This is my attempt to help you get comfy.
So, What’s Happening?
Bottom line, the scale is being pushed out to 600 points rather than 550 (which was once 250). It’s still pretty linear in the zones where most BBA-level players reside, but the bottom and top ends are being stretched. I assume this is to continue to give OOTP Dev more breathing room to help people differentiate lower minors and DSL Leagues (which, BTW, maybe we can consider adding after Matt gets through his crunch), as well as to serve PT and historical players better. But really, I dunno.
Here are the v25 and v26 scales bumped together:
| 1-10 Scale | v25 | v26 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1-86 | 1-163 |
| 2 | 87-173 | 164-222 |
| 3 | 174-259 | 223-283 |
| 4 | 260-334 | 284-341 |
| 5 | 335-400 | 342-398 |
| 6 | 401-425 | 399-424 |
| 7 | 426-450 | 425-449 |
| 8 | 451-475 | 450-474 |
| 9 | 476-500 | 475-499 |
| 10 | 501-514 | 500-538 |
| 11 | 515-528 | 539-579 |
| 12 | 529-543 | 580-600 |
| 13 | 544-550 |
In addition, Devs are taking another small step for OOTP, and another giant leap for OOTPkind, and working to skinny-back the overall ratings such that we should again see a reduction in the 70-80 rated players, with maybe a bit of an increase in those rated 50-65. That’s what I’ve seen in my imports, anyway, and OOTP has suggested that’s the case.
What Does This MeanTo Us?
Generally: Simply looking at the scales should be good enough to show us that players with component ratings on the high or low end of the scale will (generally) 1-pont changes on the 10-point scale. For the most part, those are cosmetic. That said, there are a few small tweaks and adds under the hood that could be a bit more real. Mostly, though, I think that’s just something to watch and get used to.
Low End Ratings: This will be particularly noticeable for players with ratings sitting at 1-3 in any particular component. One will see some guys who look like they are “3”s now, however, that will drop down to “1.” That is not a development hit. It is a manifestation of the fact that the ratings bars are changed, and that “1” in V26 now contains a much higher number of ratings (163 max vs. 86 in v25). [We may want to consider enabling the “Red Ratings” to see this better—which is a fresh set of numbers that indicates where the player is in that “1” range, but that’s a question for later].
High End Ratings: Players with ratings in the higher part of the spectrum will likely appear to be lesser. First, the rating scale seems to be pared down one rating level (there is no 13), and second, the OVR/POT calculations (as noted) are being revamped to reduce “80s.” That doesn’t mean the player is worse or better. Skills are in the components and the underlying performance maps. OVR/POT are the game trying to portray relative value. I assume these calculations are better, simply because the Devs now have more time under the expanded rating scale. Regardless, the OVR/POT numbers will adjust up and down the scale a little (as will the 1-10s).
A Few Suggestions
First, Do a Personal Import: I suggest that once you get the game, you import your local BBA file just to get a look around and see what it looks like. Familiarity breeds content. Just realize that our guys are going to keep developing as the year goes along, so what you see now will not be exactly what you see in the off-season.
Second, Turn Off AGM/MANAGER Help before the import unless you want various players in your organization moved around (or positions switched) during the import. When the game imports a file, it finishes by running an organization-wide AI scan. When I imported Brewster this last time, one team had 35 or so players moved up and down their minors, and six other teams had players (usually pitchers) given new roles … which then made it look like OVR/POT ratings and STUFF ratings imported in warped ways. So, bottom line, if you want a cleaner view of the import, turn off AI help. If you’re fine with that, of course, then don’t worry at all.
My View
On the whole, I think the raw import works pretty well. Defense, speed, and whatnot comes in directly and with no difference. A few other things might get jogged (Batter’s Batted Ball Profile get recalculated, for whatever that winds up doing). Like with all conversions, there will be a little bit of resorting relative values of players, but I think it will be small enough to be hard to see it in results.
Mostly, I just want folks to get used to the idea that when they see players dropping in the 1-10 scale (especially younger guys), that it’s a feature, not a bug.
