That time of the year again....new version announced, pre orders underway.......I did not end up playing much last year and not sure if any of the new features will get me to bite right away.
OOTP 18 features Challenge mode, 3D highlight reels, tournaments, Negro leagues, and more!
Available March 24, 2017!
Pre-order now, save 20%, and get early access!
You could also get into the game as a draft prospect!
The Chicago Cubs' historic World Series win is still fresh in our minds, and we can't wait to see if they can repeat as champs in Out of the Park Baseball 18, the sequel to Metacritic's 2016 PC Game of the Year 2016!
We know you're excited too, and that's why we're now offering Out of the Park Baseball 18 for $31.99, a 20% discount off the full retail price. But make sure you place your pre-order now, because this deal is only available until Jan. 27! You'll also get access to the Gold Master version of the game on Monday, March 20, 4 days before its March 24 release date.
In addition, you'll be entered into an awesome contest: Five randomly chosen customers who pre-order by Jan. 27 will be added to OOTP 18 as draft prospects in the standard MLB game! We'll announce the winners on Jan. 29. Will you have an OOTP Hall of Fame career that you can brag about to your friends?
If you pre-order OOTP 18 between Jan. 28 and March 23, you'll receive a 10% discount ($34.99) and get access to the Gold Master version before release. Click here to pre-order for Linux.
Info for Steam customers: Unfortunately, due to technical reasons and a change in Steam policies, we have decided to no longer give away a free Steam key of the game for pre-order customers this year. The game will launch on Steam on March 24 with a 10% launch discount that will last for a week.
Join Markus For a Reddit AMA
And if you want to hear from OOTP creator Markus Heinsohn regarding this year's game, stop by r/baseball on Reddit at 12:00 PM Eastern time on Wednesday, Jan. 25 for an AMA (Ask Me Anything) session. You might even win a copy of OOTP 17, which was named Metacritic's 2016 PC Game of the Year.
*** New Features in OOTP Baseball 18 ***
2017 Opening Day Rosters
Our brand new 2017 roster sets include all Opening Day MLB rosters, as well as the complete minor league system down to rookie leagues, including independent leagues. All major league (and over a thousand minor league) player ratings are based on Dan Szymborski's popular ZiPS player projection system. The remaining minor league players are carefully rated by hand by our established research team.
Can the Chicago Cubs repeat as World Series winners, despite the loss of Aroldis Chapman and Dexter Fowler? Or did the Cleveland Indians' successful offseason set them up for at taking the World Series trophy home this year? Will the Boston Red Sox's rotation, anchored by Chris Sale and David Price, dominate in the AL East, or are the rebuilding Yankees already a contender? Which team will win the tight National League West Division, the powerhouse LA Dodgers, led by the best pitcher in baseball, Clayton Kershaw?
Of course, 8 international leagues (Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Australia, Italy, The Netherlands, Mexico and Cuba) and several international independent leagues return to OOTP 18 with accurate and projected 2017 rosters.
New Challenge! Game Mode and Online User Profiles
Ready for an extra challenge? Experience a new game mode in OOTP 18: Challenge! This mode can be enabled in newly created leagues (standard / historical / fictional) and adds a unique twist, along with new rewards, while playing OOTP.
Certain areas of the game are tightly controlled to prevent cheating and the game flow is optimized and more streamlined. Several new types of achievements and statistics are tracked in a new (optional) OOTP online user profile. Are you the best OOTP manager on the planet? Compare your skills to other OOTP gamers and find out how you stack up!
Improved 3D Mode & Game Highlight Reels
With even more ballpark detail than before, the 3D game mode in OOTP has taken another leap forward. More advanced player models and improved on-field movements let you view the action like never before. On top of that, you can optionally save all the 3D action highlights to rewatch the game or catch the highlight reel, no matter if those games were played out or simulated.
Tournaments & Fall Leagues
OOTP 18 now features custom and real world tournaments. Watch the best prospects play in the Arizona Fall League, or set up your own tournament pitting the best of each nation facing off against each other! Set up your own national or international tournaments, choose from different tournament modes, and manage your favorite nation to international glory.
