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EA Sports MVP Baseball 2005 Producer Interview-Ben Brinkman


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Improved graphics, better-looking players and stadiums, a deeper franchise mode, and the new Hitter's Eye -- these are just some of the features that will make MVP Baseball 2005 the most authentic baseball video game to date. The improvements don't end there, however, so we corralled producer Ben Brinkman in order to get all the details on what we can expect from this year's game.

EA SPORTS: Talk to us about the Hitter's Eye. How does it help you as a batter?

Ben Brinkman: Simply put, the features within the Hitter's Eye make hitting more accessible to new users and at the same time add depth to hitting for users familiar with MVP. Allow me to explain: Throughout the history of baseball video games, the pitcher has always had a disproportionate advantage over the hitter. The Hitter’s Eye is a toolbox of features that will level the playing field between the pitcher and batter, and in doing so, will make that duel more authentic.

First is the element of picking up the pitch, something we have addressed with our Read the Pitch feature. We tried to emulate this idea of the batter picking up the spin of the ball right out of the pitcher’s hand. This was done using a color-coded system. The pitch will briefly flash to a color corresponding to its pitch type to allow the user a chance to get more of and idea as to what type of pitch is coming, but not the exact pitch. For example, a red ball means it’s a breaking pitch. This could be a curveball, slider, slurve, screwball or any other breaking pitch included in MVP 2005. Read the Pitch allows new players to familiarize themselves with the timing of pitches so they can have an easier time deciding when to swing. For the skilled players, it affords them the ability to determine the trajectory of pitches or more specifically, where and how the pitch is going to move.

Pitch/Swing Analysis replay is another component of the Hitter’s Eye. This is a quick key that allows players to go back and analyze, from multiple camera angles, the previous pitch. It illustrates pitch trajectories using a series of balls that draw the pitch path as well as the hitter’s timing window. This feature can be used to determine what the hitter did right or wrong on the previous swing. In addition, it can be used as a “study aid†so players can learn how pitches move, meaning next time they see that pitch they are more prepared.

The next feature of the Hitter’s Eye is the ability to move in the batter’s box. This is not new to baseball games, but our version adds more gameplay than previous iterations. In MVP Baseball 2005, players can engage in a game of cat and mouse with the pitcher by waiting until the last moment to move in or away from the plate in order adjust plate coverage. When the batter moves his hot/cold zones move with him so the risk/reward is that you get more plate coverage over one area, but lose coverage over another.

Real time swing feedback has also been added to MVP 2005. When the player does the wrong thing with the Left Analog Swing Control a bad swing animation could occur. The probability of these swings occurring is based upon how off the execution was as well as the hitter’s attributes: good hitters have more leeway when doing the wrong thing with the left stick and would really have to mess up to get a bad swing. The bad swings almost always assure poor contact and leave the batter off-balance as they try to run to first.

Finally, we’ve added drag bunts to MVP 2005. I’ve saved this for last because it’s been a glaring hole in previous versions of MVP.

With the Hitter’s Eye in MVP Baseball 2005, the playing field is a bit more level. The batter can now dig into the batter’s box and make educated swing decisions as opposed to just closing his eyes and guessing!

EA SPORTS: What sort of control or placement will you be able to have on your swing (that is, swing high or low, in or out)? Will that be the same as last year?

Ben Brinkman: The mechanics of hitting are very similar to last year. Hitting is based partially on timing and using the Left Analog Swing Control. For example, if the pitcher throws you a curveball on the outside corner, you are going to time your swing later and aim the left stick in the direction of the pitch. The up and down angle of the ball can be modified by pressing up or down on the left stick. Using the curve ball on the outside corner again as the example, if you want to try to hit the ball in the air you’ll press up, or if you want to try to hit it on the ground you’ll press down.

Keep in mind that certain pitches go up or down better than others. What I mean is that if the pitcher is throwing you a sinker down in the zone and you try to hit it up, you aren’t going to have too much success, because that sinker is traveling down and the physics of it tell you that’s going to be tough to hit in the air. Think Derek Lowe when he’s got his stuff -- he induces a lot of groundballs when batters swing for the fences. Now think of when Lowe doesn’t have his stuff and he’s leaving that sinker up; he gets hit hard and gives up a lot of home runs. Now this is not to say that it’s impossible to hit low sinkers in the air or out of the park, for that matter. It’s just more difficult.

EA SPORTS: How does Precision Pitching make it more difficult to throw that perfect pitch?

