[Ben E Lou]

Let's try this again.




PureSim 2004 Revealed!
Comments? Send feedback to [email protected]

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Going solo again

Well, after months of stealth development, I have a few announcements to make. First of all, I have decided to part ways with .400 Software Studios. With a full time job and other responsibilities I just felt like I could not contribute to .400 at the level they deserved. I'd like to thank all at .400 and especially Joe Stallings (who was a huge creative influence on PureSim 2004). I am lucky to have learned from the .400 crew and appreciated their patience. This is a lifestyle decision.

PureSim 2004 Release Imminent - Message Board Re-Opened!

Visit the message board today. Even more exciting is some news I have been keeping super-quiet in order to avoid over-hype. PureSim 2004 is now in beta and will be released within the next 2-4 weeks! If you are wondering about what new features and enhancements have been added, I have enumerated them below. (Note: PureSim 2004 is 100% compatible with all earlier versions of PureSim, so you can upgrade your existing associations.)
Back to the old ways...

I always enjoyed the subscription and open betas, so if you are interested in participating in a beta test of PureSim 2004 then please drop me a note. A stable game is my number one priority and you guys can help! Features and Screen Shots

• New User Interface PureSim is easier and more appealing to navigate than ever....RIP PureSim "Classic Blue" interface scheme
• Speed Improvements! Simulation time has been improved by approximately 20% over previous versions! (Even more dramatic speed improvements are possible if playing the new "reduced roster" mode)
• Pick up and Play! - Reduced Roster Mode New optional setting which allows PureSim to be played with a 35 man roster (10 reserves) minor leagues are not simmed and minor league rosters need not be juggled. This mode can be extremely useful to those of you that like to use PureSim to play in historical mode with real major league players (using the Lahman 5.1 database) and prefer to simply manage the majors.
• Lahman 5.1 Database Support PureSim is now fully compatible with the most recent (as of April 2004) version of the popular Sean Lahman database. This database allows you to do a fantasy draft with players from any major league season since 1871 or Do a Replay, which will automatically build correct rosters, and league configurations for any year since 1900!
• Improved Lahman Import Modeling Better algorithms for importing "real" players and modeling their career trajectories as they age in PureSim. PureSim now does a more detailed analysis of player's careers as it builds the player's potential ratings model.
• Veteran Roster Rules Due to a collective bargaining agreement new restrictions on associations are now in place: Once a player has appeared on a major league roster in 5 different seasons, he is officially a VETERAN, what this means is he may NOT be demoted to the minor league roster unless the major league roster is already full of veterans. In other words, you can't demote a veteran player if there is a "non-veteran" still active on the major league roster. This rule adds a whole new dimension to making roster moves in PureSim and also addresses the issue where sometimes veteran players would bounce around in the minors late in their careers.
• Brand new Game Cast Totally revamped the look and feel of the Game Cast Screen
• Association Home Screen New for 2004, The Association Home screen is the central screen from which you navigate your association. Dynamically updating stats panes, a scrolling Ticker, and other information is constantly updated while on this screen.
• Customizable Financial System By default PureSim now uses dollars($) instead of the traditional points system, and inflates the salary totals appropriately. This can be tweaked in the PureSim.xml file to control both the size of salaries and/or whether or not to show the game's currency as $. This will allow PureSim "purists" to play the game as they always as well as playing the game with $ and modern-era salaries. Note: associations upgraded from earlier versions of PureSim will automatically use points.
• Player Performance Charts New feature available from player card gives a graphical representation of player performance in key statistical categories over his career
• Speed Improvements! Significant improvements to off season processing speed
• Streamlined Game Flow By popular demand, the game flow has been streamlined. First, I removed the scouting component (and associated ratings masking / fog of war). Note, while ratings are a good indicator of a player's value the engine is very dynamic, so don't expect ratings to correlate to perfectly predictable stats! (Another note: If you are upgrading from a previous version of PureSim the scout feature will operate as it did in the past for your old associations), next I removed the player development spending dialog, also removed the hiring/firing manager aspect of the sim, lastly the spring training playing time screen was removed.
• PSPN Sports Network Ticker Dynamic stats leader board updated and displayed as you auto-play games, fully hyper linked as well
• NEW GM AI New computer GM AI responds more dynamically over time based on player's on field statistical performance (as well as considering player ratings)
• College Some fictional players are flagged as attended college, the college attended is now denoted on their player card. (Note: All 750+ possible colleges are editable and their frequency of occurance is adjustable in the PureSim.xml file). Current frequency distribution is based on Major League History
• PSPN Story - Top Colleges New PSPN Story which breaks down the colleges producing the most players
• Improved Usability Added handy right-click menu on player links that allows single click access to many screens and functions that previously required a visit to the player card. No more click fests for demoting/promoting, setting player usage hints etc...
• Improved Usability User no longer has to have a valid roster when leaving the modify roster or team pages (Until a game is about to be played, at which time the user will be directed to the modify roster screen and must make the corrections required to make the roster valid)
• Lock Player on Roster New player usage setting forces the AI to keep a player at a certain playlevel (he won't be promoted/demoted). Useful when playing an association via unattended autoplay mode.
• Add-Ins for .NET Added support writing AddIns using the .NET Framework (I will release some samples periodically over the summer)
• Add-Ins available everywhere! You can now access addins from any screen and show them modally. So you can pull up any add-in without having to leave the screen you are on
• **Interface TWEAK Added new quick summary information on player card under player's picture (AVG HR RBI for hitters and ERA W L for pitchers)
• **Interface TWEAK Added new "Fast Sim" option on the unattended auto play dialog. This mode will not display standings, store game logs or publish to PSPN. It can be useful if you are trying to sim a number of seasons quickly.
• **Interface TWEAK PSPN Game Cast now shows defensive player's Range, Hands and Arm in a tool tip (Hover the mouse over the player to get extended information)
• **Interface TWEAK Added new "use Avg Park" option on the unattended auto play dialog. This can be useful when testing / tweaking stats and settings, it forces all games to be played in a ball park with avg dimensions.
• **Interface TWEAK Added new "Disable Roster moves" option on the unattended auto play dialog.
• **Interface TWEAK Added option on the trade offer dialog to inform the AI that you do not want to be bugged with another trade offer during the current auto play session
• **Interface TWEAK Now denoting on the player card if he a player is in the hall of fame
• **Interface TWEAK Added AB to the batter grid on the modify roster page
• **Engine TWEAK Reduced the amt of errors by Outfielders
• **Game TWEAK Removed 30, 45 and 90 Day Disabled list options. There is now only a 15 and 60 day DL option
• **Interface TWEAK Now displaying pitch count (under the pitcher's name) on the in-game lineup change dialog
• **Interface TWEAK Various small tweaks to the modify roster page (added EYE to batter grid etc...)
• **FIX Fixed bug where firing the manager could result in zeroing other manager's salaries.
• **FIX Fixed some bugs that could attribute the decision to the wrong pitcher
• **FIX Fixed rare "Assertion Failed" bug when auto-playing games

Thanks for your interest in PureSim.

Shaun Sullivan
Developer, PureSim Baseball
http://www.puresim.com