GO 23 first impressions (casual, franchise mode fictional player)

[McBruce]

It’s pretty good and the price is amazing. Seems to be some improvement in the timing of the text and the video as plays develop, new ways to shop players and probably a lot of other improvements. Looks nice on my large iPad and playable on my small iPhone. A few niggles that seem to be entrenched in the OOTP world for good (although I have not seen recent versions of the desktop version, I admit) first:

1) Non-DH game. You pinch hit for the pitcher and (now or later) the inning ends. “You have a defensive position missing” popup comes up, but GO shows the list of BATTERS, not PITCHERS, which is what you’re going to replace. You click to switch to the list of pitchers, make the simple change and hit the ‘back to the game’ button in the corner, only to get the “you have a defensive position missing” popup again, because the system put your pitcher into the batting order but left the position blank.

C’mon man. The system should be able to figure out what the user is trying to do here. If we’re making a double-switch or introducing new fielders we’re not replacing the PH with a pitcher and immediately trying to get back to the game. This is a spot that the program should save us a few clicks and not require us to dot every ‘i’ and cross every ‘t’ before we get back to the action. When your batting inning ends with the pitcher (or any position player) pinch-hit for, most of the time you are going to replace the PH only with the next pitcher (or other position player). The system needs to make this common change easier.

2) The formula translating player attributes into stars works well for every position except RP. Any inaugural draft after three rounds, if you sort the player list by stars, is 95+% RPs on the first three pages. A quick look at stars on a team’s roster gives you the wrong impression unless you correct for the fact that way too many RPs are 3.5+ star players. This has been the case forever and we all know it, but it is time to fix this by adding an optional new RP star system that distributes the relievers similar to the other positions. (Make it optional so that the old timers can continue to endure this problem, until everyone realizes that the new way is better.)

Specific problems in GO 23 I have seen:

3) The default stadium for fictional leagues appears to have a wall or stanchion in LF that regularly interferes with video when switched to the view from the LF bleachers. Most such plays have the right-hand third of the screen dark gray because of this; sometimes, if the ball is hit to the LF corner, the cameraman swings the camera around and you see 95% wall! Moving the virtual camera a few feet closer to home plate should fix this.

4) Any game that starts in daylight and ends after sunset at this stadium goes through a few sunset innings in which the sky looks like a scary orange post-nuclear blast mess.

5) On my small iPhone, the contrast between the field and the players on it could use an ‘increase’ option: sometimes the players are almost invisible, even at 140%. OK on iPad.

6) When switching to Batter vs Pitcher view, we lose the on-field ratings. Understandable, especially on small screens. It would be good to have a way to discover, in BvP view, things hidden that we need to know: very low defensive ratings at a position indicating that we’ve screwed up the latest defensive substitution, and baserunning/stealing ratings for runners on base. There may be space on the BvP banners near the borders to display this info somehow, or another way would be to add colour to the scoreboard indicators of baserunners to show their ratings for baserunning or stealing: instead of the normal yellow diamond at 1B, a blue diamond with a green centre would indicate excellent baserunning with good stealing ability, for example. A red instead of yellow home plate on the display would indicate a player on the field with a poor defensive rating at the position and get us to take a second look.

7) I may be in the minority that mourns the end of non-DH play, but I do like the new idea of preventing random destruction of bullpens whenever a mid-season game goes 21 innings, by the softball-inspired runner-on-second-start rule. It would be a fun addition to GO 23.

8) I’ve noticed that when you lose a position player to injury and have the AI re-do your organization, it will replace that player in the depth chart with the next guy available, and call someone up to fill out the roster. That’s always been the case. But new this time, it seems is that if you choose someone different, maybe a young pheenom killing it in the minors, to be the replacement, the AI doesn’t overrule you the next time you lose a player to injury. Maybe my pheenom did well enough while called up to impress the AI, but I remember this as a problem before and it seems to have been fixed. Nice!

9) Might be fun to expand the options when the AI stinks up your messages with a trade offer so bad, that you can Decline Trade With An ‘Are You Kidding Me?’ choice. After all, the AI doesn’t hold back in the trades screen when you offer nothing for something….

10) One of the mysteries of the game for a casual player like me, even after twenty years since I discovered OOTP, is ‘how often should I be choosing something other than Pitch To Batter?’ If the answer is ‘rarely’ maybe it might be better to just let the game run and have a bench coach point out when there is a possible option, rather than have the user tap the same spot to begin each play.

One way to get more attention onto this fine app, on iOS at least, would be to create a version that would be suitable for Apple Arcade subscribers, no in-game purchases in exchange, I presume, for more of the money subscribers pay. Right now it is buried in the Canadian App Store, #196 in the Sports category.

[snarls200]

#7 already an option for extra innings

[Edster007]

Double switch is a little clunky but managable.

#10 is interesting-maybe a pause button instead of pitch to batter in case you wanted to change pitchers, play your infield in etc

Any insight on new features that may have been added.

[Markus Heinsohn]

Thanks for the feedback! We'll tackle these soon

[McBruce]

Originally Posted by snarls200

#7 already an option for extra innings

Didn't see it while setting up two leagues, but I can recheck I guess.

