At the bottom of the Create Game screen is an action menu called Templates.

Templates can save you quite a bit of time if you like to create multiple worlds. A template is a copy of the game structure you have created that can be used later to create a new game with an identical structure. Templates created during the game creation process contain only the structure of your game. Templates created after a game has started include all of the players in that game as well.

Saving a Template

To save the structure of a game as a template, click on the Templates action menu and select Save this Setup as a Template. Then, enter a name for your template and click Save Template.

Loading a Template

To load an already exiting template into your game, select Load World Template from the Templates action menu. Then, choose the template from the menu. Templates are saved in the world_templates directory inside your OOTP installation as files with a .wtp extension. You can share these templates with other users as well. Simply share the .wtp files and make sure they are saved in the world_templates directory. The next time you fire up OOTP, you will be able to select the new template.

Example of Template Usage

As an example, you could create a fictional game with 16 teams in two subleagues, starting in 2000. Then, before starting the game, you could save the game as a template. Then, you could create 3 copies of the same game based on that template, and you could sim 20 years in each. They would be like three "alternate universes," where you could compare who became Hall of Famers in each of your three worlds.

Alternately, you could do the same thing, but create the template after the game had started. Then, you could set your three alternate universes to see how certain players or teams did with a salary cap in one world and no free agency in another world.