Franchise Mode is Piece of a Bigger Picture Says San Diego Studios

[Themayorofawsometown]

Re: Franchise Mode is Piece of a Bigger Picture Says San Diego Studios

One of the most frequent requests on here is for create a stadium. I think most of us accept that’s a huge undertaking but where I think SDS could meet us halfway - a goodwill gesture if you like - is allow us some level of customisation to the ballparks. Give us some ribbon board options so it feels a bit different from game to game. A graphics package for the video board so we’re not seeing the same home run, strikeout, etc. graphics. Pick a logo behind home plate or down the foul lines. Have a bobble head or shirt promotion that is advertised around the ballpark and as part of the broadcast presentation they show the bobble head in between innings.

And in the case of the fictional minor league ballparks,make some upgrades. Add seating in the outfield, add a better video screen or scoreboard, etc. Being fictional there’s obviously more scope to customise them.

I’m just throwing around some ideas where I think SDS could make improvements with largely very little work that would at least make an improvement.

We've been asking for create a stadium since the start of OS. If SDS had an actual plan to put it in it would have been done. We really should stop expecting it unless someone at SDS has a radical change of heart or the tech makes it 10x easier than it would be now.

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[speels]

Re: Franchise Mode is Piece of a Bigger Picture Says San Diego Studios

To be fair, it seems like this addition isn't that significant from a player standpoint, but working in IT for 30 years I have learned that just because something seems like it should be easy to implement does not mean that it actually is easy.

Maybe it took a week. Maybe it took months. We as the players will never know for sure.

It was also pointed out that Mar to Oct was born from them trying to upgrade franchise. How much time was spent on Mar to Oct before they realized it would be better as a stand alone mode. All that time was was spent trying to improve franchise mode, so it is tough to say they didn't spend their time or even most of their time on franchise mode.

[MrArlingtonBeach]

Re: Franchise Mode is Piece of a Bigger Picture Says San Diego Studios

Right, but remember we are talking about new players to the "franchise" way of playing. So not having injuries means they get to play with their favorite players for the season. I mean who hasn't been peeved to see your best player go down for an extended period of time. Hardcore franchise guys see it as an opportunity to bring up a rookie to give him a shot or trade for someone who can help this season, but the majority of players that they may be trying to attract to franchise just want to be able to play with Bryce Harper all season.

Since there are no injuries the minors become irrelevant, again the people that are perhaps trying this for the first time might not want that concern. Same with scouting, training, etc.

I am not saying this will for sure get more people involved in franchise, but it can't hurt.

Maybe I am missing something, but how does this translate into new, "casual" players wanting to continue into Franchise Mode? MtO gives you a singular trade to "make"...that is it when it comes to Franchise-type activities in that game mode.

If a casual player doesn't want to participate in scouting, injury management, minor league rosters, trades, contracts, the Rule 5 Draft, etc., why would they ever even consider jumping into Franchise right after MtO in the first place?

[Funkycorm]

Re: Franchise Mode is Piece of a Bigger Picture Says San Diego Studios

Maybe I am missing something, but how does this translate into new, "casual" players wanting to continue into Franchise Mode? MtO gives you a singular trade to "make"...that is it when it comes to Franchise-type activities in that game mode.

If a casual player doesn't want to participate in scouting, injury management, minor league rosters, trades, contracts, the Rule 5 Draft, etc., why would they ever even consider jumping into Franchise right after MtO in the first place?

To preface, I am a franchise mostly player but to answer the question.

Maybe they really liked playing with that team or those players and want to repeat as champion or maybe they just missed the playoffs, etc. and want to improve upon their record.

I can see it at as a bridge to franchise and a fun mode for us to try. Some will like to and some won't.

[Armor and Sword]

Franchise Mode is Piece of a Bigger Picture Says San Diego Studios

Maybe I am missing something, but how does this translate into new, "casual" players wanting to continue into Franchise Mode? MtO gives you a singular trade to "make"...that is it when it comes to Franchise-type activities in that game mode.



If a casual player doesn't want to participate in scouting, injury management, minor league rosters, trades, contracts, the Rule 5 Draft, etc., why would they ever even consider jumping into Franchise right after MtO in the first place?

This could be a gateway drug for lack of a better term to a much younger generation of baseball video gamers to take it to the next step and go all in on franchise mode. Again they can play franchise mode with everything on auto at first and begin to familiarize themselves to all the intricacies of the mode.

If 1 out of 10 or even 1 out of 20 become franchise mode players it is a win.


I don’t think some people realize how daunting franchise mode can be for a new young gamer/sports gamer.

If you are not growing you are dying.

We need new franchise mode players folks. And that is going to come from the new generation of MLB The Show players.



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[VincesVictims]

Re: Franchise Mode is Piece of a Bigger Picture Says San Diego Studios

Everyone will never be happy with what changes or lack there of changes made to franchise mode. Some of use dont mind the small changes others want a complete overhaul. Of course there and changes each and every one of us want. But to bash Sds for there lack of franchise mode I'd crazy Imo. This game gives us so much. There isn't alot of things left to add make it like real life. But damn this is the best playing sports game on the market ever year. This game plays so good out of the box and doesn't need a million patches to fix it.

