Franchise Mode

[calimag]

OK, I have been waiting year in and year out to see 2 MAJOR changes to the franchise modes in any baseball game. These changes are desperately needed and should have been in place years ago. The 2 changes are as follows:

1) Players need to progress more intelligently, that is, one of the most exciting parts of franchise mode play is trying to put together a team with young prospects and old veterans, and just like a real GM a lot of this depends on huntches about a player, therefore players need to progress taking into account both their potential rating AND their statistics from the previous season, as well as injuries hindering progress. All too many times I have played a season and hit 50+ home runs or stolen 50+ bases only to see the players respective ratings drop in those categories the following year. It is SOOOO frustrating to spend so much time developing a player I really want to see succeed only to watch all my work count for nothing. A players progress cannot just be determined randomly, it makes no sense.

2) I would really like to see a system where I know if a certain player might be available for trade. In real life baseball any dedicated fan knows that manny ramirez wants out and could be had or Miguel Tejada or Barry Zito, we all know that a team can get these players for the right price, alternatively we also know that certain players are just untouchable, Albert Pujols, Mark Prior, Barry Bonds, we know that it just isn't going to happen if we want to get these guys. I want to see a system that reflects this. AND when it comes to top prospects this is especially important. If there is a top prospect he shouldn't be treated like his 60 rating suggests, he should be treated as a highly coveted prospect that would take A LOT to get him. This is a major flaw in the system.

Basically When I go to build a team I want it to be as difficult and reallistic as it would be in real life, I want to get counter offers, I want to include cash in deals and players to be named later, if a trade is rejected I want to know why and what it would take not just a simple NO. I want to know which players are unhappy and which will veto a trade, I want a trading block to shop players around and find players that are being shopped, I want to see all the "truly" available players that are out there at the trading deadline. A good system would be a "rumors" features that highlights all the "buzz" around the league. I want all the things that make owning a franchise just that, "Owning a Franchise".

These are by no means the only things that need to be included but it would be a great start.

PLEASE IMPROVE THE FRANCHISE SYSTEM IT IS WHAT MAKES OWNING A BASEBALL GAME TRULY ENJOYABLE!!!

[MajorLeagueBaseball4ever]

:bump::bump::bump::bump:

[San Franpsycho]

MLB4ever, you don't bump a topic that's already on top. Give your opinion or something.

As for the original poster, I'm sure we all agree with you. 2K should seriously look into this, we're all tired of having everybody progress into 100 ratings, even players who shouldn't even have progressed anymore.

Sim games like Out of the Park Baseball and Baseball Mogul do these really well, of course. 2K needs to check these out, I've been telling them to do it for years now, but they don't seem to do anything about progression.

[MajorLeagueBaseball4ever]

Oh.. so I'm not supposed to do that, I learned something here thanks

[Let's.Go.Tech]

I agree with the first opinion. The player progressions on every game by every company need improvement. However, in this case, if you don't have baseball guys working for you giving their input on how baseball works, it's difficult to make it "realistic."

Your second opinion would never happen. Guys that are demanding out of their current teams would be allright for the date the game is released, but once the game is finalized the players attitudes cannot be changed in the game. What if Manny decided that he was a Boston-for-lifer a week after the ship date for the game? Now you've got Manny being traded in the video game when he stays in Boston for five years in real life. Conversely, what if Pujols has a breakdown in contract negotiations with the Cardinals and demands a trade in July? That couldn't possibly be added into the game without making a patch available through XBox live or something. And that just gets too expensive.

What I'd like to see is some sort of harkening back to the chaotic days of early professional baseball. Something like the 1890's mode when teams just came and went and players just went to newer teams when their team folded up. Maybe make a "Start-a-New-League" mode or something. You can create the number of teams, number of games, playoff schedule, etc. If developers wanted to give it more intrigue, you could add radio and television contracts for each team and the league as a whole.

I know that's a pipe-dream; but heck, since we're asking for the ultimate wishes, that's mine...