Getting Closer

[louie31313]

thanks man.. this sliders are great! just played 5 games in my redsox season and so far all of it have been a low scoring, pitcher's duel game, here's some screens ..i'm still having difficulties in hitting but i think i'm getting it now..

[JoeRudi26]

thanks man.. this sliders are great! just played 5 games in my redsox season and so far all of it have been a low scoring, pitcher's duel game, here's some screens ..i'm still having difficulties in hitting but i think i'm getting it now..

Wow, look at the strikeouts. Again, it's good to see so much variety. As you said, the hitting is a little tough at first, but I think that's the way it needs to be to pan out when the user gets used to seeing the pitches.

I played a game last night that provided yet another variation. I absolutely scorched Lincecum (with the Cubs) for 5 runs off 5 hits in the first inning. He (Lincecum) left in the second inning and the rest of the Giants pitching held me to 0 runs on three hits throughout 8 innings. I'll post it in a while.

Like I said, these sliders aren't perfect, and aren't for everyone, but it seems to be a decent base to go from. Thanks for posting your results!

*edit - do you remember what your pitch totals were?

[JoeRudi26]

Another test game, Cubs (me) vs Giants.

Again, more variety in the pitching aspect. In my last game, Ervin Santana wore out the black on home plate, forcing me to protect the plate the entire game. Here against the Giants, I rocked Lincecum for 5 runs off 5 hits in the first inning, but as I mentioned in the post above, I was held relatively silent throughout the rest of the game after Lincecum was taken off the hill. Even so, as you can see in the graphic, Giant pitching was all over the place. I was able to stay patient, I just hit it where they were.

As far as the offense, I know a couple of people are not seeing a lot of homeruns, but I can tell you that I think it's just a matter of timing and good contact. Ramirez hit a bomb off the top of the left center field wall, and I had Wynn and Rowand running down shots in the gaps all day long. Some I didn't think they'd even get to. In other words, I could tell I 'just missed' them, and hopefully with the daily grind of the schedule, my timing will get better when I see 'that' pitch.

[Maestro23]

Liking these sliders a lot. Made a few "tweaks" for my playstyle, but nothing drastic. Love what I'm seeing on the pitching side of things as well.

The HOMERUNS will come. Have to be patient, and catch your pitch. Played a game against the Brew Crew in my Cubs test 'chise. First 2 times up, Soriano, just missed getting it all on the pitches he absolutely crushed. First, was a blistered double to left-center. Next time up, he cranks a shot to deep center, caught at the warning track. Steps up to the plate for the 3rd time.

The Brew Crew pitcher (can't remember who it was right now), purposefully stayed away from Soriano. Steady diet of sliders away. Work the count to 3-2, he delivers a little slide-piece (that didn't slide) and Soriano parks it into the cheap seats in right. Had the tell-tell crack of the bat, and I knew it was gone.

With these sliders, the CPU really pitches me different with each hitter. Really liking what I'm seeing so far. Can't wait till the patch and Opening Day. Jay, get the beer ready man. ;)

[louie31313]

Wow, look at the strikeouts. Again, it's good to see so much variety. As you said, the hitting is a little tough at first, but I think that's the way it needs to be to pan out when the user gets used to seeing the pitches.

I played a game last night that provided yet another variation. I absolutely scorched Lincecum (with the Cubs) for 5 runs off 5 hits in the first inning. He (Lincecum) left in the second inning and the rest of the Giants pitching held me to 0 runs on three hits throughout 8 innings. I'll post it in a while.

Like I said, these sliders aren't perfect, and aren't for everyone, but it seems to be a decent base to go from. Thanks for posting your results!

*edit - do you remember what your pitch totals were?

uhmm.. i forgot to take a screenshot of the pitch totals....

and for the hitting now i just looked for my pitches and became more patient.. also now i can get walks from the CPU unlike in the game i posted where i have none..

[JoeRudi26]

Liking these sliders a lot. Made a few "tweaks" for my playstyle, but nothing drastic. Love what I'm seeing on the pitching side of things as well.

The HOMERUNS will come. Have to be patient, and catch your pitch. Played a game against the Brew Crew in my Cubs test 'chise. First 2 times up, Soriano, just missed getting it all on the pitches he absolutely crushed. First, was a blistered double to left-center. Next time up, he cranks a shot to deep center, caught at the warning track. Steps up to the plate for the 3rd time.

The Brew Crew pitcher (can't remember who it was right now), purposefully stayed away from Soriano. Steady diet of sliders away. Work the count to 3-2, he delivers a little slide-piece (that didn't slide) and Soriano parks it into the cheap seats in right. Had the tell-tell crack of the bat, and I knew it was gone.

With these sliders, the CPU really pitches me different with each hitter. Really liking what I'm seeing so far. Can't wait till the patch and Opening Day. Jay, get the beer ready man.

