R.B.I. Baseball 16 News Post

R.B.I. Baseball 16 Available For Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, Android & iOS

02:29 AM - March 29, 2016 by jyoung

R.B.I. Baseball 16 is available now for PC (on Steam $19.99) Xbox One ($19.99), Android ($4.99) and iOS ($4.99) and should be available later today for PlayStation 4 ($19.99) users. Play a few games and post your thoughts!

UPDATE: It is now available for PlayStation 4 users.

Features

Make the play

Make the play with your favorite Major League Baseball team and win the World Series!

Feel the action

R.B.I. Baseball 16 features new fielding moves like dives, wall catches, pump-fakes and more!

New and Improved

R.B.I. 16 features enhanced lighting and graphics, revamped defensive AI and improved batting system.

Season

Track your season stats by team, player and league leaders across multiple seasons. Sim through games in Season mode!

Your Team, Your Way

Modify your lineup with complete MLB rosters or play classic R.B.I. Baseball 16-player rosters. Downloadable roster updates throughout the 2016 season.

Multiplayer

Take your skills to the next level and compete online (Console and PC versions only)

More Details

Defense: A redeveloped defensive AI will introduce new fielding capabilities including dives, wall catches, fake throws and more. This system will give users more control than ever before in making defensive plays.
Baserunning: Built in part from MLBAM's award-winning tracking technology, Statcast�, baserunners' abilities will be driven by on-field metrics from the 2015 MLB season.
Batting: An improved batting engine will feature variable perfect timing. For the best outcome, swing earlier on inside pitches and later on outside pitches.
Pitching: With a reworked pitching strategy AI, pitchers will play to their individual strengths. For example, a pitcher who features a wide range of velocity will mix speeds more often.
Season SIM: During season mode play, sim a game or multiple games to quickly advance through the season and into the postseason -- should the team win its division or earn a Wild Card spot.
Lineup: Modify a team's lineup pregame or in-game, including substitution strategies such as double switches. Lineups can be set from a franchise's 40-man roster or the game's classic 16-player rosters.
Graphics: All 30 MLB ballparks will feature a new lighting system based on actual geographic locations, field views and additional hi-resolution realistic design elements.

Game: R.B.I. Baseball 16Reader Score: Vote Now
Platform: Android / iOS / PC / PS4 / Xbox OneVotes for game: 0 - View All

R.B.I. Baseball 16 Videos

Member Comments

# 61 boomhauertjs @ 04/07/16 08:25 AM

I agree that I'm seeing pretty low offense overall. On medium, the computer rarely scores more than 1 or 2 runs and I usually only score 3 or less. I played one game on hard and the computer scored 6 (including the only homer they've hit against me), but I could only muster one run. I guess I need to play on medium until I get good enough at hitting to play on hard so that pitching will be a challenge.

# 62 MLBGames @ 04/07/16 10:05 AM

Thanks for the feedback guys!

Quote:


	In Season mode in the Standings the NL West and NL Central are swapped for each other.

A patch is on the way with a fix for this. We believe we may have improved the low bandwidth issue mentioned earlier in the thread as well.

Quote:


	would like a way to have runners hold while running on the line drives to the outfield

There is no manual control for this, but the AI is generally pretty good at detecting when to do this for you. Unfortunately, there is no indication - other than noticing that they are jogging, rather than an all out run - that they intend to stop at a distance where they can safely retreat if the ball is caught. Good feedback, thanks!

Quote:


	Arm strength of infielders seems a bit overpowered.

Thanks for pointing this out. It is on our radar that outfielders' arms may be too weak. So we will definitely need to keep an eye on the infielders if we make any throw power changes.

Quote:


	The pitcher perhaps comes off the mound a bit too fast to get to balls dribbled up the lines and has a rocket for an arm.

This bothers us too. The pitcher does have a longer reaction delay than all other fielders (he is following through on his pitch after all), but we agree that they are able to field those dribblers down the line too quickly. And the strong jump throws they make for these plays down the 3rd baseline are unrealistic. This is something that our AI system is not currently setup to be able to easily address. For the most part, the pitcher is treated the same as all other fielders. So it will require some structural changes (we don't like the outfielders doing those jump throws either). Pitchers with higher fielding ratings are particularly prone to this issue. Greinke is like a mongoose out there!

Quote:


	the first pitch after getting a runner on first the runner slowly takes a lead and this makes stealing tough

Another one that bothers us too, but requires structural changes to the animation system, so it is not a quick fix.

Quote:


	I would like to see steals made on pitches that drop in the dirt be easier to steal against to punish throwing that pitch with guys on base.

