Community Day....FRANCHISE and EDITOR

[jkra0512]

Re: Community Day....FRANCHISE and EDITOR

I'll be getting to the answers soon(tonight I would say)....but I think most of you know as I've posted earlier, the focus was on fixing and tweaking EXISTING features of franchise mode and not adding new ones this year. I just want to get that out of the way.

Not to get on the ***-kissing bus here, but this is why I love this company. Sometimes you don't need to add anything new, instead, you just need to fix the existing problems. I absolutely love Franchise mode and get immersed in it. Sure, it may need a few new features, but as long as SCEA fixes some of the bugs and improve on what's already there, that's a win in my book.

Thanks Knight, I look forward to your impressions on the game.

[tabarnes19_SDS]

Re: Community Day....FRANCHISE and EDITOR

I just got home from work (That's right!! After no sleep the last 4 days and coast to coast trips) to post essentially what Knight just said.

I REALLY need to get a little sleep, but will be on later to post and answer questions.

Like Knight stated these guys took our suggestions, input and feedback and really burnt the candle at both ends. There was one night we left after midnight and were back the next day at 9. When we left the devs working on franchise were still there and when we got in they were already to work putting tweaks and touches on feedback from us and indirectly from YOU, the members of OS.

I know it has been stated numerous times about how hard these guys work, how they sleep in the office, etc... BUT let me assure you it is SOOOO much more. You really have to see it first hand to appreciate the hard work and dedication. With the amount of time and pride they dedicate to this product (at the expense of their own time with family and leisure) to get things into the game that very few people probably notice is amazing. TheSlab and I commented on this aspect on the cab ride to the airport. They cater to EVERYONE!! The stadium and uniforms, the franchise, gameplay, rtts etc...Little details.

So with that being said Knight and I went through questions that have been asked on here in threads throughout the years and looked for old bugs etc. Trust us they hear what we are asking for!!!

I'll let Knight fill you in on some of the goodies......

Oh and the Legend is true. Knight is 10 foot tall and when he talks the earth quakes.

In all seriousness he is in the ear of everyone about what WE, the community want, and it's not just him. Pared and Enigma are right there the whole time too everyone there were great guys.

[ksig24]

Re: Community Day....FRANCHISE and EDITOR

Hey Barnesy and Mike,

Did you guys happen to delve into ratings at all? I have pretty much spent the last year or so trying to figure out which rating does what. It would truly be nice to get a clear understanding as it would make contributing to the OSFM that much more easier. It really is amazing to see my players actually realize their potentials at advanced levels of baseball and to make this gaming experience that much better would only be icing on the cake. You both know where I stand and as a roster maker its imperative to have firm understanding of this.

Cant wait to hear what you guys have to say.

[steelersfan77]

Re: Community Day....FRANCHISE and EDITOR

I'll be getting to the answers soon(tonight I would say)....but I think most of you know as I've posted earlier, the focus was on fixing and tweaking EXISTING features of franchise mode and not adding new ones this year. I just want to get that out of the way.
There were a few new nice "little" additions, some that spill over into everything in the game, but I would also like to get something else out of the way right up front.....and this has nothing to do with a$$ kissing as anyone who really knows me knows that I am nothing like that. Maybe more the opposite as I'm kind of a little cold in some regards and am not afraid to tell people what I think(not to the point of being rude for nothing, but if you deserve it!!!).
I'm not a REPORT post guy, but I'm not putting up with any nonsense like shooting barbs at the devs ...even in a veiled way. They have been breaking their a$$es(yes, that's their job, I know)....but in the week that we were there and able to sim-test and then point out specific things that we THOUGHT would help franchise mode, these guys went WAY more than above and beyond. Brent and Aaron, Lorne and Brian(all devs) deserve better than having arrows slung at them.(they can take it....it just bothers me more knowing how much they care about the game and how hard they worked to get our suggestions in the game/fixes)

When leaving....it was still a work in progress on some minor fronts, but the FA "bug"(it's not really a bug, I think that would have made it easier to fix actually!) looks to be gone. I simmed into 2025 and didn't see anyone on the FA list that would make me say "WTF"...and while budgets would fluctuate from tight....to "in the red"....and then "back to black" for some teams(teams that went years without winning in the sims), no top rated young player would sit in the FA market.(there was a couple of older(37-38) players that would sit out and then possibly get a new contract(1 year) the following year or even get signed mid season(if a team with bucks AND in the hunt) needed a player.
The team would love to have another month or two, but I'm happy with what I saw on that front.

