Getting Closer

[chris.arceo]

I gotta say using these slider settings is like night and day. It made the game so much more enjoyable, realistic, and exciting. I just finished my first game of a new franchise as the Giants. My pitcher was Lincecum and he gave up a run early on a couple hits and i couldn't come up with anything to come back til the 8th inning. I managed to get a base-hit and then an infield single. My next batter up was Guzman, and i happened to catch a pitch low and away and cranked it to the opposite field and over the wall for a 3 run homer. It certainly surprised me. So i finished the game with Lincecum getting a complete game and throwing 10 K's. Each team had 6 hits.

It just felt so much more realistic this way. It was like an actual game of baseball. Thanks for all of your play testing and tweaking to the settings. :)

[natedog3280]

I've played about 4 games with these sliders and have no major complaints...I've super aggressive at the plate so ball/strike ratio is always off but oh well. All games have been close for me but I've had no problems hitting home runs with the Twins of all teams. Morneau went deep three times last game and I hit 2 in the previous 3 games with him, mostly drilling them down the line but still.

Overall I'd like to see more balls from the CPU pitchers. But other than that i'm liking these sliders.

[JoeRudi26]

Thanks for the input, guys. Like I said, these sliders have been a joint effort, not just my own, so I don't take full credit. But the point is to eventually get a good solid base to start from. As someone has already mentioned, the patch is right around the corner and promises to address the AI aggressiveness issue (among other things), so there will probably be adjustments to even things out again.

Thanks again, and feel free to post your results and/or suggestions in this thread.

[abraves]

Sounds like some good games people are getting. I have mainly used zone hitting so far but I was going to try these sliders and settings but i have a question. Using the total control hitting without zone for you guys that have used it quite a lot how does it work compaired to MVP? Is it important to try and go with the pitch, like hit to the opposite field for an outside pitch, push up for high pitch, etc.? Thanks.

[JoeRudi26]

Sounds like some good games people are getting. I have mainly used zone hitting so far but I was going to try these sliders and settings but i have a question. Using the total control hitting without zone for you guys that have used it quite a lot how does it work compaired to MVP? Is it important to try and go with the pitch, like hit to the opposite field for an outside pitch, push up for high pitch, etc.? Thanks.

You're right, these sliders do not use Zone Hitting, and I'm sure you noticed that Zone Hitting Influence and Hit Direction have been turned off completely. From a personal standpoint, I'd rather hitting be influenced by pitch type, speed, location, and timing, instead of pointing a stick in a certain direction. Arguments can be made for both sides I guess, but this is just my personal way of playing.

Using these factors, there are many different results from hitting one certain pitch. For example, batting right handed (vs RH pitcher) and you make contact with a slider low and away. Obviously the ball is moving away from you, but where the ball ends up after you hit it depends on how fast the pitch was thrown, the location of the pitch when you made contact, how well you made contact, and the overall timing of the swing. Obviously this can be said for each and every contact made, pitch type, speed, etc.

The first homerun I hit with these sliders was with Michael Young from Texas. I had been getting blown out by C.C.Sabathia, and then he hung a curveball high and middle in, and I happened to be 100% looking for it. I actually waited for the ball to drop, and made perfect contact and watched it sail into the bullpen in left center field. Not exactly a power hitter, but it was a pitch I was looking for, and it was numbers high in the middle of the strike zone. I figured at that point the sliders had more weight on timing and location than just the mere power rating of the hitter. Of course, more can be assessed through the duration of a season, and I'll adjust if need be.

My point is, it seems to me that instead of using any other influence other than the raw factors themselves would take away some of the realism when batting. Of course everyone doesn't play the same way, and I personally know some people that would rather play a more arcade style of baseball, and enjoy 17-15 score totals. To each their own, I guess.

All this being said though, I really can't answer your question concerning the comparison to MVP as I've never used Zone Hitting in either, but maybe someone else will come along and let you know.

[abraves]

So the style hitting you are using is it timing only hitting or do you still have to aim for location? Thanks for your answer. I haven't messed around in the settings much and still kind of green on what each setting actually does. Has anyone came up with a FAQ sheet of the slider and settings meanings?

[BigPaPa]

You still can aim for location, but say you aim to pull a ball in the air for a HR, if its not timed correctly your going to fly out to shallow right. Aiming is probably more useful for situational hitting with these sliders, like if you want to pull a ball to get a runner over.

[louie31313]

hi JR..

here again are some of my results with ur great sliders:

BOS(me) vs O's : L 2 - 0

my stats:

cpu stats:

i can't upload my batting stats and cpu pitcher's stats because there's an error in photobucket

as you can see i struggled hitting against Uehara beacuse of his breaking pitches screwball,curveball it think or slider, and changeup, i also struggled against Chris Ray because of his release...

[louie31313]

here is game 2:

BOS vs TWINS W 11 - 2

my stats:

cpu stats:

here i'm having a great game in 8 1/2 innings...as you can see i scored 2 runs in 7 innings ,in 6th inning the cpu is having a comeback and in the bottom of the 8th when they summoned a new reliever i tried to score an insurance run but i just saw his pitches extremely well and scored 8 runs including a grand slam! Yeyy!

again, thanks for the great sliders JR...

also i'm messing up with the CPU hitting sliders because CPU doesn't score many runs against me in my BOS dynasty..do u have a suggestion ??

