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Strat World - The Facebook Group

Strat-O-Matic has stayed ahead of the competition by its innovative style and ability to push boundaries for what is possible for the baseball game in terms of added accuracy and real-life representation.

Here are some ideas from Strat gamers that could be considered in the future that can help take Strat baseball to an even higher degree of playability and realism.

Fun Ideas
Several Strat customers touched on the need for adding HBP drama into the game.

"Option for intentional HBP with the secondary effect of retaliation for “charging the mound” or via the pitcher in the next half-inning." "Option for automatic ejection for a HBP immediately after a HR because it would happen into today’s game."

As an optional rule, this would be a great way to incorporate more realism into the game.   

Good Ideas But Things That Probably Won’t Happen
Even the best ideas don't get into the game. Strat may not have sufficient programming time. There is always a question of compatibility with older or existing sets. Too many added dice rolls would detract from the ease or flow of the game.

“Compare Player” function for NetPlay"
"HBP added to the basic cards"
"Rare play chart"
"Add a rare "Pitcher Leaves Game Early Due To Unforseen Circumstances" result. Blister, pulled groin, sore shoulder, throwing at a guy and getting tossed, getting hit on Battery Night, etc"
"Super advanced rules for umpire effects"
"Infielder Arm Ratings"

It is somewhat strange that Strat doesn't have HBP units on the basic hitter cards. There are still a number of gamers that play basic or a modified basic (with advanced throwing arms, fielding/range, stolen base ratings). Adding HBP units would change the basic formula to some degree and it would not work with existing sets. A rare play chart is definitely needed. Every umpire crew is different. They do have an effect on games. It would be interesting to see how that can be incorporated into the game. The same is true for the infielder arm ratings. There are players on the left side of the infield with canons and with weak arms. This is probably something that "mentally" would be incorporated into the range but it would be great to see a groundball A occur based on the strength of the third baseman's throwing arm. 

New Rules Or Additions
There are some very good rule suggestions from Strat gamers that will improve the accuracy of the final season replay totals.

"Would like to see a GB-D where runner beats out a hit if bases are empty but it's a force play with a runner on first."
"Equivalent of n and w for triples."
"Change the hit and run so that it can't be used to improve a poor hitter's chances against a good pitcher."

Adding the N and W for triples would definitely improve the statistical accuracy in the board game. As of now, hitters with 0 triples can pick up a higher than accurate number based on rolls off the pitcher card. The Hit & Run rules do need revision. It is far too easy to "game" this rule and make poor hitters much more successful than they should be. 

A open, transparent system for seeing how players can tire or lose effectiveness through overusage is also a good idea. 

"Usage Penalty – Overused players have their performance reduced. Ex: If a player is 10% overused, choose an option to decrease the chance for success (hitters or pitchers) by a certain number. lets say a BP HR chance is 1-10. But if the batter is overused, reduce his chances by 5 numbers to 1-5. The opposite for a pitcher. If he has a HR chance of 1-10, increase it to 1-15. Make it a sliding scale across ALL chances. Hits, stolen bases, BP singles / HRs and maybe even errors!"

Certainly players wear down through the course of the season. Such a penalty could more accurately reflect this part of the game. 

Computer Game
There are a number of possibilities for upgrading the computer game.

"Option to include player salaries."
"Print schedule for starting pitchers."
"Additional spots for defensive change options or a 2nd tier of designated pinch hitters."

These items can certainly make it easier for draft league players, even the segment of the Strat community that mainly pursues season or specific replay projects. 

The ability to customize the experience of the computer baseball game was a big item in the Strat World discussion. 

"Sound customization. Add the ability to add your own sound files for specific results."
"Improve sound and video drastically, but leave the ability to play with old school gfx."
"Simplify the ability to edit pbp file and other files."

Adding your own sound files, specific to players, teams, or events, would be a welcome addition in the game. The PBP file is still difficult in terms of user customization. The BP location files are also a little tedious to those who don't have a lot of experience with them.  Strat has made improvements in this latter area but perhaps someday can make it even more user friendly.

Added Max Rule
LH Starting Pitchers are still problematic in draft leagues despite some improvement in this area. 

"Extra LH pitcher adjustment for small draft leagues. - Similar to home field advantage or statistical accuracy options."

Some LH pitcher cards that are adequate in the real-life majors simply don't work in 8 or 10-team leagues. There could be an option for additional adjustments.

Thoughts
There are 20+ ideas for Strat baseball improvements now at the STRAT WORLD list. Obviously the company will not consider some of them, whether in terms of compatibility or work load, but there are some ideas here that can benefit users in terms of simplicity and added realism to the game.

Add your thoughts at STRAT WORLD - Additions & Upgrades to the Baseball Game.