Suggestions: New Features / Grab Bag

[CobaltJays]

Suggestion

Ability to set the size of the reserve roster for leagues without minor league teams.

Reason

The current reserve roster limit of 200 is way too big and impossible to change. This results in hoarding of players by these teams and is very unrealistic. As of right now, it's impossible to accurately duplicate the structure of independent leagues.

Priority

Extremely High

[Ktulu]

Suggestion:

Improve the league history by including all the features from catobase and adding more depth.

Missing features from Catobase include progressive & playoff leaderboards, hof standard, black/grey ink, championships won, team records etc.

Other improvements:

- On the awards pages include a summary at the bottom of each award that shows who won the most awards(like cato does) and also who won the award in the most consecutive seasons.

- On the "history index" display the average LgAvg LgEra at the bottom of the columns along with the team who won the most championships and the most consecutive championships (ex: New York (6))

- In the accomplishments which include counting stats(3+hr's, 20+wins & hitting streaks etc.) bold the line with the highest total (ex: longest hitting streak).

Reason:

History is a major part of baseball and a big part of the ootp experience. There is a lot of "history" and records that can be found in the game, but isn't summarized in the history section.

Priority:

Medium

[Kaitiaki]

Suggestion

Add Left on Base Percentage (LOB%) and Home Runs Per Flyball (HR/FB) to the set of statistics that OOTP tracks for pitchers.

Reason

LOB% and HR/FB are two other major ways (along with BABIP) that pitchers can be evaluated for "luck". Pitchers who are stranding far more runners than the league average, or not giving up very many home runs despite constantly having balls driven to the outfield, can be determined to be "getting lucky", and therefore likely to regress in the near future. These statistics would allow users to make more detailed and realistic roster management decisions.

Priority

Medium.

- Kai

[Le Grande Orange]

SUGGESTION

When a new league is created that's using a schedule that's significantly different in length from a standard major league schedule, scale the various fixed dates for events accordingly so that they fit the longer/shorter schedule.

REASON

As it stands now, the fixed dates for events stay set at the current major league settings. But say you create a league which uses a schedule which ends a few days into September — the game will keep a Sept. 1st setting for roster expansion. So if the player forgets to check that setting, they end up with roster expanion happening only a few days before the end of the season.

Having such dates scale according to the calendar length of the season makes it easier for folks creating a league since they don't have to worry about forgetting such settings, they'll be properly scaled to their league.

PRIORITY

Medium/High


The Suggestion in Detail

As mentioned, fixed dates for events, such as the trading deadling or roster expansion, don't scale to the calendar length of the league. These events should scale, based on the proportion they have in a current standard major league season.

For example, here are the actual fixed dates for some MLB events:

• May 15 (first date a player released after Aug. 31 and before opening day can be re-signed by the releasing team)
• June 16 (first date a player signed as a free agent in the off-season can be traded)
• July 31 (last date for waiver-free trading until the close of the regular season)
• Aug. 15 (players added to the 40-man roster after this date and before the Rule 5 draft can only be removed from the 40-man roster by being released; they cannot be outrighted to the minors)
• Aug. 31 (last date for post-season roster eligibility; players released after this date and before opening day cannot be re-signed by the releasing team until May 15)
• Sept. 1 (active player limit expands from 25 to 40)
• Nov. 20 (filing date for major and minor league reserve lists)
• Dec. 1 (last date for former clubs of a declared free agent to offer salary arbitration in order to be elibible for compensation)
• Dec. 7 (last date for a declared free agent to accept offer of salary arbitration from former club)
• Dec. 12 (last date to tender contracts to players)
• Mar. 11 (last date on which contracts can be renewed by clubs)

If a major league schedule which starts on, say, April 2 and ends on Oct. 1, the above fixed dates work fine.

But if a minor league schedule which starts on April 6 and ends on Sept. 4 was used for the league, the above fixed dates now do not fall proportionately in the same place in the season as is the case in the major league schedule. The roster expansion date, for example, now falls three days before the close of the season. This is not a desirable situation.

