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Hamilton2

Why SimDynasty?

January 01, 2016 at 11:10PM View BBCode

I was a sophomore in college ... maybe a junior ... and my roommate and I were looking for something that would be cheap (or free) and easy to use for statistically accurate sports simulations. There just weren't many options.

The Sports Mogul guys talk a big game, but ultimately their ratings system has very little if any actually correlation to game play. What's the point of a system that is actually controlled by hidden factors instead of ratings? We might as well be guessing.

The strat-o-matic guys have spent years developing their dice based board game (which is fantastic), but it is so statistically skewed as to be ridiculous. Players who hit 80+ HR's or have 400+ K's per season. The online world of strato is just ... well, it is ridiculous.

The other options were either too expensive or too inaccessible (required downloads instead of web-based, etc).

Then we found www.simdynasty.com, which offered a full, 162-game single season for FREE! All game play options, including an initial draft. It was incredible. It was free. It was easy to learn.

This was back in the day when you had to set pre-draft preferences for the initial draft and it was possible, if you did it wrong, to end up with all pitchers or all hitters on your team. (Not literally, but you could use your top 10 picks on pitching or 15 on hitting and then you were doomed.) Winning 20 games with a pitcher meant something. Hitting 40 HR's was legit. hitting for a .400 batting average was incredibly rare. Managing your team and talking smack on the message boards was awesome.

That game is why I stayed. The game engine is simple, yet sophisticated, and is more statistically accurate than any other sports simulation that exists.

I still remember my first two pay leagues. In one of them, I had a really solid team with a chance to win it all, and I had an A+/A- OS 31 SP. He was a beast, but I miscalculated two things with him: #1, I thought he was OS 32, and #2, I thought declines started at 32 instead of 34. I don't know why I screwed those two things up, but I did. I traded him for 2 playoff first rounders and managed to lose the WS to the team I traded with 2 years in a row. :)

I remember my first first round draft pick in a pay league. It was a #8 overall pick and I took a catcher. Probably reached for him. He ended up with High B+ overall and steller defense, but only so-so offense (B+/B+/A/A with A speed?). I thought I was so clever for taking him and getting a "need" met without having to waste cp's on him.

This game and I have been through a lot. I've been a sim dynasty member longer than I've known my wife (we just celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary last week). I've graduated college, bought 2 houses, and had 3 kids since I joined simD.

I've been part of the development team for salary leagues, merged leagues, numbers leagues, variable development, etc. I'm glad to be a part, and it all started because of the statistical integrity of the sim. Don't change that, and I'll stick around a lot longer.

Happy New Year, simD!
Bonnie_Brae

January 02, 2016 at 12:03AM View BBCode

Well said man. It's a solid and fun game.
tworoosters

January 02, 2016 at 02:31AM View BBCode

[url=http://www.simdynasty.com/player.jsp?player=nobody&mode=stats&id=2086225]Ned Logan[/url] was the first guy I ever drafted in a pay league, I'd played a couple of years of free leagues and then jumped into the Al Simmons League. I never did much in the ASL as I was still treating the sim as though it was MLB but I learned a bunch.

Sadly Logan was around in the days before players with All Star appearances couldn't have their names changed so he ended up named after a guy who blew his arm out at 26 and made less than 200 major league appearances.
ccox

January 02, 2016 at 03:36AM View BBCode

I got tired of fantasy baseball using MLB players...takes too much time/research to be as good as I'd like. Plus, one day I was rooting against my lifelong favorite team (Cardinals) since a starter on my roster was pitching against them. That was just wrong.

I found simdynasty after a little searching, played the free game and loved it. It's the most realistic and fun fantasy baseball game I've ever played.
MNRebel

January 02, 2016 at 06:45PM View BBCode

Bravo!
Mongrel

January 05, 2016 at 08:31PM View BBCode

I always have to have some sort of game to occupy my time, I like strategy, economic factors, and long-term game-play. I've always liked team management games, going all the way back to Five-A-Side hockey on C64. I had spent way too long playing a pretty bad football (soccer) management game. There were aspects I liked, but the game simulator was terrible.

