The OOTP Effect: Trades and Player Management in The Show

[Maverick09]

After having played Out of the Park Baseball (OOTP) for the first time this year, I couldn't help but notice the huge disreptancy in the trade logic and player management between the OOTP and The Show.

With the way that the current off-season has been going in the real MLB and the Giancarlo Stanton trade, it's become very clear that huge contracts (and their perceived liability) are not taken into consideration in The Show. Great players can be traded for top-notch prospects regardless of their contracts. The strategy with managing budgets and player salaries is not very present in The Show.

You really have to think twice before giving a huge long term contract to a player in OOTP since the player may regress and become literally "untradable" in future years. The contract is literally seen as a liability. The budget management is a major strategy element and team building mechanic in OOTP.

How likely is this level of trade logic and team management to make it's way into The Show? I know the fracnhise team is pretty small at SCEA and this seems like a big code-intensive undertaking. IMO it could potentially add a huge layer of strategy to the Franchise game mode.

OOTP also does not have absolute player ratings; they fluctuate according to the different scouts which makes it difficult to determine who the actual good players are in the league (you've got to dig down into their stats). I wonder if this could be an approach that is introduced into the The Show in future years.

[SidBream]

Quote: Originally Posted by Maverick09

After having played Out of the Park Baseball (OOTP) for the first time this year, I couldn't help but notice the huge disreptancy in the trade logic and player management between the OOTP and The Show. With the way that the current off-season has been going in the real MLB and the Giancarlo Stanton trade, it's become very clear that huge contracts (and their perceived liability) are not taken into consideration in The Show. Great players can be traded for top-notch prospects regardless of their contracts. The strategy with managing budgets and player salaries is not very present in The Show. You really have to think twice before giving a huge long term contract to a player in OOTP since the player may regress and become literally "untradable" in future years. The contract is literally seen as a liability. The budget management is a major strategy element and team building mechanic in OOTP. How likely is this level of trade logic and team management to make it's way into The Show? I know the fracnhise team is pretty small at SCEA and this seems like a big code-intensive undertaking. IMO it could potentially add a huge layer of strategy to the Franchise game mode. OOTP also does not have absolute player ratings; they fluctuate according to the different scouts which makes it difficult to determine who the actual good players are in the league (you've got to dig down into their stats). I wonder if this could be an approach that is introduced into the The Show in future years.

My guess is trade logic won’t get much better in 2018. Which means it will be pretty bad.

30 team control is the way to go for sure. You can leave trades on auto and just reverse crazy trades, or you can keep on manual and make all moves yourself.

I wish there we had the ability to play commish and block trades instead of having to reverse silly ones.






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[CaseIH]

Quote: Originally Posted by Maverick09

After having played Out of the Park Baseball (OOTP) for the first time this year, I couldn't help but notice the huge disreptancy in the trade logic and player management between the OOTP and The Show. With the way that the current off-season has been going in the real MLB and the Giancarlo Stanton trade, it's become very clear that huge contracts (and their perceived liability) are not taken into consideration in The Show. Great players can be traded for top-notch prospects regardless of their contracts. The strategy with managing budgets and player salaries is not very present in The Show. You really have to think twice before giving a huge long term contract to a player in OOTP since the player may regress and become literally "untradable" in future years. The contract is literally seen as a liability. The budget management is a major strategy element and team building mechanic in OOTP. How likely is this level of trade logic and team management to make it's way into The Show? I know the fracnhise team is pretty small at SCEA and this seems like a big code-intensive undertaking. IMO it could potentially add a huge layer of strategy to the Franchise game mode. OOTP also does not have absolute player ratings; they fluctuate according to the different scouts which makes it difficult to determine who the actual good players are in the league (you've got to dig down into their stats). I wonder if this could be an approach that is introduced into the The Show in future years.

