MLB The Show 16 Video - Franchise, Player Morale and Much More

[Spokker]

Re: MLB The Show 16 Video - Franchise, Player Morale and Much More

My big concern is that is that players are going to be impossible to keep happy. I also don't like it affecting player attributes. I guess we will know more after the franchise stream.

Baseball is a mental game. Think of a reason for why one of your players is unhappy and go with it. I think morale affecting performance is better than hot/cold streaks that are unexplained.

Players do have no-trade clauses. Papelbon has 17 teams he doesn't want to be traded to. Maybe if he were on one of those teams he'd be pissed and would play worse. I don't know.

[MrOldboy]

Re: MLB The Show 16 Video - Franchise, Player Morale and Much More

The problem is when they add depth without fully fleshing it out/considering it fully, we get an inferior scouting system that is almost universally panned. Everyone complains about the draft-generated players looking odd, the generated players don't necessarily 'fit in' ratings-wise with the league and long-term shifts in league stats happen, and the system is too easy to game, your scouts don't really matter, there's no depth at all to the players, no signability/agent/injury considerations, and there are fatal flaws like being able to see 100% accurate ratings without scouting at all...etc etc..

I think everyone wants "more stuff to do" and "more stuff to consider" in franchise mode. But, we don't want new things for the sake of them being able to include just another "back of the box" line item. A player morale system, such as what's been in NBA2K for a while now, is a welcome change. But, the issue I have with such a morale system is that attributes/ratings should not be affected by happiness and comfort level. It is arcade-ish and unrealistic for a guy to go from a 30-HR to a 40-HR guy because he's playing home games within XX miles of home or for a pitcher to potentially add velocity because there's another Canadian on his team. There needs to be a consequence/effect for us to pay attention to morale, but the effect needs to be more subtle and plausibly realistic.

These morale issues affecting signability (and even other things) is fine, but I don't think they should go there with ratings.

Agree on these things not affecting ratings. I would rather see a much more fleshed out progression system that takes into account playing time and performance more. I want to see a scenario like Steve Pearce play out to where a guy gets hot and stays hot and for that period his ratings are affected. Then next season comes and he's back at his true "skill" level ratings wise.

When I hear people talk about adding in more depth, micro-management if you want to call it, I think of things like this:

- Contract extensions
- Actual rating incentives (wide +/- in some cases if they are hot/cold for extended period) to use players that are hot and give a break to those who are cold. i.e. Steve Pearch situation or oppositely Starlin Castro. One player you'd want to get in the lineup more and the other deserves a break. But if you get into game and their ratings are basically the same as before why alter your lineup? I see the notifications/recommendations in franchise that a player is cold, but I just ignore them.
- More variation and depth in contract negotiations. No trade clauses, opt-outs, back-loading/front-loading, etc. I'd love to get stuck with a bad contract with a no trade clause since that was a decision I made to sign that player.
- Larger pool of minor league players (Single A) with many more busts and only a few booms in progression.
- Prospect progression tied to more than just their progression rating. For instance: How many at bats do I need to get him? Should I only platoon him vs LHP to so he can improve against LHP specifically?
- Evolving secondaries. If I start playing Javier Baez at CF at AAA will he progress enough to be competent enough to get an OF secondary? Can I develop the next Zobrist.

These are all things I think of when I see people wanting more depth in franchise/RTTS. Not making sure I have at least pairs of players from the same country to get a ratings bonus. Or making sure to overpay a player so that they are happy with their contract. Again, is Anthony Rizzo a worse player skill-wise because he's playing under a team-friendly contract? Are these really the type of decisions we want to be worrying about when playing the game?

[Cowboy008]

Re: MLB The Show 16 Video - Franchise, Player Morale and Much More

Can't wait to hear more about franchise. Only thing is I don't like that a players morale is going to affect his ratings. I like that they have added player morale in and will make signing players more realistic. Hopefully we get more answers during the franchise stream.

