Anybody play Diamond Mind Baseball?

[Hooligan1]

I keep looking at their website and salivating over it, especially with the real baseball season over and I need something more to do than just work on my cheat sheets for next year's fantasy draft.......

[Dravecky43]

Yeah, I'm in a league. VERY in-depth. It sometimes has some bad player stat files, though. In my league, Jamie Moyer has had about a 6.00 ERA both of the last two seasons (based off of the stats from the season before) and now Mr. Pujols is only hitting about .290 with 3 games left in the season. Most are about right, though.

It's the best game I've found for replaying the previous season, though. Very awesome.

[Sportkrank21]

DMB Rules!!!!

I would have to give an emphatic yes. I have been playing the game for about six years now and I love it. I replay seasons and I am in six leagues. It is the best for realism. The pitch by pitch function is awesome. I does have it's glitches but what doesn't. Their customer service is outstanding. I have had a few issues and was given home phone numbers to have them help me work through them. They also have a money back guarantee so you really can't go wrong. If you want the check out a good league website go to [URL="http://www.seasonspastbaseball.com"]

[Astro]

Diamond Mind is very good, but the problem is most leagues are based on older teams such as the 1970s... its hard to find a good league that goes from year to year based on the stats from the year before... I am in one that is very good, has free agency, rookie drafts, salary cap and very active... isnt overwhelming either ( http://www.geocities.com/nba46 )

There is also the CBA which is very very in-depth and is like running a real team almost, takes awhile to get a team though because you have to be an assistant GM then when a team opens up be voted in as the new GM of the open team... http://www.cbabaseball.com

[catcher24]

If all you are looking to do is replay previous seasons, I imagine DM will work fine (I use Strat-O-Matic for doing that, although I have considered getting DM, too). But if you're looking to go further in depth, check out Out Of The Park Baseball here. For the price, I think it is the best available. BTW, using OOTP, you can download ANY player form ANY year since 1900 (or any team) using the Lahmann database, available for free from OOTP.

[J W]

Funny Diamond Mind's been brought up... we just finished an entire simmed season here thanks to leecemark.

I'm probably going to end up with one or the other (DM or OOTP). Haven't decided yet. I can say that my experiences with DM on BBF have been great... but yes, they've all been historical in nature.

[catcher24]

JW, OOTP is rather a different animal than DM. I have to believe that for a season replay, DM would be better. However, with OOTP you also are the owner, general manager, and you can still manage each game pitch by pitch if you so desire. There are free agents if you want, as well as a minor league draft. I started a league in 1920; I presently have Lou Gehrig, who I drafted in 1922, on my AAA roster (and doing very well, BTW). I also drafted Gabby Hartnett, who is now the catcher on my ML team. The options for the game are practically limitless; it will create an entire league of imaginary players, including minor leaguers, if you wish. And the thing only costs $19.95, I believe! Certainly worth the money.

[leecemark]

--Actually you can do all those things in DM too. The cost would be prohibitive (at least to me) to actually buy a every season to have players progress through their careers, if you were looking to move very quickly anyway . You can build imaginary players or recreate players in the fashion you describe for OOTP but that would be as labor intensive as buying them would be expensive. If you are looking to do historical replays in DM I'd buy the greatest players or greatest teams programs and build from there to suit your needs. The game software includes a 32 team greatest team league to get you started.

[catcher24]

Mark - Actually, the way OOTP would work for say a career replay for somebody: pick the year they started, download their team (or league) for that year from the Lahmann Database (no charge for any player or team, any year since 1900). From that point, they progress from year to year. The game has a number of ratings for each player, and uses these ratings, as well as the current season's and previous two seasons stats, to use in figuring outcomes. The ratings may be individually adjusted, and you may also vary the percentages used to arrive at the outcome. I use: 40% based on the player's ratings; 39% based on the current season stats for the player; 16% based on last year's stats for the player; and 5% based on two years ago stats for the player. You could base it 100% on the ratings, or 100% on the current year, last year, two years ago, etc. I think the big thing is, any player or team comes free - the game imports them from the database. I am presently running a career type league which I started in 1920, but I am using teams from 1904 to 2003. The possibilities with this game are really endless. I can't really speak for DM, as I don't own it. But SOM is one of their competitors, and I do have their computer game. You can do a lot, but not everything that OOTP can do. BTW, I started my OOTP league with the 1965 Indians being the best team of the bunch. That's part of the pleasure - You're not limited to the best teams! I actually now have Ty Cobb on my Indians roster, having traded Rocky Colavito and a couple of others for him.

