How do you play?

[tcoots423]

How do you guys play? Especially most of the veteran guys.. do you manage EVERY game? or sim them until the playoffs?

[Mr. Marlin]

Well, it depends. If my team is more likely than not to win a game against an overmatched opponent then I'll sim the game completely. If it could go either way I'll sim until my half the the 6th inning and manage from there.. If I'm in a big game in a pennant chase or any playoff game I'm hands of for the whole 9.

[D-BacksJosh]

I play out every game in 1 pitch mode whether I am losing or not. I see every pitch and every at bat of the history of my franchise, it is very rewarding.

[rpriske]

Manage out every game (mostly in 1 pitch mode).

The on-field game is the whole point of baseball. Everything else is just in support of that.


Ans yes, I think it is very weird that Billy Beane doesn't watch the games. Knowing that would make me not want to hire him if I was an owner.

[NYJin2011tm]

Manage every game with no ball animation, short instant pbp, 1 pitch mode.

[battists]

Same as rpriske here. I manage every game in one pitch mode. Sometimes I will sim part of a game if I am crabby and doing poorly. Like if it's 12-2 in the third, I might not want to slog through 6 more innings to lose 15-4.

[BKL]

I used to play out every game in a fictional league, with an 80 game season. You got to know the team well, but sometimes the seasons were long and it would take me time to develop history.

I recently changed to where I do this....first three innings auto-sim...next three innings I press Until RISP, which also gets me through quickly...last three innings and beyond, I play out completely. It's been a lot of fun and I'm really enjoying it. You still get to know players well, see exciting endings, call in relievers and closers in tight games, and yet after 80 games you still have a good handle on your team and players. On opening day or a big game or playoffs, I'll play out the entire game. I've been able to get through an 80 game season in usually 3-4 weeks, as I can play quickly through 3 games real each day in about 30 minutes. I have two young kids, so I only have about 20 - 30 minutes each night to play.

[Wingedlion14]

I've got 2 games going - one where I'm the GM, the other where I'm the GM/manager and manage each game. I've found that I can go through 2 seasons a week on the GM on (can even do a season a night if I really push it), while the other one I just started and about at the all star break after about a week.

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by D-BacksJosh

I play out every game in 1 pitch mode whether I am losing or not. I see every pitch and every at bat of the history of my franchise, it is very rewarding.

This. So much, this.

(Well, I accidentally simmed one game in my Raccoons dynasty, a long time ago, because I noobed onto the wrong button, but hey, I'm at 99,98% and rising!)

I always play with the thought of doing a game where I just do the GM'ing, and sim the games, or watch them in quick auto-play, but I *know* I would grow detached from the players and would not bother after a while. Reading box scores is only so much fun...

[cavebutter]

I always keep one short season universe where I 1-pitch manage every game.

However, 90% of the time I play 162-game seasons in GM-only mode. I have a routine where I sim one day at a time. After every simmed day, I read box scores and news stories, manage rosters as needed, a maximum of 3 other activities per day (shopping a player, making an offer, signing a player, etc.), and finding some statistical rabbit hole to fall down.

[battists]

One additional thing I do while I manage (1 pitch every game) is that I write stories occasionally. Usually it's a recap of a particularly compelling game, such as one this season where I had two inside the park home runs in one game.

I also like to write end of season grades for all individual players on my team. I do them by position. It forces me to really look closely at how everyone performed. Then I usually do a preseason write up too, "projecting" who will play where.

[Orcin]

Since the GM mode was introduced, I have simmed - one day at a time as opposed to a week or month or season. I don't control the team on the field, but I do enjoy seeing the box score and being able to react to the day's events.

[voxpoptart]

I sim each game to the 6th or 7th inning and play it out (1-pitch) from there. That gives me some time to learn about the players from all the other teams -- and to manage my late-game strategy -- while still saving some time.

[tcoots423]

Originally Posted by Orcin

Since the GM mode was introduced, I have simmed - one day at a time as opposed to a week or month or season. I don't control the team on the field, but I do enjoy seeing the box score and being able to react to the day's events.

This is exactly what I am doing with Toronto where I started in one, and I just started a 2nd one where its 1968 and Im going to GM the Expos at the start of thier franchise and turn them into a powerhouse hopefully instead of what they ended up being!

I find reading box scores lots of fun and I like simming until the playoffs to see how players do. I STILL get attached to the players. For instance Troy Tulowitzki is making 20 mill and slowly getting older and going down..but I refuse to do anything BUT let him retire in Toronto. Same with Josh Donaldson who is my favorite player in real life too.(too bad Donaldson didnt start in the majors till 27 or 28 :/

[IsaacR]

I sim a week at the time in GM mode. Occasionally I'll watch a game, but since I'm in GM only I refuse to make any strategy decisions (The most I'll make is a force-start if my AI manager is being an idiot, like starting light-hitting utility guy Bernie Barnes over average bat with average defense Chris Pendergrast). After each week, I check free agency, the waiver wire, shop a guy or two I'm looking to move, check on my AAA and AA teams, then search for an interesting tidbit (The all-time home run leader in my league, Jason Hannah, never led the league in homers, and only finished top 3 once.). Once I find a tidbit (or 70) I move to next week. Once a month I go through the entire organization, but in general I let the AI manage minor league promotions, with using the lock function on certain top prospects.