Tonight, SDS will apply the first post-launch title update to MLB The Show 24. While the game has so far gotten positive reviews, there have been some very notable issues. This first update hopes to address these issues.
The first big issue is the game being almost unplayable on the Nintendo Switch. Since the launch of the game, reports have come in of the game crashing in certain modes. Diamond Dynasty and Storylines have been among the most affected. This patch says it fixes a crash that occurs when entering Diamond Dynasty games. However, other modes that were also seeing crashes are not listed. Hopefully, this fix will affect the other modes as well.
The other major issue this patch addresses is the return of the two-way player glitch in Diamond Dynasty. This glitch allows two-way players to come out of the bullpen to pitch with 100% stamina, instead of the usual reduced stamina starters usually have. This was an issue in MLB The Show 23 that was eventually patched. However, this issue somehow found its way back into the game this year. Thankfully, it is being addressed early on so that it doesn’t ruin too many games for players.
There are few other notable issues being addressed in tonight’s patch. Matt Waldron is becoming one of the few players in Diamond Dynasty to have his own major balancing change. Waldron is one of, if not the only, knuckleball pitcher in Diamond Dynasty. So far, his knuckleball has been near impossible to make contact with. Tonight’s patch will make Waldron’s signature pitch have increased velocity and less break. This, in theory, should make the pitch easier to hit.
Also, there are some Pinpoint pitching issues being addressed. There was a bug that would cause the timing of Pinpoint pitches to be inconsistent when there are runners on base. This would make it hard to locate pitches due to the speed of the path being sped up or slowed down. This issue will hopefully be resolved with this patch.
The full patch notes for tonight’s patch can be found below:
GENERAL
- Fixed a bug that would cause inconsistent pinpoint timing for pitchers with quick deliveries when pitching from the stretch.
- Fixed an issue where controller vibration would fail to turn off after completing certain tutorials.
- Fixed an issue where Matt Waldron would spin after a strikeout animation.
- Fixed various tagging issues that could happen due to larger base sizes.
- Fixed a crash when entering Moments.
- Fixed an issue causing network errors when entering Play Now Daily Rosters.
- Fixed an issue where the CPU was throwing balls at an excessively high rate.
- Two-way players will now be eligible for the Home Run Derby in Franchise and Road to the Show.
DIAMOND DYNASTY
- Pitcher energy for two-way players who enter a game from the bullpen will now function properly.
- Fixed a bug in Mini-Seasons where if the user added the same player card on their team the CPU cards stats would display in-game for the user’s team stats.
- Fixed a crash when exiting Mini Seasons.
- Fixed an issue that would cause the wrong bat skin to be displayed in-game.
- Reduced the strobing that occurred when a user simulates through Conquest.
ONLINE HEAD-TO-HEAD
- Fixed an issue where defensive shifts were not lining up correctly.
- Fixed a freeze that would occur when loading into a game.
- Fixed a bug where users could become stuck with the “Waiting For…” notification displayed on screen in online gameplay.
- Fixed an issue where offensive players or teammates of the active fielder would witness abrupt changes in player location (warping) in the outfield.
- General stability improvements.
CO-OP
- Fixed an issue where throw meters would not appear when using button accuracy.
- Fixed multiple instances where freezes could happen after an in-game substitution.
- Fixed a bug related to pause timers that could cause the game to freeze.
ROAD TO THE SHOW
- Users will no longer be invited to the Future Stars game while in the MLB.
- Implemented new Future Stars Game intros.
- Fixed an issue where players would get stuck in a loop of the same defensive play repeatedly.
- Various pronoun commentary adjustments for both female and male players.
- Players will no longer have the number 42 on their jersey during a Draft Combine game.
FRANCHISE
- Fixed a crash while simulating past draft day with certain custom rosters.
- Fixed a crash while simulating to the Futures Game with certain custom rosters.
- Adjustment made to text colors in the Contract Management screen.
- Draft Board will now show drafted player positions.
STORYLINES
- Fixed issue where the nodes in year 1998 would be marked as complete when pressing ‘Down’ to navigate to the 1998 map from 1996.
- Fixed a server exception error that was occurring due to disconnecting from storylines and trying to re-enter the mode.
- Fixed issue where the Jeter background SFX would continue after disconnecting and returning to the main front-end menus.
