MVP 2005 - It ships today - Page 5

RainRaven · 02-28-2005, 08:55 PM

Any takers on a game tonight?

hukarez · 02-28-2005, 09:23 PM

I would, but I've got to re-do my entire entertainment system setup here. For some unknown reason, my blasted hub won't work with my Xbox unless I go directly to the jack itself. Of course, my router's located somewhere else...but I'll have to figure something out. Maybe I'll have to invest in one of those Wireless things they've got going on now? Though, I'm curious about the stability (and speed) of online gaming with those things...

INDalltheway · 02-28-2005, 09:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hukarez

I would, but I've got to re-do my entire entertainment system setup here. For some unknown reason, my blasted hub won't work with my Xbox unless I go directly to the jack itself. Of course, my router's located somewhere else...but I'll have to figure something out. Maybe I'll have to invest in one of those Wireless things they've got going on now? Though, I'm curious about the stability (and speed) of online gaming with those things...

Mine has worked great! Took a while to figure out the damn thing, but once I did it has been great.

Eaglesfan27 · 02-28-2005, 09:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

I HATE sliders. Always have, always will. I would like all games to use difficulty settings, but that' s it. I know I'm in the minorty, but games back when sliders weren't a thought, have been more fun than today's console sports games that have tons of them to set. I'll take Sega Genesis Madden, NHL, or High Heat 2000-02 anyday over most of the games today - again console speaking.

I completed my 10th game yesterday night on All Star defaults, and here are my scores:

W 3-0
L 3-2
L 11-3
W 2-0
L 10-5
L 5-3
L 5-2
L 2-1
W 7-6
W 2-1

I can NOT be more happy with a game then this. The variety is unreal, especially for a default difficulty level. I've been tempted to say, lower the fielder's speed, but I'm not touching these things.. and may never have to. This game plays so well "out of the box" for me.

If you have a console, at least rent the game.

Todd

Todd, I couldn't agree more. I'm 5 games into my owner's mode and my scores are quite varied. I just finally had my first big offensive outburst against the Cardinals no less. I won 8-4. Matt Morris has a nasty curveball in the game. It kept fooling me, but he hung a fastball in the 5th inning which Lieberthal hit for my first non-Thome homer with 2 men on base. I also worked small ball for a run in the 6th. Then in the 8th, they brought on Ray King. Is he fat IRL? In the game, he looked quite portly. In any case, he only throws a 4 seam fastball, 2 seam fastball, and a slider. As a result, it was easy to guess what was coming and I finally had a string of hits. 7 hits and 4 runs in the inning before they finally yanked him. Lots of fun. I found myself sweating bullets every time Pujols came up (and I ended up walking him 3 times trying to pitch around him.)

I think it is very cool that it is hard to hit a guy who can throw 3 or 4 pitches for strikes but it becomes easier to hit a guy that only throws 1 or 2 pitches (unless he has a really great pitch as one of those 2.) Seems very realistic to me. Also, I've noticed that as my season progresses, my catcher is starting to fatigue quicker than my other position players (who are also getting slightly tired.) There are just so many little touches which are so nicely done.

MizzouRah · 02-28-2005, 10:17 PM

Funny you mentioned Ray King, he lost some weight in the offseason because he was tired of players calling him Burger King.

Someone on the radio asked him if he liked cheese burgers and he said, "If it comes from McDonalds, I love it." Funny stuff.

Just lost 1-0 in a pitchers duel with Sean Burnett of the Pirates and Mulder for my Cardinals. Since a lot of my batters are left handed, it's hard for me to turn on one from a left handed pitcher. I also had a few players who weren't happy with their current contracts.. boo hoo... but I did redo a few of my stars.

Todd

Eaglesfan27 · 02-28-2005, 10:58 PM

I just had an exciting game. I was starting my 5th starter, Brett Myers. The Cardinals were starting Jeff Suppan. Jeff was fooling me all game with good movement on his pitches and nibbling the corners. I gave up a 2 run homer to Pujols in the 5th inning as Myers made a bad mistake and hung one of his curveballs. Well, 2-0 in the 8th inning and Suppan was starting to tire, but since I had killed the bullpen in the last game they leave Jeff in. I get a base hit with Polanco pinch hitting for the pitcher. Then, I remember that Rollins likes to try to hit homers and I say what the heck, I'll look for one on the inside part of the plate. Sure enough, I get one and turn on it and barely hit it over the right field wall as it goes down the line.

They brought Isringhauser (sp?) on to pitch a perfect 9th, but they left him in the 10th and he started to tire. Finally, I laced 2 hits off him and than a 2 out walk. They left him in and Bobby Abreu got his first hit of the season for me with a 3 run homer double

They finally brought in Tavarez, but Thome knocked in Bobby to secure a 6-2 win. Such an exciting win.

I'm going to check out the manager mode now, as I want to play about 50% of my games and manage about 50% (it seems like a better option than just fast simming.)

Eaglesfan27 · 02-28-2005, 11:01 PM

Dola -

I love the little things in this game. I had my first broken bat single (least the first one I noticed) as well as the first time that the ball hit second base and took a very wierd (but realistic bounce.) I don't remember too many console baseball games that did the little details well like this one does.

MizzouRah · 02-28-2005, 11:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Dola -

I love the little things in this game. I had my first broken bat single (least the first one I noticed) as well as the first time that the ball hit second base and took a very wierd (but realistic bounce.) I don't remember too many console baseball games that did the little details well like this one does.

I was just shutout twice in a row by the Pirates.. I'm telling you, I'm going to get canned.

I know what you mean though, I'm STILL seeing different hits each game. I also HATE pitchers with a funny delivery. Just when you get used to a pitcher, they bring in a relief pitcher with a funky windup. Fools me all the time.

I'm ready to go to bed, but the home series vs the Cubs is due up next and I'm really eager for a win to get the owner off my ass.

Although the thought of hitting against that staff has me worried.

