Too Many "Pedro Martinez" Type Changeups?

[bcruise]

Re: Too Many "Pedro Martinez" Type Changeups?

Reading through this thread there seems to be two prevailing topics:

1. There are too many pitchers in the game who use a change, and it's universally devastating.

- With this I partially agree. Yes there are pitchers in the game who use a change when they don't in real life, but the effectiveness does vary depending on the pitcher. Some are much much better than others.

2. Hitting the change is harder than it should be.

- I completely disagree with this. Hitting period is extremely difficult, and in the past it was much much too easy. With the changes made this year the game better represents how difficult it is to hit well, and how much more difficult it is when you have a pitcher capable of changing speeds on you but to say it's now too difficult is a bit much. Hitting now takes more than reflexes, it takes thought, planning, knowledge of the pitcher and what he's capable of and how he reacts to certain situations. Pitch recognition is so important. I love batting in this year's game, it's much more satisfying than it's ever been because finally the fear of failure exists, can't say it has in past versions.

This is where I sit too, on both issues. If a pitcher doesn't have a changeup obviously they shouldn't be throwing one. But for the ones that do, my hitting balance isn't so far off that I want to call for lessening its effectiveness. I usually have enough trouble getting myself to strike out enough - this is one of the first times in this series that those and the walk totals have actually looked correct over long-term season play.

At the end of the day this is a video game where on all but the highest difficulty levels with Pitch Speed slider up, fastballs come in at a slower pace than they do in real life. That slows everything else down, and a hitter's approach at the plate has to be able to slow down with it. Take an extra split second to identify the pitch as it leaves the pitcher's hand - if it starts out on a lower plane but looks like it has arc to it, just take it unless you're down two strikes - odds are it's going to be in the dirt.

Simply put - if the effectiveness of the slow stuff was reduced from what it is now, I'd have a hard time getting myself to chase out of the zone and strike out at all. I'm not some godlike player of this game at all either - I play on HOF hitting with only a tweak to the foul ball slider.

[Keirik]

Re: Too Many "Pedro Martinez" Type Changeups?

This is where I sit too, on both issues. If a pitcher doesn't have a changeup obviously they shouldn't be throwing one. But for the ones that do, my hitting balance isn't so far off that I want to call for lessening its effectiveness. I usually have enough trouble getting myself to strike out enough - this is one of the first times in this series that those and the walk totals have actually looked correct over long-term season play.

At the end of the day this is a video game where on all but the highest difficulty levels with Pitch Speed slider up, fastballs come in at a slower pace than they do in real life. That slows everything else down, and a hitter's approach at the plate has to be able to slow down with it. Take an extra split second to identify the pitch as it leaves the pitcher's hand - if it starts out on a lower plane but looks like it has arc to it, just take it unless you're down two strikes - odds are it's going to be in the dirt.

Simply put - if the effectiveness of the slow stuff was reduced from what it is now, I'd have a hard time getting myself to chase out of the zone and strike out at all. I'm not some godlike player of this game at all either - I play on HOF hitting with only a tweak to the foul ball slider.

Well, i think both of those issues kind of go hand in hand. I look at it this way. Lets say you are facing someone that doesn't really have a changeup but does in this game. You swing and miss a couple of times at it and get a bit frustrated since the idea of "wtf, he doesn't even really throw a changeup" and you start to get impatient at the plate. Snowball it from there....

It could be something tied to pitch confidence however as well.

[cardinalbird5]

Re: Too Many "Pedro Martinez" Type Changeups?

There's nothing for them to fix, just get better at hitting.

Umm yeah this is not true. Some players should just not have changeups. It is not a matter of "get better and hit it" moreso than "why does this guy have a changeup"?

Tanaka, again, is the biggest example of why it needs fixed. His primary out pitch, the splitter, is rarely even used online because it is 87 mph and his changeup they gave him is 75.

[orion523]

Re: Too Many "Pedro Martinez" Type Changeups?

Umm yeah this is not true. Some players should just not have changeups. It is not a matter of "get better and hit it" moreso than "why does this guy have a changeup"?

Tanaka, again, is the biggest example of why it needs fixed. His primary out pitch, the splitter, is rarely even used online because it is 87 mph and his changeup they gave him is 75.

Online? Online is always going to be filled with those without scruples, win at all cost types who'll do whatever it takes to get a "W" including using exploits, cheats, and underhanded tactics like denial of service attacks to boot you offline so if you're looking for fairness well you're in the wrong arena sadly. Tanaka having a change in his arsenal is the least of the problems there.

[fredropro]

Re: Too Many "Pedro Martinez" Type Changeups?

You guys are absolutely right... I was on a 4 game win streak in DD. Then I come across this guy who threw nothing but change ups. I took them but they were called strikes.. I got the timing down and swung.. Nothing... He was throwing them down the pipe low right on the black.. I struck out 12 times. Now I'm not the best by any means... I just hope it's not a glitch

Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

[jyoung]

Re: Too Many "Pedro Martinez" Type Changeups?

People do not even mix up their pitches anymore. it is just low changeups/high fastballs the entire game.

This tactic has become so widespread that it's pretty much all the happens online in Diamond Dynasty now. People have found the pitchers who have the highest differentials in fastball speed/changeup speed, and they just throw those two pitches the entire game.

