OS community: How can we improve Franchise Mode?

[Armor and Sword]

One thing with The Show, it's always been slower progression with the game in getting small incremental changes and. So last season we got a player morale system, expanded historical stats that carry year to year, this year we got player quirks and hopefully they can implement some more in-depth general manager type stuff where hiring staff is far more in-depth, scouting can be revamped, more detailed financial control with ticket prices, promotional days, that actually have an effect on your bottom line,
And also a more robust player development system in the minor leagues.

I would also love to see a more dynamic injury system that can effect the players ratings in a more impactful way at a season level as well as career lasting effects.

Also injury rehab games (minor league stints to get back into playing shape) injury set backs etc.

They have only one dev working on franchise and only one dev working on DD

It is a small team.

I enjoy franchise immensely and I a have seen improvements each season.

Hopefully they continue and build off the morale and quirks at the player level and add more GM/Ownership options with impact.


Sent from my iPhone using Operation Sports

[PVarck31]

Hiring an outside team of rogue developers to redesign franchise mode is absurd and will never happen.

Teaming up with the OOTP developers will never happen either. This doesn't happen in the gaming industry. Or if it ever has it's more rare than a Mike Trout 1/1 autographed rookie card.

Whatever issues that franchise mode has will be addressed every year. They may not get everything right but it is very important to the devs just like every other mode of the game.

[CaseIH]

Quote: Originally Posted by MrArlingtonBeach

I don't think this is entirely accurate - someone can correct me if I am wrong, however. I thought I remember seeing that the most popular modes in The Show are RTTS and DD, according to SDS data. Franchise generally isn't played all that much in relation to those other modes. Hence the reasons those areas of the game get much of the attention - not to mention the extra money-making potential DD has.

I didnt really word that the way I had wanted. Yeah, RTTS is probably the most played out of all the modes in the game.

I meant to say that out of all the sports games, I think MLBTS has the most people that focus quite a bit of time on Franchise mode when comparing it to the other sports games. Like for example NBA2k, I dont think there is too many of us hardcore basketball fans left who prefer Association. That game seems to have alot of young kids, and causal fans that play online. Where as MLBTS tends to have a more mature people who are hardcore baseball fans, that focus mostly on playing Franchise.

[CaseIH]

Quote: Originally Posted by BillPeener

Just so I'm clear, I intentionally worded my post to say "higher priority" - I'm sure Franchise mode is already one of their priorities. They certainly haven't ignored it, but I'm interested in finding out how we can make it an even higher priority. Exactly. So, is there any way we Franchise guys can convince SCEA that it's in their business interests to make Franchise mode a higher priority? That's the crux of my post. What can we do to make a real impact in this area? Honestly, if Franchise mode is relatively unchanged next year, I won't purchase '18. '17 was the first opening day release of a baseball game for me since 2005. I bought '16 used in January and enjoyed it so much that I went out and got '17. I enjoy playing the game, but I'm a Franchise guy, so if it's going to continue being this bad, then SCEA is losing my $60. I'm guessing I'm in a vast minority, and SCEA won't care if they lose my money. And I hate taking that route because I'd rather buy the game than not.

I guess I dont look at Franchise mode as being bad in MLBTS, but it sure does need more attention by the devs, in way of improving it. So me deciding thats its probably time to quit purchasing it, or for that matter buying any sports game on a yearly basis, is probably over, unless I know for sure there have been some major additions in improving it, and this additions arent making it so games get over quicker,lol.

I will say the 1 thing Ive always respected about MLBTS, is they improve slowly, meaning they dont add to much to where it causes issues and the game ends up being a mess all yr, unlike with NBA2k, sometimes they go toof ar, and then the game ends up being a waste of money, because of problems that dont get fixed. Although I will say the last couple years NBA2k has improved in that area. Typically when the devs of MLBTS do something, they do it right, and dont go overboard, and it causes the game to be crap.

Thats why I have always tried to support them each yr due to their track record, but now that Im retired due to health problems, my wife and I dont have much money, so thats why I will probably be backing off from purchasing it each yr, as I didnt buy it last yr for the 1st time since I started playing it in 09. I'll just wait till they make the improvements to Franchise mode that I want to see added, like a better Spring Training, and if possible A ball playable, or atleast give us those player slots, so we can have every player in a teams organization, outside of the Domincan summer league teams, as Im sure that would be too much in way of space, and I doubt OSFM roster guys would want that much extra guys to create,lol.

[335TDC]

Quote: Originally Posted by PVarck31

Hiring an outside team of rogue developers to redesign franchise mode is absurd and will never happen. Teaming up with the OOTP developers will never happen either. This doesn't happen in the gaming industry. Or if it ever has it's more rare than a Mike Trout 1/1 autographed rookie card. Whatever issues that franchise mode has will be addressed every year. They may not get everything right but it is very important to the devs just like every other mode of the game.

I agree about the outside/partner devs on Franchise. NEVER gonna happen.

But that last part just sounds like you're doing PR for the Show. Issues addressed every year? Right. Like scouting, progression, over-aged prospects, the CPU messing with your lineup even though you have it set to manual? C'mon, man.