[J W]

So that means, if I'm correct, that we could run a keeper league through time using OOTP, complete with new drafts every year?

I think it was imapotato that was involved in something quite similar to that. It'd be an even bigger project than doing DM here one season at a time, but it would be quite a thing.

I know several of us have ran sims using OOTP by themselves. Anyone care to add something?

[catcher24]

Posted by JW:
So that means, if I'm correct, that we could run a keeper league through time using OOTP, complete with new drafts every year?

I believe that would be possible, JW. I am, as mentioned, presently running a league beginning in 1920 and proceeding forward. Also, I AM using the financial options, so unfortunately I have had to trade away a couple of my big stars (Joe Jackson, Sam McDowell) because I couldn't afford to keep them! But if you turned off the financial option, that would eliminate the problem, although I think it would make the experince less challenging! The new draft each year is for any free agents and any players whose career would begin in the new season. I also forgot to mention that you also do "spring training" in OOTP. You can set priorities for a player to work on at spring training. Interesting to use, because increasing training in one area decreases it in another, so there is always a tradeoff.

[baseballPAP]

--Actually you can do all those things in DM too. The cost would be prohibitive (at least to me) to actually buy a every season to have players progress through their careers, if you were looking to move very quickly anyway . You can build imaginary players or recreate players in the fashion you describe for OOTP but that would be as labor intensive as buying them would be expensive. If you are looking to do historical replays in DM I'd buy the greatest players or greatest teams programs and build from there to suit your needs. The game software includes a 32 team greatest team league to get you started.

Leecemark, do I have a deal for you!
I run a league for DMB, and I need one more owner. I just restarted a new version and had an owner drop right after the draft. The league uses all time greats, and is a keeper league. Here's the twist: players age as they really did...Babe Ruth starts out as a pitcher. Sandy Koufax gets hammered until he moved to Dodger stadium. You get the idea....

www.geocities.com/baseball_pap2/report.html is the website, the team available is the Honah Lee Dragons. They're built around a lot of modern players, and probably won't compete for a season or 3, but look out for them after that. Anyone interested, contact me through email at [email protected]

[Astro]

DM and OOTP are pretty much the same when it comes to running a team, both offer pitch-by-pitch management, drafts and players for every year... While I have never played OOTP it appears as if it is better for a more independent type feel, where the players perform differently than they did in real life... while DM is based solely on the player's stats from that year and the park factors, so it would produce more of a real life player state sheet....

I personally would go with DM, because I feel that you cant get much better and more realistic than that, but, like I said, I havent played OOTP nor do I really intend to because I am happy with DM

[catcher24]

You've hit it pretty well, Astro. DM (like Strat-O-Matic) is more for those looking to get very accurate stats, although OOTP has many factors that can be adjusted to create extremely accurate league recreations. It simply takes a little tweaking up front. However, OOTP is more for those looking for the entire experience - running the front office, worrying about salaries and fan interest, watching a player develop through the minors and end up as a star in the bigs. I actually had my nephew give me a complete SOM computer baseball setup, but I haven't even put it on my system yet. Once I figured out some of the intricacies of OOTP (HUGE FLAW - NO PRINTED MANUAL), it simply keeps me fascinated. It was really rather cool to draft Gabby Hartnett, assign him to A level ball, watch him develop and become my starting catcher on the parent club! And Lou Gehrig is now at AAA, and ready to step in at first base - so I can trade Harry Heilmann for a pitcher! Don't think DM (and I know SOM) can recreate that depth of experience.

[southendgrounds]

Does OOTB have anything similar to Diamond Mind's All Time Greatest Players disk???