MannyRamirez

If this is a repeat, then feel free to delete. But, I discovered something while setting up this game. My preference is to play the game with black bars on the side of any widescreen display. I don't like the stretched look. I have played this game on two different ROG gaming monitors as well as the monitor on my laptop. Both monitors have a "square" setting which pretty much takes care of the issue with ease. However, I struggled to figure out how to prevent my laptop from stretching. I would put the display resolution to 1280x1024 and my entire OS would be square, but then when the game launched it would stretch back out to widescreen. Ultimately the answer had to to with the Intel internal graphics card setting. Step 1 is to set the display setting to 1280x1024 and make the OS go square. Step 2 is to launch Intel Graphics Command Center and set Scale = Centered (maybe different ones could work for you, but Centered was the only option that worked for me) Step 3 is to go ahead and set your display resolution back to 1920x1080 or 3840x1060 whatever you run. You only need to set it to 1280x1024 so that the Intel screen will show you the options for that resolution. The intel screen only shows you options for the current resolution even though it saves the settings for all resolutions. Step 4 is launch the game. For me it starts out kind of small on intro and menus but the game screens are perfect It's much more complex to get it working this way versus just changing a setting on my external monitors. However, the end result is pretty slick. I don't have to touch anything. I can run my OS in normal widescreen format and then launch the game and it immediately jumps to 1280x1024 with black bars. This took me a long time to figure out and I would keep launching the game and it would always stretch, so maybe this will help someone save some time. When troubleshooting, I did try the ResolutionChanger mod, but it didn't help. Also, based on experience and reading on this board, it seems like the resolution can't actually change and it's always just going to stretch the square picture to the resolution you specify. Small changes might look okay to fill the screen. But, imo stretching from 1280x1024 to 1920x1080 looks horrible. Also, even if I want to do that I don't need the mod to get it done. I can easily stretch the graphics basically using the reverse of the instructions above. I almost think the existence of the ResolutionChanger mod is confusing. It seems like an extra thing that nobody needs that will only cause confusion, but I'm probably just missing the point.

Oh I should've said I'm planning to install released mods. I don't think I'm going to carve out time to actually mod the game myself. Although, if I choose to do so, I now have a gorgeous Windows XP computer. Mine is similar to this one --> https://www.ebay.com/itm/353685934101 That's good I can use all the mods on either system. I like the Windows 11 system, because it runs well with XBox One controllers and it's nice to be able to play the game without switching to another computer. But, I also like the Windows XP machine, because it's sole purpose is to run retro games and it will never touch the internet. I'm doing MVP 2005, NBA Live 2005, NHL 2004, and Nascar Thunder 2004 as well as Retroarch games. My only issue is that I'm using XBox 360 controllers and I don't like the way they rumble with the game. I'm assuming the Logitech RumblePad would be better but I haven't made that purchase yet. Sidenote, I like the Gamecube version of this game also, but it doesn't have "quick pickoff move" and of course no mods. But, the controller feels nice.

Oh well that is a major factor if it limits which mods you can use. I kind of assumed if the base game was playing then it was all set for modding. Base game is fun, but if I can't run the mods then I'll be leaning towards XP as well. My only issue with XP so far is the rumble vibration on the XBox 360 controllers leaves a lot to be desired. I might have to try the Logitech controllers. My favorite part of MVP 2005 on Win11 has been using the XBox One Controllers with precise vibration to feel the edge of the strike zone. I'm running a dedicated offline PC for Win XP. But, it seems like a virtual machine should work. Are there disc mounting utilities you can install on Windows XP? Maybe that would work if the issue is with VirtualBox handling the disc insert / eject. Also maybe if you connect a USB disc drive it would make a difference. Do any mods run on Windows 11? Or are we saying that Windows 11 is limited to just running the base game? Does Reshade or any other mods work better on newer computers with faster processors, more RAM and more powerful graphics cards?

