Game-Related FAQ - Super Mega Baseball 3

[MetalheadSoft]

It’s been amazing to see how excited everyone is for Super Mega Baseball 3! We’re seeing a lot of the same or similar questions being asked, so we’ve put together an official game-releated FAQ here. We will update this post periodically as we share more about the game and as we make decisions about additions/changes that will go into post-launch updates.

GENERAL:

Is there a demo?

There is a demo version which will let you play an unlimited number of Pennant Race games (with team/stadium limitations), play limited Exhibition mode and dip into the customization suite.

Does SMB3 have in-game purchases or DLC?

There are no in-game purchases and we don’t currently have plans for any DLC. But we will continue to support and update the game for some time post-launch!

Does SMB3 run on Windows 7 or 8?

We aim for broader compatibility where possible, within reason. While SMB3 may still run on Windows 7 or 8 in some cases, we cannot provide support for pre-Windows 10 set-ups.

Does SMB3 run on Mac or Linux?

We don’t support these operating systems, so while SMB3 may run on them, we can’t promise that it’ll run at optimal performance.

How can I get the best performance out of the game?

We’ve dedicated an entire post to help you get the best performance here.

ONLINE LEAGUES & PENNANT RACE MODES:

Is SMB3 cross-platform?

Pennant Race and Online Leagues are SMB3’s cross-platform game modes. Pennant Race is a ranked, public matchmaking-based mode and allows matching across all platforms. Online Leagues allows groups of friends to arrange private, cross-platform leagues. Other game modes feature party-based online play and are not cross-platform.

Is there an online Season mode?

Not in the traditional sense you may be imagining but SMB3’s cross-platform Online Leagues mode allows you to play casual or competitive seasons with friends.

How many players can you have in your Online League?

You can have up to 32 players.

Is there a limit to how many leagues you can be in?

There will be a limit of 40.

Can I play in an Online League if I only have the demo version of SMB3?

Yes, you can; however, demo users can only join leagues with default settings and cannot create leagues.

Can we use custom teams in Online Leagues?

Yes, one of the options available when creating a new league will be whether to force standard teams only or allow fully customized teams. However, leagues set up to allow demo users are restricted to standard teams only.

Can we use CPU-controlled teams in Online Leagues?

Online Leagues is exclusively player vs player and does not include CPU-controlled teams. We don’t have any plans to add CPU-controlled teams at this time.

Will I need a controller for Online Leagues, or can I use a keyboard and mouse?

Online Leagues includes the option to allow users to play with keyboard and mouse.

Is the starting pitching rotation randomized in Online Leagues or do we select the starting pitcher?

There are three different options for starting pitcher selection: users can have full control over their starting pitcher rotation, users can enable random starters each game, or users can rotate through their rotation. The starting pitcher rotation in the ‘rotate starting pitcher’ option is done in a 1-4 order: The first pitcher in the rotation starts the first game of an OL season, the second pitcher in the rotation starts the second game, etc. until the fifth game where you loop back to using the first pitcher again.

How is the stadium chosen in Pennant Race / Online Leagues?

In Pennant Race, the stadium is chosen randomly each game. In Online Leagues, you can choose to use the home team’s home park, or random stadiums in each game. You can change your team's home stadium through the Customization menu. Note that when two demo/trial users face off against one another, Founder's Field is always used.

Can we choose which team gets home-field advantage in each game in Online Leagues?

For Online Leagues, the game attempts to even out the number of home and away games you play in a single season. The team that has been the home team the fewer number of times so far in the head-to-head matchup in the current season is assigned the home team. If both teams have been the home team the same number of times, then the team with the largest (away games - home games) differential across all of their league games in the current season is assigned the home team. Should both teams also have the same differential, then the home team is assigned randomly.

Does Mojo/Fitness/Stamina carry over to each game, or does it reset to default settings after each game?

Mojo/Fitness/Stamina can carry over through each game, or users can choose to have it reset after each game.

FRANCHISE MODE:

Can Franchise mode be played online?

Franchise mode is played with one human-controlled team against the CPU, and can be played solo or with local/online co-op.

Is there a salary cap in Franchise mode?

Yes, you will have to keep your team’s payroll under a cap. You’ll have to carefully balance the amount you’re spending on player salaries versus the amount you’re investing in Player Development.

Is there an All-Star game in Franchise or Season mode?

No, and we don’t have plans to add this to SMB3.

Do players’ skills fluctuate throughout their career?

Yes! Through Player Development and aging, players’ skills and traits change over the course of their careers. You’ll see your younger players naturally improving as they gain experience and move toward their peak physical condition, whereas your older veteran players are going to lose a step or two compared to their younger counterparts over time.

Does Franchise mode have trades?

Maybe not in the traditional sense that you’re imagining, but players can and will move between teams during the season and offseason through the sign/release system.

Does Franchise mode have a draft?

No, however there is a sign/release list of players who are both rookies and veterans that can be signed to your roster. Rookies are automatically generated every off-season and at the start of the Franchise.

Are players on one-year contracts?

In the sense that players are only guaranteed to play for a team at a locked-in salary for 1 season, yes. Though typically, only a small number of your players will resign/increase their salary expectations from season-to-season, so you'll see reasonable roster turnover over time. More traditional multi-year contracts are something we've considered, and will consider after launch with an eye on community feedback.