Ben Brinkman: The Precision Pitch Meter is the natural progression from our previous pitch meter. In MVP 2004 all you had to do was release the pitch in the green accuracy zone and it would go exactly where you wanted. Everything outside the green zone would be a mistake pitch. In MVP 2005 we separated the accuracy zone into perfect and mis-executed pitch zones. If you release the pitch in the small perfect zone it goes where you want. This area is roughly 25% of what was the MVP 2004 accuracy zone. If you release the pitch in the mis-executed area it will miss the target. This makes pitching more challenging because, for example, if you are working the corners and you mis-execute a pitch it could end up a ball, or even worse, it could end up in the middle of the strike zone. We believe the Precision Pitch Meter is the closest we’ve come to reproducing the feel and mechanics of real-life pitching.

EA SPORTS: Any changes in how fielding works?

Ben Brinkman: We’ve read all the feedback in the EASports.com MVP forum and knew that fielding was one area we needed to improve in MVP Baseball 2005. We’ve made many changes such as speeding up outfielders, improving backup players' AI, made it easier to catch with Big Play Control (the right analog stick), added multiple new catches and throws, and much more.

Additionally, we’ve addressed throw responsiveness issues with the ability to throw to fielders on the run. This addition gives players the ability to turn quicker double plays and get the ball to the pitcher coming over to cover first base on a groundball to the first baseman, among other things. Throws are more responsive than ever.

I touched on Big Play Control earlier but wanted to come back to it. We heard from MVP 2004 players that it was too tough to catch the ball with Big Play Control. We went back to the drawing board and made it much more user-friendly, added the ability to catch foul balls in the stands, added additional and more responsive wall climbs, introduced stretch catches, and made the transition from dive to throw much quicker. With all the enhancements, Big Play Control is going to be like a completely new feature in MVP Baseball 2005.

EA SPORTS: What sort of graphical and animation improvements are there?

Ben Brinkman: Too many to mention! Seriously, we redid every stadium including adding more detail, while re-ighting and re-doing all our field textures to make dirt and grass more realistic. Additionally, we did all new heads for most MLB players. The quality of our heads did not stand up with the quality of the rest of the game last year, but with the help of our very talented character art team here at EA Canada, MVP 2005 will deliver some of the most realistic player heads ever to grace a sports game.

In terms of atmosphere, we have added some weather effects this year, including rain in some stadiums. My favorite part is when it begins to rain in Safeco, the roof will shut over the course of a few innings. It's very cool. In addition, we tweaked the wind so it affects the flight of the ball more realistically. Finally, we added a "cloudy" treatment to many stadiums.

We also added tons of new gameplay animations including an all new tagging system with numerous varieties of tags, all new home plate specific slides, new bobble catches, the aforementioned mis-executed swings, new strafing locomotion and much more!

Our animation system and the animations themselves have always separated us from the rest of the baseball video games and from what I’ve seen, the new additions to MVP 2005 have widened the gap even more. MVP 2005 is far and away the most visually appealing of all the MVP series and I believe the best looking and moving baseball game ever.

EA SPORTS: Talk to us about the changes to Dynasty Mode, and the new Owner mode.

Ben Brinkman: We thought our Dynasty Mode was very deep in MVP 2004. Our main focus was going back and polishing up some items that needed work, such as roster management and player progression, as well as a few others. We are very excited about the addition of Owner Mode to MVP Baseball 2005. With Owner Mode you call all the shots for your organization. From setting concession prices to scheduling promotional days to hiring and firing coaches, everything is in your control. The goal is to field a World Series caliber team, fill the seats with fans and of course make as much money as humanly possible! With that money you can buy better players as well as upgrades in our all new Create Ballpark, but Create Ballpark is an entire conversation unto itself.

EA SPORTS: So you can build a ballpark this year? How does that work, exactly?

Ben Brinkman: Create Ballpark works a lot like the upgrade system in Need for Speed Underground. You begin with a very small stadium with minimal amenities. As you accumulate money in Owner Mode you can spend it on upgrades such as more concession stands, more seats (key if you want more people to come to the games. They need somewhere to sit!), a better “jumbotron†and more. The goal is to build the ultimate ball park that gets huge attendance figures game after game. Like in real life, the more people who come to your games, the more money they will spend and the more money that goes into your pocket.

EA SPORTS: Are there more minor league teams in the game?

Ben Brinkman: Yes, there are. In MVP Baseball 2005 we’ve added 30 all-new Single-A teams to go with our 30 Double-A and 30 Triple-A teams returning from MVP 2004. We’ve also done some uniform tweaks for many teams to make them more authentic to their real-life counterpart. Additionally, we’ve added three new stadiums. I love playing in these stadiums, because their dimensions are a bit different than what is the norm in the MLB, so it creates a bit of a different play experience.

EA SPORTS: What about the inclusion of mini-games and spring training exercises?

Ben Brinkman: One of the complaints about MVP 2004 was that it was tough to pick up and play. We thought about it and decided to create batting and pitching mini-games to help remedy this. The goal with our pitching and batting mini-games was three-fold: 1) teach players how to play the game without boring them in a tutorial type environment, 2) have a stand-alone game with its own scoring system and 3) tie the games into player progression in Dynasty and Owner Modes.

I believe we accomplished all three. Players will learn how to pitch and hit almost by osmosis with these games. Judging by the amount we’ve played the games around the office, I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt they are fun. And finally, you can add to normal player progression in Dynasty and Owner Mode using reaching certain scoring goals in these games.

The Batting mini-game is like Simon Sez: you begin with 10 pitches and we tell you where to hit the ball. You are scored based upon following directions and how far you hit the ball. Everything on the field and beyond the outfield walls is interactive, so if you hit something like a car or bus beyond the outfield wall, you’ll score bonus points. The Pitching mini-game is like Tetris meets MVP. Each pitch is assigned a color that corresponds to blocks in the strike zone. You throw specific pitches at same colored blocks in the strike zone. The more connected blocks and the more effective the pitch (i.e. the more you fill the pitch meter), the more points you score. Both mini-games are very fun and good ways to master pitching and batting in MVP Baseball 2005.

EA SPORTS: What sort of classic players, teams and uniforms are in the mix this year?

Ben Brinkman: The look of our classic stadiums has been overhauled in MVP 2005. In MVP 2004, playing a game in a classic stadium was like playing a game in the year 2004 in an old stadium. In MVP 2005, we have added an era-specific special visual treatment to our classic stadiums. It’s like the scratched film look of old baseball clips. It really adds different feel to these stadiums and makes it feel like you are playing a game in the heyday of that stadium. Like I said, it's era-specific so a game in Classic Fenway from the early 1900s looks different than a game in the 1970s Astrodome.

In addition to this classic stadium treatment, we’ve added new players like Johnny Bench and Dennis Eckersley, to name a few. As far as stadiums go, we’ve added the aforementioned Classic Fenway as well as seven others you’ll have to earn enough MVP Points to unlock. Finally, along with the players and stadiums, we also have added 60 all new classic uniforms. All told, our collection of classic players, stadiums and uniforms is very large and we think when players earn enough MVP Points to unlock them all, they will be very pleased with what they’ve earned.

EA SPORTS: Is Jon Dowd still roaming the field for the Giants, or did they get their regular left fielder back?

Ben Brinkman: Jon Dowd IS the Giants' regular left fielder, as far as I know. We are pleased to have him because he’s such a positive role model and great ambassador for the game of baseball.

EA SPORTS: Anything else you want to add about MVP Baseball 2005?

Ben Brinkman: We are really excited about MVP Baseball 2005 and are anxious for people to get it in their hands to play for themselves. We believe it’s the best baseball game to date, and we couldn’t have gotten to where we are today without the feedback and support of the vocal MVP fans. We make this game for you and hope you enjoy every minute of it!

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This game is going to be really good. I can't wait. Rain in Seattle and the roof closes. This will make me forget the Take Two deal for now.

We'll I guess I am going to be spending a lot of time indoors again this spring. :lol:

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This game is going to be really good. I can't wait. Rain in Seattle and the roof closes. This will make me forget the Take Two deal for now.

We'll I guess I am going to be spending a lot of time indoors again this spring. :lol:

THAT IS DOPE! thanks for posting that.... Im so stoked to play!!!

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We'll I guess I am going to be spending a lot of time indoors again this spring. :lol:

My yard work really took a hit when MVP2004 was released last year. I'm afraid to think about what my yard is going to look like this summer!

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EA SPORTS: Is Jon Dowd still roaming the field for the Giants, or did they get their regular left fielder back?

Ben Brinkman: Jon Dowd IS the Giants' regular left fielder, as far as I know. We are pleased to have him because he’s such a positive role model and great ambassador for the game of baseball.

Ben Brinkman right here speaks like a true politician.

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Ok, by the sounds of it, they have included everything... roofs will close, managers will argue, full minor league system, create a park - I am in love! Oh, and lefties can hit homers!

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His comment on the pitching meter is interesting if you compare it with what they said last year.

