Tag Archives: Out of the Park Baseball

My Suggestions for Out Of The Park Developments Tagline

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As you know, I’m a big fan of Out of the Park Baseball. In fact, I purposely have to keep myself from playing it unless I really, really want to, because otherwise I’ll end up getting lost in it and never emerging for about a week and a half. I’m currently two months OOTP-sober, for example, but I think I might have a relapse soon.

Oh, I got a bit off track there.

Anyway, the developers of Out Of The Park, OOTP Developments, are now running a contest for what their tagline should be for their games (they are increasingly diversifying their portfolio and are adding a football game to the baseball and hockey games they already have). Y’know, like “It’s In The Game”. The winner gets $100 gift card, free copies of all of their games next year, and, presumably, bragging rights for all eternity. I mean, if I win, I’m totally putting it on my resume.

I, of course, had some suggestions. After checking to make sure sharing them won’t disqualify me, here they are:

OOTP Developments: Imagination and Victory
OOTP Developments: Imagine Victory
OOTP Developments: Dream of Victory
OOTP Developments: Dream It. Win It.
OOTP Developments: Beyond Fantasy, Beyond Reality
OOTP Developments: For When Paradox Isn’t Addictive Enough
OOTP Developments: Just One More Season
OOTP Developments: On Grass, On Turf, On Ice, On Your Computing Device!
OOTP Developments: More Than Mere Games
OOTP Developments: The Games Go On
OOTP Developments: Your Team, Your League, Your World
OOTP Developments: Where The Game Never Ends
OOTP Developments: Make The Crowd Go Wild
OOTP Developments: Just Imagine…

Personally, “Imagination and Victory” is my favorite, as it sums up the two best things about OOTP games: coming up with big or neat worlds or scenarios to play in, and winning in them. I even googled a Latin translation of it (Imaginatio Atque Victoria) in case they want to make it sound all profound.  The “For When Paradox Isn’t Addictive Enough” is a joking reference to Paradox Interactive, a game company that makes grand strategy games like Crusader Kings and Hearts of Iron that, like OOTP, can perhaps best be described as addictive drugs in video game form.

Anyway, if you want to try and beat me (and everyone else) in this contest, you can check out the rules and get the e-mail address to apply to here. Good luck, and if you somehow grab one of the above suggestions and they pick you to win for some reason instead of me, I expect half of the winnings.

REVIEW: Out Of The Park Baseball 2015

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Last year, I wrote a review of Out of the Park Baseball 2014.

Most of that is still true. The game itself hasn’t changed that much. Buying this year’s OOTP won’t get you that much more than last year’s (to the extent that I almost recommend you look at that before reading this)- and that isn’t a bad thing. And yet, this year’s OOTP represents the first steps into an even better future, while still remaining the great baseball management simulation it’s fans love.

Why? Because, now, it looks like we may see a future where we can truly see the game as it takes place. Before, aside from a ball moving around a photo and some little headshots of players popping up in the proper place on the field, the action during actual games was mainly left to the imagination, now….

Screen Shot 2014-06-09 at 5.07.17 PMThat’s a 3D Model of Yankee Stadium I got off the internet. That, other others like and the default one that comes with OOTP, are now one of the views available. And, unlike the previous games, where those little baseballs going over the field were only marked with things like Fs or Gs to indicate fly or ground balls, now you can see the arc of the ball as it goes through the air and see where it lands. It isn’t perfect, of course, and sometimes it doesn’t work. But the possibilities it opens are endless:

Imagine seeing the runners actually moving around the bases? Imagine perhaps one day actually seeing the fielders on the field make the plays? It may be a ways off, but this is the first step, and it will only improve from here as the engine continues to improve.

