OOTP Baseball:Important Game Concepts/Tools, Functions, and Editors/In-Game Editors/Ballpark Editor/Park Profile

The Park Profiles screen is where you edit the basic information and dimensions of a ballpark:

The Park Profile screen has several sections of information:

• Basic Information
• Ballpark Factors
• Ballpark Dimensions

Note: The Action menu in the lower right was described on the Ballpark Editor overview page. Refer there if you need to know what those functions do!

Basic Ballpark Information

The Basic Information section in the top left allows you to set some fundamental information for the park that is currently selected in the drop-down in the top left. To create a new ballpark, select New Ballpark from the drop-down, or choose Add New Park from the Action menu in the lower right.

Option	Description
Ballpark Name	The name of the ballpark
Type	The type of ballpark. You can choose from "Open," "Retractable Roof," or "Dome." The park type itself has no direct impact on the game, but of course domes and retractable roofs prevent inclement weather, which can indirectly impact the game, since players are more likely to get injured in the cold or rain.
Surface	The surface of the field. You can choose from "grass" and "artificial turf." These values are cosmetic only.
Capacity	The capacity of the ballpark (# of people). This can directly affect the finances of the game, since a high-performing team in a small park won't get as much revenue as a similar team in a larger park.

Ballpark Factors

The Ballpark Factors section directly impacts how hitters perform in the selected ballpark, over a large sample size. Ballpark Factors are extremely important, as they directly affect the outcome of plays in a given park. Ballpark factors are based on a "norm" of 1.000. That is, a ballpark with all 1.000 factors is essentially a "neutral" park where hitters will all perform similarly. As the numbers increase, that factor becomes more common. So, for example, if your AVG Overall factor is 1.100, you can expect that if you had identical players in this park and a neutral park, the player in the park with the 1.100 AVG Overall factor would have a slightly higher average. The modifiers are not straight percentages. So, a 2.000 doesn't mean you will do "twice as well."

Option	Description
AVG Overall	Affects the overall batting average for hitters in this park. The overall is calculated based on the values for AVG LHB and AVG RHB.
AVG LHB	Affects the batting average for left-handed hitters in this park
AVG RHB	Affects the batting average for right-handed hitters in this park
Doubles	Affects the number of doubles hit in this park
Triples	Affects the number of triples hit in this park
Home Runs Overall	Affects the overall number of home runs hit in this park. The overall is calculated based on the values for Home Runs LHB and Home Runs RHB.
Home Runs LHB	Affects the number of home runs hit in this park by left-handed hitters
Home Runs RHB	Affects the number of home runs hit in this park by right-handed hitters

Ballpark factors are worth considering when you choose players for your team. For example, if you are in a park with very low home run factors, perhaps paying top dollar to that big slugger won't be as productive, as many of his home runs won't carry out in that park.

Ballpark Dimensions

The Ballpark Dimensions section describes the size of the selected ballpark. . Ballpark dimensions are purely cosmetic! It's the ballpark factors that actually influence the game engine. That is, making a ballpark with a 500-foot center field won't make it any harder to hit home runs to center if the home run factors are still 1.000. If you feel this is "the wrong way 'round," OOTP forum member Dark Horse created a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet that can be used to create OOTP ballpark factors based on ballpark dimensions. Just input the dimensions into his spreadsheet, and it will generate recommended OOTP ballpark factors for you to enter into this page. Note: In play-by-play calls, home run distances are based on the distances set here. So, if you set your dimensions to something silly like 700 feet, you will see some 720-foot home runs!