MLB The Show 18 Twitch Stream & Developer Blog Schedule

Really looking forward to all the Twitch streams in Feb and definitely the Franchise info in March!

I'm pretty sure the "censored" out part of the Franchise stream is the "Phases" thing Ramone mentioned in the IGN video.

I'm looking forward to Presentation for OSD's with commentary talking about those OSD's and Real Time OSD, when I get a double I want that OSD to reflect that in game update. I want them to make Quirks situational and not showing a big list every time you're at bat, sometimes less is more. Bring back batting and pitching analysis to the d-pad instead of in a pause menu.

Updated OP.

Trade Deadline Prep/Front Office OS - woohoo. I was thinking this year might be a down year for The Show, and once again, it appears they have surprised us all.

The censored part on the 15th could be Rainout Double Headers

I always get nervous every time they say get more done in less time. I know there are fewer and fewer of us. But we do like playing every pitch, bat and inning every game. I just hope they never take that away from the game.

I would love them to bring back all the time in between pitches. I think MLB 13 was the last year that was in.
Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

Im thinking we might be getting relocation or expansion! With Nba 2k and Nhl 18 having expansion and most other games having ateast relocation, I think that's the new feature. Plus it does list the ***** feature first, so that's a hint to me. Now, the only problem is for MLB I think expansion would be really difficult with the sheer number of players, per team

I wonder why they picked that picture to have over franchise mode? Can't wait for March 13th & 15th.

You took the words right out of my mouth!
I like seeing things like the catcher throwing ball back to the pitcher, foul balls hit into the stands, fielders throwing the ball around the infield after an out, batters walking up to home plate, batters walking into and out of the dugout and so on. We need more of this stuff not less!!!
There should be a True Real time broadcast presentation mode for us old timers!

Looking forward to the gameplay AI/improvements and franchise front office streams in March!
I can't believe it's almost baseball season..

this new franchise mode looks enticing. its my favorite mode to play since i grew up a pirates fan i always enjoyed turning them into a winning team

I wonder what the screenshot of the team plane will mean for franchise. I feel like it could just be the new loading screen for jumping into a game on the road but who knows. I'm excited for franchise this year.

I really hope so man, only thing is they would've probably given a hint to it in the trailer but they didnt. I at least want the level of uniform design diamond dynasty has in franchise mode.

Dynamic story lines and conversations have me interested.

I have more hope for franchise mode after seeing the few things listed on the schedule, but the conspiracy theorist in me is still worried. Franchise Mode is the last of the modes in the list of things to discuss, basically like 1-2 weeks before release. It was the same last year. I worry they aren't discussing it, because they want to hype the game up and get people to preorder based on hope that franchise will have a big overhaul, knowing they are just going to disappoint on that end, so they are going to try and save the dissapointment as to not effect pre-sales.

I'm probably siding with your pessimistic side tbh, the fact that they haven't even bothered mentioning franchise mode in the bullet points of changes in the official blog doesn't convince me they think they've done anything that they think will shift copies. (same as you say, for it being last)

me too but as long as it is optional (like quick counts) then I don't care.

If I'm not mistaken the stream schedule is in a specific order based on popularity of the mode.

Damn, I didnt know that.
Franchise is really the least popular? That sucks, if true.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Operation Sports mobile app

DD and RTTS are the most played modes in the Show. Been that way for a few years.
Also I think they add things later in the cycle and that is why franchise mode is late, but it is also not as popular of a mode as some think. Their core gamers are DD and RTTS types I believe.

If they actually improved on the mode it would be more popular. I guess I'm one of the few that could care less about DD.

Got it, thanks!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Operation Sports mobile app

Agreed!
I never play anything other than Franchise and Play Now.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Operation Sports mobile app

Franchise is not popular due to the complexity of it. People don't care to spend time with budgets, drafts, contracts, etc. Personally, i never do franchise either but only because i know the game will get boring due to stale gameplay and commentary. I also never play RTTS because i prefer playing with real players. As for DD, i will never support a mode based on micro transactions.
I give the game a chance every year and then end up selling it months later. Oh well. I like baseball too much i guess. I'm still hoping for EA to make baseball games again.

Same here. Sometimes I'll play RTTS. Being a Braves fan, these past few years Franchise has been quite disappointing. Considering the youth coming up and rebuilding being done.

I often wonder how they gauge the popularity of the modes. If it's by number of games played instead of actual time spent then that's not really fair to franchise since you can bang out several RTTS or 3 inning DD games in the amount of time it takes to play a full 9 inning franchise game. Plus there's a lot more to do in Franchise between games compared to other modes, so do they even have a way to track that time spent?

I believe when your system is plugged into the internet they get that info based on how many gamers are in specific modes.

They need to shuffle them better, they played the storylines to death in 17.

I agree, but it was Kirby and the crew's first full season with the commentary. I figured it would take a few years to get it where it needs to be. I agree they did play storylines to death last year, but if they can build on that this year add more and more I think everything will be okay.

I thought Ramone said last year that they had gotten DD to where they always had envisioned it. Sounds like RTTS got the overhaul this year. Maybe that means big changes for Franchise for MLB 19
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I think they need to make the commentary flow more, they tried it with the story thing which is fine. but you can only do so much I guess./ the NBA is the best I have heard.
they need to talk about players during the season more, just every pitcher that comes up it is 'oh he has a ERA of 5 struggling' oh he has a ERA of 2 he is having a great year.. it's generic and boring.
that's all they talk about ERA and wins and losses, there is more to that then pitching.