Todd

MizzouRah · 02-28-2005, 11:22 PM

dola,

One of my AAA pitchers just turned into a Top 100 prospect! I always check my minor leaguers to see who's doing what, and out of nowhere one of my AAA starters now has a Top 100 prospect graphic on his player card. Pretty neat.

Todd

hukarez · 02-28-2005, 11:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by INDalltheway

Mine has worked great! Took a while to figure out the damn thing, but once I did it has been great.

No lag issues at all? I'll take a look into this, though I'm told it's rather pricey. Been kind of debating between wireless controllers/headsets and a hub/router type bit for the Xbox as of late.

Eaglesfan27 · 02-28-2005, 11:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

I was just shutout twice in a row by the Pirates.. I'm telling you, I'm going to get canned.

I know what you mean though, I'm STILL seeing different hits each game. I also HATE pitchers with a funny delivery. Just when you get used to a pitcher, they bring in a relief pitcher with a funky windup. Fools me all the time.

I'm ready to go to bed, but the home series vs the Cubs is due up next and I'm really eager for a win to get the owner off my ass.

Although the thought of hitting against that staff has me worried.

Todd

I really should go to bed, but I have a series against the Braves coming up and I know that is going to get the fans pumped and we need it. We are currently 1.5 million in the red, and I'm going to lose this team if I can't get the finances turned around. I need to draw more than the 10,500 fans I've been averaging our first few games...

Also, I know people have been critical of the manage only mode, but I really like it. They seem to have fixed the bugs that were in it last year, and while it is simplistic it does exactly what I want. It allows me to quickly play 5 games while keeping control of who steals, who bunts, who comes in as a relief pitcher, etc etc. I just played 5 quick games and so far my team is 8-2. If we can turn around our finances over time, I think we are on track for a nice year. However, I did just lose Cory Lidle to an injury for a few weeks and I'm not sure how many hits I'll be able to absorb to my pitching staff.

Mr. Sparkle · 02-28-2005, 11:49 PM

All these glowing reviews and reccommendations made me order this for the PC. Havent had a non-text based PC game since the High Heat series a few years back. I am curious as to what controllers you all use/would reccommend, as I dont have one and dont really have any knowledge of whats out there.

FBPro · 02-28-2005, 11:58 PM

I think the MM is pretty good since I suck at actually playing the games out. It would be nice to be able to chose to watch the game graphically be played out in MM but I'm having fun with it anyway.

I will probably grab MLB 2006 and atleast give it a shot since it does have a graphical MM.

MizzouRah · 03-01-2005, 12:35 AM

I found my first gripe about MVP. Playing against the Cubs at home and Glendon Rusch is scheduled to start. Instead, they pitch Angel Guzman.. and although a good "future" prospect, Rusch's scounting report is great and he's 1-0 with a 2.39 era. The other four starters have 3 games each under their belt, so it's Rusch's turn. Why would they start this kid?

I did lose the game, but now Rusch is skipped in the order for no apparent reason at all. (scratches head)

Not to mention Rusch is a lefty, something the Cardinals always have trouble hitting.

Todd

Mr. Sparkle - I have the logitech cordless rumblepad 2 and played last year's version on the pc just fine.

RGunner · 03-01-2005, 12:54 PM

Awesome, was just playing against the Angels at home (Texas) and Carlos Delgado came up to chants of 'Overrated' lol thats great

CraigSca · 03-01-2005, 03:49 PM

Due to everyone's excellent reviews, I just picked this and Winning Eleven 8 up today for the PS2. Went to Gamestop and got MVP 2005 for free because of my trade-ins (NCAA 2005 got $11 while NHL 2002 got $.50 - ha!).

Now, the problem is getting my 6 year old away from the PS2 for a minute so I can load these babies up

.

SackAttack · 03-01-2005, 04:13 PM

I played a couple Owner Mode games last night. Apparently OM defaults to "Pro," which explains why I won 10 in a row. My 10th was against the Brewers, and I hit 6 HR in a 7-3 victory. Much as I love seeing Drew and Kent go back-to-back twice, that was the point when I felt like I had to check the difficulty level, and bumped it up to All-Star.

MUCH more challenging there, although I still won my 11th straight, 4-2. I had to work around a bases-loaded, 0 out situation in the 9th to do it though. Jeff Weaver managed to get the complete game and give Gagne his first day off in a week.

Eaglesfan27 · 03-01-2005, 06:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SackAttack

I played a couple Owner Mode games last night. Apparently OM defaults to "Pro," which explains why I won 10 in a row. My 10th was against the Brewers, and I hit 6 HR in a 7-3 victory. Much as I love seeing Drew and Kent go back-to-back twice, that was the point when I felt like I had to check the difficulty level, and bumped it up to All-Star.

MUCH more challenging there, although I still won my 11th straight, 4-2. I had to work around a bases-loaded, 0 out situation in the 9th to do it though. Jeff Weaver managed to get the complete game and give Gagne his first day off in a week.

Yeah, I had to switch it to All Star Mode. I'm still winning a lot (10-2 record) but the finances are tough.

SackAttack · 03-01-2005, 06:24 PM

Oddly, my finances have turned around since stepping up to All-Star. I went from about $1.9m in the hole to around $38k in the hole before my off day. I'm still really struggling to hit the ball on All-Star, though. Lots of grounders and popups, so I went and simmed a month just so I could try and get back in the black financially. We won an overwhelming majority of the games I simmed.

I may start a brand new owner mode career and just try to get the payroll under control before I start, and then play from All-Star from the beginning. See how that works out.

Eaglesfan27 · 03-01-2005, 06:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SackAttack

Oddly, my finances have turned around since stepping up to All-Star. I went from about $1.9m in the hole to around $38k in the hole before my off day. I'm still really struggling to hit the ball on All-Star, though. Lots of grounders and popups, so I went and simmed a month just so I could try and get back in the black financially. We won an overwhelming majority of the games I simmed.

I may start a brand new owner mode career and just try to get the payroll under control before I start, and then play from All-Star from the beginning. See how that works out.

What team are you using? My Phillies roster has a 116 million dollar annual salary cost which is making it hard for me to stay in the black at least initially.

