Armor & Sword & Marino's MLB The Show 17 Timed/Classic Simulation All-Star Sliders

[Armor and Sword]

Armor & Sword & Marino's MLB The Show 17 Directional Hitting/Classic Pitching Simulation All-Star/HOF Sliders

Hello Show Nation! It's Christmas in March. The Show 17 is finally here and Marino and I are back for another amazing season playing the very best console sports game on the planet! MLB The Show is taking it's game to a new next generation level with PS4 Pro and 4K support. The development team has really stepped up the gameplay to heights yet unseen for a baseball game. The all new revamped life like ball physics are truly going to be a game changer this season. Not only with hit variety be far more realistic, but tuning our sliders IMO will be even easier in regards to hit variety. Humanity AI is also another new huge upgrade. Gone are the days of lazy, no urgency throws from infielders on plus runners. Over a 1000 new fielding animations are going to make this game look even more life like than ever before. I really think all of us long time Show fans are in for a real treat this season.

So what do Marino and I look to do develop sliders? It's a simple philosophy. Create settings that will give you that "old school" feeling to the game we love so dearly. Speaking of "Old School" we have a new fun mode with "retro mode" and I will also look to tune some sliders for that mode as well later on in the process! I am also going to take a dive into RTTS this season and who knows....maybe I will come up with some special RTTS sliders as well for you hardcore RTTS players out there.


Player ratings are the primary (not only) factor in the dice roll algorithm outcome of hitting, pitching, fielding and base running. We approach the game and play it a particular way so these sliders have a type of cult following for those who have a similar approach and love for baseball. Those of us who played Stratomatic or Statis-Pro and then moved on to Hardball and World Series on the Sega Genesis, Triple Play, and Tony LaRussa, to MVP 2005 and onto The Show! We want a clean screen, a lifelike broadcast quality experience, with no visual aides, meters, or crutches for hitting. It's just you and pitcher or batter in a showdown each and every AB.



We use Classic Pitching which is an entire thread of it's own and I highly recommend reading if your trying this approach for the first time or even a savvy veteran of the art of this pitching method. This thread is highly recommended for those who want to engage in the fine art of classic pitching.


http://www.operationsports.com/forum...ad-2015-a.html




We use Timed/Directional hitting and we employ auto fielding with manual throwing (button and no meter). This season there is also a new catcher meter. Well with this set we do not use that feature. Again we want player ratings to be the primary driver of results on the field.

WarmWind has a great Directional Hitting Guide right here. This thread is a great resource. I do not use directional every AB like he does. That is a personal preference. I use it in situational AB's though....which ends up being more often than not. But I do not use it every single swing.

http://www.operationsports.com/forum...ing-guide.html

[b][color="navy"]Camera's (for offense, defense and pitching) are entirely up to you but below are my personal settings of exactly how I play this game. I love a Broadcast approach and this year is no different. My batting camera this season is "Fish Eye". I transitioned to this camera very very late in the MLB 16 cycle (a month ago as a matter of fact) and I am in love with it. However for those that grew accustomed to Catcher Zoom Offset....by all means.

The most important factor to our slider approach......

Have fun!!! This game is meant to be played and 162 games is a long season and tweaking your settings as you play a long marathon will not spoil your stat's and franchise. Plug them in and start playing. Use them as a base, and tweak from there as you "PLAY". Enjoy the game! Also please give yourself a real sample size. I believe at least 25-30 games must be played to really get a true baseball "feel" of how they are going. Streaks, hot and cold occur. Please allow the natural flow of that to evolve before considering making any drastic changes. And believe me, with the Show one click is a big change. The sliders for this game are the best in sports gaming in terms of working and having an effect on the outcome of the game.


Below is our slider set as well as my approach to Classic Pitching to give you that simulation feeling while you play. We hope you have a full year of enjoyment playing MLB The Show 17. I will be active here, answer questions as quickly as I can, and try to assist all of you in getting the most out of the greatest sports game on the planet.


Play Ball!!!