Will players age physically over time?

Yes! Players can get grey and gain weight as the age, appearing after a certain amount of time has passed.

Are you able to change Franchise teams from one season to the next?

No, once you choose a Franchise team you’re locked in with that team for the duration of your Franchise.

OTHER MODES & GAMEPLAY:

Are custom multiplayer leagues available?

Yes, Online Leagues mode facilitates custom multiplayer leagues with cross-platform compatibility.

Is there a knuckleball or any other new types of pitches?

No, the pitch types have not changed from SMB2 - but there are some changes to pitching mechanics which were discussed in our third reveal video.

Does SMB3 have fully customizable Elimination brackets?

You can set up Elimination brackets with teams seeded as you desire. There are some limits to the format of the bracket, though.

Are Starpoints still in SMB3?

Yes! Starpoints are now exclusive to Standard modes to give them a little more meaning.

Does SMB3 have a batting practice mode?

Yes! Practice mode went live with Update 6 and allows you to play an endless game where you either always bat or always pitch.

Does SMB3 have a home run derby mode?

No, and at this time there are no plans for this mode unfortunately.

Does SMB3 have instant replays?

Instant replays did not make the cut for SMB3, but we are aware there is interest in this going forward.

Did you add a fielder switching mechanic?

Yes! We touched on this in our third reveal video.

Are there pickoffs?

There sure are! There are new pickoff and stealing mechanics as well as other additions to round out the baseball sim like wild pitches/passed balls and situational player traits.

Can we have a Designated Hitter?

Yes! DHs made it into SMB3, but of course you’ll have the option of whether or not you want to play with them. In Exhibition mode, DH is an option to choose during set-up. In Pennant Race, teams inherit the DH rule from the standard Super Mega League - teams in the Super Conference use the DH rule and teams in the Mega Conference do not use the DH rule. In Pennant Race/Season/Elimination/Franchise, the rule used by the home team's conference determines whether or not the DH rule is in effect.

CUSTOMIZATION & MORE:

Will there be a roster vault?

No. It’s something we’ll continue to consider going forward, but it’s a complicated issue.

Are roster sizes still 21 and is my pitching staff still made up of 4 starters and 4 relievers?

Roster sizes remain at 21, however we've made pitching roles more flexible and some pitchers may now act as starters or long relievers. This is explained in more detail in our third reveal video.

POST-LAUNCH UPDATES:

What does the SMB2 Team Import tool do and when will it be available?

The SMB2 Team Import tool is available now, it imports your custom teams and leagues from SMB2 to SMB3.

Can I import my SMB2 teams on Steam to SMB3 on my PlayStation 4? What about between different user accounts on the same platform?

No, you can only import SMB2 teams that were created by the same user account (and on the same platform) that you're playing SMB3 with.

What is Custom Pennant Race mode and when will it be added into the game?

Custom Pennant Race is now known as Online Leagues and allows players to organize a private cross-platform leagues and invite their friends to participate (up to 32 total players). Online Leagues was released in a free update on September 29, 2020.

When will Career Stats for Franchise mode be available?

Career Stats are available now!

Will you add alternate uniforms to SMB3?

At this time we don’t have any plans to add alternate uniforms to SMB3, but we understand there is interest in this going forward.

Will there be a stadium creator/editor added to SMB3?

There are no plans for a stadium creator, as cool as that would be.

Will there be awards after every season like MVP or Cy Young?

No, but we have added the best single season records of all time, a Top 10 list of players for each season, and a Top 10 list of players of all time with Career Stats.

[mrbeastyeet]

Add multiyear contracts. It is pretty annying sometimes that they will only play 1 year and that you have to resign them back later

[Sharkowski]

agree with multi year contracts and also would love to see:
1. Home Run Derby
2. MVP and CY Young Awards, Batting Champion, HR Champion etc
3. Online Multiplayer Franchise with multiple seasons and Hall of Fame Inductees for carrer leaders etc.
4. RPG mode where you only control your character and play through their career from rookie to retirement gunning for the HOF!

[Ollillo_]

Why I can't play in Pennant Race with kboard+mouse ?

[movingtargets2]

I can't get past the second screen. No matter what I select for play option, once I enter it I'm back at the starting screen, and pressing "Play" only returns me to the screen where I though I just selected a play option, only it never shows that. So apparently there are only two screens and neither of them works. What a triumph. At least I understand where all the negative comments are coming from. The gane doesn't work.

[gahal]

Originally posted by Ollillo_:

Why I can't play in Pennant Race with kboard+mouse ?

Because the mouse is far superior to a joystick when aiming.

I can't recall the exact game (I think it was a halo one) they did crossplay between the Xbox and pc. The xbox players started blaming hacking and what not right out of the gate, while the pc players were just doing their thing and using the console players like practice targets.

I think the force to controller is mainly for batting.

[TeChyChiC]

Its a fun game can we join teams live?

[nicki]

why did you sold out to EA

[TeChyChiC]

Didn’t

[pepc72]

So if Steam suddenly decides to recognize your XBox 360 controller as a Sony controller only for SMB 3 and 4 and not any other game, how do we get this fixed?