The CPU decides the game....

[Glenn33]

Re: The CPU decides the game....

Kursekin - I applaud you for getting the most out of Bay. Personally for me - I don't enjoy Zone hitting - or timing hitting for that matter. It's analog or nothing for me because that's the most enjoyable way for me to play.

jr86 - I do adjust the sliders - ALOT and OFTEN. This game quite frankly is hard - and you could completely jack the sliders up to be completely in the user's favor and it will still never play like an arcade game. That's the beauty of this game. Sometimes - I wish it were that easy. Now you could say that I suck or just have no stick skills. I won't argue there - but a brother just wants to enjoy the game like everyone else

[SoxBrewersMarlins]

Re: The CPU decides the game....

i agree with jr86, if you adjust sliders, the offensive game becomes very easy, i remember back when i was getting the hang of the game i had contact and power maxed solid hits at 3 and everything else default and i was putting up numbers that were nuts, since then ive graduated to all star with default slider jus tweaked a couple notches and the game still plays to the point where i feel in control at the plate, but im not hitting 5+hr a game and scoring 20 runs a game, the sliders take some work to find the right fit for the player, but once u dial in your settings, the game can play easy once u get your timing down. pitching has been a bit toguher for me to dial, but ive also never tweaked settings for it so i cant say anything really, i pitch fine with my aces, mixed results with the rest of rotation, which is pretty normal so im fine with it, i love this game and im glad the computer can compete with you and make it fun, but i havent very often said to myself i lost cuz of comeback code or w.e. its been cuz i sucked that game.

[dr_omels]

Re: The CPU decides the game....

I know there have been many rants about this game, but I have spent a great amount of time playing this game on the all-star level using timing hitting in a franchise with the Angels. The bottom line is that my skill levels are not deciding the outcome of these games. Before you say that I suck or that I have no skill let me say that I work the count, I am very patient at the plate and usually draw 3-4 walks a game. I only attempt power swings when I am up in the count 2-0, 3-1. But like many have stated before me, nothing is more upsetting than seeing that you have perfect timing on a swing (it is timing after all) and you have just missed it or you have weak contact. This is a video game. Who is deciding whether or not I am successful, the CPU, not me, not you. It is very frustrating to battle and finally get the pitch that you are looking for and receive the just missed/perfect timing info. What else can I do?? I don't want a game where every one is Albert Pujols, but at the same time, I do want my skill level to have some type of effect on the game. I don't want to have to use the Red Sox or Yankees in order to win games. For those who argue that they want the VIDEO game to accurately reflect players ratings, then maybe you should play SIM baseball instead of a video game or just let the CPU simulate the games. The whole point of us playing is to be able to change the outcome of the game based on our skill level, not just to be somewhat involved in a pre-determined computer simulation. Video games should attempt to be realistic, but also be fun. There is nothing more frustrating than doing every thing right and not being rewarded. I can live with hard balls being outs because that happens in real life. I cannot live with the CPU randomly deciding if my perfect timing results in weak contact or no contact at all because then my skill does not matter. I might as well watch the CPU play itself instead of getting my hopes up that my performance will have an effect on the outcome. By the way, I am 40 years old and have been playing video games (in particular sports games) since video games were invented. I have never felt this helpless in determining whether I win or lose. When you use timing hitting and your timing is perfect, you should see results. It is hard enough to be patient at the plate and time your swings perfectly.

I understand what you mean.

After playing this game, I think I'm batting, maybe, .150 (taking into account franchise, RTTS, exhibition games, and a whole crapload of hours in the Good At-Bat practice).

For most of my outs, I know exactly why. Too early, too late, swinging at crap pitches, taking good pitches, etc. Those, I have absolutely no problem with.

But, for a good portion of my outs (a little too much if you ask me), I have absolutely no idea what I did wrong, thus, I have no idea what to correct. I would improve my stride, try different right stick swing techniques, RS speed, make sure I aim directly at the ball, etc. But I've noticed no improve.

I ended up just chalking it up to "there's something about hitting that the Development hasn't told us" (I mean, they admitted their hitting tutorial is all wrong, so it sounds plausible) & me refusing to adjust sliders.

But, CPU deciding games is also possible, which, I suppose, is not wrong. Player ratings gonna mean something, right...

I just hope/wish/sacrifice a baby lamb and pray that next year, they give a complete, detail explanation on how hitting works and swing feedback that includes stride timing.

[HustlinOwl]

Re: The CPU decides the game....

not seeing any of this with my franchise, 3-3 tie NLCS against Atlanta in Reds franchise

[dubeau]

Re: The CPU decides the game....

I would have to agree. 8 of 10 times I can predict during a game, which teams will win just by watching the tempo of offense vs defense. The problem was there in 2010 too...Whatever I do at bats/pitching doesn't change the fate of the game that much.

