What's the learning curve to OOTP?

MessiahRp · 03-11-2015, 03:01 PM

Probably a silly question to long time OOTP players but I have always wanted to give OOTP a shot and am a long time Baseball Mogul player. BBM is super easy and intuitive but sort of lacks a lot of the organizational depth that could make the game feel a bit more - general manager-like, if that makes sense.

If you've only played BBM, is OOTP a steep learning curve?

I currently like to play older historical seasons in addition to the current season - are historical teams available on OOTP?

I'm going to give the OOTP 15 demo a whirl just to see for myself but I'd love feedback from anyone that made a similar transition.

Thanks!

TomVeal · 03-11-2015, 03:06 PM

The only part of OOTP with much of a learning curve is setting up a new custom league. My own experience was the standard leagues and Quickstarts are pretty intuitive.

Peregrine · 03-11-2015, 03:06 PM

Personally I'd say the learning curve can be a bit steep at first but you can change a lot of settings to let the AI handle bits and pieces to make it easier for you. Yes, it has all historical teams and seasons.

Try the demo and see what you think, then buy 16 if you're interested.

IanIachimoe · 03-11-2015, 03:07 PM

not very similiar, but I came into OOTP13-14 having previously only played console baseball games.

didn't take very long to get the hang of it. maybe a week or two? after that a little trial & error is to be expected.

imo, if you know the game you'll be fine.

this forum helps A LOT as well. great community

swoboda · 03-11-2015, 03:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IanIachimoe

not very similiar, but I came into OOTP13-14 having previously only played console baseball games.

didn't take very long to get the hang of it. maybe a week or two? after that a little trial & error is to be expected.

imo, if you know the game you'll be fine.

this forum helps A LOT as well. great community

True to the nth degree. ...if you can't figure something out, post the Question with a good description and you will get the help you need.

however many hours you spend learning the game it will be worth it because I predict you will stay with this game and not have to learn any others

ihatenames · 03-11-2015, 03:20 PM

As others said it can be a little steep. But the best part of OOTP for me is the customization. You can make the game as deep as you want it to be. And you can also set a lot of things to CPU control such as a managing minor league promotions, signings etc.

And to echo what others have said, if you have a question please ask. The community here is fantastic usually respond very quickly.

mvm04 · 03-11-2015, 03:39 PM

I came in at OOTP10 after playing mostly console. I was always so interested in the aspects OOTP had over those games "Minors, player development, advanced stats) I sort of just dove into OOTP and learned on the fly. My advice to you would be to fool around on a few different leagues (historical, fictional, quickstart) before setting up your true league

Lukas Berger · 03-11-2015, 03:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MessiahRp

I currently like to play older historical seasons in addition to the current season - are historical teams available on OOTP?

Yes, absolutely.

Every MLB season is included with OOTP and you can play through the full history of MLB. The 1800's aren't setup exactly as they really were, but from 1901 on, everything is pretty much perfect.

You can also create leagues with different historical teams matched up against each other, tons of other stuff as well.

joefromchicago · 03-11-2015, 05:27 PM

I'd suggest doing a season replay at first. Everything is already set up for you -- rosters, lineups, rotations, etc. All you have to do is take over a team and go from there. If you like historic seasons, choose one with an interesting pennant race, like 1908, 1951, 1964, or 1978. Then you can move on to making your own leagues. OOTP is as easy or as in-depth as you want to make it. After a short time, 95% of everything you do will be intuitive.

Déjà Bru · 03-11-2015, 05:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ihatenames

As others said it can be a little steep. But the best part of OOTP for me is the customization. You can make the game as deep as you want it to be. And you can also set a lot of things to CPU control such as a managing minor league promotions, signings etc.

And to echo what others have said, if you have a question please ask. The community here is fantastic usually respond very quickly.

This ^^^, but with a nod to TomVeal who had the same idea but downplayed the learning curve just a bit too much.

Even with no customization, there is a considerable amount of time and effort needed to know how to play this game. Where it gets really complicated, however, is when one starts playing around with the settings and then making custom leagues of one's own.