Franchise Mode: More Control. Less Time.
^^^^ I have mixed feelings about what this tagline suggests. Seems to fall into the pattern of simplifying everything (quick counts, critical situations etc). I'd prefer franchise mode to get more detailed rather than less so. We'll have to wait and see what this "phases" thing is and how the team plane shown fits into it all.

I agree. I really like critical situations, but I would like a more detailed OOTP-esque front office experience to go along with it. Also the last picture, something about more action in less time, seems daunting. Maybe it's just a throw away line but it seems like it could be they're trying to sensationalize the games more than simulating real play.

Yeah. Gave me pause as well. I would love the full immersion we haven't had since MLB 13. Full between pitches routine etc.
Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

I don’t want or need faster ways to play franchise mode I want depth I’m my franchise mode. Let’s see what they did with the mode this year.

Oh no, my friend. Sony says you need a faster way to play franchise. Badly need it. You just haven't realized it yet. :D

Just a pure speculation on my part, but I'm wondering if this new "PHASES" and this mentioning of faster way to play franchise mode, if they are going to all you to completely sim to certain aspects of franchise mode without having to sit thru the game simming games on the schedule.
Example, say you're in May and you want to jump ahead to the trade deadline, you select that "PHASE" and you are immediately taken to the trade deadline and the game "sims" the season in the background that you never see.
Again, pure speculation on my part.
As you and others, I'm hopeful that franchise mode got some much needed attention this year. Guess we'll find out in March. :popcorn:

I I’m intrigued by the trade day prep, I wonder if that will include sending a scout to check on prospects etc.

The vast majority of players do NOT want all the intricate details that are already in the game. I'm almost certain they will give the hardcore crowd the option to get into all the details. Another thing everyone overlooks is making franchise mode more accessible will actually bring new players into the mode. They get in, enjoy what they are doing, and then maybe choose to get more in depth, growing the popularity of the mode.

I'm skeptical that simplifying franchise mode is gonna siphon off people from DD and RTTS. People who want to play trading cards and have really short games will probably stick with the other modes.
"Franchise Mode" symbolizes depth, longevity, and all that stuff. Give people options for simpler play, and that's fine, but focusing only on making things simpler, easier, and quicker is a mistake. I'd rather the focus be on making running a team as life-like as possible, and then build in simplifying options after that. The cart can't go before the horse.

Compare the depth of The Show's franchise mode to CFM in Madden. It blows it out the water. From my perspective, the horse is already there. SDS has done a great job with their franchise mode, and increasing the popularity by streamlining the experience will allow more people to enjoy it.
Imagine wanting to play a franchise with your favorite team. You go in and see all of these different things you have to do. Hire/fire, scouting, all the different type of contracts etc, etc. That's overwhelming and a big turn off for the majority of players. Most like to just play the games they want, and make occasional decisions here and there, not get into every little bit of the minutiae of being the GM of a team. That's part of the reason RTTS is so popular. I get that this is OS and its all about sim sim sim, but to me, The Show's franchise mode is already a very deep and robust experience.

You actually think the Show' s franchise mode is more in-depth then Madden? I LOVE the show, but it's not.
Madden has all the owner stuff, ticket prices, jersey sales, stadium renovations, building a new stadium, relocation, etc.
It has all the social media stuff, and much more.
Not saying I LIKE it all or it's implemented well, but there is no way the Show has more depth.
In fact I would argue the show is the furthest behind in terms of a franchise mode in the major sports games, at least 2k and Madden, and for baseball that's really unfortunate

Speak for yourself, I want OOTP style in MLB the show. I will probably skip out of this years game if Franchise mode is highly neglected again

If the Show and OOTP were combined, I don't think I'd ever leave my house again.

Woohoo, seven years later and over the course of that time all three of my replay wishes have finally been fulfilled! (stationary cameras, no matching audio in slow-mo replays, and now full speed replays with matching audio)
https://forums.operationsports.com/forums/mlb-show-last-gen/502304-instant-replays-what-can-improved-them.html

Also, I see there is not a graphics twitch stream. I know they have done little things like PBR on the jerseys and more crowd stuff (plus just more animations in general), so I wonder where they're going to throw those nuggets in when it comes to Twitch streams.

I agree with everyone else here. At first sight its a bit nervous to see " More control less time" . Us franchise mode lovers love a deep experience and play the mode for longevity. I hope that they still did some work to the mode and catered us Franchise mode players.
I'm excited to see what the new Phases is about- hopefully the bring back critical situations and hopefully there's something there for those who love to play every pitch of a season.

Wow, this came fast. I guess the MLB the show hype is on. Will see if I go for release date or later after the first price drop

A few responses to this..
1. What Madden is or isn't doing shouldn't really factor into how we view this game. I don't even play Madden so I can't agree or disagree with you. Whether you agree with the premise that one is better or not, I think it's probably irrelevant. I don't hold SDS accountable for what EA does and vice versa. People like...no love...to compare games and say since 2K does this or that, then everyone should, but I disagree with that premise.
2. Franchise mode is already designed to be played a la carte. You can turn a bunch of options to auto, including pretty much everything you specified as a potential turnoff to the casual player.
3. If people don't want to do any of the things associated with Franchise Mode, then why are we having this conversation? Playing RTTS, DD, and exhibition games is more to the liking of this demographic. Bringing the mode down to meet these people seems unnecessary because they already have modes they are wearing out and buying the game to play.
4. Again, to laud the devs for making things take less time and be easier and absolve them from adding any meaningful depth to this mode is not something I can agree with. It seems like Franchise Mode is destined to be the rallying cry of the disaffected much like Online has been lately.

