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GlassGiant.com MLB 09: The Show RTTS: Player Creation Guide Version 1.0 3/10/2009 Playstation 3 Email: [email protected] Website: www.teamhamsterhat.com 1234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789 ************VERSION HISTORY [VER]************ MLB 09: The Show RTTS: Player Creation Guide Version 1.0 - Base of guide for position players (non-pitchers) completed. ************VERSION HISTORY************ ************DISCLAIMER [DISC]************ All of the information and advice dispensed here is from the brain of myself or one of the thread contributors. If this information is incorrect, please inform me and I will make the appropriate changes. As my thoughts are not the Gospel truth, please use YOUR brain to decide whether or not you agree with me. Also please feel free to share your opinion on anything in this guide. It is intended as a means for people to get the best information possible, not merely my own personal opinion. ************DISCLAIMER************ ************TABLE OF CONTENTS************ 1) Introduction [INTRO] 2) Player Options [PLAY] 3) Attribute Summary [ATTR] 4) Starting Base Attribute Table [BASE] 5) Position by position breakdown [POS] 6) RTTS: Gameplay Options [GAME] 7) Tips �n� Tricks [TNT] 8) Credits [CRED] ************TABLES OF CONTENTS************ ************INTRODUCTION [INTRO]************ Welcome to my [MLB 09: The Show] Road to the Show: Player Creation Guide. This is my first ever FAQ, so please feel free to offer any constructive criticism or insight you may have. This information was originally assembled from a gamespot/gamefaqs forum thread, and credit to those who contributed to that thread is given in the Credits section. My contact information for both GameSpot and gamefaqs is �yeahyeahyouwere�, and my email is [email protected] (please try to contact me via GameSpot first, as I rarely check that Yahoo mail account). So for those who are not familiar with the Road to the Show feature of this game, here is a brief explanation. In Road to the Show (hereafter referred to as RTTS), you will create a new player, choose a position, and then follow their baseball career as they try to make their way into the Major Leagues and eventually become an All-Star, or if you are really good, a Hall of Famer. You will likely start out in the minor leagues, either AA or AAA, and have to work your way up through the ranks until you make it to The Show. As you progress through your career, you will be asked to achieve specific goals with your in-game play (such as batting .300 through a 6-series period), as well as goals relating to increasing your player�s attributes (such as power, or speed). You earn training points through in-game performance, which can then be used to raise those attributes. Of course, the higher your attributes, the better you will be able to perform. Throughout your career, you will be tasked with many different goals that will cover all of your skills. You will also be subjected to injuries, being called up, being sent down, negotiating new contracts, and in some cases, you may even be traded to another team. However, before you are able to make it to The Show, you must first create your player, which brings us to where we are now. Some of the decisions you make when you create your character will have long-reaching effects, while some others can be easily changed in the middle of your career. The next section details some of the decisions you will have to make, what your options may be, and what the consequences of certain selections may be. ************INTRODUCTION************ ************PLAYER OPTIONS [PLAY]************ The following are the options you have when creating your player... First Name - Select a first name for your created player. This can be changed by the player at any time. Last Name - Select a last name for your created player. This can be changed by the player at any time. First Name Audio - Select an audio option for your player�s first name. If they do not have his first name as an option, you can leave this empty, or select a nickname. This can be changed at any time. Last Name Audio - Select an audio option for your player�s last name. Again, if they do not have his last name as an option, you can choose to leave it blank. This can be changed at any time. Age - Select an age for your player. This has no discernable effect on attributes and cannot be changed. Jersey Number - Select a jersey number for your