As for the rest of the game, it’s still great OOTP. You can run anything from an a single team in a single league over the course of just one season to running an entire universe of countless leagues and farm systems across multiple continents. And, yes, those leagues can interact with each other, now more than ever, as OOTP has added in default leagues from Europe as well as the posting system function. In my current game, for example, I came across a guy who had been dropped from a AA roster, went to the Netherlands, did pretty well, and then got a contract in Taiwan. Little details like this are just some of the fun things that happen in OOTP. And there are other little details added as well-

For example, whereas once you could either have a computer-generated image of your players, or, in cases where you were playing using real players, a photograph of them, now you can have both, as the “facegen” system can now mold the player’s actual face onto a 3D computer body. Like David Ortiz here:

Screen Shot 2014-04-19 at 8.18.49 PMAs you can see, it’s not exactly perfect, and as a result the picture above looks more like an action figure of David Ortiz than Big Papi himself, but with other players it’s a bit better. And, what’s more, what is great about this is that it means the picture can now change as they move from team-to-team, or if a new uniform style is added. Previously, David Ortiz always was in his Red Sox cap if you had downloaded his image to use- even if you were playing a simulation of a year where he was with the Twins. Now, the picture would change to show that.

So, really, to end this review in a horrible and abrupt way: There really isn’t much more I can say about OOTP 15 that I couldn’t say about OOTP 14. But that isn’t a bad thing- because OOTP 15, like OOTP 14…. is awesome.

 

First Impressions of OOTP Baseball ’15

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I recently received an early copy of OOTP Baseball 2015 from the fine people at Out of the Park Developments, and while this early build is buggy and in parts incomplete, it already shows the promise of being another great installment for the best baseball simulation on Earth (and, presumably, all other planets, moons and asteroids). Today, a day after  the game went out to those who pre-ordered, here are some first impressions- a full review is coming later.

 

First off and most importantly, it’s the same old OOTP.

They haven’t changed anything about the gameplay itself: it remains the good old OOTP, allowing you to command your team’s front office and on-field moves (managerial decisions, line-ups, etc.), simulate old seasons, manage transactions, etc. This is a case of “not messing with success”. It also remains very moddable- in a few of these pictures you’ll see real MLB logos or player faces, which aren’t default but rather things you can download.

The Biggest Additions are Graphical

For example, whereas once you could either have a computer-generated image of your players, or, in cases where you were playing using real players, a photograph of them, now you can have both, as the “facegen” system can now mold the player’s actual face onto a 3D computer body. Like David Ortiz here:

Screen Shot 2014-04-19 at 8.18.49 PMAs you can see, it’s not exactly perfect, and as a result the picture above looks more like an action figure of David Ortiz than Big Papi himself, but with other players it’s a bit better. And, what’s more, what is great about this is that it means the picture can now change as they move from team-to-team, or if a new uniform style is added. Previously, David Ortiz always was in his Red Sox cap if you had downloaded his image to use- even if you were playing a simulation of a year where he was with the Twins. Now, the picture would change to show that.

The other, bigger and even more exciting development, is the introduction of 3D into the actual in-game experience, allowing you to see, in 3D graphics, the stadium where you are playing, as well as the ball flying into the seats or harmlessly dropping into a second-baseman’s glove. It’s not complete yet- OOTP Developments even has admitted so- so I can’t really comment on it yet, and I don’t quite feel comfortable showing a screenshot of it yet either, mainly because of that unfinishedness. Still, from what I can see, this could be one of the coolest additions to OOTP since the ability to play multiple leagues around the world was added, especially once you consider how nice some of the modding will be as people add in 3D models of Fenway Park, Camden Yards, and the like.

The International Focus Is Stronger Than Even

OOTP has for several years had the ability to simulate all the world of baseball, even including many leagues, such as Japan’s and Korea’s, in the game’s “league creation” screen. This year, they’ve added in the Dutch and Italian Leagues, and, in a first, they’ve added in the real rosters for the international teams, although they are sometimes a bit haphazard- DOOR Neptunus of the Dutch League, for example, had an empty roster last I checked. Still, it’s neat that the OOTP team has done all of this research, and I’m sure as time goes on we’ll see even more additions to OOTP’s global leagues- perhaps a defection feature for Cuba, for example, or the promotion/relegation of the Dutch League. Maybe even a World Baseball Classic is in the future of the OOTP world!