[JoeRudi26]

Wow, looks like all kinds of variety. Hits, extra base hits, homeruns, strikeouts, walks, etc. To be honest, this is the first "blowout" I've seen on these sliders, but true to form, they do happen.

As far as the CPU scoring runs, the only thing I would recommend is messing with the AI Batting Contact, Success, and Power sliders. Tweak them from game to game until you start seeing their offensive numbers climb on a consistent basis, and maybe try to top it off to where it stays competitive. It will probably take 5-10 games, but it's worth it over the long haul.

This is good news, thanks for the update! B)

[JoeRudi26]

Since the patch has finally arrived, I've played 3 tests games and a few innings here and there to see what, if any, sliders that may need adjusted due to the changes the patch has made to the overall game. Although I know 3-5 games (post patch) probably isn't enough to measure how these sliders will work over the long haul, I just wanted to try them out over the duration of a couple of complete games to see what immediate impacts the patch has made. That said, I will start my season in a day or two, and continue to make minor tweaks as the season progresses. Anyone who is using these sliders may have to do the same thing, depending on your personal playing style and skill level.

My impressions of the patch (with these current sliders):

1. AI Batter Aggression - Not a staggering difference, but definitely a change. The AI is taking more pitches overall. Mostly first pitches, and this seems to be the workaround, but I've noticed that the CPU won't swing at anything way off the plate as much either. Before the patch, I was seeing a lot of swings at pitches in the dirt, especially on off speed pitches down in the zone. After the patch, the strikeouts seem to be pretty much the same in quantity, but I've actually been able to strike out the CPU looking a few times. A clear improvement, but 'feels' like it could have been a bit better.

2. User Pitching - Without looking at the patch notes, I honestly don't remember if this was even supposed to be addressed, but I did notice a DEFINITE change in pitching after the patch. My control isn't quite as precise as it was, and it's overall more difficult to pitch on the corners. I'm having to re locate pitches with breakpoints (sliders, curveballs, cutters) in order to throw more strikes. In other words, I'll just have to get used to the pitching again, there seems to be a lot more variance in locations. That said, this is a good thing. I'm going to leave the pitch sliders alone and consider this a bit more of a challenge. Over time, this will obviously become easier.

3. 1st Baseman Bug - I honestly can't address this, as I only experienced it once through the first 30+ games I played, and that happened to be my fault with a bad throw. If anyone else wants to comment on the change, positive or not, please feel free to do so.

4. Outfield - This is probably the biggest and most obvious improvement I've seen after the patch. Though I adjusted to the quirkiness of the fielding (outfield) before the patch, there were definitely major problems. It seems the "vacuum" of the landing indicator has been toned down, along with the quirkiness and physical momentum of the players themselves. Over 3 or 4 games, fielding a fly ball is smooth and solid for the most part, but that "vacuum" is still a bit noticable on line drives and base hits that fall in front of the player. Not a game killer, but you can slightly feel it's still there. I also want to mention I have not seen an outfielder just "stand there" and watch a fly ball soar over his head, something I had seen before the patch.

5. Pick Offs - Through my testing, I didn't see one pick off at 2B after many attempts. Again, this wasn't a big issue for me, but nonetheless it seemes to have been addressed.

5. Wall Collision -The issue with the player not being able to pick up a ball next to the wall seems to have been addressed, thankfully, as well. In Progessive Field, I hit the top of the wall in left and the ball came straight down onto the warning track but seemed to "careen" three or four feet (away) from the wall itself, allowing the player the "room" to bend over and pick it up. Not sure if this was the workaround in the patch, but it happened a couple of more times through 3 or 4 games, User and CPU, and it seems to be the same. Either way, if this is the fix, I'll take it. No more inside the park homeruns.

Without going into Franchise Mode and actually starting my season, I can't really comment on what other, if any, issues have been addressed with other season options. I did though, notice a lot of the strange animations (players walking aimlessly) have been toned down somewhat. Not perfect, but as long as it doesn't affect gameplay, I'm personally not too worried about it. Overall it seems 2K9 did try to listen to the community and fix things that were killing the game for a lot of people. It's not perfect, and it's probably not as solid as it can be, but it's an improvement over the product we received out of the box. And who knows, if there are more glaring issues over time, it's not impossible for them to patch it again, that is, if they want to keep selling their product.

The point of this post is whether or not I needed to tweak these particular sliders immediately after the patch. I just lost a game 2-0 to the Reds (I was the Cubs), and the biggest differences were User pitch counts, User pitching accuracy, and smoother fielding. And through a handful of games, there is nothing glaring that needs to be changed, but I (and anyone else that is using these sliders) will play over the course of the season and will update anything that I see needs changed.

[Maestro23]

Good post JR. Like you, I too have noticed it is harder to locate your pitches. Which I absolutely love.

*Did you get my latest PM?

[JoeRudi26]

Good post JR. Like you, I too have noticed it is harder to locate your pitches. Which I absolutely love.

