MLB The Show 16: Breaking Down the First Twitch Stream

Feature Article

Submitted on: 02/08/2016 by Caley Roark

The MLB The Show team in San Diego released their first Twitch stream last week, focusing on the improved Road to the Show mode and new Showtime feature. Here are some initial thoughts on these additions based on what I saw during the stream.

-First, I'd like to re-emphasize how much I appreciate this type of marketing. The developers made a joke about being transparent and showing some new stuff with the danger of showing some killer bugs. As a user, this type of honesty helps shed some light on the development process. It also helps humanize the development team, which in turn showcases their love for their craft and the product they are trying to create. While it may or may not impact our final opinion of the game, the true "inside baseball" look is fascinating and certainly welcome.

-The new "fish-eye" camera is intriguing, and it reminds me a bit of the MLB 2K series. This camera looks like it might make reading pitch speeds a little easier.

-I was skeptical of the Showtime feature, but seeing it in action may have changed my mind. The reasoning behind this feature, as explained by the team, makes a lot of sense. Showtime is not necessarily making things easier, but making outcomes based on your actual skill. I don't know that it makes sense outside of Road to the Show, but in a mode focused on making "yourself" a player, it makes sense.

-In regards to Showtime batting, it's nice to hear that it is really limited. Saving it for a certain moment adds a layer of strategy. It's also nice to see swings and misses with Showtime activated -- nothing is automatic. And, as usual with The Show's features, you can always turn it off.

-I'm sure I've already said this, but the "advance day" feature is a great addition for PS4 users and will really streamline the Road to the Show experience.

-Perks are an interesting feature, and I like how they are linked to ratings. In other words, you have to really earn them. As demonstrated, they sort of represent that certain "something" really great players have. The connection between Showtime and the perks also creates great moments of strategy when building and using your player. I can see how some may think the feature is too Call of Duty-ish, but I'll wait until I see it in the context of the entire game. Again, you can simply not use them if you want a more pure experience.

-The new menu and loading screens look good.

-I also like the look of the Showtime moments, especially while pitching. Love the drama that it builds.

All in all, lots of positive stuff in this stream. I'm sure the developers hope they've alleviated people's concerns about the new additions to Road to the Show. For me, I'm excited to get my hands on the mode come March.

MLB The Show 16 Videos

Member Comments

# 1 rick diesel @ 02/08/16 06:41 PM

As a big realism guy, I actually found Showtime to not be too arcadey, particularly from a defensive standpoint with the play slowing down. I know when I play in real life it seems like everything is in slow motion when I am fielding the ball. I did feel that it slowed down too much however, it would be ideal if the speed (not amount) of showtime was connected with the player's attributes and positional comfort/experience.

Offensively, I think Showtime should be something that can be earned by starting a hot streak, not something that can be used once a game even when your player is in the midst of a big slump. Going 3 for 3 to start a game it make sense for Showtime to become available to use as your player is locked in, not so much if they are 0 for 3 with 3 Ks. There are other possible situations that could be used for Showtime such as if your player is facing a pitcher/team that he has had success against in the past. I think it makes sense to have separate hitting and fielding Showtime meters, with fielding always being present and based on attributes and hitting becoming available only when performance or situation dictates.

Perks are definitely more arcade as they heavily dictate outcomes, but it is kind of relatable to something I have wanted to see for a while which is player "cards"/traits (like in Fifa and PES) to really add individuality to players with things such as acrobatic throw, leaping catch, crowd the plate, clubhouse leader, pinch hit hero, fan favorite, quick pick-off, etc.

Both Showtime and Player Perks/traits are exciting new concepts, and I think in the future they can be adapted to work in modes outside of just Road to the Show and actually help add to the overall realism and strategy of the game and not just be something that makes RTTS more arcadey.