[eric7064]

Re: MLB The Show 16 Video - Franchise, Player Morale and Much More

The problem is when they add depth without fully fleshing it out/considering it fully, we get an inferior scouting system that is almost universally panned. Everyone complains about the draft-generated players looking odd, the generated players don't necessarily 'fit in' ratings-wise with the league and long-term shifts in league stats happen, and the system is too easy to game, your scouts don't really matter, there's no depth at all to the players, no signability/agent/injury considerations, and there are fatal flaws like being able to see 100% accurate ratings without scouting at all...etc etc..

I think everyone wants "more stuff to do" and "more stuff to consider" in franchise mode. But, we don't want new things for the sake of them being able to include just another "back of the box" line item. A player morale system, such as what's been in NBA2K for a while now, is a welcome change. But, the issue I have with such a morale system is that attributes/ratings should not be affected by happiness and comfort level. It is arcade-ish and unrealistic for a guy to go from a 30-HR to a 40-HR guy because he's playing home games within XX miles of home or for a pitcher to potentially add velocity because there's another Canadian on his team. There needs to be a consequence/effect for us to pay attention to morale, but the effect needs to be more subtle and plausibly realistic.

These morale issues affecting signability (and even other things) is fine, but I don't think they should go there with ratings.

I agree scouting needs massive improvement to how players look and there sizes no doubt. But Baseball is 100% a very mental gm. It certainly Makes sense that those things could effect there play. And again a 10 hr difference is drastic when your considering plsying close to home. But if you check off all the moral things it Makes more sense.

[tessl]

Re: MLB The Show 16 Video - Franchise, Player Morale, Drafts Have Been Redone

A few things I noticed in the stream..

1. They've added more GM goals into franchise mode. Instead of just a 3-year and a 1-year goal, they have some in season things to accomplish like winning streaks, sweeping series etc...

2. Scouting, to my eye, looks very much the same. They have added the 20-80 system as well as spray charts, hot zones, and pitch repertoires (you can see these things before drafting which is nice for stocking a farm system with guys who throw sliders or curves etc..). I also noticed the velocity given as a range, so I'm not sure if min/max velocities are the new thing with pitch repertoires.

3. Among the morale system, there is a "region" attribute where some guys from certain countries will be more likely to sign if other players of that nationality are on the team. Interesting.

4. The WAR for Joe Mauer on his player card is a bit low compared to his FG WAR in real life. On the other hand, we saw that David Ortiz's in-game WAR was a bit high. From only these data points, it appears that The Show's WAR is weighting defense/position a bit less in their calculation.

5. On Mauer's player card, the only new stats appeared to be BB%, K%, and WAR. Some of the older stats may have been removed (HEQ-Q for example). Didn't see wOBA, wRC+, etc.

There is no clearly established formula for calculating WAR.

I disagree with your impression of scouting. Previously "makeup" was a category for pitching. They now have it broken down to bb/9, h/9 etc. That is a major improvement and provides crucial information especially for a guy like me who uses manage mode.

[redsox4evur]

Re: MLB The Show 16 Video - Franchise, Player Morale, Drafts Have Been Redone

There is no clearly established formula for calculating WAR.

I disagree with your impression of scouting. Previously "makeup" was a category for pitching. They now have it broken down to bb/9, h/9 etc. That is a major improvement and provides crucial information especially for a guy like me who uses manage mode.

Here's you calculate fWAR: (Batting Runs + Base Running Runs +Fielding Runs + Positional Adjustment + League Adjustment +Replacement Runs) / (Runs Per Win). Couldn't find anything for bWAR. So there is definitely an established formula.

And if you mean in the game, disregard this post.

[MrOldboy]

Re: MLB The Show 16 Video - Franchise, Player Morale, Drafts Have Been Redone

Here's you calculate fWAR: (Batting Runs + Base Running Runs +Fielding Runs + Positional Adjustment + League Adjustment +Replacement Runs) / (Runs Per Win). Couldn't find anything for bWAR. So there is definitely an established formula.

