The MLB 2K9 Developers Are Listening

[SoxFan01605]

Quote: Originally Posted by jeffy777

I totally agree. I don't want a "Simplified" game. I like games that actually have some depth to them and games where it's actually a challenge to beat the AI. For instance, I liked the controls in 2K8 because they have a bit of learning curve and it took atleast a little while to master the pitching, fielding, and batting compared to other baseball games. If they are really going to simplify the controls, then I hope they atleast give us options to turn the advanced controls on for those who want more a challenging experience.

See, I understand what you're saying, but I think it's this very issue where 2K doesn't "get it."

It's fine to have a challenging and rewarding control scheme. I'm all for it...if it works right. The trouble is, the only real challenge came from the controls. I want AI improvements.

I want to be pitching to a big time hitter with a feel he could destroy me if I make a mistake (not talking about a HR threat every time either...there are guys that can pepper you to death too. this is not represented well at all). I also want to feel like a mistake is more than just a "meatball" and that I could walk a guy by being too careful.

I want to be at the plate and feel like a big guy like C.C is bearing down on me. I want to have to gameplan based on how I'm being pitched.

I want excellent fielding to change a ballgame...and poor fielding to do the same.

I want that burner to take a base from me late in the game. Be it a steal, a well placed bunt, a hit and run, etc.

All of 2K's challenge feels manufactured. Whether it's the control scheme, penalty system, whatever. If the game plays solid baseball, you don't need a manufactured penalty system. The game can do that itself.

I think, especially with the 2K game, people focus way too much on the controls when they make their judgements (either positively or negatively).

The truth is, until this game gets the stuff controlled by the ever-changing schemes working, it won't play well enough and I'll continue to take a pass.

[jeffy777]

Quote: Originally Posted by SoxFan01605

See, I understand what you're saying, but I think it's this very issue where 2K doesn't "get it." It's fine to have a challenging and rewarding control scheme. I'm all for it...if it works right. The trouble is, the only real challenge came from the controls. I want AI improvements.

I totally agree with you about the AI improvements. That is very important. The only reason I mentioned the controls is that it seemed people complained about them being too hard last year, when in reality they really were very good once you got the hang of them and they gave you alot more control over the game. So I'm afraid they'll simplify them just for the sake of making the game more easier for casual players.

But the AI definitely needs to be more......well, intelligent.

[longshadow11]

I want to see the ball fly out of the park when I hit a homer. I don't want to see the wall or grass. I want to see the ball banging off of signage, etc. Let us see our homeruns.

[SLagonia]

Quote: Originally Posted by SoxFan01605

See, I understand what you're saying, but I think it's this very issue where 2K doesn't "get it." It's fine to have a challenging and rewarding control scheme. I'm all for it...if it works right. The trouble is, the only real challenge came from the controls. I want AI improvements. I want to be pitching to a big time hitter with a feel he could destroy me if I make a mistake (not talking about a HR threat every time either...there are guys that can pepper you to death too. this is not represented well at all). I also want to feel like a mistake is more than just a "meatball" and that I could walk a guy by being too careful. I want to be at the plate and feel like a big guy like C.C is bearing down on me. I want to have to gameplan based on how I'm being pitched. I want excellent fielding to change a ballgame...and poor fielding to do the same. I want that burner to take a base from me late in the game. Be it a steal, a well placed bunt, a hit and run, etc. All of 2K's challenge feels manufactured. Whether it's the control scheme, penalty system, whatever. If the game plays solid baseball, you don't need a manufactured penalty system. The game can do that itself. I think, especially with the 2K game, people focus way too much on the controls when they make their judgements (either positively or negatively). The truth is, until this game gets the stuff controlled by the ever-changing schemes working, it won't play well enough and I'll continue to take a pass.

You said two very important things I completely agree with;

First, a major, MAJOR problem with 2K8 is that you're playing against yourself. If you're a good manager, you'll outsmart the computer. If you know how the controls work, you can succeed. If you slip on the controls, you'll lose.

The opponant AI is generic and predictable. There are a few managers in baseball today you need to bring your A-game when you play against. They're cunning and sly, and can make stunning and unpredictable moves. This computer is predictable and average across the board.

Another thing is something I noticed in pretty much every game I've ever played, with the exception of some of the early 21st century All-Star Baseballs - Defense means nothing.

One of the reasons why defense is so important, maybe the most important part, in fact, of real baseball, is that a defensive mistake starts a total breakdown. An error by the shortstop doesn't just give a free baserunner, it also unsettles the pitcher, gets him angry, or maybe worried about pitching for a groundball. He starts to overpitch and makes mistakes. Meanwhile, a tight defense will give him more confidence.

