Phases speculation

[Blzer]

As per my Diamond Dynasty speculation thread back six years ago, it is time for us to take our guesses before it is officially revealed.

Put your own spin on what you think this new franchise mode feature called phases actually is. Whether you're right, wrong, or just making your own little wish about what it is, it would be interesting to see what people envision in their heads when they hear this mode.

Once the info is released, of course, then we get to compare or see if somebody picked out the right lotto numbers for the actual mode details.

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Okay, since this is pertaining to franchise mode and not Road to the Show or something like that, I'm guessing it won't necessarily have to do with individual players going through phases. I'm thinking more like as an organization itself.

I feel like a "phase" could be something like whether you're being a buyer or a seller, trying to play rebuild versus trying to win a championship that year. You report what kind of phase you're going through, and some goals/objectives are set up as a result.

Other teams are marked as certain phases as well so trade interest changes depending on their respective phase. You are even thrown in suggestions when it comes to signing players, or players might be more/less interested in signing with you based on what kind of phase you're in.

Projects run on certain year-based cycles as well, so perhaps certain plans are set up so that your rebuild may be a "three-year plan," and the objectives change by season. Or maybe you're just in the middle of everything and you're simply trying to stay the course.

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Anyway, that is my mind-wandering thought. Obviously if this is the feature, maybe they don't have everything quite down the first year. Although when it comes to new features like these, I always question how well it works with a franchise you're importing from another iteration of The Show, and if it would throw everything out of whack by not starting up with this year's game, etc.

Other thoughts? No rush, it looks like you still have a month to go!

[Cowboy008]

Re: Phases speculation

I think its going to just be a faster way to sim to a certain point of the season unfortunately.

[MetsFan16]

Re: Phases speculation

The general assumsption is that it will be a faster way to sim “blocks” of a schedule throughout the season faster than individual games.

I see it similar to OP, in that it’s a piece of every team’s schedule.

Spring Training: Position Battles, Make Cuts, Training
April: Beginning of Season, Get off to hot start
May: Continue Momentum, Rebound from slow start, get healthy, Scouting
June: Draft, Finish strong into All Star Break
July: Prepare Trade Black/Need List for Deadline, Contending? Rebuilding?
Trade Deadline: Trade Pieces, Accumulate Prospects, Fill Hole for Playoff Push
August: Trade Waivers, Last Minute Trade
September: Minor League Playoffs, September Callups. Home Stretch! Clinch Division/WildCard, Battle for best record, battle for second wildcard, try to move into divisional lead
October: playoffs
October: FA.....

I think you get it. Although it could be a simulation feature I see it as a “where are you in the season and what’s the main priority, what’s the next step”


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[Blzer]

Re: Phases speculation

^ That actually makes more sense, given the way they are trying to streamline more things (stupid MLB).

Now, when you say "general assumption," is there any presumption involved with that? Have the developers tipped anything off for you [or anyone] to say that besides the feature title itself? Just curious, that way I could narrow down my speculation.

I guess it works for both crowds, people who play the games and people who simulate. I do wonder if you can claim a title to your team's status though.

[zippy2212]

Re: Phases speculation

Carlos Correa, I think, posted a franchise screen shot that showed Next Phase: waiver deadline/September call-ups or something like that. So I'm thinking along the lines of Metsfan16, it's another way to sim ahead faster.

My guess is instead of simming by the schedule it will be more like how you can just skip Spring Training, the season or playoffs. No injuries, trades, etc. For example, you can just go from April 1st to June 1st. Things like that.

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[MetsFan16]

Re: Phases speculation

^ That actually makes more sense, given the way they are trying to streamline more things (stupid MLB).

Now, when you say "general assumption," is there any presumption involved with that? Have the developers tipped anything off for you [or anyone] to say that besides the feature title itself? Just curious, that way I could narrow down my speculation.

I guess it works for both crowds, people who play the games and people who simulate. I do wonder if you can claim a title to your team's status though.

No sorry, poor choice of words. Nothing the devs have said. Just basing it off of what others on here are thinking. People are assuming it’s a way to speed along a season.


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[bcruise]

Re: Phases speculation

Carlos Correa, I think, posted a franchise screen shot that showed Next Phase: waiver deadline/September call-ups or something like that. So I'm thinking along the lines of Metsfan16, it's another way to sim ahead faster.

My guess is instead of simming by the schedule it will be more like how you can just skip Spring Training, the season or playoffs. No injuries, trades, etc. For example, you can just go from April 1st to June 1st. Things like that.

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Yeah, all of this. Here's the screen (spoiler tagged because big):

Spoiler

[Blzer]

Re: Phases speculation

Noted. Thanks.

I don't blame SDS for catering to the ADHD crowd, but Manfred is interfering with more than just the sport that the professionals play by harking on things exactly like this.

[Jr.]

Re: Phases speculation

Noted. Thanks.

