A Franchise Gamer Torn

[BZito75]

Hi all, I'm sitting here and trying to come to some sort of a logical decision. I am a religious offline franchise gamer. This year, the franchise is completely broken for me... Over the top unrealistic trades, budgets being almost doubled. I still have 13 and I'm installing it as I type this. I thought maybe just do a fantasy draft and look past it all, but even that the CPU doesn't field a true 25 man team (3 catchers and no other backups with 15 pitchers).

My question is, do I jump back to 13? I'm buying a ps4 in August, but by then I'll have madden and mlb usually takes a back seat for me. Or do I start a franchise in 14 and cloud save it to transfer over when I get the 4.

Edit: and special thanks to ktd1976. Saved 14 for me

This takes about an hour to an hour and a half to do

1- Start a new franchise & load your saved roster
2- Chose your team and pick the first created profile (manual everything)
3- Check the remaining teams with the CPU profile you created
4- Set each teams MLB 25 man roster
7- End Spring Training
8- Go into your CPU profile and change the mode specific settings to what I have below.

Here is how I have it set up for the 29 CPU teams right now on their profile:

*Note: this is how it should look AFTER you click end spring training*

Lineups/rotations: auto
40 man: auto
Roster mover: auto
Scouting: auto
Waivers: Manual (this eliminates guys like Chris Davis put on trade waivers)
Drafting: USER PREFERENCE
Injury mgmt: auto
Trades: auto (will monitor each team as a commish, step in when needed)
Free agency: manual
Contracts: manual


Credit to ktd1976 for the below information and walk through:

Ok, so I did a little testing, and it seems the "FIX" is even easier, at least for me. I can live with the contracts the CPU gives to the arbitration eligible, and contract renewable players (those ones not yet eligible for free agency) if I get a realistic Free Agent market.

30 Team Control is still needed.

What you do, is when the off season hits, set the profile for the other 29 teams (or the teams you wish to not control) to everything auto, except Free Agency, and Contracts.

Now, sim until the day before the last day of exclusive negotiations with your current free agents (marked on the schedule by a star). Now, on the CPU teams profiles, switch Free Agency, and Contracts back to Auto, and sim through that last day of exclusivity. (after you have made qualifying offers, and such for your team of course).

Now, when you look at the Free Agency market, you will see a realistic amount of players hitting the market. Some will already have offers from their respective teams, some will not. Teams will have signed some of their impending free agents, but not all.

Remember, with 30 team control, even with everything set to auto, if you see a team offering a player a contract that they realistically shouldn't, you can go to that team, and withdraw the offer.

Keep in mind, the problem really isn't with the signing of the players not eligible for free agency yet, but rather with the teams having enough budget room to sign ALL their players who can be free agents, thus limiting the free agent market. By only giving these teams 2 days to do this, instead of 5, it leads to more players hitting the open market, while still receiving offers from their old club. These teams still can, and will negotiate conracts, renew contracts, and offer arbitration to their players who aren't eligible for free agency.

[Mrmagoo]

If it was me I'd stick with 13 on ps3, especially if your not getting a ps4 till August. that coupled with you being more into Madden by the, I think your doing the right thing. Well not the right thing, but the same thing I'd probably do.

[Tarheels153369]

Yes, I'd like some thoughts on this issue too. I just got the game, was very excited to get deep into a 30 team control franchise but now from the sounds of things it doesn't seem like franchise mode is playable past 2-3 seasons.

Is there some kind of work around that people have found to make franchise useable? Is it possible (and still enjoyable) to just have self imposed budgets for all teams and do all team's free agent signings manually?

Even if I just do one season that would be ok but I don't want to have to manually adjust each team's lineups all the time. Is the AI lineup logic that broken that it makes it frustrating to play even just 1 season?

[BZito75]

The lineup logic isn't that bad in 14, it was horrendous in 13.... I'm reading about 30 team control and I'm going to give it a solid try before I decide to trade it in and just run with 13.

