MLB 15 The Show: Directional Hitting Guide

[RaychelSnr]

MLB 15 The Show’s directional hitting has taken me back to MVP ’05, where moving the left stick in a direction would attempt to influence the ball to go that way. It’s a system that’s pretty confusing if you’re locked into zone hitting, but once you wrap your head around it, it can be very useful in key situations. The fact that your swing will revert back to a timing-based version if you don’t pick a direction, complete with hitting stats based on each player, means you still have a viable way of making contact if a particular at-bat isn’t going your way.

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[BaylorBearBryant]

I have no idea what they were thinking with all the changes to hitting this year. They add this crummy mode and take away the best one. What gives?

[nemesis04]

Re: MLB 15 The Show: Directional Hitting Guide

I have no idea what they were thinking with all the changes to hitting this year. They add this crummy mode and take away the best one. What gives?

Out of curiosity what makes it "crummy"? The system adds another layer to timing which makes it more interactive.

[BaylorBearBryant]

To me it seems cheap, rather gimmicky. With zone hitting you can still look for pitches you want to drive the other way, and based on your swing timing can influence them to do so. If you want to pull a hit, look for an inside fastball and swing earlier.

They take away the most realistic hitting mechanism in the game, pure analog zone, in order to include this??? That's why it's crummy. Let's take two steps back and one forward... It'd be like if EA NHL suddenly took away shooting with the right stick and went back to button pressing. It just doesn't make sense to me. It's still a great game, but I'm not a fan of this decision.

[nemesis04]

Re: MLB 15 The Show: Directional Hitting Guide

To me it seems cheap, rather gimmicky. With zone hitting you can still look for pitches you want to drive the other way, and based on your swing timing can influence them to do so. If you want to pull a hit, look for an inside fastball and swing earlier.

They take away the most realistic hitting mechanism in the game, pure analog zone, in order to include this??? That's why it's crummy. Let's take two steps back and one forward... It'd be like if EA NHL suddenly took away shooting with the right stick and went back to button pressing. It just doesn't make sense to me. It's still a great game, but I'm not a fan of this decision.

The two items you are referring to are really two separate entities. Directional hitting had nothing to do with the redesign of analog controls. The game has had timing as an option for quite a while, now there is more to it. The analog change was brought on by lack of use with the mechanic. From the responses here it sounds like all the users of pure analog are in this forum. Anyway you can still use zone with analog in its reimagined state.

Directional is not for everyone, I am a zone player myself. I think it is not accurate to say the inclusion of directional brought on the demise of pure analog.

[bkrich83]

Re: MLB 15 The Show: Directional Hitting Guide

They take away the most realistic hitting mechanism in the game, pure analog zone, in order to include this???

How did you come to the conclusion they were related? Makes zero sense.

[bigbuckeyeboi]

This game is great! Period

[bcruise]

Re: MLB 15 The Show: Directional Hitting Guide

Directional (or basically timing with the ability to slightly influence hit direction) isn't really my thing unless I want ratings to mean more than everything else, but I did play my first game with it on launch night. I basically treated it as timing hitting for the whole game, save for one at-bat where I was intentionally trying to move a runner from 2nd to 3rd.

It's very well balanced IMO, much better than past attempts at a similar system (which are overdone IMO and tend to let you place a hit exactly where and how you want it). As usual, there's enough hit variety in this game to give you the feeling that anything can happen once the ball leaves the bat.

[spaceg0st]

If this was done similar to mvp baseball where it's like a more user friendly mix between zone and timing, then it would be awesome. Instead, it's poorly done. Experienced baseball player here, who the hell would want to intentionally hit ground balls. If I'm lookin down and in, I'm looking to turn on it and jack it to left. I'm not looking to try and squeeze and grounder between short and third.

Once again, the tools are there but the devs swing and miss.

[bcruise]

Re: MLB 15 The Show: Directional Hitting Guide

If this was done similar to mvp baseball where it's like a more user friendly mix between zone and timing, then it would be awesome. Instead, it's poorly done. Experienced baseball player here, who the hell would want to intentionally hit ground balls. If I'm lookin down and in, I'm looking to turn on it and jack it to left. I'm not looking to try and squeeze and grounder between short and third.

Once again, the tools are there but the devs swing and miss.

Fast runners. Batters trying to move a runner from 2nd to 3rd, or to an infielder playing back, conceding a run.

[sink4ever]

Re: MLB 15 The Show: Directional Hitting Guide

Wow, I'm not sure where all this hate for directional hitting is coming from, the reasoning seems bizarre at best. Has anyone ever watched Jeter inside-out a pitch to right field? With directional hitting we finally have the opportunity to approach at-bats in a somewhat similar fashion, trying to influence the direction of a hit regardless of pitch location.

I think it's been instituted quite well, it certainly doesn't seem overpowered. Your success is still very reliant on the timing of the swing and hitter tendencies.

As to why you would want to hit the ball on the ground? Ever hit and run? Now you can try to shoot the ball through the vacated spot (they do need to stop having runners slide when that happens, but that's a whole different discussion). Also, if I have a speedy player with low power (Billy Hamilton or Dee Gordon for example), you can be darn sure I'm trying to shoot a grounder between short and third.

[bkrich83]

Re: MLB 15 The Show: Directional Hitting Guide

IExperienced baseball player here, who the hell would want to intentionally hit ground balls.

You mean like hitting behind the runner for example?

[videogameprojr]

Wouldn't pushing the left stick down and to the left with a righty influence it to the LEFT side of the diamond, not the right like the writer said?

[nemesis04]

Re: MLB 15 The Show: Directional Hitting Guide

Wouldn't pushing the left stick down and to the left with a righty influence it to the LEFT side of the diamond, not the right like the writer said?

Yes, you are correct.

[NC12]

Fast runners. Batters trying to move a runner from 2nd to 3rd, or to an infielder playing back, conceding a run.

Exactly......