[Feedback] RTTS Token Progression Feels Too Slow and Restrictive
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Introduction
I’d like to share my thoughts on RTTS token progression. Many of us have jobs and limited time to play, but building a player in RTTS currently feels far too slow and difficult.
Realism vs. Progression
In real life, top MLB prospects already have a solid foundation — even if they’re not fully developed yet. In the game, high school prospects can have 90+ speed, and by college some are already throwing 99 mph.
But in RTTS, reaching that level as a created player feels almost impossible.If I lower the difficulty to earn more tokens, the game feels unrealistic. If I set a realistic difficulty, I’m lucky to earn 300 tokens in an entire season. Skilled players might manage better, but for me, it’s a struggle.
Why It’s Frustrating
Single-player should be about enjoying the game, not treating it like endless practice. With 300 tokens a year, I can’t even max out the control, break, and velocity of one pitch — that alone can take around 800 tokens.
I want to develop my player like a top prospect, but right now it feels impossible.
Suggested Solutions
Reduce the number of tokens needed to upgrade attributes, or
Increase the amount of tokens we can earn through normal play.
If these changes are made, I would gladly start RTTS again immediately.
Final Note
Since the game only comes out once a year, having such a slow progression system means very few players will ever fully develop even one character before the next release.
I hope the development team will consider this feedback.
TL;DR:
Token grind in RTTS is too slow. Realistic difficulty = ~300 tokens/year, but a single pitch’s attributes can take 800+. Please reduce costs or increase earnings so casual players can realistically build their players. -
You make a detailed, reasoned, and probative analysis. It deserves contemplation before reply. So, I had to think about this.
You make an excellent and accurate overview analysis of the setup. I'm not sure your solution is appropriate or even fair. You do make a fair link in choosing a difficulty level in RTTS, one that strikes the right balance of game realism in terms of on-the-field results. Beginner mode is far too easy with your avatar player achieving entirely unrealistic level of play. However, playing on a higher difficulty level mires your avatar player in the minors too long because achieving a more realistic level of play produces too few tokens and by that your avatar player's development is behind his actual on-the-field performance.
Touche! You nailed the problem.
The method of direct points for good plays and having that converted to tokens which the customer can then use to upgrade his chosen attributes in exactly the way the customer chooses is the proper method of how RTTS games should play out. The problem is SDS isn't tuning the level of points for the difficulty level.
If your avatar player is performing at what in the real world is considered an elite level, say as an SP turning in an ERA of 2.5, or as a hitter turning in a .300 average with a yearly result of 35 homers and 95 RBI's, then that should result in your tokens being sufficient for rapid promotion, certainly seeing promotion to the MLB roster within two or three seasons.
SDS is on the right track but it seems they failed to stratify the points to mesh with the difficulty level. Bombing a three run homer in beginner mode yields the same points as doing it in all-star or legend mode. It shouldn't be that way. You should get as many points for bombing a homer in beginner as someone gets in legend for simply getting on base.
But, here is where it gets dicey. Some players want promotion to be more difficult in legend difficulty level than it would be in beginner difficulty level. So, where is the happy medium? That's the tough part of this. I think everyone likes the current system for awarding performance based points and converting to tokens. But, is the answer to make promotion in beginner mode take more points than it would in legend mode, or is the solution what it currently is -- making promotion harder in legend because it is harder to earn points?
I think the analysis you make is correct, but I'm not sure your suggested remedy is proper.
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What you said is also a good approach. I was just thinking how much more enjoyable it would be if the game allowed players to level up attributes more casually and create “monster” rookies, since not everyone can invest a huge amount of time into playing. I’d love to experience a game where you can build that once-in-a-lifetime type of player and perform at a top-tier level in all five tools.
Right now, progression takes too long, and I usually stop playing before I get anywhere near that point. I understand the game is already released and it would be too big of a change to alter the system now. But I hope in the next game, progression could be made more casual. Haha.
Another idea would be to let players choose their playstyle. Some people want a light, casual experience, while others want a very realistic grind—giving us an option could satisfy both groups. If it were possible to bring RTTS players into DD, you could add a penalty where characters made in the “casual” mode cannot be used in DD and are RTTS-only. That wouldn’t bother players like me, since I only play RTTS anyway.
I’d also love to play from high school with different concepts. For example, imagine starting as a high school player who already has pro-level bunting, vision, speed, and stealing ability—that could be really fun. Haha.
