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@Blind_Bleeder I left this out because my buddies and I redraft each season, we typically 2-3 seasons with the same team throughout the calendar year.
The FA/Offseason was shocking how outdated and basic it is, especially compared to other sports games. I know SDS does not have the budget as Madden and NBA, but there are a bunch of improvements out there to be had
SDS Team,
The below document will detail suggestions, fixes, and advancements that SDS can incorporate to take MLB Show 24 to the next level!
I have been an avid player of MLB The Show since its inception in 2006. I have logged tens of thousands of hours of Franchise gameplay over the course of 17 years. During those ruthless 162-game grinds to play a full franchise season (yes, my friends and I play all 162), I have developed quite the understanding of the game and feel like I truly understand what can make this game even better.
I appreciate you taking these suggestions to heart, as I know you also want MLB The Show to be the best sports game possible, especially the OG Franchise mode.
Fixes:
When you save and exit in Franchise, the CPU pitcher pitch count resets to 0, but their stamina stays where it was prior to the save and exit
Individual pitch confidence is all the same, for CPU and user, there is no dynamic adjustment of pitch confidence… this was in prior years
Base runners automatically slide back to and into bases, this is particularly an issue on pitch-outs
o This is also an issue with runners on base
Ie. Runners on 1st and 2nd, ground ball to the 2nd basemen, he throws the ball to 1st for the third out. The runners currently on base auto-slide into the base, this has led to many players getting injured
o When players slide into bases, headfirst, they pull their arms back when they are over the base, causing them to be called out, when they should be safe.
Injuries can be cleaned up. Players with high durability get injured with the same, if not more frequency than players with low durability. Pitchers get injured way less than position players, which is not true to MLB
o Suggestions to improve
Have a fielder and pitcher injury slider that can be adjusted
Have a “severe” and “minor” injury slider that can be adjusted
• MLB teams are always adjusting for 10 – 15-day IL stints where a player suffers a blister, bruise, or minor injuries that require them to sit a few days.
• I would rather have a high number of 1-6 day, or 10-day IL stints, like MLB, than a player throwing a ball to 1st base and breaking his forearm and being out for 3 months
Commentary in Franchise
o The easiest way to explain this is by example
o Fantasy draft order to start Franchise mode
I selected Josh Jung 10th round
During the season, when he is hitting the commentary states he was selected in the 6th round
The round the commentary states is never correct, and sometimes they will say a “player come over in a trade earlier this season”, when they did not
Either have the commentary state the correct round or nothing at all, I would rather have no comment on their draft pick than the wrong one
Check swings can be cleaned up, the inconsistency is extreme.
Challenge plays, you can only challenge a call at first base, with nobody on the bases and less than two outs. There are no challenge restrictions, besides balls and strikes in MLB, so there should not be in the game. You should be able to challenge any play, just like you can in MLB
Coaches, their +/- attributes sometimes alter your team or sometimes they do not know, make this more consistent
Improvements/Advancements:
Fantasy draft
o Be able to select your own custom draft order. I play as the Cardinals, if I want to pick 10th, 1st, or 28th, I should be able to select that.
o My buddies and I do a big draft day (like other people do for fantasy football) we have our pre-selected draft order (we pick a number card to determine), and then when we are in Franchise fantasy draft mode, we must spend a long time, usually and hour or so, getting the order right. Again, custom draft order.
o The amateur draft improved, these same improvements can apply to Franchise draft.
o At least your first overall pick should have the same animation as when you selected a Diamond card, or the 1st overall pick in the amateur draft
o Overall improvement, and a more realistic and dynamic feel to Franchise draft, this is where your whole season starts, it should be a huge feature
Free agency and the offseason
o A huge component/reason why people play Franchise is to build a team for years and years to come, last season there were huge improvements to the amateur draft, and now the off-season needs an overhaul
o The off-season and FA should be a dynamic, more immersive experience
o When you simulate days in the off-season, you miss a lot of information, like who signed, who was traded, and all the exciting components of FA
o There should be no simulating in the off-season, but rather phases you go through so you do not miss anything exciting
o The winter meetings in MLB are a huge event, where most of the deals are done, having a dynamic winter meeting component would be awesome
In RTS, there are many dynamic scenes where your player is sitting down with the coach/agent, talking about their role on the team, expectations, last outing, etc., this same style can apply in Franchise off-season
Idea – at the start of FA, you can select 3-5 players you want to target for FA or trade, then during winter meetings, you are able to sit down with these players and talk with them and “sell” your franchise to them. This can be the same format and visual design as RTS, just with different players, and much like in the amateur draft, the more you scout them, their interest level increases, the same can be done with the winter meetings and your targeted players. This would make the off-season a more engaging and dynamic event
o Free agent contracts are not realistic. There should be contract floors and ceilings for players based off their previous season stats (in MLB show). This would make it more realistic in what players you go after and how you spend you money.
Do you want to target a top player who hit 310 and 40 hr, or target a player who hit 260 with 15 hr, these players should demand a much different salary, but that does not seem to be the case now in FA
Team chemistry and morale
o Individual players in previous years had morale, based off certain items, this should be brought back
o Team chemistry and morale is such a huge aspect of MLB, but is lost in The Show
o If a team wins or loses a few games in a row, there can be +/- attributes team-wide
5 straight wins = + 2 clutch for hitters and pitchers
3 straight loses = - 2 contact and -2 fielding
• Just some ideas
o Creating a team that is cohesive and will have dynamic improvement or decline over the year, dependent on play would be such a cool feature
o This can also play into GM goals, if you hit a GM goal during the season, your team gets a boost, as morale would be increased
Trading
o I know trading has improved, and it has, some, but it is still not the best representation of MLB
o Multi-team trades and trading for more than a max of 3 players would greatly improve the trading experience
o Being able to take on cash for a player, like the Rockies did with Arenado and the Cardinals
Maybe I do not have the prospects to trade for an expensive player, but I can pay $80 million of their contract, and give away one prospect
o Trading can be more reflective of how the teams are playing in The Show
Ie. I recently was looking to trade for Graterol, he is the closer on the Giants, having a dominant season, and they were in first place, in MLB, a trade for Graterol, in this scenario, would probably not take place, but yet in The Show, I could have traded two minor prospects for him.
If teams are in contention, or players are having strong seasons, acquiring those players should be more difficult, much more than it is now.
Main Franchise screen
o The main Franchise screen can be more dynamic, instead of just the big calendar, and the next game on the “front page”
o In RTS, you see your player in the locker room, engaging with the team, having that same feature with your Franchise team would be really cool
o An overall rehaul of the Franchise screen and layout to be more dynamic and immersive, like you are a GM of the team would really improve the out-of-game experience