This is a real simple problem to fix - Morale bonuses to the pitcher for great plays, or for consecutive errorless innings, and a penalty for errors. Make the defense matter. It's an almost useless part of the game right now; Almost meaningless and dependant on the man at the controls, not the man being controled. Jason Giambi and Don Mattingly would be equal first baseman in this game.

[deane79pitt]

i hope it's not too late. just a few small things that i can think of (sorry if i repeated anything already said.):

-UPDATE PLAYER PROFILE PICTURES. i don't care for seeing people still in Expo's caps. haha. i mean, im sure you guys have an agreement with MLB.COM, use the player pics right off the site, those update same day as a trade happens.

-Create-a-player....i wanna be able to choose my hair style, and facial hair, and tattoos. and don't make it so easy to make a created player rated 100.

-update roster every other week or so, instead of waiting a good month and a half or even longer. make online more enjoyable somehow...hahaha im not sure how, but anything's good. AH HA! CREATE A LOBBY WHERE EACH PROFILE/GAMERTAG, ETC., CHOOSES A PLAYER THEY LIKE, AND COMPETE IN AN 8 OR 16 PLAYER HOME RUN DERBY. Now that would be pretty sweet.

again, i'm hoping i'm not too late for suggestions. but please consider. thank you very much, and ill be playing your new game 3.2.09.

deane, out.
XBL GT: RTRD Mayhem

[hbk_wess]

Like others these may have already been said. This may be a long post but I added a few ideas of my own and such.

