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Originally Posted by Drew127 |
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I agree with many of the things mentioned in this thread about what we'd like to see in Franchise mode, and I've offered my own inputs on a few separate occasions regarding stat tracking.
In my opinion, the bottom line is this: To see a franchise mode that is truly as deep and robust as it could be, it will be a labor of love from a development team that is doing it with full creative freedom, and a passion for packing the mode as tight as possible and making it replicate real life as much as possible.
That's really how OOTP got started, it was just a guy building the game on his own out of a love for the nuances of baseball. Look what it's grown into. But even now, it's not a game that is targeted to a large audience with the expectation of generating significant amounts of revenue. Rather, it is targeted to a very niche audience.
For proof of this, just check out how many forum users are browsing the OOTP forum at any given time here on OS. It's usually less than 5. The audience that comes to OS isn't really the same audience that is into hardcore sims like OOTP.
Which brings me to my main point: SCEA is in the business of making money, and it was even mentioned in one of the streams this year that Diamond Dynasty and RTTS are the most heavily used modes. Given that the dev team is only 75 people, and they are making a game with the goal of moving as many units as possible, there are very limited resources and the resources that are available need to be heavily concentrated on the parts of the game that sell.
I'd love to see franchise mode in The Show (or any console baseball game, ever in history, for that matter) to get the attention it deserves. The reason it doesn't get it is simply because of the nature of the video game business.
When I save up a few million and retire in my 30's, and I get bored, maybe I'll start up a dev shop with the goal of making a console baseball game that is purely simulation, and leaving all the fluff out of it. I won't be in it for the money, it'll be a labor of love!
Not to say the SCEA guys aren't passionate about baseball, but they also don't have the creative freedom to do everything they might want to. The powers that be get the final say. It's pretty much how it always will be when it comes to console gaming, and it's the fatal flaw for hardcore sim fans like myself.
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I think this is definitely true, to an extent. The reason OOTP isn't more popular isn't because its too deep and complex, its because you can't play the games. Most people don't play sports games in coach mode, they want to feel like they are effecting the outcome. They actually want to play the games. I've played OOTP in the past, but never could get into it. The game was unbelievably deep, but without the ability to actually play the games, it didn't interest me. Ideally, a baseball game would have best of both worlds. And if OOTP ever develped an actual game engine to play the games, I think the popularity of that game would skyrocket, and I also think you'd see a large segment of the Show's player base move on.
I do however agree that there is more money to be made in appealing to the general audience with RTTS and Diamond Dynasty. Franchise players are in the minority at this point, and they don't support the game monetarily with micro transactions like some other modes do. Add that to the fact that there is ZERO competition for the Show, and that baseball fans are going to buy the new game no matter what since their isn't another option, and you there is clearly little reason for the Show to invest in a major upgrade to Franchise mode. So I get that from a pure money making scheme, completely overhauling Franchise mode makes no sense. It would be refreshing if they would just come out and admit thats the case, rather than trying to market it as a refreshed mode every year.