To scale such fixed dates to a different schedule, the proportion of where those dates fall in a major league season is used as the reference point. Below are the listings for how far into the regular or off-season the event dates fall:

May 15 = 1/4 of the way through the regular season
June 16 = 2/5 of the way through the regular season
July 31 = 2/3 of the way through the regular season
Aug. 15 = 3/4 of the way through the regular season
Aug. 31/Sept. 1 = 5/6 of the way through the regular season
Nov. 20 = 1/4 of the way through the off-season
Dec. 1 = 1/3 of the way through the off-season
Dec. 7 = 3/8 of the way through the off-season
Dec. 12 = 2/5 of the way through the off-season
Mar. 11 = 8/9 of the way through the off-season

A schedule which starts on April 6 and end on Sept. 4 is 152 days long. The normal July 31 trading deadline falls 2/3 of the way through a major league regular season. For a 152-day schedule, 2/3 of the way through the season would be 101 days into the season. So 101 days are added to the April 6 opening date; the result is that the trading deadline would fall on July 16. This scales the trading deadline to fall proportionately in the same place (2/3 of the way into the season) in the shorter schedule as it does in a standard major league season schedule.

Off-season dates are scaled similarly, except that they are scaled according to how far through the off-season the date falls rather than the regular season.

Applying the above fractional values means a 152-day schedule starting on April 6 would see the event dates adjusted as follows:

May 15 moved to May 14
June 16 moved to June 5
July 31 moved to July 16
Aug. 16 moved to July 29
Aug. 31 moved to Aug. 10
Sept. 1 moved to Aug. 11
Nov. 20 moved to Oct. 27
Dec. 1 moved to Nov. 13
Dec. 7 moved to Nov. 22
Dec. 12 moved to Nov. 27
Mar. 11 unchanged.

Scaling the fixed dates in this way means all the dates are falling proportionately in the same place as in a standard major league season. This is much better than leaving them unadjusted, which can lead to unbalanced situations (such as the example of roster expansion happening only a few days before the end of the season). It also frees the player from having to calculate and enter adjusted dates manually as is the case currently.

Though such date scaling as outlined above would occur automatically by the game after the league is created and the schedule specified, the player would still be able to go to the appropriate screen and enter in other dates if desired. So if the player wanted to change the scaled trading deadline date from July 16 to another date, say July 10 or July 22, they'd still be able to do that.

The scaling is intended as a convenience so the player doesn't have to do such proportional date adjusting manually.

[Mike775]

Suggestion: How about if and hoopefully when graphics and sound are added to the game would the developers look into creating 2 versions of OOTPB. The REGULAR edition would be what we see ever year released. The LIMITED edition would include the regular edition plus graphics and sound. I read an article when OOTPB left SEGA that they are thinking of allowing the game to be sold in stores which I think would create even more hype over the game and add revenue to the game to created this new addition. Both copies would be available online and patches of new content and fixes also would be available.

Reason: Making a game is expensive and to not alienate people who dont want graphics and sound, they can choose not to buy it, since i think if it was added to OOTPB the amount of in game options probably would were out even superman. If the combonation of selling it online and in the stores, I think more revenue would be generated. The hardcore baseball simfans would be delighted.

Priority: High

[Mike775]

Suggestion: How about the inclusion of pitch location along with type of pitch and arm angles. This would create also a scale of 1-10 (or whatever is set), on pitches. On TV weve seen sports broadcasters talk about the best pitch of a pitcher and the not so great. COuld be erratic and could blow hitters away. If a pitcher is just to erratic and not getting batters out, you could be able to send him down to hone in on his pitchers. You can also send him down to learn a new type of pitch. Some pitchers change their arm angles which could make a fastball more explosive and/or a wicked slider would make a pitcher that more "deadly". This can also increase unpredicability as well. Some pitchers pitch to their late 30's and early 40's because of this. Or a pitching coach either in the ML and/or farm club can alter the arm angle to hone in on mechanics as well. Arm angles, pitch location and type of pitches also goes with my dire attempt to get 3D graphics incorporated into OOTPB.

