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MLB The Show 17 News Post


Check out the latest MLB The Show 17 franchise mode details, from the PlayStation.Blog.

This year we added two completely new ways to play the game — let’s start with Critical Situations.

Instead of waiting for the best parts of the game, Critical Situations takes you directly to those nail-biting, game-deciding moments when they naturally occur, breezing past some of the time-consuming baseball details that can get in the way of an action-packed experience. This makes games short, intense experiences that have a huge impact on your team’s record. One of the many possible situations that might pop up: your star player at the plate with a chance to win the game with one swing.

In addition to these intense, game changing moments, you’ll also encounter other important situations, such as keeping long hitting streaks alive or hitting three home runs in a game. In these situations you’ll be “locked” to the player involved, meaning you’ll only play his at-bats or fielding chances (much like Road to the Show, for all the veterans reading this). And this leads us perfectly into our next Franchise feature, Player Lock.

If you’ve ever wanted to see what you could do with your favorite MLB player over a full season, but you’re strapped for time, you’re in luck. Player Lock makes this possible, allowing gamers to play exclusively with their favorite players and help progress through the season faster. With Player Lock you can say goodbye to playing full 9-inning games! And don’t worry — it’s not permanent. Before every game, you can choose a different player to “lock-on,” meaning you can mix it up between your star players or the prospects that are just getting their first taste of The Show.

What about all the simulation-minded Franchise players out there? We haven’t forgotten about you, and we think you’re going to love our next feature: Quick Manage.

Just as if you were calling the shots from the dugout, Quick Manage is a text-based simulation mode that puts you in complete control of all the managerial decisions during a game. Want to bring in the closer an inning early to lock down the game? Think a sacrifice fly will score you the winning run? All of these actions and more are available to you in Quick Manage, so you control your team’s destiny.

If you’re wondering what’s so “Quick” about this mode, it’s the fact that you see the results of your actions instantly with the press of a button. We’ve given you plenty of managerial depth as well, as you can see in the screenshot below with all ways you can pitch to the hitter.

Getting antsy and want to get back into the action? With Quick Manage, you have the ability to enter the game at any point and can jump back-and-forth between managing and playing as many times as you’d like. This means that you can pick and choose when to play, while always being in complete control of your team.

And for all of you stat enthusiasts who want our MLB players to perform even more like they do in real-life, we’ve got one more thing for you, and that’s our newly introduced Player Quirks.

Quirks are very specific traits assigned to a player based on real-life data which give the player a bonus when triggered. As you can see in the screenshot above, Anthony Rizzo has the Breaking Ball Hitter quirk, which means he excels at hitting curves, sliders, and other breaking pitches. When you’re playing as Rizzo, you’ll want to look for breaking pitches to hammer, since you’ll get a hitting bonus when swinging at these types of pitches.

There are tons of different Quirks for both pitchers and position players, and in addition to changing the way you go about at-bats, we think they’ll also change the way you construct your roster.

MLB The Show 17 screenshot gallery - Click to view MLB The Show 17 screenshot gallery - Click to view MLB The Show 17 screenshot gallery - Click to view MLB The Show 17 screenshot gallery - Click to view
Game: MLB The Show 17Hype Score: 9/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS4Votes for game: 36 - View All
Member Comments
# 61 WhiteBunny @ 03/07/17 04:00 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by pack4life69
Badges have really messed up 2k series so some of us aren't as optimistic about player quirks.

They made NBA 2K very arcade like so I hope that isn't the same for MLBTS.

Ex: You get deadeye badge and start making 60% of your threes when the best players in nba only make 40%.

The boost they give can really mess up stats making them unrealistic. They can also add anothet layet to slider testing as badges can influence stuff too drastically.

This is just off of my judgement of how 2k implemented them. I have more faith in MLBTS but to say I'm not concerned a little would be a lie.
Yep, it's all about balance. Basically, "quirks" can be a visual aid which show up when some stats are in a certain range. Or maybe it's a slightly stat boost or a huge one. Maybe a mix ? We don't know that. If SDS works the right way, "quirks" will be another step in the right direction to add more player personalization. If not, we're in trouble. A simulation is about stats and numbers and "quirks" can be a bless or a curse.
 
# 62 SoxFan01605 @ 03/07/17 04:01 PM
I get (to an extent, at least) the complaints about some of 2K's badges screwing with the game's balance and the resulting concern for The Show based on that, but I'll also say that I've played several seasons of franchise per year since they were introduced and I have no issue getting mostly realistic stats...both in game and in sims. Sliders and edits are needed, of course, but they were before badges as well.