Negro Leagues Added to Historical Minor Leagues
With the help of Seamheads.com, our historical database experts have been able to add most Negro leagues seasons to the historical minor league feature of Out of the Park Baseball 18, including accurate rosters and player statistics. In addition, we have added the Federal League as an unaffiliated minor league in the years 1914 and 1915.
Improved AI
A lot of work has gone into improving the AI throughout the game, resulting in the most challenging gameplay ever. The roster AI, trade AI, and in-game AI have been optimized and enhanced to reflect the latest tendencies (for example, the usage of closers in high-leverage games by certain managers).
Redesigned Injury System
The injury system in OOTP 18 has been reworked to be more realistic and interesting. A detailed injury history is tracked for players, the injury database has been enhanced, there are now nagging little long-term injuries, injuries to different body types have different long-term effects, injuries in historical leagues are more realistic, and much more.
Much More!
Every year we add many smaller features, and OOTP 18 is no exception. It includes:
• The ability to retain player salaries in trades
• New options for team promotions and relegations between leagues
• Many 2017 CBA rule changes are incorporated in modern MLB games
• Improved player morale / team chemistry system
• Improved player creation & development system
• Improved game recaps
• Enhanced play-by-play text and league news
• Beautiful new interface with three different skins
• Much faster import speed of historical minor league seasons
• ...and more to be announced prior to release!
We can't wait to show you more in the coming weeks, including more OOTP 18 screenshots. How long until pitchers and catchers report? Let's play ball already!
The OOTP Developments Team
My brain screams buy, buy buy! But I bought 17 and never really played it. :-[
Quote from: bbmike on January 21, 2017, 09:00:44 AM
My brain screams buy, buy buy! But I bought 17 and never really played it. :-[
yep, same issue with me every year......but I always cave:(
please ignore.
Quote from: Rybon66 on January 21, 2017, 09:56:55 AM
please ignore.
+1!
that's what i did with OOTP 17 - got it anyway with one of humblebundle's recent sales... bummer, great game but i don't play it enough and with 17...
i added it to my other versions of OOTP, sorted it under 'sports management' and that was that...
sorry, but i rather ignore this... (still had to post, though.)
Quote from: bbmike on January 21, 2017, 09:00:44 AM
My brain screams buy, buy buy! But I bought 17 and never really played it. :-[
Yup.
I fired mine up my OOTP17 for a few minutes, selected team, and did my usual habit of unchecking all the random league expansion options. Glanced through the players on my roster, quit, and never continued.
Maybe I'll start alternating a season of Baseball Mogul, instead of OOTP, once every few years. The UI is certainly easier to deal with, and seasons faster to go through. Would've done so a couple years ago, but there was a rather screwy version at the time due to some redone outcome programming. I expect some of that got ironed out by now, a couple years later.
Too bad they haven't added new & improved features to their football game for years. I felt it had real potential if the guy could get it up to BB Mogul's level of detail. But no. I figured they were completely focused on their BB game, which was only supported by their outsourcing the roster updates on the FB game, every year, to someone else.
Quote from: Nefaro on January 21, 2017, 04:54:09 PM
Quote from: bbmike on January 21, 2017, 09:00:44 AM
My brain screams buy, buy buy! But I bought 17 and never really played it. :-[
I expect some of that got ironed out by now, a couple years later.
Don't count on it....seems like year over year both their baseball and football game has gone down hill.....they missed an opportunity to offer a more simplistic competitor to OOTP.
I still play OOTP 16. I always play a homebrew league, so while all of the MLB stuff is nice I almost never use it. I find it to be much more satisfying playing a custom league with unknown players and creating my own league history.
Quote from: Bison on January 21, 2017, 05:05:22 PM
I still play OOTP 16. I always play a homebrew league, so while all of the MLB stuff is nice I almost never use it. I find it to be much more satisfying playing a custom league with unknown players and creating my own league history.
Thought about doing an MLB league next time, but with completely generated players. Possibly a snaking inaugural draft for them.
Quote from: Nefaro on January 21, 2017, 06:05:23 PM
Thought about doing an MLB league next time, but with completely generated players.