Tabarnes also did a great job of hunting down, pointing out and expressing what some of the lingering problems in franchise were and suggesting possible solutions.(in the end, it's all design needs that dictate what gets done)....

Thanks guys and "see" you later!

M.K.
Knight165

Knight, thanks for the time you and the other guys put in during the community event. It's refreshing to know that the devs listen and try to deliver as best they can. I'm okay without a bunch of new features and I'm happy to hear that they devoted their time trying to perfect what's already in franchise mode.

As an offline franchise mode user all I've been hoping for was a smarter AI when it came to free agents, trades and younger star players. I think I listened in on video where franchise was talked about in regards to how you draft a certain player, what to look for, strengths and weaknesses. It sounds a little deeper.

Don't get me wrong, The Show, broke the mold when it came to "30 team control" and the ability it gave us as a user to control everything so AI didn't dictate something that might not happen in real life sports. I think we all look for the true sports simulation out there.

I agree with you and I don't look at "it" as a bug. It's refreshing to know the AI seems to be making smarter choices in regards to lineup logic, free agent signings, trades when a team is in the hunt or not in the running and how younger stars are protected and not just treated as no shows all gift wrapped up.

I messed around with my Pirates chise in "11" and let the computer handle all the roster management. By the trade deadline my team was completely out of the running yet the AI still decided to trade away Jameson Tallion, Starling Marte and Stetson Allie. In your minor league roster you had them at potentials of A, B and A. Why would the AI consider such a thing for a team that wasn't even in the playoff race? Trace away the future of a franchise? I have a great feeling such things have been worked on.

Thanks, looking forward to your report.

[steelersfan77]

Re: Community Day....FRANCHISE and EDITOR

Hi guys.
These are my questions about the Show :

I've wroten this in April but still what I think about franchise mode

Franchise Mode
In your opinion what needs to be changed, added, or tweaked to make this portion of the game better? Along with that what would you like to see more of?

*** Give us the ability to modify divisions (ie put the Brewers back in the AL Central)
OCTOBER EDIT : or put the Astros in the AL WEST

*** Create-a-team which replaces another one (location, name, uniforms)

*** Create-a-team which would be add to a division which means 31 teams I know (so maybe 1 more team to create 2 conferences with 16 franchises)

*** Create-a-stadium if we create-a-team / Create-a-stadium during our franchise.
This feature should allow us to determine :
#1: the field's dimension (left field, left center field, centerfield, right center field, right field but also foul territory with the ability to "draw" it, the depth behind the plate) and its form (is the outfield is straight (as progressive field) or "curve" (as US Cellular field))
#2: the height of the wall (with different height for different zones of the stadium) (as Citi field) and even the possibility to add high wall like the Green Monster
#3: grass or turf / roof or not
#4: obviously the number of rows/seats (which would be related to budget)
#5: positions of the benches / pen / ...
#6: Decoration (like the fountains in KC)

*** Extend players/coaches' contracts during the season

*** Firing coaches/scout/staff during the season

*** More stats (players & teams) & more splits stats (batter vs pitcher, performance of a player vs a team, in a particular stadium, month by month,...)

*** If possible each player vs player stats during the franchise (which tells us if we perform with a specific player vs a specific player or not)

*** Contracts offered, free agent's type (A/B/ nothing) based also on performance and not only related to ratings

*** Rename our franchise save data (if you play like me with a lot of save you certainly keep some save @ some moment of the season like AS break end of each month,...)

