MLB 11 The Show Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions Here

[Heroesandvillains]

Re: MLB 11 The Show Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions Here

Swaldo,

I was feeling a little too comfortable on AS...

Until, over my last 7 IP with Lincecum, I gave up 12 Runs (over 2 games, including back-to-back dingers to open my first game).

I'm not saying I won't end up on HOF...but my last two games have been humbling to say the least.

FWIW, I turned OFF the pitching indicator (the name of the setting escapes me...the one where you don't see the MPH or ball landing zone after the pitch) and I also turned OFF the API.

Why haven't you tried out HOF yet?

[swaldo]

Re: MLB 11 The Show Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions Here

Swaldo,

I was feeling a little too comfortable on AS...

Until, over my last 7 IP with Lincecum, I gave up 12 Runs (over 2 games, including back-to-back dingers to open my first game).

I'm not saying I won't end up on HOF...but my last two games have been humbling to say the least.

FWIW, I turned OFF the pitching indicator (the name of the setting escapes me...the one where you don't see the MPH or ball landing zone after the pitch) and I also turned OFF the API.

Why haven't you tried out HOF yet?

Yea, I can also mess with sliders but we all want realistic default sliders no? That's why I posted the results. If nothing changes and I see the same results on AS I'll have to adjust somehow. Thus far my "normal" games always seem to be 1-0 or 2-0 with the runs most often coming from a HR. I cant wait to see how things go with poor pitchers.

[Heroesandvillains]

Re: MLB 11 The Show Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions Here

Yea, I can also mess with sliders but we all want realistic default sliders no? That's why I posted the results. If nothing changes and I see the same results on AS I'll have to adjust somehow. Thus far my "normal" games always seem to be 1-0 or 2-0 with the runs most often coming from a HR. I cant wait to see how things go with poor pitchers.

Even though results from a test like yours COULD appear troubling, I just play the game it was designed...trying to hit my spots and such. Those are the results that matter to me, and the one's I'll base any difficulty changes or sliders on.

I'd prefer Default difficulty if possible. I'm not really giving up enough hits, though. But, if I were to include my 2 games with Lincecum, sandwiched between a gem with Wilson, my hits allowed per 9 I'd gather is still a tad too low...but close.

But I'm with you. Number ones are definitely capable of giving up less than 1 hit per inning..the true test will be with 3, 4, and 5's.

I have to say, Default AS plays a pretty realistic game of baseball in the demo for the most part. If it's any indication of the retail version, I'd say it's the most realistic Default I've seen in this series thus far.

[HoozierDaddy61]

Re: MLB 11 The Show Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions Here

I played the demo and my first thought was "This doesn't look much better than last year. However, I played last year's version right after I finished the demo and I stand corrected. It looks a lot better graphically than 2010. I LOVE the new analog controls although it will take some getting used to. I struck out 8 x's in my first game!! Looking forward to March 8th and creating classic teams again!!!

[Russell_SCEA]

Re: MLB 11 The Show Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions Here

I think the All-Star pitching could use a little tweaking. The first time I played the game I was missing alot on the analog upswing but noticed the CPU wasn't hitting my mistake pitches. Well, I just got done playing a game and what I did was purposely miss on every single pitch and here are the results...

Lincecum: 5 IP / 7 H / 2 ER / 7 SO

Wilson: 5 IP / 1 H / 0 ER / 3 SO

TOTAL: 10 IP / 8 H / 2 ER / 10 SO

So that's a 1.80 ERA with every pitch being way off. For example, if I aimed high I would purposely overthrow, if I aimed low I would underthrow, if I aimed inside I would move the stick to the left so the pitch would go towards the middle. So basically I played the game as normal but used the meter to get the pitch as close to the middle of the plate as possible. Now that doesn't mean every pitch went right down the middle - that's the good thing about analog because it's hard to place it right where you want.

I don't have a big problem if I miss fastballs because it's hard for anyone to hit 95 mph perfectly even if it's in the middle of the plate. The problem is when I hang changeups and curveballs to Josh Hamilton and he does nothing with it. Lincecum threw 85% of his pitches for strikes and Wilson 79%. At that rate the CPU should've been hacking.

In conclusion I think what needs to be done is this...

1. Moderately increase penalties for off-speed mistakes
2. Slightly increase penalties for fastballs

The good news is that you can make a mistake but if it's on the corner the CPU will still have problems with it. And I understand I can go to HOF level, but this really should be veteran level the way it's playing.

This issue aside, I'm loving analog pitching now.

All-Star was made easier this year while HOF and Legend where bumped up a bit in difficulty. However if people think its to easy we have already discussed tuning updates for all pitching and hitting options.

[mrgoodkat]

Re: MLB 11 The Show Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions Here

Im underwhelmed. And honestly, I kind of think that a lot of what was implemented this year could have been so a bunch of years ago. Nice to have, but I'm counting how much money I have spent in waiting for some common sense improvements. And such is the balancing act as a sports game developer, and as a consumer. As I'm the latter, I'm having more trouble ponying up the money every year.

