Major League Baseball 2K9 PC Patch Available, Impressions Here

[MLB]

Quote: Originally Posted by bcruise

*headdesk* Look at this: http://www.direct2drive.com/patches/ That's a list of every patch that's come out for direct2drive games, because regular patches simply don't work with them, and aren't designed to. If this is 2k's fault, then it's also the fault of just about every game developer who puts their games on D2D. That page, BTW, is where you'll find the D2D patch when it comes out.

Thanks, but i don't even wanna play this crap game anymore.

[mva5580]

Quote: Originally Posted by MLB

Thanks, but i don't even wanna play this crap game anymore.

Then don't play it and get the hell out of here.

But noooooooooooooo, can't have that, can we? You'd rather stay here and complain. Why do I get the feeling you're the same "MLB" moron from the 2K boards?

[SoxFan01605]

Okay...some quick impressions:

***Please bear in mind these are all on DEFAULT to allow for the most fair comparison. Some improvements/changes may be possible with slider tweaks***

-AI aggression: Mixed bag. I'm a bit disappointed, actually. First, let me say it IS CLEARLY IMPROVED...lol. Just wanted to say that so nobody thinks it didn't get addressed...it did. The IE is fixed, but the results are minimal overall. Guys will take slightly more pitches, but you still have to dance on the edges.

Occassionally the AI will take a pitch a bit more in the zone, but it still needs to be close to the edge. I grooved several 3-0 fastballs and they swung every time still. I even loaded the bases and tried it (I mean, a mediocre hitter (and most very good hitters, to boot) won't be swinging 3-0 no matter WHERE you put it, but no-go. AI hit into a pop-out.

They will take a few pitches more over the plate though. If you're behind in the count and throw it to their cold zone, they'll likely hold off. This is both blessing and curse though as it's clear (to me, at least) that the AI is WAY too tied to their hot/cold zones.

In the end, it's improved, but likely not the game saver some might have been hoping for. If you were just wanting a slight tweak and were already enjoying the game for the most part, then you should be pleased, however.

-OF play: This is the biggest improvement I noticed. MUCH less herky-jerky and more fluid paths to the ball. There is still that annoying slow down and it can negatively impact a play still, but the fact that the twitchy play has been mostly eliminated is a HUGE plus. Well done, overall on this one.

-1B Glitch: Can't really comment on this as I never had this problem, not once. Needless to say, I still had no troubles post-patch if that helps anyone...lol.

-Batting Stance Snap-Back: GREATLY reduced. The transition still has a very slight hitch, but nothing like it was pre-patch. This was a pleasant surprise.

-Pitching accuracy: I noticed people saying (for the PS3 version) that there was a more realistic degree of variance. I don't see it. Either it didn't make it's way to PC or it's too small for me to tell. Pitches still go where you want on default control. I haven't tried it with release timing on post-patch. This should be a no-brainer to add though, if you're looking for more challenging pitching regardless of the patch, IMO.

-Animations: Less instances of jerky animations overall, it seems. Obviouslt the issues with base animations aren't going anywhere, but some of the transitions seem better and they seem to have toned down the opportunity for you to see guys doing dumb stuff.

Overall, the early returns are mixed. It's clearly a more playable than before (particularly the OF), but the real test will be if we can get some good sliders for the new AI aggression. Hopefully with good sliders, the difference will be more pronounced. As I said, this was all on DEFAULT so it's not time to hit the panic button. I was just personally underwhelmed with the AI agression tweak is all.

Didn't have a chance to dive into Franchise Mode and check any of that out, sorry. I'll leave more impressions (perhaps slider ideas too, if no one gets to that first) as I come accross stuff.

***Again, FINAL DISCLAIMER...lol...these are INITIAL impressions. Not definitive or meant to be anything other than potentially informative.***

EDIT: Wireless 360 controller seems 100% good to go now. My settings actually save for classic/zone hitting! Good stuff.

EDIT #2: A small thing, but important (at least to me) the fans now cheer for the right team now. Pre-patch, there were times when they would mix up and cheer for the road team making a good play and boo the home team for making a good play. This hasn't happened at all since the patch.

As I said, it's minor...but something I noticed.

[MLB]

Quote: Originally Posted by mva5580

Then don't play it and get the hell out of here. But noooooooooooooo, can't have that, can we? You'd rather stay here and complain. Why do I get the feeling you're the same "MLB" moron from the 2K boards?

I'll one up ya.. I'm deleting the game and I'll never visit the 2K section of this forum after this post. Now, you can reply with the unoriginal thank God crap or any other variation of that.. Enjoy the game.. if you can !

[RunN1st]

Quote: Originally Posted by MLB

I'll one up ya.. I'm deleting the game and I'll never visit the 2K section of this forum after this post. Now, you can reply with the unoriginal thank God crap or any other variation of that.. Enjoy the game.. if you can !

How does that song from Motley Crue go??? "Girl, don't go away mad. Girl, just go away!"

[SoxFan01605]

Also for those with a direct download copy, Ron addressed it on the 2K site and said it should be a matter of a few days. From Ron 2K:

"Some of you saw my posts about this but I had said this was retail version only. For those of you who bought the game digitally (i.e. Gamespot), the patch needs to be wrapped into the software structure of the DRM partner and then be approved. It should be a matter of a few days before this is done (though it does lie in the hands of the DRM partner) and when I get word, I will let you know."

http://2ksports.com/forums/showthread.php?t=213061

[WTF]

Won't work. Already tried. Looks for the DVD in the drive.

[SoxFan01605]

Quote: Originally Posted by WTF

Won't work. Already tried. Looks for the DVD in the drive.

Ahh well...sucks. At least 2K is taking care of it. Shame people won't have it for the weekend though. I'll update the other post so people don't falsely get their hopes up.