New post on my blog. Don't know how to embed so I'm just duplicating it here.

https://redtedisback.blogspot.com/20...e-players.html

I never played Online Franchise mode in MLB The Show

I must preface this post by saying I wasn't fortunate enough to play Online Franchise mode in any of The Shows before 17. The cumbersome and slow interface was a massive turnoff (I did try) but more importantly with my terrible internet connection at the time, I was a liability.

So yes, I'm Standing On The Outside looking in. If I were to claim that the former Online Franchise mode was a load of carp, my opinion would be irrelevant and worthless and you would be 100% right in calling me out.

Online Franchise players, you need to play Custom Leagues

Call me what you will, but this is my rational explanation of why I believe that if you want to play Online Franchise mode in future versions of MLB The Show, you're going to have to play Custom Leagues.

I understand the disappointment that Custom Leagues is not OFM. Not yet. It will eventually evolve into something that will be a suitable and superior replacement to the former mode (preparation for this is obvious - multiple seasons), but it's going to take time (eg there WILL be a draft in The Show 21 or 22, the platform is in place already). Trying to squeeze too much into a release is inviting all sorts of problems (too much code to test, not enough time to test it).

The mode needed to appeal to more than just those who previously played OFM. If not, then it wouldn't have been resourced, simple as that. The sum of the combined user bases for the online and offline Franchise modes together did not compare to that of the DD user base. So it had to start with something that would appeal to all heavy users.

If you played Online Franchise mode previously, you are in the best position to steer the Custom Leagues mode in the direction it needs to go. You have all the experience of what worked in the former mode and what didn't. And you are leagues ahead of the players who have never played a league-based baseball game.

Custom Leagues feedback and telemetry data

Does a chef value more the diner who tried the meal and took the time to give honest feedback? Or the person who turned up their nose at the restaurant and kept walking?

Whose opinions and suggestions will the developers take on board to improve the game?

Those players who refuse to play the mode and therefore have no experience in what works in Custom Leagues and what doesn't?

Or those who have taken the time to play the mode, provide the devs with their quantitative gameplay data and can provide qualitative feedback based on their experience with the mode?

My prediction is that a good proportion of Custom Leagues users will come from the DD user base. If that is the majority of the feedback then that's where the majority of changes to the mode will originate. If you want Franchise features in Custom Leagues, you're going to have to play the mode.

If you don't, you'll be Standing On The Outside looking in.

@MadderBumgarner said in SDS Dev "Brian SCEA" comments on hitting:

This pattern they get into ever year with comparing changes they make to real baseball is so frustrating. Remember that stream they did showing clips of real baseball?!?

This is a game that is meant to be fun! Why not measure changes needed based on feedback from YOUR COMMUNITY instead of "user stats data analysis" feedback?

Was it fun? Yes. Is it fun now? No. Well that's all the feedback you need Brian.

The quantitative telemetry data is 100% accurate and unbiased and represents 100% of the player base. Qualitative feedback (from forum posts here and OS etc) has a high risk of bias and represents less than 1% of the players (on this forum it’s probably less than 0.1%).

Many ideas, several that can be streamlined in RTTS, Franchise and M2O (and season mode if it returns, and it should) if they all run from the same platform:

1. Promotion/demotion based on performance and other RTTS universe variables, not attributes. If I’m batting below Mendoza for a couple of years straight I shouldn’t expect a spot in the starting lineup or even in the Majors the following year just because my attributes are higher than the AAA guy (bear in mind I have limited knowledge of roster movement rules).

2. IL return through rehab assignments.

3. Make a big thing of spring training and a spring training invitation, especially for a AA and AAA player.

4. More off-field meaningful interactions:

extend the use of relationships and personality. These have a great platform to build from. Make the social media tweets more useful and interesting (and fix up the bugs in the management of them).

Interactions with team Manager, GM and agent should be user-controlled (there used to be an option to speak to your team manager) with the occasional auto one.

When you have a really bad game or a really good game (eg player of the game good) have a media interaction. This can impact upon relationship with GM/Franchise team mates, oppo players and fans.

Other off-field interactions also.

5 Awarding of attribute points to continue the way it is, but after a game ask the player if they would like to allocate the points to the default attributes (current method) or choose themselves to which attributes they are assigned (old method). This meets the needs of those who want to create a god and those who prefer it to be more real.

More to come...

@minutesmusic said in Felipe Vasquez:

@eatyum said in Felipe Vasquez:

I had him in my bullpen a couple times, but never used him. It's just easy to forget to edit the bullpen when starting a new run. So having him in the bullpen alone doesn't mean anything. Only if you use him.

