OOTP 10 - Graphics/animation

[Purple Cowboy]

Originally Posted by Markus Heinsohn

What we'd do is a view very similar to FM. 2D with circles in the colors of the team + the jersey number. Then a ballpark background image that is generated using the wall distance & heigh information, or a customized image.

That is definitely something for the future, but if we're all lucky then it's for OOTP 10

Oooh... that would be excellent.

[GBS]

OOTP 8 is "crash city" now as an only text game. Imagine what sound and video will do to it. Good lord!

[senorcoo]

Originally Posted by Markus Heinsohn

What we'd do is a view very similar to FM. 2D with circles in the colors of the team + the jersey number. Then a ballpark background image that is generated using the wall distance & heigh information, or a customized image.

That is definitely something for the future, but if we're all lucky then it's for OOTP 10

Works for me. I played CM when it was just text, but when they went to animated dots, there is NO way I could ever go back. Quite revolutionary.

[texasmame]

For those not familliar with FM (like me), I presume this is the kind of animation we're talking about with that?

[Eumel]

Originally Posted by Markus Heinsohn

Was Microleague available for the PC? Link?

PC Version:
Home of the Underdogs - Entry: Micro League Baseball 1

C64 Version:
STADIUM 64 - Game Infos: Micro League Baseball

[Eumel]

Originally Posted by texasmame

For those not familliar with FM (like me), I presume this is the kind of animation we're talking about with that?

Yup.

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by Giants44

I think the goal should be Front Page Baseball or Tony LaRussa 2. Both of those graphics were far better than the almost cartoonish Micro-League.

Next Gen graphics are a pipe dream anyway - those products have hundreds of programmers.

Yep.. would love something along these lines would be excellent!

[PSUColonel]

Here are some more from FM. This is what Markus is looking at when he says it would be similar.

[BusterKing]

Even something like gameday would be fun:

The Official Site of Major League Baseball: Gameday


It shows where the ball is thrown by the pitcher with a trajectory and where it lands in the field when batted. The stats can even be accumulated for where all the hits where made by a player.

When there is a live game going on, check the link I posted.

[Syd Thrift]

The trajectory thing would be okay by me. Adding FM-style graphics would open up a whole new can of worms IMO...

1. With trajectory you can just plot a ball going to a location where it may or may not end up as an out. Microleague's big problem, and this would be exactly the kind of thing that would make those who play the game for hundreds of hours a year turn the feature off, was that after you played for a while you could tell by the first second or two of animation what the play type was going to be. You could do this with the first couple iterations of Strat o Matic's ball flight graphics as well (I haven't bought that game in years so I don't know if they improved that at all).

2. You're also going to have grognards complain that the pitcher is not backing up third base on a base hit to right and so on. Even if it has no actual effect on the game, people will say that the game is hurting their eyes with its bad baseball.

3. You're also potentially adding a new layer of difficulty to the play by play. Already there's a bit too much yelling about great plays. If the graphics show a ball being hit right to second and the PBP says the guy made a diving stop, people will complain.

[Xavier12]

I would love to be able to follow the ball ala Football Manager. Also to see my fielders react, if only as little circles, is something I think FM does very well and I enjoy watching the games unfold.

[Sdpm100]

Originally Posted by Markus Heinsohn

What we'd do is a view very similar to FM. 2D with circles in the colors of the team + the jersey number. Then a ballpark background image that is generated using the wall distance & heigh information, or a customized image.

That is definitely something for the future, but if we're all lucky then it's for OOTP 10

That means my ballpark info page idea is sidelined for at least another 12 months.

Originally Posted by BusterKing

For me, the game is a lot more interesting when I can see the actual pictures of the real MLB players on the field. It feels more like baseball and you get attached to your players. (I tried fantasy players with facegen and it doesn't do anything for me). Pictures of the real baseball parks are also important, gives you the feeling that you are actually there.

Well yeah seeing one player especially for me.
Are there actual ballpark images from similar perspectives anywhere now?

Originally Posted by PSUColonel

Here are some more from FM. This is what Markus is looking at when he says it would be similar.

I digress slightly, but I said different languages in OOTP shouldn't be that difficult.

[thomamon]

Something similar to ESPN Gamecast would be awesome!

[The Wolf]

Originally Posted by Markus Heinsohn

Was Microleague available for the PC? Link?

Yes. It's abandonware, you can download it here:

Home of the Underdogs - Entry: Micro League Baseball 1

[Eumel]

Originally Posted by Syd Thrift

The trajectory thing would be okay by me. Adding FM-style graphics would open up a whole new can of worms IMO...

1. With trajectory you can just plot a ball going to a location where it may or may not end up as an out. Microleague's big problem, and this would be exactly the kind of thing that would make those who play the game for hundreds of hours a year turn the feature off, was that after you played for a while you could tell by the first second or two of animation what the play type was going to be. You could do this with the first couple iterations of Strat o Matic's ball flight graphics as well (I haven't bought that game in years so I don't know if they improved that at all).

This is something that can be avoided, though. For instance, you could allow a certain random variation for each play type (i.e. groundout 6-3). For a play type you would then not have a handful of graphical representations, but many many more, by randomly modifying small details. For instance, you could apply some random modification to the hit direction, ball speed, fielder movement, throw velocity, throw accuracy, et cetera. Even player ratings can be included to modify the graphical representation, making the throws of an outfielder with a bad arm look slower, or so. This would give you hundreds of play graphics for one play type already.

Such a 2D representation is a lot of work (especially for such a small team!), but with careful planning, these pitfalls can be avoided. For baseball it is certainly much much easier than for soccer, which cannot be broken up into discrete plays at all. For baseball, you can determine the result of a play first, and then generate a graphical representation that fits. In soccer there are no "plays".

[johnnybourbon]

Originally Posted by Markus Heinsohn

What we'd do is a view very similar to FM. 2D with circles in the colors of the team + the jersey number. Then a ballpark background image that is generated using the wall distance & heigh information, or a customized image.

That is definitely something for the future, but if we're all lucky then it's for OOTP 10

when i started reading this thread, thats exactly what i was thinking. 2D is something that I'd be interested in. Ball flight and moving circles surely would be bare bones minimum, but it would totally work for me.

[kckid4u]

Originally Posted by The Wolf

Yes. It's abandonware, you can download it here:

Home of the Underdogs - Entry: Micro League Baseball 1

Damn, that is kind of cheesy looking. I'd just like to have ball flight like PureSim has and not much more.

[The Wolf]

Originally Posted by kckid4u

Damn, that is kind of cheesy looking.

Yeah, it really is. IMO what FM has in the way of graphics would be fine, but I'm not real big on including graphics at all. I'd rather have player development and the AI really tuned up well instead. But lots of folks seem to want graphics, so whatever.

[Bigdummie]

I would be interested in 2D graphics, it would ad to the viewing pleasure of playing out games. Having the real ballparks is a must, provided they are easier to assign as in V8, what a pain. Hope its easier in V9, havn't read if thats one of the new features.

[Jose Cardenal's Afro]

Once the simulation aspect of the game is perfected then throw some graphics at me. There is far more to be added to current gameplay than graphics would add. Plus, I can see the threads now that once graphics get added the threads would start regarding spending more time on fundamental simulation, blah, blah, blah. I play OOTP for realistic simulations. I could care less about graphics.