# 2 tessl @ 02/08/16 07:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rick diesel


	As a big realism guy, I actually found Showtime to not be too arcadey, particularly from a defensive standpoint with the play slowing down. I know when I play in real life it seems like everything is in slow motion when I am fielding the ball. I did feel that it slowed down too much however, it would be ideal if the speed (not amount) of showtime was connected with the player's attributes and positional comfort/experience. Offensively, I think Showtime should be something that can be earned by starting a hot streak, not something that can be used once a game even when your player is in the midst of a big slump. Going 3 for 3 to start a game it make sense for Showtime to become available to use as your player is locked in, not so much if they are 0 for 3 with 3 Ks. There are other possible situations that could be used for Showtime such as if your player is facing a pitcher/team that he has had success against in the past. I think it makes sense to have separate hitting and fielding Showtime meters, with fielding always being present and based on attributes and hitting becoming available only when performance or situation dictates. Perks are definitely more arcade as they heavily dictate outcomes, but it is kind of relatable to something I have wanted to see for a while which is player "cards"/traits (like in Fifa and PES) to really add individuality to players with things such as acrobatic throw, leaping catch, crowd the plate, clubhouse leader, pinch hit hero, fan favorite, quick pick-off, etc. Both Showtime and Player Perks/traits are exciting new concepts, and I think in the future they can be adapted to work in modes outside of just Road to the Show and actually help add to the overall realism and strategy of the game and not just be something that makes RTTS more arcadey.

I doubt many franchise mode users want the mode to go more in the direction of arcade.

# 3 p00p1 @ 02/08/16 07:19 PM

Watching the streams, the stats pages looked untouched. I hope they've expanded stat tracking this year. I'm not even asking for new sabermetrics, just general stat tracking improvement. Once you make it past the current season, it's impossible to see anything beyond AB/HR/RBI/AVG or W/L/K/ERA. Want to know how many career stolen bases Dee Gordon has? Good luck

# 4 rick diesel @ 02/08/16 09:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tessl


	I doubt many franchise mode users want the mode to go more in the direction of arcade.

Yes and I am one of them, what I'm saying is that these new features are more arcade right now, but have the potential to be adapted to be "sim" and add some much needed depth to franchise mode and overall gameplay. I will be interested to see what the dev team does with these new features going forward, including the rumored new game mode(s), as they indicate a more arcade oriented direction for portions of the game.

# 5 Stolm @ 02/08/16 10:19 PM

I don't know where this idea came from that Franchise players want a more Sim experience than RTTS players.

I put 90% of my time with The Show into RTTS, and I hate the direction they are going with Perks and Showtime.

# 6 tessl @ 02/08/16 10:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rick diesel


	Yes and I am one of them, what I'm saying is that these new features are more arcade right now, but have the potential to be adapted to be "sim" and add some much needed depth to franchise mode and overall gameplay. I will be interested to see what the dev team does with these new features going forward, including the rumored new game mode(s), as they indicate a more arcade oriented direction for portions of the game.

Not to be argumentative but depth and realism aren't necessarily the same thing. For example adding player personalities would add depth but could send realism off in an unknown direction by skewing stats.

# 7 Jwine34 @ 02/08/16 10:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by p00p1


	Watching the streams, the stats pages looked untouched. I hope they've expanded stat tracking this year. I'm not even asking for new sabermetrics, just general stat tracking improvement. Once you make it past the current season, it's impossible to see anything beyond AB/HR/RBI/AVG or W/L/K/ERA. Want to know how many career stolen bases Dee Gordon has? Good luck

I thought one of the devs said in the forum last year that expanded stat tracking WOULD be an area of focus for this year. Disappointing .

# 8 ARMORALLL @ 02/09/16 12:42 AM

I just read a tweet and one of the new modes available is called...

Spoiler below

Battle Royale

# 9 Factzzz @ 02/09/16 01:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ARMORALLL


	I just read a tweet and one of the new modes available is called... Spoiler below Battle Royale

and the other one is called "Conquest"

It was shown in the picture with the release schedule.

# 10 N51_rob @ 02/09/16 01:47 AM

I could easily see myself only using showtime as I attempt to rob HR initially. So many of those that I should have but don't get for whatever reason.

# 11 GlennN @ 02/09/16 09:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by p00p1


	Watching the streams, the stats pages looked untouched. I hope they've expanded stat tracking this year. I'm not even asking for new sabermetrics, just general stat tracking improvement. Once you make it past the current season, it's impossible to see anything beyond AB/HR/RBI/AVG or W/L/K/ERA. Want to know how many career stolen bases Dee Gordon has? Good luck

Amen! In a sport that has always embraced stats, it is inexcusable that we get such little in the stats tracked. The game would be so much more immersive and enjoyable if I could look at a player card and see who he played for when, what kind of stats he had each year and career, what awards he has won, etc. This is an area that has not been improved since I can remember.