I don't blame SDS for catering to the ADHD crowd, but Manfred is interfering with more than just the sport that the professionals play by harking on things exactly like this.

Wait, you're saying this is Manfred's fault?

[wellred]

Re: Phases speculation

Noted. Thanks.

I don't blame SDS for catering to the ADHD crowd, but Manfred is interfering with more than just the sport that the professionals play by harking on things exactly like this.

You honestly believe any changes to the ability to sim easily or play quick through games has anything to do with Manfred and his pace of play agenda? lol That's pretty ridiculous IMO if that's what you're saying.

The only thing SDS should and no doubt will be catering to are the demographics their own internal metrics suggest they should be catering to. Now obviously there can be some overlap there because baseball fans in general are more likely to buy this game than non baseball fans, and the information they have on how people watch baseball and play the game can share some mutual patterns due to similar reasoning. But to think the commissioner's office or their directives plays in any way into a drive to streamline the game experience in The Show is quite the 7th inning streeeeeeeeeetch to say the least.

[countryboy]

Re: Phases speculation

Wait, you're saying this is Manfred's fault?

At the request of commissioner Manfred, MLB The Show '18 now offers PHASES and 3 inning baseball games.

[BigOscar]

Re: Phases speculation

If it is just another way to sim faster then that would be a serious kick in the teeth. You'd hope if they've highlighted certain "phases" that are important they would at least do something to make them important with improved AI for trades and roster moves etc, but it's hard to be too optimistic

[Blzer]

Re: Phases speculation

Wait, you're saying this is Manfred's fault?

No, I am saying that the trend of this sport has suddenly become to increase pace of play. With that comes irate customers who start to complain that items take too long, skipping through ****, etc. That is the youth culture of today. That is why items in social media are so popular like Vines, that stupid Harlem Shake, Snapchats, Twitter's restricted character limit, etc.

Why do you think we have three-inning ballgames now? Why do you think they took out some of the real-time flow between pitches? The average consumer has a much shorter attention span than before.

And yes, things done at the MLB level do cross over into other areas. I've already mentioned several times over how high school softball issued helmets for base coaches immediately after the MLB implemented that rule, and the automatic walk has come into play. Per e-mail from the NFHS:

In Rule 2-65-2, the committee added language to include intentional walks into the fast-pitch game. The rule states that a request for an intentional walk can now be made prior to or during the at-bat by the defensive coach or catcher. This change aligns fast-pitch and slow-pitch rules to keep up with current trends of the sports and maximize the flow of the game.

Now, that all being said, this feature sounds great whether or not you sim and could have always been in their plans no matter what the consumer craves. I'm just saying that this feels to stand as no coincidence in the matter as well. Manfred has not been on my good side so far when it comes to policies and politics, and I have seen more than my share of elements be contaminated by his actions so far in office. You don't have to agree.

But did I ever say that Manfred demanded this be added into the game? Of course not, that is asinine.

[Blzer]

Re: Phases speculation

The only thing SDS should and no doubt will be catering to are the demographics their own internal metrics suggest they should be catering to. Now obviously there can be some overlap there because baseball fans in general are more likely to buy this game than non baseball fans, and the information they have on how people watch baseball and play the game can share some mutual patterns due to similar reasoning.

Yep, that's exactly it and that is exactly what I meant. The same could even be said for the kind of music that is on the game's soundtrack or home run celebrations, for better or worse.

I'm not saying Manfred is A and SDS is B in that the causality is A -> B. At least they are like E where baseball is B, fans are C, and consumers are D.

[JoshC1977]

Re: Phases speculation

The general assumsption is that it will be a faster way to sim “blocks” of a schedule throughout the season faster than individual games.

I see it similar to OP, in that it’s a piece of every team’s schedule.

Spring Training: Position Battles, Make Cuts, Training
April: Beginning of Season, Get off to hot start
May: Continue Momentum, Rebound from slow start, get healthy, Scouting
June: Draft, Finish strong into All Star Break
July: Prepare Trade Black/Need List for Deadline, Contending? Rebuilding?
Trade Deadline: Trade Pieces, Accumulate Prospects, Fill Hole for Playoff Push
August: Trade Waivers, Last Minute Trade
September: Minor League Playoffs, September Callups. Home Stretch! Clinch Division/WildCard, Battle for best record, battle for second wildcard, try to move into divisional lead
October: playoffs
October: FA.....

I think you get it. Although it could be a simulation feature I see it as a “where are you in the season and what’s the main priority, what’s the next step”


Sent from my iPhone using Operation Sports

I think this might not be too far off. It would be interesting to see if CPU-controlled teams manage rosters differently in different phases depending on where they are in the standings and so on. It could also be interesting if the game builds-in certain "goals" into each phase...like a goal for the trade deadline for a contender being to acquire a new SP or a "big bat" based on team needs.