The same thing happens in simulation of a franchise. If a team has a very bad month (especially at the beginning of the season), you can be sure it will end somewhere under .500. I sim at least 12 seasons to date. I find the franchise to be too hard this year, to the point I am thinking of buying back 2010. I really hate that I am stuck with the same team forever as DG. But I disgress...

[aktransplant007]

Re: The CPU decides the game....

There is something amiss regarding the pitcher/batter interface and this does bring up an explanation as to why some believe there is some 'comeback code' or the AI decides the game. I do not believe there was an intentional code to control who wins/loses games, but do see the hitter/pitcher interface is lacking in true physics at times; therefore frustrates some and they have no other justification as to why certain results happen. Also, there's no explanation that I am aware of that states where contact is made with the bat/ball (i.e., is it the front, back or middle of the plate..or somewhere else?!).

Games made in the late 90s, such as High Heat and (especially) VR baseball and others seemed to have a much more realistic feel to hitting/pitching interface and the physics involved (if you swung late or early, the ball would hit it the correct direction). I'm not sure why this cannot be reproduced on advanced systems and maybe it has to do with detailed graphics and maybe the way the game is made would not have realistic results if actual physics are implemented in the coding. Anything is really just speculation unless the programmers would state directly. I just know from plenty of experience, true physics are not happening at all times in this interface; from the type of pitch, location, swing, etc.

Zone hitting - this does not exist as it is described or how people state it should work; Timing does have some impact regarding contact with ball. Many times have I played with contact made on the ball with the PCI not even close to touching the ball path or location and same with the AI. The most obvious was recently. Righty P (me) vs Righty Hitter (AI); low fastball (~9th pitch in the AB) that was ~half in/out the low right corner of the plate (Catchers view) and the PCI was small (so assume Power swing by AI) that appeared mostly outside the top left corner (inside). The AI fouled the pitch off and should not have even been able to make any contact on the ball. This explains or shows what people have complained of where no matter what I/they did pitching, the AI was going to put the ball in play. After ~12 pitches, a single through the IF and runner on 2nd scored.

Many other times the AI or myself have made some contact and the ball that was clearly outside the PCI; for balls hit in play, fouls, etc. An explanation as to where contact is made regarding the plate would help, but still issues regarding contact made when it should not have been, especially with Zone hitting working as described/understood as well as the result of where the ball goes after contact.

An obvious example of the hitting/Pitching physics is R vs R and the ball is on the outside of the plate and even outside the Zone at times and a 'late' (or 'very late') swing results in a pulled HR over LF fence near the foul pole or hitting it, just foul or anything on the left side of the field near the foul line. Things like this have happened a decent amount of times. Also, I do not always feel I can swing late or early on certain pitches and put the ball in play to advance runners, etc. by pulling the ball or hitting to opposite field. A true result just does not happen at times in this game. A good amount of the time it does have a true feel to the hitting/pitching interface, but other times, the result does not make sense.

[murphyHOF]

Re: The CPU decides the game....

I think we have to sacrifice some things to get a game where the expectation is that players and teams will perform similar to their real-life counterparts. If hitting was based purely on physics and the bat-ball collision, you would have an arcade game. In fact, you would have the old 1980's "World Series" arcade baseball game, in which hitting was determined solely on timing and location of the swing. It was not uncommon to hit multiple home runs every inning.

I think the game's shortcomings lie mostly in the things that don't seem right to those who are more than casual baseball fans and want more of a simulation. For instance, I don't necessarily need to see a half-dozen spectacular plays per game or animations of players slamming gloves in the dugout after a loss. I'd rather they spend the time and resources on in-game AI logic, the hitting mechanisms, and other simulation-related aspects. But to maximize sales, SCEA needs that stuff.

and SCEA needs the MLB. Look, they aren't selling baseball, they are selling the MLB. No one would buy a generic baseball game. Look at EAs failed attempt to sell college baseball. So SCEA, as one poster put it, they have to fake it in order to sell MLB. Give the player the illusion that he's playing real MLB baseball with real MLB teams and players, hope that the player suspends disbelief enough the where the unrealistic things, like super bouncy baseballs, don't turn him off. So in that sense, the CPU does decide games because it all has to be manipulated to give us the product we want.

[Glenn33]

Re: The CPU decides the game....

I think we have to sacrifice some things to get a game where the expectation is that players and teams will perform similar to their real-life counterparts. If hitting was based purely on physics and the bat-ball collision, you would have an arcade game. In fact, you would have the old 1980's "World Series" arcade baseball game, in which hitting was determined solely on timing and location of the swing. It was not uncommon to hit multiple home runs every inning.