I'm also obsessed with baseball, so eventually I began to look for a replacement to the bad soccer game, and first came to strat-o-matic. It is a very good game, I played probably as much as I could until I had to begin paying, and I decided to see if there were any other baseball games before paying for strat-o-matic. That's how I came to simdynasty. I spent a while in trial leagues, it's a good taste, but ultimately drafting, and building teams for the long term is what I really wanted. I I think I'm finishing up my second year since buying my first speed-league team in the JGL.

Sure there are things I would love to see added to the sim, but on the whole it's a very good simulation. Like Hamilton said, the numbers are realistic. Baseball is a simple sport, yet there is so much complexity as well, and I think this simulator catches that very well. I've played enough seasons to see there is not a one-size-fits all formula to winning. I've champions built around pitching with mostly contact hitting, I've had teams of sluggers with average pitching staffs win championships. Lately I've got a team that is probably the best defense I've ever put together, and it is performing above what I would expect from the pitching and offense.

Finally, the community here is pretty darn cool as well.
chrisandlainey

January 07, 2016 at 01:37AM View BBCode

Why simdynasty? I just wanted something where I could build a fake baseball organization, and obsess over why my fake players play and development aren't meeting my expectations. Having the convenience of being able to blame all my misfortune on Abe was just an added bonus.
kyleturf30

January 07, 2016 at 07:12PM View BBCode

Growing up (in the 1980s) I was always into baseball cards. This drove my interest in the history of MLB and as I got older I was always looking for 'sim' that could recreate MLB.

Eventually I found [url=http://www.ebay.com/itm/Tony-LaRussa-Baseball-II-USED-complete-big-box-PC-game-six-3-5-floppies-/201483666643?hash=item2ee95cc4d3:g:vkkAAOSwp5JWXiu8]Tony Larussa II[/url]. In this game, released in the early 1990's, you got to have all the greats, to that point, in your game. So it was possible to have, on a team, and play a season with Mickey Mantle, Roberto Clemente, Babe Ruth etc... The very best part about that game was the ability to create random leagues. So you could literally move around the players and create all sorts of 'fantasy leagues'. You could even put yourself in and I had a team based on my high school baseball team and I can remember vividly having that team replace the Marlins.

Then I went to College. I would occasionally play Larussa when I was back home and then upon graduation I took that computer, cause the original disks were gone and/or damaged, with me into my first apartment and used to update the rosters (with players Frank Thomas, Randy Johnson, etc...) for years afterward probably into the early 2000s.

In the early 2000s I found Whatfisports.com. Whatifsports was kinda the Larussa game with a internet base. While not exactly the game it was the closest thing I ever found to recreating the days of LaRussa. I played that site for years (and was a HOF owner there) until I came here.

I found this site via a google search one night late when I was dealing with young children. This site seemed to be the ultimate fantasy site. Within days of being here I went and found a speed league (it was Tony Gwynn) with a opening and joined. Been on the site ever since.

In my opinion, there is absolutely nothing better then naming a young prospect after a Father, Mother, G-Pa, child, buddy and have that player develop into a superstar. Getting that guy to 3,000 hits or into a HOF, as voted on an entire league, is just awesome.
dirtdevil

January 07, 2016 at 07:39PM View BBCode

Originally posted by kyleturf30
Growing up (in the 1980s) I was always into baseball cards. This drove my interest in the history of MLB and as I got older I was always looking for 'sim' that could recreate MLB.

Eventually I found [url=http://www.ebay.com/itm/Tony-LaRussa-Baseball-II-USED-complete-big-box-PC-game-six-3-5-floppies-/201483666643?hash=item2ee95cc4d3:g:vkkAAOSwp5JWXiu8]Tony Larussa II[/url]. In this game, released in the early 1990's, you got to have all the greats, to that point, in your game. So it was possible to have, on a team, and play a season with Mickey Mantle, Roberto Clemente, Babe Ruth etc... The very best part about that game was the ability to create random leagues. So you could literally move around the players and create all sorts of 'fantasy leagues'. You could even put yourself in and I had a team based on my high school baseball team and I can remember vividly having that team replace the Marlins.

