OOTP 16

[Mike Dunn]

Marcus and friends posted on their Facebook page that tomorrow (Friday, 1/23) they'll have big news about OOTP 16.

Big OOTP 16 news coming tomorrow! Like, it's totally the biggest news ever in the history of the OOTP series! Seriously! Make sure you're signed up for our newsletter:

I predict game replays in 3D.

[Borealis]

I predict more (or continued, as the case may be) annoying financial 'bugs'... Sorry, just the pessimist in me...

[Akira]

I'm psyched that Marcus keeps the OOTP dynasty rolling!

[roncollins]

New versions are always exciting, but admittedly the financial bugs are particularly annoying at this moment in time. :)

[Arroyos]

I predict instant replays, manager appeals on close plays, and a clock on the pitchers. Didn't the old defunct MLB try these silly ideas before the Big Collapse? Sneck up, Marcus!

[Mike Dunn]

Here ya go! It's MLB licensed!

From their email: "That's right: Out of the Park Baseball 16 is the first entry in our 16-year-old series to feature official MLB.com and Minor League Baseball licenses! That means as soon as you launch a new game, you'll enjoy official league logos, 30 MLB team logos and jerseys, over 150 MiLB team logos, and even historical MLB logos!"

Pretty nice. This could raise the profile of the game.

[Simon]

Are we switching to ootp 16 soon then? ;p

Edit: more on the OOTP 16: click

[Arroyos]

When Marcus licenses the logos of PEBA, then I'll get excited. But having the logos of the defunct MLB just don't interest me none.

[Lions]

When Marcus licenses the logos of PEBA, then I'll get excited. But having the logos of the defunct MLB just don't interest me none.

Yeah... ever since the league folded, I've had no trouble finding old MLB logos online for free.

[roncollins]

You get what you pay for. :)

[Coqui]

Here are the improvements about which I'm most intrigued/excited:

Completely Redesigned Manager and Coaches System
One of our favorite new features this year is the redesigned coaching model. Managers and coaches now have certain personalities and special skills or preferences, which will result in plenty of interesting choices. Do you want the manager of your team (if you decide to play GM-only) to be an easy-going stathead, or do you need a veteran hard-nosed manager who is able to cope with the disgruntled players in the clubhouse? Do you want a pitching coach who is an expert in working with power pitchers, or is your staff based more on control artists who could benefit from a coach who knows how to work with finesse pitchers?

I hate, hate, hate the current Manager / Coaches system. Granted, wholesale change is uncertain, but as it exists now, the whole Manager / Coaches system just seems like an arbitrary tax on every team's budget, with no ascertainable or measurable effect on team performance. Ditto the Team Trainer.

Recoded Team Strategy System
You spoke and we listened: We agreed that setting your team's in-game strategy was a tedious task, so we've completely redesigned that part of the game. Now you can quickly set your preferred strategies and move on to more important matters. Beware, though: If you play GM-only, you'll find that some managers won't let you dictate certain strategies.

I will be interested to see how this works. In particular, I think that the italicized final sentence could be pretty interesting. For instance, I would be interested in playing in GM-only mode if it meant hiring coaches whose strategies were relatively set in stone (although I think I would want to still be able to set lineups/rotations/bullpen roles.

[Leones]

I'd like to see how this works:

"Alternate currencies (Euro, Pounds Sterling, Yen, etc.)"

Seems like an interesting feature especially for a global league such as ours. Sure to make some heads spin tough.

I'm excited about the recoded team strategy system. This is a feature I've always wanted to use more in OOTP15 and hopefully it will lend itself to more use in OOTP16.

[Morris Ragland]

I'm happy that I won't be paying extra for an MLB license that I have no use for.

[John]

Yeah... ever since the league folded, I've had no trouble finding old MLB logos online for free.

Cute. :)

We always like to hear that work is being done on contract logic, and it looks like that's on the table for OOTP 16:

Improved Team Finances and Reporting

We have redesigned large chunks of the team finance system, including new season ticket sales, a team finances screen based on widgets, a new accounting screen, and much more. You'll be better at the money-related part of your job than ever before. On top of that, we have recoded and improved the entire AI related to finances, resulting in more realistic player contracts and negotiations and more stable long-term team finances.

And here's one that will make our simmer ever so happy he/she will never again have to manually enter in All-Stars:

• Recoded All-Star Game features with real voting (including online league support)

[Jason]

I'd like to see how this works:

"Alternate currencies (Euro, Pounds Sterling, Yen, etc.)"

Seems like an interesting feature especially for a global league such as ours. Sure to make some heads spin tough.

I'm excited about the recoded team strategy system. This is a feature I've always wanted to use more in OOTP15 and hopefully it will lend itself to more use in OOTP16.

This seems like an unneeded stretch when the finances are already a joke as is.