What Does MLB 13 The Show Need to do Next Year to Satisfy Your Baseball Gaming Needs?

[pingponggame]

Is it me, or does it seem like off-line throws from infielders to 1st appear to be the norm, and accurate (chest level) throws happen rarely. Seems a bit silly as most major leaguers, when not rushed, are fairly accurate in their tosses across the diamond.
This may have been discussed before, not positive but figured i'd throw it out there as a simple observation i've noticed throughout the last few years. Getting this looked at would certainly be satisfying lol.

[BenGerman]

With The Show coming out in a couple months, and the info rolling in even sooner than that, I figured I'd get my final shots in as to what I'd like to see. Let me preface this by saying I understand some of my ideas aren't incredibly realistic, but I thought I'd put them on here anyway. I thought of ten things that I'll put in order for least to greatest interest I have in them being in the game.

Honorable Mention (RTTS Sim Line/Stats):

Okay, I lied, I actually have 11 things I wanted to mention. The first of which (and probably least important) would be adding a Sim Line for your RTTS when you're simming part of the game. I've always hated being pulled from a game for a pinch runner or a relief pitcher and then not knowing how your team is doing until after the game is over. 2K did it very well for a while, I'm not sure if they still do it or not.

One more thing for the Honorable Mention. Please add more Sabremetric stats!

10 (Winter Meetings):

It was nice to have a week where baseball is back in the spotlight in the middle of winter this past week, and it got me thinking that maybe MLB The Show could add something like a Winter Meeting kind of deal. Take one week of the offseason to choose a few players or GMs to meet with and then get a select number of shots to deal with them exclusively. Not likely to happen, but might add some spice to the offseason.

9 (Stadium Edit):

One of my biggest pet peeves is not being able to change the style of grass that my team is playing on in The Show. I'm not typically one of those guys to care about this kind of stuff, but I hate turning on my TV for a day full of baseball and seeing all of the fantastic yard work done on the fields and know that when I boot up my Franchise, I'll be playing in the same old grass style every game. On top of this, wouldn't it be great to be able to edit things like field size (make a really small ballpark or Petco v2?) and background?

8 (Be a Coach):

Obviously, this is something that has been mentioned before, so I won't get too into it. But I'd love to see a Be a Coach mode where the ability to be hired, fired, promoted, etc. is available. It would be neat if they stole a page out of NCAA's book (as long as this was the only page they stole) and made hitting and pitching coaches, or even the ability to be a minor league coach and just have it similar to RTTS in a sense you only have to play when you're needed.

7 (New Swing Animations):

This is something I call for every year, and am ignored almost every year. Finally, they added a few swing in last year but for the most part, it was just a few different sets of swing types. They have too many players using both hands on a follow through (especially to opposite field). Just 10 or 15 would be fine.

6 (Better Playoff Atmosphere):

This kind of ties into a few ideas I'll mention later, but it would be nice to have different commentary and perhaps different overlays for the playoffs.

5 (Round Up Show):

I've never understood why Round Up Shows kind of found there way out of sports gaming as soon as the new consoles hit. I've always found it hard to become immersed in my Franchise (outside of my team, that is) because I never really know whats going on in the league. Add just a five minute segment at the end of every week to review stats, moves made, and records/standings.

4 (Rework Drafting):

I suspect this will change next year after all of the griping this year, but the draft is the worst part of The Show, and I think SCEA knows it. Not only is it difficult to find anyone of any kind of use in the draft, more often than not, these players are picked at complete random. Not once did I see in my five year Franchise a guy have an impact on a team after being drafted. Most first rounders ended up with either D or F potential.

3 (Better FA Logic/Budgets):

Free Agency is kind of a bore in Franchise, because unless you do it all yourself, the CPU usually makes one offer and you can do whatever it takes to top their offer and be done with it. This especially hurts when there are no ramifications for over spending, because players seem to be largely underpaid and budgets rarely come into effect. I'm not sure I had a team hit their cap once.

2 (Trading/Trade Deadline):

The trade system needs to be completely overhauled. Not only does the CPU often accept/offer up bizarre trades, but there also is no back and forth. One of the best things about baseball is that every GM is trying to win with each and every single move. So when I offer up a guy like Will Myers, I want to be able to soak every last player out of the organization that I possibly can. As I've said before, even using 2K Basketballs trading system would be better. Have counter offers, and a trade finder.

Another thing would be to add drama into the Trading Deadline. Most years, there are only one or two moves made on the deadline in my Franchise. Teams should be more willing to make moves. Add more to the "buying" and "selling" idea that they've implemented.

