This game is way too easy.

[Aisengard]

I started a fictional universe as the Cincinnati Reds in 1901 on Mogul difficulty. My payroll was middling, but I managed to steer my team to a first-year World Series title. Well, I signed one of my guys to a long-term contract, but due to payroll I had to let some go. Good, I thought, this will at least make it interesting.

Well, my team won the World Series again the next year, lost Game 7 the year after, and once again in 1904 the Red Machine was the World Champion. How'd this happen? I thought Mogul was supposed to be 'hard'? Well how hard can it be when the computer offers you top hitting prospects (in a hitting-starved era, mind you, where the top home run hitter hits 9 on the season) for middling, overpriced long-term contracted players? Or when, on starting the 1904 season, a player rated 94/96 (and aged 26) sits on the free agent market, unclaimed until I signed him to a 5-year contract, $4.3 per? He turned out to put up very gaudy numbers, alongside my other hitting prospects that magically developed into power machines, and one guy, Ian DEATH, personifies his namesake against opposing pitching in his rookie season. Not to even mention my pitching. One guy I mistakenly signed for sentimental reasons to a 5-year deal, $6 million per after he led my team to its first World Series title, but he turned out to be a 73, so I traded him and some catcher for a 70/93 hitting prospect, I even made the opposing team pay ME money! And then the draft pumps out 90+ pitcher after 90+ pitcher, making it very easy for me to be the best team in baseball year after year after year.

So I don't really have much to play for anymore, when I know my team is always going to dominate because the AI is so dreadfully stupid (There were other 90+ rated hitters on the FA market, I didn't get them only because I would feel embarrassed having to sit them in favor of my 80/90+ prospects). And I don't see this as a luck thing, the AI is just plain bad.

Oh yeah, and I also set my draft predictability thing to -40%, and whatnot, I followed advice to make it more 'real'.

And also, how does arbitration work? It seems like every time I bring up a pitcher and he puts up gaudy numbers, the next year he gets arbitration eligible and costs $9 million to keep. Also, I see arbitration years being sooner than they should be. One of my hitters was arbitration eligible after the 1907 season, next I see it's down to 1906. What? I don't think that's how it works. Because then the Yankees would have to be paying Chien Ming Wang and Robinson Cano big bucks next year or the year after. And the Florida Marlins would never have been able to keep Miggy Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis this long.

Anyway, those are my complaints, and I'm surprised no one else has put them forward. These problems are pretty glaring, and really make me lose interest fast in what could be the most engrossing game ever made. Thanks for listening.

[baseballfan06]

I see what you mean I'm in year 2020 on mine (started from 06') and made the playoffs every year and won the divison every year except for once. I'm guessing that will end though once my players start to retire since my batting order 1-4 are probably and average age of 37. But, I do have a nice young pitching staff so who knows.

[HoustonGM]

Well, my team won the World Series again the next year, lost Game 7 the year after, and once again in 1904 the Red Machine was the World Champion. How'd this happen?

You have a good team.

I thought Mogul was supposed to be 'hard'?

From the Help files:

The 'Difficulty' setting under 'Finances and Computer GMs' lets you change the difficulty level of the financial engine and computer artificial intelligence.

Well how hard can it be when the computer offers you top hitting prospects (in a hitting-starved era, mind you, where the top home run hitter hits 9 on the season) for middling, overpriced long-term contracted players?

That's a problem the AI has with valuing prospects, and it's been brought up many times before. It will hopefully get a look at some time soon.

Or when, on starting the 1904 season, a player rated 94/96 (and aged 26) sits on the free agent market, unclaimed until I signed him to a 5-year contract, $4.3 per?

Other teams may not have an opening at his position? The free agent market might've been really deep? There's plenty of things. Personally, I've never seen anything that extreme, so I'd chalk it up to a fluke.

And then the draft pumps out 90+ pitcher after 90+ pitcher, making it very easy for me to be the best team in baseball year after year after year.

Adjust the Rookies.ini file. Lower the numbers there. Alternatively, lower Amateur Draft Talent in the league editor. I use -40%, and my Rookies.ini numbers are all in the 90s.

So I don't really have much to play for anymore, when I know my team is always going to dominate because the AI is so dreadfully stupid

Then don't take advantage of the AI, it's as simple as that. Don't trade for prospects unless the trade looks fair to you. It's also worth mentioning - check your scouting rating, underneath the picture of a player in the scouting report. It might be something like +/-12, in which case, that 90 rated player might actually be 78, or anywhere from 78-100...

(There were other 90+ rated hitters on the FA market, I didn't get them only because I would feel embarrassed having to sit them in favor of my 80/90+ prospects). And I don't see this as a luck thing, the AI is just plain bad.

That would be indicative of a very deep free agent market, and high talent around the league, causing players to be redundant.

And also, how does arbitration work? It seems like every time I bring up a pitcher and he puts up gaudy numbers, the next year he gets arbitration eligible and costs $9 million to keep.

From the help files:

ARBITRATION ELIGIBILITY

Players are eligible for arbitration if:

1) They have at least 3 years of Major League Service at the end of the season.

2) They have 2 years of Major League Service and their Major League Service ranks among the top 17% of all such "2-year players".

Note that the Baseball Mogul Scouting Report will display the year of a player's arbitration eligibility assuming that the player is continually earning Major League service time.

For example, a player drafted in January of 2007 and put on your AA team will be listed as "Earning $18,000 through 2009". If this player is on the Major League Roster for the next 3 years, he will become eligible for arbitration at the end of the 2009 season. However, if you keep in the minors, his arbitration date will be pushed back.

Anyway, those are my complaints, and I'm surprised no one else has put them forward. These problems are pretty glaring, and really make me lose interest fast in what could be the most engrossing game ever made. Thanks for listening.

