MLB Dugout Heroes
Encyclopedia
MLB Dugout Heroes is a massive multiplayer online baseball game for the PC owned by 916_river_cats. MLB Dugout Heroes was created by WiseCat , a Korean based game developer. The game is the first fully licensed and online-based PC baseball game in North America. The game is known as Slugger in South Korea, and is hosted by Pmang, a subsidiary of Neowiz Games
.
in January 2009, so they have rights to present actual ballparks and real baseball players in the game but this is restricted to Canada and USA only.
As of March, 2010, the game includes all current teams in Major League Baseball. It also includes eight professional playing fields; Safeco Field
(Seattle Mariners
), Yankee Stadium
(New York Yankees
), AT&T Park
(San Francisco Giants
), Dodger Stadium
(Los Angeles Dodgers
), Fenway Park
(Boston Red Sox
), Wrigley Field
(Chicago Cubs
), Angel Stadium (Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
), Minute Maid Park
(Houston Astros
), Jamsil Stadium
(Doosan Bears
and LG Twins
), and Tokyo Stadium
(Yomiuri Giants
). Additionally, it includes a field called "Practice Field" for batting and pitching practice.
In addition to the draft cards, there is a daily recruit which can be purchased.
World-Class rated players are extremely rare, and only include the MVP's and Cy Young winners of their respective year. These players begin with the highest combination of attributes than any other player in the game. The player's name is highlighted in purple.
All-Star rated players are also very rare, and include the best batter and pitcher from every team, per year. Each team has one All-Star batter and pitcher in each year from 1998-2010, as well as two All-Star batters and two All-Star pitchers from the years 1990-1997. In some instances, there is only one All-Star rated player for the team. The player's name is highlighted in blue.
Every batter has 5 attributes. Power (POW), Accuracy (BAT), Speed (RUN), Defense (DEF), and Throw (THR). Players can increase their attributes by playing games, and specific attributes will be increased differently based on the batter's position in the lineup and their performance. Batters in the 1st and 2nd spot will increase speed, batters in the 4th, 5th and 6th spot will increase power, and batters in the 3rd, 7th, 8th, and 9th spot will increase accuracy as well as their overall stats.
Pitchers will have between 3 and 5 pitches. Every pitcher has a 4-seam fastball. The other pitch types available: 2-seam fastball, changeup, slider, curveball, sinker, forkball, and screwball. Pitching attributes will increase based on how many times a certain pitch is thrown, and there is a bonus for getting a strikeout.
Certain World-Class rated players begin with specialty pitches such as: rising fastball, sinking fastball, upshoot, power curve, slow curve, slurve, cut fastball, splitter, vertical slider, horizontal slider, backdoor slider, palmball and circle change.
Players can now purchase most of these specialty pitches and equip them on their pitchers with Nuts.
Items that can be purchased in the item shop: Uniforms, undershirt, bat, batting gloves, shoes, baseball gloves, glasses, goggles, accessories, coaches, logos, etc. All of these items will impact the players in different way based on what item is purchased and equipped.
When a player is released, the team will be awarded a replacement card. This card will not be nearly as good as the player who has been released.
Silver Boxes contain many things like super accuracy sprays, super power grips, super rosin bags, hassle owners and managers, and nut coupons. The chances for the near useless super items are ridiculously high, roughly 95%. Gold Boxes contain the same items as silver boxes, but also have a chance at a HoF player.
gave MLB Dugout Heroes a 7.4 overall rating and called it a "well-built, fun and – perhaps most importantly for this sort of effort – accessible version of America’s pastime.” GameZone
gave the game a 7.5 overall rating and wrote that the "players met in competition all seemed nice enough and the games ranged from extremely tactical, with base stealing and such, to blow-outs – both for and against this gamer.”
Neowiz Games
Neowiz Games is an online game publisher in South Korea, with its own game portal, Pmang, publishing and servicing 41 diverse games of various genres, from sport to web board games....
.
History
GamesCampus signed a licensing deal with MLB Advanced MediaMLBAM
Major League Baseball Advanced Media, L.P., is a limited partnership of the club owners of Major League Baseball, and is the internet and interactive branch of the league. The company operates the official web site for the league and 30 Major League Baseball club web sites via MLB.com, which draws...
in January 2009, so they have rights to present actual ballparks and real baseball players in the game but this is restricted to Canada and USA only.
As of March, 2010, the game includes all current teams in Major League Baseball. It also includes eight professional playing fields; Safeco Field
Safeco Field
Safeco Field is a retractable roof baseball stadium located in Seattle, Washington. The stadium, owned and operated by the Washington-King County Stadium Authority, is the home stadium of the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball and has a seating capacity of 47,878 for baseball...
(Seattle Mariners
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...
), Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium was a stadium located in The Bronx in New York City, New York. It was the home ballpark of the New York Yankees from 1923 to 1973 and from 1976 to 2008. The stadium hosted 6,581 Yankees regular season home games during its 85-year history. It was also the former home of the New York...
(New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
), AT&T Park
AT&T Park
AT&T Park is a ballpark located in the South Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, California. Located at 24 Willie Mays Plaza, at the corner of Third and King Streets, it has served as the home of the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball since 2000....
(San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
), Dodger Stadium
Dodger Stadium
Dodger Stadium, also sometimes called Chavez Ravine, is a stadium in Los Angeles. Located adjacent to Downtown Los Angeles, Dodger Stadium has been the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers team since 1962...
(Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
), Fenway Park
Fenway Park
Fenway Park is a baseball park near Kenmore Square in Boston, Massachusetts. Located at 4 Yawkey Way, it has served as the home ballpark of the Boston Red Sox baseball club since it opened in 1912, and is the oldest Major League Baseball stadium currently in use. It is one of two "classic"...
(Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
), Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field is a baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, United States that has served as the home ballpark of the Chicago Cubs since 1916. It was built in 1914 as Weeghman Park for the Chicago Federal League baseball team, the Chicago Whales...
(Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
), Angel Stadium (Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
), Minute Maid Park
Minute Maid Park
Minute Maid Park is a ballpark in Downtown Houston, Texas, United States that opened in 2000 to house the Major League Baseball Houston Astros....
(Houston Astros
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
), Jamsil Stadium
Jamsil Baseball Stadium
Jamsil Baseball Stadium is a baseball stadium in Jamsil 1-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul, South Korea. The stadium holds 30,265 people and was built from April 1980 to July 1982. It makes up the Jamsil Sports Complex along with the nearby Seoul Olympic Stadium, and hosted the baseball events during the...
(Doosan Bears
Doosan Bears
The Doosan Bears are a professional baseball team based in Seoul, South Korea. They are a member of the Korean Baseball Organization....
and LG Twins
LG Twins
LG Twins Baseball Club is a Korea Professional Baseball team based in Seoul, South Korea. The club was known as the MBC Blue Dragons owned by the Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation until , when they were taken over by the LG Group...
), and Tokyo Stadium
Tokyo Dome
Tokyo Dome is a 55,000-seat baseball stadium located in Bunkyo Ward of Tokyo, Japan.The stadium opened for business on March 17, 1988. It was built on the site of the Velodrome which was next door to the site of the predecessor ballpark, Kōrakuen Stadium...
(Yomiuri Giants
Yomiuri Giants
The are a professional baseball team based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. The team competes in the Central League in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top level of professional play in Japan. They play their home games in the Tokyo Dome, opened in 1988. The English-language press occasionally calls the...
). Additionally, it includes a field called "Practice Field" for batting and pitching practice.
Selecting a team
Every team starts with a fairly even playing field in terms of skills and attributes. Some teams will be strong in one area, but weak in another. An example: The San Francisco Giants begin with the best pitching staff to start, however they have no power hitters. If you want a team with good hitters and a good pitching staff you should pick the Milwaukee Brewers or the St.Louis Cardinals. The New York Yankees have great power hitters, but their speed is very low. The default team can not be changed once selected, so new players should choose a team they are fans of, and with which they will enjoy playing.Gameplay
Games can be played for 3 innings, 5 innings, 7 innings, or 9 innings. Players can also choose which stadium to play, the time of day, allow people to watch, or turn extended innings on or off. Rookie players begin in the rookie server, only for players levels 1-5. The amateur server is for players level 6-19, and the Pro server is for players level 20 and above. Pitchers will fatigue throughout the game based on how many pitches they throw, and how many runs they give up. Batters will also fatigue and will need to be rested or else their attributes and chances of an error will increase.Players
All baseball players in the MLBPA from the years 2000 to 2010 are included in this game. Players can be purchased from cards in the item shop. There are many different types of cards that can be purchased:- Level 1,2,3 AL/NL Yearly Cards: Select either batter or pitcher from years 2000-2010, as well as 1998 and 1999. Level 3 cards have the best chance at selecting an All-Star or World-Class rated player.
- Level 1,2,3 Team Cards: Only players from a specific team throughout 2000-2010, as well as 90s cards that feature select 1990s players. Recently, 10s cards have been added that features 2010 players for each team. Level 3 cards have the best chance at selecting an All-Star or World-Class rated player.
- Prospect Cards: Randomly generates a rookie or second year player from the 2009 season, all players will gain 20% more experience than the normal rate.
- Fergie Jenkins Bundle Pack: Only contains 'S' rated players, and a chance at an All-Star '71 Fergie Jenkins. This item is only available for CC.
- Gold Glove/Silver Slugger Cards: Contains all players who won Gold Glove or Silver Slugger award throughout 2000-2009.
In addition to the draft cards, there is a daily recruit which can be purchased.