Make your franchise your own world use your imagination and build your own story lines. Alot of us are using roster from mlb 17 with year to year carry overs so who cares about a full single A roster make up your own if that is something that is really bothering you. Mlb the show 18 was by far the best sports game I have ever played and I'm sure Mlb 19 will not disappoint.

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[Therebelyell626]

Re: Franchise Mode is Piece of a Bigger Picture Says San Diego Studios

This could be a gateway drug for lack of a better term to a much younger generation of baseball video gamers to take it to the next step and go all in on franchise mode. Again they can play franchise mode with everything on auto at first and begin to familiarize themselves to all the intricacies of the mode.

If 1 out of 10 or even 1 out of 20 become franchise mode players it is a win.


I don’t think some people realize how daunting franchise mode can be for a new young gamer/sports gamer.

If you are not growing you are dying.

We need new franchise mode players folks. And that is going to come from the new generation of MLB The Show players.



Sent from Palm Trees and Paradise using Operation Sports

There's a lot of logic in this statement. I just don't see some kid who is not already a baseball fan falling into the show. But if there is a chance then I am all for it.

[bcruise]

Re: Franchise Mode is Piece of a Bigger Picture Says San Diego Studios

There's a lot of logic in this statement. I just don't see some kid who is not already a baseball fan falling into the show. But if there is a chance then I am all for it.

I just think there's an untapped market. If RTTS is their most-played mode as Nick says (and I have no reason to not believe that), then there's still a very large single-player playerbase, one that clearly doesn't get as much exposure on social media like this forum or twitter. And it's unlikely that that market, which currently plays a very focused, streamlined RTTS experience, is avoiding franchise because it lacks features. It seems much more likely to me that it's being avoided because that market finds it too complicated.

So we have MTO, which is also focused and streamlined, but instead deals with a team instead of a single player, and covers the entire season+playoffs. I could see a mode like that being far easier for this RTTS market to get into. Then at the end of all of it, they are one step away from Franchise. Some might want to go into it to continue whatever story they've created, some won't. But every one of them that does adds to the Franchise player base, and increases the incentive for SDS to improve it in the future.

That's where my feelings on it are right now.

[Therebelyell626]

Re: Franchise Mode is Piece of a Bigger Picture Says San Diego Studios

I just think there's an untapped market. If RTTS is their most-played mode as Nick says (and I have no reason to not believe that), then there's still a very large single-player playerbase, one that clearly doesn't get as much exposure on social media like this forum or twitter. And it's unlikely that that market, which currently plays a very focused, streamlined RTTS experience, is avoiding franchise because it lacks features. It seems much more likely to me that it's being avoided because that market finds it too complicated.

So we have MTO, which is also focused and streamlined, but instead deals with a team instead of a single player, and covers the entire season+playoffs. I could see a mode like that being far easier for this RTTS market to get into. Then at the end of all of it, they are one step away from Franchise. Some might want to go into it to continue whatever story they've created, some won't. But every one of them that does adds to the Franchise player base, and increases the incentive for SDS to improve it in the future.

That's where my feelings on it are right now.

Makes sense. Like old adage says "throw enough ish to a wall, and see what sticks". I guess if you cast a big enough net your bound to catch something. But all of MTO rewards are DD incentives. What leads you to believe a RTTS player will have any motivation to give it a whirl?

[WaitTilNextYear]

Re: Franchise Mode is Piece of a Bigger Picture Says San Diego Studios

One of the most frequent requests on here is for create a stadium. I think most of us accept that’s a huge undertaking but where I think SDS could meet us halfway - a goodwill gesture if you like - is allow us some level of customisation to the ballparks. Give us some ribbon board options so it feels a bit different from game to game. A graphics package for the video board so we’re not seeing the same home run, strikeout, etc. graphics. Pick a logo behind home plate or down the foul lines. Have a bobble head or shirt promotion that is advertised around the ballpark and as part of the broadcast presentation they show the bobble head in between innings.

And in the case of the fictional minor league ballparks,make some upgrades. Add seating in the outfield, add a better video screen or scoreboard, etc. Being fictional there’s obviously more scope to customise them.

I’m just throwing around some ideas where I think SDS could make improvements with largely very little work that would at least make an improvement.

The problem I have with the create-a-stadium argument they've made in the past is it's so circular...we can't add it in because it would take so much work and we want to "do it right." And, because it would take so much work, we don't even try to add it in (because it would take so much work and you'd never get any other franchise mode upgrades). So, we just exist in a state of paralysis about the whole idea.

I do think you have something with innovating a little bit if they're not willing/able to innovate a lot. Makes sense to me.

To be fair, it seems like this addition isn't that significant from a player standpoint, but working in IT for 30 years I have learned that just because something seems like it should be easy to implement does not mean that it actually is easy.

