Community Forum

@StinkyMcPooter_XBL thank you for laying that out Mr. McPooter. All those things are true. I still wish they would do a better job during spring training, but that is just my opinion. There's basically no reason for me to get the game besides the new players/face scans since I'm a franchise guy and they don't really change the mode, so it sucks when they don't add the big new guys. But that is my beef with SDS and not with the people on this thread. I offer an olive branch to everyone here lol

@SaveFarris_PSN whoa now I didn't say they should illegally use people's image without their consent lmaooo I'm saying they should do their job and do better at spring training or spring breakout to scan players they haven't yet. This is simple game maintenance that every sports game does. I don't see what is crazy about this

@fubar2k7_PSN if that is your opinion that is cool, but most people would say what the game looks like is a big part of gameplay quality, especially a game that is largely about the players. I'm with you I want other parts of the gameplay to be better too. I'm just saying I think this aspect of the game is important to a lot of people and it seems like it is being neglected, so it makes sense for people to go after SDS about it. Just wondering, what parts of the gameplay do you think should be better?

@Graeves-_PSN it's definitely not gospel, but it's hard for me to buy that MLB players have more time than minor leaguers / care more about Joe Blow lol I agree they probably don't care, but all athletes in major professional sports leagues do this. We're not asking SDS to do something crazy

@fubar2k7_PSN how are you on here mad at people complaining about the quality of face scans decreasing and then later just basically agree that the quality has slipped a ton while complaining about the people who said that originally lmao

@SavageSteve74_PSN I have no problem at all with players understanding their worth or protecting their rights and I'm sure it could be more complicated than it seems since idk the details of these contracts. However, given that most of the league is scanned or gets scanned eventually, I am very doubtful that the lack of scans is due to rights concerns unless specific players hold out for a while like Trout. The contract is likely pretty standard for everyone and doesn't require a lot of negotiation. In my opinion, they clearly just don't prioritize young players like they used to. Also, I believe NIL contracts don't apply to MiLB or MLB players since they are professional athletes now, not college athletes.

@PAinPA_PSN For the record, I have nothing against people wanting to protect their rights. I just don't think that is what is going on here. I don't know the details of the contract, but given the vast majority of the league has signed and it is probably pretty cookie-cutter, I find it extremely hard to believe that the lack of scans is because of rights concerns. If it was isolated cases, that would be one thing, but its a common thread of prospects and young players. SDS used to do a better job with this, which indicates to me that they have the capability, they are just not prioritizing it anymore

I get asking for face scans is basically talking to a wall but the people defending SDS are completely letting them off the hook. The idea that the players who don’t have face scans is because they are refusing consent is so crazy lol 90% of the league has face scans, so it just happens to be that just prospects and new players are choosing not to? If a player like Trout chooses not to for years, that makes sense. This is a structural issue for The Show where they are failing and not choosing not to prioritize. Also, I get it’s not easy to get the equipment around the country but most of the players mentioned in the first post were at spring training at least this year and last, which is when everyone says they are scanning. Other games like FIFA have to travel across continents to get scans and they have way more players scanned. So even at the one time of year when they’re doing scanning, they’re not even taking advantage of the full opportunity. This issue has been getting worse the last few years. I don’t think it is unreasonable to hold them to their own standard and call out SDS for putting out a continually worse product in this regard. I hope people keep asking for face scans lol bad products should be criticized. It doesn’t matter if it’s not easy. This is their job lol

This is gonna be a long post, but I've been writing these down for a while lol Trying to stay positive cause I do love playing The Show even though I probably won't buy it this year due to the stagnation in the franchise mode and the lack of new face scans. These are some things I have been wanting for a while and I believe are doable, some more than others. My main goal with these is to make the game feel closer to how it feels following the baseball calendar (at least for me) and that would make it feel more engaging and dynamic.

General - focused on realism

• Player tattoos (Fifa has this) and more realistic jewelry (chains hanging out of jersey - so many players have these and basically nonexistent in the game) - player personality/style is huge part of baseball
• Face scans for at least 70% of top 50 prospects - has been said a million times, but it is super important to the realism of the game imo - Fifa does a far better job than The Show and they have to go cross continent
• Way better faces of non face-scanned players - they are so bad right now, they look like trolls
• WBC added as a playable off-season tournament where you can play as one of the teams and select roster (players can decline)
• International scouting and signing (surprised this has not been added yet)
• Catching rating for how well they call games for pitchers
• Pitching mixes need to up to date
• Ability for players to develop quirks based on performance, especially players with less than 3 years of MLB experience
• I know this is unlikely, but I want the player fights and bench clearing brawls