Then I went to College. I would occasionally play Larussa when I was back home and then upon graduation I took that computer, cause the original disks were gone and/or damaged, with me into my first apartment and used to update the rosters (with players Frank Thomas, Randy Johnson, etc...) for years afterward probably into the early 2000s.

that's funny, my brother and I used to do the same thing.
kyleturf30

January 07, 2016 at 08:30PM View BBCode

You mean... Mickey Mantle as a Blue Jay? Or Lou Gehrig as a Dodger? Or me hitting cleanup on the Yankees with Ruth, and Gehrig hitting 2 and 3. A player named for my mother trying to hit Walter Johnson. I could go on and on with that kinda crazy stuff I used to do.
todd999430

January 21, 2016 at 04:43AM View BBCode

Originally posted by kyleturf30
Growing up (in the 1980s) I was always into baseball cards. This drove my interest in the history of MLB and as I got older I was always looking for 'sim' that could recreate MLB.

Eventually I found [url=http://www.ebay.com/itm/Tony-LaRussa-Baseball-II-USED-complete-big-box-PC-game-six-3-5-floppies-/201483666643?hash=item2ee95cc4d3:g:vkkAAOSwp5JWXiu8]Tony Larussa II[/url]. In this game, released in the early 1990's, you got to have all the greats, to that point, in your game. So it was possible to have, on a team, and play a season with Mickey Mantle, Roberto Clemente, Babe Ruth etc... The very best part about that game was the ability to create random leagues. So you could literally move around the players and create all sorts of 'fantasy leagues'. You could even put yourself in and I had a team based on my high school baseball team and I can remember vividly having that team replace the Marlins.

Then I went to College. I would occasionally play Larussa when I was back home and then upon graduation I took that computer, cause the original disks were gone and/or damaged, with me into my first apartment and used to update the rosters (with players Frank Thomas, Randy Johnson, etc...) for years afterward probably into the early 2000s.

In the early 2000s I found Whatfisports.com. Whatifsports was kinda the Larussa game with a internet base. While not exactly the game it was the closest thing I ever found to recreating the days of LaRussa. I played that site for years (and was a HOF owner there) until I came here.

I found this site via a google search one night late when I was dealing with young children. This site seemed to be the ultimate fantasy site. Within days of being here I went and found a speed league (it was Tony Gwynn) with a opening and joined. Been on the site ever since.

In my opinion, there is absolutely nothing better then naming a young prospect after a Father, Mother, G-Pa, child, buddy and have that player develop into a superstar. Getting that guy to 3,000 hits or into a HOF, as voted on an entire league, is just awesome.


I could have written this post. I'm stunned how closely my life mirrors your experience. One difference... i think i played earl weaver baseball... on my apple 2e+
ballmark

January 21, 2016 at 11:09AM View BBCode

I remember enjoying a number of games as a child:

? All Star Baseball (the one with the round player cards and spinners)
? Statis-Pro Baseball (pitch-by-pitch; too dull for a child)

Got a little older and played as a teen:
? Sports Illustrated with the two cream die and one black die and gloriously colored charts
? APBA Baseball
? Played a little Strat-o-Matic (have since returned to a national online league)

And then left it all (holding on only to my love for the game) during college. Got married and finally landed the job I retired from with the Postal Service where I met enough coworkers who were baseball fans that I founded a fantasy baseball league back in 1987 and played through 2010.

Gave it up because in 2009 - looking for something to fill baseball's offseason - I discovered SimDynasty. (I still play fantasy baseball with a group of local friends, but I'm thinking of giving that up, too. SimD and Strat seem to be enough for me, now.)

Learning the Draft & Develop piece of the game has been a difficult learning curve for me, but I think I've almost conquered it and set out to play in just about every league that used a different set of rules. Having reached that goal (I think), I'm pretty well set with the almost dozen franchises I currently run, though time keeps demanding I cut back. We'll see.

[Edited on 1-21-2016 by ballmark]
kyleturf30

January 21, 2016 at 06:25PM View BBCode

Originally posted by todd999430
Originally posted by kyleturf30
Growing up (in the 1980s) I was always into baseball cards. This drove my interest in the history of MLB and as I got older I was always looking for 'sim' that could recreate MLB.