Many have lately. 3 today alone. Gross.

Just throwing a random number out there but don't be surprised if only 10% of the game's user base is aware of his indiscretion. That leaves 90% who would use that card without being aware that their opponent could object to it and why.

Enjoy the game knowing that you're taking a stand based on principles and respond by getting on base whenever that card is played.

@IamJanko said in How To Watch Ball In RTTS???:

R1 was last year, and according to the controls, it should still be now.
It's not working.
L2 works for broadcast, but changes the angle which throws me off.

I've also noticed that sliding seems broken. The right stick doesn't seem to affect the type of slide at all.

Wouldn’t surprise me if it no longer works, wouldn’t be the only control in RTTS that is broken. Could be tied to the R1 for jump, R2 for dive configuration not working either.

Maybe that’s it - check your RTTS control settings, it could be set to this. Which doesn’t work anyway.

I'm so impressed with what the presentation team has done with implementing Heidi this year, considering it was a brand new feature.

It was smart design to have Heidi visibly speaking for the intro (although not a dealbreaker, I agree adding another 20 or so intros would be great, to give more variety) and then switch to on-field action and stats for the remainder of the piece, so that syncing becomes a non-issue.

The Heidi commentary is featured across multiple modes (Franchise, RTTS and M2O, not sure about others as I don't play others) which again comes down to smart design but more impressively the depth and dynamicness(?) of the commentary is simply staggering, considering it's the first go at it. The commentary content draws from a range of in-game and season stats and I'm still hearing stuff I haven't heard before (caveat: I've only played about 30 franchise games, it was previously six seasons of RTTS and three M2Os).

If the Heidi content was added to for 2020, I hope it's player spotlights, and goes into more depth than the current player spotlights in the line up and defensive commentaries from Dan and Mark. My thoughts are that the dynamic logic behind the Heidi commentary will be the way forward for the rest of the commentary team and the old logic will be phased out. We've started seeing more dynamic commentary over the last couple of years and it's improving year to year. We may even see an all new commentary team in The Show 21 with all new logic.

I'm willing to bet that two or three commentary teams will be in either 22 or 23 also. If the money side of things can be worked out. I don't do audio mixing so I'm no expert but from a programming perspective, the biggest hurdle with implementing commentary that I can perceive is getting it to sound natural when inserting player names into the sound clips.

Sorry if I've hijacked your thread but I was going to create my own with my thoughts on the above but then I saw this one and figured great minds think alike.

Probably will be back, if you enjoy other game modes and you still want to purchase 20 just play the other modes instead. Do you enjoy any others? (Franchyze mode perhaps?)

1. Reintroduce inside the show back into RTTS.

2. Include in all season-based modes a daily text summary that includes milestones and other highlights from the day’s games, something that was previously in Franchise (on a smaller scale) but was removed in 18 for no apparent reason.

3. Reintroduce to all season-based modes the newspaper stories that were in the game up to 10 or 11 The Show and were removed.

@CHI-TOWN-WONDER said in NEW Video on Twitter for Custom Leagues:

I think you will be able to have them CPU controlled or not it will be your choice. Not 100% but that makes the most sense!! Lol

It does make the most sense that SDS will have either a CPU toggle for teams by the admin or at the very least a way for human controlled teams to become CPU if they quit the league. This would be much easier to implement than compensating for removing a team from the league.

I can't contribute to this conversation because I avoid Moments but I do need to point out I am really enjoying your civilised discussion, thank you to you both.

The perks are still there (as in the perk tree) and you still get to choose which ones you apply to your player in the same way. As far as I’m aware they are the same perks, although last year I was a position player, this year I’m using a pitcher. I really like the way perks are done without being overpowering. So that hasn’t changed from 19.

By progression do you mean attribute progression or player progression (AA->MLB)? Both are basically the same as last year although attribute progression has been strengthened with more training options. A pitcher for example can now add or replace pitches through training selections. It’s further strengthened within in-game challenges by telling you which attributes and or caps (yes you can increase caps in-game by nailing a challenge) will be affected with the challenge goal you choose which is really well done.

Player progression hasn’t changed much, I’m reading various opinions about call ups being too soon or not soon enough. I’m going to guess that I’ll feel it’s too soon as my SP got called up to AAA after about two months of terrible pitching. The Chihuahuas must seriously have a big hole in their rotation for me (with an ERA of about 6.5 in AA) to be called up.

