Too many strikeouts

[DarthRambo]

Re: Too many strikeouts

Man that sucks. I really am trying to help is all. No I'm really not seeing anything crazy K-wise. There are probably much smarter people on this forum that could help more than I can. The only reason I mentioned your settings is because it seems to be varied on this forum as to what people are seeing in their games.

All good brother! It's just a game at the end of the day. I heard they promoted the increase of swing and misses this year anyway so it sounds like it's what SDS wanted to have. Just trying to work around it and find a happy medium cause they aren't going to patch it if they promoted it.

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[DarthRambo]

Re: Too many strikeouts

Well, if it’s poor programming why aren’t I seeing this? I can assure you I’d hang up the game in a second if I was getting the amount of Ks and caught looking in clutch situations like you are. This is the only game I play and the only sport I’m fervent about. If it was obviously ruined by their poor programming that’d be it for me.

Not sure. I didn't experience what you described with Arenado and Goldschmidt though. That would be pretty ridiculous if that indeed happened.

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[DarthRambo]

Re: Too many strikeouts

With contact at 9 the Ks are more realistic for me. Only two backward Ks so those are most likely the same as they've always been. Just testing with and vs different teams and the last games have been:

10
10
10
13
9
13...struck out side in the 8th and 2k in the 9th to increase from 8 to 13 in two innings. Detroit pitching.

It is what it is though. Game is great regardless.

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[baumy300]

Re: Too many strikeouts

I will say about sample size, this isn't real life. This is a coded video game. If I play 10 games and get 30ks each game, I dont need a large sample size.

Fair enough man, I agree. I am having the same issue with HR's. At HUM Power 4 it is a massive slugfest, with multiple homers every game. At 3 it is much less, but not in a good way. I have been using MLB 20 as my gauge and there if I take the most dangerous hitter, say circa 2004 Barry Bonds (99'd out in contact, power, vision, and discipline) against a right handed pitcher with a 75 rating, he gets about 2 HR's every 10 at bats. I say this is legit and realistic. With HUM power at 3 in 23 he gets a HR in that same scenario about every 25+ at bats, but at 4 it's closer to MLB 20s outcome. The only problem is, everyone else is smackin' dingers at a much higher than desired clip.

As a wise man once said on this matter, it's all or nothing.

[KnightTemplar]

Re: Too many strikeouts

Not sure. I didn't experience what you described with Arenado and Goldschmidt though. That would be pretty ridiculous if that indeed happened.

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No problem. Peace.

[DarthRambo]

Re: Too many strikeouts

Lowered K/9 by half on all Mets pitchers for a test and struck out Rays 13 times lol. I had a feeling that rating is useless other than to keep simulated stats in check. It's really just the AI swinging and missing more than the past. I'm accepting it now and moving on playing the game. It's truly a great game to be honest. Just going to have to live with this one, guys.

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[countryboy]

Too many strikeouts

Through 55 games played (all played none simmed) we have 411 strikeouts (7.47 per game)

This is default legend using meter pitching

For comparison the best in game is Astros is 430 thru 52 games (8.27 per game)

Worst is Orioles with 329 thru 53 games (6.23 per game)


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[Detroit Tigers]

Re: Too many strikeouts

Just me musing, not specifically responding to anyone..

Here’s the thing: if you think you’re striking out too many hitters, maybe pitch to contact more often? Stop going for Ks for every at-bat? Employ pitching strategies that involve the defense?

Are you arguing it’s impossible to avoid striking out an unrealistic amount of hitters? At some point it becomes an issue of, well, if you’re that good then show me five-straight 20K games then. If you’re THAT GUY with THAT STAFF, do it. Bust the all-time team K record. Crush it. Tf? Why not?

This is just “I’m hitting too many home runs” reversed.
A) stop swinging for the fences so much
B) maybe actually hit 70 HR with someone before worrying about it

The same logic applies here.

Moreover, I’d argue that across all video games, if you find something “too easy,” the recourse is to make it look sweet then. Anyone can fire up madden and have it look like dogwater. If you’re actually GOOD at Madden, you can get it to look sick as hell, play after play.

If you wanna think you’re King Master at pitching bc you can K the AI at will, then you should be able to produce any end-result you want, not just Ks.

