Franchise question/discussion

[mav3rek]

So I'm a veteran video game player and veteran MLB game player. I mostly play sports games, but do enjoy lots of other titles that are not sports related.

Some background on my play style (TL;DR -- I never finish a season in MLB and am looking for suggestions.)

I have never, in my life, ever, finished a complete 162 game season. I usually try and play all 162, which is just nuts, I know, but I can't help it. I despise simming games, and simmed stats. I feel like if I'm playing a franchise I should control every aspect of it. If I lose a game because I strike out with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th, then so be it.

I don't want to win because the computer was able to get a hit in a situation that I didn't. I also don't want to get hosed by the computer sucking it up with a guy that I can hit with pretty well and end up losing out on a bunch of stats because the computer doesn't do well with him. (An example, in Spring Training I'm hitting almost .500 with Ivan DeJesus Jr. with him playing regularly and I'm 20+ games into spring. I'm sure the CPU would not have the same success.) So I feel like with simming I could either get some benefit from the CPU or be hurt by the CPU and my accomplishments would then feel diminished.

If I don't play every game and my team wins the World series, would it still feel the same? I never finish a season, so I never get into the free agents, and drafting and that whole aspect of the game and I really want to change that this year. So here's what I've come up with. I feel like there are basically 3 legit options for me.

1) Sim everything. Pick a team, and play the role of GM, draft/trade/sign FAs, etc, and not really worry with playing the actual game. I would maybe play a game here or there, but would basically just sim. This would assure of multiple seasons, etc.

2) I like the idea of play 1 sim 5, that way you get to play with each member of your rotation.

3) Suck it up and try like heck to play all 162.

What are your thoughts? Any other options I should consider? Do you guys get through multiple seasons, and if so... how? Do you feel cheated in any way?

Thanks for the input!

[TheMadleR]

I at least play the first game of every series and if it's a divisional series then I play at least 2 games most of the time I'll play three though. When it comes to the post season I play the first game and the series winning game or knockout game. Championship series and World Series I play every game. I try to manage the contracts of the most important players and players I expect to be apart of my teams future then I let the cpu handle the others, free agents I try to fill needs or acquire for trade bait. And in drafts I at least draft the first three rounds minimum.

[jada855]

I say go with option 3 only because I play Franchise mode 162 games each year since MLB 14.

I may have more incentive to play each game because I use player lock for my created virtual short stop. So I personally try to keep my stats up while playing on HOF.

Waiting on patches to fix this years franchise when importing from MLB 15 players get to scrambled. I took a bit of a pause on my MLB 15 season once I saw that's stat tracking was introduced in MLB 16.

Some tips on getting through the season use in game saves. This worked so well for my player locked SS in MLB 14 and MLB 15. They changed player lock in MLB 16 and the in games saves are fast forwarded to your next turn and do not pick up where you left off in the game.

[mlbshower15]

play one game a day like the real team and on the days where you know you can't play, then play an extra one the day before. works like a charm for me

[canes21]

I used to be like you and in every sports game I played every game. Simming was a big no-no. However, in recent years I finally gave simming a chance and it has grown on me. I didn't like it at first, but I stuck with it and now I sim in most of my sports games.

For me it adds a lot to this game. I can get through seasons quicker making my franchise go deeper. I can't just pick players I rake with and go with it. I play 1, sim 3 days, so I am simming a good portion of my season, so I also need to keep an eye on who is performing well in simulations. In my Oakland franchise last year I went down to the very last Spring Training game without knowing who would be rounding out my 25 man roster because the competitions were so close at every position. I didn't just do it based off of ratings, I did it based off of performance in played and simmed games. I ended up taking some guys that were a little worse ratings wise than other players, but they continued on to perform in the beginnings of the regular season.

When my team got hot I still felt accomplished because I felt my GM role was big in the simmed games and I felt pressure every time I was playing the game to keep up the streak. I didn't want to let the sim down in a way.

I would recommend playing and simming. Like I said, I do 1, sim 3 days(I would sim 3 games, but it's a 2 user franchise, so we sim 3 days so that off day differences doesn't lead to extra games being simmed for one party). You'll need to get used to it at first. You'll feel like the stats aren't yours, but then one moment it will click and you'll start feeling accomplished as the GM as well and you'll feel like the stats are those of YOUR team and whenever someone does well you will feel awesome for putting them in position to do well. There's nothing like calling up a young player that is hot in the minors and maybe isn't rated great, but he comes up and lights it up in the simmed and played games. You feel like an actual accomplished GM. Or going through Spring Training and taking a guy or two who shouldn't be there ratings wise, but they stay on your roster all season or for the majority of it because they just played well despite not having the "tools".

Also, simmed games just tend to have more variety in injuries which makes the GM role even more fun.

[TheWarmWind]

Hmm, might want to give player lock a try. Remember you can lock and unlock at will in game this year.

Have you also considered switching over to season for a reduced schedule?

There is also simming all defensive innings one game, then all offensive innings the next.

One that I personally want to try at some point is playing all rubber matches. So for three game series you only play the last game, and only if the series is tied. Always play 1 game in a 4 game series, and always play 1 game in a 2 game series.

I'm a 162 or bust guy personally, but I play year round, so I can do that.

[mav3rek]

After I wrote the original post, I almost didn't post it because I felt like I had my answer. Don't take that the wrong way, I appreciate all the input so far.

The farthest I have ever progressed in a franchise that I played every game, was sometime around mid-June I believe. I think that it just burned me out playing the exact same thing over and over, so here's what I'm thinking.

Why not do all 3?

I could do a sim-only franchise with a team that I don't usually play with and still enjoy the game that way. Just strictly be a GM and not play any or play very very few games.

I could also then do a play 1 sim however many, with a team that would be fun to play with that way. (I'm thinking Mets because it would be fun to pitch with that rotation.)

Then I can have my regular franchise where I try and play 162. (Probably my Red Legs, but the Rockies and Trevor Story are awfully tempting.)

I'm thinking that this will provide me with plenty of variety and may help prevent burn out. Then if I get bored and want to reboot a franchise, I don't have to start all over, I can just reboot either option 1 or 2, but still keep my 162 franchise.

Having the time to play is not an issue, so 3 franchises and just playing them on and off seems like a decent idea. I could also just keep my 162 franchise current with the real life team, that way I don't feel like I have to play 5 games in one day of all the same thing.

[canes21]

If you have the time then go for it. You may find you like one of the alternative ways more than you anticipated and start using that method more.