They should already be very easy to steal on these slow drop pitches. Of course some pitchers have faster slow pitches than others. We'll keep an eye on this.

Quote:


	I guess I need to play on medium until I get good enough at hitting to play on hard so that pitching will be a challenge.

Whenever I find myself on a cold streak on offense, I try to really focus on squaring the ball up on the barrel. It does make a big difference. Contact made off the handle or tip of the bat is consistently weak. (a good thing to remember while pitching as well)

# 63 Twigg4075 @ 04/07/16 10:53 AM

I'm glad that new defensive animations have been added like a far increase in dives and scaling a wall, but not being able to do this manually is very disappointing. When I first read that stuff was added I assumed it would be manual. Serious bummer.

My physical copy should be arriving today. I'm on the fence on whether to keep it or not. I enjoyed '15 even with it's myriad flaws.

# 64 roadman @ 04/07/16 11:01 AM

I just played my first game last night and I thought the game went well. The CPU scored 3 runs and I cut the lead with a two run homer for Lucroy.

The CPU SP came out around the 6th inning, and I took mine out around the same time.(I like the warning signal) Score was 3-2 in the bottom of the ninth, first two hitter hit singles off of the closer, the next batter hits a single to load the bases. A bases loaded walk off double ends the game.

I thought the game went smoothly as well played on medium.

I know it's only a one game sample size, but fun factor in 20 minutes much better than a 4 score, I would put it in a 7.5 to 8 area.

# 65 thelounger456 @ 04/07/16 02:26 PM

Just to point out played quite a bit via remote play on Vita and it worked great.

Thanks for the reply. I did play a few more games and had more success on stealing on drop balls so maybe I got some bad jumps before.

I will try out the AI auto guessing for running on the fly balls. I noticed the CPU doing it but my reaction has always been to start them running manually once I see it is not a line drive being caught. I will hold off on those for now.

I know you mentioned the NL Central/West swap in a patch it is the same in the AL too I noticed figured you knew that already too but thought I would pass it along.

On the arms I would agree outfield may need a small bit of a boost. Not a lot - but at times I can go 1st to second on a fly ball where I don't think it would be possible.

Hit 3 HR in a game for the first time. Oddly enough it was in the top of 14 in a 1-1 game but I will take it.

Finally thought to just tie it in an get more downloads/usage perhaps giving a code for the mobile game to those that buy the MLB.tv premium streaming package. Might get it in more peoples hands.

# 66 thelounger456 @ 04/07/16 09:40 PM

Played another 10 games where I wanted to focus on watching one thing - ground balls. I found they are way to slow.

Number of ground balls hit by either me or the CPU that went through the gap between 3rd/SS or 1st/2nd or down the line over the 1st or 3rd base bag = ZERO in 10 games

Every ground ball appears to roll in mud or slow down considerably as it is moving. I noticed the infield is always charging them or easily cutting off anything that may be looking towards getting to the outfield. The only ground balls the resulted in hits were up the middle. If infield arm strength gets cut down a ton and ground ball speed picks up it may make it a bit more playable.

After the 3rd straight 0-0 game that went to extras for fun I bumped it down to easy. Scored 10 runs by the 4th inning in 3 straight games and was jacking home runs all over the place. I think the most I had in 20+ games before that on Medium was 8 once and 6 once.

Right now in my season through 23 games my leading HR hitter has 4 and no one else with more than 2. Again this may be a product of me playing with no power on the Reds or being terrible at hitting so I want to hear other peoples experiences.

I mainly just pound out singles and try to hit and run my way to runs. Nearly any line shot to the gap gets caught. However my fairly terrible pitchers based on stats vs others all have sub 2 ERAs

# 67 boomhauertjs @ 04/08/16 08:26 AM

I think the game could use a tweak where a little exit velocity was added to batted balls. The computer has hit 2 homers against me in 10 or so games (1 on medium and 1 on hard). I agree with thelounger456 that I only see grounders get through if they go up the middle (though I've seen one go down the 3rd base line). I know last year there were some tweaks made to the gameplay that really improved things, so I'm hoping that will be the case again this year.

# 68 MLBGames @ 04/08/16 11:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thelounger456


	After the 3rd straight 0-0 game that went to extras for fun I bumped it down to easy. Scored 10 runs by the 4th inning in 3 straight games and was jacking home runs all over the place. I think the most I had in 20+ games before that on Medium was 8 once and 6 once.

It probably does have at least somewhat to do with playing as the Reds. They averaged just 4 runs per game last season and I think most expect their offense to be a little worse this year with the loss of Frazier. The worst run scorer last year was the Braves, at 3.5. The Blue Jays were well ahead of the pack with 5.5, with the Yankees far behind in 2nd at 4.7.

