OOTP 13 - The Road To Release, Part 1:
The New GUI - Redefining how you play OOTP

Welcome to the 2012 edition of Road to Release, the series where we invite you, the user, to follow along the journey leading up to the release of the best edition of Out of the Park Baseball yet, version 13!

From the first looks at the revised graphic screen designs to the first in-game screenshots, it was clear from the outset that the GUI was going to get one of the biggest overhauls yet in OOTP 13. And the good news for you the user is that every improvement is aimed at delivering on one important goal, making your OOTP experience the best that it can be. So let's dig into the GUI and see what's changed and what's new for OOTP 13.

Starting at the top

No better place to start than at the top of the OOTP screen and the completely revamped header. If you've ever thought that the user interface design of OOTP is a haphazard or casually implemented feature, think again. Markus and team worked long and hard to strike that delicate balance between aesthetics, usability, and plain old coolness factor.

The new header is clean, slick, organized and now features a completely redesigned pop-up menu designed to better categorize and explain each option's purpose. Veteran players will like the reorganized layouts and newbies will enjoy not having to dig through lots of different menus to find the right page to actually access organization depth or the league injury log.

With the introduction of the new Real-Time Sim mode, the header has also become more functional. When you enter Real-Time Sim Mode, the header displays the running clock and allows you to tweak the time factor. It also displays notable highlights from the games as well as the score of the game your team is playing.

A new toolbar that you display your way

User opinion on the bottom toolbar was mixed at best, at least among the beta team. Some loved it and used it every time they played while others thought its presence a nuisance and turned it off. (Did you know you could do that? Many on the beta team never had any idea.) The toolbar has been slightly modified for OOTP 13, but the biggest change you'll see is where it is located now and how to turn it on and off. It can be turned on and off using a button at the top of the toolbar and is aligned to the right or left side of the screens, so those of you who are Adobe users will feel right at home with this change.

Redesigned "Home Pages"

Each and every home page in the game has been refurbished for OOTP 13. The HTML pages have been replaced by screens that feel more like part of the game and aim to provide you with the essential information for that particular home page.

The first and most important home page is the Manager Home Screen. This is your starting screen and has been redesigned to work more like a task organizer, helping you tackle your important tasks while presenting information vital to the success of your club, right to the top. No more forgetting that trade offer until it's been expired for a week. You'll see it right before your eyes as soon as you load up the game.

Browsing the game home page? You'll see summaries of all the leagues in the game, including their upcoming schedules, league leaders, and playoff hopefuls.

On the revised league home page, you'll get the league's top news items and league batting and pitching leaders. You'll also get a tabbed summary box containing the league standings (broken down by sub-league), events, recent transactions, injuries, and milestones.

Team home pages have also been revamped to display divisional standings, upcoming schedule, team leaders and a starting lineup snapshot.

Getting the right information to you in an efficient and organized way was the top priority of the OOTP 13 GUI redesign and we think you'll be pleased with these exciting new screens

Don't forget the footer

Remember where the icon toolbar used to be at the bottom of the screen? Well, say "Hello" to the new OOTP Ticker. This handy little bar scrolls recent game scores. Click a score and it opens up the box score. Neat, huh?

Additional Enhancements

In addition to the exciting new features above, here are some of the other great new additions and improvements in OOTP 13:

• New player image sizes and transparent backgrounds
• HTML pages gone within the game (same for box scores and game logs)
• New default OOTP 13 skin (with more planned)
• and much, much more!

OOTP 13 puts a host of new tools, a redesigned and improved user interface and countless functional improvements all under your control so you can mold and shape your mega-million-dollar major league franchise or small market independent start-up to its maximum potential. The game is truly yours for the taking, so come play it your way!

Out of the Park Baseball 13 - The Grand Slam of Baseball Sims! Available for PC, MAC and Linux on April 9, 2012. Pre-order today and receive your copy on April 6, 2012!

The OOTP Developments Team

Click to Pre-Order OOTP 13 for PC Windows and Mac OS X

Click here to Pre-Order OOTP 13 for Linux