Eventually I found [url=http://www.ebay.com/itm/Tony-LaRussa-Baseball-II-USED-complete-big-box-PC-game-six-3-5-floppies-/201483666643?hash=item2ee95cc4d3:g:vkkAAOSwp5JWXiu8]Tony Larussa II[/url]. In this game, released in the early 1990's, you got to have all the greats, to that point, in your game. So it was possible to have, on a team, and play a season with Mickey Mantle, Roberto Clemente, Babe Ruth etc... The very best part about that game was the ability to create random leagues. So you could literally move around the players and create all sorts of 'fantasy leagues'. You could even put yourself in and I had a team based on my high school baseball team and I can remember vividly having that team replace the Marlins.

Then I went to College. I would occasionally play Larussa when I was back home and then upon graduation I took that computer, cause the original disks were gone and/or damaged, with me into my first apartment and used to update the rosters (with players Frank Thomas, Randy Johnson, etc...) for years afterward probably into the early 2000s.

In the early 2000s I found Whatfisports.com. Whatifsports was kinda the Larussa game with a internet base. While not exactly the game it was the closest thing I ever found to recreating the days of LaRussa. I played that site for years (and was a HOF owner there) until I came here.

I found this site via a google search one night late when I was dealing with young children. This site seemed to be the ultimate fantasy site. Within days of being here I went and found a speed league (it was Tony Gwynn) with a opening and joined. Been on the site ever since.

In my opinion, there is absolutely nothing better then naming a young prospect after a Father, Mother, G-Pa, child, buddy and have that player develop into a superstar. Getting that guy to 3,000 hits or into a HOF, as voted on an entire league, is just awesome.


I could have written this post. I'm stunned how closely my life mirrors your experience. One difference... i think i played earl weaver baseball... on my apple 2e+


I played Earl Weaver too (I think). In fact a classmate created a league and some of us would go to his house and 'play' the games. I think I was a late 1980's Blue Jay team... and I traded for Jose Canseco... it was a big deal in that time and league. But anyway I think that was in that game that we did that.
kyleturf30

January 21, 2016 at 06:36PM View BBCode

Originally posted by ballmark
I remember enjoying a number of games as a child:

? All Star Baseball (the one with the round player cards and spinners)
? Statis-Pro Baseball (pitch-by-pitch; too dull for a child)

Got a little older and played as a teen:
? Sports Illustrated with the two cream die and one black die and gloriously colored charts
? APBA Baseball
? Played a little Strat-o-Matic (have since returned to a national online league)

And then left it all (holding on only to my love for the game) during college. Got married and finally landed the job I retired from with the Postal Service where I met enough coworkers who were baseball fans that I founded a fantasy baseball league back in 1987 and played through 2010.

Gave it up because in 2009 - looking for something to fill baseball's offseason - I discovered SimDynasty. (I still play fantasy baseball with a group of local friends, but I'm thinking of giving that up, too. SimD and Strat seem to be enough for me, now.)

Learning the Draft & Develop piece of the game has been a difficult learning curve for me, but I think I've almost conquered it and set out to play in just about every league that used a different set of rules. Having reached that goal (I think), I'm pretty well set with the almost dozen franchises I currently run, though time keeps demanding I cut back. We'll see.

[Edited on 1-21-2016 by ballmark]


I used to play Stratis Pro... I had a season from the early 1980's and used to play it against my grandpa. He was always the White Sox... always. (I was so glad he lived long enough to see the White Sox win that W.S. in '05) I used to rotate. I still have my version... I've seen it around my house...

Strat- O Matic I never discovered until in the last 10 years. For a while there I used to buy 'used' cards online and started a small collection. Then Somewhere in there I decided that I should use players that I had here and create a card for them and then have my guys from here playing against 'real' players in strat. It was a difficult exercise.... How does one that is 40 years old (give or take) find people that want to play strat-o-matic (the card game)?