And with so much coming out this spring on all the platforms, I think this might take a backseat this year. Im weary of having to do so much 'customization' to make the game truly complete after purchase. It isn't fun. Got old many years ago. And then you have to wait on the wonderful community here to get everything squared away which doesn't appear to be getting any more streamlined through experience.

There really is no reason not to wait a month or two at least, and pick it up for cheaper, if at all. I'm sure the bug will get me, but I really am not looking forward to the list of chores needed to be done to round out the game.

[LetsGoBucs]

Re: MLB 11 The Show Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions Here

I can't believe how much I love the new player models. I didn't think it would make that big of a deal, but I love them. I really like the new lighting and new scoreboards. Can't wait to play with different teams.

Not sure where to put this, but I had the dropped 3rd strike - error on the catcher bug just now, similar to last years bug. I haven't looked through this whole thread, so if it has been reported already, I apologize.

[I_HATE_THAT_DUDE]

Re: MLB 11 The Show Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions Here

Man i love this demo and "It's Just a Demo" lol so i can't wait to see the real game next week. I gotta say I love the new analog controls. They Sony team has done a way better job with it than 2ksports IMOP. I never liked the whole moving the left stick in a diagnol direction to throw a curveball or something it wasn't realistic at all and at times didn't work right, i think the show did a great job the way it's used now. I have only played an inning but it's really good with the pitching so far and the one at bat i took with it.

[swaldo]

Re: MLB 11 The Show Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions Here

All-Star was made easier this year while HOF and Legend where bumped up a bit in difficulty. However if people think its to easy we have already discussed tuning updates for all pitching and hitting options.

Sounds good, I thought tuning updates was just an EA thing. I'll try HOF level in my next game.

[eaw913]

I am really loving the demo. Each time I play it, I like it even more than the time before. My opinions on the analog controls are pretty mixed, but overall I will probably keep all three instead of switching back to the classic controls.

Before I get into my thoughts on the controls, I really love all aspects of the demo so far. I am actually quite disappointed with the graphics. They are very dull and have far too many rough spots for my liking, which is nothing like the videos and screenshots we have been fed for the past few months. Although, I remember reading early on that this was an early build of the game and I cannot imagine the graphics not being at least AS good as last year, if not better (considering the new lighting, player models, and stadium updates etc). And yes, I have a fancy HDTV so it isn't that. The new animations are great, and the game itself just seems to run a whole lot smoother. The lighting transitions are also amazing, and I have forced many games past the 4th inning on purpose just to see the night sky with those clouds in it! I really think that once the full game gets here, this will be a sight to behold. I also feel like the presentation is very good. I actually like Karros, and have had many situations where he has had a lot to say about certain situations. He also has many conversations with Matt about the deeper aspects of both the Giants and Rangers, which I really enjoy listening to. Definitely do not see any of the issues most people are talking about. Now onto my impressions with the analog controls:

Analog Pitching: This is my favorite out of all of them. I have a very even mix of balls and strikes now, whereas last year I had 72 strikes and 26 balls or something obscure. It is nice to finally have a challenge hitting my targets. It really makes hitting your spots rewarding. I have actually walked many batters this year, and had some pretty deep counts that kept me on the edge the entire time. It also helps that I seemed to click with this the very first time, and didn't really have any issues.

Analog Batting: I have been getting whipped with this one. At first, I was swinging so off that I looked like a 6 year old taking random hacks at a t-ball game. After lowering the difficulty and taking my time, it is actually teaching me to be patient and watch the ball. It is an awesome feeling when you got your pitch coming in and you rope it to left field. The feel of having complete control over the hit is one I never felt with the 2k series. Despite my troubles with it, I am improving and almost ready to bump up the difficulty a level. I figure over time I will improve, and eventually I will come to love this one as much as the pitching.

Analog Fielding: At first, I hated this. I even switched to the classic fielding for a while, but after some time I just couldn't stand it and tried it again. After several games with 5+ errors, I finally got the hang of it. For some reason I kept mistaking the red ring (the power that builds up when it hits maximum after holding the stick down) for being how off my throw was, so I kept just lightly tossing it instead of putting some muscle into it. Once I got the feel of where to push the stick to get the green ring for accuracy, it really started to fall into place. I still make the occasional error, but like the pitching and batting, I feel like I have complete control of every aspect of the game.

Overall, I will keep all three. I think once I get used to the changes, and get to be decent with batting and fielding, I will fall in love with the new controls. As for right now, I will use the demo to prepare for the full game!

[Philthy65]

Re: MLB 11 The Show Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions Here

The fielding on bunting needs to be improved. In one at-bat, Lincecum popped up a bunt straight up (in foul territory). It wouldn't register my catcher, so it fell for a foul ball. Next pitch is another bunt pop up, this time to C.J. Wilson. Again it didn't register, and the ball fell in for a hit. It was popped high enough where there wasn't even a close play at first on Lincecum.