I would just play Extra Innings games against the CPU, at this point, but even a month after release, those games are still getting stuck processing in the queue and never showing up in your game history, so you don't get any stats or receive the appropriate post-game rewards like you do when you play online.

[Smallville102001]

Re: Too Many "Pedro Martinez" Type Changeups?

I have always found hitting changeups to be to hard in the show because they look to much like a fastball to the point where 90% of the time I cant tell if it is a fastball or changeup. With that said I find it funny to see people complaining about it this year because this has been an issue since like mlb 08 and nothing is different this year then in the past yet this is really the first year people have complained about it.

[bcruise]

Re: Too Many "Pedro Martinez" Type Changeups?

I have always found hitting changeups to be to hard in the show because they look to much like a fastball to the point where 90% of the time I cant tell if it is a fastball or changeup. With that said I find it funny to see people complaining about it this year because this has been an issue since like mlb 08 and nothing is different this year then in the past yet this is really the first year people have complained about it.

What's different about it is that the CPU nibbles the corners of (and out of) the strike zone much more than previous years. I know for sure that it throws a lot more balls on early counts and that's going to cause more chases and misses this year than any previous one. This year it's very important to have a good awareness of the strike zone in the early counts and be ready to take anything that doesn't look like a strike right out of the pitcher's hand.

[Smallville102001]

Re: Too Many "Pedro Martinez" Type Changeups?

What's different about it is that the CPU nibbles the corners of (and out of) the strike zone much more than previous years. I know for sure that it throws a lot more balls on early counts and that's going to cause more chases and misses this year than any previous one. This year it's very important to have a good awareness of the strike zone in the early counts and be ready to take anything that doesn't look like a strike right out of the pitcher's hand.

The CPU nibbles more this year but not just on changeups but with ever pitch and in a good way. In the years past you would have to have the sliders for like pitch control and early strike or what ever it is called low. This year on default the ball to strike ratio is much better and much more realistic. So yeah other then just throwing more balls I don't see a difference in the changeup this year and in the past.

[joshjays44]

Re: Too Many "Pedro Martinez" Type Changeups?

Any pitch in baseball is suppose to be tough...key to pitching is changing speeds and throwing off a batters timing. So nothing really wrong with change ups just get better at hitting...they took out stride analog this year now you want them to make change ups easier...might as well make this game totally arcade from now on! Let them dumb it down and maybe then you'll be happy.

[HozAndMoose]

Re: Too Many "Pedro Martinez" Type Changeups?

Any pitch in baseball is suppose to be tough...key to pitching is changing speeds and throwing off a batters timing. So nothing really wrong with change ups just get better at hitting...they took out stride analog this year now you want them to make change ups easier...might as well make this game totally arcade from now on! Let them dumb it down and maybe then you'll be happy.

You dont even know what you are talking about. Some players having devastating change ups is fine. Not everyone has one though. And some players dont even throw change ups in real life yet they have a great one in game.

[honj]

Re: Too Many "Pedro Martinez" Type Changeups?

I play on All Star, zone pci off button hitting. I almost always only use x to hit as i tuned tje sliders for more power since i personally prefer a one button type of batting.

[cardinalbird5]

Re: Too Many "Pedro Martinez" Type Changeups?

Online? Online is always going to be filled with those without scruples, win at all cost types who'll do whatever it takes to get a "W" including using exploits, cheats, and underhanded tactics like denial of service attacks to boot you offline so if you're looking for fairness well you're in the wrong arena sadly. Tanaka having a change in his arsenal is the least of the problems there.

Actually it is a major problem especially for online. People are dumping alot of money in Diamond Dynasty and there is no excuse for screwing up a pitchers' repertoire. It diminishes the online experience and last I checked this is 2015 where most gamers want to play online.

The data is there for them to use. Why are they not using it? That is all I am saying....

I am sure to those who play offline do not care but that does not mean it is not a problem.

[HozAndMoose]

Re: Too Many "Pedro Martinez" Type Changeups?

Actually it is a major problem especially for online. People are dumping alot of money in Diamond Dynasty and there is no excuse for screwing up a pitchers' repertoire. It diminishes the online experience and last I checked this is 2015 where most gamers want to play online.

The data is there for them to use. Why are they not using it? That is all I am saying....

I am sure to those who play offline do not care but that does not mean it is not a problem.

I agree. But it wont matter. If they change it everyone will just use players that still have it. There will always be BS cheese in online sports games. Especially ultimate team modes.

[bcruise]

Re: Too Many "Pedro Martinez" Type Changeups?

Actually it is a major problem especially for online. People are dumping alot of money in Diamond Dynasty and there is no excuse for screwing up a pitchers' repertoire. It diminishes the online experience and last I checked this is 2015 where most gamers want to play online.

The data is there for them to use. Why are they not using it? That is all I am saying....

I am sure to those who play offline do not care but that does not mean it is not a problem.

That I won't argue with. Online is an entirely different beast and it's always full of people looking to get an advantage. But I don't want to see the offline game get changed because people like to exploit every little thing they possibly can online.

I'm sure that's a tough dilemma for the devs.

Edit: As far as the repertoire goes I'm fine with that being corrected both online AND off. That's an authenticity issue, not just a gameplay one.