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Where have you been Shaun?

Well, it's been a while since I made a blog post (I have been posting on the message boards all along, but I think I am going to just stick with the blog for these types of updates) and a LOT has happened!

First, the shareware experiment of 2004 worked out very well. It really increased the game's exposure and let me focus on responding to some great community feedback. Ultimately it led to PureSim being signed by a pretty high profile publisher, Matrix Games. I added a ton of new features to the PureSim 2005 version, and released a new version under the Matrix Games line "PureSim Baseball 2005 - Gold Edition". The great folks at Matrix even allowed me to make the gold edition free for any folks who had purchased the 2005 version which really was cool of them.

All in all it has been great to sign with an indie publisher. From their work on packaging, box art, the manual as well as the great support they have for me being in complete creative control of the game.

How about PureSim 2006?

Work on the next Matrix release PureSim 2006 is well under way. I have some very clear cut goals for this edition:

• Add support for a comprehensive, browsable alamanac much like what is provided at www.baseballreference.com.
• Add support for multiple levels of minors
• Add new game styles and configuration options
• Improve the in-game manager experience
• Even more deeper stats presentation. PureSim has always tracked the result of every pitch to every batter so I have lots of data to play with!
• Improvements to various parts of the user interface
• More PSPN new reporting options and configurations
• Improved modding/skinning support
• Many engine and AI tweaks

I am shooting for a release some time in the second quarter, but my time is pretty limited by my real job and family obligations. Things are coming together well though.

Sneak Peek - The Browsable Almanac

Those of you that are stats and history nuts are going to love this feature. PureSim 2006 will generate an amazingly detailed HTML almanac with screens and links to almost every stat and report imaginable. The alamanc gets generated after each season, but you also have the option to generate one on the fly. All files and images are generated to a clean folder structure which makes it easy to browse from withing PureSim's integrated browser, or any standard web browser. This could be a great feature for those of you playing multiplayer leagues or running dynasties on the web, since you'll be able to upload the files to a web site for others to browse. here are a couple of early teases:

Screen Shot 1
Screen Shot 2
Screen Shot 3
Screen Shot 4
Screen Shot 5

Multiple levels of Minors in PureSim 2006

PureSim 2006 adds A, AA and AAA minor league levels to the game. I struggled with the implementation here for a while, as I wanted to provide addtional challenge and player development features while at the same time avoiding excessive micro-management. I think I have a great balance. Even PureSim 2005 could become a burden with it's one level of minors that forced you to manage the lineup and rotation.

The way it works is you have the 3 levels to manage but you do NOT have to worry about setting lineups. Player stats are simulated as the days pass which will give you a good read on player progression. Be careful not to rush a prospect, and at the same time be careful not to stagnate their development by letting them rot in the minors. You will also have to be careful how you distribute players. Don't expect to put 6 Shortstops in AA and have them get decent playing time, it would be spread too thin. The game now has options for 60, 65 and 70 man organizational roster sizes as well. There is a nice simple user interface to manage the minors as well.

Beta will be soon!

That's enough for now, I'll post an update soon as things progress. I am looking at doing a wide-open beta so head over to the message board and post if you will be interested in participating. The only constraint is I will probably limit it to folks that pre-order the game.