Reason: This would add so much more playability, more user control, and definately create more buzz for an already fantastic game. Im a huge fan of simulations as well as buisness sims. Definately dont want anything taken out of OOTPB but Im looking for "that" game that blows me away in simulation/strategy/buissness sim/realism

Priority: High

[BKL]

Suggestion

Bring back the "Who's Hot, Who's Not" summary that used to be in each team's main page.

Reason

This summarized the stats and current streak to show how a player has been on a hot or cold streak. Right now, you have to look at the detailed stats to try and get an idea of the stats behind the cold or hot streak.

Priority

High

[deadendzombie]

Suggestion
ability to have retired players come back from retirement to manage/coach teams.

Reason
most managers and coaches were at one time ballplayers and i think this would add alot of realism/depth to the game. Imagine your super star player having a career ending injury only to come back and manage your team to winning the world series. i think it would be pretty fun.

Priority
low/medium

[DandricSturm]

Originally Posted by Solonor

Just to expand upon this, it should be an editable record book that tracks individual game records, team records, rookie records and league records. There should be a news story every time a player breaks one of these records, as well.

Not having this feature was my greatest (really my only) disappointment after buying the game. I would make adding a record book my number one want.

[pikecal145]

Suggestion
Minor League Manager Player Request

Reason
If your managing a minor league team and only have one catcher or need another pitcher due to injury it would be nice to send a request for a player of that position.

Priority
Medium

[Qwerty75]

Suggestion
This is a partial overlap with suggestion(s) to adapt CATObase features. Have the game calculate the actual Park Run Factors for hitting and pitching using the stats output for given years. Keep track of a sliding three-year (at least) average. Make this available for display somewhere in the "Stats" report and the individual Team pages. Use these factors in the calculation of VORP, if not done so already.

Reason
Having the Park Run Factors at hand is an improvement over just the game's component park factors. The former is how the parks are actually performing, the latter is how they *should* or *tend* to perform. VORP is greatly enhanced as a measure of value if the actual park factors from the statistical output is used.

Priority
High-Medium

[Qwerty75]

Suggestion
This is a partial overlap with suggestions for CATObase features. There already exists a place in a player's career statistical record for the inclusion of Win Shares. Maybe include this in the database now?

Reason
Win Shares offers a good representation of overall player value that is based on different premises from VORP. Having this stat on hand would improve the statistical depth of the game.

Priority
Medium

[CaLíKrAzY]

Suggestion: Instead of a top 10 prospects list, a top 20 prospects list.

Reason: An organization that's loaded with minor league talent ala the Angels couldn't be seen past the 10th prospect. It will be easier to find those players that would otherwise not be noticed and will save you time from sifting through the minors. It's all about saving time and depth.

Priority: Low/Med

[Kaitiaki]

Suggestion

Add an "After All-Star Break" Split to the dropdown menu of available stat splits. This would, obviously, detect the date of the league's All Star game, and display all stats accumulated after that date (if any) during the current season.

Reason

"Second half" stats are one of the most widely referenced splits in real baseball, and it seems a bit of an oversight that OOTP does not make it easy to obtain this data.

Priority

Medium.

- Kai

[Kaitiaki]

Suggestion

Add a customizable "Since Date X" split to the dropdown menu of available stat splits. When selected, this would pop up a window asking the user to select a date (similar to the "Auto Play to Date X" window), and then display all stats accumulated by players between that date and the present (including the selected date itself).

Reason

Every season is marked by it's own "special", unpredictable events. The day a key player goes down with an injury, the day a top prospect joins the team, the day a team ends a long losing streak, etc., and many articles about real baseball will cite a team or player's performance since such events. The available, preset weekly/monthly splits are not sufficient to allow users to mine data precisely enough to experience this ourselves.

Priority

Low.

- Kai

[pstrickert]

I know we're not supposed to comment on these suggestions, but I'm going to be naughty and break that rule. I REALLY like this last idea!!!