It's not much to "mess" with. I successfully did both options with minimal effort 1. Run the game on a dedicated offline Windows XP computer 2. Run the game on Windows 10 and Windows 11 I see pros and cons, but overall would recommend option 2. Here's my breakdown Option 1 - Run the game on a dedicated offline Windows XP box Pros: It's fun to set up and it's nostalgic to run Windows XP It's the original OS from 20 years ago when the game was released Offline computer it should always work Game runs smoothly Shouldn't be any compatibility issues with mods Cons: Requires you to switch machines when you want to play the game Requires you to find old DirectX and controller drivers Doesn't support XBox One Controllers Supports XBox 360 Controllers but I didn't like the way the rumble felt (rumble feels great on Win10 or Win11 using XBox One Controller) *Note I didn't try the Logitech controllers on WinXP but I think that's probably your best option with this setup Potentially inferior performance when using Reshade Option 2 - Install the game on Windows 10 or Windows 11 Pros: Easy to set up. Also can easily copy the install folder to additional Windows 10 or Windows 11 PCs. (play the game on all of your PCs!) Don't have to switch machines if you want to play the game Better controller support than Windows XP (In Win10 and Win11 I can use XBox One controllers and the vibration is perfect and precise) Game runs smoothly Potentially better performance when using Reshade Cons: Don't have the nostalgia of playing the game on the original OS Potentially could break on the next windows update Maybe compatibility issues with some mods? SUMMARY Although it's cool to have the dedicated offline Windows XP to play retro games on, I highly recommend following the steps to use SafeDiskShim and DGVoodoo. So far I am preferring the game on Windows 10 and 11, but that's largely due to controller support and the way the XBox One controller vibrates. Since I already spendtthe money on the Windows XP dedicated computer, I think at some point I will try the Logitech controllers and perhaps at that point there won't be as much benefit to the gaming experience on Windows 10/11. I also am not sure how much it will make a difference running mods and reshade on Win10/11 vs XP. Maybe there will be some compatibility issues where some mods won't run. But potentially having the higher powered computer will provide benefit when running reshade. I haven't started modding yet, but I plan to mod on XP as well as Win 10/11. Obviously the huge benefit to running this on Win10/11 is that you don't have to switch machines to play the game and you can install MVP baseball on every PC that you own.

You can just run the game on Windows 10. The magic combination is SafeDiskShim + DGVoodoo. I'm running the game on Windows XP, Windows 10, and Windows 11. I did the whole dedicated XP machine approach, since that was recommended by users in this forum. It does work, and it's the original hardware/software from the release of the game 20 years ago. The main drawbacks are compatibility with XBox one controllers and I would assume less performance when trying to run mods or reshade. (I haven't started modding yet, just running the base game so far) On XP I can only use XBox 360 controllers which are pretty good, but the vibration is not that good. I assume the Logitech RumblePad would be good on XP, since that was what the game was originally designed for. I have only tried the XBox 360 controllers so far on XP. Even with the dedicated XP box I still thought it would be worth trying to get the game running on Win10 and Win11. It does indeed work on both Win10 and Win11 using SafeDiskShim and DGVoodoo which are explained in other posts on these forums. This setup is silky smooth and allows me to play with Xbox One controllers with vibration. This also gives me the full power of my modern PC and graphics which might help when running mods or reshades.

I used this to get vibration working with XBox One Controller and it's excellent. Much more precise than what I get with the XBox 360 Controller. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1546141020 I'm not sure why the vibration with the XBox 360 Controller is so bad. Maybe it's these D-Input to X-Input Drivers. However, with the XBox One Controller it's super precise and feels amazing. I think it's better than the Gamecube controller as I remember it or have tried recently with emulators. I've never tried the Logitech. I built an entire Windows XP box to play this game, and for some reason when I learned my XBox One Controllers were incompatible I just went with the more legacy Microsoft Controller. They're fine once you update controller.cfg except the rumble isn't good. I would like to try the Logitech controllers on my Windows XP Box to see how the rumble feels - I'm assuming it would be pretty good and it can't be worse than the XBox 360. TLDR - XBox One is an amazing controller with this game on Windows 11 including super precise and satisfying rumble

