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If you're familiar with baseball games, then there is a good chance you're also aware of the existence of Out of the Park Baseball. Last year we reviewed OOTP 11 (with a grade of A-; that's an elite, must-have kind of score), and I came away impressed:

The core game here is very strong, and there is a reason that OOTP has managed to get this many iterations in over the years. If you're a fan of the series, snag the latest version, and if you're new to the world of baseball sims, you can't go wrong picking up OOTP to fill that void. 

For those of you that already know you're going to buy the new OOTP, the developers are running a second pre-order contest. The first involved a free iPod touch, but they have upped the ante this time: pre-order OOTP 12 by February 28 (a Monday), and enter to win a second-gen iPad. That product is so new that it hasn't even been released yet–OOTP is promising you a gift from the future. Sure, it's not a flying car or a robot with a positronic brain, but it does have a touch screen. If you already pre-ordered previously, you are entered into this contest, so don't feel like you got stiffed by committing early. 

More details are available at OOTP's site. If you're hesitant to put your money down on the latest iteration of the long-running series, you can wait for our review of OOTP 12 to drop later this spring.

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jtanker33
2/18
Already ordered! Been playing OOTP since 2002 or 2003 and it gets better every year.
a5ehren
2/18
I tried to play OOTP 2010 (after liking 2008) and found it to be too dense for me.

I'd like something more than what MLB The Show provides but OOTP seems to go a bit far in the other direction.
Oleoay
2/18
OOTP rocks. I've played it since OOTP5 or so.. I also hope they remake ITP.
TADontAsk
2/18
I'm a little intrigued. Can someone tell me how the OOTP series compares to Strat-O-Matic? Always been a big SoM fan, but this seems to have a lot more options.
oneofthem
2/18
very interested thanks for the heads up
atlbrave1
2/18
As far comparison to Strat or DMB, OOTP allows you to do what those do plus the ability to be a GM. Trades, FA signings, callups, demotions, waivers. While not quite the replay engine of either Strat or DMB (although that is supposedly being updated this year, e.g. real life transcations), if you are looking to do more than play out games then I highly recommend it (you can obviously also play out games and it is very good). Great bang for the buck for text sim / baseball fans. I will agree that it can be a bit overwhelming at first, but its depth and cutomization are its strengths, not its weaknesses.
Oleoay
2/18
My favorite part is balancing the minor league rosters and giving people small tastes of the majors to see if they're ready without burning them out.

Generally for my style of play, I'll autoplay a month at a time (though I set it so it'll stop autoplay if someone is out for more than two weeks). I'll play the playoffs by hand. Each month I tweak the major and minor league rosters and lineups/rotation/bullpen as I see fit.

The AI is still a bit easy to abuse with trades, but it's much better than it used to be.
brianwilliams42
2/18
I've been playing OOTP in online leagues for maybe 7 years, since OOTP 4. Before that I was playing in Front Page Sports 98 leagues.

Very fun, you have to find the right style of league for your taste, but I've got a good group of completely random people from around the world that make for an enjoyable experience.

It's been moving closer to a sabermetric view of players and stats, now using BABIP and scoring players with VORP.

Now I just need PECOTA for my OOTP league and I'll be set!
shankr
2/19
Can OOTP 12 be played on the iPad and iPad 2, and are you able to make managerial decisions as the game is unfolding with OOTP 12 (i.e. as in DMB)?
atlbrave1
2/19
No, OOTP12 cannot be played on the iPad, however they are working on iOOTP, which is supposed to be ready around the same time. There isn't as much known about it at this time, but I believe it is going to be similar to OOTP, just a bit less information (e.g. no splits for how a better does against LHP in Night games). As far as managerial decisions, you can do everything you can do on DMB in OOTP. As a long time DMBer (back when Tippet was running it as PTP), I still think the gameplay of DMB is slightly better than OOTP, but the ability to do everything else in OOTP has put DMB on the shelf for me for over 5 years. DMB is still the best for one season simulation, but OOTP has the ability to drag you in for multiple seasons, career arcs, etc. in a way that DMB cannot.
bowerpower
2/19
Has anyone tried using a remote desktop controller to play OOTP? It's not a reflex game so you'd think it'd work rather well, except for shuffling lineups.

Actually, that's the one thing I wish OOTP had -- the ability to save a lineup order and use it later. They have a version of it, but it's more like copy a right hand lineup to a left hand lineup. It's cumbersome to have to re-order your lineup each time one of your integral players is out for 3 weeks.
akw4572
2/21
For those of you wanting to know the differences between OOTP and DMB, the biggest advantage OOTP gives you is the ability to start in any year in history, and move forward, season to season, without having to pay money for each season disk. It's a bargain.