player. You can choose any number 00-99, but you may not be able to use it if a player on your team already has it. This can be changed at any time. Primary Position - Select the primary position for your created player. This selection will determine what your player�s base attributes are. This selection CAN be changed by the player by using the "Change position" option in the "Interactions" menu, but it is very rarely successful. In general, your manager will not allow you to change your primary position; CHOOSE CAREFULLY. Secondary Position - Select the secondary position for your created player. This can be changed by the player at any time. Essentially, this selection will determine where your player can play when not playing their primary position. In rare instances, such as extremely long games, you may find yourself tasked with playing a position that is neither your primary nor your secondary. Throw Hand - This option sets whether your player throws left or right handed. Note: some positions will only allow you to select �right-handed� for your throwing option - these are C, 2B, 3B, and SS. This cannot be changed. Bat Hand - This option sets whether your player bats from the left or right side, or both, should you decide to be a switch hitter. If you are a switch hitter, you will always bat from the opposite side of the arm the pitcher throws with (meaning you bat left-handed for right-handed pitchers and vice versa). Skin Tone - Choose a skin tone for your player. This can be changed. Height - This option allows you to set your player�s height. Your choice here will not have an effect on your player�s attributes. It may, however, affect your player�s strike zone and ability to reach balls in the field when on defense. Weight - This option allows you to set your player�s weight. Your choice here will not have any effect on your player�s attributes. It may affect in-game speed, but I doubt it. If anyone can confirm or disprove that, please contact me. Body Type - Choose a body type for your player, from buff, fat, or normal. This can be changed. Neck Size - Choose a neck size for your player, from small, medium, and large. This can be changed. **Accessories** Your accessory choices can be changed at any time. Bat Color - Choose a color for your bat, from pine, black, red or brown. Glove color - Choose a color for your glove, from black, tan, or blue. Left Sleeve/Right Sleeve - Choose an option for your undershirt sleeves, from �, long, above elbow, or none. Left Wristband/Right Wristband - Choose an option for your wristbands, from thin, wide, think with number, wide with number, or none. Left Forearm Band/Right Forearm Band - Choose an option for your forearm bands, from thin, wide, thin with number, wide with number, or none. Wrist Tape - Choose wrist tape for either left wrist, right wrist, both, or none. Batting Gloves - Choose batting gloves for either right hand, left hand, both hands, or none. Gloves In Pocket - Choose whether to have gloves in your left pocket, right pocket, both pockets, or none. Turtleneck - Choose whether or not your player wears a turtleneck. (Don't wear one, it makes you look like a tweak) Helmet Style - Choose the older helmet style of the newer vented helmet style. Helmet Pine Tar - Choose how much pine tar is on your helmet, from light, medium, heavy or none. Dual Flap Helmet - Choose whether or not your player wears a dual flap helmet. Glasses - Choose one of 8 styles of glasses for your player, or none. Eye Black - Choose whether or not your player wears eye black. Elbow Guard - Choose whether or not your player wears an elbow guard. Theoretically this could help you avoid injuries, but I highly doubt it does. Shin Guard - Choose whether or not your players wears a shin guard. Again this could in theory prevent an injury, but I would be surprised if that was the case. Pants Style - Choose your style of pants, from low socks, high socks, long, baggy, or stirrup socks. Catcher�s Mask - Choose whether your player wears the old style catcher�s mask or the newer hockey style mask. Batting Stance - Select a batting stance from among a huge list, including many current players, several legendary players, and some generic options. This may have an effect on your strike zone. Walkup Music - Select the music that plays when you walk up to bat. You can use the generic tracks, or select your own music from your PS3 hard drive if you have imported them into the MLB 09 Jukebox. Homerun Celebration Music - Select