*** Promotion (cal up/send down) based on performances for each level (AA/AAA/MLB)

*** Add the possibility to convert players to another position (rather than just editing him)

*** Learn a pitch for a pitcher (rather than just editing him)

*** Add a personnality to players (like Madden 10 did) which influences their choices (for instance, what are they looking for first ? Money ? a ring ? coming back to their birthplace ? neglects small market teams ! never play for a rival or a specific team (do you see A-Rod in a BoSox uniform?) / rival players in the future club / clubhouse cancer like Manny ...)

*** Add a personnality to managers (type of line up : pitching, speed & defense, power, small ball,...)

*** Add a personnality to GM's too. This means going further than just the rebuilding/normal/playoff profile (what do they want ? Obviously if you ask a GM he wants to win so how could he do it ? First making money and then being a contender ? if so, how? marketing, being aggresive on FA to draw a lot of people to the stadium, ...)

*** View stats/awards/winner/standings of the past years.

*** Maybe the overlay of the stats could be like baseball-reference


Thx for reading

EDIT :
*** Each stadium created should be shared between players. This allows people to create old stadiums as some did by creating classic rosters.

*** Give the possibility to discuss the retirement of a player, try to convince him to play one more season. If we fail, we should offer him a job in the organisation.

*** I like the TWIB idea. And maybe we could see some higlights of the games we've simulated during the game we are playing (like "live look-in" on MLB)

*** Give the possibility to edit contract players and salary mass. The custom guys for OSFM rosters could this way change the salaries of each players. (A-Rod is making 30 millions not 14 or 15, ...)

*** Re-do the catcher animations when he has to tag a runner sent home. Too often the catcher enters in slow-mode-animation resulting in run scored whereas he had plenty of time to tag him. Same thoughts on bunts, my guys field it too relax.

*** Maybe involve us on flyball by pressing a button to make the catch. The window should be smaller when a poor fielder try to catch the ball.
On routinee flyball you don't see huge differences because even for bad fielders you can make big windows but on line drive you have a smaller window and catching it would be a reward for each of us playing the game. We could have the feeling of saving a run.

*** Of course, with the news we heard today, yesterday (depends on which part of the world you are ) we'll want the 2 more wild cards and the one game play-off game (I don't like it but that's not the point) ; and if Houston change of conference during the 2013 season in the franchise I'll be happy (though the schedule would be unvealed only next September - maybe SCEA could choose a type of schedule)

Anti, I love this post man. You've got some very creative ideas. I don't think we'll see these features make it in this year but I think we're headed there down the road with new systems. I hope I live long enough to see these type of features in video game sports simulation. What a day that'll be! Keep the ideas coming. They're wonderful.

[Knight165]

Re: Community Day....FRANCHISE and EDITOR

A couple franchise questions I'd like to hear about are:

Are we able to edit coaches? Hire/Fire coaches during the season? Contract extensions?

That's it for now.

No.....possibility for '13, but it all depends on how they go with the managers and coaches next year(I'm thinking if they add tendencies)...but it's something I've asked for.

Talk players out of retirement?

No....they did alter the logic for the possibility of players not retiring as early. Players under contract shouldn't retire(it wasn't happening at the event)

Will there be a trade finder or player finder?

No....another feature that I have asked for(we'll see) but they did make a nice little change while we were there. In the transactions screen, trades will now be highlighted in yellow and injuries(DL) are highlighted in red. Makes finding out what's going on easier now.

Hey Mike and crew! I am on my game right now and I notice that when in Roster Control while looking at Free Agents that there is nowhere to find out their potential. I would like to see this fixed because I am trying to find a fictional player on the FA list to re-create Nestor Molina, a potential B prospect.

Thanks guys!

Hit the triangle for his player card.
Another nice new little feature is the ability to bring up the player card in game in a lot more instances now showing off the new stats added to the card(I think they are the expanded stats that you bought for .99 last year tabarnes might know more), such as in the lineup screen, substitution screens...and some others throughout the game.

1. Any additions to the statistics available in the database? (eg: BABIP)

2. Any additions to the splits and stuff available? (EG: batting average with bases loaded, batting average with 2 outs, batting average in a recent time period)

3. Can we now do 2 for 1 player movement, one-way player movement, and other things of the like, while managing rosters outside of Franchise mode?

