MLB 09 The Show Online Season Leagues and Improvements

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Hey there, Jason here again, this time to relay some information on new features and improvements to the Online/SportsConnect area of MLB 09 The Show. Along with improving the league system and layout, this year we focused on two major components of the Online League System…A) Draft System; B) Flex Schedules (with new Schedule screen). We truly believe that the additions of these two components are what the Online Leagues needed. The goal is to allow users to customize as much as possible and to ensure that these league games get played!

Online League Draft System:
While online leagues are fun, there’s nothing like hand picking the team of your team. And taking it one step further than Fantasy Sports, you can actually take your team on the field and play with them yourself.

The draft system rivals that of any fantasy sports system. It allows from 6-30 players to hold a FULL LIVE Draft, with the ability to set your draft day/time, pick timer/length, chat (and harass), view the Player Card/stats of available players, view the Player Card stats of other users in your league drafting. Another integral part of the draft system is the ability to set you draft queue. No matter how much planning you do, there’s always a chance you can’t physically be at your draft, or you may not be able to stay for the entire draft. That’s when the Draft Queue becomes essential. Simply queue up all the players you’d like to be on your team, place them in order of preference, turn off your PS3 system and walk away. The server will handle the rest. Not only will it put priority on the picks you have queued, but it will make certain you have a logical team…25 players, equally balanced between starters, relievers, infielders and outfielders.

Once the draft is over, set your lineup, have the commissioner activate the league and start playing your league games!

MLB 09 The Show League Draft

Online League Flex Schedule:
Finding opponents and playing games should be much easier this year. We’ve incorporated a Flex Schedule for all leagues (Draft or non-Draft leagues). No longer do you only get one series and opponent to play when you log into your league. Depending on the size and length of your league you can play ahead in the schedule. The Flex schedule is never smaller than 3 series/opponents, or never larger than 15 series/opponents (that’s right, 15!).

Not only are we offering the Flex Schedule, but we’re also offering a far easier Schedule Screen. The new online Season League Schedule screen has the same look and feel of the offline season schedule screen. We’ve added a Series countdown in schedule screen. This lets the league know when the current series expires and how much time they have before the Commissioner can resolve games. Get those games played!

MLB 09 The Show League Schedule

We’ve also added a true League Lobby. Upon entering the League Office, you will automatically be given a seat in the League Lobby of that particular league. It’s called a persistent Lobby, and we’re very excited about it. Now you can hold a seat in a lobby, but navigate around the lobby. You’ll see a new Lobby Icon in the hot bar this year. It’s the text bubble with three dots. Once you see that blink, you know that chat is taking place in the lobby/game room you have a seat in.

MLB 09 The Show League Lobby

There is also now the Draft Day and Time in My Leagues and League Office, which helps ensure league members won’t miss the draft.

Online Improvements:
Along with the major changes to The Show League system, we’ve made a number of general online improvements. Each year we listen to community feedback and do our best to address every issue. Since most of these are relatively self-explanatory, I figured the best thing to do would be to create a bullet point list:

  • SportsCast Live now with Live Play-by-play audio while viewing a game (fka View Game Status)
  • Set Lineups in Online Season Leagues (vs. RHP, LHP)
  • Ping indicator in Team Select screen, before entering an online game
  • New Legend skill level, requiring a user to reach 4500 points
  • 4 options for Guess Pitch settings (Default, Classic 1/4, Classic 1/6, No Feedback)
  • Addition of 30 sec for each extra inning
  • Square to forfeit opponent instead of X (not allowing accidental forfeit)
  • Ability to select a jersey in an online game
  • Ability to mound visit
  • Access to Quick menu (up on D-pad)
  • Online steals addressed
  • Quick pitch exploit addressed with a delay
  • Allow both players to view the replay when one player enters replay mode via pause menu
  • No pausing when ball is hit in play
  • Persistent Chat – ability to maintain a seat and interaction in a game room, even after leaving. This is perfect for League Chat rooms
  • Online Player Options in far more areas in the SportConnect Lobby. This is the pop-up that allows for a Challenge, Send IM, Invite to Buddy, SportCast Live, etc.

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116 Comments

12 Author Replies

  • umm this may be a dumb question, but ill ask it anyway…the online leagues…will they be just one season or will there be a dynasty mode online???

  • Am I correct in assuming that you CANNOT have an online multi-user franchise mode like you can have in NCAA Football ’09?

    If not, you have to make it happen next year. NCAA 09 allows you to upload games played against the CPU and when it is time to play a game against a USER then you play it online.

  • Question 1: In the online leagues, will there be a waiting period (14 days, 10 games, 3* rating) like last year before we can start making leagues?

    Jason Villa replied on February 24, 2009 at 11:24 am
    1. It’s up to us. We can turn it on or off at the server with the click of a button. The purpose of it initially was to prevent hundreds of leagues from being created by users, just because they can :-). The goal was to prevent a clutter of stale league by deadbeat commissioners. Depending on what the community says, we can have it on or off at ship, or even turn it off down the road. YOU TELL ME! :-)

    I would prefer you left it off to begin with when it ships. I have a group of friends that are buying the game tomorrow and we are going to set up a private league just for us. I only have time with work to get online for an hour or two every night to play games with my friends and the last thing I want to do is have to wait 2 weeks, and play ten games before I can create my online league for myself and friends. Please start out with it off. Thanks! Keep up the great job!

  • 1) How easy is the process of uploading music content for the game?