Storylines/News

• It seems like they have tried to make an effort towards this which I appreciate, but I think it could be a lot better. News should be based off common news in real life like historic years, award races (in game commentary too), player happiness, locker room troubles, breakout players, underlying metrics, pressure from fans, contract unhappiness, etc.
• Get news from player interviews, sports journalist reports/social media posts, etc.
• Could even have random events that boost or hurt players like having a child or a family member dying. I know this sounds random, but these things do happen and can make some moments more meaningful (Castellenos poorly timed homeruns)
• Stories about teammate bonds. Certain players get a boost from playing with each other (similar to Fifa)
• Pitcher catcher bonds - pitcher gets a boost when pitching to a certain catcher

Trades

• Could be cool to change the trade system to an interface referencing Moneyball (movie) where you're calling another GM (similar to fifa) and are trying to make trades in real-time with another GM. That way you can get real-time feedback and don't have to wait. There needs to be some way to gauge player value like suggest a trade or the liklihood bar
• I actually don't mind the add of the untouchable, but I do think there are far too many untouchables allowed per team

Game Feel

• Crowds need to be more realistic
• Homerun and win celebrations need to have more animations so they feel unique and special
• Emphasizing high importance moments is good. I like the bear down pitching alot
• More animations for players doing random things like joking around, throwing baseballs to fans, signing autographs, etc.
• Way more realistic grass and weather

Player Growth

• Ability to make player tweaks (launch angle, stance, pitcher extension, pitch mix, etc.) - these don’t have to actually change the animations, but could be a cool way to manage players who are struggling or even unlock potential for certain players if done right. The current system feels too linear whereas in real-life it feels like there can be critical things players work on that unlock different parts of their game
• Player coaches like hitting, pitching, and farm coaches could be incorporated into this. Better coaches give better advice and get better results. Makes the hiring of those coaches more important too.

Pre-game and in-game scouting

• Pre-game: Reports on opposing hitter and pitcher tendencies
• In-game: Live info on what pitches are being thrown, tips on what pitches look good and which don’t, pitches to look for, intel on when to steal, etc. - players are passing around iPads now during games. We see it, so I think this should be reflected in the game
• Get more or less info depending how good 1st and 3rd base coaches are

Winter Meetings

• Have to give plans and goals to fans and owner
• Goal results affect job security

Financials

• I don’t really know how to go about this, but there should be a way to allocate money towards developing different aspects of the franchise like player development, fan satisfaction, owner satisfaction, team culture/facilities, etc. - this idea is coming from how the Dodgers/Brewers/Rays have been able to create huge advantages by investing in player development
• Choosing not to allocate resources to fan satisfaction or owner satisfaction will have negative affects on job security

Momentum

• Momentum tracker that fluidly reacts to moments throughout the season like winning streaks, walk-offs, multiple great performances
• Higher the momentum, higher the boosts for players
• Can’t be too easy to get momentum but should be a fun challenge to get and time for playoffs
• Would make the big moments feel like they are impacting the fabric of the season
• Should not be overly complicated and it seems like the game already does this in an unsaid way, but would be cool to make it more explicit and visceral

@Player99_MLBTS def getting tired of all the complaining, but what else are people supposed to do besides complain, we can't get in the lab with SDS lol I've been looking through these forums and I understand players can decline a face scan, which is totally fine. I also know they only really make a concerted effort for scanning during spring training. Still, most of the players end up getting scanned at some point in their career, so do we really think the lack of face scans is because of rights concerns or is it the lack of effort from SDS? My guess is they will say they don't have the time/team size/capabilities to hunt down players they don't get at spring training, but tbh I think that is poor planning or just prioritization of other things. Fifa has way more player scans and has to go across continents lol As a franchise guy, scans are a big deal to me and one of the only reasons I buy the game, especially when they aren't adding anything interesting to the mode. All the complaining is pretty annoying, I mean its just a game, but it does seem like one of the only ways to get things to change and have SDS see the frustration that has been building the last couple of years. It does feel like they are just re-packaging the same game, which is pretty pathetic.

@DTC1313_PSN Pumped they added Griffin, Alcantara, and Cantillo. Hoping they are a bit more aggressive getting prospect face scans this year. Thanks for keeping tabs on this man

For some reason, I have stopped receiving rewards after games on Franchise. Not sure why this is happening. I assume it’s a bug but I’m not sure. Has anyone else experienced this?

This game would visually feel so much more realistic if you had the players tattoos and the chains looked more realistic, like hanging out of the jerseys and bouncing around. Ik nba 2k has tattoos as does FIFA. Otherwise it does feel very realistic but these things def make it feel less modern.