How goes it in Back to the '80's land?

[bjs73]

[quote:859d652738]Get over it, guys, it's a fun game and it's different from all the other Strat formats. If they were all mystery card, how boring would that be?[/quote:859d652738]

The thing I don't understand with the single season formats at TSN is that you can easily buy the actual game CD and play any single season format ad infinitum solo or in an internet league. The initial cost of the actual game with the seasons of your choice is easily 100 bucks (or less).

You could have unlimited play in a single season format for the same price as a 5 pack deal and come out miles ahead in the money saved from purchasing teams at TSN.

The other problem I have with the single season format is that half the fun is micro-managing the game play. (Do I hit and run in this situation? Do I test Winfield's arm here when I am down by one run in the 8th with Dale Murphy on deck? Do I bring in Quisenberry to face Yount here? Etc.)

The single season formats take away any type of micro-managing system and you're basically left with the exact same type of game that you get when you "sim" a league in ten minutes with the actual game CD. I own the game CD and 25 bucks at TSN to do something I can do on my own after the investment seems weak to me.

However, I can't create a mystery league with the game CD. The uncertainty of the cards that you're going to get, coupled with the management of money and salaries the whole season make the 80's version very addicting for me. Scouring stats the entire year and making intuitive decisions about your rosters based on stats alone is awesome.

I do wish that the TSN version for all games could implement game CD stuff like "SuperHAL" bullpen management, "SuperHAL baserunning," and "SuperHAL depth charts." If TSN could at the very least bring that stuff into its single season formats, I'd probably spend a little money there myself. The "SuperHAL" stuff on the game CD greatly enhances the computer manager to manage like you would with "logic" in your absence. I've built enough computer managers in my past to know that you really can tweak HAL to micro-manage a game the way that you would do it.

Also, the other thing I'd like to see in all the TSN formats is the ability to create a league with "usage limits." That way guys with 15 HR's in 150 AB's would be limited to just 150 AB's that season. Obviously a guy in that type of small sample size over the course of an entire season is going to be huge. Which would make him a very popular pick.

Just some thoughts.

[PillPop]

Wow. I've never played a single season game CD-- sounds like fun. I agree that there needs to be an opportunity for more in-game micro-managing in both online formats and the single seasons would likely benefit more. I'd like to be able to use lefty relief specialists for one left-handed hitter only, for instance. I'd like to be able to pick certain outfielders I'm going to run against and certain I'm not. I'd like to be able to choose "take the extra base more" on certain players and not have that be a full-team strategy decision, which really doesn't make any sense.

[Coffeeholic]

Glad to hear that the '80's game is picking up some steam and that leagues are filling at a nice clip. :D

I'm picking up on the vibe that one of the most appealing aspects of play is that you guys realy enjoy the challenge of "hands-on" management of your teams.

I can understand that, and it I would think that you probably get a lot more bang for your buck this way.

Unfortunately for me (and probably many other managers), the main enjoyment of the "boring" ATGII, 200x and 1969 games comes from the assembling of a team during the draft and pre-season. Once the season starts, my teams are pretty much on "auto-pilot", and I move on to the drafting my next team. It's very much an addiction and it's not uncommon for me to have 12-16 teams going at once. I can't see doing the same with the '80's game.

That, in essence, may be the biggest factor in why more of the grognards of the other games don't play the '80's game.

If ever I could get myself down to just playing a few teams at a time, perhaps the '80's game would have greater appeal to me.

[Outta Leftfield]

[quote:7ec2cbc922="Coffeeholic"]Unfortunately for me (and probably many other managers), the main enjoyment of the "boring" ATGII, 200x and 1969 games comes from the assembling of a team during the draft and pre-season. Once the season starts, my teams are pretty much on "auto-pilot", and I move on to the drafting my next team. It's very much an addiction and it's not uncommon for me to have 12-16 teams going at once. I can't see doing the same with the '80's game.
[snip]

If ever I could get myself down to just playing a few teams at a time, perhaps the '80's game would have greater appeal to me.[/quote:7ec2cbc922]

Wow! Unless you're extremely successful and win championships all the time, 12-16 teams at a time sounds really expensive. In terms of "bang for the buck," you do get a lot for your money out of the 80's--the fun of constructing the team, as in the other leagues, but then that's followed by the fun of managing and adjusting and fine-tuning as you go along. Your $24.95 keeps you interested and involved throughout an eight week season.

I find that three teams is about the max I can handle at any one time. Any more than that and I wouldn't be able to give them the time they need to keep them successful and I wouldn't be able to enjoy all the wrinkles and details of the individual teams, each of which has a personality of its own that's hard to anticipate before the season starts. I've never had a season yet that didn't intensely engage my attention from the start of the season to the finish.

[FletchGriswold]

I usually put my 80's teams on autopilot around the midway point of the season. By that time, you have a pretty good feel for how your players are performing, plus, the waiver wire is milked. 4-6 active teams is usually my comfort zone.