SackAttack · 03-01-2005, 06:58 PM

The Dodgers. They started with a payroll of around $127 million, courtesy of Darren "Sinkhole" Dreifort and his $11m salary. I traded him, reworked a few contracts, and I'm sittin' on around $116m right now. Still losing money, but less of it.

Pumpy Tudors · 03-01-2005, 07:08 PM

I can't wait to head for home in about 20 minutes so I can get back into the game. I need to figure out how to get my Cardinals' finances under control. I don't think I'm going to mess with any contracts yet, but I'll explore trades. My major league roster is just so thin at the moment. Hector Luna is the only real utility man I have, and I don't have a real center fielder besides Edmonds (who has been injured for a week). I've been playing Roger Cedeno in center, and his speed is nice, but I'm sacrificing a bat. If I need a bat, I can move Pujols to left and play John Mabry at first, but then I would have to play Reggie Sanders in center, and I don't particularly want to do THAT. I think I'm going to have to bring up an outfielder and send Mabry down to Memphis for a couple of games until Edmonds comes back. I'll just let Pujols carry first base and try to fit the new guy in with Sanders and Cedeno. The only other OF I've got is So Taguchi, but I use him for pinch hitting only. Decisions, decisions...

Eaglesfan27 · 03-01-2005, 07:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SackAttack

The Dodgers. They started with a payroll of around $127 million, courtesy of Darren "Sinkhole" Dreifort and his $11m salary. I traded him, reworked a few contracts, and I'm sittin' on around $116m right now. Still losing money, but less of it.

Ouch!

Least my big ticket items are worth it (Abreu, Thome, and Wagner.)

MizzouRah · 03-01-2005, 09:05 PM

I signed RF Ellis Burks in my Cardinals dynasty and he's been good off the bench. I still can't hit very well on AS and I'm thinking about lowering the outfielders speed a tad as I think they get to too many balls that should be hits. I also think the baserunning speed needs to go up a tad.

I'm like 4-9 so far. Luna is down in AAA and Bo Hart is doing well.

Todd

illinifan999 · 03-01-2005, 09:08 PM

Yes! I'm up to level 3 seating just in time for my World Series run. Time to jack up the prices and rake in the dough.

Cuckoo · 03-01-2005, 09:25 PM

I just want to say for those who are interested in MLB 2k5 (formerly ESPN), you may want to reconsider. I picked it up today, and while it's a fine game, it has some serious roster issues in franchise mode. If you try to switch things around, move players to their correct teams, you will have massive errors. I'm searching various forums for workarounds and have found a couple things to try, but it's a big pain.

sooner333 · 03-01-2005, 10:28 PM

I'm 2-2 with the Giants (0-1 since upping to All-Star), just losing to the Rockies in the 11th because I accidently forgot I was pitching and threw a fat fastball down the middle with Benitez.

The good news is that I can trade some overpriced starters because I have pitchers in the minors out my ass. My payroll is below the 100 million mark at 97.4, so I may hold tight until I need to work out of a jam.

Also, do you guys just spend all of your money as soon as you get it, or do you save some? Right now I have some in reserves, like 900k.

RGunner · 03-01-2005, 10:38 PM

Another little but sweet feature, had a close play in a game against the Tigers, their manager comes out, and gets ejected for arguing, looked like he was about to hit the ump.

Eaglesfan27 · 03-01-2005, 10:47 PM

I haven't really found the outfielders to be too fast. I do find that they are overly dramatic in their catches at times and seem to lunge for the ball more than they need to do. However, Utley and Bell both hit a line of line drives that seem to be dropping in front of the outfielders just fine. If it is one of my big power hitters who hits it deep than I hit a lot of fly outs, however, if Rollins hits one deep in the air I can sometimes get doubles and triples since they play him shallow.

I just saw one of the coolest things yet in a game. I was in a 1-1 duel with the Braves in the 12th inning when Rollins hits a triple. The shortstop looked like he was arguing with the pitcher after that. So, the pitcher strikes out Lofton but Abreu hits a liner that Andrew Jones can't get to. Ball game over. Then, the Braves started arguing among themselves! Rafael was arguing with the relief pitcher who was arguing with the catcher. They were gesturing at each other when the cutscene ended. Very cool effect and after the game I notice their team chemistry is really starting to suffer.

MizzouRah · 03-01-2005, 11:29 PM

Yeah, I'm still on All Star defaults. I want at least 20-30 game played before I even think about changing anything. Now my biggest problem is baserunning.

Just had a 16 inning game vs the Cubs and had 2! players thrown out at home by Patterson. Damn, that kid has an arm!! Used up my whole bullpen and had to bring in Marquis who blew it in the top of the 16th on a Garciaparra single to score Hollensworth. Speed really matters in close games. I think I need to see who's in FA that has a ton of speed. The Cubs stole 4 bases on me.. of course Molina had the day off.

I *might* turn the pitch cursor completely off as now I have it on fade and I think I have a good "feel" pitching wise, then again I gave up 20 hits - in 16 innings.

Ya, defaults are working. Now I get Clemens and Oswalt.. goodie!!

Todd

samifan24 · 03-01-2005, 11:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cuckoo

I just want to say for those who are interested in MLB 2k5 (formerly ESPN), you may want to reconsider. I picked it up today, and while it's a fine game, it has some serious roster issues in franchise mode. If you try to switch things around, move players to their correct teams, you will have massive errors. I'm searching various forums for workarounds and have found a couple things to try, but it's a big pain.

Thanks for this tidbit. I've got a limited budget and am trying to decide between MVP and MLB2K5 and this just pushed me closer towards biting the MVP bullet. I hadn't heard much about the game, but I already know what MVP is like since I owned last year's version.

SackAttack · 03-02-2005, 12:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

I signed RF Ellis Burks in my Cardinals dynasty and he's been good off the bench. I still can't hit very well on AS and I'm thinking about lowering the outfielders speed a tad as I think they get to too many balls that should be hits. I also think the baserunning speed needs to go up a tad.