the music that plays as you celebrate a homerun. Again you can use the generic tracks or select your own music from your PS3 hard drive. ************PLAYER OPTIONS************ ************ATTRIBUTE SUMMARY [ATTR]************ Currently, these are my own interpretations of the attributes. I will try to get the descriptions verbatim from the game as soon as possible. This section details the different attributes and how they affect your performance. Some stats are more or less important for certain positions ( such as blocking being a crucial stat for Catchers, or Arm Strength being less important for 1B). In the position by position breakdown, I will try to list the stats that I feel are crucial to each position. Right Contact - your ability to make solid contact against right-handed pitching Left Contact - your ability to make solid contact against left-handed pitching Right Power - your ability to hit for power against right-handed pitching Left Power - your ability to hit for power against left-handed pitching Bunt - your ability to lay down a good bunt (without popping it up, bunting foul, etc.) Drag Bunt - your ability to lay down a good drag bunt Vision - your ability to discern balls from strikes? (This seems like it would have little effect on a human controller player, as it�s determined by the controlling player) Discipline - your ability to hold back on pitches out of the strike zone (perhaps this effects your rate of check swings?) Clutch - your ability to come through for your team in the clutch Durability - your resistance to injury Arm Strength - your player�s arm strength, or basically how hard he can throw Arm Accuracy - your player�s throwing accuracy, or basically his ability to hit his target Reaction - how quickly your player can react to a batted ball (may also influence baserunning in terms of a good jump when stealing?) Fielding Ability - your player�s ability to consistently field the ball on defense Blocking - your player�s ability to block balls (catcher only) Baserunning Ability - your player�s aptitude at running the bases, i.e. ability to get a good jump when stealing, or get back safely on pickoffs Baserunning Aggression - your player�s aptitude at running the bases aggressively, i.e. taking extra bases on overthrows, or attempting to steal bases ************ATTRIBUTE SUMMARY************ ************BASE ATTRIBUTE TABLE [BASE]************ The following table details the starting attributes for each of the different positions (excluding pitchers). It should be noted that you are also given an initial allowance of bonus points to use to increase these attributes by 5 to 20 points, depending on the attribute. Attribute C 1B 2B 3B SS LF CF RF RCon 40 40 40 40 35 40 40 40 LCon 40 40 40 40 35 40 40 40 RPow 30 40 30 35 25 40 20 40 LPow 30 40 30 35 25 40 20 40 Bunt 5 5 15 10 20 10 15 10 DBunt 0 0 10 0 15 0 15 0 Vis 25 35 30 30 20 30 25 25 Disc 30 35 35 30 20 30 30 30 Clutch 25 35 20 30 20 30 20 30 Dur 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 Speed 25 25 45 25 50 25 60 25 ArmSt 45 35 30 50 50 45 40 50 ArmAcc 45 35 35 40 40 40 35 40 Reac 25 50 40 40 40 30 40 35 FldAb 40 50 40 40 40 35 40 35 Block 40 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 BRAb 10 10 20 10 25 15 30 15 BRAgg 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Free 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 TOTAL 535 555 540 535 540 530 550 535 ************BASE ATTRIBUTE TABLE************ ************POSITION BY POSITION BREAKDOWN [POS]************ This section will further breakdown each position, listing the pros and cons for each as a choice for the primary position for your created player. I will also relate my personal experience with the position when applicable, or that of those people who have contributed to the forum threads. NOTE: The BEST position for you to choose is the one you most enjoy. Regardless of the base attribute advantages, or advantages in earning training points, you will enjoy the game most playing the position of YOUR choice, be it your little league position, high school position, etc. It is better to enjoy playing and being good than it is to make the hall of fame playing something you don�t enjoy. Each position has its advantages and disadvantages - this guide will hopefully help better prepare you for what to expect, or help you decide if you are unsure. You can find a position quickly using the �search� fuction: Catcher - [C], First Base - [1B], Second Base - [2B], Third Base - [3B], Shortstop - [SS], Left Field - [LF], Center Field - [CF], Right Field - [RF]. **CATCHER [C]** Attribute C RCon 40 LCon 40 RPow 30 LPow 30 Bunt 5 DBunt 0 Vis 25 Disc 30 Clutch 25 Dur 30 Speed 25 ArmSt 45 ArmAcc 45 Reac 25 FldAb 40 Block 40 BRAb 10 BRAgg 0 Free 50 TOTAL 535 Strengths - strong base contact, decent base power, strong base fielding abilities, may benefit from easy training points from putouts/fielding activity Weaknesses - poor speed, only position to really utilize blocking attribute, may be boring to play Catcher is an interesting choice for your primary position because it seems to have the least in common with any other position. A catcher has a strong base contact rating with decent starting power, but suffers from very slow speed. It also requires that the �blocking� skill be maintained, if not improved, and is the only position to require this skill, so sometimes training points must be given to blocking, rather than to other attributes. Unfortunately, you do not have the chance to call pitches as a catcher, but are instead limited to fielding bunts, popups, and attempting to throw out basestealers on the defensive side. **CATCHER** **FIRST BASE [1B]** Attribute 1B RCon 40 LCon 40 RPow 40 LPow 40 Bunt 5 DBunt 0 Vis 35 Disc 35 Clutch 35 Dur 30 Speed 25 ArmSt 35 ArmAcc 35 Reac 50 FldAb 50 Block 0 BRAb 10 BRAgg 0 Free 50 TOTAL 555 Strengths - strong base contact, strong base power, strong base fielding, strong base discipline, strong base vision, strong base clutch, may benefit from easy training points from putouts/fielding activity Weaknesses - poor speed, may be very boring to play defense First base seems like the best choice if you are looking to make a great hitter. It has strong base contact (though it is equal to all but SS) and the highest base power rating (along with corner outfield). First base may also benefit from receiving easy training points for putouts when playing the field. The downside to first base is that the base speed rating is very low, and that the position may be somewhat tedious to play in the field. **FIRST BASE** **SECOND BASE [2B]** Attribute 2B RCon 40 LCon 40 RPow 30 LPow 30 Bunt 15 DBunt 0 Vis 30 Disc 35 Clutch 20 Dur 30 Speed 45 ArmSt 30 ArmAcc 35 Reac 40 FldAb 40 Block 0 BRAb 20 BRAgg 0 Free 50 TOTAL 540 Strengths - strong base contact, decent base power, decent base vision, strong base discipline, decent base speed, decent base baserunning ability Weaknesses - poor base arm strength, poor base arm accuracy, doesn�t stand out in any way Second base seems like a good choice to build a very solid all-around player. There is nothing that truly makes a 2B stand out from a base attribute, but instead the 2B is acceptable in just about everything. They have the potential to be a strong hitter, with decent power, as well as a good baserunner. They lack arm accuracy and strength, but those are not terribly important for the position. **Second Base** **Third Base [3B]** Attribute 3B RCon 40 LCon 40 RPow 35 LPow 35 Bunt 10 DBunt 0 Vis 30 Disc 30 Clutch 30 Dur 30 Speed 25 ArmSt 50 ArmAcc 40 Reac 40 FldAb 40 Block 0 BRAb 10 BRAgg 0 Free 50 TOTAL 535 Strengths - strong base contact, strong base power, decent base vision, decent base discipline, decent base clutch, strong base arm strength, decent base arm accuracy, decent base fielding ability Weaknesses - poor base speed, poor base total attribute score, may not see much action on defense Third base is another good choice when you are looking to create a good hitter. Base attributes give decent power to build from, as well as a solid vision, discipline and clutch attribute. 3B is also a decent fielder from the start, with a strong arm. However, 3B is a very slow position to start, and may struggle running the bases. Also , playing defense with a 3B can be somewhat slow, without much action in the field some games. **THIRD BASE** **SHORTSTOP [SS]** Attribute SS RCon 35 LCon 35 RPow 25 Pow 25 Bunt 20 DBunt 15 Vis 20 Disc 20 Clutch 20 Dur 30 Speed 50 ArmSt 50 ArmAcc 40 Reac 40 FldAb 40 Block 0 BRAb 25 BRAgg 0 Free 50 TOTAL 540 Strengths - highest base bunting ability, strong base speed, strong base arm strength, strong base arm accuracy, strong base fielding ability, may see lots of action in the field Weaknesses - lowest base contact, poor base power, poor base vision, poor base discipline, poor base clutch Shortstop seems to be the opposite of the corner infield positions, as it is aimed pretty squarely at speed and fielding. Shortstops have the