The good news is, if you are the right person for this game, you will not mind the learning curve as you get more and more excited with what you can do with OOTPB. The learning curve will go by very quickly and you get deeper and deeper into this game.

The guys talk up this forum and rightly so. Don't forget the introductory videos on the OOPTD web site and the online manual as well.

Raidergoo · 03-11-2015, 06:09 PM

I would like to second what Deja Bru has written. The only thing I would add to his remarks is this:

Effort is rewarded.

Ruthian23 · 03-11-2015, 06:17 PM

Like others, I would say that the learning curve to get to the point where you can have fun playing it is fairly low (but not insignificant), but getting to the point where you're an expert at everything it can do, every option, etc, if extremely high if not impossible. I think the toughest thing for a newcomer will probably just be figuring out where everything is. The game has so many options and screens that that can be intimidating. I've had the experience before of discovering new screens that have evidently been in the game for years that I've never seen before, and I've been playing since OOTP 4 or 5.

You can always give the demo a whirl, but make sure you let yourself have a chance to get used to things.

As others have said as well, this forum is an absolutely fantastic resource. I'm not sure I'd call myself a "regular" here despite being a member for over a decade (Jesus, really??), but whenever I've had a question the folks here have been great.

Eric · 03-11-2015, 07:47 PM

Actually, the steepest learning curve is navigating through the various menus and windows. After playing OOTP and going to Baseball Mogul, the biggest adjustment is mapping the OOTP pages to Baseball Mogul. I found the menus easier to use in OOTP and had trouble figuring out where the corresponding actions were in Baseball Mogul.

If you have already played a Baseball General Manager simulator, you should be fine here. I came from playing APBA and was able to quickly pick up OOTP5. Granted, there's way more stuff now, but managing baseball is basically the same. Just more knobs to play with.

r0nster · 03-11-2015, 08:31 PM

back in 2001 when it was called season ticket it took me a season to figure out much of the options to utilize in the game. Each season and each version I have been getting better at consistency of my teams

skywalkr2 · 03-11-2015, 08:32 PM

The biggest learning curve is finding out 3 seasons later that your 5 star 1st rounder doesn't make it past high A Ball.

smiller · 03-11-2015, 09:00 PM

I also came to OOTP from BBM, and was surprised that learning the game was not nearly as difficult as I had anticipated. I've been playing for about a year now, and am still discovering new facets of the game all the time, often from comments in this forum. As someone said, the rewards are well worth the effort.

Honorable_Pawn · 03-11-2015, 09:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by skywalkr2

The biggest learning curve is finding out 3 seasons later that your 5 star 1st rounder doesn't make it past high A Ball.

butsam · 03-11-2015, 09:49 PM

I am not familiar with the details in BBM, but I actually think the biggest learning curve is *not* the OOTP interface (and I was new to OOTP 15), but the baseball rules that are implemented in OOTP for realism. I'm not talking about on-the-field rules, I am talking about the relatively unique draft rules, contract rules, finances, etc. OOTP doesn't dumb it down like some other baseball games do. For example, you will manage a 40-man roster and a 25-man roster, and will only be able to move people between the majors and minors under certain (realistic) circumstances. These details may not be apparent to even an avid baseball fan if you aren't used to dealing with them...but these rules exist and are implemented in OOTP. There are also somewhat unique draft circumstances, like the Rule 5 draft, that exist to ensure a team can't keep a rising star in the minors for too long; learning how to protect your people from the Rule 5 draft is quite useful (but you can't do it with too many people, and you have to keep in mind you can only move people between majors and minors so many times, and only for so long!)

The interface itself is very intuitive, but you should check out the following video series to help you understand the ruleset (as of a couple versions ago but the rules still apply) implemented in OOTP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SF9SRUFgNoA

Once you have done that, you should preorder OOTP 16 and anxiously await March 20 (the preorder release date)!

Donevyn · 03-13-2015, 11:19 AM

I agree with butsam ( I was ready to mention it after going thru the thread, but of course the last post mentions it

. The videos are very well done and as mentioned, even a couple of years old still have value.