This has become my preferred way of playing -- 'real life' MLB/MiLB teams and structure but with fictional rosters. Also I tend to start the league earlier -- like 1980 -- and sim for a bunch of seasons before taking up the reins as GM for a team.
I'll buy 18 and hope to play it -- but even if I don't get a lot out of it, I'll buy to support OOTP Developments. I barely played 17, though not sure why, as I liked what I saw.
I think I'm going to wait and see what the 3D improvements are. If they are greatly improved I will buy.
Has there be any consideration of a Grog's OOTP league? Maybe that would keep our interest.
We talked about it but the process of setting up and maintaining is a pain in the ass.
So, I finally started playing OOTP 2018 after buying 2016 and 2017 and never playing them.
I've played three seasons, simming most games except managing all the playoff games. I'm running the Dodgers, so easy mode as far as finances go.
Seems like, and maybe I've just had bad luck, injuries are out of control. Just in 2019, I lost 5 of my 7 starting pitchers to season ending injures either at the beginning of the season or by August at the latest. My rotation going into the playoffs was Kenta Maeda, Lance Lynn, Andrew Cashner, Brock Stewart, and Ross Stripling. At the beginning of the season I had Kershaw (missed the whole season), Darvish (missed the last couple months), Alex Wood (missed the last couple months, and is now out the whole 2020 season), Walter Buehler (missed the whole season), Julio Urias (missed the whole season). Plus a bunch of every day players who missed significant time. In 2020, Wood and Giancarlo Stanton went down for the whole season in spring training.
I know some of these guys are injury prone, but not all, and this just makes the game less fun. I briefly looked for a way to tone down the injuries last night, but I didn't see it. It seems to hit the AI too as by the time I get to the playoffs it is a bunch of AAA guys playing.
Have any one you guys has similar experience?
Anyway, in three seasons, lost in the WS to Houston, lost to the D-backs in the NLDS, and lost tot Houston in the WS. Having fun despite the injuries.
Also, on an unrelated note, when i type in this box it is seriously slow. Sometimes the text doesn't show up for 15-20 seconds or more after I type.
Quote from: RedArgo on March 19, 2018, 07:59:16 AM
Also, on an unrelated note, when i type in this box it is seriously slow. Sometimes the text doesn't show up for 15-20 seconds or more after I type.
You probably need to update Chrome
http://grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=21695.0
Quote from: mirth on March 19, 2018, 08:02:01 AM
Quote from: RedArgo on March 19, 2018, 07:59:16 AM
Also, on an unrelated note, when i type in this box it is seriously slow. Sometimes the text doesn't show up for 15-20 seconds or more after I type.
You probably need to update Chrome
http://grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=21695.0
I can confirm updating Chrome fixes the problem.
Quote from: RedArgo on March 19, 2018, 07:59:16 AM
So, I finally started playing OOTP 2018 after buying 2016 and 2017 and never playing them.
I've played three seasons, simming most games except managing all the playoff games. I'm running the Dodgers, so easy mode as far as finances go.
Seems like, and maybe I've just had bad luck, injuries are out of control. Just in 2019, I lost 5 of my 7 starting pitchers to season ending injures either at the beginning of the season or by August at the latest. My rotation going into the playoffs was Kenta Maeda, Lance Lynn, Andrew Cashner, Brock Stewart, and Ross Stripling. At the beginning of the season I had Kershaw (missed the whole season), Darvish (missed the last couple months), Alex Wood (missed the last couple months, and is now out the whole 2020 season), Walter Buehler (missed the whole season), Julio Urias (missed the whole season). Plus a bunch of every day players who missed significant time. In 2020, Wood and Giancarlo Stanton went down for the whole season in spring training.
I know some of these guys are injury prone, but not all, and this just makes the game less fun. I briefly looked for a way to tone down the injuries last night, but I didn't see it. It seems to hit the AI too as by the time I get to the playoffs it is a bunch of AAA guys playing.
Have any one you guys has similar experience?
Anyway, in three seasons, lost in the WS to Houston, lost to the D-backs in the NLDS, and lost tot Houston in the WS. Having fun despite the injuries.
Also, on an unrelated note, when i type in this box it is seriously slow. Sometimes the text doesn't show up for 15-20 seconds or more after I type.