Here's the comment from the current interview:

"The Precision Pitch Meter is the natural progression from our previous pitch meter. In MVP 2004 all you had to do was release the pitch in the green accuracy zone and it would go exactly where you wanted. Everything outside the green zone would be a mistake pitch. "

Last year in the Producer's interview they said this:

"We also tweaked the way the green accuracy zone works. In MVP 2003 all you had to do was hit the green and you would be rewarded with a perfectly accurate pitch. In MVP 2004, the closer to the middle of the green you hit, the more accurate your pitch will be with regards to your intended target. This means that if you are a corner nibbler you need to hit the green in the middle or risk a ball or worse and pitch that trends into the batter's wheel-house"

Notice they said you had to hit anywhere in the green zone to hit your spot, but in last year's interview they said you had to hit the middle. Sounds like they attempted to fix this in MVP '04 and now they are trying again.

So how is the "perfect" zone different from the middle of the green zone? I'm just wondering how much harder it's going to be to hit that perfect spot, and not the new yellow zones in the precision pitch meter.

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damn..i can't wait for the game now, i wonder if Skydome's roof will close as well, and they said rain in some stadiums, so i wonder if not all of them will rain.

And gonna be more work for roster makers, more players, since it's 30 instead of 25 or 22 in the minors, for AAA, AA, AND A 8O

And Dennis Eckersley in the game..ohh baby!! Just got better!

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damn..i can't wait for the game now, i wonder if Skydome's roof will close as well, and they said rain in some stadiums, so i wonder if not all of them will rain.

And gonna be more work for roster makers, more players, since it's 30 instead of 25 or 22 in the minors, for AAA, AA, AND A 8O

And Dennis Eckersley in the game..ohh baby!! Just got better!

where does it say that the rosters will have 30 players for the minors? I sure didn't read that.

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There are just 30 AAA, 30 AA and 30 A teams.

I just re-read the article and I see that you can fire coaches! That's fantastic. EA has really done a nice job. They incorporated their great gameplay with the detail of Out of the Park 5. It's great.

JaFFiTh, I'm hoping for the Dome to open as well. I hope they make the wall and ads look realistic as well. It's too bad the Jayz don't have the new turf and scoreboard in yet otherwise it would be in the game as well.

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My yard work really took a hit when MVP2004 was released last year. I'm afraid to think about what my yard is going to look like this summer!

:lol:

Yeah, my priorities change pretty quickly early March.

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THIS WIL BE SICK.....rain in stadiums and roof closes....weather affects, create a satdium....hire/fire caoches...manager arguments, lefty homeruns, calssic stadums....oman this will be great.....

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THIS WIL BE SICK.....rain in stadiums and roof closes....weather affects, create a satdium....hire/fire caoches...manager arguments, lefty homeruns, calssic stadums....oman this will be great.....
ya they almost have everything perfected
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...intressting interview. i can´t wait for mvp 2005 :-)

...i am a new mvp 2004 player. i found the game in a shop in munic and i like it. i play madden and nfl since 2000.

...here in germay and europe is soccer the nr. 1 sport. so i play fifa and the football (soccer) manager from ea sports too. and this is interesting. you are a coach and (or) manager of a club in germany, spain, england or what you want. if you lost to much games you can be fired. than you wait for the next offers from other clubs. if you like one you can manage a new club. if you dont like to "work" for one club, you can change if you bekome a offer from a other club bevor the saison end. i think that is a interssting thing for the madden, nhl and mvp series too. you are not a owner (where is so rich ?). you are a coach and manager, with a contract for some years. make a good job and you can resign ore you can wait for better offers. that my oppinion...

...anything, i like mvp, madden and nhl. i see much games in pay-tv "premiere". hope of a good new saison...sorry about my english...

...greathin from munich...

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does the apple at shea still go up a pole? i find it hard to beleive they added more detail to all stadiums yet that remains in...... game is shaping up good, but im not getting my hopes up too much

the pole still goes up :-(

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EA SPORTS: What sort of graphical and animation improvements are there?

Ben Brinkman: Too many to mention! Seriously, we redid every stadium including adding more detail...

bull$hit!!!!

oakland.jpg

Oakland's scoreboard IS STILL THE EXACT SAME REUSED SPRITE FROM FENWAY PARK THAT IT HAS BEEN FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS.

I'm eagerly waiting for MVP05 just as much as the next guy, and I know I'll love playing it, but man does it **** me off when they leave the same screw ups like this year after year. Then they try to insult my intelligence by saying they worked on those screwups, and it pisses me off even more.

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