I'll also add that the issues that arise from 2Ks system tend to be through badges that essentially stack onto what ratings should already cover and typically occur at the higher badge levels. Thus far, the only quirks we've seen for The Show are purely situational and don't seem to be leveled which, if done well (and these guys tend to do this stuff pretty darn well) is the perfect way to differentiate otherwise similarly skilled players.

That's not to say that the quirks are definitively all situational or that boosts can't potentially get out of hand in specific situations if multiple quirks are active, but I'll certainly withhold judgement until they explain further.
 
# 63 mrCPUgeek @ 03/07/17 04:04 PM
Well,

I think Quick Manage will totally change the way I play The Show... For the Better IMO.

I want to get more seasons in but I do not like just "simming" games in a season. I used Sportscast Manager last year some, but it was so buggy and missing features (no double switch), that I felt like I had to play out every game to have control of the team.

Now, with Quick Manage in the game, I may well do a play one, QM 5 mode.

Actually, what I'm thinking about is on the Quick Manage games, is playing the first couple of innings and then QM the middle innings and playing the last couple of innings. What is great about it is that I'll be able to jump into the game anytime I feel like I'm needed.

Thank you SDS for this great feature!!!! CanNotWait!!
 
# 64 douggoud @ 03/07/17 04:28 PM
Well I certainly wasn't expecting them to add quirks to the players, what a happy surprise!

That kind of makes me more excited to go into my Angels roster and see what player got what rating. For me, this makes franchise a lot deeper. Now I gotta at least consider what quirks the player has. I'm sure there must be some negative quirks of sorts (maybe something like bad with 2 strikes, walks a lot of batters, etc, but I'm wondering if that would be a thing, it seems more like it would be "likely to strike out in 9th" kind of thing, which is good because the ones I mentioned before kind of would double down on the ratings already in game. It would go farther into detail on a player than just the clutch rating would ever do).

I'm sure we'll now have to consider what prospect we draft if they have something like, strikes out in tough situations, or not a strong finisher as a starter. That would also come into play a little in manager mode then you gotta have a good clutch guy with clutch quirks off the bench to consider replacing them with. I think it opens up a lot of opportunities.

And I'm glad for the critical moments thing because I'm always dad when I go to franchise stats and see there was another no hitter and I wasn't part of it.

I know for some guys that play all 162 games there not much here outside of quirks I suppose, but otherwise the game didn't change, and the changes that did happen you aren't forced to use them. It does open it up for more people to get into the mode (AKA, maybe next year they'll put more towards it since it got more popular with this years improvement )

I'm seriously excited for next week's stream though honestly I'm excited for RTTS. But I want to see this week's stream too, curious about the quirks available.
 
# 65 TotesMaGotes @ 03/07/17 04:37 PM
I feel like it'll be a bonus having quirks. A good way to have the player's intangibles represented. Simple things like a player's Plate Coverage reticle expands or vision increases. Hopefully, players aren't getting +5 in power or contact for these but other ways to help them. Ideally, they have "Laid-Back" and "Hustle" as quirks for running out ground balls and double plays but also more inclined to dive for a ball in the field rather than take it off a hop. Having these types of things helping players tendencies be represented in game would really help the game live and breath even more.
 
# 66 Cowboy008 @ 03/07/17 04:42 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by douggoud
Well I certainly wasn't expecting them to add quirks to the players, what a happy surprise!

That kind of makes me more excited to go into my Angels roster and see what player got what rating. For me, this makes franchise a lot deeper. Now I gotta at least consider what quirks the player has. I'm sure there must be some negative quirks of sorts (maybe something like bad with 2 strikes, walks a lot of batters, etc, but I'm wondering if that would be a thing, it seems more like it would be "likely to strike out in 9th" kind of thing, which is good because the ones I mentioned before kind of would double down on the ratings already in game. It would go farther into detail on a player than just the clutch rating would ever do).

I'm sure we'll now have to consider what prospect we draft if they have something like, strikes out in tough situations, or not a strong finisher as a starter. That would also come into play a little in manager mode then you gotta have a good clutch guy with clutch quirks off the bench to consider replacing them with. I think it opens up a lot of opportunities.

And I'm glad for the critical moments thing because I'm always dad when I go to franchise stats and see there was another no hitter and I wasn't part of it.

I know for some guys that play all 162 games there not much here outside of quirks I suppose, but otherwise the game didn't change, and the changes that did happen you aren't forced to use them. It does open it up for more people to get into the mode (AKA, maybe next year they'll put more towards it since it got more popular with this years improvement )

I'm seriously excited for next week's stream though honestly I'm excited for RTTS. But I want to see this week's stream too, curious about the quirks available.
If prospects are randomly assigned quirks I think it will add something to the draft.
 