Gold Version 7.0 1/5/18

Settings:

Batting and Baserunning:

Hitting Difficulty: All-Star

Hitting Interface Directional (Timed)

Input Type - Buttons

Plate Coverage Indicator - Off

Camera Shift - Off

In-Play View Offense - Broadcast

Hitting View: Fish Eye (Users Choice)

Ball Trail - Off

Button Interface: Classic

Guess Pitch: Off

Baserunner Interface: Default

Baserunning Decisions: Assist

Sliding Decisions: Assist

Runner Window: Off (Much more challenging and rewarding plus cleaner screen)

Pitching:

Pitching Difficulty: HOF (Or All-Star)

Pitching Interface: Classic

Pitching View: Broadcast

Pitching Ball Marker: Off ("On" for those that struggle with it off)

Pitch Callout: Off (cleaner screen but turn it on if you like)

Pitch Confidence: On

Pitch Delay: Normal

API: Default

Fielding:

Throwing Interface: Buttons

Throwing Meter: Off

Throwing Difficulty: NA

Throwing Decision: Off

Throw Canceling: On

Fielding Decision: Auto

Defensive Shift: Auto (I do make in game adjustments on the fly pressing down on the D-Pad)

All Indicators - off

Fielding View Offense: Broadcast

Fielding View Defense: Broadcast

General

Strike Zone: Off

Hot Zones: Off

Warm Up Relievers - On

Balks: Off

Tutorial Tips - Off

Post Game Auto Save - Off

Umpire Balls and Strikes: Personalized

Umpire Close Plays: On

Check Swing Appeals: On

Injuries: On

Ejections: On

Scorebar Display - On

Pitch Select Display - Off

Swing/Pitch Info - Off

Vibration - Off (On if too difficult)

Game Log Order - Default

Presentation Options

Presentation Mode - Broadcast

Batter Walkup - On

In-game Ticker - On

Closed Captioning - Off

Mode Updates - Occasional

MLB.com Updates - On




Gameplay Sliders

Dynamic Difficulty Sensitivity 5

Human Contact 5

Human Power 6 (+1)

Human Timing 5

Stride Difficulty 5

Human Foul Frequency 3

Human Solid Hits 6 (+1)

Human Starter Stamina 6

Human Reliever Stamina 5

Human Pitcher Control 5 (2 on AS level)

Human Pitcher Consistency 5 (3 on AS level)

CPU Contact 5 (6 if pitching on AS)

CPU Power 6 (+1)

CPU Timing 5

CPU Foul Frequency 3

CPU Solid Hits 6 (+1)

CPU Starter Stamina 7

CPU Reliever Stamina 5

CPU Pitcher Control 4

CPU Pitcher Consistency 5

CPU Strike Frequency 4

CPU Manager Hook 5

CPU Pickoffs 5

Fastball Pitch Speed 5 (users choice)

Off speed Pitch Speed 7 (users choice)

Fielding Errors Infield 7 (+1)

Fielding Errors Outfield 7 (+1)

Throwing Errors Infield 7 (-3)

Throwing Errors Outfield 7 (+1)

Fielder Run Speed 3

Fielder Reaction 4

Fielder Arm Strength Infield 5

Fielder Arm Strength Outfield 4

Baserunner Speed 4

Baserunner Steal Ability 6

Baserunner Steal Frequency 6

Wind 5

Injuries 9 ( drop to 5 when straight simming games in team calendar menu)

Trade Slider 5 - April

Trade Slider 6 - May

Trade Slider 9 - June

Trade Slider 10 - July, August, September

Trade Slider 5 - October

Trade Slider 10 - November thru February

Trade Slider 10 - Spring Training

"Armor's "True Clean Screen Classic Pitching Approach"

For the ultimate in simulation and challenge here is the way I play The Show with classic pitching vs the CPU.

OK so here is the deal on turning off the R2/pitch types button showing on screen.

All you need to do is see your pitchers repertoire. Is press right on the d-pad and hit R1 and you will see in order his pitch selection (and you can access this screen to see his strike % throughout the game with his various pitches to see how he is dealing and this eliminates the crutch of the pitch confidence display explained later)

So you press d-pad left and then R1 and see this:

1.4FB

2.SL

3.SPL

4.CHG

That means:

4FB = X = 1 finger
SL = O = 2 fingers
SPL = Triangle = 3 fingers
CHG = Square = 4 fingers
4 Fingers and wiggle means his 5th pitch (R1)

Now you know his best to weakest.