- Fixed a bug that caused the box score to display the same name for both teams in game.
- Fixed Buck Leonard’s “Student of the Game” moment.
CUSTOM LEAGUES
- Fixed an issue that would cause a challenge failed error when matching up with another user.
MISCELLANEOUS
- Various commentary and presentation updates and adjustments.
- The addition of the MiLB Copa de la Diversion uniforms for Double-A and Triple-A.
- Fixed a graphic issue on the 400ft centerfield wall at the Roger Centre.
- Updated Roy Halladay HOF logo at the Rogers Centre.
- Various UI improvements for improved legibility.
NINTENDO SWITCH
- Fixed a crash when entering game modes in Diamond Dynasty.
- Fixed a freeze that could occur when playing with single Joy-Cons during online gameplay.
- Fixed inconsistencies on the right field jumbotron in Busch Stadium.
XBOX
- Fixed an issue that could cause a soft lock on Xbox during bootup.
DEVELOPER NOTES
Balance Changes
In a content update coming Friday 3/29, Matt Waldron will see an increase to velocity on his knuckleball and slight decrease to his break. This should make his knuckleball generally easier to hit. We will continue monitoring community feedback and adjusting if needed.
Co-op Cooldown Adjustments
In a content update earlier today, we have reduced the Co-op cooldown penalties to reflect the penalties from previous years. We appreciate your feedback as we continue to monitor Co-op and all other modes within MLB The Show 24.
XP Cap in Diamond Dynasty
We’ve seen a lot of discussion surrounding the XP Cap in Diamond Dynasty and wanted to take some time to explain its design intentions and provide context as to how it functions.
First off, how does the XP Cap work? The daily XP Cap is 15,000 XP, and only affects XP earned through gameplay. This means that XP earned through various other areas in Diamond Dynasty are not affected by the cap. If you have already reached the XP Cap for the day, and you complete a section of a program that rewards 3,000 XP, you will still receive that XP reward. The cap exists strictly for XP earned through on-the-field activity, such as hitting home runs, tallying strikeouts, etc. The Cap does not impact XP earned by completing objectives in a program such as Spring Breakout.
The gameplay XP Cap is lower than it has been in previous years. That is intentional, and instead, we placed larger amounts of XP rewards throughout various programs in Diamond Dynasty. For example, the Battle Royale Program holds a total of 35,000 XP. This will continue throughout the course of each season.
As more content is dropped, there will be more ways to earn large amounts of XP within the content, outside of gameplay XP. In addition, we have plans for double XP weekends in the future, where the Cap will also be temporarily raised to double its current value. All of this will allow the average user to keep up with relevant rewards from the XP Reward Path without needing to hit the gameplay XP Cap consistently.
We understand it can be frustrating to reach the gameplay XP cap, but it is necessary for the pacing of the content, and to prevent the 99 overall rewards at the end of the path from interfering with the gradual rise in player overalls too soon. Please keep in mind that the intent for the XP Reward Path is to provide free rewards which can be earned passively over time, and the time-frame for an entire XP Reward Path is meant to last an entire 12-week season.
Player overalls creep up slowly throughout the XP Reward Path, and it was our intention that each new player with a higher overall feels like a “boss” for that section of the XP Reward Path. You can think of obtaining the 91 overall player as the “boss” player for the first few weeks; obtaining the 93 overall player would be the “boss” player for the next few weeks, and so on. This is meant to reward an overall-relevant player item at multiple points throughout the season, culminating in the 99 overalls towards the end of the season.
We believe players should be rewarded with 99’s even if it takes longer, but we are of course always monitoring feedback around every aspect of our game.
We fully expect someone who completes most of the content throughout the course of a season to obtain the 99 overall rewards by the end of the season. If you are someone who is hitting the daily gameplay XP Cap consistently , you are on track to earning the 99 overall rewards much sooner, which means you are on a great pace for the 12-week season. That means you may be among the first to earn 99 overall rewards from the XP Reward Path before the majority of 99 overall rewards are added to Diamond Dynasty in other areas. Any change to the gameplay XP Cap would only accelerate that pace and compromise the gradual rise in player overall ratings.
We will continue to monitor community feedback around this topic.
Thank you, as always, for playing MLB The Show.