I hear you, man. Like I said, there just isn't a perfect slider set for the masses, but having a good base to work from is key. The CPU pitching with these sliders has me convinced. It's just never the same game twice. Good news about your offense, at least the sliders are showing promise on that front as well.

Talk about variety, Kevin Frandsen (I think it was) hit a ground rule double off top of the wall in right field, the blue part that sort of hangs down toward the field itself. It was a line drive that hit this blue part, and then the momentum carried it over the wall. This may or may not be a bug, I really don't know how accurate this stadium is as compared to real life, but nonetheless it happened. I have this pic on my desktop, and you can see that I marked where the ball hit.

But anyway, after playing with the Cubbies in the last test game, I've changed my mind about who I'm playing with for the season. I can't help it, I've had a blast playing with this team for the last couple of years, and for the most part, the team is still in tact. I've got to play with the Cubs this year.

I agree about the patch, the biggest issue I have is the ball landing indicator. Sometimes it will provide a vacuum that the player can be drawn into to make the catch, and sometimes it doesn't. Very frustrating when you have no idea how to 'play' a fly ball. There are other issues that are well documented that I won't go into, so like you said, hopefully a patch does the trick.

Hopefully things get panned out on or around Opening Day. This game (with a few beers) has potential. :D

[JoeRudi26]

uhmm.. i forgot to take a screenshot of the pitch totals....

and for the hitting now i just looked for my pitches and became more patient.. also now i can get walks from the CPU unlike in the game i posted where i have none..

Patience is definitely key at the plate. Good to hear you're getting good results. BTW, keep us posted if you can. :D

[Maestro23]

Like you said Jay, every game is different... in a good way. Can't wait to see the ups/downs of going thru a season. Looking forward to you taking up the mantle of my Cubbies this year. I know it will be a fun/interesting 'chise. I knew they would come calling to ya again.

Man, I'm seeing good hit variety, pitch sequences, etc... Just so glad that the sliders actually work and have an effect when you change them.

On another note, that new card of yours kicks major a**!. Man, that screenshot looks good. You got everything cranked up right? And still getting 60 FPS... Sweet.

[JoeRudi26]

Like you said Jay, every game is different... in a good way. Can't wait to see the ups/downs of going thru a season. Looking forward to you taking up the mantle of my Cubbies this year. I know it will be a fun/interesting 'chise. I knew they would come calling to ya again.

Man, I'm seeing good hit variety, pitch sequences, etc... Just so glad that the sliders actually work and have an effect when you change them.

On another note, that new card of yours kicks major a**!. Man, that screenshot looks good. You got everything cranked up right? And still getting 60 FPS... Sweet.

Everything is cranked except Shadow Quality, I think I have it on medium. I took a mild frame rate hit when I maxed it, and still couldn't tell the difference in game, so I just turned it back down.

The only time the frame rates drop is when I'm batting and there's men on base, but not enough to even notice. Sounds like you're thinking about taking the plunge. :)

[Maestro23]

Everything is cranked except Shadow Quality, I think I have it on medium. I took a mild frame rate hit when I maxed it, and still couldn't tell the difference in game, so I just turned it back down.

The only time the frame rates drop is when I'm batting and there's men on base, but not enough to even notice. Sounds like you're thinking about taking the plunge.

I've still got my T-square, tape measure, and ruler. Broke out the schematics to my case/motherboard to see what I could safely disconnect.

It will be a really tight fit with my current case, that is really the only thing stopping me from pulling the trigger.

[louie31313]

Patience is definitely key at the plate. Good to hear you're getting good results. BTW, keep us posted if you can.

definitely...of course i'll be happy to post game results..

[JoeRudi26]

I've still got my T-square, tape measure, and ruler. Broke out the schematics to my case/motherboard to see what I could safely disconnect.

It will be a really tight fit with my current case, that is really the only thing stopping me from pulling the trigger.

Yeah, other than the knowing you meet the requirements to upgrade (PSU, Bus Type, etc.), the thing I almost forgot was the fact of whether it would physically fit without dismantling the whole computer. I did have to remove the TV Tuner (which I don't use), and re run the wires to the hard drive to different slots (at least that's what my wife tells me it was), but that was about it.

To be honest though, I was skeptical when booting back up. :huh:

[JoeRudi26]

definitely...of course i'll be happy to post game results..

Thanks man, I think the more input we have the better.

[JoeRudi26]

Speaking of playing with the Cubs, look who is in today's stands for the game against Houston.

It's going to rain all day here, I've got way too much time on my hands. Ok, back to testing. B)

[Maestro23]

Jay, the season is lost... before it even begins.

You didn't happen to see the Goat running around anywhere?

[JoeRudi26]

You didn't happen to see the Goat running around anywhere?

