Is the fun back?

[Nutlaw]

Originally Posted by Rockpile

What features are back or added that make it fun?

Does the game flow better than 2006 and not seem so much like a database?

Is it more user friendly (example would be the looped tasks for the scouts)?

Are the text elements (PBP, news stories) better? Do "scouts" give written descriptions of players?

Does it sim and/or load any faster than 2006?

All of those would add up to "more fun" for me.

Yeah, this is a broad set of questions. However, the interface is more streamlined and there are a couple of good overview screens that help you to spend more time playing and much less time struggling with the interface.

PBP and news stories are better, more varied, and include more options.

Playing through as a manager is now a lot more smooth, and thus more fun. Having AI manager records to compare to can be neat.

The player photos add a lot more personality, too.

The AI is much better and the game is simply more polished. I wasn't a beta tester for 2006, but as a consumer, I never really played in any leagues (except when my on-line league switched). I was spending all of my time testing or poking at things because they didn't seem to work quite right. 2007 is clearly a much more finished product, and that allows me to simply enjoy playing the game when I want to.

[Caporegime]

Originally Posted by battists

Ask Rasnell how much of a "fanboy" he was.

It is hard, though, selecting a beta team. You want people who are dedicated enough to the game to put in effort towards testing, and with non-professional testers, you just don't get that with people who hate the game.

At the same time, you also don't want people who fundamentally disagree with the direction the game is taking, and are just going to whine about that instead of working at improving the direction that has been selected. You also don't want people who are unwilling to compromise. The beta team needs a certain amount of harmony to function in a cooperative fashion.

That's the recipe needed to make any collective endeavor succeed. However, it's been my experience in business that egos inevitably clash, feelings inevitably get hurt, and consequently, productivity inevitably sinks like a weighted corpse, unless there's a strong personality present to keep it all together.

Kudos to the current batch of beta testers. I don't know how tightly they were supervised, but from the outside looking in, it certainly seems at this early stage like they collectively worked well enough together to help produce outstanding results. In the end, that's all that really matters.

[Raidergoo]

Originally Posted by bigcat

The major problem with non-paid testers is the lack of opposing views.

I have called certain elements dog vomit. Others have called certain elements unpublishable and unshippable. Others have called out a lack of attention to detail in select areas repeatedly.

Ask rasnell about wild pitches. That's worth a blog in and of itself.

[endgame]

battists
^

Originally Posted by Caporegime

a strong personality present to keep it all together.

I strongly suspect this is the case.

[bigcat]

Lol, OK I repent for my comment on beta-testers being fans and not critical enough.

[Raidergoo]

Originally Posted by endgame

battists
^

I strongly suspect this is the case.

Also, there are some new people that are beating him to some issues.

[Raidergoo]

Originally Posted by bigcat

Lol, OK I repent for my comment on beta-testers being fans and not critical enough.

I play the game more than most people. It's got to make me happy and keep me coming back for one more game.

We are Fans, yes, but there are sharp elbows being tossed around.

[Queensryche]

I really disliked OOTP2006 at the start. It all had to do with the confusing as hell interface and the little things that made the game more difficult to browse. Over time I got used to it and ended up playing it a lot. I still have it installed on my laptop and boot up my franchise every now and then.

The OOTP2006 interface switch is what threw everyone off,but if you get used to it,you can really see how much an improvement this engine is over the old one. Can't wait for 2007.

[OakDragon]

Originally Posted by bigcat

I'm not surprised that the beta testers like it. With all due respect to the fine people who do the testing and they do an excellent and under-respected job, they are all hardcore fans of OOTP and Markus. They aren't likely to go beyond finding bugs and writing PbP to intensively looking at questionable design. The major problem with non-paid testers is the lack of opposing views.

Oh, how I wish you could see inside the beta forums! (Hopefully some of the blogs will give you an idea of this somehow.) Everyone is doing their darnedest to break the game and question the design. They don't let us just sit back and play the game.

I think, depending on the group of testers you get, being non-paid can be an advantage. We are here testing because we love the game, not because we get something extra out of it. We want to make it better and we can see a vision of where OOTP can go in the future, to make a good product truly great... something that all types of simmers can appreciate and love. We want to do our best to help fulfill that dream for everyone involved. And I think we are doing that this year.

All I can say is, do your best to put to put your hopes and expectations aside and try out the demo when it's available. That's the only way you'll know whether or not it's for you.

[Raidergoo]

Originally Posted by Rockpile

What features are back or added that make it fun?

Does the game flow better than 2006 and not seem so much like a database?

Is it more user friendly (example would be the looped tasks for the scouts)?

Are the text elements (PBP, news stories) better? Do "scouts" give written descriptions of players?

Does it sim and/or load any faster than 2006?

All of those would add up to "more fun" for me.

1) Stars. Makes assessing talent a snap. Automatic history import. Start you historical league in 1956, and Babe Ruth is #1 with 714 HR. Historical sims have gotten so much attention to accuracy. 7 day line ups.

User friendly? The manager start page has links to all common tasks. You have common tasks grouped together, like review roster, pitching staff and review lineups.