No.....if you mean on the card....in the stats screen it's all there, but just for the current season.
No..not something that you can bring up(I think) ...that's not on the player card....but I have to check that again(tabarnes?!) Sorry.
No.....not outside of trading 3 for 1 in game....1 for one on the FA as well.
I don't think this will be changing either.

Has the draft been fixed? Also, if you can, please take a look at scouting during the year. Do scouts have different personalities? Do they hit and miss prospects by over/under valuing them? Thanks!

One more thing: Can you please tell us if scouts use the 20-80 system instead of letters.

That's pretty vague. Fixed?
No change from last year....personalities only in how good they rate certain positions.....this is something I really think we'll see changed in '13(REALLY )

have lineups finally been fixed so the computer doesnt put in crappy lineups or guys out of position? Example in Franchise mode if you dont use the Cardinals CPU puts Matt Holiday batting 2nd in all lineups!

1. This is subjective....2...they have changed the logic.
I'm sure some will like it...and others will not. Nature of the beast.

If possible can you check and see if we are able to edit potential? if not can you bring it up please? Its a letdown when you want to pick a franchise thats stacked in the minors (Blue Jays) when the players potential ratings are F when they are destined to be studs is all...

Thanks in advance

Negative....other than importing over the player and editing him into the current player you want changed.

Will we be able to have home and away color edit equipment in 2012?

No...most likely in '13 from what I was told.

Just to add to what bobhead said....Will Mlb 12 have more stats on the players card like other sports games have I'd like to see 10-15 more stat lines on the card like than what we have (This is the ONLY thing the show lacks in) Can you please check on it and let us stat freaks know thanks.

They've added some....none from year to year though. This is something I think we'll also see a change in(the year to year) for '13...including adding the team the player played for for each year.

1. Has the menu system been improved?

2. Any enhancements to the player card to show more stats/splits and historical career data such as awards or career highs?

3. Any focus on adding more historical data period (previous season league leaders, past champions, past award winners)?

4. Will season stats still be wiped once the playoffs start? That is super annoying.

Again...improved? How? Sorry I didn't catch these earlier.
For the others..see above. It's definitely something they want to get to. We're asking!!

1) Ability to trade cash?
No.

2) Also, if they decide upon adding an extra playoff team for the 2012 season, will a patch or update be able to reflect this in Franchise mode?
No...and I doubt it.

3) Is there going to be a way to see game by game attendance records for each team? You know, so I could decide if I need to add more seats, lower prices, add promotions, etc.


And if this is already in '11, I can't find it! I usually rely on the newspaper "hopefully" listing the # of fans in attendance.

There is I believe...just not tracked(once the game is over it's gone....I think it's the GAME LOG)

1. Editable Potentials

2. More Stats for a Player's card. Like when we go to stats, have career stats not just over the past few seasons and also show what team/league he played for that year. Maybe doesn't have to be an actual "card" because that might limit the amount of space to put all of the information.

3. Editable coaches including names and basic information like height and weight. I don't think you can really edit their attributes because I don't think the manager's attributes really influence a player's progression.

4. During Free Agency, have some feedback when you offer somebody a contract and their interest bar is 50/50. Whether it is more money, more years or they just don't want to play on your team.

First 3...see above....
4.Good idea....they have added some lines of text in relation to trades you will see this year on the bar.....I'll suggest it for FA's next year.

Franchise:
1. Scouting/Draft: Has there been any changes to the amateur draft this year? There a good number of A's, B's and C's potential players in the draft, but they'd always be found in the later rounds, most of the first round picks were players whose overalls were higher than their potential. Additionally, is there any changes to scouting in this game?

2. Roster size: Is the roster size for all teams still 90?

3. Trade/Team Overview: Is there any way to change your team philosophy in franchise in the middle months of the season?

Editor:
1. Are they any additional hairstyles this year?