I tried again and it worked on Windows 11. I even have an X-Box One controller fully configured and rumbling to perfection. Link to get your X-Box One controller rumbling with this game --> https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1546141020 Thanks to everyone for your help! I'm not sure where I went wrong on my first attempt. But this solution works on Windows 11. (Intel/NVidea) Some notes from the install. 1. I followed the recipe provided using SafediskShim + DGVoodoo 2. I used real CDs that I bought for $80. Launching with the real physical disc 2 in the drive each time 3. I installed the game to C:\EASports (not in program files) 4. I extracted all of the DGVoodoo files into the main game folder 5. Running with all 5 patches installed *Sometimes the game won't start up, which I think might be related to my USB CD Drive... but I can just try again and it will launch with no issues and there's never a problem after it initially launches - everything is smooth as silk. I had already built a retro PC Windows XP box to run this game based on some forum member's suggestions. Since X-Box One controllers are incompatible I purchased XBox 360 Controllers. (shoulda bought Logitech, but learning as I go lol) I was able to get the XBox 360 controllers configured and vibrating on the Windows XP box. (ForceFeedback Driver for X-Input) I thought it was a pretty cool install and it had never touched the internet. But, the rumble on those 360 controllers was not as satisfying as the rumble I remembered from my Gamecube days or the rumble from the Dolphin Gamecube emulator. It was the same story on Windows 11 with the Xbox 360 controllers the rumble was no good. But, with the Xbox One Controllers and the latest ForceFeedback for X-Input linked above the vibration was super precise as you go around the strike zone. This is the best part of the Windows 11 install so far - I can use the X-Box one controller and the rumble is perfection. Second best is obviously that I don't have to use a completely separate computer to play this game. I still might try to find some Logitech controllers since I now have this retro WinXP PC build that I don't really need anymore. It's really a museum piece at this point now that I have the ability to play this game on Windows 11. I'm assuming things like Reshade are going to work a lot better on the modern PC. Can also do auto HDR I think. But, the retro PC is a cool little showpiece, and I also installed a few other retro games on it. I'm glad I didn't give up on the Windows 11 option for this game. I plan on modding both the WinXp and Win11 versions now! Thanks again to everyone who provided the info on the DGVoodoo and SafeDiskShim.

I've got a monitor that has a setting to simulate a square screen. If I don't select the square setting the game automatically stretches to fit the widescreen and all the graphics are short and wide. I found a guy selling brand new retro PCs on ebay with fresh Windows XP SP3 installed. They are a little bit more expensive than trying to do a build on used hardware, but I'm pleased. The card is NVIDIA GeForce Quadro K620 w 2GB RAM. https://www.ebay.com/itm/353685934101 Maybe I did somehow switch the teams but I thought it was Cards vs Cubs when I first loaded it up. I'm not gonna re-install it to check, but I'm running off a legit copy of the CD I bought for $80. After doing this build and seeing the difference in graphics between the original game and after the 5 patches I would definitely not enjoy a cracked version of the game where you can't install the patches. The patches are necessary for the throws to look smooth without stuttering. I did also set up this game on Dolphin and it's incredible. There are shaders and enhancements that improve the graphics. Of course the downside is no mods. I also found one difference in the gameplay. The GC version of this game doesn't have "quick pickoff throw". There is just the regular pickoff move. Otherwise I think they are exactly the same as far as I can tell. The GC game was the one I was playing 20 years ago when I first fell in love with it. It's such a fun game to play. Main thing, though, is that I can't play the game on my modern PC. I tried SafeDiskShim + DGVoodo2 and still did not work even with those hacks. My XP build is also off the internet and will never be online. The Retro PC is kind of fun, and it's nice knowing it will always be able to play the game because there won't be any updates to the OS, drivers, etc. Everything is locked in place sort of like a time capsule from 2005. But, I still would like to have it running on the modern PC if possible. I don't know why it didn't work for me with SafeDiskShim and DGVoodo2. I still get Black Screen, Blue circle, Back to Desktop. I've kind of given up and I can just play on the dedicated computer, but willing to try things if anyone posts more solutions to the problem of playing this game on Win 11. Does the resolution changer mod stretch the graphics? I thought I read somewhere that unless you play on square e.g. 1260x1024 then it will stretch the graphics and players will look short and wide.