I don't think 2006 was a glorified database, so I am ill equipped to answer this.

PbP should be better, from what I have seen. Scouts do NOT give written assessments. They give ratings. That won't happen this time.

Sim faster? I started a 1901 league at 1 AM. 13 hours later, it is in 1970. Chugging along fine. Does the game load faster? No, it is the same. Has performance increased? Clearly. Can you sim longer, faster, more reliably? Read the blog.

[Chris Johnson]

I would echo the sentiment that I think SI is really trying to improve the game this time out. Rumor has it that they were even considering asking a current "hater" such as myself for the beta team, even though I don't participate in such betas anymore. There are enough people who have harsh opinions about 2006 on the beta team that if OOTP 2007 fails this time around, I really don't think there is any hope for the game.

[Raidergoo]

Originally Posted by Chris Johnson

I would echo the sentiment that I think SI is really trying to improve the game this time out. Rumor has it that they were even considering asking a current "hater" such as myself for the beta team, even though I don't participate in such betas anymore. There are enough people who have harsh opinions about 2006 on the beta team that if OOTP 2007 fails this time around, I really don't think there is any hope for the game.

It was not a rumor. Haters are welcome, as were online gurus.

[StyxNCa]

Originally Posted by Queensryche

I really disliked OOTP2006 at the start. It all had to do with the confusing as hell interface and the little things that made the game more difficult to browse. Over time I got used to it and ended up playing it a lot. I still have it installed on my laptop and boot up my franchise every now and then.

The OOTP2006 interface switch is what threw everyone off,but if you get used to it,you can really see how much an improvement this engine is over the old one. Can't wait for 2007.

Ditto.....

It was a bit of culture shock, but I got used to the interface pretty quick and spend many, many hours playing my games.

[bigcat]

Certainly encouraging. I vibe I mistakenly got was that SI and Markus were perfectly happy with 2006 and considered an excellent finished product.


I'm trying 2006 out again and am confused on the patch. My version is 1.0.2.12258. The latest DL version I could find. I assume therefor that I need 1.0.3? However when I follow the link from the message board anouncing the patch, I get a blank sort of page that seems intended for 2007.
I try the download links from here and the Page the links take me too says

"
OOTP Baseball 2006 Patch 1.0.3 Patch your version of OOTP Baseball 2006
Added on 07/06/2006 by Sports Interactive
Works with OOTPB 2006
Viewed 1793 times

Must Download

This patch takes the game to version 1.0.2. For details of the fixes and features please check out the Full changelist
"

Which seems to be saying its patch 1.0.3 at the top and linking me to 1.0.2.

Could any beta website testers help me out one this one!

Also anyone know the location of the game guide? Can't find it either.

[endgame]

Originally Posted by Raidergoo

Also, there are some new people that are beating him to some issues.

Oh, no doubt. But knowing battists, he provides an excellent buffer to make sure these people don't end up beating their heads, along with their ideas, into an uncaring wall. I have every confidence this is an outstanding team of contributors.

[jarmenia]

Originally Posted by endgame

Oh, no doubt. But knowing battists, he provides an excellent buffer to make sure these people don't end up beating their heads, along with their ideas, into an uncaring wall. I have every confidence this is an outstanding team of contributors.

Battists has done a great job but don't forget about Markus. It takes a special person to swallow their pride and admit they were wrong, and he's done this several times. If Markus wasn't willing to listen to us, no matter how much we complain, the game would not be where it is right now.

[endgame]

Originally Posted by Raidergoo

started a 1901 league at 1 AM. 13 hours later, it is in 1970. Chugging along fine.

Quick question related to a problem I had with v2006. Do you customarily, or of necessity, shut down your AV when you run these long-term sims?

[endgame]

Originally Posted by jarmenia

Battists has done a great job but don't forget about Markus. It takes a special person to swallow their pride and admit they were wrong, and he's done this several times. If Markus wasn't willing to listen to us, no matter how much we complain, the game would not be where it is right now.

Agreed 100%. In fact, even without being on the inside this year, I could easily remark - with confident opinion - about many, many individuals and their extremely integral contributions and talents to this effort, all kingpins of their own movements so to speak. Your relentless dedication to overall memory performance, RonCo's statistical integrity, well hell, if I began to name them all I'd no doubt inadvertantly neglect someone so I won't. But rest assured, I believe wholeheartedly in the composition and productivity of this entire endeavor. I am very anxious to see the new game.

[Raidergoo]

Originally Posted by endgame

Quick question related to a problem I had with v2006. Do you customarily, or of necessity, shut down your AV when you run these long-term sims?

Not anymore. Right this second, I have 32 processes running. Running now, I have OOTP 2007, Trillian, Firefox, and I am listening to Radiohead on Windows Media Player. Zone Alarm, Grisoft AV, and Excel, too.

2007 is a resource pig, but not an egregious one.

[Overkill]

Originally Posted by bigcat

Also anyone know the location of the game guide? Can't find it either.

http://www.sigames.com/downloads.php...d=367&file=453

14.5 MB, not bad if you're not on dial-up.