You probably never thought about the L&D Amsterdam Pirates of the Honkbal Hoofdklasse before now!

You probably never thought about the L&D Amsterdam Pirates of the Honkbal Hoofdklasse before now!

In addition, they’ve added in the Posting System function, a pretty big part of the business of baseball that hadn’t been in OOTP games until now. Of course, as with almost everything in OOTP, that’s customizable and can be turned on/off.

Scouting Changes

One of my favorite additions/changes are the differences in how scouting and ratings are now shown. Previously, OOTP didn’t really give you an idea if, say, a “60” in power was good or not. Now, though, the ratings are set so that they are based on how well a player is compared to his league and whatever scale you’ve set for your game. So on a 1-100 scale, a player who is a 60 in power is a bit above average in the power category in your league. Of course, you can also now change the league that is used as an average, allowing you to laugh at how awesome your utility player would be in the low minors or in one of the lesser international leagues.

Little Things Mean A Lot

Every OOTP also makes some small adjustments. For example. OOTP now has a retired number feature:

Screen Shot 2014-04-10 at 10.19.45 PM(Sadly, they have yet to have the ability to import this in from the start- so if you want to make sure nobody is wearing number 8 as you simulate the next 5 years of Orioles history, you have to enter those numbers yourself)

NOTE: I’ve since learned that the most recent version of the game has gotten this fixed.

It also has a little funny ditty for the “can’t be fired” option:

Screen Shot 2014-04-10 at 10.16.21 PMHeh.

Stuff I haven’t covered/played yet

There also are changes with how you can set up historic leagues- sadly, I haven’t had a close look at that yet. I also have yet to really do a long sim yet, as I’m waiting for some of the bugs and glitches to stabilize. Still, it’s obvious already that this will be the best OOTP yet, and I’m sure it’ll get even better as time goes on.

 

Coming Soon: First Impressions of OOTP Baseball ’15!

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Sometime soon, my first impressions of OOTP Baseball ’15, which is due out later this month:

Screen Shot 2014-04-09 at 10.09.25 PM

Out of the Park 15 is Coming!

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You know my love of OOTP 14, but now, another version of Out of the Park Baseball is coming. And this time, it’ll have 3D ballparks, 3D balls-in-play, international leagues with REAL players for Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Mexico, Cuba, Netherlands and Italy, a new ratings system, the ability for teams to retire numbers and even more!

How much am I looking forward to this?

Perhaps this will give an indication:

YEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!

 

REVIEW: Out of the Park Baseball 2014

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Prologue:

(Note: If you want the review, just go to the jump)

September 8, 2015. Another lost season for the Buffalo Upstatesmen, the long-time butt of jokes in the Northeast Division of the Eastern Association of the Unified North American League. 38 games out of first, over 24 games out of the Wild Card. They were going to, barring some sort of 0-for-the-rest-of-the-season streak, finally finish with fewer than 100 losses, the first time in god-knows-when, but, still, a lost season. All that was left now was to avoid having the worst record in the league and maybe give some of the young guns some good September-callup experience.

Now, they were in the top of the 10th, tied 5-5 against the Atlanta Georgians. At one point, they’d held a 5-2 lead, but then a 3-run homer by Barry Davis off Bryan Absher tied it up. If there was one thing that the Upstatesmen had going for them, though, it was their bullpen, so the team’s skipper was hopeful. Jorge Apodaca, the star reliever of the Upstatesmen who’s stamina on the mound was good enough where he had been used as a starter once or twice, now was going to begin his second inning. Just in case, Shawn Gardner had begun warming up in the ‘pen.