Show me a game with 80% ground balls to the SS. That would be impressive.

Anyway. Like I said, just musing. Cheers.

[baumy300]

Re: Too many strikeouts

Just me musing, not specifically responding to anyone..

Here’s the thing: if you think you’re striking out too many hitters, maybe pitch to contact more often? Stop going for Ks for every at-bat? Employ pitching strategies that involve the defense?

Are you arguing it’s impossible to avoid striking out an unrealistic amount of hitters? At some point it becomes an issue of, well, if you’re that good then show me five-straight 20K games then. If you’re THAT GUY with THAT STAFF, do it. Bust the all-time team K record. Crush it. Tf? Why not?

This is just “I’m hitting too many home runs” reversed.
A) stop swinging for the fences so much
B) maybe actually hit 70 HR with someone before worrying about it

The same logic applies here.

Moreover, I’d argue that across all video games, if you find something “too easy,” the recourse is to make it look sweet then. Anyone can fire up madden and have it look like dogwater. If you’re actually GOOD at Madden, you can get it to look sick as hell, play after play.

If you wanna think you’re King Master at pitching bc you can K the AI at will, then you should be able to produce any end-result you want, not just Ks.

Show me a game with 80% ground balls to the SS. That would be impressive.

Anyway. Like I said, just musing. Cheers.

You bring up some good points my friend, a few I agree with, and a few I don't. In order to respond properly to your statements I feel like I have to play Devil's advocate here

In Agreement:

You are correct when stating that changing our play styles may help prevent certain quirks and tendencies in games. I do this in Madden sometimes or 2K. If I accidentally throw a pass that ends up perfectly in the post for an easy score, I kick it back out to avoid cheesing. Some of you may know what I mean. In Madden, I try not to spam certain plays that have consistent potential to go for big gains. I can see how you arrived at the conclusion that pitching to contact is a more feasible option for avoiding strikeouts given that logic.

As for going after big stats with high rated players, of course. Who doesn't like to take MJ in 2K and try to drop 50 or crush HR's with Griffey, Bonds, or Judge in The Show? Carving up a defense for 350 yards and 4 TD's with Mahomes is always fun too. So why wouldn't having a staff of Ace pitchers strikout 8-12 guys a game be any less fun, right? Or a modern day Murderers Row that hits 3 shots a game more than not? I think that is perfectly natural for sports gamers. It is, after all, why we play the games. Dominating other teams with the best players is always a good time, and even accurate on many occasions.

In Disagreement:

Unfortunately sometimes there is just no escape from certain issues in sports games. Like one poster mentioned earlier, how do you avoid the strikeout problem if back-to-back batters look at strike 3 right down the plate? If you offer up a nice, fat, meatball pitch, a gimme if you will, and the CPU doesn't even swing, then what? How do you pitch to contact if the AI doesn't want to make contact? Is it a slider issue at this point? Is it a programming/logic issue? Ratings perhaps?

As for home runs, you mention being good at some games to help dominate. That makes sense. If the sliders you use are too easy or you are just too good, you may not get the "sim" results you want. As for me, what happens when you never use power swing, drop the power slider, and hit more HR's than you care to see, even on bad pitches? Am I just too good? Is it a programming thing? Are my sliders junk? It can go on and on.

Also, and this is relevant to every sports game, do we have to change the way we play in order to get results we want, or should we? That brings me to my conclusion, or rather self realization while writing this post -

Conclusion:

This is why I still come back to these boards. This is why I post nowhere else but here. Having open discussions on something I thoroughly enjoy, which is sports video games, not only offers all of us the opportunity to state our thoughts, theories, criticism, enjoyment, or whatever else we want about things we like, but gives us new ideas and perspectives.

Think about it. We all look for different things in sports games. Some of are hardcore, always chasing a sim experience with "realistic" gameplay and "accurate" statistics. Some of us would get a major kick out of hitting 5 HR's a game and love it, while others would call it overkill and "not true" to their desired, ideal vision of what baseball or a baseball game should be. No one ideology or set of beliefs is right or wrong, but to us as individuals it is our way that is best.

