MLB The Show 16: Breaking Down the First Twitch Stream

[RaychelSnr]

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.

Read More - MLB The Show 16: Breaking Down the First Twitch Stream

[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.

[tessl]

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.

[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

[rick diesel]

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.

[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.

[tessl]

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.

[Jwine34]

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 .