In OOTP's Play-by-Play mode, you can either manage or watch a game. You can only play out games that occur "today" in your game universe. Before you can enter Play-by-Play mode, though, you must first be on a day that has a scheduled game that you wish to play. You can check today's schedule by going to the Scores and Schedule screen or you can look for the Today's Game option in the Play Menu.

If there are no scheduled games for today that you wish to manage, use OOTP's auto-play feature to advance the game date to a day with a scheduled game you wish to play.

Entering Play-by-Play Mode from the Scores & Schedule Page

On the Scores & Schedule screen, there are between one and three options available to you, depending on whether or not you manage a team, and whether or not you are the commissioner: Manage, Quick-Play, or Watch Game.

If your team has a game scheduled for the selected day, click the Manage link to enter Play-by-Play mode. This will take you directly into the pre-game options, specifically the Options and Preview screen. The Quick-play button immediately plays out the game and displays the results, as described on the Scores & Schedule page, so don't choose Quick-Play if you want to manage the game yourself!. If you are in Commissioner Mode, you will have the option to manage any game on the schedule.

Watching a Game from the Scores & Schedule Page

You can also choose to simply watch a game that doesn't involve a team that you manage. A watched game behaves just like one in which you are managing, except that you cannot make any changes to lineups or choose in-game strategies. Commissioners do not have a Watch Game link, although they can accomplish the same thing by choosing Manage and allowing the AI managers from each team to manage the game. Similarly, if you manage a team, but just want to watch the game, choose Manage, and then use the Options & Preview screen to assign the management tasks to your bench coach.

Watching Replays

OOTP's Replay feature is similar to watching a game. If you enjoy watching games, be sure to check this feature out!