And if you mean in the game, disregard this post.

The WAR overall formula is out there, but when you get into the details (i.e. baserunning runs) there is a lot of disagreement between people over how that should be calculated. I think WAR as a concept was been more or less accepted, but it is damn confusing and should be made a lot more clear to people when it is presented in broadcasts or in stat lines. When I see it used I generally feel that most people think it is "Without player X that team would have lost Y more games."

To me it's just a clear way to show a holistic evaluation of players compared to one another, especially at the same position. That is why I was fine with The Show going with their own WAR equivalent. As long as it present a holistic evaluation of the player (offense and defense) adjusted for position and the rest of the league. It could have been SHOW rating = 120.3 and I would have happy.

[tabarnes19_SDS]

Re: MLB The Show 16 Video - Franchise, Player Morale and Much More

The problem is when they add depth without fully fleshing it out/considering it fully, we get an inferior scouting system that is almost universally panned. Everyone complains about the draft-generated players looking odd, the generated players don't necessarily 'fit in' ratings-wise with the league and long-term shifts in league stats happen, and the system is too easy to game, your scouts don't really matter, there's no depth at all to the players, no signability/agent/injury considerations, and there are fatal flaws like being able to see 100% accurate ratings without scouting at all...etc etc..

I think everyone wants "more stuff to do" and "more stuff to consider" in franchise mode. But, we don't want new things for the sake of them being able to include just another "back of the box" line item. A player morale system, such as what's been in NBA2K for a while now, is a welcome change. But, the issue I have with such a morale system is that attributes/ratings should not be affected by happiness and comfort level. It is arcade-ish and unrealistic for a guy to go from a 30-HR to a 40-HR guy because he's playing home games within XX miles of home or for a pitcher to potentially add velocity because there's another Canadian on his team. There needs to be a consequence/effect for us to pay attention to morale, but the effect needs to be more subtle and plausibly realistic.

These morale issues affecting signability (and even other things) is fine, but I don't think they should go there with ratings.

I think people need to wait until they see the system in place before making judgements. I'm sure it will be subtle ratings boosts, which in reality already occur in the game via slumps and streaks.

I disagree that morale and happiness do not affect a players performance in real life. Just as in any profession the happier you are the production increases. This is reflected by players that are classified as "change of scenery players."

I give you two examples of players who did not perform well with the Yankees because of other factors, who later had all star seasons with other teams where they were "happy." (AJ Burnett, and Randy Johnson.)

Also it is well known Japanese players prefer cities such as SEA, NY, SF, LA and tend to sign there partly because there are other Japanese players there. So the compatriot feature I really like as well.
I know there is a plan in place and by adding new features they are fleshing out the old issues. I heard Ramone say in the interview they have addressed budgets, scouting and progression.

I am personally very excited and hope that they continue to push franchise mode and add the "life" and experiences that will make the mode feel organic.

[SoxFan01605]

Re: MLB The Show 16 Video - Franchise, Player Morale and Much More

Personally, I'm excited to find out more about the player morale. It is a welcome addition for me as long as it doesn't become too out of control, but even with worst of similar systems I've found ways to work with it. We'll see. Hopefully it's optional for those that don't like such things. I wonder if all the overreaction is more entertaining or frustrating for the dev team at this point?...lol.

I think the only thing that should be taken out of this early info is that Ramone needs to just go ahead and push up the franchise stream and give us all the info on Monday. Please? No? Fine then.

[Phil Parent]

Re: MLB The Show 16 Video - Franchise, Player Morale and Much More

I like the first look we get at the interface. Let's hope the editor is still as user-friendly as always. I'm worried all the new morale stuff will add a bunch of new stats and switches I'll have to fix in my mod but then again, once that's done, that's more play depth.

And I love my Guess Pitch crutch! Don't hate on Guess Pitch!

