For those who don’t know, OOTP stands for Out of the Park. It is a baseball simulation game that puts you in the general manager’s seat. Their website is here. In short, you have your 25 man roster, plus three levels of minor leagues (AAA, AA, A). You draft and develop players, sign free agents, offer and negotiate trades, set promotion dates, manage your team’s finances, etc. The game is available through the website.
We currently have an eight team league (really two four-team leagues) in our second season. We’re currently using version 4, but we’ll be switching to version 5 at the end of the current season. In addition, there is a possibility that we’ll be adding two more teams at the end of the current season as well.
The franchise that is currently available is the Kingston franchise. It is in a bit of the dumps. They are currently in last place in the Zotti League, doing their best Detroit Tigers impersonation. They are currently 18-41. You may not be able to win the Cecil Cup with them this year, but if you’ve ever wanted the challange of taking a franchise from the bottom to the top, then this is the team for you. At the season’s end, you’ll be able to rename and relocate the franchise, if you so wish.
The basic parameters are:
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[li]Fictional players[/li][li]Modern-style play[/li][li]No salary cap[/li][/ul]
All we ask is that if you join that you participate actively. We simulate two week’s worth of games each Wednesday night.
If anyone has any questions about the game, feel free to post them and I (or other OOTPing Dopers) will answer them.
Many people here know that I’m a true seam-head baseball guy. I’ve written analysis columns for some websites and have done independent analysis just for fun.
This is the most fascinating game on earth. It simulates player development, acquisition, clutch performance, team finances, attendance, everything.
I think I remember expressing interest in this when you started, and I completely forgot about it. I’ll do some reading about it and throw my name into the ring as a possibility.
JC, wait till you get familiar with OOTP5. It’s a huge step up.
Wilson, I think you’d like it. It’s a lot of fun. Check out the game’s website at www.ootpdevelopments.com, have a look around our league’s site linked above by Zev, and definitely if you have any questions let us know. We’d love to have you.
Hmm. I made it sound like I was dictating, there. What I MEANT to say was “I’d love to be in the league, but make me an alternate-type person for this franchise. If you can’t find anyone else, I’d gladly take it, but I think other people should be introduced to this wonderful game, so if you think there are other fitting candidates, you should give it to them over me.”
I’d like to play, but I’m curious just how the wednesday night thing works. Do you need to be present for an extended period of time every wednesday night, or is it more like typical Fantasy Baseball where you set your lineup anytime beforehand and it runs on its own?
After each sim, I post the league file on the league website. Each player downloads the league file, makes changes and then exports the changes to the league server sometime before the next sim. Then when I’m ready to run the next sim, I download everyone’s changes and sim the games.
Gotcha, so I’m basically the GM and not the coach? Do I decide starting lineups for each game? Do I have control over which players get the most work, and do I decide to promote my minor leaguers? How do the minor leagues work, also simulated games every Wednesday?
You’re the GM. But you’re more like a Billy Beane GM where the manager is completely subservient to your wishes than a Jim Hendry GM where Dusty Baker actually calls the shots.
You set line ups against LHP and RHP. You set defensive replacements and spot starters (and the percentages they start). You set your starting rotation (4 or 5), who your middle relievers vs righties and vs lefties, set up men the same and closers.
You control your minor leagues the same (though you don’t have full rosters in the minors) and you control when and if players get moved up or down a level.
You manage the disabled list and make trades, contract extensions, sign free agents, minor league coaches (they have different levels that they can develop different skills in players).
You can set promotions to bring in more money (hat day, bat day, that sort of thing).
It’s loads of fun and only as time consuming as you make it.
If no one else has officially joined, I’ll do it. I figure the best place to learn is with an already pathetic team. Even if I screw up, who would notice.
We are still using version 4 of the game. We will be switching to version 5 (which is the current version) after the season ends.
If you own version 4, then you would be an ideal candidate for the current franchise. If you do not own version 4, then you should consider waiting for next season (since you don’t want to go out and purchase version 4 just to have to purchase version 5…)
Please email me at commish@izev.com and indicate if you own version 4 or not. If you have version 4, I’ll be more than happy to set up your franchise for you for the next sim. If not, I can put you on reserve for the Kingston franchise if no ver 4 owner shows up or for an expansion franchise.
OK, we’ve got an owner for the Kingston franchise. Flymaster emailed me that he owns both versions of the game and is familiar with them both; so the job is his.
I’ve put the matter of expansion for after the season to a vote of the owners and I’ll know by the weekend if we’re adding teams and how many (two or four).