Watch the catcher....if he has 2 fingers showing he wants you to throw a Slider. If he shows 4 fingers he wants a Change up.

I typically allow my catcher to call a lot of my pitches for a sim feel. But I will overrule him when I want (shake him off). If you want to see where he wants it pull back R2 and the location icon will flash. The catcher also will sometimes just pat his mitt and/or point inside or outside and I will just aim to that area of the zone (or out of it). Or again I will shake him off. Remember if your controller rumbles while your picking your location the marker (which you can't see) is out of the strike zone. A slight rumble is barely out of the zone..and strong rumble is way out of the zone. I do start pitches out of the zone like sliders, cutters splitters etc and they come back in based on the break and spin. It takes practice....but it is well worth the reward.

Now if your pitcher has 5 pitches 4 fingers and a wiggle will mean the pitch assigned to the R1 button.

Another cool thing is you no longer see a pitchers confidence in any particular pitch. Again simply press d-pad left and R1 once and you can see each pitch and the strike %. The more strikes you have thrown with a pitch the higher the confidence level will be in that pitch.

When you have played the game as long as I have....you know if your throwing a certain pitch for strikes a lot...they will have a lot more confidence in it. I am at a stage with this game where I don't need many visual aides. But if your not there yet turn the pitch type screen back.....play the game the way your comfortable playing it.

I will tell you though the layers of simulation by pitching this way is amazing and fun. Turning the ball marker off and no controller vibration also truly makes it challenging and realistic. Sometimes your pitches will not go where you want them.

Just like IRL!!!

Give this a shot. I have a feeling you will love it. It will take some getting used to...but after a dozen to a couple of dozen games you will be in the groove.

My good friend and fellow slider guru Josh1977 had some nice input about classic pitching so check this stuff out below as well.

That said, you definitely have some control over pitch outcome. How long you hold the button matters. It affects pitch speed, command, and the amount of break on breaking pitches. It just isn't 'push a button and go'...there is far more subtlety in it. In fact, if you simply tap the button, it is an excellent way to get shelled.


When pitching in classic, you have about a 1 second time period before you get the controller vibration (i.e. max-effort). The following are my observations...

Max effort pitches (holding the button down till the vibration) result in the following:

• More velocity
• Less control
• A sharper break on breaking pitches
• Pitches tend to rise more

Minimum effort pitches (tapping the button) results in the following:

• Less velocity
• Better control
• "Loopier" breaking balls (especially curves/sliders
• Pitches sink more (due to lower velo) - changeups will pretty constantly wind up in the dirt

In many cases, an "intermediate" duration is optimal. However, you can vary this from pitch to pitch (i.e. like a pitcher adding/subtracting from the speed of the pitch). This is a tremendous way to keep hitters off-balance to help to avoid them getting solid contact/timing.

This is just a basic overview...I'm sure there are more subtleties involved.

Armors 30 Team Control Manifesto

So folks I seem to always get a lot of questions around 30 team control, is it for me, how much control do you use, why do you use it etc. So I want to talk about the why, how and pretty much what I do personally with my 30 team control universe in my proper 2017 Yankees Franchise and my Year 3 1987 Yankees Franchise The Quest For Donny Baseball.

Why 30 team control? Well for me it comes down to these 3 key points


1) Lineup integrity and control - I want to make sure lineups are logical and maximizing every teams talent. This is subjective to the player as well. What I may think makes sense, you may do something differently. Always remember it is your universe and you can shape it any way you want.


2) Trade Czar - I love trading. But I hate dumb trades, like real doozy type trades that make no sense for the present or the future. And they do sometimes occur....of course it's totaly IMO. So if I see a trade that fit's my definition of "being bent over with no lube" I will simply reverse it. Now in the past we had a trade delay option. But for programming reasons (it was causing some issues in the trade engine apparently) it was removed on MLB 16. So to reverse a doozy of a deal simply trade the assets back to each respective team. The team that clearly got the strong side of the deal is the one you should propose the trade back to the team that was fleeced.

3) 40 Man Roster Integrity - I make sure I stay on top of each teams 40 man roster in terms of "A" and "B" prospects. Why? I don't want legit "A" and "B" prospects who are developing nicely to be exposed to the "Rule 5" draft. So Before September I make sure (and of course before the regular season starts) I go through each teams 40 and check out their "top" prospects and make sure I get them on the 40 man roster (if they are not on it) to protect them from exposure to the Rule 5 draft. Of course sometimes there is not enough room, because you do need a good mix of veterans at the AAA level to be on call for potential injuries. So this is a GM aspect I like to do. Plus it get's me familiar with every teams minor league system.

So I create one profile for my club with everything set to manual and then I have a profile called "CPU Franchise" which I assign to every team I do not want full control over.




Everything on this CPU Franchise profile is set to Auto except:

Lineups

40 Man Roster

I do not resign the other 29 teams free agents, I do not manage their injuries (I just stay on top of their lineups so if an injury occurs at the big league level and I do not agree with their call-up replacement or lineups with new player inserted I correct it to my liking).


Again, it is about options and the ability to step in when I want/need to. I do not get overwhelmed with doing player training or scouting for the other 29 teams.


I simply just manage those 3 things I mentioned above.


And of course another perk is if I want to switch teams in a franchise at anytime....I can.

So here is my daily method with 30 team control


1) Load Quick manage/Sim sliders

2) Simulate all games on the schedule for the day except my game


Monthly I will check every team's stat's, see who is performing well etc and I may make some lineup adjustments to other teams to capitalize on players performing better than expected.

Again it is your universe. Have fun with it. And don't over think it


Trades for you team - So one thing I have in place is a house rule where I only trade with other teams for players that are strictly on the trading block. Unless a team comes to me with an offer with a player/players not on their trading block, I limit myself to that rule. Some exceptions I will make is if I am trying to make a blockbuster multi star player deal and of course I do not fleece the CPU. What's the fun in that? Maybe it is for you and you can do whatever you want, but for me, I like to keep it grounded and more realistic. With that I do have storylines that will occur in the natural progression of my team and I may move a guy because of it.


Have fun with it guys.

[Armor and Sword]

2017 New York Yankees 30 Team Control Franchise Year 2 Off-Season Report




Yankees Reshape, Reload For Another Post Season Run In Year 2

December 24th 2017 - The New York Yankees coming off what was considered a huge surprise season went back into Yankee mode making some bold moves this off-season and firing shots around the league that they will do whatever it takes to grab a 28th World Series Title. The first move that was made the not bringing back long time skipper Joe Girardi. This was a stunning move in the fact they that The Bombers were one game away from the ALCS in Year 1. They have brought in virtual unknown Sammy Law. Sam was a career minor leaguer but the according to GM Michael Sword “knocked us off our feet” in his interview. "He brings a mental toughness and grit that this team needs to push us over the top”.

But the fireworks did not stop there. The Miami Marlins now under new ownership and former Yankee legend Derrick Jeter running the show, got together in the Winter Meetings and worked out a massive blockbuster trade.

The Yankees received:

OF Giancarlo Stanton
SP Sonny Gray
SS Adieny Hechavvaria

In return the Marlins received:

2B/SS Starlin Castro
SS Gleyber Torres
OF Blake Rutherford
1B/OF - Tyler Austin
RHP - Chad Green

The Yankees did pay dearly in top prospects. But they felt being able to land a hitter like Stanton and a SP (under their control for 2 more years) in Gray to solidify the rotation was worth the price.

The Marlins are in full rebuild mold also shipping off OF Marcel Ozuna to the Cardinals and Dee Gordon to the Mariners.

The Yankees did not stop there. In Free Agency they landed:

CF - Jarrod Dyson
3B - Edwardo Nunez
2B - Brandon Phillips

Dyson comes in off a career year with the Mariners (and was a Yankee nemesis in the ALDS) stealing 57 bases and hitting .295. Dyson becomes the everyday CF now for the Yankees unseating Aaron Hicks (off the bench).

Edwardo Nunez solidifies the hot corner for the Yanks. They gave Chase Headly is out right release right after they announced the Nunez signing. This is a welcomed homecoming for the former Yankee.