[Edited on 1-21-2016 by kyleturf30]
tworoosters

January 21, 2016 at 06:57PM View BBCode

Originally posted by kyleturf30
You could even put yourself in and I had a team based on my high school baseball team and I can remember vividly having that team replace the Marlins.


I think Jeffrey Loria actually tried to do this a couple of times.
kyleturf30

January 21, 2016 at 07:08PM View BBCode

I told my wife... if we won that 1.3 billion lottery (the other day) I was buying the Tampa Rays. She said we'd never buy a sports team. I agreed to disagree. And then got like 1 number. I was so close to buying a real baseball team....

[Edited on 1-21-2016 by kyleturf30]
ballmark

January 21, 2016 at 11:35PM View BBCode

How does one that is 40 years old (give or take) find people that want to play strat-o-matic (the card game)?
I'd start by Googling Strat-O-Matic forums. Maybe Craigslist.
kyleturf30

January 21, 2016 at 11:40PM View BBCode

Originally posted by ballmark
How does one that is 40 years old (give or take) find people that want to play strat-o-matic (the card game)?
I'd start by Googling Strat-O-Matic forums. Maybe Craigslist.


Yep. It had occurred to me. But then I thought.... Now that's a really nerdy thing to do.... Not that it's nerdy, It just seems that way. Plus I'm sure I'd get a great response from the wife when I'm like 'hey I'm headed to meet some guy I met on Craigslist to play a card game'. I guess it beats 'hey I'm headed to meet some women I met on craigslist...barely.'
Hamilton2

January 22, 2016 at 05:23AM View BBCode

Reading this thread while my wife was trying to talk to me was a bad idea. I laughed out loud multiple times at inopportune Moments. Haha
ratman44

January 30, 2016 at 03:46AM View BBCode

I had Micro league baseball for the computer in the early 80's...we had the 1984 and 1985 team disks, plus the great teams disk.

I fell in love with the wacky but fun baseball stars on the Nintendo...my uncle used to work for EA in the late 80's through the mid 90's so I played Earl Weaver, and Larussa was an EA game.
WillyD

January 30, 2016 at 03:26PM View BBCode

Originally posted by ratman44
I had Micro league baseball for the computer in the early 80's...we had the 1984 and 1985 team disks, plus the great teams disk.

I fell in love with the wacky but fun baseball stars on the Nintendo...my uncle used to work for EA in the late 80's through the mid 90's so I played Earl Weaver, and Larussa was an EA game.


That's how I found SimD. I was searching for MicroLeague Baseball. I also played a lot of Baseball Stars with my friends and brother. This game (SimD) is based in part on Baseball Stars!
gatkeri

January 31, 2016 at 01:43PM View formatted

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For a number of years,I played Statis-Pro Baseball with my neighbor. We used players from 1980 and usually drafted 3 teams each at a time, played a season(54 gms vs. each team), I was a stat nut- kept all the statistics for all the players. If you ever played Statis-Pro, you remember the random number cards, the infamous Z plays which resulted in some odd occurence(if the next random # was in the 80's, then it was an injury). A hit and run rating of 2 practically guaranteed the player of a .300 BA because it was so easy to get a hit, especially against a PB6 rated pitcher or worse. Seemed like the statistics and game results were pretty much like real baseball. Loved the game.
compton10101

February 02, 2016 at 03:48AM View BBCode

anyone play maja league manager??????...............COMPTON
ruggs26

February 02, 2016 at 03:16PM View BBCode

CHARGING 300!!!! CLEAR..........

Chest compressions are coming. Get the Epi ready!
pecker247

February 07, 2016 at 03:58AM View BBCode

When I was growing up there was a simulated baseball game that you literally got through the mail once a week. You actually did your lineup with different situations and scenarios and played against other real people. The person or person's who got your weekly lineup card and adjustments inputed them into their computer and it spit out the games and the new standings. Every week you would get as many box scores as you were willing to pay for. It was very similar to simdynasty only it was all manual and through the mail. When I stumbled upon this site about 12 years ago I just about passed out because I didn't know there was something out there like this. I have seen this site start with a handful of leagues to what it is today. No matter the ups and downs of the site the game has always been real. So real I have never played in more than 3 games per day league.

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