Overall, great demo. I can't wait for the full game.

[billyo]

Re: MLB 11 The Show Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions Here

Is it me or do the outfielders arms seem stronger this year? I have nailed several base runners attempting to take the extra base very easily.

[Yankees_CT]

Re: MLB 11 The Show Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions Here

Well I wanted to spend enough time with the game before I commented so after 25+ demo games here we go. I have always been a Show fan. It's the reason I bought a PS3 and the reason I joined this site so of course I am a little bias .
I screamed out a loud NOOOOO!!! when I heard they were going analog. I love my button pressing Show and there was no way I was going to the new controls . Well I was wrong, I absolutely love them. Every one of them, from fielding to batting to pitching they were implemented meticulously in my opinion and really just make the most realistic sports game that much more.
I'm just going to focus on hitting for now because it gave me the most difficulty at first. I was always a fan of hitting in the show because of that difficulty. It made every hit I did get a fist pump moment. Well the analog has seemed to make it even more difficult. Or at least I thought, I barely got 2 hits per game (sometime less) for the first 10 games I played (no HRs). Then What I decided to do was go through the line up with each guy only taking that initial first step and not swinging. I did this a few times, took mental notes of each stride and after a few games I started hitting. My last game I played I had 9 hits and 7 runs, blanking the cpu 7-0...whoohooo! Never thought I would get there after my initial 10 games but it feels awesome now. I probably won't have another game like that last one but every hit I had literally had me jumping out of my seat (especially the 2 dingers!).
I think as far as the hitting (analog anyway) this year you just have to really know your team. Once you know their strides, the timing and hitting for that matter will come. I love that this seems to be the case. I have been playing with the Rangers the entire time with the demo and I think if I switched right now I would be back to putting zero's on the board!
I will throw in a couple of criticisms, those being that commentary honestly does need to be revamped at this point. I like the edition of Karros and I even like the team they have. If they could just put these guys together more dynamically, add that back and forth of NBA 2k11 then it would be golden. The other thing is presentation. I love it of course, no other game brings you in more but it also needs to be a focus for next year. I would like to see a stationary fielding cam that zooms and rotates but does not pan (just as an option of course). But what I really want to see is the RTP expanded upon next year. I love it being real time but I would like to see other things during the RTP, bat boys, managers coming to the mound in real-time (watching them make their way up the steps and to the mound). Just want more of it .
Anyway, even if they don't touch the commentary and the presentation next year it will still be awesome because no sports game matches the sport they represent more realistically then The Show, period....IMO the way they portray the hitter vs pitcher dual will never be touched. It's difficult, really difficult (especially moving up to HOF....jeez!) and I definitely would never want it any other way.....jumping into the time machine now and heading to March 8th .

[spitoon]

Re: MLB 11 The Show Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions Here

I think as far as the hitting (analog anyway) this year you just have to really know your team. Once you know their strides, the timing and hitting for that matter will come. I love that this seems to be the case. I have been playing with the Rangers the entire time with the demo and I think if I switched right now I would be back to putting zero's on the board!

I'm really struggling with analog hitting as well. Maybe this will help, thanks for the advice.

The biggest "problem" that I see with this, is that it would basically prevent us from just picking up and playing a random game in the schedule (which was a big added feature last year)...because you would have no chance to learn the stride of each player on the random team...

Other than that, I'm liking the demo so far...can't wait for a week.

[magoo1967]

Re: MLB 11 The Show Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions Here

I knew it wasn't just me Although, your name is Magoo...wasn't he the cartoon guy that couldn't see anything? LOL

I'm trusting that this is just a remnant from '10 and that it was fixed 'post-demo'...seems like such an easy fix?

I'm loving the game. As much as I didn't think I'd like the analog controls, I'm really liking the fielding and pitching. As it was I sucked at hitting with the button, and it turns out that I super-suck at analog hitting...maybe I should change my screen name to Magoo2?

Very funny. Yes, like Mr. Magoo I also have poor vision (this is not the reason for my screen name however). Fortunately, with my glasses I can see 20/20 though , lol.

Pitch review colors aside, I too am absolutely loving the demo. I was in the "no analog for me" camp at first, but I'm already 100% sold on analog pitching. The hitting is still pretty tough for me, but I will stick with it in hopes that I'll get the hang of it soon enough. Fielding is another story though. I've played through the demo about a dozen times or so and my analog fielding performance thus far has been nothing short of a train wreck . I haven't quite given up yet, but I'm fairly certain that I will go back to button fielding for the upcoming season. It's so awesome that we even have the ability to mix & match control schemes like that.

The good news is that Psycho Bulk confirmed (about a page back) that he asked the CD guys about the pitch colors & someone reported back to him that they were much improved, so this appears to indeed be just an "early build" issue (keeping my fingers crossed )