- Not nervous at all. Those of us who play every pitch of every game (I do that in my Yankees Franchise) will still be able to play we want.

I am very hyped for the gameplay improvements, the RTTS overhaul and seeing what they did with Franchise mode. Also the commentary improvements and presentation upgrades are always welcomed.
Everything to me is looking like we are going to get the best "playing" version of The Show.....yet again. I love 17, am still playing it and 18 will be even better and a highly polished game out of the box this year. I can feel that vibe from Ramone. They really focused on the gameplay being outstanding from launch.

That's the dream

My main concern is franchise mode and, of course, it's one of the last areas discussed again. I'm hoping to be pleasantly surprised, but given the hype surrounding RTTS (again) I'm skeptical.
As for the debate over streamlining options, I'm fine with adding options to streamline the experience and make it more accessible for new or more casual players, but they did that last year. So, if that's really what "phases" or the other new features are as some are speculating, then that would indeed be disappointing. We'll see though.

curious what those ***** in front of New Legends on March 2nd are hiding.

thats because there would no longer be a reason to leave again.

I just realized that as well, looking over the schedule again.
Since uniforms are a primary focus this year, I really want to see if they fixed the washed out colors (red, black, green, etc).

I think the lack of a graphics stream might just be due to the fact that in the past they were by far the most dull with mostly just technical jargon.

I noticed on the trailer the Nationals hats were bright red but the "red" on the jersey were still maroon colored. Hopefully the jerseys change too.

Yea Nationals caps seemed brighter but Cardinals caps were definitely still dark.

Let's do this! :cheers444

I hope that SDS will remain focused and stay on topic. If you are going to talk about tag animation, since you are using the dev tools, show us the different types of tags with the dev tools. It's hard to watch the streams because they have structure, but they deviate away from it with random hey, I can't talk about that, I don't want to give that away well don't talk about it. Stay focused, so a 1 hour stream has 1 hour of good information instead of filler crap.
Sorry, I just can't watch it live, if this type of broadcast continues.

Seeing that picture of the players on a plane reminds me of the old school games when teams in Franchise mode traveled around on a bus! It took months to be even be able to afford a coach flight for your players! It would be years before you had enough for a team charter. Could you imagine the New York Yankees and their infinite payroll traveling around on a bus!! Driving from New York to Seattle in one day!

New Gameplay Features!!! Improved Player AI and Catcher AI and Animations.
Re-worked hitting engine, ball physics.....this is a big one today.
Gameplay is supreme and Ramone said this was a huge area of focus this cycle. Can't wait to see it in action today.

Ready for the gameplay stream.
I really liked what I saw on the gameplay videos that have been released thus far. Really anxious to see the changes to the catchers in regards to passed balls and balls in the dirt.
Hoping they will touch upon AI management when in comes to pinch hitting and going to the bullpen.

Improved AI management of the bullpen and bench as well as trade logic would be huge for me.
Sent from my Lenovo TB-X103F using Operation Sports mobile app

This would be huge and very welcomed. Id love for the ablity to NOT have to control 30 teams just to get decent decision making and have a decent season.

No, but I can imagine the Marlins doing that this season as part of their cost savings plan: Project Wolverine.

10 minutes fellas!! :popcorn:

Discuss today's Twitch stream here.
https://forums.operationsports.com/forums/mlb-show/926692-mlb-show-18-twitch-stream-starting-now-gameplay-ai.html

Wake me up March 8
RTTS is all I care about and all I ever play.

Wake you up March 8? Pfft, more like March 27th or if you’re preordering March 23rd.

He's talking about the RTTS stream.

Thanks man, yep that was my meaning

Next up is the first GameStop Monday. Wonder what will be revealed???
Then next is another one of my favorite streams and that is the Little Things.

Last year, didnt the GS Monday tie in with the Twitch stream of that week?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Operation Sports mobile app

Honestly I don’t remember
Sent from my iPhone using Operation Sports

Yes it did.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This is how I accidentally read the dialogue exchange.
Whoops. :lol:

Agreed. It's baseball's version of yoga. Slow down...
Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

Laughing remembering MVP '05 letting you bus or fly to your next road series...
Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

I’m not sure this is true. I think it’s not as popular because of an all-or-nothing mentality. I myself am guilty of this. I don’t play franchise, not because of the complexity, but because I don’t have time to play 162 game seasons one after the other. And if I’m not going to have to time to play every game, I would rather not bother because playing some and simming some doesn’t appeal to me. It’s all or nothing, and since I don’t have time for the all, then it’s nothing. I can instead just take my RTTS player and knock out 4 or 5 seasons before the next iteration comes out. I think that may be the case with a good many people.

GameStop Monday tomorrow.
Looking forward to more information :popcorn:
Sent from my iPhone using Operation Sports

Oh right, forgot about that. We're likely to get the asterisks for the 12th filled in on that. And given the theme of the week (plus the trailer), I wouldn't be surprised if it was "Seventh Inning Stretch".

I wish more it was a little things deep dive on the AI. It would be nice to have one of those.

Just waiting for tomorrow....:popcorn:

They are saving it for the the upcoming Twitch stream.