HOLD UP! Are you crapping on the my beloved World Series baseball - one of the finest games ever created:


dem fightin' words!!!

[jkra0512]

Re: The CPU decides the game....

Wasn't that a early-mid 90's game? Had a lot of fun pitching with Jimmy Key on that game

[Russell_SCEA]

Re: The CPU decides the game....

There is something amiss regarding the pitcher/batter interface and this does bring up an explanation as to why some believe there is some 'comeback code' or the AI decides the game. I do not believe there was an intentional code to control who wins/loses games, but do see the hitter/pitcher interface is lacking in true physics at times; therefore frustrates some and they have no other justification as to why certain results happen. Also, there's no explanation that I am aware of that states where contact is made with the bat/ball (i.e., is it the front, back or middle of the plate..or somewhere else?!).

Games made in the late 90s, such as High Heat and (especially) VR baseball and others seemed to have a much more realistic feel to hitting/pitching interface and the physics involved (if you swung late or early, the ball would hit it the correct direction). I'm not sure why this cannot be reproduced on advanced systems and maybe it has to do with detailed graphics and maybe the way the game is made would not have realistic results if actual physics are implemented in the coding. Anything is really just speculation unless the programmers would state directly. I just know from plenty of experience, true physics are not happening at all times in this interface; from the type of pitch, location, swing, etc.

Zone hitting - this does not exist as it is described or how people state it should work; Timing does have some impact regarding contact with ball. Many times have I played with contact made on the ball with the PCI not even close to touching the ball path or location and same with the AI. The most obvious was recently. Righty P (me) vs Righty Hitter (AI); low fastball (~9th pitch in the AB) that was ~half in/out the low right corner of the plate (Catchers view) and the PCI was small (so assume Power swing by AI) that appeared mostly outside the top left corner (inside). The AI fouled the pitch off and should not have even been able to make any contact on the ball. This explains or shows what people have complained of where no matter what I/they did pitching, the AI was going to put the ball in play. After ~12 pitches, a single through the IF and runner on 2nd scored.

Many other times the AI or myself have made some contact and the ball that was clearly outside the PCI; for balls hit in play, fouls, etc. An explanation as to where contact is made regarding the plate would help, but still issues regarding contact made when it should not have been, especially with Zone hitting working as described/understood as well as the result of where the ball goes after contact.

An obvious example of the hitting/Pitching physics is R vs R and the ball is on the outside of the plate and even outside the Zone at times and a 'late' (or 'very late') swing results in a pulled HR over LF fence near the foul pole or hitting it, just foul or anything on the left side of the field near the foul line. Things like this have happened a decent amount of times. Also, I do not always feel I can swing late or early on certain pitches and put the ball in play to advance runners, etc. by pulling the ball or hitting to opposite field. A true result just does not happen at times in this game. A good amount of the time it does have a true feel to the hitting/pitching interface, but other times, the result does not make sense.

The PCI includes a foul zone that isn't shown in the yellow graphic. The PCI is actually a little bigger than the art shows.

[jkra0512]

Re: The CPU decides the game....

The PCI includes a foul zone that isn't shown in the yellow graphic. The PCI is actually a little bigger than the art shows.

Russell is that ratings-based? If so, what attribute governs the "hidden" foul zone on the PCI?

[moemoe24]

Re: The CPU decides the game....

I have my share of gripes with this game but what BIGTONE is saying just makes no sense. Any sports game you play is to a degree predetermined because it's based off the real life player skills/attributes. That's just common sense or common knowledge. You could have no idea how a sports video game is made(like myself) and still understand that success is based off a players real life skills.

Furthermore, it's pretty ridiculous that you keep saying you should be able to take a guy who has, say Willie Bloomquist's skills and make him hit .300 and 25 homeruns. Who would want to play a game like that?? And if you do want to play a game like that you have bought the wrong baseball game. SCEA makes it very clear that The Show is a simulation...a successful simulation isn't going to let Bloomquist put up numbers like Josh Hamilton.

[Pared]

Re: The CPU decides the game....

I don't fully agree.

I think some of you are taking his comments to an extreme. There should be the capacity for a player to have random breakout seasons despite their ratings holding them back. If that were the case then the game will always be retroactive instead of proactive.

Now I haven't played enough behind franchise to say if that is the case this year but I'm simply pointing out what he is alluding to. That's all, nothing more.

[murphyHOF]

Re: The CPU decides the game....

HOLD UP! Are you crapping on the my beloved World Series baseball - one of the finest games ever created:


dem fightin' words!!!

Nope, I was talking about this arcade game....


Best baseball game of the 80's

[Russell_SCEA]

Re: The CPU decides the game....

Russell is that ratings-based? If so, what attribute governs the "hidden" foul zone on the PCI?

Plate Vision