The inning didn’t start well- Juan Martinez got to first on an infield hit and then was replaced by the speedier Jorge Gonzalez, who’d been rated as a 20-20 threat on the basepaths by the scouting department. Thankfully, Zachary Jenkins then had a weak flyout. Next came a pinch-hitter for the pitcher-spot (which had moved up to the 6-slot earlier in the game on a double switch): Gabriel Garcia. An okay hitter, batting .280 on the year with four homers.

He wouldn’t do anything, however. On the first pitch, Gonzalez stole second. Immediately, Apodaca was ordered to walk Garcia to set up a double play. Now up to the plate came Jorge Lujan, a September call-up. The first pitch was a strike… and Gonzalez stole third without a throw. For a second, Buffalo’s skipper considered walking Lujan to set up a force at any base. But he had faith in Apodaca, and he was rewarded with the strikeout.

2 outs, men at the corners. The light-hitting Juan Lopez coming up. Apodaca wouldn’t let him reach base- he struck him out.

To the bottom of the 11th they went, facing righty Jorge Rodriguez: Jeff Cochran flew out, pinch-hitter Bill Hatcher grounded out. Up came Bruce Cunningham. Once the number two prospect in the league, he’d been disappointing during his previous stints in the bigs. This was his third September call-up, and he’d yet to get a permanent position.

Whack! The ball chopped on the ground, past the second baseman, and into right. A man was now on with two out. Walt McKay was now coming to the plate. Like Cunningham, McKay was a top prospect who had had trouble in the big leagues, although his ability to hit righties had kept him with a constant position ever since he had been drafted. There would be no heroism here, however, as he grounded out to end the 11th inning.

Shawn Gardner came in for the top of the twelfth, along with Hayden Caswell, the ordinary 2nd Baseman, who was being brought in as a defensive replacement. Gardner worked around a leadoff single, and to the bottom of the 12th the game went. Cornell Goodwin grounded out, but then Vicente Candelaria, the slow-moving slugger from Massachusetts, somehow got on with an infield hit, and was pinch-hit for by Mike Dunn. Ricardo Gonzalez, the hard-hitting Puerto Rican 3B, stepped to the plate… and fanned. Bryan Castle didn’t fare much better.

Gardner pitched a scoreless top of the 13th. Meanwhile, some of the starters ran out to the bullpen. Collin Perry came out to pitch for the Georgians, and promptly walked Hayden Caswell. Cochran would line out and then Christian Martin- pinch-hitting for Gardner- grounded out (moving Caswell to second), but Bruce Cunningham flew out, ending the inning.

Eugene O’Neal pitched a scoreless top of the inning, and then the bottom half started promisingly, as McKay doubled. The Georgians intentionally walked Cornell Goodwin, and then came Mike Dunn, who had earlier pinch-run for Candelaria. The skipper for the Upstatesmen regretted the move, as he could have used the big bat that had hit 25 home runs so far this year. Thankfully, he had another bat on the bench: Manuel Leon, a big slugger they’d found doing well in the Venezuelan League and had given a shot… and had not been disappointed, at least at the plate: with 18 HRs this year despite a pitiful .238 batting average.

He shot the ball on the ground through the box and into the outfield. The speedy McKay was waved home, but the good arm of centerfielder Jorge Ortiz was ready. It was a close play, a slide, a gasp going through the stadium….

and then the Umpire’s call: OUT!

The Upstatesmen had gambled, trying to get a final victory… but had failed. At least for now. Ricardo Gonzalez came to the plate, with two men still on and one out. He too, hit a sharp grounder, but unlike Leon, his ball wouldn’t find the outfield, as the Atlanta 2B snagged it and got him at first. There were now two men in scoring position, but now there were two outs. Brian Castle stepped to the plate… and popped out.

Out of the bullpen now came Jack Hoffman, a crummy starter with an okay cutter but not much else. Two years ago, he’d lost 21 games. The hope, the manager for the Upstatesmen had, was that maybe he could go an inning before he was pinch-hit for in the bottom half.