# 67 tessl @ 03/07/17 04:43 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by countryboy
You keep claiming that quirks are "arcadey" yet we have no idea the effect they will have on the game, what all of them are, nor what attributes they effect.

Can we at least wait until we receive more information and how they work inside the game before we start calling them "arcadey"?

People are letting their assumptions get the best of them today..

I'll explain using the example of Rizzo who was profiled in the blog. Rizzo's contact R is 80 power R 82 which reflect what does IRL. In 2016 he hit .305 vs R with .970 ops vs R. The developers who determine attributes have a formula based upon IRL stats which they use.

His quirks include "excels when hitting with 2 strikes", "excels at hitting breaking balls" and "performs better when team is behind". His attributes already include what he did with two strikes, vs breaking balls and when the team in behind. The .305 avg vs rhp which gives him an 80 contact R include that stuff. If he gets a boost in attributes above and beyond his normal attributes in those situations without an accompanying decline in other situations to balance it out his stats will be higher than IRL. Multiply that by hundreds of players across the league and the potential exists for stats to be out of whack.

I agree we need more information but it doesn't seem particularly complicated - players get boosts to their attributes in certain situations. One good question since I use manage mode would be whether the opposing pitcher and catcher realize the guy at the plate "excels at hitting breaking balls" so they can avoid throwing a breaking ball for a strike. Another question "performs better when team is behind" sounds like the age old complaint whose name I shall not mention. :-)


It is an interesting addition and I will absolutely take advantage of it but for me - speaking only for myself - it seems like a move away from reality unless they have balanced out the various boosts in some way.
 
# 68 countryboy @ 03/07/17 04:48 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by tessl
I'll explain using the example of Rizzo who was profiled in the blog. Rizzo's contact R is 80 power R 82 which reflect what does IRL. In 2016 he hit .305 vs R with .970 ops vs R. The developers who determine attributes have a formula based upon IRL stats which they use.

His quirks include "excels when hitting with 2 strikes", "excels at hitting breaking balls" and "performs better when team is behind". His attributes already include what he did with two strikes, vs breaking balls and when the team in behind. The .305 avg vs rhp which gives him an 80 contact R include that stuff. If he gets a boost in attributes above and beyond his normal attributes in those situations without an accompanying decline in other situations to balance it out his stats will be higher than IRL. Multiply that by hundreds of players across the league and the potential exists for stats to be out of whack.

I agree we need more information but it doesn't seem particularly complicated - players get boosts to their attributes in certain situations. One good question since I use manage mode would be whether the opposing pitcher and catcher realize the guy at the plate "excels at hitting breaking balls" so they can avoid throwing a breaking ball for a strike. Another question "performs better when team is behind" sounds like the age old complaint whose name I shall not mention. :-)


It is an interesting addition and I will absolutely take advantage of it but for me - speaking only for myself - it seems like a move away from reality unless they have balanced out the various boosts in some way.
So you started out calling them "arcadey" and taking away from reality.

Now in this post you explain why you are considering them "arcadey" while at the same time admitting that you are not really sure how they are implemented in the game and agreeing that we need more information.

Got it.
 
# 69 WaitTilNextYear @ 03/07/17 04:57 PM
A couple more quirky thoughts on quirks...

First thing we should try to establish is whether these quirks will affect both simmed and played games. It could be implemented much like how the velocity and pitch edits don't affect simmed games at all. Maybe not.

Secondly, as someone who has extensively edited player ratings in the past, this is exciting in the sense that 2 hitters with identical 99 contact attributes might not perform the same depending on their quirks. If you take a guy with maxed out ratings and load him up with quirks, it could allow him to go 'off scale' regarding his production. Or it could just make him super awkward. Then again, maybe not.

I think for something like "quirks," it all comes down to the implementation. If you make quirks very minor, there's not much difference in having them. If you make them powerful, that would add an unwanted (imo) arcade element into the gameplay. There's so much we don't know (on/off switch?) (affects simmed and played games?) (magnitude of the boosts?) at this point.
 
# 70 Jeffrey Smith @ 03/07/17 04:59 PM
I think I am going to enjoy quirks.

As a player who usually looks for fastballs regardless the hitter or situation, just having the information that a hitter has more success vs off-speed pitches will change the way I play. Good stuff.

Didn't The Show have scouting reports on players years ago or am I thinking about something else?
 
# 71 extremeskins04 @ 03/07/17 04:59 PM
I like the quirks idea as long as it's not overpowered. Just because I pitch Rizzo a breaking ball with 2 strikes while the Cubs are down should not automatically be a hit, double, or HR. I hope this isn't the case.

I still want to pitch Rizzo a slider that goes across the far side of the plate and if he swings, he still can miss.
 
