Dan's Campaign for a GM

[Dan Theman]

I run a couple of leagues - one a multiplayer/AI mix, and the other a solo league. While I love OOTP dearly, there is one "small" suggestions I have. If there was some way to implement it, I think a great many complaints or gripes from several posters could be eliminated in one fell swoop and the fun factor would increase exponentially (according to me, and that's the only person who counts, right?). So what's this miracle addition?

Add a GM.

We already have scouts, minor league managers, pitching and hitting coaches. That's terrific, but this game extends further than player development, and that's why a GM for each computer-controlled team would be perfect.

GM's would have the following qualities:

Budget style:

1) Penny Pinching (always looking for great deals on second and third tier players, but avoiding the huge contracts like the plague. These GMS would be more aggressive at pursuing these contracts, and would therefore have a better shot at signing these players in general. These GM's would also be less likely to simply release a player with a substantial contract).
2) Balanced (going for a high-end player if the fit is right, but otherwise aiming for a mid-level payroll and a modest cash reserve. These GM's would not be so adverse to releasing a player with a decently sized contract if they were unable to achieve a trade and had someone better)
3) Free-Spending (if there's an improvement that could be made, make it and worry about trading excess later. These GM's would often operate with a minimal cash reserve, and so therefore may often be involved in trades that deal with cash. These GM's would more likely to keep a larger contract on the bench if performance so dictated).

Trading Style
as a side note, part of this is already in the game as a league-wide variable
1) prefer veterans, balanced, or prefer prospects

2) percentages showing how different things are weighed in judging a player involved in a trade offer: stats in current year, prior year, and year before, and ratings

3) sliders showing preferences towards speed, hitting, defense, and pitching (internally operating as ratios)

Trading Frequency
as a side note, this is also part of the game as a league-wide variable
1) very often, often, normal, infrequent, very infrequent

Drafting Style
very similar to Trading Style
1) prefer college players, balanced, or prefer High Schoolers

2) sliders showing preferences towards speed, hitting, defense, and pitching (internally operating as ratios)

Roster Management Style

1) Eager (calling up/moving up prospects as soon as they show promise that they might succeed at a higher level, but just as quickly demoting players who aren't performing well)
2) Balanced (calling/moving up prospects when they should be ready, and giving some pattience to those who seem to be underperforming)
3) Patient (taking a bit longer than usual to move player up and down, just to certain)

GM's wouldn't have contracts per se, as they would take the place of a human, but they should be limited in terms of how long they stick around. My suggestion is that a GM be automatically "fired" (replaced with a different type of GM) after any of the following circumstances are met: two straight last-place finishes in the division, four straight losing seasons, five out of six seasons with a losing record.

These replacements would potentially help jumpstart struggling franchises by providing new "leadership."

Note: I considered including Trading Difficulty under Trading Style, but I'd hesitate to do so because I think some players might want to keep this as a league-wide variable.

[gordyhulten]

I would also add some sort of "consistency" characteristic, to allow for how tightly they adhere to their core principles above. If "rigid," they have a plan and stick to it. If "balanced," they will deviate somewhat. If "flexible" or "inconsitent," they will often stray from their plan. I think "flexible" might be a good way to model stupidity in GMs, allowing for bad trades and signings by AI teams.

[jte87]

This version of OOTP is my first, and if something along these lines was implemented, I might have a stroke from the excitement of OOTP7. I think there are some bugs that need working out with this year's game that need to be fixed with regard to the 40-man, waivers, etc. But this individualized setup should be of the utmost imprtance in next year's game. This is exaclty what I was referring to in my post about different organizations weighting ratings and stats differently.

[Dan Theman]

Gordy -

Not a bad idea, and I THINK that addition could work. Simply internally assigning a random chance to deviate a step or two back to norm for any given week of transactions (e.g. - a range from 0% - 20%) would be best. That could also mimic a GM "changing his mind" in regards to a trade, or even a feeling of "you'd better take it now, or else it's coming off the table in a week."

jte - glad you liked it, and spead the word. Maybe if we have enough of a groundswell of support, the powers-that-be may be inclined to add it in.

[boggs]

Bump--this is a great idea

[kingcharlesxii]

It sounds like a great idea. I'd like to see it separate from coaches and scouts so that we could have distinct team personalities without using coaches and scouts.

[Cooker]

This is a GREAT idea. Different GM personalities for different teams, and having them "change" after a proper sequence of events occurs (e.g., four straight losing seasons), would be brilliant.

If implemented, it should be available on the "Front Office" page of each CPU team (for those of us who run solo leagues). In real baseball everyone knows the tendencies of different GMs. That way, for instance, you'd know whether to waste your time talking to the Royals' GM about a blockbuster trade ("absolutely not") vs. the Mets' GM ("sure, I love to do deals").

[timw725]

how about adding managers to each team like in manager mode then each team has a manager then if they get fired you could leave the team you are with and manage the team he got fired by, Like so

you are the manager of the pirates, the yankees fire there manager at the end of the season, you get a e-mail that the yanks fired there manager, a few days later you get a offer to become the manager of the yanks, if you want you can agree and leave the pirates, or pass and stay with the pirates. and add a e-mail in the manager screen for the manager

[Maple Leafs]

Excellent ideas.

One nitpick, however..

Originally posted by Dan Theman
Trading Style
as a side note, part of this is already in the game as a league-wide variable
1) prefer veterans, balanced, or prefer prospects

2) percentages showing how different things are weighed in judging a player involved in a trade offer: stats in current year, prior year, and year before, and ratings

3) sliders showing preferences towards speed, hitting, defense, and pitching (internally operating as ratios)

Trading Frequency
as a side note, this is also part of the game as a league-wide variable
1) very often, often, normal, infrequent, very infrequent

... both of these, and perhaps some of the others, should be heavily dependent on a team's spot in the standings. Basically, a team should know if it's rebuilding or contending, and conduct its trading based on that.

