How The Show Can Embrace Baseball's History

[capa]

Re: How The Show Can Embrace Baseball's History

Classic ballparks - possible...some might require hefty payment for rights to use

Classic uniforms - possible - many are already included. Would be up to SCEA on how much they would want to invest in their art budget for creation of these. Doable for sure, but which ones do you include and which ones do you leave out?

Classic players/teams - never will happen. Using player likenesses is no longer free. Companies have to pay players or families of players for rights. Means SCEA would have to individually negotiate with thousands of players or estates. Will never happen. Not a big deal because community could create these rosters like we have been doing for years now in this game, and others.

So...SCEA would have to supply 2 out of the 3 major areas and then figure out how they would position or market this mode without including teams and players. Doable for sure, but might not want to be a segment they want to invest in at all...at least not to the degree that the community is asking for and that the article references.

Finally, only Ramone can comment on possibilities down the road for this. Personally, I would say it is a real long shot...but you never know. I just know it does NOT just boil down to whether SCEA wants to include it or not...there are very real legal ramifications they may not want to go near.

C

[tanchl]

Playing with classic teams overwhelms me with nostalgia, a very hard feeling to explain, but it's like the feelings I assume I had back in the day when I would open a pack of baseball cards, sit down on Saturday afternoon to watch the Game of the Week, or here Mel Allen announce "This Week in Baseball."

I like to play tournaments with my classic teams at one location. For instance I just completed The Winter Classic held at Sportsman Park. I have a blast with my tournaments so I probably won't go new gen. until classic stadiums are available; the classic stadiums are my number one favorite feature.

If the fees for the use of classic stadiums are so steep, why not create a 21st century style stadium creator like the old Earl Weaver games? Could you imagine what the creative ones could create!

[capa]

Re: How The Show Can Embrace Baseball's History

I agree that one of the best ways to make this happen is for SCEA to supply some tools for use by the community. However, I think the stadium creation is such a complicated piece of work, that we will never be able to create our own stadiums...especially now that the technology has pushed so far forward and artists renderings look like actual pictures, etc.

However, uniform creation could more easily be handled by the community with some stock uniform editor in which people could use stock logos or better yet, create their own to replicate old time teams.

I'd love to see SCEA go in this direction if they are unwilling to take on the effort themselves.

C

[VDusen04]

Re: How The Show Can Embrace Baseball's History

Outstanding article. MVP Baseball 2005's classic stadiums was one of my favorite aspects of the game itself. I used to use Tiger Stadium as current Detroit's default ballpark. Cranking a shot into the upper deck was immensely satisfying.

For those who do not recall, in addition to Tiger Stadium, MVP 2005 also offered 14 other classic stadiums (referenced here, under unlockables: http://www.ign.com/cheats/games/mvp-baseball-ps2-713817). EA also provided a very thorough retro uniform selection.

If SCEA came up with classic ballparks, uniforms, etc., I don't think I could give them my money fast enough. Baseball is the only major sport with a serious case of nostalgia that makes us long to play old seasons, with old teams, in old parks. Build this and we will surprise you with the results.

Baseball's nostalgia is wonderful, and perhaps superior to each of the other major sports, but I think they all have their own respective draws as well. NBA 2K12's Legends mode, with classic rosters, courts, filters, graphics, shorts, jerseys, and audio was top of the line and quite engrossing.

Classic players/teams - never will happen. Using player likenesses is no longer free. Companies have to pay players or families of players for rights. Means SCEA would have to individually negotiate with thousands of players or estates. Will never happen. Not a big deal because community could create these rosters like we have been doing for years now in this game, and others.

I must admit my ignorance in this category, but for a number of years now I've been actively trying to figure out exactly how acquiring classic rights works. For NBA players, it seems I've heard of superstars being negotiated with individually (Charles Barkley, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, etc.) but then I feel as though I've heard players who were a part of the NBA's retired players association could possibly have their rights negotiated upon en masse.

Either way, I do believe acquiring the rights of classic Major League teams would be much more difficult, if only because the rosters themselves are much more plentiful. NBA 2K could acquire the rights of 7-8 key players on a 12 man roster and count of gamers to fill in the remaining blanks if they wished. A Major League roster obviously has many more players and would seem to make it much more difficult to field a realistic classic team.

[Eski33]

I have been begging for this for years. Classic teams never hurts a game. Especially since the demographic of gamers screams for 70's-80's nostalgia. Baseball is especially suited because it is a sport that touts its past more than any other sport. The NBA wasn't big until the Bird - Magic era. The NFL really goes back to the late 60's. Baseball is basically the same game it has been for the past 100+ years.

EA did MVP right by adding classic teams, stadiums and players along with the screen appearing like it would back in those days with a classic feel. Why SCEA cannot get on board with adding, at minimum more classic stadiums is confusing. Who wouldn't want to play with the 86 Mets with Doc, Carter, Hernandez, Dykstra and Strawberry? Or with any old school Yankees team. For me, the A's from the Bash Brothers era or the Tigers of 84?

[Knight165]

Re: How The Show Can Embrace Baseball's History

Nobody did it better in the past than ASB IMO


M.K.
Knight165

[Turbojugend]

Fantastic article. It's about time we see baseball games honoring past traditions.

[KingV2k3]

I would be thrilled with an expanded Historical component to The Show and would happily pay extra for a "Deluxe Edition" or second disc, etc.

[artdog5110]

I have not been on this sight for months, as I have given up video games. This, however, was a great post. I would take up video games again if Sony would make this happen. One thing that would be necessary, as someone else mentioned, would be a division realignment option. Also the inclusion of classic stances and windups, or, a feature, if it is not in already, the ability to alter stances and windups, as there were so many that were completely different than anything out there today. I'm not optimistic but I really hope this would or could happen.

[Computalover]

Great article.. always wanted memorial stadium in baltimore added to the list of historic stadiums..

[Galvatron]

Man I wish this could happen, especially with the power of the PS4. But I think two important things have to a happen for this to be even remotely possible.

1. Sony has to pay up, big time. Licensing is hella expensive. So many historical parks means alot of years of securing the rights to their use, not to mention the amount of time needed to develop these parks. Going the DLC route would help along with the ability to set up online leagues and custom rosters.

2. The game has to sell more than it does for it to be profitable. For now the majority of sales will be on PS3 and SCEA would have to keep releasing the game across all 3 systems for it to come close to the sales of games like Madden and NBA 2K, which have a higher fanbase due to them being more "popular" sports as well as being multi-platform and easier to implement these features for.. But once the PS3 version is phased out those sales could be difficult to sustain until the PS4 install base increases.

[hoops424]

Jesus...what I would give to have Veteran's Stadium in the game.

[INeedShades]

All Star Baseball (Akklaim) did a great job with historical stadiums/uniforms a DECADE ago, damn shame that no one else picked up the torch. They had a Negro League All Star team and some other nice touches like pitchers wearing jackets on the basepaths, Wrigley Ivy changing colors thru the season, Rule V draft (fake players, but still). I think there was an unlockable interview with Buck O'Neil talking about his experiences in the Negro Leagues. The game play left a lot to be desires, but ASB was the game that most paid homage to this sport's history.

[shaneomac]

Re: How The Show Can Embrace Baseball's History

Has anyone been able to confirm if classic stadiums are in the ps4 version this year?

[Knight165]

Re: How The Show Can Embrace Baseball's History

Has anyone been able to confirm if classic stadiums are in the ps4 version this year?

I doubt it.

M.K.
Knight165