# 72 Turbojugend @ 03/07/17 05:00 PM
To me, "arcade-y" is smashing a 600-foot flaming homer through a neon sign on the Vegas strip while the announcer screams "BOOM-SHAKA-LAKA!". I don't see quirks as being anything remotely like that.
 
# 73 WaitTilNextYear @ 03/07/17 05:02 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Turbojugend
To me, "arcade-y" is smashing a 600-foot flaming homer through a neon sign on the Vegas strip while the announcer screams "BOOM-SHAKA-LAKA!". I don't see quirks as being anything remotely like that.
MLB Jam ??
 
# 74 Finn @ 03/07/17 05:28 PM
Quick manage sounds great as the old Fast forward also resulted in terrible managerial calls late in game in my opinion.

I'm a bit surprised on the concern of bringing over new users to Franchise labelled the casual gamer. From what I understand the developers monitor a plethora of stats to how the user base plays the game and it sounds as if the Franchise numbers don't lend themselves well to people playing multiple seasons. I'm sure this data is discussed and analyzed when presenting the next years development schedule. It would be pretty difficult I imagine to go in there and preach about year to year stat tracking and rotating interleague schedules (Still holding out hope these are the types of additions best suited for the stream) when someone pulls out a number that only 10% of Franchise users actually ever see a second season to begin with.

How I take this year's additions to Franchise is on a two or more year plan. Where if you want improvements that have an affect on deeper franchises than first lets focus on bringing the user base over and have them actually make it past season one. Then next year when I go and put my neck out there for some of those wish list items I have the data to back me up.
 
# 75 BigOscar @ 03/07/17 05:36 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Finn
Quick manage sounds great as the old Fast forward also resulted in terrible managerial calls late in game in my opinion.

I'm a bit surprised on the concern of bringing over new users to Franchise labelled the casual gamer. From what I understand the developers monitor a plethora of stats to how the user base plays the game and it sounds as if the Franchise numbers don't lend themselves well to people playing multiple seasons. I'm sure this data is discussed and analyzed when presenting the next years development schedule. It would be pretty difficult I imagine to go in there and preach about year to year stat tracking and rotating interleague schedules when someone pulls out a number that only 10% of Franchise users actually ever see a second season to begin with. How I take this is if you want improvements that have an affect on deeper franchises than first lets focus on bringing the user base over and have them actually make it past season one. Then next year when I go and put my neck out there for some of those wish list items I have the data to back me up.
You could just as easily argue though that the reason people don't play multiple seasons is because Franchise mode isn't deep enough, there isn't enough to keep people interested. They've lumped all their eggs in the basket of believing the problem is not good enough simming, rather than looking to make the game more interesting day to day.
 
# 76 Finn @ 03/07/17 05:55 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by BigOscar
You could just as easily argue though that the reason people don't play multiple seasons is because Franchise mode isn't deep enough, there isn't enough to keep people interested. They've lumped all their eggs in the basket of believing the problem is not good enough simming, rather than looking to make the game more interesting day to day.
Very true, I guess it's the chicken or the egg type situation and I'd have to defer to the developers and Sony to explain their decision.
 
# 77 crews2012 @ 03/07/17 06:10 PM
I really hope they are keeping some details back for the stream. Making franchise faster to play takes away from the game mode in my opinion. I understand people want to make it through as many seasons as fast as possible. But I enjoy playing most of the games. Player Lock was already in the game mode, so I do not understand why they are making it a selling point like its a new feature?

I understand these guys put a lot of work into this game every year, so I'm hopping their are some changes to franchise mode that haven't been released yet.
 
# 78 extremeskins04 @ 03/07/17 06:29 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by BigOscar
You could just as easily argue though that the reason people don't play multiple seasons is because Franchise mode isn't deep enough, there isn't enough to keep people interested. They've lumped all their eggs in the basket of believing the problem is not good enough simming, rather than looking to make the game more interesting day to day.
This is actually a very good point and completely agree.
 
# 79 Russell_SCEA @ 03/07/17 06:36 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Finn
Very true, I guess it's the chicken or the egg type situation and I'd have to defer to the developers and Sony to explain their decision.
Market research + user research + resources + telemetry + development priorities + ? = X

We couldn't be more exited, happy, and proud about the tremendous effort, feature set and all the long hours we've put into MLB The Show 17. We will continue to do what we've always done. And that formula had worked out for us very nicely over 10 years in.
 
# 80 tessl @ 03/07/17 06:38 PM
I see they have also added missions to franchise. I wonder what that entails and whether the cpu teams also get the same benefit from missions as the user team.

They have definitely taken franchise is a new direction.
 


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