An Update on The Opener/Follower Mechanic

[Kris Jardine]

Hey folks, wanted to take a minute and talk about some improvements we've made to the opener/follower mechanic.

In previous versions, we had the "set lineup by expected follower" setting, which would allow a team to have their lineup constructed based on the expected follower from the opposing team. While this wasn't realistic, it was a required step to ensure team's were not able to "force" a lineup of a specific hand for a few batters before switching to a pitcher of another hand and gaining an advantage that could not be directly countered.

For PT22, we have added additional restrictions to both Starting Pitchers and Followers and adjusted the impact of splits in order to gain a bit more balance in the game. We then had several discussions internally on how we could improve the Opener/Follower mechanic so it could still be a viable strategy in Perfect Team but without some of the issues it had previously created.

So, we give you Opener specific lineups!

Teams can set a specific lineup vs. LH Openers and RH Openers that will be deployed in those specific situations. This adds another layer of strategy to the game in terms of matchups but without sacrificing user control over your team. Want to run a balanced lineup versus Openers? Want to stack the top 3 of one hand and switch hands 4-9 based on the anticipated opposite hand follower? You can do that now using this new feature! Managers of all activity levels will be able to benefit by having yet another layer of decision making to ensure your Perfect Team is making the most of it's roster.

You will be able to set Opener lineups under the new 7-Day/Opener lineups tab. Please note, you cannot use Opener Lineups and 7-Day lineups at the same time, you can choose from one system or the other depending on your preference (users who sign in once a day for example are likely to use the Opener lineups as opposed to users who sign in frequently throughout the day who are more likely to set specific lineups based on their opponent). You can freely switch back and forth from Opener to 7-Day lineups as you wish, when you submit your changes, the current chosen option will be stored and used. Also, it's important to note that these lineups are based on the opposing team's opener alone, we will be removing the option that allowed teams to "set lineup by expected follower". It will be up to the user to determine the best course of action based on the anticipated follower, but using these lineups has given a new wrinkle of management to your squad.

We think this is a great addition that will benefit all of the PT Universe! As always, we thank you for your feedback in relation to improvements/additions to the game and we can't wait for you to jump in and give it a shot!

We hope that you will give this plenty of action during the early access period and we'll have a feedback sub-forum set up for any comments/issues.