Maybe it took a week. Maybe it took months. We as the players will never know for sure.

You would know more than me as I've never worked in IT. But, wouldn't it seem strange to decide to slog away at something for months that would only be received as a minor deal? It doesn't pass the smell test, imo. Pick something else that would be easier and would be received with more exultation. Maybe they are conflating the legal effort (?) it took with development effort...as a [potential] customer, I don't really care about their lawyer's billable hours in this matter. lol

It was also pointed out that Mar to Oct was born from them trying to upgrade franchise. How much time was spent on Mar to Oct before they realized it would be better as a stand alone mode. All that time was was spent trying to improve franchise mode, so it is tough to say they didn't spend their time or even most of their time on franchise mode.

That's a pretty big stretch for a franchise mode player to accept. I click on FRANCHISE and the mode is the same (with some updated contracts). That's the bottom line. What they worked on is a different mode. Maybe that mode pays dividends for us down the line, but we're talking '20 or '21 before anything positive happens in that respect (if it were to happen at all). By then, franchise guys might be playing 'Pitchfork Simulator' instead.

[MrArlingtonBeach]

Re: Franchise Mode is Piece of a Bigger Picture Says San Diego Studios

I really do appreciate the responses relating to the casual gamer/MtO/Franchise discussion. I'm enjoying having a civilized debate. :-)

Like I said, I get the setup...MtO leading to Franchise. I hope it works, draws many new players into the mode, and results in The Show 20 featuring an updated Franchise Mode.

But the fact that DD rewards are the end goal of MtO, combined with the fact that MtO lacks most of what makes Franchise enjoyable (to me anyway...minors, custom rosters, injuries, scouting, training, etc.) leaves me in a super-cautious "wait and see" approach that MtO is going to magically increase the "casual" users in Franchise to a point that it gets more attention than DD or even RttS.

But again, I do appreciate the discussion and ideas.

[DJ]

Re: Franchise Mode is Piece of a Bigger Picture Says San Diego Studios

Franchise Mode is a daunting task, no doubt, especially if you don't like simulating games. I'm in the World Series (shameless pat on the back, lol) in Year 2 of my Mets franchise, having played every inning of every game. I committed to MLB 18 when the gameplay hooked me.

I fear, with society's short attention spans, it's difficult to sell people on the idea of playing 162 games, no matter how good the gameplay is.

I like the concept of March to October. It allows you to play critical moments so you build an attachment to the team you're controlling, but you don't have to worry about playing 162 games.

Like A&S said, perhaps MTO pushes some gamers to do a deeper dive and become more immersed and they check out the full franchise mode.

I can see MTO being built up to be played over multiple seasons, too. I have no problem with this. Franchise Mode will still be there and while we will always have gripes/qualms and wishlist items, at the end of the day what is in MLB The Show is very good and a lot of fun to play through ... even if you don't make the World Series.

I will be buying 19 and for sure carrying over my Mets franchise, but also trying out the new mode. After a 2-season grind, I wouldn't mind a condensed experience.

[TheBleedingRed21]

Re: Franchise Mode is Piece of a Bigger Picture Says San Diego Studios

I literally just want rotating interleague schedules. Sucks playing franchise and never getting to experience all of the stadiums.

[philmnn]

Re: Franchise Mode is Piece of a Bigger Picture Says San Diego Studios

I really just think it all boils down to the fact that many people feel that the way to bring a certain niche of people in to a mode is to improve THAT mode, not branch off and make an entirely different one. All that does is divide the modes even more. I would rather prove to you that i can make this game mode work for the DD player, the guy who plays 9 hours a day, and the guy with 5 kids who can only play 30 minutes at night all the same just by the options you choose to enable. Give me a pizza with 50 toppings and let me choose which ones i dont want instead of giving me a menu with 50 different specific pizzas. Constantly branching off is going to make it impossible to give attention to everything each year as we clearly see with franchise. And honestly franchise already does that. Franchise is possible for anyone from 30 minutes of free time a day to 24/7 365. The functionality and flexibility of how much time you want to sink in isn't the problem, the problem is having fun doing it.

[bcruise]

Re: Franchise Mode is Piece of a Bigger Picture Says San Diego Studios

Makes sense. Like old adage says "throw enough ish to a wall, and see what sticks". I guess if you cast a big enough net your bound to catch something. But all of MTO rewards are DD incentives. What leads you to believe a RTTS player will have any motivation to give it a whirl?

Well, getting them into the mode itself mostly falls on SDS marketing and their dev streams, and I think they've done a good enough job communicating what the mode is. It seems like they expect it to be a success based on what they were saying about it being really well-received during their focus testing.

Getting them into franchise after experiencing MTO goes back to what Armor was saying about creating stories - if people get attached to their team's ride through the season, then they might be interested in seeing what lies beyond - and perhaps being a little more receptive to everything available in franchise in order to experience that.

Honestly I think it's brilliant, if that's actually the plan. It's what my train of thought leads me to.

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