Win11 + Legit CD copy using USB CD Drive + SafeDiskShim + DGVoodo2 instructions followed to the letter = Black Screen, Blue circle, Back to Desktop... no baseball The idea of the dedicated Windows XP PC already won me over. I've got a dedicated box off the internet Win XP SP3 Direct X 9.0C + XBOX 360 Controller Drivers + Joy2Key + Monitor set at 60Hz and Square Mode (black bars on the side). I've got all 5 patches installed and it is playing great. This game is really a masterpiece. I played the default teams Cards vs Cubs which is weird because the Gamecube version defaults to Cards vs Red Sox so the cover star is actually playing. Anyways, I was testing controls and serving up meatballs and David Eckstein hit one into gap in Wrigley and it kicked off the piece of the wall that sticks out and veered 90 degrees toward the foul pole outfielder had to pick it up in the corner and he got a triple. Also have one that went into the ivy for a ground rule double. This game has just enough arcade element to it where it's just so much fun, but it's still pretty much a simulation. I'm excited to try some of the total conversion and total classic mods. I was disappointed to see that the 2025 Mod was teased and then disappeared. Oh well, it looks like there's a lot of great mods, so I'm excited to try them. I can't wait to try 1994 Ken Griffey Jr. I already had my XP box working when I was reading about these other solutions and I felt kind of dumb having invested in the XP box and the XBox 360 controllers and configuring that whole setup if I could just play this game on my regular modern day computer. But, if were possible to play on my regular computer that would be optimal, so I went ahead with the instructions regarding safediskshim and dgvoodo2. None of that worked with my legit copy running on Windows 11. I copied the files over to the right directory. I have the physical disk 2 in the drive. Nothing. But it does work really well on XP. My retro setup is on an Nvidia GeForce GTX745. That being said I gotta give an honorable mention to the version I won't say specifically but born out of the GameCube flavor of this game and it looks stunning with the enhancements.

I was able to get vibration to work by installing the ForceFeedback Driver for XInput. It works, but it's a bit jarring and doesn't remind me of the satisfying rumble from my Gamecube days playing this game. I realized it's not that big of a deal as you can learn the edge of the strikezone based on the limits of the joystick. The rumble is almost bad to the point where I would prefer it off. But, I decided to leave it on for now as maybe better than nothing plus it can always still be disabled from the in game menu. It seems like most old games work with X-Input, but the button mapping might be off. As long as the mapping is configurable and you have enough buttons on your controller for the game, then you should be good. I got my Gamecube controllers hooked up using the Mayflash adapter, which is D-Input with vibration feedback. The only problem is it's impossible to configure MVP 2005 PC version with Gamecube controllers, because the Gamecube controller doesn't have enough buttons. The actual Gamecube version of the game works with additional button combinations, but the controller.cfg file only allows you to map single buttons to each command. (let me know if I'm wrong here) I thought there was supposed to be a way to make a virtual controller with Joy2Key, so I could map Gamecube button combos to a keyboard command and make a control profile that way. If there was some way to do this I would attempt it. But I don't see that option on my Joy2key 5.2.1. Overall, though, I'm pleased with the X-Bbox 360 controller and Joy2key does allow me to navigate the menus from the controller. I still have a few more things to test on the X-Box 360 controller like bunting, relay throws, fake throws., etc. But, it looks like the config I copied from this site is getting me all set to play this game, so I very much appreciate the guidance.

I'm running an X-Box 360 controller on Windows XP SP3. It seems to work perfectly with a config I downloaded from this site. However, I'm not getting any vibration. I haven't played this game in a long time, but seems you need the vibration to play the game with another player so you can feel the outside of the zone. Or, are you guys just playing the game without vibration?