don't have too much interest in the complaints, per se, as they seem to be a variation on the all too familiar "the artificial intelligence isn't intelligent" refrain -- which is about as likely to lead to something useful as complaining that the winters are too cold and the summers too hot. The guys have their hands full trying to maintain a relatively complex AI, as it is. They are making improvements all the time, but it is very incremental and pretty much has to be.

The issues I mentioned in the OP are obviously NOT about nitpicking, but simply observing issues that make that aspect of game play untenable.

[SteveP]

I did not say the complaints were nitpicking. I said they appeared to fall within a familiar category or pattern.

[The Outlaw]

This issue actually makes the career mode/manager mode almost unplayable as well. They usually start you out as manager of one of these short season or rookie league teams but the guys running the organization rarely give you a roster featuring a complete team. One of the ones I started, I had just 7 pitchers on opening day. 3 starters and 4 MR... I love the concept of a career type/manager mode but all levels of the league should be fixed if this is going to be an option.

[Malleus Dei]

Originally Posted by Rand

Ironically from what I've read the season replay people seem convinced Markus is ignoring them in favor of those playing fictional... likely the truth is somewhere between the two extremes.

Not to undermine the issue, just amused that both sides think their ignored in favor of the other.

Every child thinks that one of their other siblings is the favorite.

[HonusWagner]

Originally Posted by RchW

Have you set your minor league strategy setting for each team to favor prospects?

Are you using coaches and scouts? If so they may be negatively affecting roster moves. I don't use them so I don't know if they have individual settings for prospects vs veterans etc.

Well, to use managers you have to have coaches turned on, no?

I have noticed no difference between managers with strategy preferences that favour veterans from those that favour prospects, when it comes to signing FAs and filling rosters.

My last point is difficult to check but your lowest minor league team may be full of "filler" players, who have no future (potential) but who may have current ratings that get them some playing time. I check who is playing at that level and release any player who is getting playing time ahead of a prospect who may have lower current ratings. The strategy settings if correct may eliminate that issue.

I dont use ratings - just stats - so it may not be that cut and dry, there is more ambiguity with just stats. So I go by age, and yes, you find 30+ yo FAs signed to play rookie ball. huh? I mean, its *great* theyre having fantastic seasons etc....

I wonder if tweaking the AI weights would have an affect - now because I play just stats the weights are 5, 50, 30, 15. Perhaps if I increased the ratings weight the AI would go by ratings/potential rather than performance. But then this would mess up my setup to play against AI managers who make decisions more or less based on the same criteria I make mine - evaluation of performance rather than ratings.

[HonusWagner]

Originally Posted by JoseRijo

My question regarding this is does the AI set up its rotations/lineups in order to maximize playing time for those with the highest potential or to just try to win games with the best current players? I bet its the latter so I've never had the nerve to let the managers handle it.

It would appear to me that the minor leagues are simply copies of top leagues. There does not appear to be any sophistication re development emphasis in minor leagues, so likely the same code programming your top league is used for all leagues. In other words, `minor` leagues is strictly an aesthetic in OOTP - they are the same as top leagues.



To respond to SteveP, obviously no, RL minor league systems do not exist for the same reasons parent leagues exist - to make money, win championships, build legacies, blah blah blah. This seems silly to point this out, unless I misunderstood you, but minor leagues exist (well, also to increase monopoly of MLB throughout NA, but I digress), as we all know, to feed parent teams. NO MLB organization would push a prospect off the lineup for a vet FA who may help them win more games or sell more tickets. If there arent enough butts in the seats then sayonara, este lavista, they relocate.

[HonusWagner]

oh... and I love how when using the manager to fill out depth charts the AI ignores the fact that a player is injured, and just proceeds to throw injured players on starting lineups and depth charts.... am I being too harsh?

[Chomps]

I have OOTP 10 patched to version 10.2.16. I just started a New 2009 MLB game using the default settings that come with the game. I setup a new manager and started unemployed. I searched for jobs and took one as a Rookie League Manager. So my first day on the job, being the competent manager that I am, I took a look at my roster. Much to my shock and horror I had the following players:

5 Starting Pitchers
17 Middle Relievers
1 Closer
3 Catchers
1 Thirdbaseman

That is it..my entire roster. Is this some sort of cruel joke?

[HonusWagner]

There's no problem.. With only one fielder of course you'd go through a normal bullpen in no time, hence the extra staff.





What?

[Chomps]

That's a darn good point Honus, and pretty darn funny too. I am really starting to wonder if a lot of the "features" in this game are just smoke and mirrors with kind of an empty shell behind the scenes.

[The Outlaw]

Originally Posted by Chomps

I have OOTP 10 patched to version 10.2.16. I just started a New 2009 MLB game using the default settings that come with the game. I setup a new manager and started unemployed. I searched for jobs and took one as a Rookie League Manager. So my first day on the job, being the competent manager that I am, I took a look at my roster. Much to my shock and horror I had the following players:

5 Starting Pitchers
17 Middle Relievers
1 Closer
3 Catchers
1 Thirdbaseman

That is it..my entire roster. Is this some sort of cruel joke?

This is my biggest problem with the game. I love the manager mode style of playing but I have to endure some pretty rough stretches. It's been this way in the past as well. Hope your middle relievers can field...at that level, they are better hitters than anyone you could get to play those positions. As manager, you can change their positions and hope the next level you go to will be a little more in line with a real baseball team. Can you imagine making your way to AA and going in for an interview and the Owner/GM says something to the effect, "I really love how you were able to pull off winning the rookie league title with 17 middle relievers on the roster."

[Khrog]

Originally Posted by jar2574

I allow the AI managers to promote and demote and to set lineups. I do not allow them to sign new players or release anyone. I have been satisfied with the results.

I try to make sure my top 10 prospects are playing somewhere in the system. So far they have always been playing every time I looked, at various levels in the system.

Each year I cut everyone that is too old for their respective minor league level. I usually cull about 10-15 players that way.

The promotion, demotion system seems to be working. I've seen guys move two levels in a given year, but more often good players move up about one level each year.

Very trusting of you...I find that I outperform the AI so I don't allow them to do anything in the minors unless I am looking for speed. I don't even let them set lineups if I can help it.