Feel Like A Noob
 

Been playing since OOTP12. However, I have never really learned the game and I am overall terrible. Is there an easy way to learn the game to be competitive? The forum results I have found so far have not been very useful and I don't like to watch videos. Would much rather read something like a PDF. Any suggestions?

Doubt it.

That was ever so helpful.....:thumbdown:

I hesitate to give advice to someone who has been playing the game many more years than I have.
But my take is that the best way to learn OOTP is with baby steps. Don't try to do everything all at once. Confused by things like waivers, contract options, budgeting, etc? Turn off the financial aspect of the game to begin with. Overwhelmed with the minor league system and managing that? Take it off your list of responsibilities and let the AI manage the minors. (Or use a more abbreviated reserve system and get rid of the minors altogether.)
Focus first on the aspects of the game that you like most or feel most confident about. Learn those and then slowly add in other elements to your comfort.

But also I think the best way to learn is by trying and failing. And learning from your failures. Don't be afraid to screw up, especially when learning, as perfection is never an option and you won't learn anything by being scared to play around. It's a game; have fun with it.

As for a PDF, well, your best option is the official manual. Not the most enjoyable thing to read through in it's entirety and certainly could use some tweaking, but a great resource to turn to when you have specific questions or are looking to explore certain aspects of the game. There is a PDF version that was provided by pstrickert: https://www.dropbox.com/s/mmkcvusbzr...anual.pdf?dl=0
But of course, the hyperlinks won't work in this version.
So might also want to refer to online manual for more functionality.

Its realistic. Birdwatcher took three paragraphs to say the same thing.

Well, perhaps.
I do find that 3 paragraphs of kindness does tend to be more well received then 2 snarky words for most people.

Ok, well what would be your answer if I took out the word easy? What is the best way to learn strategies and concepts of the game to get you to a competitive level?

What BIrdwatcher said.

This is a complicated game. Its not easy. That's why its fun. (My opinion.)

That's not what I asked. I didn't ask for easy, I asked for how to best learn....

Play

There's a snarky one word answer for you


Your question is way too vague.

Play. When you have a specific problem, try to figure it out. If you can't, use the manual and the search function in the forums. If you still can't, come back here and ask your specific question.

Sorry I even asked this question....

Which aspects of baseball do you can understand?

"A good friend of mine used to say, "This is a very simple game. You throw the ball, you catch the ball, you hit the ball. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes it rains." Think about that for a while."


Are you not familiar with the rules of baseball? Maybe let the Ai set up your team and sim for a bit to learn how they do things. Watch some of the many Youtube channels. The one guy that had the Expos, think he has the reds now is great. Some of us can help you to a degree. be more specific please.

My problem is with the front office side of things. Scouting, contracts, trades. I don't know how to best execute these things. I usually let AI handle promotions/demotions in the minors and I handle active roster. But it is getting the talent I need to be competitive that I seem to have problems with.

I don't know what reports to rely on, or how to make the deals or draft the right players.

1.Turn off scouting and make OOTP scouting 100% accurate.

2. Go with a real life team you are familiar with, average or better, and use historical rookies.

3. Set game to some version of real stats without player development.

4. Play


Nobody can explain their thought process on making decisions in a way someone else can adopt it.

Or maybe more. Reserve roster instead of minors, low or no injuries, remove complication until you're successful. Then start adding complication and uncertainly back into the game.

This seems reasonable. Just curious, what reports do you specifically look at with your simming and how do you use those reports personally?

If you have scouting set to 100% accurate as I suggested all you need to look at for player evaluation is ratings. Part of keeping it simple at the beginning.

Later on when you introduce some fog if the scouts are highly sklled I'd still look mostly at the ratings. Real life Norm Cash hit .361 and won the batting championship but we know from his career his actual ability, what we'd call ratings in the game, was to hit 280. The game will do the same thing. Rely on ratings over stats.

So you don't look at any of the farm system reports etc?

If you have scouting set to 100% accurate as I suggested all you need to look at for player evaluation is ratings.

Well, when using real life players as suggested you can look at career stats for an idea - but its JUST an idea - of how good someone might eventually be. Three year recalc and some talent change randomness means some players perform significantly better or worse than real life.

I've had Dwight Evans several times and never had him be good enough to be more than a platoon player and sub OTOH, I've had Richie Hebner win a few batting titles. Neither is outside the realm of reasonably possibility.

Hee Sop Choi in past versions has been abeast winning 3 -4 HR and/or batting titles in a row before fading while someone like Ozzie Smith, Luis Aparcio or Don Mattingly are average to below average.