Yeah OOTP is the way to go for the most realistic experience, if you prefer just being manager or GM. I struggle with what to do, I still enjoy actually playing, but Im also very OCD about stats and realism, so I cant decide if I want to go to OOTP exclusively and give up MLBTS altogether, or continue to hope that MLBTS improves in alot of things.
The Show plays a great game, but if your into stats, then its not quite so good. Plus OOTP has all the Baseball leagues, and even winter ball.
So Im really leaning on going with OOTP this yr only. I cant really justify buying both games anymore, but Im hoping MLB18 takes a major step forward with franchise mode, since it all I play, but I got a feeling they are going more the route of online gamers, and franchise may not be a top priority like it once was.

[Maverick09]

Quote: Originally Posted by CaseIH

Yeah OOTP is the way to go for the most realistic experience, if you prefer just being manager or GM. I struggle with what to do, I still enjoy actually playing, but Im also very OCD about stats and realism, so I cant decide if I want to go to OOTP exclusively and give up MLBTS altogether, or continue to hope that MLBTS improves in alot of things. The Show plays a great game, but if your into stats, then its not quite so good. Plus OOTP has all the Baseball leagues, and even winter ball. So Im really leaning on going with OOTP this yr only. I cant really justify buying both games anymore, but Im hoping MLB18 takes a major step forward with franchise mode, since it all I play, but I got a feeling they are going more the route of online gamers, and franchise may not be a top priority like it once was.

I'm in the same boat, I love the gameplay aspect of The Show, but I struggle to play Franchise mode after having played OOTP. OOTP really mimics the management aspect of baseball seen in reality. It's a challenge though to include such complicated things into a game while keeping it approachable to people who are new and casual to baseball; so I understand why SCEA might shy away from implementing a more realistic player management system.

The thing I find the most interesting with OOTP is the lack of player ratings. This is really a concept that I would like to see added to modern sports games. In reality, there is no consensus as to who is a good player, and who is a bad player in absolute terms. Everyone has their own opinion based on the eyeball test, or on stats, it's completely subjective.

This different approach would definetly shake things up, and would open doors for new concepts in franchise mode, whether it be Madden, The Show, or any other sports game.

[bronxbombers21325]

Trade logic in the show has never been good. If you don't use 30 team control you end up with some really messed up things going on.

[WaitTilNextYear]

Ah, yes, the first OOTP experience. Once you get a taste of a true sim like that, it's difficult to see other games measure up to it from an AI/logic/customization standpoint.

A more intricate front office module in franchise mode is the next frontier for MLB The Show. Cash in trades, adjusting contract amounts by year--escalating/de-escalating, bonuses, different types of contract options triggered by different events, trade AI factoring in financials, deeper farm systems, amateur stats for scouted players, more variation in progression/regression (modeled in OOTP as a "talent change randomness" slider), minor league contracts, minor league contracts with major league options, retired players entering the coaching pool, posting from foreign leagues. I am probably forgetting quite a few.

To insinuate that MLB The Show should basically have all of the graphics of the console series and all the logic and depth of a computer game like OOTP is probably unfair, but incorporation of some of these things--and less focusing on adding arcade-y elements like "quirks"--would be a big help.

[Benz87]

Playing OOTP has essentially ruined The Shows franchise for me and has made it difficult to entrench myself in such a shallow team management system. Pretty much the reason I play the show strictly online (DD) and get my franchise management fix from OOTP for the past few years.

[Bard]

Quote: Originally Posted by Benz87

Playing OOTP has essentially ruined The Shows franchise for me and has made it difficult to entrench myself in such a shallow team management system. Pretty much the reason I play the show strictly online (DD) and get my franchise management fix from OOTP for the past few years.

Honestly, OOTP has ruined The Show for me. I am a huge baseball fan, and I love being able to be in complete control over my team. I am a simmer, and only play maybe 5 games in a 162 game season these days due to time and honestly interest.

The Show needs something big, or a lot of things we have been wanting for a long time for me to buy this year. I have already sold back The Show 17, and am having a blast with my Switch and PC gaming.

We shall see though, but this would be my first year ever not buying day one.

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