MLB evolution past 2015

[jpeters1734]

I am primarily a fictional player but I do love the MLB irl. Sadly, I can never get into an MLB game in OOTP because it is too big, too slow, and I always have to go back to my fictional game.

But I am curious, what are some of the things you guys do to evolve your MLB game past 2015?

If i was to start an MLB game, I'd probably reluctantly add a DH in the NL soon after. Sadly, I think the NL will adopt the DH in a few years. I would probably expand by two teams and re-align after about 5-10 seasons. I think the roster limit will increase to 26 soon. I'd go with 6 man rotations eventually. These are things that I think will actually happen in the ML within 10 years or so.

So what do you guys do?

[rpriske]

I just turn league evolution on. The surprise element keeps things interesting.

If you are playing fictional, why do you care what the real majors might do?

[BIG17EASY]

Originally Posted by rpriske

I just turn league evolution on. The surprise element keeps things interesting.

If you are playing fictional, why do you care what the real majors might do?

This. Turn MLB into what you want it to be, not what you think it'll be in 5-10 years.

[jpeters1734]

Originally Posted by BIG17EASY

This. Turn MLB into what you want it to be, not what you think it'll be in 5-10 years.

But what I want it to be is what I think it will be in 5-10 years. But I'm really just curious what everyone else does for league evolution

[aderosa32]

I'm also a proponent of the league evolution. About 10 years in, you have your own fictional league, with a majority of fictional players or real life prospects at the ML level. My league expanded about 5 years in and added a team in San Antonio and Indianapolis.

Just love to see how the prospects move in and take over.

[rpriske]

I got those same two cities. I really hated the team names they gave them and they were in the VERY wrong divisions, but I fixed that up. (San Antonio was in the NL East.)

They are now the Indianapolis Racers and the San Antonio Missions.

[rpriske]

Though I also find that the advantages to league evolution are erased by my disinterest in fictional players. Each year we move into the future increases the likelihood of me scrapping the league and starting over.

[Friendly_Beaver]

Originally Posted by jpeters1734

But what I want it to be is what I think it will be in 5-10 years. But I'm really just curious what everyone else does for league evolution

I leave them all checked but if something happens that makes little sense or is extremely unlikely to occur I will fix it. One time they changed the 25 man rosters to 24, I know the roster sizes have changed before but I don't think the PA would allow this as it means 1 less player per team making major league money so I vetoed it.

[enf91]

Originally Posted by rpriske

I got those same two cities. I really hated the team names they gave them and they were in the VERY wrong divisions, but I fixed that up. (San Antonio was in the NL East.)

They are now the Indianapolis Racers and the San Antonio Missions.

In OOTP 15, I also had expansion teams in Indy and San Antonio: the Orange Sox and the Lynx, respectively. Is OOTP programmed to put expansion teams in those cities first?

[Matt Arnold]

When expanding, OOTP will generally take the larger cities, so those two often show up. My current game has either expanded or relocated to Austin, Memphis, Columbus, Charlotte, Oklahoma, Indianapolis, Nashville, and Tucson (Indy moved there). But I do remember in a previous game being surprised when MY team got moved to San Antonio...

[Kent814]

Relievers usually turn to crap in about 20 years after 2015 at least in my experience

[jpeters1734]

Originally Posted by Kent814

Relievers usually turn to crap in about 20 years after 2015 at least in my experience

Does that happen naturally or is it you guiding league evolution?

[NYYANKS98]

Originally Posted by Kent814

Relievers usually turn to crap in about 20 years after 2015 at least in my experience

That's interesting because in my games (I've never played past 2020ish in my couple 2015 starts) I've always noticed a big offensive uptick back to steroid-era levels, making the recent offensive issues in MLB an aberration rather than a new pitching-dominant era. I didn't check to see if starters were still performing and only relievers were to blame, but that could very well be the cause.

[Kent814]

Originally Posted by jpeters1734

Does that happen naturally or is it you guiding league evolution?

Naturally it has happened in every league i ve done past 2035 there are 5 elite relievers and then everyone else pitches like ubaldo jimenez, extremely inconsistent and usually very bad

[bwburke94]

Originally Posted by rpriske

I just turn league evolution on.

Meanwhile, I just turn it off.

[jpeters1734]

anyone do anything else besides using game generated evolution?

[JMDurron]

Originally Posted by jpeters1734

anyone do anything else besides using game generated evolution?

I generated a custom financials.txt document with an inflation factor (average of post-FA MLB seasons? I forget how I calculated it) for all financial settings heading out into the future. Salary inflation in MLB isn't going away soon, I think, so I wanted my MLB QS league to reflect that.

[Blue]

Originally Posted by JMDurron

I generated a custom financials.txt document with an inflation factor (average of post-FA MLB seasons? I forget how I calculated it) for all financial settings heading out into the future. Salary inflation in MLB isn't going away soon, I think, so I wanted my MLB QS league to reflect that.

I've done this similarly before as well, more of a static 3% inflation. The numbers got pretty crazy. I think I tested to see its effect on the game once, and at a certain point the numbers were so high the best players demands were shown as negatives


I also never really used the evolution feature. I've simulated my own relocations using number generators. It got to the point were I laid out an entire likelihood of relocation chance for each franchise(like the Yankees would never move, but Tampa had a high probability), and probability for relocation destinations. It usually led to a relocation every 20 years or so

[Blue&Gold]

I also turn league evolution on.

Another thing I do is create a high school feeder league. Every off season I will create 3-7 unique high school players that might eventually make it to the show.

I'm in year 2040 (This is all on OOTP 14) and I have already seen quite a few high school players go through an entire MLB career. It's fun to recognize players that I have created way back and basically forgot about. It also eliminates the disinterest you may get with a league that becomes full of fictional players.

[Bluenoser]

Originally Posted by jpeters1734

I am primarily a fictional player but I do love the MLB irl. Sadly, I can never get into an MLB game in OOTP because it is too big, too slow, and I always have to go back to my fictional game.

But I am curious, what are some of the things you guys do to evolve your MLB game past 2015?

If i was to start an MLB game, I'd probably reluctantly add a DH in the NL soon after. Sadly, I think the NL will adopt the DH in a few years. I would probably expand by two teams and re-align after about 5-10 seasons. I think the roster limit will increase to 26 soon. I'd go with 6 man rotations eventually. These are things that I think will actually happen in the ML within 10 years or so.

So what do you guys do?

I haven't played with real teams since about OOTP9, but over the holiday period I created this setup and am really enjoying it.

http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/boar...ml#post3972800

4 levels of minors to keep size reasonable.

Not exactly evolution over a long period, but it's fun none the less.