I know I'm late to the party on this thread, but this is what pisses me off when SDS says they use internet data to figure out what people want.
You look at my data, and you'd see a franchise player who loves using quick manage. SDS pats themselves on the back, and says: ok, making the game faster in franchise is really popular, lets focus on that.
Yes, it's true, I love quick manage... FOR MY MINORS!!!!!
Never missed a pitch for my majors.
Please SDS, our playtime and our data is not indicative of what we want. Please stop using this faulty system to judge what we want in the game.
Edit: PS, adding in quick manage has made my game slower. I used to just sim minor league games.

I hope they don't stream anything about batting stance creator, just post links to IGN and Gamestop if you want to see that feature.
Move right into the little things.

I agree with you, I don't want to see a 3rd demonstration of the same thing. But I know it's gonna be exactly that. I'm sure there'll be a few new pieces of info regarding various things, but I'd be surprised if the stream didn't spend the first 30-45 min talking about the batting stance creator as if no one saw the IGN and Gamespot videos.

Hopefully this is the stream where they'll show us the new brands and equipment in 18.
Really hoping they show catchers equipment... To see if we have Nike this year.

This sounds like you're really setting yourself up for disappointment. Of course they're going to talk about it, and it fits the asterisks on the schedule perfectly.

Probably posting this in the wrong thread, however I have now contacted two Walmarts and to game stops in my area that have no idea what I’m talking about when I mention MLB the show 18 first pitch weekend. They are completely unaware of the promotion and being able to buy the game early. So???

Yeah, i think you guys had better prepare yourselves for the inevitable:

If SCEA says it then it's happening for sure. Can't go by what uninformed and uninterested store employees say. They might not even have this info until days before the release happens.

Best Buy sent me a change in pre-order date email notifying me that I can get the game on the Friday before launch. My guess is that they are uniformed.

I know they are going to cover BSC in the stream, I just think since they have 2 very in depth videos already available for viewing, showing it for a 3rd time is redundant.

I'm just not surprised. I went into a MacDonalds a while back and the girl at the register wasnt sure if Big Mac were still on the menu. As for Walmart, I think they're more interested in rearranging things every few weeks more than anything. I wouldnt be surprised this year if Walmart accidentally sells the game early to people who didnt even preorder.

What about people like me who play franchise only and never go online? I just finished my second full 162 game season since buying 2016. Who knows how many hours I've pumped into the game that they haven't captured.

Totally agree. Madden is lacking badly in many ways, but in many others it still offers things that I want that the Show either hasn't had, or has bizarrely removed when they were in past editions.
What I want out of every sports game is basically a Team President Mode, where I have to answer to the Owner, but otherwise control every micro aspect of the franchise down to the finest details. We were trending that way at one point, and then the blight of online gaming shifted their focus and threw it all to hell.

I have given up on Walmart all together for video games. I have one ten minutes from my house, and nothing else within half an hour, so I was buying games there on Day One for a while, but in the last few years, they've gone from having an End Cap dedicated to the newest games and supporting them from 7am on Tuesday (if not the midnight the night before), to not having them out of the warehouse in the morning at all
....up to the last couple of times, the employees in the electronics section refused to help me in the afternoon when I asked about the game, since it wasn't out in the case. Said that they had no idea what I was talking about, everything they sell is out. When I showed them the weekly ad with the picture of the game stating it was available on Tuesday, I got smug shrugs, and "sorry man, can't help you".

Tell GameStop to go to their web page for MLB the Show 18 and read...
That's pretty much what I'd say to them..
On the site:
Pre-order at GameStop and get Early Access to the game with First Pitch Weekend. With this, you'll be able to pick up your copy on March 23, a full four days before the regular release on March 27. You'll also get 15 Standard Packs (10 for pre-order + 5 GameStop pre-order exclusive) and 1 Legend Starter card when the game launches!

I wont deal with these lame stores anymore. Always get the run around, I buy most of my games digitally these days, less hassle but of course if you are done with the game you have nothing to trade in. The only time I got to walmart or gamestop for anything to do with gaming is if I need a controller a headset or a used game and even then I use amazon.

Same here.
As for today's stream, I am really looking forward to it. I hope they use Batting Stance Creator to show us them updating someone's stance or creating a classic stance that isn't in the game (Bonds? Knoblauch?) I don't want to see them just randomly messing around making silly stances like in the demonstrations Monday.
One "little thing" I'm hoping they added to the game are the lights turning on and off at Yankee Stadium for homeruns during night games.

Are you able to get patch updates? Thats when they can still track your usage even if you're offline 99% of the time.

I would love it if they got that added in. I’m not really expecting it to be in the game though.

I was last online in August with my PS4. Moved then to a home where I cannot get any kind of broadband. Prior to that, I did get online about once a month to check for updates for the games and system.
I have never played an online game though, and have not logged onto the Shows servers in several years. I did my own rosters in 15 & 16.

I missed the stream due to work. I wish somebody would have asked in the chat. From what I saw watching the archive, 90% of the questions were about Ohtani, batting stances and stupid Diamond Dynasty.

Really looking forward to Gamestop Monday to see who's being added.
Gotta be Thome or Costas, only names that fit the asterisks.
But Costas, wouldnt make sense unless Matt is leaving, which isnt happening.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Operation Sports mobile app

Don't know if it means much but Ramone said that they will reveal the new commentator on Thursday. He said something about Mondays not giving all the info. Who knows but regardless, looking forward to it. Still crossing fingers Matt V is gone but we all know SDS love him too much for some reason even though the community would agree he needs an overhaul at best.

