Tigers Roar
Posts: 28
Joined: 7/9/2006
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quote:
ORIGINAL: PadresFan104
quote:
ORIGINAL: rpommier
Just the other day I lost some games when the bases got loaded and my pitcher walked in winning runs! Just want to know why it happened. Bad die rolls?
Two answers to that question, though I know you want an answer from Shaun and not another user.
1) (The rational answer) Yes, it was most likely due to the combination of ratings and a bad dice roll. Also taken into consideration was the tiredness of the pitcher, and some other ratings we may never know about. Many strategy games use the concept of chance, dice rolls, etc. to determine outcomes. Just like battles in the Civilization computer game, there are odds calculated and then a random number or dice roll is used to determine the outcome. Does it matter if it's a chart or a formula?
2) (The sarcastic answer) Just this past week, Trevor Hoffman (arguably one of the best relievers in the history of the game) blew 3 saves, including the all-star game, in 7 days. Many fans wanted to know why this happened. Is he losing his touch? Is he ill? Is his arm hurt? We didn't get any answers except for "THAT'S BASEBALL!" Stuff like this happens to the best of players. Why does it happen? Well, we're human, that's why it happens. In a computer baseball game, that human element HAS to be represented at some level by random chance, with the probabilities up to the whim of the developer. So yes, bad die rolls most certainly played a part in your bad outcomes.
If Shaun prefers to keep the calculations of these probabilities to himself, that's his design decision. I've played the game enough to know however, that while bad luck will bite your ass from time to time, if you are a good manager and make smart decisions, you will be able to avoid a good percentage of bad outcomes and beat the bad dice rolls.
In real life, there is a comment about baseball that says all teams (except the Royals of course) are capable of winning about 60 games a season. It's the teams that have a smart manager, talented players, and that certain chemistry that are able to win those other 30 to 40 that the other teams don't. If all you do is hit <return> over and over in managed games in PureSim, you'll probably win 60 games or so. So how do you win the other 30-40 in PureSim when you are managing?
Without the probabilities in front of you playing PureSim, it forces you to think like a real manager and not dwell on the simple percentages. Using your example, if I was playing Strat-O-Matic, I could pull up each of my pitcher cards and choose the pitcher who had the best statistical chance of striking the guy out or otherwise getting out of the inning. BORING!!! Where's the challenge in that?? With PureSim, I have to think like a manager. How is my pitcher doing? Is he losing MPH off of his Fastball? How does he do against righties or lefties? How does the hitter do against righties or lefties? Etc... But most importantly, I've been managing this pitcher all season and I've been watching his performance... Do I want him on the mound in this situation??? What's my gut telling me? Not once do I wonder about percentages or dice rolls.
Hope this helps you understand why there probably is no simple answer to your question other than yes, while a bad dice roll certainly played a part in the outcome of the play, there were many more important factors at work than just the final dice roll.
And thanks, I didn't realize how much I really loved managing games until I sat down to write this!
Great post PadresFan. I too have wondered what the game engine is based on. While I don't have an overwhelming need to know the details, I would like to be assured that the outcomes are random and not scripted. That player accomplishment is the result of intelligent design within the context of a game engine that recreates accurate skills for each player. When Babe Ruth steps to the plate, is the home run he hit a result of that intelligent design that increases random chance for a home run in the Babes case, or did the AI determine he hasn't hit a home run in 15 at bats so its time to have him launch one?
I have played strat-o-matic and part of the fun is to be able to evaluate the strengths and weakness by reviewing the player cards. This also gives the game player a sense of comfort to know the outcomes are random but that chances for a specific outcome are increased or decreased based on something tangible. In the case of PureSim, you just have to have faith in the game designer and that whatever he has programmed is accurately recreating the outcomes and without any scripting.
Another curiosity for me is what are the ratings based on? When I see that Henie Manush has an arm rating of 35 a range factor of 35 and hands of 51 out of 100 what is that based on? Research? A guess? An estimate? Has someone looked at the actual fielding ratings for 1927 and come up with a range factor and strength of arm based on actual results in comparison to other players of his era?
While I can live without answers to these questions, I would feel a lot more confident in the game if there were some design disclaimer. I would love to know to some degree, why the designer feels he has built a better mousetrap. I would appreciate some explanation on why I should put my faith in this game.
There’s a neat little baseball game out there which shall remain unnamed that lays out in detail what as gone into designing the game engine and what determines the outcomes. If they can have the faith to reveal what the game results are based on, couldn’t PureSim give us at lease a little peek under the hood?
That was all very long winded, and I am not being critical. I have found the game to be extremely well laid out. The screens are a joy; the ease of play is terrific, yet provides nice options. I think overall the game is a real winner for many, many reasons. A little tweaking here and there is needed on some fielding and base running results (I’m keeping a list) but that seems to be an ongoing process with all the updates being released.
So in conclusion, wonderful product but my curiosity can’t help but ask what makes it tick?
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What are Puresims mecahnics based on? - 
I turned it off right then, and I haven't played it since. And that's how I came to be here with you fine people. 
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