I've Played 6 Full Seasons Of Franchise Mode. Here Are My Thoughts:

[BenGerman]

So six seasons may seem like a lot, and it is (probably the furthest I've ever gotten into a franchise), but I've had this one since day one of the next-gen release, and haven't looked back. I play 1 out of every 10 games, with a new starting pitcher every time. I take care of all GM duties, and I base most of my in-house decisions on how players are playing because of some things that I've noticed. Anyway, here are my thoughts on getting deep into a franchise, and just franchise mode in general:

- Six years in and about 50% of all teams have at least one or two "aces" with 90 ratings or above. About 25% (especially ones with large budgets) of teams have either 4 or 5 starting pitchers above 90, usually with one at 99.

- With that being said, there has been a statistical trend toward lower team ERA's. Which is fine, as that seems to be where the game is headed IRL right now, anyway.

- Most players seem to reach an arbitrary age, and their skills fall off of a cliff. Not every player, but most. I've seen players from from 95's to in the 60's in just a year or two. Not a huge deal on the surface, but it happens a lot.

- No players seem to have that kind of skill increase, either. Again, this is fine because ratings become a little inflated a few years in, anyway. But if you're looking for a Mike Trout emergence kind of thing, it's probably going to take a few years.

- Some players seem to have it, and others don't. Now this could be small sample size talking, but I've looked into this carefully. I have a pitcher who has floated between an 80-85 rating for the last four years. His combined ERA is 3.23. Good, right? I have have another pitcher who has been between a 90-95 in that same time span. His ERA? 5.07. The same goes with hitters, but to a lesser degree. Usually (since hitters have a wider sample size to work with), things even out.

- My absolute FAVORITE thing about franchise mode is the dynamic potential of prospects. It's a little wonky sometimes, but it usually leads to things being a lot more interesting.

- Free Agency seems hit or miss. Guys are asking for the right contracts, but they usually end up settling with the home team for MUCH less than they could have gotten elsewhere.

- Franchise desperately needs a trade finder, and some sort of counter offer system for the CPU.

- Speaking of trading, the logic is still pretty terrible. Relief Pitchers are way too overvalued. I've seen top fifty prospects (sometimes more than one) go for closers with bloated contracts. This is rare IRL, and even the best relievers (Soria, for example), only command a teams 3rd or 4th best prospect.

- Conversely, you can sometimes offer three top prospects for an elite player, and the CPU will deny it. Then, they'll turn around and trade that same player for a low rated relief pitcher.

Anyway, just some thoughts. The game is really great, and I think they've perfected the current core gameplay and franchise is fun. It may behoove SCEA to throw us a curveball or two next year just to change things up, but the game is just as fun as ever, IMO.

[WaitTilNextYear]

If they fix the night lighting in the PNC and Petco outfields, that would be good for Pirates fans and Padres fans (if any).

Would love to see them add commentary by home ballpark. I know, I know, it would not be easy. But, the variety would be amazing when going on a road trip and would definitely help more people get into year 6 like you have done here.

[BenGerman]

That's something I've thought about as well. I wonder how much it would cost to get all of the home booths into a studio a record for a couple of hours a piece. They would probably be happy to do it.

I guess the only way you could distribute that stuff would be as DLC, for maybe $5 a booth or $50 for all of them.

I don't think it's realistic, but given that the commentary has been such a huge complaint (and one of the few legitimate complaints about this game) for half a decade now, I feel like SCEA has something up their sleeves.

[LastActionHero]

Quote: Originally Posted by BenGerman

That's something I've thought about as well. I wonder how much it would cost to get all of the home booths into a studio a record for a couple of hours a piece. They would probably be happy to do it. I guess the only way you could distribute that stuff would be as DLC, for maybe $5 a booth or $50 for all of them. I don't think it's realistic, but given that the commentary has been such a huge complaint (and one of the few legitimate complaints about this game) for half a decade now, I feel like SCEA has something up their sleeves.

Yeah that would cost too much and takes too much time and since the classic stadium download pack a few years ago was never profitable for SCEA this will never happen.

[WaitTilNextYear]

Quote: Originally Posted by LastActionHero

Yeah that would cost too much and takes too much time and since the classic stadium download pack a few years ago was never profitable for SCEA this will never happen.

I'm certain that a commentary ala carte download would be a hot item and wayyyyy more popular than classic stadiums. I wouldn't rule it out based on that. If anything, logistics of just getting everyone in a booth is the hard part.

[PocosuTheCamel]

My brother and I always spend a great deal of time creating a fictionalized experience in sports games. We make huge edits to the rosters, and we have our own made-up players who we continually create every year. This year, since there is not yet a fictional roster base for us to use, and because we also wanted service time for our players, we decided to approach the game a little differently, so we simulated all the way to 2030 in a franchise, turned on player edits, and started editing away. Then we began playing.

My first discovery was... A majority of the pitchers are now throwing fastballs clocking in at the high 90s. Another thing I've noticed, which you've also pointed out, is the inconsistency of players in accordance to their rating. One of the pitchers that we create every year, by the name of Jim Boot, was a 24 year old rated 85 with A potential at the start of the season... We have yet to win a game as him... However, we can very easily win with our 79 overall pitcher Jack Goff, who is 30 years old with B potential.

These are not necessarily things which I am griping about, but I do find it to be interesting. Nevertheless, we've had great fun with it. It's a pushover when we actually come across a pitcher who throws 90 MPH fastballs now. Just takes a bit of adjusting. We just got to the All-Star Break.

[BenGerman]

Quote: Originally Posted by PocosuTheCamel

My brother and I always spend a great deal of time creating a fictionalized experience in sports games. We make huge edits to the rosters, and we have our own made-up players who we continually create every year. This year, since there is not yet a fictional roster base for us to use, and because we also wanted service time for our players, we decided to approach the game a little differently, so we simulated all the way to 2030 in a franchise, turned on player edits, and started editing away. Then we began playing. My first discovery was... A majority of the pitchers are now throwing fastballs clocking in at the high 90s. Another thing I've noticed, which you've also pointed out, is the inconsistency of players in accordance to their rating. One of the pitchers that we create every year, by the name of Jim Boot, was a 24 year old rated 85 with A potential at the start of the season... We have yet to win a game as him... However, we can very easily win with our 79 overall pitcher Jack Goff, who is 30 years old with B potential. These are not necessarily things which I am griping about, but I do find it to be interesting. Nevertheless, we've had great fun with it. It's a pushover when we actually come across a pitcher who throws 90 MPH fastballs now. Just takes a bit of adjusting. We just got to the All-Star Break.

Nice post. This is something I totally forgot to add. Almost every pitcher has a mid 90's fastball or higher after about four years. I think this could pretty easily be fixed by having velocity progress at a much slower rating than other stats.

[PocosuTheCamel]

Quote: Originally Posted by BenGerman

Nice post. This is something I totally forgot to add. Almost every pitcher has a mid 90's fastball or higher after about four years. I think this could pretty easily be fixed by having velocity progress at a much slower rating than other stats.

The ERA's are quite bloated as well... Which is strange, because the batting averages aren't too high. Although I have noticed a lot of HRs, but The Show has been like that for a while. I'm guessing that, for the hitters, it's either all or nothing. It's also worth noting that this year we are having the toughest time with our franchise. 11 games below .500 at the All-Star break, and we generally always play every sports game on the highest difficulty. What I like about this year's version of The Show the most, is that some days we will score 12 runs, and other days we can only muster 1 or 2. I thought that this felt very realistic.