1 (Dynamic Commentary):

It always hurts to be 3/4 of the way through the year, be in the middle of the playoff hunt, and not hear the announcers mention it once throughout an entire game. Or how about a player who is having an MVP type year? Was there a single game in the second half of the season where there was no talk of Mike Trout being a candidate for the Angels last year? Probably not. Commentary in general needs to get better next year, but since SCEA has promised to improve it, I feel pretty confident things will be better for '13.

[starryclub]

Overall atmosphere needs to be fixed. Ie, Play-off atmosphere. Teams that are way out of the play-offs have lower attendance should be reflected in the stands more.

I'd like to see Rain Delays whether before games, or mid game.

Line drives off the pitcher is too frequent, happened at least two times a game in MLB 12.

Maybe a Franchise overall, just a presentation change.

Manager arguments with the umpires. (Edit, apparently MLB won't allow)

Contract negotiations during the season*

Real updating scoreboard in Boston would be a nice touch.

Just a few things, I'd point out.

[dutch4404]

fixing the hit and run glitch in RTTS would be nice. also the pitch out glitch

[Knight165]

Quote: Originally Posted by BenGerman

With The Show coming out in a couple months, and the info rolling in even sooner than that, I figured I'd get my final shots in as to what I'd like to see. Let me preface this by saying I understand some of my ideas aren't incredibly realistic, but I thought I'd put them on here anyway. I thought of ten things that I'll put in order for least to greatest interest I have in them being in the game. Honorable Mention (RTTS Sim Line/Stats): Okay, I lied, I actually have 11 things I wanted to mention. The first of which (and probably least important) would be adding a Sim Line for your RTTS when you're simming part of the game. I've always hated being pulled from a game for a pinch runner or a relief pitcher and then not knowing how your team is doing until after the game is over. 2K did it very well for a while, I'm not sure if they still do it or not. One more thing for the Honorable Mention. Please add more Sabremetric stats! What is this RTTS you speak of? 10 (Winter Meetings): It was nice to have a week where baseball is back in the spotlight in the middle of winter this past week, and it got me thinking that maybe MLB The Show could add something like a Winter Meeting kind of deal. Take one week of the offseason to choose a few players or GMs to meet with and then get a select number of shots to deal with them exclusively. Not likely to happen, but might add some spice to the offseason. While I don't see it for '13....this is something that tbarnes19(Community Day attendee) is big on asking for...and AaronSCEA(who is the lead on franchise now) and LuisSCEA(the second in command! ) IMO is open to putting in. It would require reworking the off season portion of franchise, but I know the guys are willing to totally rework this mode(it will be piece by piece I would say rather than a TOTAL one shot overhaul) For now....I'd be happy with one thing for the off season....being able to trade players who are under team control, but have no contract(which is just the way the Show recognizes the player). But yes...this would be a nice inclusion for the game...and more feedback on what other teams are doing/looking for. 9 (Stadium Edit): One of my biggest pet peeves is not being able to change the style of grass that my team is playing on in The Show. I'm not typically one of those guys to care about this kind of stuff, but I hate turning on my TV for a day full of baseball and seeing all of the fantastic yard work done on the fields and know that when I boot up my Franchise, I'll be playing in the same old grass style every game. On top of this, wouldn't it be great to be able to edit things like field size (make a really small ballpark or Petco v2?) and background? Ha...okay....I would be for it. Why not? 8 (Be a Coach): Obviously, this is something that has been mentioned before, so I won't get too into it. But I'd love to see a Be a Coach mode where the ability to be hired, fired, promoted, etc. is available. It would be neat if they stole a page out of NCAA's book (as long as this was the only page they stole) and made hitting and pitching coaches, or even the ability to be a minor league coach and just have it similar to RTTS in a sense you only have to play when you're needed. DEFINITELY! Soon, I hope. 7 (New Swing Animations): This is something I call for every year, and am ignored almost every year. Finally, they added a few swing in last year but for the most part, it was just a few different sets of swing types. They have too many players using both hands on a follow through (especially to opposite field). Just 10 or 15 would be fine. Not my thing...but again...why not? 6 (Better Playoff Atmosphere): This kind of ties into a few ideas I'll mention later, but it would be nice to have different commentary and perhaps different overlays for the playoffs. I think this is coming. 5 (Round Up Show): I've never understood why Round Up Shows kind of found there way out of sports gaming as soon as the new consoles hit. I've always found it hard to become immersed in my Franchise (outside of my team, that is) because I never really know whats going on in the league. Add just a five minute segment at the end of every week to review stats, moves made, and records/standings. Your lips to God's ears. PREACH IT! (something tells me PS4 maybe... ) But this would do more to bring your franchise to life more than anything else IMO. Even if it was just a fake radio(podcast now I guess) playing in the franchise menus(the manage roster/lineup/make trade/FA signing) while you did things in your franchise. I'll keep asking for sure. 4 (Rework Drafting): I suspect this will change next year after all of the griping this year, but the draft is the worst part of The Show, and I think SCEA knows it. Not only is it difficult to find anyone of any kind of use in the draft, more often than not, these players are picked at complete random. Not once did I see in my five year Franchise a guy have an impact on a team after being drafted. Most first rounders ended up with either D or F potential. 3 (Better FA Logic/Budgets): Free Agency is kind of a bore in Franchise, because unless you do it all yourself, the CPU usually makes one offer and you can do whatever it takes to top their offer and be done with it. This especially hurts when there are no ramifications for over spending, because players seem to be largely underpaid and budgets rarely come into effect. I'm not sure I had a team hit their cap once. I think this is something that Aaron and Luis want to work on big time. This year ...I'm not sure. I do know they ALWAYS try and rework the logic(whether guys feel it's effective or not is another story ).... As far as team budget.....I must like to overpay my players...I run tight every year in my franchise. But I do wish the CPU was more aggressive and I also wish that the numbers offered(shown on the screen) were more of a guess than the actual number....so like you say it doesn't just boil down to topping the last offer from another team. 2 (Trading/Trade Deadline): The trade system needs to be completely overhauled. Not only does the CPU often accept/offer up bizarre trades, but there also is no back and forth. One of the best things about baseball is that every GM is trying to win with each and every single move. So when I offer up a guy like Will Myers, I want to be able to soak every last player out of the organization that I possibly can. As I've said before, even using 2K Basketballs trading system would be better. Have counter offers, and a trade finder. Another thing would be to add drama into the Trading Deadline. Most years, there are only one or two moves made on the deadline in my Franchise. Teams should be more willing to make moves. Add more to the "buying" and "selling" idea that they've implemented. I don't agree that it needs an overhaul.(I'm sorry...too many MLB trades leave some guys scratching their heads)....I'm all for tweaking the logic more and more though. I'm not saying that the trade logic is perfect, as I doubt it could ever be(or should be ....like I said...look at real life!) Trade and player finder would be nice though. 1 (Dynamic Commentary): It always hurts to be 3/4 of the way through the year, be in the middle of the playoff hunt, and not hear the announcers mention it once throughout an entire game. Or how about a player who is having an MVP type year? Was there a single game in the second half of the season where there was no talk of Mike Trout being a candidate for the Angels last year? Probably not. Commentary in general needs to get better next year, but since SCEA has promised to improve it, I feel pretty confident things will be better for '13. Yeah...I agree....I do want to hear mention of things that have already happened....mention Cy Young winners the following year....etdc.