Damn, I was hoping we would get the name on Monday.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Operation Sports mobile app

I don't get how that fits. Is it because they leave one asterisk off the last name because they did last year? If so, then okie I gotcha.
Just so ya know... Rex Hudler also fits then. :y220c:

I'm not 100% on that but the last stream i remember some reference to it.

I'm not sure it's about how much they love Matt V as much as it's about how it would set commentary back probably 3 years if they removed all of his lines.

Crap, nevermind on Costas, I cant count.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Operation Sports mobile app

Fair enough but lets not act like the current commentary is "contemporary." It is stale, dull, boring, repetitive, and down right terrible.

Who is "acting" like that? I haven't seen it.

Who said it's contemporary? Kehlis meant they wouldn't be able to replace all of Matt V's lines in one year with the new commenator. Which means it would be even more repetitive than it is now.

I understand that. My point was they should have started the process for new commentary years ago and at this point, we should have a new main commentator by now (or soon). His decade old lines and delivery is in need of change. Seems unlikely to me they will address this anytime soon.
He said the commentary will take a step back, but it will forever be stagnant if they continue to leave it unchanged. If they are planning to change, they have to start soon. They don't have to implement someone new right away. Just over the next few years, call a new guy in, record lines, rinse repeat until it is ready. If they don't take that step, then the commentary will never move forward. Hence why is i said before, which ever way they go, the commentary would still be terrible but at least they are taking a step to fix it.

I hope they don't bring in a new commentator just to re-record lines. I hope they change the way their entire commentary system is done for more dynamic flow.

Maybe it's because I didn't start playing this title until PS4, but I don't really understand the disdain that some have for Matt Vasgersian and his "old lines" in this game. I feel that people will complain no matter who is in there, which is fine, but I like Matt V as the lead commentator in this game. I couldn't imagine anyone else who would be better. And by the time you built up a decade's worth of commentary/lines for some new personage, then people would be calling for him to be replaced just the same. You're never going to hear each game being completely authentic with 100% fresh lines because that's not how pre-recorded commentary works.

I think one of the common complaints on Matt is that he doesn't put enough emotion into lines in the booth (at least, not as much as he does in real life). When people say it's boring and stagnant, I think that's what they mean sometimes.
Agree on the rest of what you said. There is a boatload of situation and player-specific commentary in this series that's been built up over the years that would be nothing short of a tragedy to lose IMO.

I hope we see more excitement from Matt on game winning plays this year. In general the commentary needs more work on game winning plays. I would like more replays and discussion on the final play.

Wow this is a thing?! Must be LEDs I guess.
For some reason my lighting knowledge got stuck when I played baseball 15 years ago. You almost had to switch the light on the night before if you wanted lights for today’s game.
Turning them on and off like this would probably have kill the grid in my town.

Same. I've been to games when the power flashed, and even though it came back on in 10 seconds, the lights took half an hour before they were ready again.

Man I hope they start using Batting Pitching Analysis info for OSD's. I made an example based on commentary and Analysis menu. They of course can clean it up. I just think when they talk about this stuff show it to us.

It's GameStop Monday :popcorn:

Has anyone made any gueses as to what the ****** is under Franchise stream? I notice the word 'Trades' fits there.
Sent from my VS996 using Operation Sports mobile app

'PHASES'
Ramone mentioned in one of the IGN streams they have a new thing called "PHASES" in franchise mode this year.

Oh. Slightly dissapointing. Lol I got really excited for a minute.
Sent from my VS996 using Operation Sports mobile app

It was like that at Yankee Stadium up to the 2015 season. The LEDs went in before the 2016 season. It used to take about 15-20 minutes for the old lights to turn on!

I wonder if the GameStop Monday video will focus on what the stream will be about this week or if it will be something different.

What time did the video drop last week?
Sent from my iPhone using Operation Sports

2 o'clock last week

Yes, todays Gamestop Monday will be on Presentation.

Looks like it was about noon San Diego time - so 3:00 p.m. eastern, etc.
Edit: oops, I have my OS settings set for Eastern time instead of central (Chicago), so it was around 11:00 a.m. San Diego time, 2:00 p.m. eastern time last week.

I am really hoping we are suprised with franchise mode. I have been really disappointed the last few years. I know that DD has become huge, but every year we keep waiting for "next year."
There are still legacy issues that haven't been addressed and although there have been small tweaks over the years, it is difficult to see a huge improvement.
This may be the first year I am not excited for the game or preordered it. Last year I was disappointed and didn't really play it much until the summer.
Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

You rang?

2 minute video is up at Gamestop.
Looks like the amount of asterisks in the preview was off. Mark DeRosa joining the booth, replacing Harold Reynolds.

Interesting........... Didn't see that coming.

Do you have a link? And ugh, I liked Harold.
I like DeRosa, but he sounds a little too much like Plesac, if that makes sense? It was the same issue with Lyons and Karros.

It's quite difficult to when they don't put up the correct number of asterisks. :lol:

Week 2 under 'Media'
https://www.gamestop.com/collection/mlb-the-show-18
I like DeRosa, but what they show in the video doesn't seem too special, other than being a different voice that years past.

Man, you trying to give that site more hits or something? It's much easier just to post the YT link lol. :y220d:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=aCa_lknOaOY

I'm glad they'll talk more about more recent games. Any chance they'll mention when a player is traded/called up? Unlikely, but I'm still hopeful.

Good to hear they all recorded together in the same booth.

I guess Harold said no when asked to be in the recording booth again.