(How many lashes with a wet noodle do I get?)

[MrGenre]

Suggestion
Avoid releasing a brand new program each and every year. Just fill it in with updates.

Reason
We can't afford it, and the difference between 2006 and 2007 was minimal in the larger scheme of software programming. I understand the company's need for profits, but establishing a baseline product that could gain popularity (before the new release starts us all over again) might even be better for OOTP in the long run, and it would definitely make running an online league easier (or at least help us keep managers from ditching).

Priority
Minimal, as I don't expect this post to be taken with much interest, even by the gamers. I had hoped with Sega cutting ties, though, that it might become a possibility. Thanks for your time.

[DesertFox07]

Suggestion
Allow players coming off 15 day and 60 day DL to perform up to 5 rehab starts.

My suggestion would be when a player comes off "injured" status, they switch to a "rehab" status. Rehab status would mimic "day-today" in that you could assign a % performance loss since they've been on the DL. Depending on the injury and DL time, this % loss can be minimal or substantial. To build their performance level back up, they would make rehab starts.

Players with rehab status can be assigned to any minor league level regardless of their option years and without having to be placed on waivers. Once their performance level is back in the blue, they are considered healthy and can rejoin the active roster. I'd suggest a rehab start limit of five games and then their automatically off rehab status as well just so a player doesn't get stuck in rehabbing a whole season.

Reason
Would add a more realistic edge to player injuries. A player in real life who has misses 6 months with a groin injury wont be 100% his first game back off the DL. This adds that element.

Priority
High

[Muzamba]

I had really hoped to create a mock-up for this suggestion before this forum closed, but I simply haven't had the time. Hopefully, I'm not being too redundant as I haven't had the chance to browse through the last 3 months worth of suggestions.

Suggestion:
Information to include on the 'Player Card' screens.

At the top of a player card, the following info would be displayed...
-[photo]
-Primary Position/Role
-Name
-Current Team
-Organization
-Level (ML/AAA/AA/A)
-Current Rating (1/2-5 stars)
-Potential Rating (1/2-5 stars)

There would be 7 tabs/screens...
#1-BIOGRAPHICAL
#2-CURRENT STATUS
#3-FINANCIAL
#4-STATS
#5-HISTORY
#6-RATINGS
#7-SCOUTING

The following info would be included on each page...

#1-BIOGRAPHICAL
A. PLAYER INFO
First Name:
Last Name:
Nickname:
Uniform #:
Primary Position/Role:
Current Team:
Organization:
Level:
B. PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES
Ethnicity:
Gender:
Height:
Weight:
Bats:
Throws:
C. PERSONAL HISTORY
Birthdate:
Age:
City of Birth:
State/Region:
Country:
High School:
College:
Current Hometown:
State/Region:
Country:
D. OTHER (customizable fields for any additional info you may wish to include)
(custom 1)
(custom 2)
(custom 3)

#2-CURRENT STATUS
A. HEALTH
Status:
Diagnosis:
Severity:
DtD Injury Effect:
Injury Time Left:
DL Time Left:
Proneness (Head): (1/2-5 stars)
Proneness (Back): (1/2-5 stars)
Proneness (Arm): (1/2-5 stars)
Proneness (Leg): (1/2-5 stars)
Proneness (Other): (1/2-5 stars)
B. NON-INJURY/SUSPENSION
Status:
Reason:
Absence Time Left:
DL Time Left:
C. MORALE (1/2-5 stars)
Team Performance:
Team Commitment:
Personal Performance:
Role on Team:
Off-Field:
D. PERSONALITY (1/2-5 stars)
Character Rating:
Popularity (National):
Popularity (Local):
Intelligence:
Leadership:
Work Ethic:
Clutch:

