What SOM should do to improve the online game

7. On player hitting preferences, create a box for NEVER hit vs a lefty or righty and then use it if the bench situation permits.

Would this lead into ability to pinch-hit the other side of a platoon when a different handed pitcher enters the game?

3. Introduce ATG 9. Each new ATG iteration should have a minimum of a 10% increase in the player pool.

Introduce ATG9 AND ATG9 Unleashed. ATG9 would be MLB cards from 1894-present.

ATG9 Unleashed would utilize:
pre-1894 cards like Ross Barnes, Candy Cummings
Negro Leaguers
Small Sample Size Outliers like Roger Freed, Gates Brown, etc
Japanese and Cuban Cards (these were voted down a couple years ago to add to ATG) like Sadaharu Oh

ATG9 Unleashed would include more high$$ cards than ATG currently uses. That would please those who play 200m-and-up caps, while maintaining an MLB set that would make purists happy as well.

1. ATG9
which should include a) updated Bullpen settings b) updated sub settings (DH not being able to sub for someone else being awful) including def subs for each line-up c) cards-- I liked the suggesting of adding/changing out for more of the 'cadillac seasons' but other additions are desirable. PS--some of the ideas Andy put up above should be voted on-- some Id agree on and some not-- but it shouldn't be up to just one or two voices.

2. REGULAR card additions-- every 2 months is reasonable for 20 cards or a couple of teams. The time between the last addition and this current one was 6 MONTHS-- why???

3. COMMUNICATION: We need to have some method of being able to publicly respond to the blogs-- and START communication as a dialogue.
Right now we are still in monologue mode, and although thats better than silence, its not what we should have.
Unlocking the response on the blog would be a start-- having someone actually respond publicly to questions would be even better.

4. Some of the 'black box' methodology needs to be disclosed. Some other company is not looking to steal whatever calculus SoM uses and create their own game based on that-- sorry, they are just not; and thats not the differentiator for making the game good- but it can really ruin it.

I wish you could sort the leagues that are forming like you used to be able to do. For instance, I have no interest in salary caps above 100 million or non DH leagues. You used to be able to sort through the available leagues this way...

I also wish they would break the ATG down into just a few more subsets, along the lines of what AndyCummings65 is talking about. For instance, the NeL. players have no business in the Post World War Two set. We should be able to pick say 1947-1987 and play using only those cards ( I know I can download the whole thing and pick out the players I don't want and ask them to create this set, but a few existing subsets by era would be nice).

I actually like the way the bullpens work, but I wish Hal would pinch hit our platoons more often!

I would like to see mandatory larger rosters, 24 players for a complete 162 game season is a bit silly. Mandatory larger rosters would do several things; more realistic player usage and just more players and stats to study (which is why we are here in the first place). We should be required to carry 26 or even 30 players!~

We are due for another Mystery set. The Mystery games have to be the most ingenious concept ever. How about a 2000s or even an ATG Mystery set. Or how about being able to combine the 70s and 80s etc...

One last thing for now, how about being able to sort your team's stats? You could more easily see who leads in steals, sacrifice bunts, etc. You can do this with the league stats, why not with your team..

Most of these are minor and they are never going to make EVERYONE happy. The people who complain about E.R.A's being too high or batting averages too low don't seem to understand these are almost all all-star leagues with the exception of some themes or 60 million dollar leagues.... Cheers!

I thought of one more that I have never heard anyone else mention but I think would be a great idea and very simple to do. We should be able to create our own ballparks. Or at least our own ballpark dimensions. You can do this with the CD-ROM and since this is more about being a general manager than a game day manager why shouldn't we be able to create our own ballpark numbers at the beginning of the season? I do this all the time with the CD-ROM.

While we are at it, I wish they could make the CD-ROM look more like the on-line game. I love the on-line game and the CD-ROM still looks straight out of the 1980s.

11. Create your Subset for any game

Create your own ATG/20xx/Mystery game subset

Not just ATG, create your own subset for Mystery game (from any of the games or combination) or 20XX as well.

I'm not sure how feasible it is, but I'd love the ability when building/drafting your team to have a "Second Choice" at each draft spot, he must be a lower priced player who plays the same position, that way maybe you get a better fallback than that which HAL decides to give you.

Geekor, I love your idea for the Mystery subsets and combining the Mystery Sets.

I'm not sure how feasible it is, but I'd love the ability when building/drafting your team to have a "Second Choice" at each draft spot, he must be a lower priced player who plays the same position, that way maybe you get a better fallback than that which HAL decides to give you.

I'd like this even more if you could select a second choice that DOES NOT play the same position (would still have to be cheaper of course)