That's the beauty of these discussions. You can see how diverse the wants and needs from each gamer is when it comes to sports titles. I think you had a great idea about pitching to contact, but it may or not work for one reason or another, despite being great in theory. Since these renditions of sports are still games, and since all games are flawed in some capacity or another, mimicking real life will always be a challenge, especially when each desired experience is so different and varied.

I personally love to find myself immersed in sports games, either playing as the underdogs or going for the kill with the monsters. It is a great escape and entertaining way to kill time and unwind. Some games and some experiences give me that release, while others *cough* Madden *cough* only bring frustration. Either way, even NFL 2K5 has critics. What does that tell you?

My whole point is this - We are all looking for an experience that fits whatever mold we desire. For the guy who just picks up the game and dives in raw with default sliders, hits 4 HR's, K's 14 guys, or gets 1 hit and loses 9-0, but has a great time, he wins. For some of us who chase that realistic, or rather self-created, ideal version of what our games should be, it can be maddening at times. We're always just one slider tweak or new set away from "getting our fix" while forgetting to allow ourselves to step back and just enjoy the video game. I personally am incredibly guilty of this, but I am aware of it and have learned to accept it, even though I still always believe I am just that one tweak or set away...

Ultimately as long as we remember to enjoy the games, past or current, and find the ones that fit our style of play, or offer the experience that we want, we are lucky. Having these boards to hold in depth, informative, and interesting conversations about these theories and other discussions about nothing but sports games is also incredible, as it allows us to connect our thoughts and ideas with those of others, and compare, or even question, our very own perceptions and ways of thinking in terms of sports gaming.

However we play, whether we do finally find that sweet spot in gameplay or never satisfy the itch, we all seek the same thing - Joy. Frustrating as they can be, we only keep buying and playing these games because they make us happy, even when they don't.

Thank you for helping me realize this.

[HennyHefner]

Re: Too many strikeouts

My pitching difficulty is set on hall of fame with cpu contact up one notch from default and I strike out the CPU about 12-17 times a game.


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[jcar0725]

Re: Too many strikeouts

My pitching difficulty is set on hall of fame with cpu contact up one notch from default and I strike out the CPU about 12-17 times a game.


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Maybe those settings don't work very well? Check some other guys settings and see what their results are.

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[DarthRambo]

Re: Too many strikeouts

Tigers,

I believe you have the wrong idea here. I don't think anyone is trying to strike out the cpu. It just happens without trying. I pitch using API most times so really not doing any strategic pitching. Raised contact to 9 so I've tried NOT to get strikeouts lol. It's fine though, really. At least the cpu is a threat offensively and I get hit around a fair amount.

[baseballguy99]

Re: Too many strikeouts

Tigers,

I believe you have the wrong idea here. I don't think anyone is trying to strike out the cpu. It just happens without trying. I pitch using API most times so really not doing any strategic pitching. Raised contact to 9 so I've tried NOT to get strikeouts lol. It's fine though, really. At least the cpu is a threat offensively and I get hit around a fair amount.

What pitching difficulty do you play on?

[DarthRambo]

Re: Too many strikeouts

What pitching difficulty do you play on?

Usually Allstar, but I've tried HOF and Legend too. Only thing that changes is PCI size when you change difficulty. I argue it is easier to pitch on HOF and legend cause the larger PCI size means more likely to make weaker contact, thus easier outs.

Just played on HOF with cpu contact at 9 though for the heck of it. Felt zero difference from Allstar to be honest. I finished with 11k on the Brewers with St. Louis which is fine. They still had 9 hits so they're still a threat. I'm living with the fact I'm going to get 10 or more 9 out of 10 games. And again, I don't really try to get them like that.

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[GAMEBREAKER85]

Re: Too many strikeouts

Haven't been on the board to see this post take off, but I think what the guys who are seeing too many K's are saying is - We are not seeing as many quality at-bats as we did in last year's version.

I even notice a lot of the time with racking up K's on MLB23 that my pitch count isn't even that crazy. These guys in real life who rack up 9-10ks in 5 innings are throwing 100+ pitches. On MLB22 I felt like the high inside fastball with 2 strikes became "cheese-like" but this year's version just seems a little off. I've raised the CPU Hitting Timing & Contact in hopes this helps. The Contact slider is supposed to help discipline.

I play on Legend/Legend and Pitch Meter