MLB '10: The Show - Franchise Issues Update

[GoBucs09]

Re: MLB '10: The Show - Franchise Issues Update

As for the game itself, it's been talked about over and over that these days sports games are not made with the hardcore franchise player in mind. You can dispute that all you want, but the fact of the matter is that every game from Madden, to The Show, to FIFA and everything in between has been plagued by more issues in their various franchise/dynasty modes than anywhere else.

I really hope The Show doesn't start sacrificing franchise play for graphics. I'd have to drop The Show like I dropped Madden 3 years ago.

[VitaminKG21]

Re: MLB '10: The Show - Franchise Issues Update

I really hope The Show doesn't start sacrificing franchise play for graphics. I'd have to drop The Show like I dropped Madden 3 years ago.

I hate to break this to you, but intentionally or not, they already have. That might seem too negative to some, but you can't tell me that franchise mode has come close to keeping up with the graphics and overall gameplay.

[GoBucs09]

Re: MLB '10: The Show - Franchise Issues Update

I hate to break this to you, but intentionally or not, they already have. That might seem too negative to some, but you can't tell me that franchise mode has come close to keeping up with the graphics and overall gameplay.

To me though, last year's franchise was fine. So this year would be the first year they dropped the franchise ball. I'm going to wait and see before I agree with you.

[VitaminKG21]

Re: MLB '10: The Show - Franchise Issues Update

To me though, last year's franchise was fine. So this year would be the first year they dropped the franchise ball. I'm going to wait and see before I agree with you.

Fair enough, but I thought they botched last year's franchise mode pretty badly as well (draft, rule 5, etc.)

[Black59Razr]

Re: MLB '10: The Show - Franchise Issues Update

During Franchise (fantasy draft) Carlos Delgado played catcher while the teams other 2 catchers were on the bench.

[Pared]

Re: MLB '10: The Show - Franchise Issues Update

As for the game itself, it's been talked about over and over that these days sports games are not made with the hardcore franchise player in mind. You can dispute that all you want, but the fact of the matter is that every game from Madden, to The Show, to FIFA and everything in between has been plagued by more issues in their various franchise/dynasty modes than anywhere else.

The irony in all of this? I've spoken with three major developers of 2 different sports that spend so much time over the franchise portion of the game it's ridiculous. A few certain members of SD Studios teams did nothing but talk about franchise during our time out there for community day with Jim and Knight.

It's not like the mode is being ignored. It just seems to be a monumental task to take it all in and be able to deliver a problem-free solution. And this is across the board... expectations are high; not sure about resources but time seems very limited.

[VitaminKG21]

Re: MLB '10: The Show - Franchise Issues Update

The irony in all of this? I've spoken with three major developers of 2 different sports that spend so much time over the franchise portion of the game it's ridiculous. A few certain members of SD Studios teams did nothing but talk about franchise during our time out there for community day with Jim and Knight.

It's not like the mode is being ignored. It just seems to be a monumental task to take it all in and be able to deliver a problem-free solution. And this is across the board... expectations are high; not sure about resources but time seems very limited.

Don't get me wrong here Pared, I'm sure they spend a crazy amount of time working on franchise mode and I would never say it's been completely ignored.

My point is simply that given the time crunch and possible resource limitations, when push comes to shove it's always going to be the graphics and the gameplay that get that little bit of extra love. We here at OS may not like it, but judging by the popularity of franchises like The Show, it doesn't seem to hurt their bottom line.

I do think, and this is just one person's humble opinion, that this game in particular has reached a point where they could afford to rest on their laurels so to speak when it comes to the look and feel of it all and really take the extra time necessary to address the issues within franchise mode, pre-release.

Stat tracking, getting the draft to work right, getting waivers and trades to work right and with decent logic, tweaking the player rating system to make it more user friendly in terms of potential and all that. Dedicating a full development cycle to these things would go a long way IMO.

[Dreifort]

Re: MLB '10: The Show - Franchise Issues Update

I hate to break this to you, but intentionally or not, they already have. That might seem too negative to some, but you can't tell me that franchise mode has come close to keeping up with the graphics and overall gameplay.

SCEA has come close, that's what makes it so successful IMO.

Again, just my belief personally... but look at failed success in the past? If SCEA plays to the graphics to try and win over arcade baseball gamer vs baseball fans who enjoy good graphics but love franchise/realistic baseball aspects... the series will die IMO.

High Heat was supposed to be the game that ended it all to be all that and a bag of chips. It was...for it's short life. Then suddenly, not only was the franchise/realistic baseball aspects sacrificed for graphics -- they ****ed with the menu navigation to resemble console navs to make a crossover to consoles(reminder this game was a PC game primarily) and they limited any management aspect. That very release they did that, the series never recovered and the series died along with the company behind it, team .366 and their parent 3DO.

[Jdurg]

Re: MLB '10: The Show - Franchise Issues Update

Don't get me wrong here Pared, I'm sure they spend a crazy amount of time working on franchise mode and I would never say it's been completely ignored.