That's why the league-wide trading preferences option Markus added doesn't really work. It shouldn't be league-wide, it should be team specific.

[bigD4VT]

Bump. This is a great idea!

[Dan Theman]

Originally posted by Maple Leafs
Excellent ideas.

One nitpick, however..



... both of these, and perhaps some of the others, should be heavily dependent on a team's spot in the standings. Basically, a team should know if it's rebuilding or contending, and conduct its trading based on that.

That's why the league-wide trading preferences option Markus added doesn't really work. It shouldn't be league-wide, it should be team specific.

A solid idea. I originally saw a team's GM developing his style through something of a Darwinian approach: some GM styles would simply fall flat on their face - and subsequently get fired - in certain types of markets/franchise situations. Then, eventually, a working model would find its way in. This is good for the big-picture model, but some short-term flexibility could be built in.

I think you're correct that an additional modifier could be useful. Not an overly strong modifier, but something to allow for GM's trading to get that one missing peice in a pennant chase or to unload dead weight during a season when you're not going anywhere.

I'd think this would be most useful and appropriate when it concerns trading players from your 40-man roster, so as not to disrupt the long term plans (styles) that each GM has used to form his minor leagues. The 40-man tag could let the program know when and when not to use the modified trading style on a team that qualifies.

Adjusted Trading Style
As a side note, this would be a league-wide option to turn on and off.
After the halfway point of each season, a team's position in the standings can have an impact on its GM's trading style when evaluating trades with players on its 40-man roster in the following manner:

1) The GM of a team in first place will automatically adjust his Trading Style one step toward the following; prefer veterans, importance of stats in current year (a maximum 10% increase obtained by subtracting 10% from the importance of stats two years ago), and trading very infrequently (if it ain't broke...).

The GM's Budget Style would also adjust one step toward free-spending.

2) The GM of a team within five games of first place (but not in first place) will automatically adjust his Trading Style one step toward the following; prefer veterans, importance of stats in current year ((a maximum 15% increase obtained by subtracting 5% from the year before and 10% from the year before that), and trading very often.

The GM will also invert the preferences of hitting and pitching in the effort to find that missing peice.

3) The GM of a team at least 15 games out of first place will automatically adjust his Trading Style one step toward the following; prefer prospects, importance of ratings (a maximum 15% increase obtained by subtracting 5% from the importance of stats from each year), and trading very often.

The GM's Budget Style would also be adjusted one step towards penny-pinching.

edit: By the way, shorter seasons would have the qualifying number of games out scaled back proportionately.

[Johnny Slick]

I had a four-letter acronym that I've used since FPS '98 to show the differences between different managers. In addition to what's been presented so far, different GM/managers should:

- Show different propensities to ride a player with a hot streak and/or keep a slumping player in the doghouse (think: Billy Martin).

- Run a set lineup or tinker with it every day (Leo Durocher, for example, ran a set lineup into the ground in 1968).

- Favor hitting or defense when looking to pick a position player (or movement vs control vs stuff vs velocity vs endurance vs handedness for a pitcher).

- Favor power vs. contact vs. speed and so on (you could even have a GM favor switch-hitters a la Whitey Herzog with the Cardinals).

- What kinds of player the GM/manager prefers at each lineup position (some folks prefer putting the fastest guy on the team at the #1 spot, even if the fastest man is Brian Hunter; others will put a notorious slowpoke like Wade Boggs up there if his OBP is high enough - another good example is that some teams prefer putting a 2nd low-power speedster at the #5 position).

- Willingness in general to use platoons, which can be applied to each individual player.

[Dan Theman]

Johnny -

Excellent additions to what Timw was mentioning (he even opened up a separate post) in regards to adding on a field manager, as well the GM I suggested.

A field manager could be pretty interesting and entertaining, as well. I like the idea, and I'd wholeheartedly endorse it just so long as the game keeps the GM separate.

[Salihna_Al_Assad]

this is a great idea.

if markus decides to install a GM mode for every teams, then i think he should also add an owners and field manager for every teams too.
and also, you should be able to play as an owner, Gm or field manager. If you choose to be an owner, you can hire a GM and a field.manager or let the GM hire a manager. and can fire them whenever you want. you can give them orders on what is expected for the season, the budget that they'll be working with and even force them to trade for a specific player.

[Skipaway]

Since the "play as a player mode" was seperated as an individual game in ITP, I'm sure what you suggested would generate more spinoffs and suck more money out of my pocket!!!

[Joe Canadian]

Cool idea. Something I've always wanted added to OOTP is GM's, Managers, and Owners. The immersion factor goes way up!

[Skipaway]

Don't forget the groundkeepers!!!!!!

[Dan Theman]

Hey - we NEED the groundskeepers. Oh, and also the concessions workers. Baseball isn't baseball without a guy walking around going "Get cha' col' bee-ah, hee-ah!" Afterall, they could have an impact on revenue.

Seriously, though - thanks for the support on the thread, everyone. Hopefully the show of interest will eventually result in adding this to the game. Keep the ideas coming!

- Dan

[Joe Canadian]

Groundkeepers kick ass!

[Dan Theman]

Now that we've "officially" got this pointed at OOTP7, and Markus has joined with SI - a company that already has much of this built into their flagship game - I thought I'd bump this once again to see if there's any renewed interest in my favorite topic