MLB 14 The Show: Questioning the Online Experience

[RaychelSnr]

Much like the Nintendo Power Glove, or Panasonic’s decision to charge $699 for its 3DO game console in 1993, certain decisions in the gaming industry seem like a good idea in the board room, but fail miserably when they hit the retail market. At times you want to champion the idea of non-conformity in an industry full of it, and other times you wish you had access to the decision makers who come up with this stuff and ask them simply: why? This subject we deal with today falls more under the innovative category, but despite the valiant effort, the implementation of this idea is where the troubles start.

Read More - MLB 14 The Show: Questioning the Online Experience

[SVCbearcat10]

Primarily being an offline player, I wouldn't mind them ditching the online component completely to employ those resources elsewhere. I can't see there being that many people out there buying this game for its online capability.

However, if you cut online, then you cut out a lot of potential sales down the line. That's just where the industry seems to be heading, everything has to be online. Despite how good offline is, I'm not sure if an offline only game will increase sales year over year. Getting the online correct would be a HR and really elevate this title.

So while I would like them to ditch online since I don't really play games online and it isn't very good right now, I think there is much more upside for them to continue to improve that side of the game. The one on one nature of baseball (hitter vs pitcher) makes it a much more enjoyable game versus others than Madden where most of what happens is out of your control.

[Sigma4Life]

Primarily being an offline player, I wouldn't mind them ditching the online component completely to employ those resources elsewhere. I can't see there being that many people out there buying this game for its online capability.

However, if you cut online, then you cut out a lot of potential sales down the line. That's just where the industry seems to be heading, everything has to be online. Despite how good offline is, I'm not sure if an offline only game will increase sales year over year. Getting the online correct would be a HR and really elevate this title.

So while I would like them to ditch online since I don't really play games online and it isn't very good right now, I think there is much more upside for them to continue to improve that side of the game. The one on one nature of baseball (hitter vs pitcher) makes it a much more enjoyable game versus others than Madden where most of what happens is out of your control.

Removing online would be a terrible decision since as you said, most games are headed towards online, not away from it. Personally I play 100% online so if it were removed I'd never play The Show again. Playing another human is infinitely more gratifying than playing the CPU, IMO.

[JukeAllStar]

Re: MLB 14 The Show: Questioning the Online Experience

I agree, playing human opponents makes the game unpredictable in infinite ways than competition against the CPU. I wouldn't be able to go back to playing against the CPU only after experiencing competitive online play.

[HustlinOwl]

Re: MLB 14 The Show: Questioning the Online Experience

the day they remove online is the day I stop purchasing

[bfindeisen]

Re: MLB 14 The Show: Questioning the Online Experience

I agree, playing human opponents makes the game unpredictable in infinite ways than competition against the CPU. I wouldn't be able to go back to playing against the CPU only after experiencing competitive online play.

I agree that the CPU cannot come close to replicating a human opponent, and it is far more gratifying when you play against a person who actually plays in a realistic way. For me, however, 9/10 times online I end up playing a guy who abuses the mechanics of the game and it because a competition over who can game the system the best, not the best baseball "player". My ideal online experience would be the theoretical Online Franchise mode, but the current iterations are so far from being satisfying for a number of reasons...so, for now, I mainly stick to highly customized offline modes.

[CubsSuckButILoveThem]

umm idk how long online franchise has been around but its definitely not new cuz i played it last year..

[bluengold34_OS]

Re: MLB 14 The Show: Questioning the Online Experience

umm idk how long online franchise has been around but its definitely not new cuz i played it last year..

You played online franchise last year?

"MLB 14 does introduce a new mode of online play, called Online Franchise, in which a player and several friends may play out a schedule of games, with playoffs and even some player management decisions"

[Zonekeeper]

I must agree, playing online is the only way to play for me.

[Seyheykid23]

the day they remove online is the day I stop purchasing

Agree 100% if online is not fixed or removed will be last game I purchase

[loganmorrison1]

Online has been a mess every single year. SCEA just can't get it right. I agree, either scrap it or fix it

[videobastard]

Re: MLB 14 The Show: Questioning the Online Experience

I play mostly online in leagues and enjoy the game when it works. But its the same old story every year waiting for patches to improve freezes, bugs, and server issues. What i hate the most is seeing repeated bugs continuing in the series.

[Cezar24]

Re: MLB 14 The Show: Questioning the Online Experience

I have a small group of friends that would love to do an online season/franchise/league but it's the same story every year. We get pumped, set it up and have our hopes crushed by bad online, glitches and bugs. If the online worked like other games I'd be on it all the time (currently have 21 days played on COD). Instead we all migrate to our own individual offline season after a few weeks and never touch the online again.

The interest is there, it's just a matter of hoping it works.

[fballturkey]

Re: MLB 14 The Show: Questioning the Online Experience

Online is pretty bad, but I don't think the answer is to scrap it. My biggest complaint is fielding synchronization. When batting I never have any idea where the ball is relative to the fielders. I'll see it zoom out into center field past an outfielder then a second later it's in the air headed toward second base on a throw I never saw from the fielder I just watched it go by. And I know based on some of the baserunning decisions I've seen people make that they aren't seeing on their screen what I saw on my screen. And don't even get me started on passed balls.

But no, the answer isn't to scrap it, the answer is to make it good.

[The JareBear]

Re: MLB 14 The Show: Questioning the Online Experience

The worrisome thing for me is that it seems like online play in the show has been lacking for a long time. Do they just not know how to fix it?