I have had the same experience, and sometimes they come in bunches.... and it makes you say WTF? Fire the trainer! I scale back the injuries because it seems disproportionate to me. I also scale up the trade difficulty.
I'll have to find the injury settings, hopefully it doesn't force me to start over. Although, if I did, I think I'd go with a draft from scratch and even finances. I'd just like to win the WS once before I start over.
Also, updating Chrome did the trick, thanks for the tip. For some reason, I thought Chrome kept it self updated.
Quote from: RedArgo on March 19, 2018, 09:06:55 AM
I'll have to find the injury settings, hopefully it doesn't force me to start over. Although, if I did, I think I'd go with a draft from scratch and even finances. I'd just like to win the WS once before I start over.
Also, updating Chrome did the trick, thanks for the tip. For some reason, I thought Chrome kept it self updated.
You can update your current season without having to restart.
You need to set injuries to very low. It is a known issue that hopefully is fixed in OOTP 19. Anybody try the OOTP 19 beta yet?
Quote from: Blucher on March 19, 2018, 01:44:36 PM
You need to set injuries to very low. It is a known issue that hopefully is fixed in OOTP 19. Anybody try the OOTP 19 beta yet?
I think the injury issue has been around a long time and I would be sceptical about any news it was going to be fixed in a new version...in other words, I'll believe it when it's actually reported by people.
Can you save the game at any time?
I haven't played OOTP 18, but I dealt with a similar issue in the Front Office Football games. Just save the game frequently, and when somebody gets a major injury (say, longer than 30 days), roll a die/dice and run from backup if you get the wrong roll. You can eliminate anywhere from 1/6 to 5/6 of the injuries, depending on what rule you set up. Or from 5%-95% if you use a 20-sider, and if you don't own a 20-sider you're probably in the wrong forum!
I think injuries are interesting in sports games.....people find them less fun (especially if they happen to you) but I think people might be surprised how many injuries do happen in real life that teams do need to deal with. But what I will agree on that does need to sometimes improve is the type of injury and severity. From some past testing I did, the amount of injuries were pretty close to real life but the types/severity were at times questionable.
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on March 19, 2018, 04:58:55 PM
I think injuries are interesting in sports games.....people find them less fun (especially if they happen to you) but I think people might be surprised how many injuries do happen in real life that teams do need to deal with. But what I will agree on that does need to sometimes improve is the type of injury and severity. From some past testing I did, the amount of injuries were pretty close to real life but the types/severity were at times questionable.
I should point out I have no idea if there was or wasn't an injury issue - I haven't played the game(s) enough nor do I have a full understanding of injuries IRL in baseball. I just know the "complaint" about injury frequency has been around for some time.
Quote from: Blucher on March 19, 2018, 01:44:36 PM
You need to set injuries to very low. It is a known issue that hopefully is fixed in OOTP 19. Anybody try the OOTP 19 beta yet?
Guys, not to be 'that guy,' but I hate to tell you, there's nothing broken about the injuries setting in OOTP. What is in need of some tweaking is the way injuries are handled, which is not always realistic. But the frequency of injuries is correct.
Have you looked at a MLB roster come June 1? It's an infirmary. This is what the Red Sox roster looks like right now, in spring training:
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/fantasy/injuries/#team111
I put the setting for injuries on 'realistic' and think it works pretty well. I've tried injuries on lower settings, and it's just not convincing -- perfectly possible on the lower settings to see some teams with *nobody* on the DL at various points in the season, which is essentially ridiculous.
To me, dealing with injuries is half the fun (or maybe, "fun") of the game. What's the point of having a minor league system and free agency if most of your players are healthy most of the time?
What *does* bug me about injuries in OOTP is not the frequency of injuries on 'realistic' but the severity. It does feel sometimes like there are too many major injuries -- season ending-type -- and not enough "Day to Day" injuries. Actually I think there are not nearly enough DtD injuries in OOTP. In MLB, after a month or two, many if not most players are playing through some type of injury, however minor (back stiffness, etc.).
