MLB 15 The Show continues year-to-year saves, has real time sun and shadows

News by Brenna Hillier Contributor

Published on Jan. 30, 2015

MLB 15 The Show is going to be oodles better than last year's effort, judging by a list of planned improvements.

SCE San Diego has released a list of features and improvements coming to MLB 15 The Show.

For those keen on the franchise the news that year-to-year saves are making a return is an important inclusion, but there are also loads of other details worth checking out.

Here's the full list, direct from The Show Nation forums:

Gameplay Improvements

Advanced AI logic results in outfielders taking more realistic routes to the ball
Upgraded motion system allows for dynamic speed matching from run to catch to throw
User controlled cut offs
All new slide and tag system
New speed paradigm for fielders and base runners
Enhanced ball physics for pop ups, fly balls, and shots into the gap
Dynamic pitch breaks: Allows for more realistic pitch recognition when batting
Simplified Analog swing controls
Dynamic Difficulty 2.0
New situational base covering intelligence allows for new animations to play when a player has time or is in a hurry to get to his base.
More than 70 new situational third out fielding animations
New Input Type option for hitting
We’ve separated swing input as a separate option

Universal Rewards

Virtual Baseball cards to be collected and easily assembled into a competitive Diamond Dynasty team
Licensed Bats, Gloves, Batting Gloves, and Cleats that enhance your Road to the Show or Diamond Dynasty player’s ability
Brand Sponsorships for your Franchise team that spice up your in-game interface and earn your team some extra income
Collect entire teams to unlock iconic MLB alumni players from each MLB team

Graphical Improvements

Real-time seasonal sun and shadows
Player Skin tone realism. More variations of skin tones with gloss and specular improvements
Revamped Night lighting
More accurate and photorealistic rendering system
PS4 gets 10 more Minor League stadiums

Directional Hitting Interface
Featured for the first time in MLB 15 The Show is the new Directional Hitting interface, which allows you to influence the direction of your hits in real-time while you swing. Using the L-Stick, you can attempt to influence fly balls, ground balls, pushed hits, pulled hits, or any of those in combination. The most success will be had by swinging at pitches that are conducive to the hit direction you are aiming for. Outside pitches are better for hitting to the opposite field, while inside pitches are best for pulling. If no direction is pressed with the L-Stick, it’s just like using the old Timing Hitting interface. Like never before, Directional Hitting allows you to play into each hitter’s strengths and utilize the strategies of proper situational hitting.
Franchise Mode Refresh
With the addition of General Manager Contracts, you now have to consider Ownership Expectations when running your team, and your performance will determine the job offers that come your way. Building a championship-caliber team is more fun and dynamic than ever before, with the new Performance-based Player Progression, as well as much improved Trade and Contract logic. Partner up with Brand Sponsors, giving your broadcast elements an official sponsor and earn some extra dough to spend on your team.
Players and teams get Personality: Aesthetics and Emotion - PS4 & PS3 only
Players on the field get improvements to show their individuality. (Necklaces, Tilted caps, etc..) Real-time situational/emotional AI scenes (dugouts, crowd, etc..) have also been added, and more Team and Player celebrations.
“Inside The Show” News Suite - PS4, partial PS3
Franchise, RTTS, and Season modes all feature a new suite of features centered on providing news updates from around the league. Inside The Show is a new radio broadcast that will be heard at the beginning of each new day and will discuss recent scores, notable performances, team news, milestones, records, standings, and more.
Diamond Dynasty Distilled - PS4 & PS3 only
Diamond Dynasty is melted down to its core. Now driven by just a handful of systems, it is much more accessible and less daunting to manage. Driven heavily by a new collection based management system, everyone is building a Diamond Dynasty team just by playing any mode in MLB The Show.
New Slide Step System - PS4 & PS3 only
Perform a slide step while pitching to combat pitchers with a slow delivery to the plate, or runners who consistently get great jumps. This “game within a game” creates a risk/reward factor when performing a slide step. The pitcher will now have less control and slightly less velocity when a slide step is executed, but will be quicker to the plate. As a runner, you now have to worry about your opponent using a slide step when you are attempting a steal.
Legends
We partnered with the MLB Player’s Alumni Association to make a total of 30 Legends playable in MLB 15 The Show. Collect an entire MLB team, and you’ll unlock an iconic alumni player from that team. There’s one from each team, and though you’ll have to find or unlock the card to slot them into your Dynasty squad, you can simply opt in to utilizing the whole pool of Legends in your Franchise mode.
Instant Replay Challenge System - PS4 & PS3 Only
The MLB’s Instant Replay protocols are now in The Show. Certain plays give users an opportunity to challenge the outcome of a close play.
New Home Run Derby Format - PS4, partial PS3
Aligning Major League Baseball’s new Home Run Derby rules and progression
Licensed Equipment - PS4 & PS3 only
For the first time ever MLB The Show will include licensed equipment from some of the most recognizable brands in baseball. Earn as you play to enhance your RTTS or Diamond Dynasty players and partner with iconic brands by bringing sponsorships to your Franchise team! (Equipment on PS3 version is not seen during gameplay.)

Presentation Improvements

Dynamic stat based presentations
Split screen functionality
Real-time situational/emotional AI scenes (dugouts, crowd, etc.)
All-new Jumbotron movies
More Team and Player celebrations

Play-by-Play, Commentary, and PA Improvements

Improved strike zone accuracy with new pitch locations for on-the-black calls and borderline balls & strikes
Improved hit call accuracy through new field zone locations and deeper parameter logic
Improved runner rounding base and runner scoring content for more exciting big-play calls
Improved deep fly ball logic that allows more diverse calls on potential home runs, and prevents the user from hearing calls that give away the play result before it occurs
Improved foul ball logic to allow for open-ended play-by-play on playable or nearly playable balls, prevents user from hearing calls that give away the result
New batter introductions and pitch result content for the new skip batter walkup system (speeds up gameplay, tightens play-by-play)
New system for handling safe result calls that includes proper acknowledgement of the runner’s slide type
New conversations with color commentary that remember and discuss the team’s recent record
New conversations with color commentary that highlight the impact of important double plays
New PA batter introductions and content for the new Home Run Derby format
New batter introductions that call out the three part stat line for Average, Home Runs, and RBI’s on the year
New create-a-player first and last names
New play by play and color commentary content for the manager challenge system
Over 1,700 new lines of play-by-play content
Over 1,400 new lines of color commentary

MLB 15 The Show releases on March 31 for PlayStation 3, PS4 and Vita. There will be a gameplay reveal on February 5; hit up the PlayStation Blog for more details on that.

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