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I don't play online all that often, but have been making a push to get all the ranked and BR cards I'm missing

Tried out DeGrom online, and ended up dominating someone (I'm not good, so neither are my opponents typically). In the 6th, he bunted with a speedy guy (one of the milb awards guys) during a perfecto and I thought nothing of it, it was a 1-0 game.

In the 9th, with 1 out, the score was more than a run and the speedy game came up again. What did the opponent do? Replaced him with a different, slower right hand batter. Much respect for this. Basically the guy was going to try to break up the thing, but not via a cheap [censored] infield hit.

And then with two outs in the bottom of the ninth he got a clean single after working the count a little. And I just sat there wishing there was a way in game to give him a tip of the cap. Much respect for that dude.

Of course if they added a tip of the cap animation people would troll with it, but I wish there was a way to show respect somehow.

eddie guerrero? that dude lied, cheated and stole all the time.

@Weshill627_PSN said in I find it hilarious:

@TeakAUS_PSN I understand, but having online specific rewards is the point of DD.

Completely wrong. The appeal of Diamond Dynasty is universal, people like grinding and seeing their team expand and improve regardless of the opponent.

SDS, I suggest something simple to implement that should make a lot of people happy:

Either a Forever MiniSeason or a Forever version of USA conquest
The final reward: A no sell choice of Event Rewind, BR Flawless Rewind, or WS Rewind pack

Offline people will be able to earn these cards in a way that is actually FUN for them
Online people should have a somewhat higher quality experience as there will be a higher percentage of people that are actually interested in online gameplay

This is a win/win, and I suspect its easy to implement as these packs already exist. Please make this happen.

@chekmate_13_PSN said in That's it?:

@PriorFir4383355_XBL why compare it to what was available 20 years ago, when we can compare it to the standards established over the last 5 years? No forever program?

Not trying to be a [censored], but, this is a really confusing decision in a year of confusing decisions. Really doesn’t seem like something coming around the bend to change things up, as less is more has been the trend since late August really.

Less was the trend from season 1. The second half of the year was actually better than the first half.

2024 was a colossal leap backwards from 2023 in terms of offline content, and the bare bones finest is the icing on the [censored] cake.

Cy Young can be the captain for Cy Young winners

Part of the issue is finest released earlier last year.

But thats really only a small part of the issue. They didnt even release a Finest program this year. Or a Finest pack. Or a single Finest reward from any other game mode, just the TA, holiday handouts, and the exp track.

On top of that, the forever track is a dud. There is no 'forever wonders' equivalent (yet). Of course there was no wonders in the first place.

They finally did add a forever miniseasons sort of, but I bet 95% of the players dont even know it exists yet

In the place of a more robust year end package we got the juiced packs with most prior pack cards now available in show packs. Honestly thats a net win for most people in terms of faster access to cards they don't have, but the lack of goals to work is going to get some people to log in less

Which also isnt necessarily a bad thing. Refresh for 2025.

I can't give them anything but an F for the Finest drop, it is unforgivably bad compared to last year. The release of the moonshot miniseason does help the overall forever package though and signals maybe they arent quite done yet.

If co-op is the main focus, I am out.
Every play style should have access to the same cards and have robust content available.

I would support co-op being given an expanded role however, I would have no problem with a 3 pillar set up of offline/online/co-op. Just don't lock exclusive cards behind any of them, that is a prime example of your catering to the past.

Stop saying 'we' though. I couldn't care less about a next gen version, game still looks fine to me. I wouldn't mind the upgrade but it wouldn't even make my top 25 list of upgrades I would like to see.

Maybe its just because I am older than most of MLB, but I feel the UI and menu design is out of place.

NBA calls for loud and flashy, MLB calls for a more traditional look

Oddly enough, I will sort of miss this when its fixed. I play on All Star and the current bug feels more realistic weirdly than in the past, minus the absurdly wild pitches and beanballs. I wish there was sort of a halfway inbetween between last year and this bug for the higher difficulties.

Rookie, however, should be almost all pitches over the plate

Posada
1B: Delgado
2B: Baez
SS: Lindor
3B: Correa
OF: Clemente, Kike Hernandez, Bernie
DH Lowell/Cepeda/etc

There is your lineup of 99s

Elly should have gotten a Finest card, not a boring looking captain card. I would rather they release the 50+ missing Finest cards than repeats of prior year's captain ideas. I guarantee drop 2 or 3 will have a high durability Lou Gehrig captain...

If captains return in 2025 I hope they can make the cards not be such an eyesore in your lineup.

I doubt SDS will even read the wall of text below, but just offering my 2 cents again in case they do.

SDS in my mind has struggled the last few years with content. They had a great pace in early 2023, but after the father's day blowback they reversed course and that led to a content light 2024. And some preferred it that way.

Note that this isnt addressing shaking up the gameplay modes, which is needed but a different topic.

