I'm currently playing an OOTP game with a fictional league. I created a major league with 2x4 divisions with 4 teams each. I started them in 1976 and then let it sim through to 2009 to create a "history backlog" and took over the Pittsburgh Steeldogs (a decent, but not great team - Philadelphia Express are the dominant team).
Still, it lacks in character.
I could restart the Langish Baseball Lague, but that would only make sense with an AAR.
Other options I toyed with:
- World League, starting in 1901, with teams added/moved after WW1, WW2, Cold War.
- A North America League with Mexico, Santo Domingo, Cuba etc. added
- A history themed league, or one with the nations from Civ as teams
- A fictional league of 16 teams, starting in 1901, then expanding every ten or so years
Or just another historical league, starting in 1901, 1950 or 1960 or 1970.
Suggestions?
Baseball was a national obsession when it was 16 teams, 8 teams in each league with the winners going straight to the WS. Expansion has led to it being less relevent. Try it with that format and see how it works. No divisions, balanced schedules with 11 home games and 11 away games against each opponent and the leagues do not play each other except for the World Series.
But make the teams wacky. Like the Berlin Jellydonuts and the Moscow Mailorder Brides.
Ain't this the kind o' weather
For smackin' leather
For playin' baseball
The kind o' weather makes a man
Hit like hell!
*hock, spit*
Let's go, you sons o' bitches!
Let's see some pitches!
Let's play some baseball!
The Kraut is strikin' out again!
Schmidt, ya smell!
*hock, spit*
The Giants haven't got a prayer
Aah, yer underwear!
Up yer alley!
Go back to where yer mother once came!
Hit that ball!
Run, you bastard!
Kill the Kraut!
What a game!
*hock, spit*
Hey, Schnabel! Take your head out of your ass!
I guess that's telling him, huh?
At Harvard,
We were gentlemen
Men were gentlemen
So's yer sister!
We called each other "Mister", and...
Doyle, ya suck!
Don't listen!
Our games were very quiet
We'd never riot, we'd...
Eat that fastball!!
The worst we ever said would be...
Run, ya schmuck!
Don't listen!
Now there's this noisy rabble
This foreign babble
Who let this happen?!
There's hardly one American name!
Ja Herzog!
Hit that ball!
Stupid Polack!
Hit that ball!
Kill the Kike!
What a game!
*hock, spit*
It's Braves and Giants, Two to two.
The pitcher's name is Hub Purdue
Jack Murray's now
Up at bat...(ball crack)
My God, would somebody look at that!
Ain't this the kind of weather
To get together and
Bash their teeth in!
The kind o' weather makes a man
Hit like hell!
A fine, upliftin' atmosphere
Bring yer children here.
Teach them baseball.
The game all true Americans
Do damn well!
It's like the Constitution
The institution
Of dear ol' baseball
Where every man is treated the same!
Kill that Mick!
Run, you dirty Polack!
Spike that Kike!
Kill the Kraut!
What a...
What a...
What a...
Gaaaaaame!
Hey Syt, did you ever find a good Football (not soccer) sim?
I'm digging Valmy's suggestion, though I'd prefer more natural looking team names, maybe even a few historic ones. Grab some team names and looks from movies like The Natural maybe. Also, can you make a team based out of Utica, NY or Buffalo, NY?
Quote from: Judas Iscariot on December 14, 2009, 03:39:24 PM
I'm digging Valmy's suggestion, though I'd prefer more natural looking team names, maybe even a few historic ones.
That's what I did. Sorry, saw your name only after I already set up the league:
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg195.imageshack.us%2Fimg195%2F4092%2Fabam.jpg&hash=45293a4b18df4e2360552c1083ec796aab2bc8d7)
There's one minor league level below that. I play with 162/balanced schedule, no interleague, best of 9 championship series. No draft, no spring training for now. Finances and strategy/stats are set to be based on realistic stats for each year.
There's a template for historical uniforms out there somewhere, maybe I'll download that sometime.
Quote from: Grey Fox on December 14, 2009, 01:43:38 PM
Hey Syt, did you ever find a good Football (not soccer) sim?
I guess Front Office Football is as good as it gets. It's really amazing - every second rate soccer manager lets you have images for players, viewing the action in some way on the field (even if it may only be dots on the pitch), but for football there's little in that regard (Maximum Football seems to be an acquired taste). Maybe Collge Bound Football by Grey Dog Software may be worth checking out, or perhaps MF3 if it ever comes out.
I love that one of the teams is from Atlanta. I wonder how that really would have gone down in 1901 to have a southern team. The real and alive hatred between the north and south was still going stong then as were alot of Civil War vets.