My point is simply that given the time crunch and possible resource limitations, when push comes to shove it's always going to be the graphics and the gameplay that get that little bit of extra love. We here at OS may not like it, but judging by the popularity of franchises like The Show, it doesn't seem to hurt their bottom line.

I do think, and this is just one person's humble opinion, that this game in particular has reached a point where they could afford to rest on their laurels so to speak when it comes to the look and feel of it all and really take the extra time necessary to address the issues within franchise mode, pre-release.

Stat tracking, getting the draft to work right, getting waivers and trades to work right and with decent logic, tweaking the player rating system to make it more user friendly in terms of potential and all that. Dedicating a full development cycle to these things would go a long way IMO.

That's because graphical improvements are very simple to see the results of and are easier to code for than AI improvements are. In many cases, you really have no idea how your AI code will turn out until the game itself has been released. The devs themselves would have to answer this one, but I would guess that AI coders work twice as many hours as graphical/sound coders throughout the course of a development cycle.

Believe me. We all wish it was super easy to put into a game a feature and have it work to its fullest. But yearly sports games have to be the king of all games that are a royal bitch to code for.

[VitaminKG21]

Re: MLB '10: The Show - Franchise Issues Update

SCEA has come close, that's what makes it so successful IMO.

Again, just my belief personally... but look at failed success in the past? If SCEA plays to the graphics to try and win over arcade baseball gamer vs baseball fans who enjoy good graphics but love franchise/realistic baseball aspects... the series will die IMO.

High Heat was supposed to be the game that ended it all to be all that and a bag of chips. It was...for it's short life. Then suddenly, not only was the franchise/realistic baseball aspects sacrificed for graphics -- they ****ed with the menu navigation to resemble console navs to make a crossover to consoles(reminder this game was a PC game primarily) and they limited any management aspect. That very release they did that, the series never recovered and the series died along with the company behind it, 3DO.

I never played High Heat, but I agree that as soon as a sports game maker decides to completely ignore the hardcore base, it's doomed.

This is not what SCEA has or is doing, I'm just hoping they can make it even better than it already is instead of burning my like the NCAA Football crew.

Sorry, that was a cheap shot.

[Jdurg]

Re: MLB '10: The Show - Franchise Issues Update

SCEA has come close, that's what makes it so successful IMO.

Again, just my belief personally... but look at failed success in the past? If SCEA plays to the graphics to try and win over arcade baseball gamer vs baseball fans who enjoy good graphics but love franchise/realistic baseball aspects... the series will die IMO.

High Heat was supposed to be the game that ended it all to be all that and a bag of chips. It was...for it's short life. Then suddenly, not only was the franchise/realistic baseball aspects sacrificed for graphics -- they ****ed with the menu navigation to resemble console navs to make a crossover to consoles(reminder this game was a PC game primarily) and they limited any management aspect. That very release they did that, the series never recovered and the series died along with the company behind it, 3DO.

You should probably go back and read your history books. 3DO was already a dying breed, but High Heat was one of their only "successes", if you could even call it that. Compared to other sports games released at that time, it was pretty dismal in terms of sales. Changes were made, not because they wanted to, but because they had to. The company itself was dying fast and unless they could appeal to a greater market, they would have died off three or four years earlier.

[Pared]

Re: MLB '10: The Show - Franchise Issues Update

Don't get me wrong here Pared, I'm sure they spend a crazy amount of time working on franchise mode and I would never say it's been completely ignored. - SNIP -

No, you're completely right. How many times do you look on the back of the box of a sports game and see, "New Franchise features with realistic trades!"

Still, from what I've seen and discussed, they don't go always untouched. I know that wasn't the case here and in a few other games.

Edit - Guys, let's not try and go too far off track. I don't want to have to lock the thread because we have gone very off-topic as it is.

[GoBucs09]

Re: MLB '10: The Show - Franchise Issues Update

Edit - Guys, let's not try and go too far off track. I don't want to have to lock the thread because we have gone very off-topic as it is.

You aint kidding! I'm happy I vented my frustration, unfortunately it was at your guys expense.

I think someone posted a new bug in the last 3 or 4 pages but we (I) buried it. oops

[ARMORALLL]

Re: MLB '10: The Show - Franchise Issues Update

Truth is the more new things sony adds to the game, the more problems there are to fix along the way. I remember last year people were complaining about MLB 09 and now people are saying it played much more smoothly. No game is ever perfect but I hope with enough patch work the game can be playable the way it has been.

[Dreifort]

Re: MLB '10: The Show - Franchise Issues Update

Truth is the more new things sony adds to the game, the more problems there are to fix along the way. I remember last year people were complaining about MLB 09 and now people are saying it played much more smoothly. No game is ever perfect but I hope with enough patch work the game can be playable the way it has been.

I think most of the new additions to MLB10 are in good working order...it's previous functions/abilities that worked fine in MLB09 are now buggy in MLB10.