4 HRs in 23 games is just over a 28 HR pace for a season, so that is not crazy low. Bruce hit 26 last year and Votto hit 29. If you have a stretch where you hit them at a little higher rate, then you'll quickly be on a 35-40 HR pace.

Quote:

Originally Posted by boomhauertjs


	I agree with thelounger456 that I only see grounders get through if they go up the middle

We'd like to see more grounders get through the 1st and 3rd holes too. It definitely does happen though. My favorite is when you get the double missed dives by SS and 3B. Looks great and so satisfying!

# 69 GlennN @ 04/08/16 12:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MLBGames


	It probably does have at least somewhat to do with playing as the Reds. They averaged just 4 runs per game last season and I think most expect their offense to be a little worse this year with the loss of Frazier. The worst run scorer last year was the Braves, at 3.5. The Blue Jays were well ahead of the pack with 5.5, with the Yankees far behind in 2nd at 4.7. 4 HRs in 23 games is just over a 28 HR pace for a season, so that is not crazy low. Bruce hit 26 last year and Votto hit 29. If you have a stretch where you hit them at a little higher rate, then you'll quickly be on a 35-40 HR pace.

Personally, I think this is a great sign for the game. I am not a fan of difficulty levels - the ratings should be what matters, so the challenge should be based on the ratings of the players you are using.

# 70 kievitp @ 04/08/16 10:43 PM

So what has been the better received version so far; iOS or XBOX?
trying to decide whether to plop down the $20 for this game.

# 71 thelounger456 @ 04/09/16 03:34 AM

Hitting a bit better overall.

Switched it up and did a post season run with the Cubs to have them win the title. Cubs had more 2B,3B and HR in the 15 post season games I played than in the first 27 so far with the Reds. I would say I am getting a bit better at hitting so hopefully I can carry some success with the bat over to the Reds.

Bryant had 5 bombs and Fowler somehow had 4. 6 Cubs had a higher OPS than any Red so far so at least in my sample at least the stats matter.

Seems more of the shots to the gap that always get caught for the Reds could get to the wall for the Cubs guys with a bit more pop.

Still no ground ball hits other than up the middle but the number of hits is OK even if the type isn't quite right.

Got my team average for the Reds up to .230 it was below .200

# 72 Twigg4075 @ 04/09/16 11:00 AM

I decided to keep my physical XB1 copy.

Things I've noticed in a few games so far:
I do think the infielder arms or a bit weak. I like that there is an arc to their throws now but they seem off.
Outfielder arms seem ok.
It doesn't seem like cut offs are working. The cut off player always seems to take the throw well inside the infield, no matter where the runners are, which defeats the purpose.
What's up with AI base running? It seems they are always going for three on doubles, and I've caught them in several run downs because of it.
The AI seems crazy difficult on Medium. I'm getting crushed by the CPU like 14-5.
I'm not a fan of the new hitting view. Maybe it will take some getting used to but I thought it was fine in '15.
I wish I knew remote play worked well, I would've went with the PS4 version. Playing a game like this on the Vita wold be great.

Keep in mind that I literally just finished my season on '15 before popping '16 in so the differences are quite glaring to me. On Medium I had fun and challenging games against the CPU on '15. In '16 it's like the CPU is on HGH on Medium.

For people having issues in the field, are you using the STATIC fielding option? It's not on by default and I have always used it and have no issues in the field.

Speaking of '15, I tried cleaning up some cheevos yesterday and can not get the one for hitting a walk off HR to unlock. Is it glitched? I've hit several walk off Homers and nothing.

I own RBI '14, '15 and now '16. At this point I still prefer '15 but maybe after a few tweaks my opinion will change. I'm really waiting for the roster update so I can start a season. It is a damp shame that dives, jumps etc aren't manually controlled. Next year I guess.

# 73 johnnydangerously @ 04/09/16 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MLBGames


	I think people are starting to understand what RBI is all about and we are generally getting less of the "why aren't you that other product?" reactions. And with the refinements we've continued to make, some people such as yourself are also beginning to appreciate that it plays a really solid game of baseball. I find that each game feels different.

I wholeheartedly agree. I have owned, supported, and promoted this product since the �14 version. I love the niche it�s cut out for itself, and I�m glad the gamers wanting it to be something it�s not have moved on.

Most of �that other product" is outside my level of interest anyway. I have zero interest in call-ups, send-downs, waivers, trades, free agents, or transactions. At the most, I can handle the active roster, batting lineups, and pitching rotations.