Quote from: Valmy on December 14, 2009, 04:49:38 PM
I love that one of the teams is from Atlanta. I wonder how that really would have gone down in 1901 to have a southern team. The real and alive hatred between the north and south was still going stong then as were alot of Civil War vets.
... as shows how southerners were greeted into the northern teams - often not too friendly, and usually at least picked on.
Considering how volatile the atmosphere in the stadiums was at the time I guess it would sooner or later have led to bloodshed if the old rebels would have joined the major leagues too soon. I mostly added Atlanta for shits and giggles. :P
Quote from: Grey Fox on December 14, 2009, 01:43:38 PM
Hey Syt, did you ever find a good Football (not soccer) sim?
NFL Headcoach is maybe your best bet. It's not perfect, but it's fun.
Hey Syt, i'd like to hear whatever format you choose, I personally like to play OOTP with a historical league starting in 1903, but with Free Agency to tweak those dynastys. And adding all the teams through expansion, but I change cities if teams have very low fan support for more than 10 years running to boot.
Quote from: katmai on December 14, 2009, 09:46:41 PM
I change cities if teams have very low fan support for more than 10 years running to boot.
Sounds like a good house rule. :)
I will probably look at the league parameters every couple years or so and tweak as necessary.
Alright, currently designing jerseys (three down, 13 more to go tomorrow, plus caps).
I also deactivated contract arbitration, financial sharing (luxury tax etc.) and players' rights to refuse being sent to the minors.
A good site to look for some old school styles: http://www.ebbets.com/
Is there some story to the Cleveland 86ers or is it just supposed to be a spoof of the 76ers?
Quote from: Admiral Yi on December 15, 2009, 05:37:14 PM
Is there some story to the Cleveland 86ers or is it just supposed to be a spoof of the 76ers?
No story.
Quote from: Judas Iscariot on December 15, 2009, 03:21:16 PM
A good site to look for some old school styles: http://www.ebbets.com/
Thanks. :)
Hey Syt, are you using OOTP 10 or ?
How did you get those logos Syt? I downloaded OOTP 8 and set up a league for shits an giggles and I can't figure out where to get them.
Hey valmy, a great resource for logos that you might have to tweak a small bit was this web site if you are wanting historical logos or making a fictional league.
http://www.logoserver.com/Baseball.html (http://www.logoserver.com/Baseball.html)
Quote from: Valmy on December 16, 2009, 01:05:03 AM
How did you get those logos Syt? I downloaded OOTP 8 and set up a league for shits an giggles and I can't figure out where to get them.
I made them myself in Paintshop Pro 7 (and I have loads of fonts installed, though mostly for mapmaking).
Just make sure you save as 150x150 .png files with the background set to transparency (at least that's how OOTP 9+10 do it).
Also, for more logos, player photos, etc. go to http://padresfanmods.net/
For 4000+, mostly fictional logos you can go to http://s78.photobucket.com/albums/j96/cephasjames/
(I downloaded them all and usually use them for modern day leagues. Used to be available in zipped format, but that site seems dead now.)
So how are you liking OOTP 10 ?
Quote from: katmai on December 16, 2009, 01:34:31 AM
So how are you liking OOTP 10 ?
They mostly improved the pitching, I think, but I haven't had as much time I would have liked to spend with it.
Ok I set up a frenchy league to start in 1901...and I noticed all the games dont start until 2007...so my team will be long dead before we play any games! :( What gives?
Here is my league:
Fédération Française de Baseball
Ligue Elite
La Guerche de Bretagne Faucons
Montpellier Université Club Barracudas
Montigny le Bretonneux Couguars
Rouen Dragons
Melun Templiers
Stade Toulousain Olympique
Clermont-Ferrand Arvernes
Savigny sur Orge Lions
Ligue Nationale
Épinal Dauphins
Angers Ducs
Villard-de-Lans Ours
Morzine-Avoriaz Pingouins
Dunkerque Corsaires
Paris Université Club Rouge-et-Bleu
Amiens Gothiques
Saint-Lô Licornes
Quote from: Valmy on December 16, 2009, 09:38:32 PM
Ok I set up a frenchy league to start in 1901...and I noticed all the games dont start until 2007...so my team will be long dead before we play any games! :( What gives?
:lol:
I have no idea, have to wait for syt to get here.
Quote from: Valmy on December 16, 2009, 09:38:32 PM
Ok I set up a frenchy league to start in 1901...and I noticed all the games dont start until 2007...so my team will be long dead before we play any games! :( What gives?