World-Class rated players are extremely rare, and only include the MVP's and Cy Young winners of their respective year. These players begin with the highest combination of attributes than any other player in the game. The player's name is highlighted in purple.
All-Star rated players are also very rare, and include the best batter and pitcher from every team, per year. Each team has one All-Star batter and pitcher in each year from 1998-2010, as well as two All-Star batters and two All-Star pitchers from the years 1990-1997. In some instances, there is only one All-Star rated player for the team. The player's name is highlighted in blue.
Every batter has 5 attributes. Power (POW), Accuracy (BAT), Speed (RUN), Defense (DEF), and Throw (THR). Players can increase their attributes by playing games, and specific attributes will be increased differently based on the batter's position in the lineup and their performance. Batters in the 1st and 2nd spot will increase speed, batters in the 4th, 5th and 6th spot will increase power, and batters in the 3rd, 7th, 8th, and 9th spot will increase accuracy as well as their overall stats.
Pitchers will have between 3 and 5 pitches. Every pitcher has a 4-seam fastball. The other pitch types available: 2-seam fastball, changeup, slider, curveball, sinker, forkball, and screwball. Pitching attributes will increase based on how many times a certain pitch is thrown, and there is a bonus for getting a strikeout.
Certain World-Class rated players begin with specialty pitches such as: rising fastball, sinking fastball, upshoot, power curve, slow curve, slurve, cut fastball, splitter, vertical slider, horizontal slider, backdoor slider, palmball and circle change.
Players can now purchase most of these specialty pitches and equip them on their pitchers with Nuts.
Items
MLB Dugout Heroes contains an item mall and an item shop. The item mall is available in-game and on the MLB:DH website. The item mall only consists of CC Items, which can be purchased with real money or from filling out surveys. The item shop is only available in-game, and players can purchase draft cards, or items that will boost their performance.Items that can be purchased in the item shop: Uniforms, undershirt, bat, batting gloves, shoes, baseball gloves, glasses, goggles, accessories, coaches, logos, etc. All of these items will impact the players in different way based on what item is purchased and equipped.
Aging, stamina, and retirement
Every player's default contract is for 8 seasons. One season is 50 games. After a player's 8th season is over, the user has the option to release their player or re-sign them for 1, 3, or 5 seasons. As the player gets older, his stamina will decrease at a faster rate, therefore will require more time to rest or the use of stamina increasing items. Likewise as the player gets older, the amount of nuts required to re-sign him will increase.When a player is released, the team will be awarded a replacement card. This card will not be nearly as good as the player who has been released.
Home Run Derby
In March of 2010, Gamescampus included a Home Run Derby mode. This allowed the player to compete with up to 5 other players in a best of 10, 20, or 30 pitch home run derby. Shortly after the debut of this new game mode, Gamescampus released a new event that rewarded players with 5 million nuts for going 15 of 30, and 1 million nuts for going 10 of 20. They also ran an event that rewarded players with up to $200 worth of CC. Currently, there is a silver box event. Players can earn three silver boxes per day in the individual mode by hitting 19 home runs out of 30 pitches. Players can also earn one silver box in team mode by hitting 4 home runs in a row. Another silver box can also be earned for each player if the team reaches 550 points in one round. You can get 3 silver boxes from the team having more than 900. If you hit 8 homeruns in a row you get 3 silver boxes and a 10/10 homeruns/pitches will get you 15 silver boxes and 15 gold boxes. If your team gets 1100 points in one round you get 10 silver boxes and 10 gold boxes. 1400 points by a team in one round will get you 40 gold boxes. And if your team just happens to get lucky, and this has only happened once, getting 2000 points in one round will get you an automatice Hall of Fame player.Silver Boxes contain many things like super accuracy sprays, super power grips, super rosin bags, hassle owners and managers, and nut coupons. The chances for the near useless super items are ridiculously high, roughly 95%. Gold Boxes contain the same items as silver boxes, but also have a chance at a HoF player.
Publishing
The game launched closed beta testing in March 2009 and soon after four weeks went into open beta. The publishers announced it went commercial in beginning of May 2009. The name "MLB Dugout Heroes" is trademarked, owned and copyrighted by the MLB.Reception
IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave MLB Dugout Heroes a 7.4 overall rating and called it a "well-built, fun and – perhaps most importantly for this sort of effort – accessible version of America’s pastime.” GameZone
GameZone
GameZone is an American multiplatform video game website. GameZone's daily coverage includes reviews, previews, news, hints & cheats, and editorials. Additionally, GameZone offers downloads, a child-targeted website and in association with GameStop, hosts GZGameShop, an online retailer...
gave the game a 7.5 overall rating and wrote that the "players met in competition all seemed nice enough and the games ranged from extremely tactical, with base stealing and such, to blow-outs – both for and against this gamer.”
External links
- MLB Dugout Heroes Official Website (English)