I'm like 4-9 so far. Luna is down in AAA and Bo Hart is doing well.

Todd

I may have to up mine, because anything in the gaps has been an automatic in-the-park homer (especially online).

SackAttack · 03-02-2005, 12:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sooner333

Also, do you guys just spend all of your money as soon as you get it, or do you save some? Right now I have some in reserves, like 900k.

Another reason I'm strongly considering starting owner mode over - I spent my early money on concessions, but when you only make about $30k/game on that, it probably makes more sense to invest it in seating, where you can get a couple of hundred thousand in revenue per game. You can get back in the black much quicker, and THEN worry about the extras.

Eaglesfan27 · 03-02-2005, 12:33 AM

Sack, I made the same mistake but am hoping I don't have to start over as we are now 12-2. However, it is hard for me to make money.

I just had my most exciting win yet. Playing the Mets, I gave up a 3 run homer to Beltran in the 8th to tie the game up. We then proceeded to have a 3-3 tie for 10 more innings. Finally in the bottom of the 18th, Rollins hit a walkoff homer. When I started owner mode, I picked the ball park with the shortest right field dimensions (with the big right field wall.) It is only 295 down the line. I think I made a good choice as it suits my lefty dominated lineup quite well. Rollins has 5 homers on the year thanks to that short right field line and Thome has 8 now. Rollins has also hit quite a few doubles off that wall.

Eaglesfan27 · 03-02-2005, 12:34 AM

Dola -

I think the concessions might not have been such a bad idea though because I think they might be tied into fan happiness? If that is true, the extras are worth it to at least maximize attendance with what seats I do have.

SackAttack · 03-02-2005, 01:05 AM

I only get about 60% attendance, and that's with concessions and lowered ticket prices. My thought is, if you add the more expensive seating, your ticket revenue will grow faster, which should allow you to quickly add concessions. The concessions don't seem to maximize attendance, though. Be honest, when was the last time you said "They have ice cream? I'm goin' to a ballgame."

MizzouRah · 03-02-2005, 07:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Sack, I made the same mistake but am hoping I don't have to start over as we are now 12-2. However, it is hard for me to make money.

I just had my most exciting win yet. Playing the Mets, I gave up a 3 run homer to Beltran in the 8th to tie the game up. We then proceeded to have a 3-3 tie for 10 more innings. Finally in the bottom of the 18th, Rollins hit a walkoff homer. When I started owner mode, I picked the ball park with the shortest right field dimensions (with the big right field wall.) It is only 295 down the line. I think I made a good choice as it suits my lefty dominated lineup quite well. Rollins has 5 homers on the year thanks to that short right field line and Thome has 8 now. Rollins has also hit quite a few doubles off that wall.

Damn hitter's parks!

Todd

CraigSca · 03-02-2005, 08:08 AM

I'm probably years behind all of you, as the last MVP game I played was Triple Play - ha.

A few things - making the pitcher's pitch just like a golf game (or kicking in the football games) is a welcome addition. Adds a degree of difficulty that I had never seen before and obviously greatly increases the chances of serving up a fat pitch (which I did ad nauseum last night in my first two games).

I'm finding hitting next to impossible (on the pro difficulty). I can get a single an inning, but can't do a thing beyond that (have yet to hit any extra base hits). I'm finding it hard to estimate whether an incoming pitch will be a ball or a strike - by the time I make my decision I'm about 45 minutes behind on my swing. Is this something you eventually pick up, or am I doomed to just hack away on every pitch (note: I went up against Peavey and the Padres in my first game and Johan Santana in my second)?

As eveyone else has said, however, the presentation, the cut-aways, etc., are incredible and really draw you into the game. After playing Triple Play years ago I had given up on the franchise. I am very pleasantly surprised by MVP and have a renewed interest in console baseball games because of it.

Cuckoo · 03-02-2005, 09:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by samifan24

Thanks for this tidbit. I've got a limited budget and am trying to decide between MVP and MLB2K5 and this just pushed me closer towards biting the MVP bullet. I hadn't heard much about the game, but I already know what MVP is like since I owned last year's version.

I'm sort of in the same situation as you. I had purchased the ESPN one the past two years because of franchise elements, and I thought I'd do so again, especially once I rented MVP this year and couldn't really get into it. Don't get me wrong, the game play is outstanding, in my opinion, but I just couldn't get into the career stuff which is really what keeps me going.

So I picked up MLB2k5 yesterday. I haven't really had a chance to dive into it too much, and I'll post some thoughts once I do, but I should say that it's a good game. The gameplay is not that far behind MVP actually, and it has some neat things. Once I found a workaround for the roster issue, I have my franchise going. But, it's delicate as it's very easy to make a mistake and screw-up your line-ups again. It drives me nuts. One of the new features, the depth charts, is really cool, but every time I use it, it jacks up my line-ups again. So...

The biggest problem for me, and I can expand more once I've simmed through a season, is that it looks like MLB2k5 has removed the two things that I really liked from the last two year's versions: Rule 5 and waivers. Again, don't quote me on that, but I don't see it as yet.

I'll post more once I've had a chance to play it more.

(this is PS2 by the way)

Eaglesfan27 · 03-02-2005, 11:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SackAttack

I only get about 60% attendance, and that's with concessions and lowered ticket prices. My thought is, if you add the more expensive seating, your ticket revenue will grow faster, which should allow you to quickly add concessions. The concessions don't seem to maximize attendance, though. Be honest, when was the last time you said "They have ice cream? I'm goin' to a ballgame."

I'm only getting about 60% attendance as well with normal ticket prices and concessions. But, for a big game such as the Braves, I drew over 80% attendance. I also notice that my fan happiness meter has gone up slightly since I added concessions. However, it could also be going up because we are 12-2 so it is hard to say if concessions are worth it or not. My question would be, if fans aren't paying for the cheap seats, will they pay for the expensive seats?

Eaglesfan27 · 03-02-2005, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CraigSca

I'm probably years behind all of you, as the last MVP game I played was Triple Play - ha.