I am by no means an expert but I have poked around with the game a little bit. Did you create a historical league or a standard league? I
think you can only play games in years before the current year in historical leagues; when you start in a previous year it is to sim up to that date.
Quote from: sbr on December 16, 2009, 10:14:27 PM
Quote from: Valmy on December 16, 2009, 09:38:32 PM
Ok I set up a frenchy league to start in 1901...and I noticed all the games dont start until 2007...so my team will be long dead before we play any games! :( What gives?
I am by no means an expert but I have poked around with the game a little bit. Did you create a historical league or a standard league? I think you can only play games in years before the current year in historical leagues; when you start in a previous year it is to sim up to that date.
That sounds right.
Sorry, rushed to bed at 7 pm yesterday.
In 9 and 10 you can set the starting year just before you launch the game (this is not the same as the historical starting year!).
I usually switch to advanced league creation mode before starting a league when I reach the final page of the creation wizard, too, to go over the league setups, rules and options.
Man now I have to redo the entire league. Oh well since I have all the logos and such it should be faster.
Anyway:
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg255.imageshack.us%2Fimg255%2F2258%2F1169986814273ea3.jpg&hash=9c5590f604b6578e8367007e3fc60dea33451411)
Finally have all majors jerseys ready (too lazy to do the minors right now).
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg27.imageshack.us%2Fimg27%2F7140%2Fjerseyal.jpg&hash=b285f4811f532816f4d9f358daf8f092f1a5676b)
In some cases maybe too modern, and not exactly super inspired, but it'll do.
Quote from: Syt on December 16, 2009, 12:00:53 AM
Quote from: Admiral Yi on December 15, 2009, 05:37:14 PM
Is there some story to the Cleveland 86ers or is it just supposed to be a spoof of the 76ers?
No story.
Weak. It didn't even become American slang till the 30's. Cleveland deserves better sir! Why not bring back the Spiders name, or the Lake Shores or Blues? The Spiders deserve a better fate than was given to them. :cry:
Quote from: Judas Iscariot on December 19, 2009, 05:17:15 AM
Quote from: Syt on December 16, 2009, 12:00:53 AM
Quote from: Admiral Yi on December 15, 2009, 05:37:14 PM
Is there some story to the Cleveland 86ers or is it just supposed to be a spoof of the 76ers?
No story.
Weak. It didn't even become American slang till the 30's. Cleveland deserves better sir! Why not bring back the Spiders name, or the Lake Shores or Blues? The Spiders deserve a better fate than was given to them. :cry:
Maybe there'll be a nickname change sometime in the future. :P
Looks strange to see blacks in pictures like that, can you exclude them in the game?
Quote from: sbr on December 19, 2009, 09:18:29 PM
Looks strange to see blacks in pictures like that, can you exclude them in the game?
There's instructions somewhere on the mod boards how to setup ethnicities per country in the game data file (white, black, Asian, Hispanic, I think). I discovered too late there's a name pack for early ball, plus instructions how to create a "historical U.S." nation.
Problem with that is, of course, that in all other games that nation will be "plucked" for talent, too.
Also, I should have set foreigner percentage to zero. Having Japs, Chinks in the league and scouts reporting back from Africa seems strange.
Note to self: create a Turtledove League Baseball of Union League vs. Confederate League some time.
Quote from: Syt on December 20, 2009, 01:45:42 AM
Note to self: create a Turtledove League Baseball of Union League vs. Confederate League some time.
Actually baseball didn't take off in that timeline, it was just a regional (New England) sport.
American Football became big early.
Quote from: jimmy olsen on December 21, 2009, 01:31:55 AM
Quote from: Syt on December 20, 2009, 01:45:42 AM
Note to self: create a Turtledove League Baseball of Union League vs. Confederate League some time.
Actually baseball didn't take off in that timeline, it was just a regional (New England) sport.
I know that, but it could still be a fun "what if" scenario.
Quote from: jimmy olsen on December 21, 2009, 01:31:55 AM
Quote from: Syt on December 20, 2009, 01:45:42 AM
Note to self: create a Turtledove League Baseball of Union League vs. Confederate League some time.
Actually baseball didn't take off in that timeline, it was just a regional (New England) sport.
American Football became big early.
But not that early. The first college game was in 1869; professional football was not taken very seriously until the 1930's, and then was still largely irrelevant until the mid-50's.
Quote from: jimmy olsen on December 21, 2009, 01:31:55 AM
Actually baseball didn't take off in that timeline, it was just a regional (New England) sport.
American Football became big early.
American Football was also a regional (New England) sport in that timeline. The Civil War made baseball a national sport and that was before American Football even existed.