1. It was the same...but we've asked them to tweak it(for '12) Hopefully they can get it in.(I REALLY HOPE they can get it in!)
2. Still 90
3. No...but I did ask them to add this for '13.....especially cool for 30 team control as you can sway the league the way you like.
4. I don't think so. Mostly new equipment changes(some nice ones!)

More later!

M.K.
Knight165

[Knight165]

Re: Community Day....FRANCHISE and EDITOR

Drew127....sorry I missed the season to playoff stat question..
Unfortunately no....still gone when you finish.
We're asking.

M.K.
Knight165

[Errors Occurred]

Re: Community Day....FRANCHISE and EDITOR

Thanks for all the answers Knight you all here at O.S do a super job giving us all the info we need.

[Vin]

Re: Community Day....FRANCHISE and EDITOR

2. Still 90

Still 1 for 1 swaps then?

[Knight165]

Re: Community Day....FRANCHISE and EDITOR

Still 1 for 1 swaps then?

Outside of franchise?.....you mean when MAKING rosters?...yes.

In franchise, you can swap 1 for 2 ....2 for 3....3 for 1
The CPU will release in those cases.....you have 3 days to adjust your organization(releasing)......if you have less than 90....that's on you as long as you don't go below(it won't let you) 22(?) pitchers in your organization.

M.K.
Knight165

[Vin]

Re: Community Day....FRANCHISE and EDITOR

Outside of franchise?.....you mean when MAKING rosters?...yes.

In franchise, you can swap 1 for 2 ....2 for 3....3 for 1
The CPU will release in those cases.....you have 3 days to adjust your organization(releasing)......if you have less than 90....that's on you as long as you don't go below(it won't let you) 22(?) pitchers in your organization.

M.K.
Knight165

That's progress. I'll take it.
They should really expand that to the base rosters though. Or let you export franchise rosters for exhibition play. Or just let you play an exhibition game whilst in franchise.

[jrich730]

Re: Community Day....FRANCHISE and EDITOR

Knight much appreciation for what u have brought and continue to bring to the show experience each year and to the dev team for building a quality game year in ad year out.

I'm bummed about the whole draft scouring system staying the same but cubs fans are used to wait to next year.

But I do have a question has any changes been made to progression and training to make the players improve at a reasonable pace?

[tabarnes19_SDS]

Re: Community Day....FRANCHISE and EDITOR

To answer Knight about the advanced stats that are available on the player card....

I Believe....that the stats have avg. with runners in scoring position, vsL, vsR, some other nice ones. Those seem to really stick out. I wanted a picture to remember but forgot. We were really focused on alot of AI things.

We spent HOURS on simming and tracking to find tendencies etc.

Another thing that I noticed, which I think is awesome, is there seems to be a more visible regression now. You will not see players still putting up .300 30 homers years at an older age then retire. They will hit a wall and batting averages and power will start to drop.

The draft has much more accurate pitching repertoires. You will not see knuckle ballers with 90 mph fastballs...actually, just as in real life there are VERY FEW knuckle ballers that are drafted in all the sims we ran.

I really like the new trade screen and NEW text feedback when proposing trades.

[tabarnes19_SDS]

Re: Community Day....FRANCHISE and EDITOR

Knight much appreciation for what u have brought and continue to bring to the show experience each year and to the dev team for building a quality game year in ad year out.

I'm bummed about the whole draft scouring system staying the same but cubs fans are used to wait to next year.

But I do have a question has any changes been made to progression and training to make the players improve at a reasonable pace?

Progression has been touched on and players do improve. I know they were hoping to tweak the progression and draft a little if they had time. To improve the OVL of some incoming A and B potential players.

[jrich730]

Re: Community Day....FRANCHISE and EDITOR

Progression has been touched on and players do improve. I know they were hoping to tweak the progression and draft a little if they had time. To improve the OVL of some incoming A and B potential players.

Thanks for the answer and thanks for what you've done in helping with some of the franchise issues

I have another question about coaches when starting the franchise. Are they just names with random stats or does the team think Rudy jaramillo is a negative affect on hitters?