You don't have to manually adjust each teams lineup and rotation, you can have that set to auto. The main issues are seeing someone like Brian McCann traded 3 times in 2 weeks and Matt Harvey signing a 7 year deal worth 2 mil per year.

Here is what I'm going to attempt:
1- pick a team, control every aspect of that team.
2- control all trades of the other 29 teams, making realistic but not IRL trades based on where they are in the standings. Or keeping trades on auto and playing the role of commish, if someone,offers 3 d potential guys for Tanaka? I'll veto it.
3- when the offseason comes, make realistic signings and resignings for each team. So if a guy like Harvey has an expired contract, I'll sign him for a competitive deal (7 years, 120 mil) for example.

Is it a lot of work? Yes, but if this is the preemptive workaround for now, I'll do it. I love the game too much to not play it.

[ktd1976]

I posted this in the other thread about the Franchise Budgets. It's a possible, yet untested workaround. I will report back after I test it more.

Ok, Now I completely get the issue. However, after brainstorming a little bit, there may be an easier fix then completely doing everything for each team manually.

30 team control will still be necessary. However, because we can change the settings at any time, as to what the CPU handles, and doesn't handle, try this.

At the start of EACH period (IE resigning, conract renewal period, etc., set things to auto for a couple days, then back to manual. I think the "CPU" teams will offer SOME, but not ALL players contracts, and then once you set it to manual, they will stop. This will lead to players still hitting the open market.

Then, once free agency starts, simply set conracts back to auto, and the CPU teams will sign free agents.

Keep in mind, that once the renewal period hits, these teams with the setting on AUTO will simply renew the contracts of those players, instead of offering them longer term contracts (I think)

Not sure if this will work completely. I will test it a bit later, and report back.

Just a thought. If it works, it could be a life saver, until a patch hits (if it does)

[BZito75]

I 100% agree and thank you for replying in here! What I'm also reading is it may be linked to teams with players in arbitration? Not quite sure if that has anything to do with it but maybe it does.... Well 30 team control it is.... I definitely don't want to make this another thread about this bug, lord knows there's plenty of those threads already. Just like knowing there's enough awesome people on this thread dedicated to putting together something til the good folks at SCEA help us out.

[Tarheels153369]

Yea I'm not trying to make any complaints or highlight any bugs, just want to figure out how people are dealing with it and making their franchises work. I think playing commish on trades and maybe stepping in to make a couple realistic deadline deals is do-able.

I like your idea KTD. Not only is allowing for some automated CPU decisions going to be a big time saver, it will also add to the random aspect of the franchise, and that always makes it more interesting/difficult for the user team. So it would be awesome to hear what you find from your tests on that method.

An odd thing I've noticed is that although the budgets increase teams never use it all. The Astros have gone up to $90,000,000 after two overachieving years but only have $40,000,000 payroll, the A's budget ahs gone way up but they're still playing Beane ball sitting just under $70,000,000 and the Dodger's budget is over $200,000,000 but their payroll is only just over $100,000,000. So the budget issue may not actually end up being that big of an issue.

[sxaalex]

Quote: Originally Posted by BZito75

I 100% agree and thank you for replying in here! What I'm also reading is it may be linked to teams with players in arbitration? Not quite sure if that has anything to do with it but maybe it does.... Well 30 team control it is.... I definitely don't want to make this another thread about this bug, lord knows there's plenty of those threads already. Just like knowing there's enough awesome people on this thread dedicated to putting together something til the good folks at SCEA help us out.

That one of the reason why i made multiple threads. Not too many are aware of this issue.Either there are content with just playing exhibition games,online games or Rtts.I think someone should tried to contact scea devs regarding the issue.Since they issue a fix for the pervious patch.I doubt there looking it since they have other issue to address.Another thread should be created for alternative ways to combat Franchise issue until another patch which i doubt.