    2)I heard that one can use their own music for batting/pitching intros and HR celebrations. Is that also correct and if so, what else can be substituted?

  • I agree with post 71. My friends and I would also love to have an online feature similar to ncaa football 09…

  • Sorry but I have to agree with 71 too. I have some of my closest friends with me pumped up to play online season mode but the way you’ve explained it – it won’t work. We were expecting the NCAA 2009 online scheme to be used so we could play versus CPU and each other. Jason, is there a possibility to get this out in a patch for MLB09? Too tall a request? I’ll pay extra for it.

    It sounds as if there is a large number of us interested and some of us (like me) pretty much needing it. Could you let us know the chances?

  • How many users are allowed to use the offline dynasty mode franchise draft? Last year it was only 2 and that sucks. Get with the program, you guys have 4 controller outlets, it’s time to start making the offline fantasy drafts for as many users as you like if it’s not already.

    Thanks…

  • Also, can you do unlimited users in the season mode fantasy draft?

  • It would be nice if we could download updated rosters without injured players being left on IR. In other words, an updated active roster that assumes all players are healthy.

  • The one thing I love about the Show, is the ability to play an entire season and still have the option to play as other teams. Games like NHL 09, for example, do not allow the ability to play as more than one team during a season. I really hope MLB 09 still has this option.

  • Sorry….I meant I WANT the ability to play a season and still be able to play as any team I want during that season. Currently, the only way to play as a different team during a season is to play as your opponent for any particular season game. However, if I play a season as the Jay’s I might never be able to play as the Dodgers. Why wouldn’t you give the player the choice to pick any number of teams during a season? You could choose just one, an entire division or all teams. Any team you don’t specify as player controlled would be run by the AI.

  • I’m so disappointed with the roster update I just bought this game today and I went online to update the rosters and I did and I saved it so I can play with the updated rosters offline but when I try to the rosters are still the same as it was before I updated the rosters. I have supported this Baseball franchise series since 2006. And if I sound mad I am I paid $65 for this game we are in a recession and I want things I buy to work or unless tell me why its not working. ppl have been blogging about this problem for the last 2day and its still not fixed. And this is to Troy Mack the product manager and Jason Villa, you guys are should be on top of problems like this!! Did you guys even play the game over product was done or did you take your money and run?? WTF are you guys doing? Next year Im going with Mlb 2k10 I heard they update they rosters everyday..

  • I’m so disappointed with the roster update I just bought this game today and I went online to update the rosters and I did and I saved it so I can play with the updated rosters offline but when I try to the rosters are still the same as it was before I updated the rosters. I have supported this Baseball franchise series since 2006. And if I sound mad I am I paid $65 for this game we are in a recession and I want things I buy to work or unless tell me why its not working. ppl have been blogging about this problem for the last 2day and its still not fixed. And this is to Troy Mack the product manager and Jason Villa, you guys are should be on top of problems like this!! Did you guys even play the game over product was done or did you take your money and run?? WTF are you guys doing? Next year Im going with Mlb 2k10 I heard they update they rosters everyday.

  • ummmm the custom music does not work online

  • How do you get invited to a league? Is there a way to search for public leagues to join?

    I looked last night (3/3/09) but did not see a way to do? It looks like you have to be invited? Is there a place you can put your PSN name to let people know you are interested in joining a league?

  • Hey Richbx388,

    I had no problems with the roster update myself. If you are seriously considering moving to 2K10, then good luck with that. Have you seen this years game? It’s worse than last years!

  • toddym

    I have 3 dedicated players looking to add 5 more for an 8 team online league with fantasy draft. interested?

  • Guys… all this fancy light doesn’t really transfer well online. I can understand degrading the graphics to improve online play but there’s a nasty blemish in that in Turner Field for night games, the lights don’t come on. I mean they’re on, but they cast no shadows on the field so it’s like they’re off. I imagine other stadiums have this glitch also.

    2) No “sort people based on connection quality” option? That makes going to a lobby as much a crapshoot as doing a quick game. Ugh… I mean it’s better, but a lot of warts still in the online.

    Any of these getting fixed via patching soon?

  • Smack_your_Dunch

    How do you communicate with a buddy during a game??? Several people have asked this question with no response?? Love the game!

  • dumb ? but can someone get me the url to download a picture for my online account on mlb 09 the show?

  • Can someone please tell me how to chat when playing onlinie? I can’t find a setting..I have my blutooth headset all setup and my buddy does also..We would like to be able to chat during gameplay..Thanks in advance..

  • I have really simple question. we can trade player in online league?

  • Can we play our custom roster through the online match?

  • Online does not work it always say not enabled.

  • How can i get more tranning points in rrts mode in the begging of the career i dont believe they give u enough points to begin with in the first place

  • hi. i have the mlb 09 for the psp. how do u upload a picture for the online profile card?

  • Hi, I am the commish of my online league in 09 and am now experiencing a serious glitch. When I select to enter my league page, the game stalls and then turns off and I go back to th PS3 main page. Every other part of the game works terrific. I talked to Sony and they said it was a disc issue. I no longer have my receipt though, so they can’t replace my game. Any ideas?

  • wow its all i can say hehe……..thanx guy for make the best ever sport game….look my parents dont like videogames and they say i waste my time playing them….but when they saw the show, they say that it was like a really baseball match….i cant stop playing it…its cool…the commentaries r cool….graphs r cool…and thanx to you guys 4 making my 2 months vacations really fun….now i love baseball even more

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