..don't tempt me.. B)

[JoeRudi26]

Ok, I think I've played my last test game with these sliders, and I'm happy enough with them to start my season after the long awaited patch arrives. This last game (Reds vs Cubs) turned out to be a really good game as well, although the 'outfield bug' did cost me a run when Soriano couldn't nail the routine fly ball. Like I've been saying, I don't have the first baseman bug, but along with about everyone else, the quirky fielding in the outfield needs to be addressed in the patch, and as far as I've read, they obviously know about it and are working on it.

What I like most about these sliders is the pace of the game. You have to be careful on the mound, and you have to be patient at the plate. Mistakes will ultimately punish you either way. In other words, the odds seem to be in place, at least for my style of play. With 2 outs in the first inning and a runner on, I (Cubs) was ahead of Jay Bruce with an 0-2 count, and decided to waste a pitch high and tight to see if I could get him to bite on it. I missed the location, put it at his chest, and he dumped it into the right center field seats. Needless to say in hindsight, if I don't miss that one pitch, I ultimately win the game, which is my point in general.

This last game was somewhat of a pitcher's dual, not dominating by any means, but both pitchers were getting it done on the mound. Good balance with pitch counts and variety. Defensively, I committed two errors; a blooper that Theriot couldn't catch up with, and a shot in the gap off of Bradley's glove in right center. Cincinnati was credited with an error when Hairston, Jr over threw a routine ball to first base.

Something else that adds to the realism of the game and that may be overlooked are the weather/sun/shadow conditions. The day started out hazy, but had cleared up and from about the 5th inning to the 7th, the ball was hard to pick up coming out of the sun and into the shadows across home plate. Very realistic factor to deal with for the user.

I didn't catch the very beginning of the game, but here you can see how the sun/shadows can affect the game as the day progresses:

[Trues]

I agree JR, the lighting effects are very well done. I just wish we could fix the schedule so we can play more day games at Wrigley.

[Wicked420]

The problem with the lighting is that time advances WAY too fast, you start your game at noon and it's night time by time it's over.

We may have to re-do some sliders after the patch, because they say they are toning down batter aggression. So it may be better to wait before trying to get them perfected, only to have to do it again.

[JoeRudi26]

I agree JR, the lighting effects are very well done. I just wish we could fix the schedule so we can play more day games at Wrigley.

Not sure about this, but is it possible (during the season) to change the Time of Day for each game? I've just been playing Exhibition games for the purpose of testing, and haven't really looked at franchise mode too far in depth.

If it is possible, and you think about it, playing more night games would be advantageous due to the factor of seeing the ball better. Not that I would do it, of course. B)

[BigPaPa]

These Sliders work rpetty good for now but a major overhaul of the rosters would do far more to make this game realistic. With a adjusted rosters and a tweak of batter aggressiveness the sliders would need to be completely redone.

[JoeRudi26]

With a adjusted rosters and a tweak of batter aggressiveness the sliders would need to be completely redone.

Yeah, I'm sure you're right, and I've thought of that. I'm sure a few things will have to be panned out assuming they fix the aggressiveness to get things to balance out once again. Hopefully not a complete overhaul, but the good news is that we know the sliders do in fact work.

We can take it from there.

[gobluen07]

I'm likin these pitching sliders so far . I started a franchise with the orioles using them combined with the zero sliders batting.

Its tough to really get a good feel so far because of the O's severe lack of pitching, and starting the season against the yanks doesn't help. The first game was a close one that I lost 2-1 with CC goin the distance and striking out 6. Guthrie was solid though too going 7 and struck out 4.

Hitting is tough so far but its supposed to be against sabathia and burnett.

[JoeRudi26]

I'm likin these pitching sliders so far . I started a franchise with the orioles using them combined with the zero sliders batting.

Its tough to really get a good feel so far because of the O's severe lack of pitching, and starting the season against the yanks doesn't help. The first game was a close one that I lost 2-1 with CC goin the distance and striking out 6. Guthrie was solid though too going 7 and struck out 4.

Hitting is tough so far but its supposed to be against sabathia and burnett.

Thanks for the input, it looks like they're (pitch sliders) holding up for the most part. I agree, the hitting takes some time and patience, as it should if people want realistic results. As you said, Sabathia and Burnett may not be a good measuring point for hitting sliders when first starting out, but it should get easier facing guys like this over time. I've hit a few homeruns so far, and in general can hit the ball pretty well if I get a pitch up in the zone.

Here's one I (Ramirez) just missed earlier today. I'm getting some pop out of the sliders, I think it may boil down to a good pitch and timing.

[gobluen07]

Hitting with these sliders is definitely about timing . I just hit a GW homer with Huff. Got a fastball in about belt high and he crushed it off the building in right field. I had been pressing all game and couldn't hit anything solid. I finally focused and got a good pitch to hit. That was my first walk off since I had the game and it felt damn good lol. I'm gonna stick with these until the patch comes and start over from there. I really need to work on being patient at the plate. I've had the game since day one and I'm still swingin at some of the worst pitches.