A few things - making the pitcher's pitch just like a golf game (or kicking in the football games) is a welcome addition. Adds a degree of difficulty that I had never seen before and obviously greatly increases the chances of serving up a fat pitch (which I did ad nauseum last night in my first two games).

I'm finding hitting next to impossible (on the pro difficulty). I can get a single an inning, but can't do a thing beyond that (have yet to hit any extra base hits). I'm finding it hard to estimate whether an incoming pitch will be a ball or a strike - by the time I make my decision I'm about 45 minutes behind on my swing. Is this something you eventually pick up, or am I doomed to just hack away on every pitch (note: I went up against Peavey and the Padres in my first game and Johan Santana in my second)?

As eveyone else has said, however, the presentation, the cut-aways, etc., are incredible and really draw you into the game. After playing Triple Play years ago I had given up on the franchise. I am very pleasantly surprised by MVP and have a renewed interest in console baseball games because of it.

I was in the same boat when I started playing. What I did was play the mini-hitting game for a few hours which helped me quite a bit. Then, I played about 10 exhibition games. By the end of that I was really starting to hit well. Now, I find myself generally able to hit quite well with the Phillies and I'm averaging about 9 to 10 hits and 3 to 4 runs per game.

A few thoughts/tips:

It's essential to be patient, and look for a pitch in a specific part of the zone. For example, Rollins and Lofton have such good speed that I look for something down low and usually try to hit grounders (Unless I'm going for a homer down the very short right field line at my park.) Utley is amazing at hitting liners back up the middle so I look for something either high or in the middle of the zone. For Thome, I just wait and wait for an inside pitch that he can pull and yank out of the park. I still have trouble when different pitchers come in for relief and have funky deliveries, but my hitting has improved greatly over the past 10-20 games. It will take time and patience to develop.

SackAttack · 03-02-2005, 12:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

I'm only getting about 60% attendance as well with normal ticket prices and concessions. But, for a big game such as the Braves, I drew over 80% attendance. I also notice that my fan happiness meter has gone up slightly since I added concessions. However, it could also be going up because we are 12-2 so it is hard to say if concessions are worth it or not. My question would be, if fans aren't paying for the cheap seats, will they pay for the expensive seats?

You won't sell 'em out, but any revenue you get from them will get you back in the black enough to buy concessions and the like.

Eaglesfan27 · 03-02-2005, 05:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SackAttack

You won't sell 'em out, but any revenue you get from them will get you back in the black enough to buy concessions and the like.

Darn it.. you are convincing me. I really don't want to have to start over as I'm doing so well in regards to my season record. I think I will try to save up and buy extra seats as soon as possible, but hope that I can do so in this current career at some point (maybe with extra playoff money?)

Lonnie · 03-02-2005, 05:23 PM

Well, I just played the All-Stars game and am 6 million in the hole with the Rangers. That's after trading Chan Ho Park off as well, so I think I'm starting over and buying seats this time as well. At least I have a lot more experience now.

Sharpieman · 03-02-2005, 05:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CraigSca

Due to everyone's excellent reviews, I just picked this and Winning Eleven 8 up today for the PS2. Went to Gamestop and got MVP 2005 for free because of my trade-ins (NCAA 2005 got $11 while NHL 2002 got $.50 - ha!).

Now, the problem is getting my 6 year old away from the PS2 for a minute so I can load these babies up

.

WE8 and MVP are the only games I play for PS2 anymore, when I'm away from FM of course.

Sharpieman · 03-02-2005, 05:33 PM

BTW I haven't played Owner mode yet, how fun is that?

SackAttack · 03-02-2005, 05:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Darn it.. you are convincing me. I really don't want to have to start over as I'm doing so well in regards to my season record. I think I will try to save up and buy extra seats as soon as possible, but hope that I can do so in this current career at some point (maybe with extra playoff money?)

Maybe, but the problem is, you have expenditures every day, and you only get revenue on the days you're at home. That's one thing that MVP doesn't model, is the road team's share of attendance revenue, so you're dependent on your homestands to keep you in the black.

That's what's been happening to me. I'll get within just a few thousand dollars of the break-even point, and then go on a 10 game road trip, come back, and be $1.8 million in the hole again. That $30-40k/game for concessions and souvenirs is nice, but let's say I add 5,000 seats that sell for $75 apiece. If I only sell half of those seats every game - that's a lower percentage than the 60% I've been getting from my regular seats - then I'm making an extra $187,500 every game from the added attendance. That's almost a week's worth of concessions, and over, say, a 7 game homestand, the difference is $1,312,500 vs $280,000. That extra milllion makes a difference, and can easily be reinvested into the concessions.

Concessions are important for happiness, and you want them as soon as possible, but it's more cost-effective to get the seats in place quickly so you can benefit from the larger revenue streams and THEN reinvest that into the other perks, like concessions, souvenirs, and home run celebrations.

Eaglesfan27 · 03-02-2005, 06:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SackAttack

Maybe, but the problem is, you have expenditures every day, and you only get revenue on the days you're at home. That's one thing that MVP doesn't model, is the road team's share of attendance revenue, so you're dependent on your homestands to keep you in the black.

That's what's been happening to me. I'll get within just a few thousand dollars of the break-even point, and then go on a 10 game road trip, come back, and be $1.8 million in the hole again. That $30-40k/game for concessions and souvenirs is nice, but let's say I add 5,000 seats that sell for $75 apiece. If I only sell half of those seats every game - that's a lower percentage than the 60% I've been getting from my regular seats - then I'm making an extra $187,500 every game from the added attendance. That's almost a week's worth of concessions, and over, say, a 7 game homestand, the difference is $1,312,500 vs $280,000. That extra milllion makes a difference, and can easily be reinvested into the concessions.

Concessions are important for happiness, and you want them as soon as possible, but it's more cost-effective to get the seats in place quickly so you can benefit from the larger revenue streams and THEN reinvest that into the other perks, like concessions, souvenirs, and home run celebrations.