[aguero90]

Re: MLB The Show 16 Video - Franchise, Player Morale and Much More

Awesome stuf!! I'm pumped, can't wait for the Feb 25th stream!!

[Finn]

Re: MLB The Show 16 Video - Franchise, Player Morale and Much More

Umm, Ramone, if you're reading this can I vote against this idea? Pausing the game to make a managerial decision is just fine, and if you map that stuff to the D-pad, I am going to hit it by accident and mess up my games ALL THE TIME. That may be an exaggeration but once would still be too many times. Quick shifts, timeouts, and utility pls, no insta subs.

Agreed and is also why I have hoped for some sort of companion app that could allow you to examine stats, bullpens and subsitions all while the cut scenes and presentation remains on screen.

[WaitTilNextYear]

Re: MLB The Show 16 Video - Franchise, Player Morale and Much More

There is no clearly established formula for calculating WAR.

I disagree with your impression of scouting. Previously "makeup" was a category for pitching. They now have it broken down to bb/9, h/9 etc. That is a major improvement and provides crucial information especially for a guy like me who uses manage mode.

The formula for WAR is well defined, but there are different flavors. There's no sense in adding a stat like WAR into a simulation baseball game unless you are trying to make it reflect the real life calculations to some extent. So far, it looks like they've done a reasonable job approximating WAR with their version. We need to see more data.

You're in the minority if you like the scouting system I'd have to think. You can re-read my earlier post for a summary of some of the main issues. Several threads have appeared on OS addressing this and many people do not even do the scouting because it's so contrived/limited/seems like busy work.

I think people need to wait until they see the system in place before making judgements. I'm sure it will be subtle ratings boosts, which in reality already occur in the game via slumps and streaks.

I disagree that morale and happiness do not affect a players performance in real life. Just as in any profession the happier you are the production increases. This is reflected by players that are classified as "change of scenery players."

I give you two examples of players who did not perform well with the Yankees because of other factors, who later had all star seasons with other teams where they were "happy." (AJ Burnett, and Randy Johnson.)

Also it is well known Japanese players prefer cities such as SEA, NY, SF, LA and tend to sign there partly because there are other Japanese players there. So the compatriot feature I really like as well.
I know there is a plan in place and by adding new features they are fleshing out the old issues. I heard Ramone say in the interview they have addressed budgets, scouting and progression.

I am personally very excited and hope that they continue to push franchise mode and add the "life" and experiences that will make the mode feel organic.

I agree that we'll just have to see what the new system is all about and that morale certainly could affect performance, but it shouldn't make a player physically better. That's my main contention. A pitcher doesn't throw 91 mph and then uptick to 94 mph because he likes going to his job more. A batter doesn't gain bat speed or foot speed because a fellow Venezuelan is on his team. Keep in mind that players can perform and have performed just fine in situations they don't like. Players can play terribly while in a perfect situation. They are adding in RPG elements (fine for rtts--which is what that mode is--a baseball-themed RPG) into something billed as a simulation baseball game.

I think your case being built around the exception rather than the rule, guys like Burnett, Johnson, and specifically Japanese players (that make up a vanishingly small percentage of MLB players) actually helps reinforce what I'm suggesting. Making something that happens in a minority of cases affect all players, and up to +4 OVR (that we've seen so far), is not the simulation/realistic way to proceed. It's an arcade approach, not a simulation approach.

I am ok with a morale system and I actually would quite like one, but let's have it affect other things (signability, team chemistry, endorsements, other things yet to be determined) and not ratings//physical attributes.

[JayD]

Re: MLB The Show 16 Video - Franchise, Player Morale and Much More

I actually love the new morale system. This will add a lot more to re signings, free agency and trades. I also don't mind the ratings boost due to a player with good morale and is in form tends to play better; just look at Leicester in the BPL.

[garyjr33]

did anyone else notice he said Eric Trout! Haha.