Made up Promos or Traditions for Franchise Mode Players

[Barzalmode]

I don't know if this is exactly what the OP is talking about, but with games like NHL and MLBTS where the AI can control all the organizational aspects of the user team, I like to just play as the minor league affiliate and deal with whatever decisions the AI GM makes. I had a lot of fun a few years ago with one of the NHL games.

[CgyFlames]

I’ll join the chorus for scheduled throwbacks, although I do it on Sundays.

[thescoop]

Quote: Originally Posted by Barzalmode

I don't know if this is exactly what the OP is talking about, but with games like NHL and MLBTS where the AI can control all the organizational aspects of the user team, I like to just play as the minor league affiliate and deal with whatever decisions the AI GM makes. I had a lot of fun a few years ago with one of the NHL games.

My thought is just ideas you have in your own head cannon, example: Throwback Thursdays for throwback jerseys. So like in your minor league only Franchise you'd maybe have a series played in a major league park or at throwback stadium for some reason. It is all about your own personal head canon.

[nhbgvbnyv]

I also have teams with Spanish inspired city connects (Diamondbacks "Serpientes", Dodgers "Los Dodgers", Miami's Havana Sugar Kings inspired look) wear them for all September home games for Hispanic Heritage month. I used to include the Reds "Los Rojos" and Royals "Los Reales" jerseys in this too before they were taken out of the game.

[thescoop]

Quote: Originally Posted by nhbgvbnyv

I also have teams with Spanish inspired city connects (Diamondbacks "Serpientes", Dodgers "Los Dodgers", Miami's Havana Sugar Kings inspired look) wear them for all September home games for Hispanic Heritage month. I used to include the Reds "Los Rojos" and Royals "Los Reales" jerseys in this too before they were taken out of the game.

I love it. Love seeing more from your own head canon. I sometimes will invent a promo like "player's bobble head day" and try and see if I can do something special with side player. Of course that's not an in game selection, but more of a "this could be a fun made up storyline" idea.

[TonyMoraco15]

Quote: Originally Posted by thescoop

Playing a long Franchise mode can be fun but I sometimes like to come up with ideas to keep it fresh. Things that can also help me use more uniforms, play in off stadiums, etc. I'll share mine but I want to see what others have come up with. 1. Throwback Thursdays - Every Thursday game i play I have both teams wear a throwback uniform. It is a great way to ensure I get to see all the uniforms while creating something in my own head cannon. (MLB, I'm ok with you stealing this idea in real life. Would be better than City Connects.) 2. Alternate/Blue Sundays - I play as the Cubs so I call it Blue Sunday where I have them wear their blue alternates on Sundays. I even have in my head cannon there might be one pitcher that won't do. And with the 94 Blue Alternate this year I have an extra option for Blue Sunday. 3. Minor League Major League Showcase Series - When the home team is on the road for a spell I will see if either of my minor league teams are home and play series in the major league park. I will call it a showcase to let the minor leaguers get a feel for the big league park. Another fun way to break things up. 4. Flashback series/game - With stadium creator we have way more classic stadiums than ever before. I will look at who I'm playing and come up with a story that there has been a rebuilt replica of say Ebbets Field or Tiger Stadium and either play a series or a game in said rebuilt replica. (Series if I play the team a lot, game if I still want to see their stadium during the lone series I have with them.) In my head cannon there is a place with rebuilt replica stadiums for these types of series. Again, just fun to break things up. Those are just some of the different ideas I do during a long Franchise season. What are some of yours?

I will definitely apply these ideas asap on my franchise!! Especially 1 and 3. Great ideas!

[thescoop]

Quote: Originally Posted by TonyMoraco15

I will definitely apply these ideas asap on my franchise!! Especially 1 and 3. Great ideas!

This makes me happy. It is why I created the thread. I was hoping to share ideas others could use and maybe get some new ones for myself from others.

[kbusch22]

One thing I do is play as both teams in the ASG, alternating between pitcher or hitter depending on who I want to play as in that AB. I never use my own players, since I've used them all year. This is my chance to test out players I don't normally get to use and facing my own guys is fun.

But when I do this I want to "optimize" the rosters as best I can. I save a new franchise file on the Sunday before the ASG. I play my game and sim all other MLB games and then make my changes. Once you advance to Monday the ASG rosters are "locked" so that's your last chance. Changes I make involve everything from giving everyone I don't want on the team a stomach ache for a few days so they will be left out, to changing positions to get certain guys there.

Really it comes down to playing around with the algorithm and to this day I don't have it down exactly but I know the basics and it's a bit surprising on how stubborn the CPU is with its ASG rosters.

Pitching is the most straightforward - top 5 SP, top 1 RP, top 6 CP. The only time I've seen it change is if it has 4 or more teams that don't have a rep and in that case it might boot a SP whose team is already well represented. In my franchise I have no CP, only RP. So the game wants to carry the top 7 RP on the roster. But I can move any 6 pitchers I want to CP and guarantee they make the team automatically, along with it almost always carrying the top 5 SP it's nearly impossible to not have full control over the entire 12 man pitching staff. I make it so my teams have 7-8 SP like in real life.

BUT this is where the algorithm gets whacky. Take the A's. They are terrible and the only player worth making the team in my game was their closer Zach Jackson. In real life he'd be the easy choice to be the lone A's guy. Moving him to CP ensured he makes the game. Easy, right?

Not so fast. As far as I can tell if you're not one of the top 2 CP on the votes list, the CPU doesn't count it. So it was still trying to brute force either Shea Langeliers or Jace Pederson onto the team, both were terrible. I only could've made Jackson the lone A if I had him as the RP1 or one of the top 2 CP. Well the RP1 went to a Royals dude who was the only good player on his team and he was better than Jackson, and I had too many pitchers better than Jackson to get him into the top 2 CP.

So I browsed their roster, the only solid position player they had was Esteury Ruiz who was just slightly behind the OF on the team. I manually injured 2 OF ahead of him on the rankings and he made the team then but it STILL tried to force Langeliers in, which told me that if you are OF7 or something it won't count either.

And that's the story of how Esteury Ruiz was temporarily re-classed to a catcher, the game carried him on the bench as Christian Vazquez (elected starter) and Adley (the top backup who had a solid season) were on the team as the 2 real catchers. When playing the game I of course played Ruiz in the OF.

If it sounds like too much work, it probably is. But I genuinely geek out on trying to crack algorithms.