I've definitely noted the problem of not getting revenue (except for media contracts and such) on away games. I'm also getting close to breaking even than going into the red with away games. I'm just hopeful, we can start selling out our 20,000 seats later in the year as we keep winning and eventually get into the black. I do agree that I need to invest in more seating as soon as possible, I just hope that I can somehow make money without restarting the game.

As far as the question about how fun is owner mode, I think it is very fun despite my potentially very poor decisions at the beginning of my first owner mode career.

sooner333 · 03-02-2005, 09:42 PM

You could sell your consession stands, then buy the seats instead of starting over.

Eaglesfan27 · 03-02-2005, 09:44 PM

You only get back a portion of the money. A rather small portion (it looks like 30% right now for me.)

Also, am I mistaken or are my stands going to sell out of items over a period of time. If they do, am I going to have to buy more supplies for the stands? It looks that way from one of the screens where it says I had 9600 hats or something like that and 44% of them are sold!

02-28-2005, 08:55 PM	#201
RainRaven High School JV Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Baltimore, Maryland	Any takers on a game tonight? __________________ "It can't rain all the time"-The Crow

02-28-2005, 09:23 PM	#202
hukarez College Starter Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Chula Vista, CA	I would, but I've got to re-do my entire entertainment system setup here. For some unknown reason, my blasted hub won't work with my Xbox unless I go directly to the jack itself. Of course, my router's located somewhere else...but I'll have to figure something out. Maybe I'll have to invest in one of those Wireless things they've got going on now? Though, I'm curious about the stability (and speed) of online gaming with those things... __________________ ...what we have here is a man who looks like Tarzan, but fights like Jane! My VG collection \| Xbox 360 Gamertag: ManThol \| PS3 Network ID: hukarez Doce Pares International - San Diego Council Filipino Martial Arts Digest tweet tweet twitter

02-28-2005, 10:58 PM	#206
Eaglesfan27 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: New Jersey	I just had an exciting game. I was starting my 5th starter, Brett Myers. The Cardinals were starting Jeff Suppan. Jeff was fooling me all game with good movement on his pitches and nibbling the corners. I gave up a 2 run homer to Pujols in the 5th inning as Myers made a bad mistake and hung one of his curveballs. Well, 2-0 in the 8th inning and Suppan was starting to tire, but since I had killed the bullpen in the last game they leave Jeff in. I get a base hit with Polanco pinch hitting for the pitcher. Then, I remember that Rollins likes to try to hit homers and I say what the heck, I'll look for one on the inside part of the plate. Sure enough, I get one and turn on it and barely hit it over the right field wall as it goes down the line. They brought Isringhauser (sp?) on to pitch a perfect 9th, but they left him in the 10th and he started to tire. Finally, I laced 2 hits off him and than a 2 out walk. They left him in and Bobby Abreu got his first hit of the season for me with a 3 run homer double They finally brought in Tavarez, but Thome knocked in Bobby to secure a 6-2 win. Such an exciting win. I'm going to check out the manager mode now, as I want to play about 50% of my games and manage about 50% (it seems like a better option than just fast simming.) __________________ Retired GM of the eNFL 2007 Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles (19-0 record.) GM of the WOOF 2006 Doggie Bowl Champion Atlantic City Gamblers. GM of the IHOF 2019 and 2022 IHOF Bowl Champion Asheville Axemen.

02-28-2005, 11:01 PM	#207
Eaglesfan27 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: New Jersey	Dola - I love the little things in this game. I had my first broken bat single (least the first one I noticed) as well as the first time that the ball hit second base and took a very wierd (but realistic bounce.) I don't remember too many console baseball games that did the little details well like this one does. __________________ Retired GM of the eNFL 2007 Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles (19-0 record.) GM of the WOOF 2006 Doggie Bowl Champion Atlantic City Gamblers. GM of the IHOF 2019 and 2022 IHOF Bowl Champion Asheville Axemen.

02-28-2005, 11:49 PM	#212
Mr. Sparkle High School JV Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: San Francisco	All these glowing reviews and reccommendations made me order this for the PC. Havent had a non-text based PC game since the High Heat series a few years back. I am curious as to what controllers you all use/would reccommend, as I dont have one and dont really have any knowledge of whats out there. __________________ I hope life isn't a joke, because I don't get it

02-28-2005, 10:17 PM	#205
MizzouRah Hall Of Famer Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Troy, Mo	Funny you mentioned Ray King, he lost some weight in the offseason because he was tired of players calling him Burger King. Someone on the radio asked him if he liked cheese burgers and he said, "If it comes from McDonalds, I love it." Funny stuff. Just lost 1-0 in a pitchers duel with Sean Burnett of the Pirates and Mulder for my Cardinals. Since a lot of my batters are left handed, it's hard for me to turn on one from a left handed pitcher. I also had a few players who weren't happy with their current contracts.. boo hoo... but I did redo a few of my stars. Todd

02-28-2005, 11:22 PM	#209
MizzouRah Hall Of Famer Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Troy, Mo	dola, One of my AAA pitchers just turned into a Top 100 prospect! I always check my minor leaguers to see who's doing what, and out of nowhere one of my AAA starters now has a Top 100 prospect graphic on his player card. Pretty neat. Todd

02-28-2005, 11:58 PM	#213
FBPro College Starter Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: SE	I think the MM is pretty good since I suck at actually playing the games out. It would be nice to be able to chose to watch the game graphically be played out in MM but I'm having fun with it anyway. I will probably grab MLB 2006 and atleast give it a shot since it does have a graphical MM. __________________ GM RayCo Raiders-est. 2004-2012 Charter member of the IHOF-RayCo GM GM Tennessee Titans PFL 2011-2014 GM Tennessee Titans FOWL 2020-2025

03-01-2005, 12:35 AM	#214
MizzouRah Hall Of Famer Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Troy, Mo	I found my first gripe about MVP. Playing against the Cubs at home and Glendon Rusch is scheduled to start. Instead, they pitch Angel Guzman.. and although a good "future" prospect, Rusch's scounting report is great and he's 1-0 with a 2.39 era. The other four starters have 3 games each under their belt, so it's Rusch's turn. Why would they start this kid? I did lose the game, but now Rusch is skipped in the order for no apparent reason at all. (scratches head) Not to mention Rusch is a lefty, something the Cardinals always have trouble hitting. Todd Mr. Sparkle - I have the logitech cordless rumblepad 2 and played last year's version on the pc just fine.