# 12 HustlinOwl @ 02/09/16 09:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stolm


	I don't know where this idea came from that Franchise players want a more Sim experience than RTTS players. I put 90% of my time with The Show into RTTS, and I hate the direction they are going with Perks and Showtime.

Even better they are optional so not sure what the big deal is?

# 13 rick diesel @ 02/09/16 01:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HustlinOwl


	Even better they are optional so not sure what the big deal is?

It is nice that they are optional, but it means that they are devoting development time to features that a core group of players will not even use. If they are going to be adding elements like this to the game to make it more interesting I wish it would be something that was also realistic from a sim perspective that would improve the game for all users whether they prefer it more sim or more arcade. Too many sports games have fallen into the pit of making games arcadey to attract more casual gamers.

# 14 HustlinOwl @ 02/09/16 01:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rick diesel


	It is nice that they are optional, but it means that they are devoting development time to features that a core group of players will not even use. If they are going to be adding elements like this to the game to make it more interesting I wish it would be something that was also realistic from a sim perspective that would improve the game for all users whether they prefer it more sim or more arcade. Too many sports games have fallen into the pit of making games arcadey to attract more casual gamers.

They need to add features and modes that will continue to attract new users, sure us OSers are going to buy MLBTS every year, but again need to add features for casuals. Just reality of the industry FACTS

# 15 ShowTyme15 @ 02/09/16 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HustlinOwl


	Even better they are optional so not sure what the big deal is?

There is no big deal. People like to make a big deal out of nothing then come up with 1,000's of preconceived notions. Then throw around words like "arcade" to justify it. A lot of them act like they are the only ones on the planet the play the Show and forget OS only makes up 1% of those who actually play this game. It is what it is. They should be thankful they are optional features. Somehow people just seem to skip that tidbit of info and act like it doesn't exist.

# 16 p00p1 @ 02/09/16 03:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GlennN


	Amen! In a sport that has always embraced stats, it is inexcusable that we get such little in the stats tracked. The game would be so much more immersive and enjoyable if I could look at a player card and see who he played for when, what kind of stats he had each year and career, what awards he has won, etc. This is an area that has not been improved since I can remember.

Some stats are tracked and just not shown. When players get elected to the HOF, that screen shows expanded stats, but they are not presented anywhere else

# 17 Bunselpower32 @ 02/10/16 12:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rick diesel


	As a big realism guy, I actually found Showtime to not be too arcadey, particularly from a defensive standpoint with the play slowing down. I know when I play in real life it seems like everything is in slow motion when I am fielding the ball. I did feel that it slowed down too much however, it would be ideal if the speed (not amount) of showtime was connected with the player's attributes and positional comfort/experience. Offensively, I think Showtime should be something that can be earned by starting a hot streak, not something that can be used once a game even when your player is in the midst of a big slump. Going 3 for 3 to start a game it make sense for Showtime to become available to use as your player is locked in, not so much if they are 0 for 3 with 3 Ks. There are other possible situations that could be used for Showtime such as if your player is facing a pitcher/team that he has had success against in the past. I think it makes sense to have separate hitting and fielding Showtime meters, with fielding always being present and based on attributes and hitting becoming available only when performance or situation dictates. Perks are definitely more arcade as they heavily dictate outcomes, but it is kind of relatable to something I have wanted to see for a while which is player "cards"/traits (like in Fifa and PES) to really add individuality to players with things such as acrobatic throw, leaping catch, crowd the plate, clubhouse leader, pinch hit hero, fan favorite, quick pick-off, etc. Both Showtime and Player Perks/traits are exciting new concepts, and I think in the future they can be adapted to work in modes outside of just Road to the Show and actually help add to the overall realism and strategy of the game and not just be something that makes RTTS more arcadey.

Pretty much this.

# 18 p00p1 @ 02/15/16 03:38 PM

As far as I can tell, this is the only series that doesn't have robust career stat tracking for all players, not just for single Road to the Show players.

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