If you liked relationships in 19 I really think you’re going to love it in 20. It’s a really cool feeling seeing that rivalry icon appear above a batter’s head when you’ve struck him out swinging! Plus the relationships actually mean something to in-game performance/attributes, even more than the perks.

It’s quite a well-rounded system and will probably get even better next year.

They are all quite subtle improvements but they do make it a more enjoyable experience if you really like to feel a part of the RTTS universe.

Definitely some opportunity for improvements to be made in other areas (eg more variety in interactions, ability to call manager or agent just to name two) but enough to breathe some life into it I think.

Hope this helps.

Agreed but with the way that challenges are built into the game at present it wouldn’t be worthwhile. I reckon it would need a complete overhaul.

@Spitfirex007 said in Minor league:

Yeah they weren't fully truthful with exact how the system works. I took it as we'd have full control. I've played two seasons with my Mets. (trying to unlock all the bonus stuff) and I've only got to call up a pitcher once in each season. I want to bring D. Smith up.

Dom Smith is simply awesome, I don’t blame you. His return in game 162 last year was one of the most surreal moments in sporting history, right up there with Royce Simmons’s second try in the 1991 Australian Rugby League grand final.

Custom Leagues. Now I get it. What baserunning controls do you use - classic or default? Check all baserunning settings in gameplay options - have any changed? Maybe one is set to auto baserunning. Let us know, hopefully not something to do with the new patch.

@frizbgirl22 said in PCI Size:

@Rambo_11k said in PCI Size:

@frizbgirl22 said in PCI Size:

@Rambo_11k said in PCI Size:

I’m telling you guys....go directional and wait for the game to hang your opponents pitches for you to crush.

You’ll draw a ton of walks too, the pitching is trash this year....may as well exploit it.

That’s terrible advice.

Ok.

I’m not trying to hurt your feelings but it’s honestly bad advice. That’s the route of below average players who never want to rise above mediocrity.

If someone wants to get good at this game they need to learn how to hit with the PCI and stop whining about everything that doesn’t seem to go their way at the time. Learn from every pitch in every AB instead of moaning about what happened 3 innings ago

Agreed but unfortunately we have a divided user base. Some are W at all costs, some are (like you, and I) in it for the challenge and experience of playing.

If only there were a way for the developers to keep the two groups separate!

@marquesm00 said in Base running Glitch?:

I have had issues in diamond dynasty and Connected Franchise

What is Connected Franchise?

@joshjays44 said in Bring Back the Auto-Baserunning Windows!:

Haha I love patch 1.06, I call this patch "reduce noobs patch" cause it forces you guys to control your base runners like it was intended. Man up and stop your hands being held people, control every aspect of your baseball team, I can't wait for patch 1.07 where they remove automatic fielding, thanks SDS!!

The complaints here seem to be about not being able to judge where a runner is when fielding the ball. eg is the runner on 1st heading for home on a ball hit into the outfield gap. Nothing to do with automatic baserunning being on.

Which mode/s?

@EvanDavis71 said in Bring Back the Auto-Baserunning Windows!:

Here’s an example.

I’ve just caught a ball in right field for the 2nd out with a runner on 1st. Is the 1st base runner advancing to 2nd? I have no idea. I can’t see him and have no indication as to where he is between bases.

Should I throw to 2nd or perhaps he ran too far before the catch and I should instead try to get him out at 1st.

I’m literally throwing blind here.

It wasn't broke... it didn't need fixing.

From what you’ve described this sounds like a definite unintended result of the change and will probably be remedied in an upcoming patch. Either it wasn’t considered to be a problem when only one of* base running or fielding was set to auto (unlikely) or it wasn’t tested under those conditions and therefore nobody realised how problematic it would be.

Either way it would be nice to know why the base running HUD was removed because even with both baserunning and fielding set to auto it’s nice to watch what the base runners are doing, builds anticipation for potential close plays.

Unless it created a problem, I agree, it didn’t need ‘fixing’.

*EDITED: corrected ‘one off’ to ‘one of’

@TufoinProduction said in " Baseball video games need to include Women ":

There's no reason too.

If you’re referring to there being no reason to include female players in the game, there are many reasons to. I haven’t really seen any referred to in this thread yet but would be happy to back that up if asked.

Besides, it doesn’t have to be players within the MLB teams (that would be overkill and unnecessary at present) it could be a whole other league, similar to what Big Ant have done in their Cricket and Rugby League games, and EA with FIFA.

Sure it would require some more dev work (plus a heck of a lot more commentary lines) but adding a women’s league is something that is inevitable anyway.