03-01-2005, 12:54 PM	#215
RGunner High School JV Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Fort Worth, Texas	Awesome, was just playing against the Angels at home (Texas) and Carlos Delgado came up to chants of 'Overrated' lol thats great

03-01-2005, 03:49 PM	#216
CraigSca Pro Starter Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Not Delaware - hurray!	Due to everyone's excellent reviews, I just picked this and Winning Eleven 8 up today for the PS2. Went to Gamestop and got MVP 2005 for free because of my trade-ins (NCAA 2005 got $11 while NHL 2002 got $.50 - ha!). Now, the problem is getting my 6 year old away from the PS2 for a minute so I can load these babies up . __________________ She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah! She loves you, yeah! how do you know? how do you know?

03-01-2005, 04:13 PM	#217
SackAttack Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Green Bay, WI	I played a couple Owner Mode games last night. Apparently OM defaults to "Pro," which explains why I won 10 in a row. My 10th was against the Brewers, and I hit 6 HR in a 7-3 victory. Much as I love seeing Drew and Kent go back-to-back twice, that was the point when I felt like I had to check the difficulty level, and bumped it up to All-Star. MUCH more challenging there, although I still won my 11th straight, 4-2. I had to work around a bases-loaded, 0 out situation in the 9th to do it though. Jeff Weaver managed to get the complete game and give Gagne his first day off in a week.

03-01-2005, 06:24 PM	#219
SackAttack Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Green Bay, WI	Oddly, my finances have turned around since stepping up to All-Star. I went from about $1.9m in the hole to around $38k in the hole before my off day. I'm still really struggling to hit the ball on All-Star, though. Lots of grounders and popups, so I went and simmed a month just so I could try and get back in the black financially. We won an overwhelming majority of the games I simmed. I may start a brand new owner mode career and just try to get the payroll under control before I start, and then play from All-Star from the beginning. See how that works out.

03-01-2005, 06:58 PM	#221
SackAttack Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Green Bay, WI	The Dodgers. They started with a payroll of around $127 million, courtesy of Darren "Sinkhole" Dreifort and his $11m salary. I traded him, reworked a few contracts, and I'm sittin' on around $116m right now. Still losing money, but less of it.

03-01-2005, 07:08 PM	#222
Pumpy Tudors Bounty Hunter Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Pittsburgh, PA	I can't wait to head for home in about 20 minutes so I can get back into the game. I need to figure out how to get my Cardinals' finances under control. I don't think I'm going to mess with any contracts yet, but I'll explore trades. My major league roster is just so thin at the moment. Hector Luna is the only real utility man I have, and I don't have a real center fielder besides Edmonds (who has been injured for a week). I've been playing Roger Cedeno in center, and his speed is nice, but I'm sacrificing a bat. If I need a bat, I can move Pujols to left and play John Mabry at first, but then I would have to play Reggie Sanders in center, and I don't particularly want to do THAT. I think I'm going to have to bring up an outfielder and send Mabry down to Memphis for a couple of games until Edmonds comes back. I'll just let Pujols carry first base and try to fit the new guy in with Sanders and Cedeno. The only other OF I've got is So Taguchi, but I use him for pinch hitting only. Decisions, decisions... __________________ No, I am not Batman, and I will not repair your food processor.

03-01-2005, 09:05 PM	#224
MizzouRah Hall Of Famer Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Troy, Mo	I signed RF Ellis Burks in my Cardinals dynasty and he's been good off the bench. I still can't hit very well on AS and I'm thinking about lowering the outfielders speed a tad as I think they get to too many balls that should be hits. I also think the baserunning speed needs to go up a tad. I'm like 4-9 so far. Luna is down in AAA and Bo Hart is doing well. Todd

03-01-2005, 09:08 PM	#225
illinifan999 Pro Rookie Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: VA	Yes! I'm up to level 3 seating just in time for my World Series run. Time to jack up the prices and rake in the dough. __________________ Chicago Eagles 2 time ZFL champions We're "rebuilding"

03-01-2005, 09:25 PM	#226
Cuckoo College Starter Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmond, OK	I just want to say for those who are interested in MLB 2k5 (formerly ESPN), you may want to reconsider. I picked it up today, and while it's a fine game, it has some serious roster issues in franchise mode. If you try to switch things around, move players to their correct teams, you will have massive errors. I'm searching various forums for workarounds and have found a couple things to try, but it's a big pain. __________________ Commissioner - North American Football League Dallas Cowboys GM

03-01-2005, 10:28 PM	#227
sooner333 College Starter Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Norman, OK	I'm 2-2 with the Giants (0-1 since upping to All-Star), just losing to the Rockies in the 11th because I accidently forgot I was pitching and threw a fat fastball down the middle with Benitez. The good news is that I can trade some overpriced starters because I have pitchers in the minors out my ass. My payroll is below the 100 million mark at 97.4, so I may hold tight until I need to work out of a jam. Also, do you guys just spend all of your money as soon as you get it, or do you save some? Right now I have some in reserves, like 900k.

03-01-2005, 10:38 PM	#228
RGunner High School JV Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Fort Worth, Texas	Another little but sweet feature, had a close play in a game against the Tigers, their manager comes out, and gets ejected for arguing, looked like he was about to hit the ump.