#3-FINANCIAL
A. CONTRACT
Agent:
Contract Type: (major league/minor league)
Contract Length in Years: (guaranteed/option)
Contract Signed in Year:
Contract Expires in Year:
Current Year of Contract:
Remaining Salary: (total amount/amount guaranteed)
Avg. Salary per Year:
Salary in Year #1-10:
Incentives in Year #1-10:
No-Trade Clause: (None/Limited/Partial/Full)
Extension:
B. SERVICE
Total ML Service Days:
Total 40-Man Roster Days:
Total Pro Service Years:
Total Years on Same Team:
10/5 Becomes Effective: (date/days remaining)
Arbitration Eligibility in Year:
Trade Eligibility: (tradeable/untradeable to listed teams)
Expected Position/Role:
Free Agent Compensation Level:
Current Re-Signability: (1/2-5 stars)
C. SIGNABILITY FACTORS (1/2-5 stars)
Loyalty:
Winning:
Greed:
Security:
Playing Time:
Market Size:
Close to Home:
Familiarity: (time spent playing with other players/coaches on a team)
D. FAMILIARITY
Relatives:
Friends:
Enemies:
Teammate Days: (top 10 players with most days spent as teammate)

#4-STATS (current/yearly stats for this player)

#5-HISTORY
A. TRANSACTIONS
Drafted: (team/round/# in round/# overall/date)
Trades: (team from/team to/date)
Promotions/Demotions (date)
Free Agent Signings: (team/yrs/$$$/date)
B. INJURIES/SUSPENSIONS
Physical Injuries: (injury/days injured/date injured/date returned)
Non-Injury Absences: (reason/days missed/date left/date returned)
Suspensions: (reason/days missed/date left/date returned)
C. AWARDS
(Player of the Game, Player/Pitcher of the Week/Month/Year, etc.)
D. MILESTONES
(first AB/pitching appearance)
(first/every 1000th hit)
(first/every 100th HR)
(first/every 500th RBI)
(first/every 100th W)
(first/every 1000th K)
(first/every 100th SV)
E. ACCOMPLISHMENTS
(3 HR in a game, 5 hits in a game, hit for cycle, 10 K in a game, etc.)
F. PERSONAL RECORDS
(most hits/HR/RBI/K/etc. in a game)
(most hits/HR/RBI/W/K/SV/etc. in a season)
(longest career HR)
(longest hitting streak)
G. LEAGUE RECORDS (any league-wide records the player holds)
H. NEWS REPORTS (lists all news reports about this player)

#6-RATINGS (overall current/potential and for various categories)

#7-SCOUTING REPORT (numbers AND text)

There would also be an EDITOR / PLAYER SETUP button to allow ALL above fields to be edited/customized, plus the following items...

Face Generator: (link)
Name Pronunciation: (player's name could be entered phonetically to allow text-to-speech voice recognition)
Intro Music: (mp3 file to be played during PbP as player comes to the plate/mound)

Reason:
More complete and concise info on each player. (Incidentally, there would also be different info on retired players' cards, as well as on non-player cards. I'll try to delve into these later, if I have a chance.)

If time permits, I may attempt to go back and give specific reasons for each item of info, or at least the less-obvious ones.

Priority:
Depends on the information, but I feel overall that the info being included and the revised layout of the player card would be very beneficial. So I'll give it a priority of HIGH.

[Muzamba]

Suggestion:
Information to include for each team...

TEAM INFORMATION
-Team Location:
-Team Nickname:
-Full Display Name:
-City:
-Owner Name:
-Ballpark:
-Colors:
-Logo:
-Uniform: (home/away)
-Ballcap: (home/away)
-Rivalry Meter: (shows the intensity of rivalries with every other team in the league)
-Policies: (facial hair, etc.)

FRONT OFFICE
-Stadium Naming Rights:
-Local TV Broadcast Rights:
-Cable TV Broadcast Rights
-Radio Broadcast Rights:
-Main Advertisers/Sponsors:

SOUND
-PbP Announcer: (choose from list)
-Color Analyst: (choose from list)
-Rally Music: (mp3 file)
-7th-Inning Stretch Music: (mp3 file)

Reason:
see above post on Player Profiles

Priority
Perhaps a little lower than Player Profiles, but still HIGH-MEDIUM to HIGH, in my opinion