play a pickup game without leaving your keyboard

crazy, but i'm so old school i've never done any online gaming.

So I've been playing this game for about a week now. It's in open beta now (it's been in beta for three! years already) and is free to play.

The grafix are crap and the gameplay is hard to get used to, but after you start to get the hang of it there's much fun to be had. You play as one member of a team and have to work together. You have to know when to cover 2nd and how to shift based on how the pitcher wants to go after the hitter. (You discuss all of this stuff through in-game chat). You've got very individual responsibilities based on the position your playing. People jump all over you if you fail to play realistically. Once you actually join a team, there's a real feeling of importance to do well and contribute to the team since you all share the experience needed to build your players up. Teams that understand the game can easily beat teams with quick fingers and fast reflexes. The best pitchers in the game are impossible to hit and you only get up once every three innings, so your at bats *feel* really important. And there's a role playing game aspect to it, like SNK baseball stars for nintendo, your player sucks ass when you start and you have to build him up over time by increasing his abilities.

I wouldn't pay to play this game because there are just too many bugs in it, but it's free for a few more months.

oh shit, i had no idea it was free. i might give it a try, i've never done one of these online multiplayer games but they sound like they could be fun, if worrisomely addictive.