03-01-2005, 10:47 PM	#229
Eaglesfan27 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: New Jersey	I haven't really found the outfielders to be too fast. I do find that they are overly dramatic in their catches at times and seem to lunge for the ball more than they need to do. However, Utley and Bell both hit a line of line drives that seem to be dropping in front of the outfielders just fine. If it is one of my big power hitters who hits it deep than I hit a lot of fly outs, however, if Rollins hits one deep in the air I can sometimes get doubles and triples since they play him shallow. I just saw one of the coolest things yet in a game. I was in a 1-1 duel with the Braves in the 12th inning when Rollins hits a triple. The shortstop looked like he was arguing with the pitcher after that. So, the pitcher strikes out Lofton but Abreu hits a liner that Andrew Jones can't get to. Ball game over. Then, the Braves started arguing among themselves! Rafael was arguing with the relief pitcher who was arguing with the catcher. They were gesturing at each other when the cutscene ended. Very cool effect and after the game I notice their team chemistry is really starting to suffer. __________________ Retired GM of the eNFL 2007 Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles (19-0 record.) GM of the WOOF 2006 Doggie Bowl Champion Atlantic City Gamblers. GM of the IHOF 2019 and 2022 IHOF Bowl Champion Asheville Axemen. Last edited by Eaglesfan27 : 03-01-2005 at 10:48 PM.

03-01-2005, 11:29 PM	#230
MizzouRah Hall Of Famer Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Troy, Mo	Yeah, I'm still on All Star defaults. I want at least 20-30 game played before I even think about changing anything. Now my biggest problem is baserunning. Just had a 16 inning game vs the Cubs and had 2! players thrown out at home by Patterson. Damn, that kid has an arm!! Used up my whole bullpen and had to bring in Marquis who blew it in the top of the 16th on a Garciaparra single to score Hollensworth. Speed really matters in close games. I think I need to see who's in FA that has a ton of speed. The Cubs stole 4 bases on me.. of course Molina had the day off. I might turn the pitch cursor completely off as now I have it on fade and I think I have a good "feel" pitching wise, then again I gave up 20 hits - in 16 innings. Ya, defaults are working. Now I get Clemens and Oswalt.. goodie!! Todd

03-02-2005, 12:33 AM	#234
Eaglesfan27 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: New Jersey	Sack, I made the same mistake but am hoping I don't have to start over as we are now 12-2. However, it is hard for me to make money. I just had my most exciting win yet. Playing the Mets, I gave up a 3 run homer to Beltran in the 8th to tie the game up. We then proceeded to have a 3-3 tie for 10 more innings. Finally in the bottom of the 18th, Rollins hit a walkoff homer. When I started owner mode, I picked the ball park with the shortest right field dimensions (with the big right field wall.) It is only 295 down the line. I think I made a good choice as it suits my lefty dominated lineup quite well. Rollins has 5 homers on the year thanks to that short right field line and Thome has 8 now. Rollins has also hit quite a few doubles off that wall. __________________ Retired GM of the eNFL 2007 Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles (19-0 record.) GM of the WOOF 2006 Doggie Bowl Champion Atlantic City Gamblers. GM of the IHOF 2019 and 2022 IHOF Bowl Champion Asheville Axemen.

03-02-2005, 12:34 AM	#235
Eaglesfan27 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: New Jersey	Dola - I think the concessions might not have been such a bad idea though because I think they might be tied into fan happiness? If that is true, the extras are worth it to at least maximize attendance with what seats I do have. __________________ Retired GM of the eNFL 2007 Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles (19-0 record.) GM of the WOOF 2006 Doggie Bowl Champion Atlantic City Gamblers. GM of the IHOF 2019 and 2022 IHOF Bowl Champion Asheville Axemen.

03-02-2005, 01:05 AM	#236
SackAttack Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Green Bay, WI	I only get about 60% attendance, and that's with concessions and lowered ticket prices. My thought is, if you add the more expensive seating, your ticket revenue will grow faster, which should allow you to quickly add concessions. The concessions don't seem to maximize attendance, though. Be honest, when was the last time you said "They have ice cream? I'm goin' to a ballgame."

03-02-2005, 08:08 AM	#238
CraigSca Pro Starter Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Not Delaware - hurray!	I'm probably years behind all of you, as the last MVP game I played was Triple Play - ha. A few things - making the pitcher's pitch just like a golf game (or kicking in the football games) is a welcome addition. Adds a degree of difficulty that I had never seen before and obviously greatly increases the chances of serving up a fat pitch (which I did ad nauseum last night in my first two games). I'm finding hitting next to impossible (on the pro difficulty). I can get a single an inning, but can't do a thing beyond that (have yet to hit any extra base hits). I'm finding it hard to estimate whether an incoming pitch will be a ball or a strike - by the time I make my decision I'm about 45 minutes behind on my swing. Is this something you eventually pick up, or am I doomed to just hack away on every pitch (note: I went up against Peavey and the Padres in my first game and Johan Santana in my second)? As eveyone else has said, however, the presentation, the cut-aways, etc., are incredible and really draw you into the game. After playing Triple Play years ago I had given up on the franchise. I am very pleasantly surprised by MVP and have a renewed interest in console baseball games because of it. __________________ She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah! She loves you, yeah! how do you know? how do you know?

03-02-2005, 05:23 PM	#244
Lonnie High School Varsity Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Midlothian, TX	Well, I just played the All-Stars game and am 6 million in the hole with the Rangers. That's after trading Chan Ho Park off as well, so I think I'm starting over and buying seats this time as well. At least I have a lot more experience now. __________________ Lonnie

03-02-2005, 05:33 PM	#246
Sharpieman Greatly Missed. (7/11/84-06/12/05) Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Palo Alto, CA	BTW I haven't played Owner mode yet, how fun is that? __________________ Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.

03-02-2005, 09:42 PM	#249
sooner333 College Starter Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Norman, OK	You could sell your consession stands, then buy the seats instead of starting over.

03-02-2005, 09:44 PM	#250
Eaglesfan27 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: New Jersey	You only get back a portion of the money. A rather small portion (it looks like 30% right now for me.) Also, am I mistaken or are my stands going to sell out of items over a period of time. If they do, am I going to have to buy more supplies for the stands? It looks that way from one of the screens where it says I had 9600 hats or something like that and 44% of them are sold! __________________ Retired GM of the eNFL 2007 Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles (19-0 record.) GM of the WOOF 2006 Doggie Bowl Champion Atlantic City Gamblers. GM of the IHOF 2019 and 2022 IHOF Bowl Champion Asheville Axemen.

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