[snarls200]

Originally Posted by McBruce

Didn't see it while setting up two leagues, but I can recheck I guess.

You have to go advanced view in rules and its the modified extra innings rule

[McBruce]

Originally Posted by Edster007

Double switch is a little clunky but managable.

#10 is interesting-maybe a pause button instead of pitch to batter in case you wanted to change pitchers, play your infield in etc

I've discovered that it is a little easier to switch to the pane that shows the pitcher and the next three batters if you simply want to replace the PH. Never had much difficulties with double-switching, or deciding to let a successful PH stay in the game at his normal position and let the new pitcher replace the starter there. My specific issue is that the system really should recognize when we are trying to simply put in a new pitcher for one that has just been pinch-hit for, and auto-enter 'P' for position -- or even auto-enter the ninth defensive position when the other eight are in and we put a new guy in in the ninth slot.

The bottom pane might be revamped with Pitch to Batter or Swing Away always in the bottom right, with a timer bar that can be adjustable and clicks that button for you once the time runs out. The timer bar might change to a different colour if your bench coach has a strategy suggestion, and a 'call time' button, to listen to his idea, should be nearby. Possible suggestions from the bench coach might be:
--"pitcher fatigue is becoming a factor"
--"intentional walk might be best here"
--"pitch around this guy, he'll reach for bad pitches"
--"pitch to contact, our defense should get an out"
--"our fielders aren't in their best possible positions"
On offense, the bench coach might suggest getting a PH in, steals, H&R, taking a pitch, etc.. All of this would be based on the ratings of the players on the field, and the number of suggestions you get could be adjustable.

The general idea is that a good strategy guy, running rare/occasional/sometimes ideas by the manager would allow the game to flow without having to hit the same button over and over again. The suggestions made by the bench coach, even if declined by the manager, would be a good window into the options available.

[daves]

Very disappointed that there is no commish mode. This request was even made during the MLB Manager app days. Not sure what it takes? Is it money? Can I purchase commish mode for the app? I feel sick that it just can't happen? Yeah, I have everything on a computer version that I barely have time to use. Love to have this feature on the app since I carry my phone everywhere.

[McBruce]

Originally Posted by snarls200

You have to go advanced view in rules and its the modified extra innings rule

Thanks, missed that!

[Edster007]

Originally Posted by Markus Heinsohn

Thanks for the feedback! We'll tackle these soon

I play mostly historical-any chance to add the ability to assign current ballparks in historical? I play out games and having the same park for all games gets dull. If I play the NY Giants and assign them Citi Field I am OK with that at least it's a little eye candy and besides they didn't play at generic park.

Otherwise thanks to the team for the work put into making this happen.

[Gabe778]

It's literally the same game with a roster update, thanks EA!

[willie212384]

Started a franchise with the Yankees and Jasson Dominguez does not appear to be in this game. Is there a reason for this? He’s a top 40 prospect and the Yankees #3 prospect.

[daves]

Originally Posted by Gabe778

It's literally the same game with a roster update, thanks EA!

Yep

[Bunktown Ballers]

Originally Posted by Markus Heinsohn

Thanks for the feedback! We'll tackle these soon

Im using the Samsung S7+ Tablets with like 11.5 inch width screen. I just downlowned app this morning and it's nothing short of stunning. The gameplay in franchise mode is unbelievable. camera option are insane, but there's is something I can't seem to find and that's the 40-man Roster. Can you or someone else help me out on this?
Thanks
BB

[Bunktown Ballers]

I'm playing on a Samsung S7+ tablet with a screen width of 12 inch and a height of about 7 to 8 inches. I've never played the game on a phone but I can see where things might not be what most are expecting. But on my Tablet everything is just awesome & I guess because of the size, but some of these complaints I just don't get. Game play is top notch, not so many diving plays either, but 1 thing I seem I can't find is a 40-man roster. Am I missing it somewhere?


BB

[Bunktown Ballers]

Originally Posted by willie212384

Started a franchise with the Yankees and Jasson Dominguez does not appear to be in this game. Is there a reason for this? He’s a top 40 prospect and the Yankees #3 prospect.

do a search at top of screen to find him. I had same problem with a player too but a quick search showed he was in A ball..lol...

[professor ape]

A small thing but a big positive change from last year is that the game is pretty consistently remembering my login when I switch between my laptop, iPad, and phone. Having to log in every time I changed devices last year was a constant annoyance.

[bbgods]

No option to add 27th player for double headers in Live Start (thanks so much for live start!!)

[willie212384]

Originally Posted by Bunktown Ballers

do a search at top of screen to find him. I had same problem with a player too but a quick search showed he was in A ball..lol...

I went through the player search screen and he is not in the game.

[esb1981]

Has anyone had issues with the Transactions screen? There is a know issue where the drag-and-drop function is not working, but the + and - buttons that are supposed to be there for moving players are not there.

Funny thing is…. They weren’t in the old version either; it’s just I didn’t notice since drag-and-drop worked. I’m on iPad Pro 11”.