The great thing is we should now expect DeRosa added to the playable legends. And he just might be the first legend rated under 80

Wish I didn't have to agree, but I do.
About mid-January every year I get stoked for the new baseball season, and I'm waiting anxiously to get my hands the newest baseball game on day 1 (even when I was a broke college student).
This year was no different in terms of that initial surge of excitement, but this is the first time in my life that I have lost interest in the newest iteration of baseball gaming. All the enthusiasm I had died when the announcements came that franchise would again be left alone (except for potentially just making it more convenient to sim games). I finally stopped buying Madden this year after they once again failed to deliver franchise improvements, and I'm leaning towards giving MLB The Show 18 the same treatment. As a franchise player it looks like I can probably get the same experience by just finding a used copy of The Show 17 and downloading updated rosters.

Curious what trade deadline prep consists of.

My guess/hope is that you have the option to scout out the player you want to trade for or maybe scouting minor leaguers.

What new classic stadiums have been revealed?

I'm almost certain Ramone said no new stadiums in one of the streams.

One thing I was thinking about last night that I hope is included in franchise mode this year is the ability to turn on 30 team control once a franchise has already begun.
While I really have no desire to do 30 team control, I am hoping that it is added so that I can at least view the coaching staffs for other teams besides my own. Its frustrating that managers change positions as well as hitting/pitching coaches and I have no clue as to where they went.

I would assume you already know this, but just in case you don't..................You can have 30 team control without having to control everything. Basically you can have 30 TC and just focus on the Cardinals and not have to worry about the other 29 teams. It works the same as a single team franchise as long as you set it up correctly. It's actually really easy and takes literally a couple of minutes.
There's a misconception on how 30 team control actually works. People think you have to be tedious when you don't have to be at all.
I'm a bit off topic with what you were asking I just wanted to throw that out there.

Yeah I know.
I just don't really worry about what the CPU does in terms of its teams. If the Yankees want to trade Aaron Judge to the Royals for an overall rated 45 pitcher that will never make it past AA ball, then I'm all for it..LOL.
I just want to be able to view the coaching staffs of the other teams.

How is this done? Putting all the other teams on auto settings?

Pretty much. And you can still step in if you see something you don't like.

And you don't have to. You can do it exactly how you want it to work.

I appreciate the explanation of 30 team control, but I understand how it works.
My dilemma is that I can't view who the managers/coaches are for other staffs, and unless they add it this year, I won't have a way of viewing them in '18. Also, I am carrying over a franchise save, and unless something has changed, or I have completely missed it, there is no way to toggle on 30 team control for an existing franchise.
That is what I'm hoping they do, is add the ability for those of us who carryover saves to turn on 30 team control.

Well here is where I ask...but what about the great gameplay improvements this team makes each and every year? The fact I can transfer my franchise file every season allows me to embrace the gameplay improvements. Every game (for me personally) has exceeded the previous in terms of actual on the diamond gameplay. 17 was quite polarizing here at OS, that aside for me the gameplay was fantastic. I already see huge improvements to the catcher animations and throwing and the new tag system. Even more fielding animations have been added. Hitting has been re-worked entirely. Just too many great gameplay improvements for me not to be excited.
And I would love deeper and a more robust franchise mode. But in it’s current state I make it work (with 30 team control). And while it’s not ideal. It is functional for me (as long as I monitor lineups, and trades and also create my storylines). But I guess I find a lot of fun in creating my storylines and doing write ups etc. Just a different mind set I guess.
AI needs to be improved. And I don’t disagree we deserve more as long time hardcore franchise players. But the gameplay get’s better...much better each and every iteration. I have to give them huge props for continuing to push the bar higher in making the gameplay the best on any sports game on the market.

There has been no such announcement that Franchise mode is unchanged. The only thing that has been revealed about Franchise mode is "Phases," and we don't even know the details of that as of yet.
I agree with you, the stale Franchise mode needs A LOT of updating and attention. I am still hopeful they have made more changes than just adding in "phases." We shall see during the Franchise stream.

The gameplay has always been solid in this series. The team deserves credit for that and for making improvements to get past little flaws each year. How material those changes are year to year is up to personal preference though. Also, while I do admit that I like the sound of the changes to presentation (which are an important part of the experience), I have to ask is it enough? It's a question left up to each individual. For me, another year of changing up some animations and an improved broadcast are not material enough when the mode that excites me is seemingly left without any added depth. It's just natural for a consumer to not buy into a product that doesn't offer anything new.

I reserve the right to change my opinion when/if they make announcements of added depth to franchise. I'm just speculating because the only thing we do know is "Phases", which isn't a word that offers a lot of hope to me, especially when considering the recent trend in sports games to add features which simply allow you to get into the action faster.

I hate to be a pessimist because I really never am but I feel like there won't be anything major for Franchise mode again because, even if they aren't revealing it yet, whenever they have something big coming it's always at least teased with something like "We've got great changes for Franchise mode this year!" Case in point, they've already done this teasing for the changes in Road to the Show even though the changes themself haven't been announced. Franchise mode? Total silence.

I just need to hear one major thing.
We drastically improved the CPU AI in lineups decisions, pitching decisions, trades and free agency.
If I hear that....and see it in action....I am good to go.

Does 30 team control allow you to view the budgets of all of the other clubs too then? I guess that it would. I want to be able to look over all the other teams and see who they have signed and for how long, and which players have arb years left.
I wish that they had never removed that feature from being standard. If I'm a MLB GM, then I have a really, really good idea of what the other 29 team's payrolls and contract situations look like. Heck we have a good idea as fans! That sort of thing should be easily viewable.

