Learning Curve?

[bpl323]

Hi--

I'm considering getting OOTPB for my father for Father's Day, but I am worried about the learning curve associated with the game and how he would expect the game to play.

He is used to Strat-o-matic (the physical game) and would like a computer counterpart, but runs a Mac so there is no official SOM option.

Is it easy to set up MLB teams and play the game is a quasi-SOM sense? Are there tutorials he could follow to do so or is there a not-so-official MLB build of OOTPB?

If not, are there any other options that may work for him?

Thanks for any help.

[sporr]

The good news is that the game is highly customizable. He could use one of the Quick Starts to set up a league that mirrors the MLB, turn off any features that might make things more complicated than he cares for, and sim away.

[bpl323]

Where are the Quick Starts found? I don't see them from the main page at all.

Also, are they relatively easy to follow (he isn't the most computer literate)?

[sporr]

Originally Posted by bpl323

Where are the Quick Starts found? I don't see them from the main page at all.

Also, are they relatively easy to follow (he isn't the most computer literate)?

Quick starts are found inside the game on the intro menu. You can select Quick Starts and select the traditional MLB setup and the game will generate everything for you. Don't get me wrong, there will be a learning curve. However, there are other computer illiterates on the board, so there is hope Once he gets used to the menus and where to find things, I think he'll do just fine. It's almost a benefit that he doesn't have experience with prior versions. He can start fresh.

[Eric]

It's a good idea for a Father's day present.
I played a lot of APBA and wanted a change. I also wanted a game that had a AI manager so that I didn't have to make lineup decisions for all the teams.

One disadvantage is that the game does not come with the current year roster. That kind of threw me a bit. However, you can download a historical database and play a historical sim or download a current year roster set in the Mod section of the forum. The upside is that I don't have to buy a new card set for each season I wanted to play.

If your dad is not computer savvy, it might be a good idea for you to read up on how ton run a historical sim or download rosters and get that started for you.

The advantage of these games versus the old tabletop games is there's more depth - in addition to just organizing a roster for the team, you can act as the general manager and make trades and resign players. Tabletop games in the past are usually geared toward replaying a past season. Players are static. Here, players can develop. You can draft rookies, put them in the minor and watch them develop and become either superstars or fizzle out forever destined to watch the Show from afar.

[DTurner54]

I too played Strat alot with friends. Another board game I had was NAGAMCO baseball. (We're talking very old history now). I also used to play old time baseball on WIndows 95. It was a DOS program, but I really liked it. I cannot play it anymore with Windows XP, so I was looking for another similar game for my laptop. I discover OOTP in Febraury 2006!

I say buy the game for dear old dad. Just make sure that he reads the game manual, the 362 page version first. Then downlosad the game and start from the beginnning. What I have seen so far since the release, is that alot of the problems some individuals are having with the game, would not be problems, if they would read the manual first. Some of the problems seem to be in how they set of their Universe in the beginning. I haven't had too many problems so far in my different test leagues.

The game is a bit intimidating at first and without reading the manual one could or can get frustrated very quickly. He just needs to set up a few different test leagues first, play around with the different set ups and see what he likes about each different one. Then he can customize his true league he has dreamed about and play it from there.

Another option is Pure Sims Baseball 2007. I have Pim Sims 2005 and it is an alright game, but OOTP is much more customizable and I like it alot, alot more than Pure Sims. I am still learning OOTP, but it is really not that hard to get a handle on, if you just talk it slow. If something is not working like you think it should, delete and start over. After a few times you hit your head and go dah!

Good luck with your decision, but I vote for buying it, if he is a big baseball fan, he will love it and wonder why he's still playing Strat! (With OOPTP you don't have to keep Stats, it is all done for you!)