RBI gives me just that.

In addition, I found myself loving to pitch (almost as much as I had hated it in �that other product") because I really got into trying to deceive batters and into using stamina-vs.-velocity effectively. Defense is rewarding; tagging someone out at 3B or fielding a double play is very satisfying! The crowd noise is just excellent. The �other product� has become too extreme in its highs and lows and it just sounds like a series of low/medium/high crowd noise loops strung together.

Plus, I absolutely love the fact you can draw walks on �hard� difficulty.

One bug I wanted to make sure was on your radar was the fact that some teams have their home dugout on the 3B side, not the 1B. (Diamondbacks, Athletics, Cubs, Giants, just to name a few.) I often see the home team run for the 1B dugout in these ballparks.

OK, still one last thing, I promise. I like the music. There. I said it. I like the menu music, and I especially like the in-game organ.

# 74 boomhauertjs @ 04/11/16 08:58 AM

I'm still playing on medium, but switched off the fielding assist and the computer is scoring more runs against me, while my hitting is improving. I'm starting to get more variety in the scoring of games, which is good.

# 75 thelounger456 @ 04/11/16 03:26 PM

A nice to have for next year would be different difficulty for CPU hitting and pitching.

I think Medium CPU pitching and Hard CPU batting would be good for me.

My hitting has improved on Medium but now instead of winning 1-0 or 2-1 I am winning 3-0 and 4-1.

I did finally light up the Phillies bullpen in one game and got 14 runs. That was satisfying.

And I finally hit a ball on the ground between 2nd and 3rd so that goal is accomplished.

Still enjoying it and being able to play 3 games in a little over an hour gaming session is nice.

So to date my top changes would be (in no real order). If anyone thinks I am crazy I would love some discussion on these.
1) fix the lead off animation on the first pitch making stealing about impossible on the first pitch.
2) All ground balls are faster or slowed down less by the grass/dirt plus slightly slower infield throws. The result would possibly be the same in terms of what would be a hit just the slow rollers up the line would get to 3rd rather than cut off by robo fielding pitcher
3) plant the pitcher in the mound a bit after hits so they can't grab all the ground balls. Again a bit more speed on the ground balls could stop this too.
4) Outfield throws get a bit better. If them rolling after landing didn't slow them down as much it might help them get there a bit quicker too.
5) Different difficulty levels for pitching/hitting
6) Swap players on rosters. Would let in season trades happen. I don't need a trade feature with AI approve/deny if someone wants to make super team they should. I mainly want it to keep my team current if a real life trade happens in my seasons.
7) Maybe deeper rosters with more minor league guys for potential call ups to the main squad.
8) Stats - it would be impossible for any sports game to give me too much stats so whatever you got give it to me. I know this can be overwhelming to most uses so i get why it may not happen. HBP, GIDP, Ground ball/Fly ball %, Avg vs left or right - I will take whatever I can get. Also, small bug in regard to stats PH don't get credit for a game played in batting currently.

# 76 thelounger456 @ 04/12/16 01:58 AM

Another small bug I have seen in pitching stats. I sometimes show a pitcher in the box score that has given up a HR when they didn't.

Right now I have a pitcher with 4 HR allowed but only 2 R allowed.

Also I am not 100% but I don't think I am getting credit for a hit if for example I have a runner on first, hit it to the outfield but get thrown out trying to advance the original runner from 1st to 3rd. I will double check next time I run into it.

# 77 boomhauertjs @ 04/12/16 08:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thelounger456


	Another small bug I have seen in pitching stats. I sometimes show a pitcher in the box score that has given up a HR when they didn't.

I've seen that one too.

# 78 DickDalewood @ 04/14/16 09:32 AM

I've purchased every iteration of this on iOS and I can safely say the game is an absolute blast this year and a nice change of pace from my Show franchise on PS4. I feel like this has finally achieved the perfect balance between sim and arcade now. Love it.

# 79 thelounger456 @ 04/14/16 01:47 PM

Almost at game 81 of my season. Once there I will post some of my stats at the halfway point. I am much better at hitting now so those like me that were struggling once you get the timing down it gets better. Votto is leading the league in batting avg now.

Also I had better luck getting in the front of the batters box. You need to be quicker on the swing but gives the ball less time to curve away from you. No clue if that will work for everyone but works for me.

# 80 johnnydangerously @ 04/14/16 05:03 PM

I had so much fun last night I had to tweet this, and I wanted to make sure MLBGames saw it.

https://twitter.com/johnnydngrsly/st...72947845152771

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R.B.I. Baseball 16 Available For Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, Android & iOS