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on March 19, 2018, 04:58:55 PM
I think injuries are interesting in sports games.....people find them less fun (especially if they happen to you) but I think people might be surprised how many injuries do happen in real life that teams do need to deal with. But what I will agree on that does need to sometimes improve is the type of injury and severity. From some past testing I did, the amount of injuries were pretty close to real life but the types/severity were at times questionable.
Gah. If I had read GR's post more carefully, I probably wouldn't have bothered to sound off, since he says pretty much exactly what I said.... ::)
Quote from: glen55 on March 19, 2018, 02:37:36 PM
if you don't own a 20-sider you're probably in the wrong forum!
Of course I have a 20-sider!
My problem with the injuries isn't the number of injuries, that seems okay, it is the long, many month injuries that seem pretty common. Of course I could be totally wrong and they may be accurate too. In any case, I turned down the injuries and I'll see how it goes.
Thanks all.
OOTP 19 releases March 22nd. Can't wait!
Quote from: RedArgo on March 19, 2018, 07:59:16 AM
So, I finally started playing OOTP 2018 after buying 2016 and 2017 and never playing them.
I've played three seasons, simming most games except managing all the playoff games. I'm running the Dodgers, so easy mode as far as finances go.
Seems like, and maybe I've just had bad luck, injuries are out of control. Just in 2019, I lost 5 of my 7 starting pitchers to season ending injures either at the beginning of the season or by August at the latest. My rotation going into the playoffs was Kenta Maeda, Lance Lynn, Andrew Cashner, Brock Stewart, and Ross Stripling. At the beginning of the season I had Kershaw (missed the whole season), Darvish (missed the last couple months), Alex Wood (missed the last couple months, and is now out the whole 2020 season), Walter Buehler (missed the whole season), Julio Urias (missed the whole season). Plus a bunch of every day players who missed significant time. In 2020, Wood and Giancarlo Stanton went down for the whole season in spring training.
That's been my biggest complaint about OOTP.
The injury rates are huge; too high. Even when you stop signing on players listed with sketchy injury histories, it's still a constant problem. So much that I end up having to constantly move prospects up from the minors just to keep the rosters filled for games, and sending them back down at the end of the season when most of the injured get caught back up. Makes the prospects' up/down contract limits wear off more quickly, and good pro players are sitting out large parts of the season.
NFL levels of injury, with guys reguarly out for weeks & months. :pullhair: Which is probably where the default injury settings are most skewed.
I've not played the latest version of OOTP, but after looking up the injury debate on their forums, in a few previous versions, the devs (and a
few players) seemed to like it just where it was. So I don't expect the defaults will change.
Luckily there's an option to lower the injury frequency, buried down in the world options or whatever it's called. I always lower that to somewhere around 70% of it's default. Along with removing most of the dynamic league options at the start of a new league/campaign. Otherwise you'll end up with some new pro team, based in an odd place like Butte, randomly being admitted to the league along with their horrible looking generic logos & such. #:-)
I don't know, still think people are under estimating the number of injuries in baseball...although I agree at times sometimes the severity might be a little off, take a look at the number of trips to the disabled list (when players are off more than just a couple of days) that happened last year. I get it that some people don't think fun to make minor league transactions to keep rosters good, but that is baseball.
(https://i.imgur.com/Sh1Vj5a.png)
Right, but I'm sure most of those were pretty short in length. LIkely because so many games are played so frequently in baseball.
In OOTP, it's been common for my players to be out for more than 5 days. Often weeks or months, which happens often enough I usually have multiple players out for such extended lengths.
The frequency may not be too far off, but multiplied by the frequently high severity, the default strikes me as off.
players are placed on dl when they are out from 10-60 days (unless on 7 day concussion list, not sure if game models that or not) so these don't represent necessarily players only being out a short time. this list doesn't even account for injuries which are shorter when players are dealing with day to day injuries or just missing some games. add those in and i am sure the list becomes much bigger.
i am sure the severity and length isn't always right in the game but i am not sure it it is as bad as everyone thinks. when someone actually runs their next full season would love to see actual results from it where it shows a major issue compared to real life. again will never be exactly right.
it certainly may show the game does have issues, but i am just thinking it is not as far off where it should prevent people from playing and enjoying the game