Those would all be welcome. I'm not sure that it would be enough for me to upgrade from 2016 though. I want much, much more control to be able to micromanage all aspects of my MLB franchise, off the field.
Start with everything that we had in years past before it was gutted, and built upon from there.

Yeah, I thought this as soon as they released the schedule. Every year they have been putting the franchise stream right before release. Because they have barely changed franchise each year, but don't want to say that months ahead of time to discourage preorders. So they put that stream out a few days before the release of the game, when most have already pre-ordered the game, hoping by that point it won't change anyones decision. Sure enough, when the schedule came out this year, Franchise stream was 1 week from release and we've gotten to suffer through apparently more important things to the Devs like "the little things" and "commentary"...

ShowTyme mentioned they do the game modes streams in order of popularity... So we have no idea yet what they did, what they added, etc.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Operation Sports mobile app

I think the micro management features are things that would add more flavor. But core AI for team management is a high priority for me. Everyone has different wants. No doubt.
I want a CPU GM to be smart. I want a CPU manager to be smart. That to me makes the game more life like playing offline franchise mode.
I want player personalities to be more evident. And Player Quirks was a cool feature that I hope they build upon further.
For me the trade deadline, trade offers, spring training, and the off-season needs more attention.
Presentation within Franchise mode needs serious attention (we got the radio show and I like it......but I would love more). Hot Stove is a huge part of baseball. How great would it be if we had a trade deadline Hot Stove Show and then a Winter Meeting Hot Stove Show.
That would be amazing. That would make franchise mode feel alive.

Yes it does. You have access to everything about other teams that you have about your own team. Then the game allows you to control as much or as little as you choose.

This is how I've felt for the past 3 years, and being someone who exclusively plays Online Franchise you can only imagine how I feel haha

Stream today!!!!!!
:popcorn:

Agree with all of this. I spend 99% of my time in Franchise mode, and I just want the CPU to make smarter decisions both in the short-term (lineup construction, trade deadline deals that make sense (the Yankees don't need more OF's and catchers) and long term - teams having to significantly cut payroll, going through development cycles, etc.

I'm so excited for today's stream. I'm a big fan of presentation and things like batter walkups, "cutscenes," animations after hits, strikeouts, homeruns, etc.
I'm also looking forward to commentary improvements. I thought commentary was better last year (after growing pretty stale in the few years prior). I love Matty V in real life, but his performance in The Show games has always been a bit too tame. He gets really excited and pumped doing games on TV and I wish he would bring the same passion and excitement to The Show.
I want THIS Matt Vasgersian in The Show:

I wonder if they will show any presentation improvements within franchise mode or if they will save that for the franchise stream.

Like you I am a big presentation guy and it is by far the most important feature I care about the most in MLB The Show.
However I think I am more nervous then excited for today's stream to be honest. Mostly I guess because I have such high hopes for MLB The Show's broadcast style presentations future. And there are so many things mostly small actually that I keep hoping for year after year and just about every year I keep getting disappointed. I mean yes the presentation gets a little better with each new version but I feel it's a lot of baby steps instead of any big leaps forward.
So we shall see what is in store for us later today but I am not expecting any real big "Shocking/WOW" surprises.
I don't mean sound too negative but it's just how I feel right now about MLB The Show in this area of the game.
Anyway here's to a fantastic presentation stream!!! :cheers:
P.S. I really want that Scorebug style that shows the Pitcher and Batter names in that video in MLB The Show sometime soon!

I’d like for there to always be an onscreen display of who the batter and pitcher currently are and some of their key stats during an at bat.

One presentation thing that always bothered me is the Broadcast Fielding Cam not be directly behind home plate. It’s is either down first base or third base line and it depends on where the ball is hit.
In real life the broadcast camera is directly behind home plate
I’d love if this was in the show.
Even take it a step further I’d like to see all 30 stadiums have their unique camera. Some are higher/lower, more zoomed in, etc.
Sent from my iPhone using Operation Sports

Been requesting it since the first time an MLB '09: The Show trailer showed Teixiera going yard in slow-mo home run cam.
Of course, even when they show that home run broadcast cam (which is more like a FOX Saturday baseball cam when you think about it, since it's also lower), it has its issues such as the camera only pans as high as its designated landing spot.

People here realize that SDS can't put everything people ask for in any version of the game right? If they did that, the next year will just be a roster update. They slowly add things each year to make sure people keep buying the game.

:y8:
That is not the reason why. 9 months is the reason. They have to prioritize with what allotted time/budget to put things in the game.
Baseball changes every single year from uniforms, to stances, to tons of 'little things'. There will always be stuff to add.
They are notorious for never removing features, so since quite literally '07 on the PS3 to what we have now, has been built upon, and there is STILL things that can be added. 9 months just is not enough time, but luckily features are almost never removed from year to year, just refined and added upon.
They are definitely the best of the best IMO for sports gaming, especially with all the nuance and only 9 months to craft and ship their product every year.
We now live in a time where there is this stigma that all games have to have 'new things' in it all the time (for the sake of being new), where 15+ years ago, we essentially just purchased roster updates for sports games every year, and we were okay with that.
Heck, I would be happy with mainly presentation changes year to year as the main focus of 'keeping it fresh'.