worst base attributes for a hitter, with the lowest base rating in vision, discipline, clutch, and contact, as well as a low base power rating. On the upside, the shortstop is naturally strong on defense, and may get to see a lot of action in the field. They are also the second best baserunners by default, being the center fielder. It�s possible that players who are already good hitters could take advantage of the strong base running and defensive attributes of a shortstop. **SHORTSTOP** **LEFT FIELD [LF]** Attribute LF RCon 40 LCon 40 RPow 40 LPow 40 Bunt 10 DBunt 0 Vis 30 Disc 30 Clutch 30 Dur 30 Speed 25 ArmSt 45 ArmAcc 40 Reac 30 FldAb 35 Block 0 BRAb 15 BRAgg 0 Free 50 TOTAL 530 Strengths - strong base contact, strong base power, decent base vision, decent base discipline, decent base clutch, strong base arm strength Weaknesses - poor base speed, poor base fielding ability Left field is another position that seems to lean more toward the offensive aspect of the game. It has a strong base contact and power rating, to go along with decent vision, discipline and clutch, so you�ll likely start out with a leg up at the plate. However, you will be at a pretty steep disadvantage on the basepaths, as the base speed attribute is quite low, and the fielding ability is lowest of all the position to start. Shagging balls in the outfield with a low speed rating could be a very trying experience. **LEFT FIELD** **CENTER FIELD [CF]** Attribute CF RCon 40 LCon 40 RPow 20 LPow 20 Bunt 15 DBunt 15 Vis 25 Disc 30 Clutch 20 Dur 30 Speed 60 ArmSt 40 ArmAcc 35 Reac 40 FldAb 40 Block 0 BRAb 30 BRAgg 0 Free 50 TOTAL 550 Strengths - strong base contact, decent base bunting, strongest base speed, decent base arm strength, strongest base baserunning ability, can be a fun position to play defensively Weaknesses - lowest base power, poor base clutch Center Field is another position that is aimed squarely away from being an offensive powerhouse, but instead focuses on speed, baserunning and fielding abilities. The fastest position from a base attribute standpoint, and the best baserunner as well, center field is an excellent choice for people who are interested in creating the next great basestealer. However, the lack of power can be a very difficult hill to climb, as CF has the lowest base power rating. Again, people who are already good hitters may be able to take advantage of the position�s strength and not feel the impact of the poor hitting attributes as much. Note: In my personal experience with playing CF, I found the lack of power to be extremely cumbersome. I played through an entire season with a CF, and in roughly 280 at-bats, despite hitting in the .330 range, I found myself unable to hit balls into the gap. Only once did an outfielder have to retreat to catch a ball I had hit the entire time. The vast majority of my hits came from rolling ground balls up the middle. Even with the strong base running skills, I wasn�t a good baserunner (I dislike the new system). I opted to create a new player at a different position for another RTTS career. On the other hand, several people have lauded the CF position as well, so it still boils down to personal preference. **CENTER FIELD** **RIGHT FIELD [RF]** Attribute RF RCon 40 LCon 40 RPow 40 LPow 40 Bunt 10 DBunt 0 Vis 25 Disc 30 Clutch 30 Dur 30 Speed 25 ArmSt 50 ArmAcc 40 Reac 35 FldAb 35 Block 0 BRAb 15 BRAgg 0 Free 50 TOTAL 535 Strengths - strong base contact, strong base power, decent base discipline, decent base clutch, strong base arm strength Weaknesses - poor base vision, poor base speed, poor base fielding ability Right Field is very similar to left field, in that it puts the emphasis on performance at the plate, rather than in the field or on the bases. Right field is a naturally good and powerful hitter, but is also very slow and not very good at fielding. Again, it may become tiresome to try to chase down balls in the outfield with such a poor base speed rating. In fact, the only difference between the corner outfield positions is that right field has a slightly stronger arm to start. Right field may be a bit boring position to play defensively as well. **RIGHT FIELD** ************POSITION BY POSITION BREAKDOWN************ ************RTTS: GAMEPLAY OPTIONS [GAME]************ In this section I will not break down all gameplay options you have, only those that are RTTS specific. These options can be changed at any time. I know currently there isn�t much content here, I will try to flesh it out as soon