When every reward is just another 99, what is the motivation?
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For me, its the theme team building, I been working a A's theme team (Players on the A's and those were).
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Frankly, the entire virtual rewards concept never made any sense to me. In my view, it leads to a focus on things other than playing virtual baseball games, either versus the CPU or online against other people. Focusing on end-of-phase virtual rewards changes the focus from the games to the trinkets, and I think this is where SDS has faltered.
The further SDS gets from win-loss records the more it myopically changes the focus from the games to things that diminish the game itself. The dichotomy is that the stronger a player's record the stronger his team gets, when this concept gets the cart before the horse. In real baseball, the stronger the team's players the better the record.
See the difference?
In SDS's model for online competition, everyone starts at the same level, and then skill produces different results leading to different rewards. The higher the initial achievement, the stronger the player's roster gets. In real baseball, it works the opposite. The better the team's result, the weaker the roster is supposed to get via lower draft slots. Of course, this all plays out over the course of years when SDS is pushing out a game every year.
This forces the start even, get better and better with more wins formula. This causes 90% of the complaints as customers squabble about what is fair or unfair in online competition play. Given SDS is going to continue to release every year, it seems the only way to actually measure people skill with the game, which seems to me the only fair mode of competitive online play, is to have everyone start with the same roster and slug it out.
No more end of phase rewards. Your reward is your record. And, since records are not the same, then finishing that "season" of online play isn't going to see equal rewards awarded. The people who finish at the top get the best rewards and the lower down the worse the rewards. So, how does one fairly stratify the competition level?
There could be different levels of competition, ranging from beginner to legend, sort of like the difficulty levels are current set. Customers choose their competition level and within that league go after it. Competing at the highest levels and achieving the highest record is the only way to earn the greatest rewards. Playing at lower levels, even with the best records means you win better rewards than other players in the same league with worse records, but at a lower level, your reward won't be as high as players with excellent records at a higher level. Customers receive rewards based on quality of record, and slug it out with the same players with those players based upon the difficulty of the league.
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How ironic, the recent (and I think very harmful) expansion of online betting in sports is having the same corrosive influence in real world sports. Fans aren't focused on their teams winning and losing like they used to be. The outcome of the game is no longer measured in whether your teams wins or loses, nor even on following your favorite teams. Instead, it is based on meeting or failing to meet the betting line.
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/45965400/michael-porter-jr-sports-betting-impact-going-get-worse
This story is a player in the NBA noting the significant difference in how fans react during the games. But, the same problem is being noted in all the major sports leagues, and sadly not only professional games but collegiate. The trend we're riding will consume high school sports before long as the appetite for money starts to gobble up the traditional concept of rooting a team to victory or as a player merely playing for victory.
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@PriorFir4383355_XBL said in When every reward is just another 99, what is the motivation?:
Frankly, the entire virtual rewards concept never made any sense to me. In my view, it leads to a focus on things other than playing virtual baseball games, either versus the CPU or online against other people. Focusing on end-of-phase virtual rewards changes the focus from the games to the trinkets, and I think this is where SDS has faltered.
The further SDS gets from win-loss records the more it myopically changes the focus from the games to things that diminish the game itself. The dichotomy is that the stronger a player's record the stronger his team gets, when this concept gets the cart before the horse. In real baseball, the stronger the team's players the better the record.
See the difference?
In SDS's model for online competition, everyone starts at the same level, and then skill produces different results leading to different rewards. The higher the initial achievement, the stronger the player's roster gets. In real baseball, it works the opposite. The better the team's result, the weaker the roster is supposed to get via lower draft slots. Of course, this all plays out over the course of years when SDS is pushing out a game every year.
This forces the start even, get better and better with more wins formula. This causes 90% of the complaints as customers squabble about what is fair or unfair in online competition play. Given SDS is going to continue to release every year, it seems the only way to actually measure people skill with the game, which seems to me the only fair mode of competitive online play, is to have everyone start with the same roster and slug it out.
No more end of phase rewards. Your reward is your record. And, since records are not the same, then finishing that "season" of online play isn't going to see equal rewards awarded. The people who finish at the top get the best rewards and the lower down the worse the rewards. So, how does one fairly stratify the competition level?
There could be different levels of competition, ranging from beginner to legend, sort of like the difficulty levels are current set. Customers choose their competition level and within that league go after it. Competing at the highest levels and achieving the highest record is the only way to earn the greatest rewards. Playing at lower levels, even with the best records means you win better rewards than other players in the same league with worse records, but at a lower level, your reward won't be as high as players with excellent records at a higher level. Customers receive rewards based on quality of record, and slug it out with the same players with those players based upon the difficulty of the league.