I would actually disagree with that. 15 years ago, the PS2 era, there were generally much larger changes in sports games from one year to another. Sometimes dramatic, and many of them focused on franchise elements. Madden, NCAA football, and the various baseball games all brought new things to the table every year. I now look at that time as the golden era of sports gaming.
Things started to go off the rails with the start of the PS3 generation for the football games. It took three years just to get an adequate experience, things were basically burned to the ground and they started over, removing many awesome features that have never been brought back. Obviously The Show came into being around that time also, and was awesome, but as was said, they've been removing important features in favor of online aspects as of late.

That was due to the previous gen being so barebones. So the new wave of modes felt big, but how many times did Madden for example, have very minimal improvements after the mode was established, and still go on to be the best selling game for years?
I was also referring to just before the PS2 so I put the '+' there, sometimes I do not realize how fast time flies (5 years for PS4 already, goodness).
I do not mind new things added, but 'for the sake of' is what I was commenting on, and sometimes in those cases, less is more (refine/polish/build upon existing foundations).
As for the PS3 era, a lot of it had to do with them 'future-proofing' the games, building a scalable foundation (engines/tools) for that gen and gens beyond. Graphics tech changed so drastically with the inclusion of unified shaders, lighting elements, etc., the old code was not adequate enough or efficient moving forward.
And what important features were removed for the sake of online, curious? (been off from gaming for over a year, so getting caught up on things)

Both Madden and The Show have stripped Owner Modes to the bone, or eliminated them entirely from what they once were. We are STILL not back to where we were in 2006 with Madden on the PS2 (after it got better and better every year up to that point), and several years back, around the time the PS4 came into being, The Show also eliminated a lot of the fun micro managing things that they had in the off field aspects of the game.
It may be unrealistic, but seeing as those are the most important part of the game for me, my desire is for them to be several console generations BETTER by now, given all of the technology that's available. But instead, the developers have thrown it all in the trash. All I can do is wait and hope every year that they change their minds and go back.

I assume you're referring to the ability to edit as far as adding seating, adjusting ticket prices, food prices, marketing, etc.?
What other elements if you do not mind (so I know what to look for when '18 hits).

Trade Delays are another big one that was removed (for those of us who like to GM the our leagues). Also can't view team totals on the player stats screen (you can view them under team ranking still, at least).

Has any comments been made as to why? Reworking with new logic, etc.?

Nothing specific explained by the devs, I don't believe.
If I were to speculate, something like logic or the reworking of options makes the most sense for the trade delay toggle. Whether that's intentional or an oversight, I dunno. I've reported (as have others) each year since it disappeared. I'm again holding out hope that it's reintroduced this year.
As for the team stats, I think it just got lost in the shuffle when they switched the UI up. The toggle info for the new sorting shows up there instead.

I was just thinking of this today.
It actually wasn't removed the function just hasn't worked in MLB 16 or 17 for some reason. It worked in some carryover franchises, but not when you start a new one.

trade delays developed a bug where trades would not occur. I believe the quick fix was to eliminate it.
Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

Yes all of that absolutely. Plus TV and radio deals, advertising, stadium naming rights, ect. And I want it to have meaning. If I have a big market club, and I do things the right way, then I should be able to be just swimming in cash from all of the deals that I've done.
On the flip side, I want the challenge of building up a smaller market club and gradually making them into a powerhouse both on the field and financially if I'm able to. And I want to see CPU controlled teams sometimes mess up, make bad choices, and absolutely pay for it by having to slash payroll and sell off their players because they're now deeply in debt. Something like we're seeing with TB in real life right now.
And I want to be able to look at it all in an easy format that's simple to navigate.

Hopefully they actually found a fix and brought it back for 18. It is a needed feature at times with some of the trades the CPU tries to pull off.

I really hope that’s back this year as an option. Much easier for 30 team control players that want to leave CPU trade offers on to be able to keep checking for offers and reject them before they happen if they are stupid then having to go check who the players involved were and then reverse it.
A bit of an annoyance for sure.

I personally hated the trade delays. Realistic or not, it made doing business really hard. I would much rather have a system where we can have a back and forth with the CPU GM.
I offer a trade. They decline, but suggest an alternative. Or I can say that I'm interested in one of their players, and they make a few offers, or say that he's untouchable (which should happen more than it does). Sometimes, those offers should be highly unrealistic, asking for the moon. Other times, they should be actually very affordable/low, depending on the quality of the CPU team's GM.
I would love so much if there were a wide swath of GM quality and personality levels among the CPU clubs, and not just one monolithic system that controls the whole deal.

I would like to see the trade negotiate button like High Heat had. if you made an offer and they rejected it you could hit the negotiate button and they would add to the trade what it would take to get the deal done.
Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

That trade tool is a great part of OOTP as well, it will give you a list of players that you could add to make the trade work. Even if you don't use one of the suggestions it's nice to see where the other team is valuing all of the different pieces involved
Sent from my iPhone using Operation Sports

Nba2k even has the cpu offer changes to a trade to make it work or rejects it outright.
Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

I'm probably not going to bother watching the stream this Friday. Not into DD.

They had a toggle for you to choose it on or off.
So bring back the option. I don’t understand hating something that we had the ability to turn on and off.

Looks like I’ve watched my last stream until March 12th. Couldn’t care less about Diamond Dynasty or Road to the show.

Every time I see DD, I immediately think Dungeons and Dragons :y7:
Sent from my iPhone using Operation Sports

I'll still watch the stream but I am not playing DD again this year. I've always been a Franchise and RTTS guy and I got sucked into DD big time in 17.
Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk