Graphical play & online head-to-head

[SupaDupaMonkey]

After completing one of those OOTP surveys, it got me to want to reiterate two aggressive features that could reboot or re-energize the product line... for me anyways.

1. Graphical Play

There are two things I love about baseball games in general... on some games it's the act of watching your teams playing on the screen to see how well your decisions play out. The only problem with those games is that those types of baseball games aren't statistically accurate or the gameplay is faulty.

The other thing I love is the simulation, specifically how lifelike and realistic your players' stats turn out to be. It's like following your favorite player's career on the back of their baseball card and see how well they do from year to year.

OOTP nails part 2 down to the fullest. But to take it to the next level, I would love to actually see pitch-by-pitch and play-by-play to occur on-screen. It would be like watching a game on TV... except watching your team, the one you created and assembled go toe to toe with another.

I like fictional player leagues, in particular. I create some odd players: The rare player who is a lights-out starting pitcher and on his off-days is a dominating DH, players with unusual names, etc.

So I'd like to see my 6'11" starting pitcher stand like a lighthouse on the mound and overpower the hitters. I'd like to see my international-looking junkballer throw his wicked screwball or knuckleball to fool hitters. I'd like to see my lefty with a funky batting stance. I'd like to see a diving catch in the outfield, but he stays on the ground due to injury. I want to see bench-clearing fights and players and coaches get enjected from the game for arguing with the ump. And of course, I'd like to see those moonshot homeruns by my Russell Branyan clones.

This feature alone would be intense considering all the variables, but boy would that be fun to watch and play.


2. Online head-to-head.

I used to love playing with my Dad on OOTP. But when living in the same household, it can get tough switching seats when running our teams.

We have separate computers, but the online league setup makes it difficult for us to play. We also desperately want the ability to play each other via the online league head-to-head in a pitch-by-pitch mode.

This would be a cool feature and could make online leagues more interactive and competitive if they choose to play some of their games head-to-head.


Well those are the main features I'm waiting for before I fully get back into OOTP.

[jerryb1961]

Let me add my vote for some kind of graphical representation of plays. Not an arcade mode, but an at least rudimentary animation of the guys on the field acting out the already calculated results of that particular play. Tinker gets the ball, throws it to Evers, then Evers throws it to Chance. Nothing fancy.

Thanks!

[jmknpk2]

Graphical play was discussed in this thread. This thread occurred before the survey, and despite the direction of the thread, the survey question raised my hope for potential future graphical display functionality.

[SupaDupaMonkey]

Perhaps one day in a future OOTP, when you go to your Scores & Schedule screen and it gives you the choice of:

"Auto Play" or "Watch Game"

Graphical play would definitely put new meaning to the words "Watch Game", aye?

:-)

[SupaDupaMonkey]

Originally Posted by jmknpk2

Graphical play was discussed in this thread. This thread occurred before the survey, and despite the direction of the thread, the survey question raised my hope for potential future graphical display functionality.

Okay... it would seem the general consensus would be to stick to text-based for a variety of reasons, all of which are totally understandable.

Perhaps the survey is again another method to gauge the demand for graphical play among current owners of the game.

However, another thing must be considered when judging on the results from these surveys: The OOTP's market. The survey was provided, at least to my understanding, to current and past owners of the game. The possibility that the majority of the OOTP past and present owners are stat freaks (myself included) must be considered. The survey is asking stat/realistic junkies (again, like myself... so, this is not in any way offensive), who probably don't care for graphics (and based on your thread's response, the majority seems pro-text) whether they'd like to try experiencing the game in a way they never liked to begin with, hence why they probably chose to purchase OOTP in the first place: No graphics.

Look, it is my opinion that people buy a lot of these crappy sports console games because of the "pretty graphics". So whether or not these games suck... they still made money. It is my opinion most of these games "suck" is because of the gameplay (accuracy, realism, features, etc.) moreso than the failed graphics.

OOTP has the advantage of having superior gameplay in regards to accuracy, realism, a plethora of features at your disposal... and despite all the ongoing bugs and tweaks that avid OOTP followers mentioned in that threat, the bottom line is this: The game is still GOOD despite it all.

While I don't advocate just throwing crappy graphics on top of the OOTP's gameplay engine, even if it were to happen... then OOTP could perhaps benefit from money coming from two markets: The people who pay for the "pretty graphics" and those who pay for realism, like me. The end result is the gaining of another market of gamers who try the game out while us realism nuts, who may or may not be satisfied with the new graphical play, have the classic OOTP "option" of turning it off and continue playing the game the way we're used to.

Worst case scenario on the results: Either way, they make money. And based on comments from the developer himself, he needs the money to realistically accomplish it. Perhaps at the risk of development time geared at fixing these bugs and tweaks as well as well as diverting most of the financial resources towards one season of trying to implement a graphical engine, it might generate enough money to support a larger development staff to allocate to both the new graphical department and back to the usual bugs/tweaks department in the following seasons afterwards.

But despite my whole rant, I like to play things safe. What I'm suggesting is a risk, but it's an option to consider. With that said, however, if I were the developer, I'd probably lean towards the bugs and tweaks. But that's just the type of guy I am. Playing it safe one would say. But there's no mistaking what I would want, and that is graphical play. And I know a lot of times we don't get what we want. After 11 seasons of OOTP, I still haven't gotten "what I want", but I am still getting "what I need". So again, just another thing to consider. I still think such a move, if it ever comes, would put OOTP in a totally unique position given their excellent gameplay engine already in place (and still improving). So it is something to consider and I'm sure it's something their weighing in in their decision making process.

Like most of those responses in that threat, there may be credence to fine-tuning the game. But still, there's always next season I suppose.... is a Chicago Cubs analogy appropriate here?

[SupaDupaMonkey]

In regards to a possible online Head-to-Head, and it could tie into the suggestion for a mobile/app of OOTP too ( Mobile Version ) ...

Anyone care to guess or suggest how it would work?

My guess is the game would have to be integrated into some kind of mega online server you know?

Like where you buy OOTP right, and then have it installed onto your computer and it runs like normal. But when you want to play an online league, you'd have to log into the server and everything is set-up in it. Commissioners set up their league with password information and such, and members of the league would simply sign in. There would be chat rooms, but we'll call them Conference Call rooms or something, where all the GMs can enter and shoot the crap and throw around deals and what not with the Commissioner entering and checking in on things and laying down his mandates.

And if two GMs want to play head-to-head, they'd have to be online at the same time and they'd set up their match and play each other in real-time under whatever game rules they agree upon.

If two GMs want to play head-to-head and aren't available at the same time, they would have to first let each other know when they'd be available to play. And then the GMs would simply click the game option for the date in question that they would want to "Play Head-to-Head" instead of "Auto-Play". And based on the Commissioner's Game Setup settings, the "Play Head-to-Head" deadline is 3 days for example, then that game will not be "Auto-Played" (and thus the game date will not advance) until after the 3 day hold for that game.

So I would think it would be something like that. And no, I don't know how difficult this would be to setup or how many man-hours and what-not it would take, but it's just a thought to throw out there.

In short, it would be kind of like Blizzard games and how they have that free Battle.net set-up.

As for the mobile version/app idea being tied into the server... well, with the app into your mobile device, it logs into the server and most, if not all, of the same tasks will be available to you as if you were home except it would be a more streamlined interface for your mobile phone.

Perhaps, instead being able to log into the "Conference Call" chat rooms, you can simply message/text from within the app to other GMs on your buddy list or your "GM Speed Dial" list we can call it. Or maybe it would be like Facebook, where you can leave a message ("voice message") on a GM's wall ("GM Office" we'll call it instead).

And to be even more aggressive, the app might be able to let you play head-to-head, perhaps in a Message/Text form or something.

I don't know. More ideas.

[wallball]

I agree completely, adding some graphics to the game would really take things to the next level. That said, there is a strong anti-graphics contingent on these boards.

[sth0009]

i agree with others that even a low end graphics engine (mogul-like) would make the game much more enjoyable to some of us who like to manage a team throughout the season.

The stats and management features are the best. A little more graphics just to illustrate the action could go a long way.