This would cause the population of DD to drop by at least 95%.
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@virusts_XBL I hit with that gold 83 overall Cards Beltran for most of this season, it was just a money card for me. So much so that I havent even wanted the 99 collection Beltran
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OP is spot on. Rewards are way more exciting when they are useful - not just like a 4th or 5th option for you to possibly play in left field.
We all get that the 99 ranking isn't everything, but there's still no place to use a lot of cards. Some are really cool cards too - you just can't use them unless you're gonna deliberately play a suboptimal lineup.
The other problem with the flood of 99s is that it lets any joe blow have a fully maxed out team without doing any work. Thats kind of annoying if you have put in the hours. At some point, like October, I get that you're just gonna make everything available to anyone...but geez, we're not even close to playoff baseball yet
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@rubicante23_PSN said in When every reward is just another 99, what is the motivation?:
Rewards are way more exciting when they are useful
Useful for who?
The guys who grind ranked everyday.
The guy who just likes to play Conquest against the CPU
The guy who wants to play with a theme team from his favorite team?There are only so many slots on a squad so sooner or later there will be guys released who you won't use.
SDS will never please everybody. when they were releasing 95s and 96 a few weeks before the All Star game people were complaining that they were not at 99 yet. When we got 99s early last year another group complained.
The only thing about the cards I think everyone can agree on is that there are too many desirable cards in expensive packs and tucked away in collections that require you to buy those pack or players outright.
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They should definitely stop putting out 99's after the 25th one...Why need more when that's all you need on a squad?
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One idea I had would be to give every non live series card missions for parallels. P2 gets a show pack, p3 a ballin, p4 another show pack, p5 1k stubs or something. The downside, other than coding, is some people would burn out but I think it would be a nice way of giving incentive to play with new cards
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2 months ago. "WHY ARE THERE NO FREE 99s!!!?!?!"
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@GixxerRyder750_PSN
MLB The Show 18 would've been right up your alley. -
@Barfy-Bad-Gas_XBL
Oh boy don't even get me started with that group. -
@virusts_XBL said in When every reward is just another 99, what is the motivation?:
I wouldn’t be obsessed over the overall ranking of cards. You can use any card you like just because it’s less than a 99 doesn’t mean it’s less of card. People get too obsessed over overalls that they bench they .440 94 overall for a 99 that are hitting .210 with.
I used 93 seager all the way until we got the Nascar field
I am running Kyle tucker as my lefty dh and hit him leadoff
Still have columbe in the pen
I used grandal as my catcher until cal came out
I got jram to P5 yet still hitting like 200 with him and schwarber I used for a while and I think he's currently 095....meanwhile tucker is like 450 and seager was around 350 but tons of hrs
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@PriorFir4383355_XBL It sounds like you should just join a custom league where what you are suggesting already exists. The vast majority of people don’t want what you are suggesting.
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@rubicante23_PSN One simple way to make more cards useful is captains that actually make a competitive theme team.
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@Dolenz_PSN The best cards have to be either difficult to get based on skill, difficult to get based on the grind, or expensive. I think the problem is there aren’t enough really good cards that are difficult to get just from the grind. There really isn’t much of a grind anymore except for nominal rewards like the my legacy stuff or the #1 fan icons. All the programs are too easy and can be done in an hour or so. Most of the rewards are not great. Same goes for TA.
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Topical, announced recently for NBA 2K26:
Another new game mode within Breakout is Gauntlet, where you put your entire collection to the test by completing games of increasing difficulty.
Gauntlet features a new straight-line game board—but there’s a twist. As you progress from Rookie difficulty to more challenging difficulties, you’ll only be able to use each of your Player Cards once per run. With Triple Threat, Clutch Time, and quick Full Lineup games, depth is your friend in this game mode, but so is understanding how to maximize every card in your collection.
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Im hoping for a set of 64s to come out instead of 99s
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The positive aspect of having 99s, as an offline player, I enjoy mixing up my lineups, and being creative with theme teams. I believe having a good variety of 99s, actually helps that method of play.
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Wish they had player evolution cards where there are gates to gradually allow you to work them to 99. Start at say 75. First gate is is 80 at launch, 85 in April, 90 in May, 95 in June and 99 in July. Maybe choose from 4 players and you only get 1. In September, SDS can release 99 that are accessible for all 4 so you can still get them all later. For example, maybe guys like Frank Thomas, Soriano, Pudge, and Finley. And make it so they can contribute PXP to any of the teams they played for and be eligible for those team’s captains boost. Just try something different. Either that or allow a CAP with position, attribute and character restrictions and they can follow the same gates.
But alas, with screen freezing and broken attribute wheels still an issue this may all just be wishful thinking.