1. The wind on the jerseys are a bit ridiculous. Tone it down please.
2. Make it for PC users as well. You make NBA 2k9 for the PC why can't you make MLB series for it as well? This way like the old PC baseball games we can actually have downloaded stadiums with real billboard ads on them. And have online sim leagues again. These were very fun when the High Heat series was coming out each year. You could also make an editor outside the game like the DangerZ editors and High Heat Manager Editors for the High heat series. Those were awsome. You could even edit the schedules and potentials outside the game. The possibilities could be endless.
3. If you don't put all of the old jerseys and stadiums in the game at launch, have downloadable content so we can get them later after the launch. We know it takes some time to do the programing sometimes, and it takes you past the deadlines, but this can be a good thing. You can still impliment what you made as downloadable content in the previous years version into the current years version. Some of these things can be downloadable teams from the past. Perferably with real players names. If not real names please give us the ability to edit the names to the real names if we choose to. This would also let there be online sim leagues again if you also include the ability to import and export linups and rotations like the DangerZ editors and High Heat Managers did.
4. Keep the same controll options. Hit stick and one button. And the fielding buttons.
5. Let us edit the names and nicknames of the teams. This could also be a re-location feature like the Madden games have at the end of the seoson. And please add in the audio for the changes with a number of new nicknames and citys so if I had a team called the Alaska Huskies, Havana Hurricanes, Mecico City Aztecs, and so on it will say the names. Even include city names from around the globe like Sydney, Paris, London, Barcelona, Tokyo, Moscow, and others. Some people like creating the Japaneese League teams.
6. Let people edit or create player names like you can in College Hoops series where you can change windows and select the finished name when you only have it parcially typed out. This is a time saver. We can play more in game than on the menus this way. And please add the last name Selvage to the list. I always enjoyed my last name in College Hoops 2k8 being said. Even if just the PA guy got it said right and the TV guy disn't.
7. The crowd gets intot he game better. Like what people here have already mentioned. We want the excitement in the game.
8. Let us use all the teams in Franchise mode please. This also goes back to being able to be in an online sim league with a PC version.
9. Have the ability to turn off the financial system and make the franchise mode simple by just releasing and signing players and not having to worry about money. See also the topic about having a PC version about online sim leagues.
10. If I want to play a home run derby I will load up the Home Run Derby option in the game and swing away. Can the Meatball thing. It takes away the realism.
11. 40-man September rosters in the Majors is a must!!
12. Import your franchise from an earlier version on MLB series. Noone really wants to start thier franchises over everytime a new year comes around. And like another one on here said, other gaming franchises like Madden, NCAA Football, and others need to put that one in thier games as well.
13. Be able to import my own walk-up, stadium, and menu music into the game. I thought in either 2k7 I was able to do this at least for the menus but I never got it to work. So make this feature simple to do. You can also make it stadium and/or profile friendly. NFL 2k5 you could edit the ingame music for you stadium music and stuff. At least add the ability to do that and add it to your stadium music. They even let you tell it when to play the sounds you edited.
14. Get rid of player cards. Or, keep the player cards for online teams that people can create. Just unlock a new player card after you do something in an online game. This after you choose from a select few players to start your team and when you unlock someone you can then use them online.
15. Maybe some Ol-School situations. Like the come from behind in the bottom of the ninth in the NLCS in 1992 by the Braves who were down 2-0 to the Pirates in game 7. Or, the BIG HR by Gibson in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series. Or any number of the historical events in baseball's 100 plus year history.
16. Creat-A-Team, Create-A-Stadium, Edit Uniforms, Create Uniforms, Maybe even a Create-A-Rookie, or Create-A-Manager. And, if it was on PC we could import new team logos and have even more fun editing and creating in the game. These features also make the game more re-playable, over and over and over again. Everyone still wonders why EA Sports took the create-a-team feature out of NCAA Football. That feature made the series what it is today. I always loved to create my old high school as a college, because when I got done it actually looked like the school uniforms they have today and when i played. You could at least choose your stadium model in the game as well.
17. Add billboard or onsite contracts in franchise mode to bring in some extra cash. This way if you only start out with 10 million left and it gets used up you can always create that extra revenue by selling advertising spots in the stadium. The contracts can be from 1 month to X number of years depending on the major or minority of the products company.
18. Let us play games with 24 or less players on our roster if we need or want to. The idea of having to have 25 players exactly gets anoying when the AI signs or brings a crapy player from the free agent list or AAA to the majors and puts them right into the starting linup.
19. Also, in franchise mode. Maybe not this year, but, you could make it a downloadable feature this year if done right, but let people make different sized leagues with up to 3 divisions per league. High Heat would let you make either 1 or 2 Leagues with anywhere between 2 to I'm not sure exactly the number of teams you could have, but, it was up to 3 divisions per league. Front Page Sports Baseball Pro's series had where you can create 3 different leagues in its Franchise mode with a grand total of 48 teams!!! That was back in 1998!!
20. Don't be afraid of using more than one disk for the game. Final Fantasy 7 I know has 3 disks on the PS1 and 4 for its PC version and that game totally rocked for its time. Just think, they would have only had to use 1 disk if they used a DVD disk instead of a CD.
21. I also like the idea of having a knockoff of "Road To The Show" or "Superstar Career Mode" 2k style.
22. How about a Coaching Career Mode where only ceratin teams will hire you? This could be similar to the College Hoops Coaching Career Mode where you only have like 5 teams wanting to hire you and you have to make youself a big name in coaching by becoming a good pitching coach or hitting coach and having to start in the minors and work your way up through the minors as a coach and not a player. But, you will of course get to do the hitting for your players and such. The AI would sim the pitching if you were a hitting coach and wouold sim the hitting if you were the pitching coach. And of course your ultimate goal in the end would be to become a World Series winning manager. Just an idea for those who does or doesn't like the idea.
23. Don't limit the number of players you are able to create. Some people like creating ALL of the missing players that get left out of a game for one reaons or another. Also, some people like to create players from thier real life softball teams as baseball players and they run out of spots to create them. I have played softball with may people in my days.
24. Online lag issues fixed.
25. In an online ranked game make people play with the higher settings. Also, let there be lobbys for beginners, novice, and advance players. When you click on someones name it shows not just thier online record but also thier connection quality along with disconnection percentage and quiting percentage. This should eliminate people getting stuck playing a kid or even some grow-ups who get mad and quit when they are loosing. This way you will have a better idea of who will be a more fair opponent.
26. Don't brush off the PS3 people. We buy games from your company too. XBox already is made by people who undermind the harcore gamers and that same company is trying to rule the world with its software called Windows. Why should they rule my console gaming and PC gaming as well? Having a choice is what help make sports games step up and make great games in the past. That is all us hardcore baseball gamers want is a great game.

I know this is a lot of stuff to take in all at one time. If you must push the release date back to make sure you have a better game to offer than you have been, then so-be-it.

Just don't do anything stupid like they did in the Smackdown vs. RAW 2009 and take out GM Mode (Franchise Mode in MLB 2k series). That ruined the re-play ability for me. I have thought seriouly of buying an older version just for that. No competition for the WWE is killing wrestling. Why would you do the same to the baseball gaming world?

Please, step up to the plate and knock one out of the park with a momentous and awsome game that MLB 2k series is capable of.

(Pun Intended)

[bakesalee]

^^Classic hitting shouldn't just be "1-button" as you said. It should have seperate contact and power swing buttons. The power swing button is necessary when you're trying to hit a fly ball to bring a man in from third.

The hitting systems from previous years Sega titles 2002 (Home Run King), World Series Baseball 2k3 and ESPN2k4 were terrific. So terrific in fact that my friends and I would stay up until dawn playing these games. We haven't been interested or motivated enough to do this for years now.

There was never a need to fix what's not broken.

[dbrandon]

Support the game once it is released. Your support as gone way down hill.

Thanks