And "very important just like every other mode" -- let's just all be adults and call it like it is: the "card collecting"/microtransaction/ultimate team modes have taken over sports games, and they get WAY more attention than Franchise does. Just look at the creativity in the DD missions and all the updates it will get this year throughout the lifetime of the game.

All modes do NOT receive the same love -- stop pretending.

Just to be fair, I LOVE the Show and am playing the hell out of it, mostly in Franchise. But truth is truth, and just because something isn't confirmed by "the devs" doesn't mean its obviousness isn't staring us right in the face.

[ML]

Correct me if I'm wrong PV but I believe there's a few points that he was trying to get across in his op, all of which i agree with and would like to piggyback off of;


1. SCEA won't merge with an outside studio as like stated that just doesn't happen. If I could control the world though I would take the best of every developer in every game in the world and make them just focus on MLBTS though.. just saying .

2. To build off of 1, as it's been stated constantly (more so this year than in the past) the group of guys that work on this game is VERY SMALL compared to a megapower such as 2k or EA. There's only so many hours in the day, and there's only so many people working on everything in the 9-10 cycle that they spend improving the game.

3. I do think that they view franchise as a very important mode, if they didn't it would receive literally 0 love. This year there was a few new things added, a few things corrected. As franchise is the only mode that I play, I am aware of the flaws. Like I said before, not everything can be just reworked / revamped in the alotted time that they have to work on just this specific part of the game. A lot of the things that they did overhaul on the other hand effect not only franchise but all aspects of the game, i.e. bunts, ball physics, etc.

I personally love franchise and although it has it's flaws, so does every single mode in every single video game that has ever existed. I am able to overlook them though and appreciate the things that are put in place to improve the game year in and year out. Sure some things could be attuned to improve the mode, but like I said above there are things that were put in place that effect the entire game that took the devs a long time to try to perfect that boost franchise just as much as it boosts all of the other modes in the game.

I'm sure I'm rambling at this point but sometimes it is frustrating that some people start to get very nit-picky (which you have every right to do so as you purchased the game) without showing any love or appreciation for all of the things the devs do to this game to keep it in my opinion above and beyond all of the other games in the sports genre.

[lion575a]

Quote: Originally Posted by BillPeener

The Franchise Mode gamers don't need to hear the negatives - you already know what needs improving. So, what are we going to do about it? Are we going to sit on our hands, or is there some tangible, significant action we can take as a group to let SCEA know how much Franchise Mode means to us?

No, actually I dont. What is Franchise mode in MLB The Show missing? The reason I ask is because I feel like amongst all sports games this is the most common and usually very justifiable complaint ....

[e.g.Franchise/Career/Dynasty [Whatever you call it] mode (which to me is the core game mode) is ignored and does not get improved year to year like games 10 years ago did.]

However in the case of MLB the show, I feel like they are the gold standard for actually focusing on this mode and giving us what we want. Most posts I see under other games are ...."Why cant they do what MLB The Show does?"

For myself the only thing that comes to mind is ... the ability to export individual custom or generic non licensed players from a franchise mode to add to a roster and reuse in a new franchise or other modes, and this really has more to do with the ease in making rosters than the actual Franchise mode itself.

[335TDC]

Quote: Originally Posted by lion575a

No, actually I dont. What is Franchise mode in MLB The Show missing? The reason I ask is because I feel like amongst all sports games this is the most common and usually very justifiable complaint .... [e.g.Franchise/Career/Dynasty [Whatever you call it] mode (which to me is the core game mode) is ignored and does not get improved year to year like games 10 years ago did.] However in the case of MLB the show, I feel like they are the gold standard for actually focusing on this mode and giving us what we want. Most posts I see under other games are ...."Why cant they do what MLB The Show does?" For myself the only thing that comes to mind is ... the ability to export individual custom or generic non licensed players from a franchise mode to add to a roster and reuse in a new franchise or other modes, and this really has more to do with the ease in making rosters than the actual Franchise mode itself.

This year the Show (1) changed budgets from yearly to weekly, much to the confusion of many; (2) added player quirks, which isn't necessarily a franchise addition; (3) added a Top 50 Prospects list, which is nice; (4) gave us "more ways to not play the actual game," with the AWESOME addition of Quick Manage, i.e. multi-player lock; and (5) tweaked the morale system, which is hit-or-miss just like it is in other games.

These are welcome additions, but represent VERY little impactful change.

The Show hasn't improved scouting, drafting, created prospects (mostly AWFUL: overaged or underskilled and take forever to develop), and progression in quite some time. I think they addressed "falling off a cliff" regression last year, but that's it. It also TOOK AWAY pricing et al. a few years ago, simplifying the mode. Unlike Madden and 2K, it doesn't have relocation/rebuilding stadium, and unlike 2K it doesn't have a uniform editor (though this should be easy to import into Franchise since it exists in DD, right?).

Just to be clear, I play Franchise all the time and I like it; but it hasn't significantly improved over the last several years, and there are LOTS of things that could be done to improve it (year-round scouting, resigning during the season, etc....).

I can't stand Madden and I'm ambivalent regarding 2K, but those two games have taken bigger strides with their Franchise modes in the past few years than the Show has, hands down.