Quote from: sbr on December 21, 2009, 03:20:49 AM
But not that early. The first college game was in 1869; professional football was not taken very seriously until the 1930's, and then was still largely irrelevant until the mid-50's.
Baseball was king right up until the 1960s. I think moving the Dodgers, the Giants, the Browns, and then expanding the leagues killed whatever magical spell the Majors held over the country up to that point. Well that and the 1950s was a kind of Golden Age for the NFL with huge stars and great games at fortunate moments.
College Football, of course, was far more popular than the NFL until the 1950s.
Quote from: Valmy on December 21, 2009, 10:27:15 AM
Quote from: sbr on December 21, 2009, 03:20:49 AM
But not that early. The first college game was in 1869; professional football was not taken very seriously until the 1930's, and then was still largely irrelevant until the mid-50's.
Baseball was king right up until the 1960s. I think moving the Dodgers, the Giants, the Browns, and then expanding the leagues killed whatever magical spell the Majors held over the country up to that point. Well that and the 1950s was a kind of Golden Age for the NFL with huge stars and great games at fortunate moments.
College Football, of course, was far more popular than the NFL until the 1950s.
That, and the inflation of the MLB. You have almost twice as many teams in the majors as up until 1961. Where you had 640 players on expanded rosters you now have 1200 - this has to lead to a dilution of quality and to players who would at best have been AAA material appearing on the Big Show and is IMO one of the reasons why you have some very strong teams in big, wealthy markets and others perennially struggling to get by.
Quote from: Syt on December 21, 2009, 11:27:24 AM
Quote from: Valmy on December 21, 2009, 10:27:15 AM
Quote from: sbr on December 21, 2009, 03:20:49 AM
But not that early. The first college game was in 1869; professional football was not taken very seriously until the 1930's, and then was still largely irrelevant until the mid-50's.
Baseball was king right up until the 1960s. I think moving the Dodgers, the Giants, the Browns, and then expanding the leagues killed whatever magical spell the Majors held over the country up to that point. Well that and the 1950s was a kind of Golden Age for the NFL with huge stars and great games at fortunate moments.
College Football, of course, was far more popular than the NFL until the 1950s.
That, and the inflation of the MLB. You have almost twice as many teams in the majors as up until 1961. Where you had 640 players on expanded rosters you now have 1200 - this has to lead to a dilution of quality and to players who would at best have been AAA material appearing on the Big Show and is IMO one of the reasons why you have some very strong teams in big, wealthy markets and others perennially struggling to get by.
Ya know I'm not sure i agree with that sentiment. Yeah rosters have doubled, but looks at the size of available talent pool as well?
Quote from: Valmy on December 21, 2009, 10:27:15 AM
Quote from: sbr on December 21, 2009, 03:20:49 AM
But not that early. The first college game was in 1869; professional football was not taken very seriously until the 1930's, and then was still largely irrelevant until the mid-50's.
Baseball was king right up until the 1960s. I think moving the Dodgers, the Giants, the Browns, and then expanding the leagues killed whatever magical spell the Majors held over the country up to that point. Well that and the 1950s was a kind of Golden Age for the NFL with huge stars and great games at fortunate moments.
College Football, of course, was far more popular than the NFL until the 1950s.
That is basically what I meant, if not what I said. Pro football was at the same level as the barnstorming circus acts and freak show until Red Grange signed with the Bears in the mid-20's. It took the nationally televised 1958 NFL Championships game (The Greatest Game Ever Played (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NFL_Championship_Game,_1958)) for the NFL to become a true serious venture and competitor to baseball.
Quote from: jimmy olsen on December 21, 2009, 01:31:55 AM
Quote from: Syt on December 20, 2009, 01:45:42 AM
Note to self: create a Turtledove League Baseball of Union League vs. Confederate League some time.
Actually baseball didn't take off in that timeline, it was just a regional (New England) sport.
American Football became big early.
Cricket and Rugby were the big games in the US before the civil war.
Quote from: katmai on December 21, 2009, 01:20:48 PM
Ya know I'm not sure i agree with that sentiment. Yeah rosters have doubled, but looks at the size of available talent pool as well?
That presumes that the talent pool developed evenly and in line with the majors. But looking at minor leagues their number fluctuated between 300-450 in the 1940s and is currently down to 240 (though it appears to keep changing). 200 +/-50 seems most common, and seems to indicate that the overall players in majors and minors haven't changed all that much.
This of course doesn't include schools or colleges, and I'd gladly be corrected by someone with more knowledge of the subject matter. :
Don't forget the massive influx of talent from the rest of the Western Hemisphere and Japan that wasn't there in the 1960's or only a tiny fraction of what it is now.