OmahaBaseball · 03-13-2015, 11:33 AM

There is a learning curve. In my opinion though, the severity of that curve depends more on how familiar you are with the game of baseball than it does in playing OOTP. I find the OOTP interface top notch and have experienced very little issues over the years. Though I have been playing since version 4, I still love finding a hidden gem (a report I never noticed, a new screen, a filter, etc…) that ends up making the game that much better. Hopefully the OP will give it a try, because the historical part of this game is amazing.

03-11-2015, 03:01 PM	#1
MessiahRp Bat Boy Join Date: Mar 2015 Posts: 2	What's the learning curve to OOTP? Probably a silly question to long time OOTP players but I have always wanted to give OOTP a shot and am a long time Baseball Mogul player. BBM is super easy and intuitive but sort of lacks a lot of the organizational depth that could make the game feel a bit more - general manager-like, if that makes sense. If you've only played BBM, is OOTP a steep learning curve? I currently like to play older historical seasons in addition to the current season - are historical teams available on OOTP? I'm going to give the OOTP 15 demo a whirl just to see for myself but I'd love feedback from anyone that made a similar transition. Thanks!

03-11-2015, 03:20 PM	#6
ihatenames Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Rockford Posts: 2,534	As others said it can be a little steep. But the best part of OOTP for me is the customization. You can make the game as deep as you want it to be. And you can also set a lot of things to CPU control such as a managing minor league promotions, signings etc. And to echo what others have said, if you have a question please ask. The community here is fantastic usually respond very quickly. __________________ New Album coming soon!

03-11-2015, 05:27 PM	#9
joefromchicago Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2011 Posts: 3,707	I'd suggest doing a season replay at first. Everything is already set up for you -- rosters, lineups, rotations, etc. All you have to do is take over a team and go from there. If you like historic seasons, choose one with an interesting pennant race, like 1908, 1951, 1964, or 1978. Then you can move on to making your own leagues. OOTP is as easy or as in-depth as you want to make it. After a short time, 95% of everything you do will be intuitive. __________________ American-Ethnic (and Canadian) Namesets Historical Minor League Schedules 1870s City/Team Nickname Randomizers "It's Usually Sunny in Philadelphia" weather mod Negro League Schedules

03-11-2015, 06:17 PM	#12
Ruthian23 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 740	Like others, I would say that the learning curve to get to the point where you can have fun playing it is fairly low (but not insignificant), but getting to the point where you're an expert at everything it can do, every option, etc, if extremely high if not impossible. I think the toughest thing for a newcomer will probably just be figuring out where everything is. The game has so many options and screens that that can be intimidating. I've had the experience before of discovering new screens that have evidently been in the game for years that I've never seen before, and I've been playing since OOTP 4 or 5. You can always give the demo a whirl, but make sure you let yourself have a chance to get used to things. As others have said as well, this forum is an absolutely fantastic resource. I'm not sure I'd call myself a "regular" here despite being a member for over a decade (Jesus, really??), but whenever I've had a question the folks here have been great. Last edited by Ruthian23; 03-11-2015 at 06:23 PM.

03-11-2015, 08:32 PM	#15
skywalkr2 Major Leagues Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: St Louis, MO Posts: 438	The biggest learning curve is finding out 3 seasons later that your 5 star 1st rounder doesn't make it past high A Ball. Last edited by skywalkr2; 03-11-2015 at 08:34 PM.

03-11-2015, 03:06 PM	#2
TomVeal All Star Starter Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Spanaway, Washington Posts: 1,242	The only part of OOTP with much of a learning curve is setting up a new custom league. My own experience was the standard leagues and Quickstarts are pretty intuitive.

03-11-2015, 03:06 PM	#3
Peregrine All Star Reserve Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Cary, North Carolina Posts: 635	Personally I'd say the learning curve can be a bit steep at first but you can change a lot of settings to let the AI handle bits and pieces to make it easier for you. Yes, it has all historical teams and seasons. Try the demo and see what you think, then buy 16 if you're interested.