as I can. Please feel free to contribute! Baserunning - Here you can choose how much baserunning you do for your RTTS. You can choose from All, Lead Runner Only, and None. Basically, if you select ALL, you will always do the baserunning for your player. If you choose Lead Runner Only, you will only control the baserunning when you are the lead runner. If you choose None, you will never do any baserunning for your player. IMPORTANT NOTE: You will ALWAYS control your player for running the bases after you have put the ball in play, these baserunning options are only for after the active hitting session. NOTE: Also, even if you select none, you can still gain points for bases you steal when the computer controls your player, and of course you can also lose points for being caught stealing when the computer controls your player. Fielding - Here you can choose how much fielding you do for your RTTS career. You can choose from All, Some, or None. Basically, if you select ALL, you will control your player for all plays that involve them in the field. This literally means ALL, so for example if you are playing first base, you will spend lots of time simply running to the base to take a throw from your infielders, so be aware. The SOME option, of course, means you will be tasked with participating in some of the fielding involvement for your player. I do not know what percentage this is, however, but I would wager it is around 50%. It might also be that it only involves you in plays where the ball is hit to you, for example if you are playing first base, you do not have to control the player when his only task is to cover the base, but instead you may only take control if the ball is hit to you. I do not know if this is the case, so if someone can confirm, please do. I will try to get more information as soon as I can. ************RTTS: GAMEPLAY OPTIONS************ ************TIPS �N� TRICKS [TNT]************ Here is a list of just a few tips and tricks that I have put together, along with help from those people who have contributed to the forum threads. Baserunning tip - if you turn off the RTTS baserunning, your games will play out much more quickly, allowing you to play more games in less time. I personally found baserunning to be a bit tedious, especially when you do not have the speed or baserunning attributes required to steal a lot of bases. Hitting tip - if you are struggling from the plate, sometimes it is a good idea to "reset" your timing by trying to hit a few balls back up the middle. This is a good way to get yourself back on track. Fielding tip - if you turn off the RTTS fielding, again your games will play out more quickly, allowing you to play more games in less time. You still get points for the plays the computer makes when controlling you in the field (I think). Training point assignment tip - it can be beneficial to save up training points you earn in spring training to have a small stockpile of points you can use to reach achievement goals that are set for you by the club. Gaining training points in this game can be a bit tough at times, especially because you are sometimes set with less-than-logical goals. Having a little stockpile to draw from can help. Training point assignment tip - it is much easier to increase attributes that do not distinguish between left and right. For example, it�s easier to increase your baserunning ability than it is to increase your power ratings, because power ratings have both a left and right component. Thus, it might be easier to focus on a starting position that is stronger in the dual-aspect attributes. ************TIPS �N� TRICKS************ ************CREDITS [CRED]************ Thanks needs to be given to those people who have contributed to the MLB 09 forum on GameSpot/GameFAQs, both named here and unnamed. If you feel you have been slighted here, please inform me and I will be more than happy to give credit where it is due. Special thanks to (in random order): YankeesFan3 theduke5 RomOwens wesrow Cozarkian BoricuaAce bguy9 ************CREDITS************ ************COPYRIGHT************ All portions of this guide copyright 2009 Jeffrey Abell If you wish credited on this guide, please contact me. If you wish to use this guide in full or in part on another website, please contact me. I will be more than happy to give credit where it is due, or allow reproduction as long as credit will be given to me and those who assisted in the creation of this guide. ************COPYRIGHT************