Directional Hitting in MLB The Show 20

[knucklecutter]

Re: Directional Hitting in MLB The Show 20

I think i'm the only one that doesn't use the directional. I just wait for the right pitch and i just press X and the batter will follow the ball. If it is a high ball or a low ball he will follow and it makes it easier for me.

We're not talking about moving the bat to the ball. In directional hitting mode you can hold the left stick in different directions to help influence grounders or fly balls etc... Regardless of any user direction input or not the bat goes to the ball.

[jeffy777]

Re: Directional Hitting in MLB The Show 20

We're not talking about moving the bat to the ball. In directional hitting mode you can hold the left stick in different directions to help influence grounders or fly balls etc... Regardless of any user direction input or not the bat goes to the ball.

According to Brian, moving the LS actually influences the PCI placement.

[knucklecutter]

Re: Directional Hitting in MLB The Show 20

According to Brian, moving the LS actually influences the PCI placement.

If that was the case wouldn't directional hitting be the exact same thing as zone hitting?

[jeffy777]

Re: Directional Hitting in MLB The Show 20

If that was the case wouldn't directional hitting be the exact same thing as zone hitting?

From what I gather from his posts (Brian, please feel free to correct me or expound upon), Zone gives you precise control of the PCI, whereas Directional allows you to influence it, or if you don’t touch the stick, the engine does that for you.

Excerpt from Brian’s post on page 1:

“In Zone hitting you pick the timing and PCI location. In Directional you pick the timing and influence PCI location (or if you don't influence, it picks for you). For this reason it is better not to influence than to influence randomly and get it half right and half wrong (in that situation you are better off paying attention to location and taking pitches).’’

[knucklecutter]

Re: Directional Hitting in MLB The Show 20

From what I gather from his posts (Brian, please feel free to correct me or expound upon), Zone gives you precise control of the PCI, whereas Directional allows you to influence it, or if you don’t touch the stick, the engine does that for you.

Excerpt from Brian’s post on page 1:

“In Zone hitting you pick the timing and PCI location. In Directional you pick the timing and influence PCI location (or if you don't influence, it picks for you). For this reason it is better not to influence than to influence randomly and get it half right and half wrong (in that situation you are better off paying attention to location and taking pitches).’’

Well that changes everything.

[jeffy777]

Re: Directional Hitting in MLB The Show 20

Well that changes everything.

I always thought that moving the LS pre-pitch worked as you described, then if you move LS as the pitch is coming it works as Brian described (influences PCI)...but it seems that no matter when you move the stick, it works the same way and really only affects the PCI placement....so only moving the stick pre-pitch will usually do more harm than good unless you guess the right location/quadrant of the strike zone. It does indeed change everything for those who have been using that method.

[PhantomPain]

Re: Directional Hitting in MLB The Show 20

With directional if you turn on the plate coverage indicator you don't see the blue arrow changing positions by hitting the left analog stick?

No I do get the blue arrows. I was, incorrectly, referring to the PCI. Meaning the PCI never moves with directional whereas with zone hitting it shows where your bat placement. I think I just misunderstood the question to begin with. Thanks.

[mooch49]

Re: Directional Hitting in MLB The Show 20

I've been a directional user for the last couple of years and I still don't quite understand it completely. I know when there is a pitch outside to a right handed hitter, to go to the opposite field, I would press right on left stick. If I want a sacrifice fly, I'll press up on the left stick. These to me are self explanatory. What confuses me are the other zones in between the left, right, up, and down parts of the left stick. I have no idea how they work. Let me use a clock analogy. Say I'm a left handed batter and I am not influencing, I now have other zones I can use on left stick. The pitch coming is low and inside. Would I then press at 3:25 or 3:30? If it's 3:30, I'm influencing down more for a ground ball, but if it's 3:25, where exactly will the ball go.

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[knucklecutter]

Re: Directional Hitting in MLB The Show 20

I've been a directional user for the last couple of years and I still don't quite understand it completely. I know when there is a pitch outside to a right handed hitter, to go to the opposite field, I would press right on left stick. If I want a sacrifice fly, I'll press up on the left stick. These to me are self explanatory. What confuses me are the other zones in between the left, right, up, and down parts of the left stick. I have no idea how they work. Let me use a clock analogy. Say I'm a left handed batter and I am not influencing, I now have other zones I can use on left stick. The pitch coming is low and inside. Would I then press at 3:25 or 3:30? If it's 3:30, I'm influencing down more for a ground ball, but if it's 3:25, where exactly will the ball go.

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To my knowledge and according to the blue arrow there are only 8 choices, up , down , left , right , and in between.

[mooch49]

Re: Directional Hitting in MLB The Show 20

To my knowledge and according to the blue arrow there are only 8 choices, up , down , left , right , and in between.

Yeah, I know and that's the thing. Those are active zones in between the up, down, left, right. But when should you press them and what direction does the ball go. For a high and inside pitch to a right handed batter, would the ideal contact be at 9:50

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[Rmiok222]

Re: Directional Hitting in MLB The Show 20

From what I gather from his posts (Brian, please feel free to correct me or expound upon), Zone gives you precise control of the PCI, whereas Directional allows you to influence it, or if you don’t touch the stick, the engine does that for you.

Excerpt from Brian’s post on page 1:

“In Zone hitting you pick the timing and PCI location. In Directional you pick the timing and influence PCI location (or if you don't influence, it picks for you). For this reason it is better not to influence than to influence randomly and get it half right and half wrong (in that situation you are better off paying attention to location and taking pitches).’’

Wow that’s crazy, so basically it’s better to just push X. That’s super interesting.


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[jeffy777]

Re: Directional Hitting in MLB The Show 20

Wow that’s crazy, so basically it’s better to just push X. That’s super interesting.


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In theory it would be better to move the LS towards the pitch if you get the location correct since you are influencing the PCI towards the ball, but if you push to the wrong location then yes it would be better to just push X.

[Caulfield]

Re: Directional Hitting in MLB The Show 20

risk vs reward, how often does a pitcher groove one down the heart of the plate. I use directional/timing so I dont use the pci. I still would tend to think people who can pick up on the pitch quicker than your average bear will be better off moving the pci. I cant adjust that quickly, which is another reason I prefer directional, but there are some talented stickers that can. and should.

[chuckm1961]

Re: Directional Hitting in MLB The Show 20

This is the thread I was looking for ... I'm directional hitting all the way.

Many questions remain, including some I don't see raised at all:

1) When precisely do I move the left stick?

2) What if I move the left stick one direction, then change to another before the pitch?

3) DO I HAVE TO HOLD THE STICK IN A DIRECTION THROUGHOUT THE SWING TO EFFECTUATE?

4) If I'm really a pure timing hitter (which many folks in this forum probably are, like me), should I just forget about the stick entirely?

[knucklecutter]

Re: Directional Hitting in MLB The Show 20

This is the thread I was looking for ... I'm directional hitting all the way.

Many questions remain, including some I don't see raised at all:

1) When precisely do I move the left stick?

2) What if I move the left stick one direction, then change to another before the pitch?

3) DO I HAVE TO HOLD THE STICK IN A DIRECTION THROUGHOUT THE SWING TO EFFECTUATE?

4) If I'm really a pure timing hitter (which many folks in this forum probably are, like me), should I just forget about the stick entirely?

You can play with the visual aid on or off, but if you turn on the plate coverage indicator in the settings you'll see a blue arrow as your batting when you move the stick.