Brandon Phillips brings a huge veteran presence and gold glove to pair with Didi up the middle. It is believed he will be in a full platoon with recently acquired defensive wizard Adieny Hechevarria. Also there are whispers that Hech could play some at SS with Didi sliding to 2B sometimes. The Yankees just made them selves incredibly better defensively up the middle with Dyson, Didi, Phillips (for one season as he is 37) and Hech.

Around the league there were some very big moves. The biggest are right here:

And then this was another big trade in the Winter Meetings and a shocker. However it was believed this was a money move as the Red Sox extended themselves with the Sale resigning.

Here are the logs for moves around the league for Year 2! Spring Training has begun and we will transfer this Franchise to MLBTS 18 before the schedule is generated for Year 2 so we can get 2018’s schedule.

New York Yankees Depth Chart - 2018

• Catcher
• Gary Sanchez
• Austin Romine

• First Base
• Greg Bird

• Second Base
• Brandon Phillips
• Adeiny Hechavarria

• Third Base
• Edwardo Nunez
• Rob Refsynder

• Shortstop
• Didi Gregorius
• Adeiny Hechavarria

• Left Field
• Giancarlo Stanton
• Brett Gardner

• Center Field
• Jarod Dyson
• Aaron Hicks

• Right Field
• Aaron Judge

• Starting Pitcher
• Masahiro Tanaka
• Sonny Gray
• Luis Severino
• Jeremy Hellickson
• C.C. Sabathia

• Relief Pitcher
• Shohei Otani
• Chase Shreven
• Adam Warren
• Tyler Clippard
• Trevor Rosenthal
• Jordan Montgomery

• Closer
• Ardolis Chapman
• Dellin Betances

• Designated Hitter
• Giancarlo Stanton
• Brett Gardner

[PhlliesPhan6]

If you will permit me a couple questions.

1. Would you change anything if using Quick Counts?

2. Why Balks off? Wouldn't this just be a part of the game?

3. Is button interface on fielding part of letting the ratings be the main factor?

Thanks again! Can't wait to get the game tomorrow and set this up.

[bcruise]

Quote: Originally Posted by PhlliesPhan6

If you will permit me a couple questions. 1. Would you change anything if using Quick Counts? 2. Why Balks off? Wouldn't this just be a part of the game? 3. Is button interface on fielding part of letting the ratings be the main factor? Thanks again! Can't wait to get the game tomorrow and set this up.

For #2, Balks are off because they don't happen to the CPU. It's a mechanic that's only in the game to prevent users from quick-pitching, and therefore doesn't really mean anything when playing vs. AI.

[Armor and Sword]

Quote: Originally Posted by PhlliesPhan6

If you will permit me a couple questions. 1. Would you change anything if using Quick Counts? - I can't answer that as I have not used quick counts since The Show 14 2. Why Balks off? Wouldn't this just be a part of the game? - Bcruise answered it perfectly 3. Is button interface on fielding part of letting the ratings be the main factor? - Yes it its. Button throwing with no meter allows throwing ratings to be the primary dice roll factor in successful throws. Thanks again! Can't wait to get the game tomorrow and set this up.

Answers are bolded above!

[PhlliesPhan6]

Makes sense. Thanks!

Sent from my VS987 using Operation Sports mobile app

[Cowboy008]

Can't wait to put these in tomorrow and see how it plays. I just have a few questions. I'm good at pitching and use All-Star difficulty but am not that great at hitting. Would the sliders for batting be good for veteran difficulty until I'm able to move up to All-Star? Can the user control fielding or does it have to be set on auto? Just asking since I like to be apart of the game more.

[Armor and Sword]

Quote: Originally Posted by Cowboy008

Can't wait to put these in tomorrow and see how it plays. I just have a few questions. I'm good at pitching and use All-Star difficulty but am not that great at hitting. Would the sliders for batting be good for veteran difficulty until I'm able to move up to All-Star? Can the user control fielding or does it have to be set on auto? Just asking since I like to be apart of the game more.

As far as veteran hitting, to use these sliders simply turn down contact, power and timing to 4 for veteran hitting with all star pitching.

As far as manual fielding, these are specifically tested for auto fielding and manual throwing. If you want to field (which I do in Diamond Dynasty of course) give me some time and I may be able to add a manual fielding slider adjustment (if needed). But if you are manual fielding I would go with default All-Star fielding sliders as it is user influenced primarily.