That's a pretty long list.
But a pretty good one!

M.K.
Knight165

[sydrogerdavid]

Quote: Originally Posted by BenGerman

9 (Stadium Edit): One of my biggest pet peeves is not being able to change the style of grass that my team is playing on in The Show. I'm not typically one of those guys to care about this kind of stuff, but I hate turning on my TV for a day full of baseball and seeing all of the fantastic yard work done on the fields and know that when I boot up my Franchise, I'll be playing in the same old grass style every game. On top of this, wouldn't it be great to be able to edit things like field size (make a really small ballpark or Petco v2?) and background?

We used to be able to change the grass pattern back in MLB 2005. You would go into stadium upgrades, where you improve your field conditions, and for $50,000 you could choose from a couple of patterns, like checkerboard, vortex, spiral, and some others. I don't know when they took it out though.

[zippy2212]

Quote: Originally Posted by Knight165

That's a pretty long list. But a pretty good one! M.K. Knight165

This is a really good list. Some of which I think we'll see variations of this year. Anything they do to make franchise more in-depth is a huge win for me.

[BenGerman]

Quote: Originally Posted by Knight165

That's a pretty long list. But a pretty good one! M.K. Knight165

Knight, thanks for the feedback. It's a great time to be a baseball gamer! This is the only series where I feel confident year in and year out that I'll be content with the product that is given to me.

I saw a thread a few days ago about how much would you be willing to pay for a new game, and one of the options was $120. Well, MLB: The Show is the lone example in sports gaming of a game that is worth $120 to me.