Some times it's the little things

[KG Erwin]

ORIGINAL: PadresFan104

...  If anything, I'd like to see an available toggle that would show player stats for the past [X] games.  Then you could get an idea if your player is on a hot streak or cold streak.  Again, this would be available during the regular season, or during the playoffs. 

Now, in real life, player performance in the playoffs is really interesting, but in a game like PureSim, "The Playoffs" have no meaning to the game engine.  It's just another 3 to 19 games using the same algorithms.  

In the World Series, or playoff games, one never knows who the stars might be, and that is appropriate. If you guys wanna see the hot players for the past ten games, OK. What good will it really do you? After the season is over, you really should have a sense of the guys you can can depend on. Otherwise, the regular season means nothing. This isn't the NBA, guys. Think about it.

[PadresFan104]

Er, not sure who you are arguing with here, me or throttle..? [;)]

My point is that while in real life, it's clear that some players perform better in the playoffs than others, in a PC sim there is no such emotional factor that plays into a players performance in higher pressure situations like the post-season.  However, I do believe that players seem to have an ebb and flow in PureSim, so knowing who is riding a hot streak as you enter the playoffs would be useful information.

[throttle8]

Where I have been having my greatest "challenge", as a manager in the playoffs, is when some of my all-season-long dependable players go cold as ice. If my team is struggling to advance to the next round, I'm not going to keep a player, who was very dependable during the regular season, in the lineup if he is 0 for 16 at the plate, unless I really need his defense. For me, having an easy way of seeing if a player is struggling at bat, would be a great management tool.

[Frozen Stiffer]

There's no triple-crown mention.

A year or two ago in my fictional association, my star fielder earned the triple crown; he lead the league in RBIs, AVG and HR. However, there was no mention of it anywhere. With 149 games played thus far in our current season, he leads in batting average by a generous margin, HRs by 4 and RBI by 9, so I expect him to earn the triple crown again. However, to know that there will be no highlight or even subtle fanfare is saddening. Poor guy.

[:(]

[PadresFan104]

ORIGINAL: throttle8

Where I have been having my greatest "challenge", as a manager in the playoffs, is when some of my all-season-long dependable players go cold as ice. If my team is struggling to advance to the next round, I'm not going to keep a player, who was very dependable during the regular season, in the lineup if he is 0 for 16 at the plate, unless I really need his defense. For me, having an easy way of seeing if a player is struggling at bat, would be a great management tool.

Understood. Makes sense.

[KG Erwin]

ORIGINAL: PadresFan104

ORIGINAL: throttle8

Where I have been having my greatest "challenge", as a manager in the playoffs, is when some of my all-season-long dependable players go cold as ice. If my team is struggling to advance to the next round, I'm not going to keep a player, who was very dependable during the regular season, in the lineup if he is 0 for 16 at the plate, unless I really need his defense. For me, having an easy way of seeing if a player is struggling at bat, would be a great management tool.

Understood. Makes sense.

OK, would you guys want the "Who's hot and who's not in the last ten games" display extended into the post-season?

[PadresFan104]

Only if Shaun told us that there was really something behind hot and cold streaks.  Otherwise, it doesn't matter who's hot and who's not, just their ratings and how they have done all season long.

[Frozen Stiffer]

Technically, even now, these things have no impact on player or team performance. In fact, I cannot imagine anything in the entire PSPN that does have an impact on performance. The little mini-articles therein simply contribute to the humanification (if it's not a word, I'm using it anyway... so there) of the game. Will a player pitch better because they are "hot"? Will a batter hit more often if they're on a current hit streak? Will a player this year steal as many bases if the Time Machine shows them as the league leader 4 seasons ago? Certainly not.

However, that's just one of the many little details the game has which makes these players seem a little more real. I know that at least for me, it helps ME enjoy the game more... and it helps ME play the game better... even if my players don't.

[:)]

[KG Erwin]

For Padresfan and throttle8: We've completed the circle, then. Info on post-season performance was requested, I argue that hot streaks are completely random, etc etc.

AFAIK, there's no aspect of the gamecode that allows for a Reggie Jackson-type bump in performance during the postseason. This is what allows for the unexpected heroes, as has happened so many times in postseason play.

Hot streaks/cold streaks, in PS terms, mean nothing. They are random occurrences. That's the only argument I wanted to make. These are NOT items that should influence management decisions.

[throttle8]

[quote]ORIGINAL: KG Erwin



Hot streaks/cold streaks, in PS terms, mean nothing. They are random occurrences. That's the only argument I wanted to make. These are NOT items that should influence management decisions.


Cold streaks; they may actually be random however, for me, they do affect me in the way I manage.


KG Erwin: Believe it or not; I personally almost never look at the Who's Hot & Who's Not list.


Maybe I should start to pay more attention to it!!!:)

[Frozen Stiffer]

Shaun,

I think this little detail is the "Poster Boy" for the Some times it's the little things mentality. I tried, unsuccessfully, to trade a player but no one was interested. The text that came up was all in white, nearly impossible to read against the white background:

[PadresFan104]

If you want to try something a bit crazy with the PSPNcast, how about:

1) Showing the baserunners names moving from base to base.

2) Showing the ball movement on grounders, like the throw to first, etc.

I know this has already "been done" in other games, but I think Shaun could do it better. He has a knack for smooth animations.

[PadresFan104]

A new expanded "crowd noise loop"

[Frozen Stiffer]

A fourth filter option. 

[Frozen Stiffer]

On the short list, major league players in black and minors in red is great. It would be even great-er-er to have those in the minors in say... green... and those who have retired in blue. Also, just to be thorough, add in the desciptive text that players who are already on your team are shown in bold.

[dneely]

I vote for online play, era specific XML files and better PBP text.

I am nothing if not consistent...

[PadresFan104]

It looks like the financial modifier could use some tweaking. When starting a league in 1968, the setup screen uses a 38% modifier, which still creates yearly salaries in the $3m to $4m range. Kirby Pucket became the first $3m dollar a year player, and that was in 1989!!

The first $1m dollar player was Nolan Ryan in 1979...

For my 1968 Association, I think I'll go with a 3% modifier, as at least the top salary is about right, even if the average salary is way to much. The downside of course is that the games inflation rate may not match that of real life in later years, but that doesn't bug me all that much.

[Frozen Stiffer]

In associations (fictional and historical ones where fictional scrubs are created) persons with Mc (McDonald, McRay, etc.) or O' (O'Brian, O'Leary, etc.) or similar details in the surname, come out in lower case. For example, you see Mcewing and Mcdaniel instead of McEwing and McDaniel. On that same note, it's Odonnel and Oshea instead of O'Donnel and O'Shea.

It's a little thing alright.

[Wrathchild]

I am horribly anal about correcting all of those Mc and O' errors whenever I see them.

[Frozen Stiffer]

I don't know if this is a "little thing" or if it's a plain old "fix" that needs attention.

While in the Off-Season, I noticed that the status for my players in the Contract Status screen, was for... get this... their 2nd season. Why the game is chosing this year to display stats I haven't a clue, but I do know that it just ain't right...

[:-]

To elaborate on this, in case I wasn't clear, say you're dealing with a 10-year veteran, instead of showing his LAST season stats, it's showing the stats from his second season. Why, I just don't know.