In a minor miracle, Hoffman just gave up one hit, and the game went into the bottom of the 15th tied. Not like it mattered, as the Upstatesmen went down 1-2-3. Jack Bray, a lefty picked up from St. Louis earlier in the year, worked a scoreless top of the 16th.. but, once again, the Upstatesmen couldn’t capitalize.

Ty “Tank” Edwards, a long-reliever who also was the Upstatesmen 5th starter on weeks when the starting rotation was being hit by injuries. He sent down the Georgians one-two-three. To the bottom of the 17th the game went. Leon struck out, Gonzalez walked, and then up came Brian Castle, who quickly worked a 2-1 count.

AND THEN HE FOUND A GOOD FASTBALL!

The ball flew deep, deep into the night to right-center… and over the fence! The Upstatesmen had won it 7-5 in 17 innings!

….

(JUMP)

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Now available: Out of the Park Baseball 14

Aside

I’m a big fan of the Out of the Park baseball series, and in fact there will be a review of the newest version some time in the next few days. However, if you are interested in both playing it and also supporting the Baseball Continuum, it is now for sale through a link on the Continuum as part of Out of the Park Developments’ affiliate program.

Keep an eye open in the next few days for a full review of the game.

WBC Simulation: USA vs. Canada

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On Sunday, March 30, 2013, Team USA and Canada will play the final Pool D game at Chase Field in Phoenix. Canada will technically be the home team. It’s entirely possible that who has advanced in the WBC would already be decided, but the sometimes erratic tie-breaking procedures of the round robin first round make it unlikely that both would be decided, and it is entirely likely that this game would decide the fates of at least one of the teams playing.

So, how might it go down? Well, using Out of the Park Baseball, I am simulating it! Go after the jump for the rest.

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Coming Soon: WBC Simulations on Out of the Park Baseball

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I’m a big fan of a game called Out Of The Park Baseball. It’s a baseball simulator, which can let you do almost anything. If you want to, you can replay baseball history just as it was, or you could play a whole new history with fictional characters, or even do a bit of both, perhaps using fictional teams but real players. It’s the spiritual descendant of APBA and Strat-O-Matic.

I’m, however, going to use it to do some simulations of World Baseball Classic baseball. Essentially, I downloaded a roster set that has the rosters of Major League Baseball and the minors at the end of the 2012 season. I then deleted all of the leagues, making everybody free agents. I then created a league of National teams: the USA Americans, the Dominican Republic Dominicans, the Italy Italians, etc.

And now I am putting players on the teams, as well as updating the attributes of some of the players (you can enter what their stats in a major league environment was and it’ll give you what their most recent power, contact, etc. abilities would be- otherwise it’d be going off of 2011 numbers, making Mike Trout merely a prospect instead of the most exciting player in baseball).

So far, I’ve created the USA, the Dominican, Australia, Italy (which has a heavy number of Italian-Americans) and I’m working on Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Mexico and Canada. So, for example, I could play a game with a lineup like this:

Screen Shot 2012-12-23 at 12.14.28 PM

It isn’t a perfect simulation: the simulation lacks pitch-count rules (thus allowing Justin Verlander to complete-game shutout the Italians and Australians almost any time he faces them) and sometimes the decisions made by the AI are a bit wonky (it made Joe Mauer the starting 1B originally, and had Ben Zobrist the starting 2B instead of the super-utility guy off the bench.. and I’m still trying to figure out why they have Clayton Tanner as the ace of the Australians and not Travis Blackley)… but it’s neat. So I’ll be sharing some of the stuff from it in the next few days.

For example, I think it’s safe to say, based on this simulation of 1000 games between Team USA and Italy, that the Americans should easily win the Pool D game against Italia:

Screen Shot 2012-12-23 at 12.30.45 PM