The way I see it, there are three competing player mindsets:

1. Collectors vs God Squadders
   There is some overlap, but some play this game to pokemon up all the cards, and some play specifically to field a juiced team of 99s. I would suggest a few things here:
   -More is more. Especially when it comes to current season cards, its almost always better to release something than to not release it.
   -However, top end quality is also important. A drop of 10 cards (and programs should really all be 10+ cards) can't have a capper that is lackluster. And you shouldnt force people to use all 10 cards to earn that capstone, even if it is great.
   -Be smart with the 99s though. Lindor post season is the obvious example, other worthy cards were passed up (Diaz, Marte) to give a card similar to a just released 99. Under more is more you just release all 3, but if you absolutely have to reduce card count this is where you be smarter about it

2. Grinders vs People that don't want a second job
   -Make people WANT to do things, but don't make them feel OBLIGATED to them
   -You can have a fairly short program to reach the capstone, but then extend it to get more packs and xp and cosmetics. This is where you can use the individual player missions some of us really enjoy, but no one should be forced into it
   -2024 mid season is a pretty good base, programs were quick to complete. You could play an hour a day and easily finish all offline content. Now take that base, add some early cards, and extend the timeline past the capstone with some grindier stuff
   -If you put packs at the end of optional grinds you WILL get less blowback from releasing so many of them. Time is money, and some people will spend regardless. (the pack card quality should be on the level of the capstone though, not above it)
   -Repeatable conquest goals more often.

3. Offline vs Online
   -This will be more contentious I expect, but first refer to point 1 under grinders
   -I feel The Show would be better off if cards were earnable through gameplay offline OR online. It would improve the online experience more
   -I am fine with online having a faster track (though BR track in particular is already slow as molasses if you are a mediocre hitter). I am fine with offline being no sell. But those packs of 2 capstone cards? Make a grindy offline track to contain one as well. That way if I want to earn BOTH Cueto and Wagner I can, or if Wagner is my favorite player Im not forced to suffer BR to get him or pay 600K+ because apparently no one else wants to suffer BR
   -People will argue 'if online cards arent exclusive, what is the incentive?'. I dont agree with that because if a player prefers online and can get the same thing from either style of play, they will go online. If you keep the xp, packs, and stubs higher in online, people will still play online. You will likely get less habitual quitters, and people who play oddly just to get goals fastest. And you will never have to deal personally with my other side of the world connection in BR and event (though perhaps still in lower ranks, that one can be fun for me)

Same place most of the content is, MLB The Show 2023

That was the blueprint to how to do finest right, that should be iterated on in the future not scrapped.

Last year's Finest program? 18 cards. Sure, half of those were 97 overalls but 4 of them were setup men.
In total, last year had 10 closers and 11 set up men finest. This year you cant even make a full bullpen.

It's just so frustrating how programs took such an enormous leap backwards this year. As did Topps Now. As did Monthly Awards. As did mini seasons. Even the seasons model was better in 2023.

@YOSHI24_MLBTS said in Has anyone managed to "collect them all"?:

My answer is very easy: Out of all the last 4 years, 24 was WAY the easiest, because flipping was never easier. I got tons of stubs and dupes sitting in my inventory and I stopped doing the marketplace late august

I played probably half as much as last year (as there was about half as much to do offline), don't flip cards, and dont have a lot left.

During the season I was farther behind last year by a fair deal, but once the floodgates opened with the 1:8 diamond packs and prices plummeted it was just a matter of figuring out the cards that werent available in those packs and securing those.

Yelich is still obtainable, unless something changed recently

@YOSHI24_MLBTS said in 1/7/25 Captain drop - if anyone cares...:

Guys … I am coming the conclusion that most ppl here only want 1 thing each game cycle: 99 Griffey, Mantle, J-Ram, Chipper, Adley, Santana, Seager, Aaron, Randy, Lindor, Gibson, Mo, Donaldson and a few other crazy-stat-cards that they can use all-the-time … even when the year ends and there is nothing to earn anymore.

Captain cards have a purpose to make specific cards viable and make ppl experiment with different lineups. That is the core-thing of DD …

I will make teams with those captains once I finish my theme-team-series (where btw. I mostly face gods squads with the guys I mentioned above). I have Spahn already read-to-go and will gladly look forward building a nice team with them. The Venezuela-team was nice last year

This late in the season we should be getting cards too use on theme teams, not the captains themselves.

Why wasnt Lou Brock captain around when the content was current? Its more fun to get cards and think 'what captains will these work with' vs getting the captain at the end when there is nothing left to play for anyway.

How can a Mets fan not want a Leiter card each year?
We absolutely should get one each year.

And a Piazza.
And a Hernandez. And an Olerud.
And an Orosco and McDowell.
How about Gooden? Strawberry? Mookie Wilson? Edgardo Alfonzo?
Cleon Jones? Agee?

But yeah, Santana as an OoP was disgraceful.

I thought the first post was clear and a good idea, not show why it escalated to nonsense so quickly

They need enough time to make that JD Martinez Mets card