Other people have put them forward...

Many people have asked for an adjustment to how much money arbitration-eligible players ask for. I agree with you, it gets out of hand. There are many cases where it's just not realistic. As I mentioned earlier, as well, many users have asked for the AI to better value prospects.

[Electricbassguy]

I'm finding 2007 more difficult than the earlier incarnations. I think that may be because I'm always the Giants, and the NL West often has the Diamondbacks and Dodgers winning 100+ games each, so if I win 95 i am in third place... while in an earlier version i would be in the playoffs.

So I'm getting into debt more because i don't get into the playoffs as much.

[ohms_law]

Adjust the Rookies.ini file. Lower the numbers there. Alternatively, lower Amateur Draft Talent in the league editor. I use -40%, and my Rookies.ini numbers are all in the 90s.

yea, i wouldn't recomend messing with rookies.ini since clad added amature draft talent to the league options. you sould probably stick to adjusting one or the other, not both.

[HoustonGM]

yea, i wouldn't recomend messing with rookies.ini since clad added amature draft talent to the league options. you sould probably stick to adjusting one or the other, not both.

Rookies.ini is still useful if you want to adjust the distribution of talent. For example, if you want pitchers to really suck, lower the Pitcher number in Rookies.ini.

[SFSteveG]

I started a fictional universe as the Cincinnati Reds in 1901 on Mogul difficulty. My payroll was middling, but I managed to steer my team to a first-year World Series title. Well, I signed one of my guys to a long-term contract, but due to payroll I had to let some go. Good, I thought, this will at least make it interesting.

Well, my team won the World Series again the next year, lost Game 7 the year after, and once again in 1904 the Red Machine was the World Champion. How'd this happen? I thought Mogul was supposed to be 'hard'? Well how hard can it be when the computer offers you top hitting prospects (in a hitting-starved era, mind you, where the top home run hitter hits 9 on the season) for middling, overpriced long-term contracted players? Or when, on starting the 1904 season, a player rated 94/96 (and aged 26) sits on the free agent market, unclaimed until I signed him to a 5-year contract, $4.3 per? He turned out to put up very gaudy numbers, alongside my other hitting prospects that magically developed into power machines, and one guy, Ian DEATH, personifies his namesake against opposing pitching in his rookie season. Not to even mention my pitching. One guy I mistakenly signed for sentimental reasons to a 5-year deal, $6 million per after he led my team to its first World Series title, but he turned out to be a 73, so I traded him and some catcher for a 70/93 hitting prospect, I even made the opposing team pay ME money! And then the draft pumps out 90+ pitcher after 90+ pitcher, making it very easy for me to be the best team in baseball year after year after year.

So I don't really have much to play for anymore, when I know my team is always going to dominate because the AI is so dreadfully stupid (There were other 90+ rated hitters on the FA market, I didn't get them only because I would feel embarrassed having to sit them in favor of my 80/90+ prospects). And I don't see this as a luck thing, the AI is just plain bad.

Oh yeah, and I also set my draft predictability thing to -40%, and whatnot, I followed advice to make it more 'real'.

And also, how does arbitration work? It seems like every time I bring up a pitcher and he puts up gaudy numbers, the next year he gets arbitration eligible and costs $9 million to keep. Also, I see arbitration years being sooner than they should be. One of my hitters was arbitration eligible after the 1907 season, next I see it's down to 1906. What? I don't think that's how it works. Because then the Yankees would have to be paying Chien Ming Wang and Robinson Cano big bucks next year or the year after. And the Florida Marlins would never have been able to keep Miggy Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis this long.

Anyway, those are my complaints, and I'm surprised no one else has put them forward. These problems are pretty glaring, and really make me lose interest fast in what could be the most engrossing game ever made. Thanks for listening.

Markus?

[ohms_law]

Markus?

[Casey59]

Markus?

(jolly good show!)

[Aisengard]

What?

[FRENCHREDSOX]

What?

they said Markus...

[Aisengard]

Ok. I searched the Forums and apparently Markus is some ***** from "out of the park" baseball forums who hates Baseball Mogul.

I don't hate Baseball Mogul. In fact, I spend hours on it, fiddling with this and that, making trades, adjusting rookies. I love Baseball Mogul, it's great. I just wish there was more of a challenge outside of starting with the 2005 Royals.

I played this game back in 2002 and it was pretty good, and the 2007 version is amazing. And I'm sure the 2008 version will be even moreso. This game can suck your life away, it's that good. When the AI improves, and doesn't trade away top prospects, and actually drafts the 95 peak players in the 2nd round instead of me getting them in the last round, and there aren't so many **** pitchers in the draft, it will be incredible. And I've looked at the 2008 'requests' thread, about adjusting the minors to be more robust, and editing rosters, and being able to adjust how many hitters and pitchers, and not being forced to put your underdeveloped prospects on your bench because the draft only lasts six rounds and you don't have those AAAA players to round out your roster. The game can get better, I've thought of hundreds of things that will take a lot of time to list so I won't. This game has so much potential to be great, and it will always get better.

I was just wondering if there was a way to make it more challenging.

[ohms_law]

no, that's ok. I think that all of us understood that (I know that I did, anyway).

The problem though is that that was your first post. I think it was, overall, a good post. It's just that it set's a tone for everything is all. Noone here knows anything at all about you as a person yet, so how do we know that your not just trying to pick a fight?

Again though, I don't think that you are trying to pick a fight. You're certainly well spoken...
*shrug*

bad way to start off is all, I guess.

[Red Sox Fan 734]

I just wish there was more of a challenge outside of starting with the 2005 Royals.

Start with the Tigers in 2003

[FRENCHREDSOX]

Or KC in 2006....