03-11-2015, 03:07 PM	#4
IanIachimoe All Star Starter Join Date: May 2014 Location: paper st. Posts: 1,055	not very similiar, but I came into OOTP13-14 having previously only played console baseball games. didn't take very long to get the hang of it. maybe a week or two? after that a little trial & error is to be expected. imo, if you know the game you'll be fine. this forum helps A LOT as well. great community

03-11-2015, 03:39 PM	#7
mvm04 Minors (Single A) Join Date: Jan 2011 Posts: 61	I came in at OOTP10 after playing mostly console. I was always so interested in the aspects OOTP had over those games "Minors, player development, advanced stats) I sort of just dove into OOTP and learned on the fly. My advice to you would be to fool around on a few different leagues (historical, fictional, quickstart) before setting up your true league

03-11-2015, 06:09 PM	#11
Raidergoo Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 9,005	I would like to second what Deja Bru has written. The only thing I would add to his remarks is this: Effort is rewarded.

03-11-2015, 07:47 PM	#13
Eric All Star Starter Join Date: May 2002 Location: Folsom, CA Posts: 1,234	Actually, the steepest learning curve is navigating through the various menus and windows. After playing OOTP and going to Baseball Mogul, the biggest adjustment is mapping the OOTP pages to Baseball Mogul. I found the menus easier to use in OOTP and had trouble figuring out where the corresponding actions were in Baseball Mogul. If you have already played a Baseball General Manager simulator, you should be fine here. I came from playing APBA and was able to quickly pick up OOTP5. Granted, there's way more stuff now, but managing baseball is basically the same. Just more knobs to play with.

03-11-2015, 08:31 PM	#14
r0nster Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2006 Location: Michigan Posts: 3,053	back in 2001 when it was called season ticket it took me a season to figure out much of the options to utilize in the game. Each season and each version I have been getting better at consistency of my teams

03-11-2015, 09:00 PM	#16
smiller Major Leagues Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: Pittsboro NC Posts: 430	I also came to OOTP from BBM, and was surprised that learning the game was not nearly as difficult as I had anticipated. I've been playing for about a year now, and am still discovering new facets of the game all the time, often from comments in this forum. As someone said, the rewards are well worth the effort.

03-11-2015, 09:49 PM	#18
butsam Minors (Single A) Join Date: Jul 2014 Posts: 57	I am not familiar with the details in BBM, but I actually think the biggest learning curve is not the OOTP interface (and I was new to OOTP 15), but the baseball rules that are implemented in OOTP for realism. I'm not talking about on-the-field rules, I am talking about the relatively unique draft rules, contract rules, finances, etc. OOTP doesn't dumb it down like some other baseball games do. For example, you will manage a 40-man roster and a 25-man roster, and will only be able to move people between the majors and minors under certain (realistic) circumstances. These details may not be apparent to even an avid baseball fan if you aren't used to dealing with them...but these rules exist and are implemented in OOTP. There are also somewhat unique draft circumstances, like the Rule 5 draft, that exist to ensure a team can't keep a rising star in the minors for too long; learning how to protect your people from the Rule 5 draft is quite useful (but you can't do it with too many people, and you have to keep in mind you can only move people between majors and minors so many times, and only for so long!) The interface itself is very intuitive, but you should check out the following video series to help you understand the ruleset (as of a couple versions ago but the rules still apply) implemented in OOTP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SF9SRUFgNoA Once you have done that, you should preorder OOTP 16 and anxiously await March 20 (the preorder release date)! Last edited by butsam; 03-11-2015 at 09:57 PM.

03-13-2015, 11:19 AM	#19
Donevyn Major Leagues Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: UP, WA Posts: 360	I agree with butsam ( I was ready to mention it after going thru the thread, but of course the last post mentions it. The videos are very well done and as mentioned, even a couple of years old still have value.

03-13-2015, 11:33 AM	#20
OmahaBaseball Hall Of Famer Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Home of the College World Series! Posts: 3,766	There is a learning curve. In my opinion though, the severity of that curve depends more on how familiar you are with the game of baseball than it does in playing OOTP. I find the OOTP interface top notch and have experienced very little issues over the years. Though I have been playing since version 4, I still love finding a hidden gem (a report I never noticed, a new screen, a filter, etc…) that ends up making the game that much better. Hopefully the OP will give it a try, because the historical part of this game is amazing. __________________ Life is Good!