This game sucks - I'm done

[Jack Victory]

Ever since the demise of ESPN Classic and Stats.com I've been looking for a simulation game to play and I thought Stratomatic was it. I couldn't have been more wrong. This game is completely unrealistic on every level.

There's far, far too much offense. You can't get good pitching out of anybody no matter what you do. And bullpens? That's even worse. Even if you take a dominant guy like Eckersley or Wilhelm they still blow double-digit saves and that just shouldn't happen.

There's also too much parity. Every team in the league wins between 70-90 games no matter what. If you constantly cash-in guys you should be punished and the team should suffer. That doesn't happen in Strat. And where are the dominant teams? I've seen maybe one team win 100 games.

The numbers on offense are outrageous. The all-time records are a joke. 100 homers and 250 RBI? Come on! I gave Strat a solid try with about 10 teams but I'm officially retiring. This game is just no fun and a complete waste of money.

[LMBombers]

One thing Jack and I agree upon is that ATG is ridiculous. Too bad he doesn't want to try out the better games here including 2009 and the mystery card games.

Just because some new person thinks they know baseball they think they can just join right up and start winning championships. The thing they don't stop to realize is that everyone here knows baseball and most of us have had more practice at this game. The ones that keep playing are the ones of us that don't just give up when we don't have early success. We actually try to learn the game and figure out what it takes to be successful. Therefore we are probably going to be better than new players, at least at first.

[joethejet]

I agree that the 200n games are more balanced and it's easier to win with pitching and defense.

It does take time and I urge people to use these forums to get educated on what it takes to win. This group isn't afraid to help newbies.

Jet
www.angelfire.com/games5/joethejet

[RICHARDMILTER]

If you are referring to the ATG(All Time Greats) leagues, I would say that you are at least partially right. And I realize losing is frustrating, and the ATG leagues' batting numbers are somewhat slow pitch softball- like. I would suggest giving the latest version of the game a try(2008 season), if you have not already. Also (as a previous poster mentioned) try the 70s or 80s mystery leagues. We all hope you give it another chance. You obviously have the passion, and I completely understand how bad it sucks to lose. I think it took me at least 11 tries to make the playoffs,..but since then about half my teams have gotten into the post season. One last thing; TSN Strat sure beats the hell out of fantasy baseball.

[TomSiebert]

I've never played the ATG games, so I've never seen the numbers the poster claims, though it sounds like the community supports him.

I enjoy the 200X (and other specific years, like 1969) immensely.

The most realistic games I've found are the specific years/specific leagues; for example, the 2008 All-NL or All-AL players leagues are very realistic indeed.

I'm sorry the poster's experience is bad, but I would suggest if he is looking for realism, he change the parameters of the game he wants to play and seek out a different version of strat, because there are better and more realistic ways to play.

tws

[JdEarly]

I played one season of ATG and just couldn't get into it. There are just too many players to choose from, everyone seems to be able to get exactly what they need, and there isn't as much creativity needed to build a strong roster as there is in the 200x games (as far as I can tell). I haven't played much in a couple of years, but when I was playing regularly, the single season sets were interesting, fun, and competitive.

One thing that might drive people away is the $25 price tag to play the new sets, but there are older sets available at half cost, correct? If you take a little bit of time to learn the game and use a moderate amount of patience, Strat is a lot of fun.

Another issue with people who quit early is that many people didn't actually play the board game when they were growing up. I did, and I know a few of the other regulars that did. The nostalgia held me over long enough that I didn't really mind being awful when I started out.

There are also a lot of people who will answer new users questions about the game - each and every one of us is a resource, with different ideas, strategies, and experiences to learn from. The people who ask about the game instead of quitting immediately seem to find the game more rewarding than those who assume they'll be good just because they know baseball.

[rgimbel]

I basically play the current season, didnt enjoy atg nearly as much. However if the dude likes pitching tell him to try the 1969 game