*Did you get my latest PM?

Me too. The first time I set my cursor and threw a slider, I was like "WTF?" What a difference. It's actually possible to walk batters without meaning to. I just read your PM (sorry, didn't see it), and wow, what a breakdown. I'll have to study this guy's chart. Looks like good stuff.

Thanks, Maestro!

[Griz891]

Me too. The first time I set my cursor and threw a slider, I was like "WTF?" What a difference. It's actually possible to walk batters without meaning to. I just read your PM (sorry, didn't see it), and wow, what a breakdown. I'll have to study this guy's chart. Looks like good stuff.

Thanks, Maestro!

Definate change in pitching....I turned gesture recognition down to about 10 as well as hold timing influence. Tamed it right down again.

[Trues]

I'm loving post patch play with these sliders so far. Thanks again JR.

[JoeRudi26]

I'm loving post patch play with these sliders so far. Thanks again JR.

They're working out for me as well, Trues. If a person is patient at both ends of the pitcher/batter aspect of the game, the overall experience turns out to be well paced with decent numbers all the way around. Lots of variety in pitching and hitting.

Again, through the course of playing more games, anyone that's using these sliders please post your feedback.

[mva5580]

Every game I seem to play is a total pitcher's duel, I guess perhaps that's because I haven't started a franchise yet and every exhibition game you play is no 1 vs. no 1?

Anyway there are always a relatively low amount of hits and runs scored, especially for me as I seem to just not be good at hitting. I rarely ever strike out but can't seem to get more than ~6 hits in a game. Same goes for the CPU, most of my games end up being 0-0 for most of the game until the CPU puts up a few in one inning and that's the game. Guess I just need to play more, or something.

[JoeRudi26]

Every game I seem to play is a total pitcher's duel, I guess perhaps that's because I haven't started a franchise yet and every exhibition game you play is no 1 vs. no 1?

Anyway there are always a relatively low amount of hits and runs scored, especially for me as I seem to just not be good at hitting. I rarely ever strike out but can't seem to get more than ~6 hits in a game. Same goes for the CPU, most of my games end up being 0-0 for most of the game until the CPU puts up a few in one inning and that's the game. Guess I just need to play more, or something.

I've seen a lot of variety so far. Like you say, it was definitely tougher in the beginning to hit and score runs, but I think the more you play the more you'll see those numbers rise. That said, I have scored more than 5-6 runs a few times even at the beginning of testing.

I've also noticed it depends on who I'm facing. Tougher pitchers, tougher at bats.

[blown347stang]

played a game with your sliders a few minutes ago ran up a 9-4 score. game got out of hand in the 6th inning after i hit a grand slam comp didnt toss in a releiver fast enough and ended up piling in 6 runs. overall i liked the sliders 1st 4 innings were very rocky for me couldnt seem to hit anything at all while the comp rocked me for a pair of 2 run homers. overall i like them now that im more used to using them.

[JoeRudi26]

played a game with your sliders a few minutes ago ran up a 9-4 score. game got out of hand in the 6th inning after i hit a grand slam comp didnt toss in a releiver fast enough and ended up piling in 6 runs. overall i liked the sliders 1st 4 innings were very rocky for me couldnt seem to hit anything at all while the comp rocked me for a pair of 2 run homers. overall i like them now that im more used to using them.

Sounds like more variety. Thanks for the input!

[blown347stang]

it was definately interesting had a little of everything couple doubles a triple few home runs (2-1 in favor of the comp) i'll be fooling around with it again tommorrow when im alert again took a 6 hour ride today falling asleep now.

[ScottyG]

Can these sliders be used for the pc version (post patch)???

[JoeRudi26]

Can these sliders be used for the pc version (post patch)???

I haven't change one thing since the patch came out. As a matter of fact, the pitching is probably a bit more challenging and realistic. I'm sticking with them for now, and will tweak them as the season progresses.

I just finished my first game of the season, and it was a good one. I'll post it in a few.

[blown347stang]

1st game of the day 4-3 loss 3 homers (2 comp 1 me) 3 doubles 2 triples

4-11-0

3-13-1

all 3 homers were past the 5th inning last one in the bottom of the 9th (damn walkoff)

starting pitcher for my team was 97 pitches in 8.1 innings 6 k's 1 walk(my dogs to blame for the walk pulled the cord to my controller as i threw a 3-2 pitch

comps starter was 67 pitches in 5 innings 2 k's 2 walks

so overall good just a pisspoor way to lose

[JoeRudi26]

1st game of the day 4-3 loss 3 homers (2 comp 1 me) 3 doubles 2 triples

4-11-0

3-13-1

all 3 homers were past the 5th inning last one in the bottom of the 9th (damn walkoff)

starting pitcher for my team was 97 pitches in 8.1 innings 6 k's 1 walk(my dogs to blame for the walk pulled the cord to my controller as i threw a 3-2 pitch

comps starter was 67 pitches in 5 innings 2 k's 2 walks

so overall good just a pisspoor way to lose

..and the dog gets the credit for the walk..

Great results so far. Again, thanks for posting!