Flame me if you want but...

[mmorg]

Re: Flame me if you want but...

I agree with everyone here....I always use the All Star Settings with some minor fixes in the sliders, i must say sometimes( well must of the times so far..) it can get frustrating to hit, Specially with men in scoring position...I really think that the major things this year that are affecting US Human Hitters are these:

1. the CPU Pitcher Pace is way too quick this year, and u barely have time between pitches to adjust your game plan...

2. this is a biggie here...can someone remind the home plate umpires that they are supposed to be neutral....i mean i know that the bad calls can go either way in baseball, but man i keep getting bad strike calls almost in all my at bats ( I'm talking about fastballs and offspeed pitches that almost hit the ground)....but when i pitch i also get robbed of good a** strikes on the corners.....

In regards to your 2nd comment, that's just confirmation bias. Over a period of 10 games you should actually tally how many missed calls are made in your favor and then the CPU's favor.

Not really. It happens in the other modes, was just using RTTS since I played it the most.

I don't know what to tell you. Lower the difficulty? This is Baseball, that stuff happens. You don't hear the Mariners and Giants players complaining about their poor offenses because their offenses are just horrible not because "EVERY BALL WE HIT IS RIGHT TO SOMEBODY!!!". The game needs to be balanced in a way that yields results in line with the Major Leagues.

I want the game to reflect the ratings of the players more so than my input so it can still be considered a "simulation". I just want to be the puppeteer putting my guys in the best position to win and that's exactly what this game is. If you want to play a game where ratings don't matter and any "Wheelhouse Contact, Perfect Timing" swing leads to a homerun then pop in Triple Play baseball or something. This is Baseball, and it's a game where it tries to simulate the fine balance between realism and user input. Give it some time and let your eye adjust to the pitching in the game and really be stingy in regards to the swings you take. You have to remember that the results of these swings are largely driven by the Pitcher's ratings also. There are so many factors involved and from my experience HOF difficulty with True Analog batting mode has produced perfect results for me with no change in sliders. Just find what works for you.

[ComfortablyLomb]

Re: Flame me if you want but...

Seems like it's pretty much a consensus that hitting is too difficult for MOST of us. I'm hopeful sliders and or a patch will fix the problem. Funny, last year I had the exact opposite problem. I was hitting to much. Oh well, I'm sure it'll even out sooner or later.

Hitting is not too difficult if you have not yet touched the sliders. It doesn't need a patch to make it easier either. I struggle a bit on All Star at times but if I turn it down I put up way too many runs. Are you struggling to put up runs on Rookie with Contact and Power maxed? You don't have a god given right to mash the ball at whatever level you deem respect-worthy.

1. the CPU Pitcher Pace is way too quick this year, and u barely have time between pitches to adjust your game plan...

I wish they'd go even faster and I have the pace set to whatever the quick option is right now. Huck, huck, huck, huck...

[vinny_77]

Batting average isn't that big of a deal. On base percentage, however is way off for me. I'm currently experimenting with different sliders and difficulty levels trying to find a happy medium. My lack of walks seems to come from the CPU's inate ability to spot pitches on the corner. Taking that into account, my early results show lowering the CPU Pitcher Control slider 1-2 clicks to be the most helpful. I don't want to score 5+ runs a game...just want to feel like I at least have a chance. For others struggling, focus on the solution, not the problem. "Grinding" game after game and losing your temper will only make the problem worse.

[lunch pale gang]

Re: Flame me if you want but...

I have the opposite problem. I only get 3-4 hits a game but half of them are homers. I can't string hits or walks together to save my life.

Ha! I'm experiencing the same exact issue. If I score at all, it's off a solo shot. Almost every other hit is a single with two outs.

Please don't patch or do anythin to hitting I love it the way it is!!!!

Baseball isn't a game where you will hit 5 home runs a game and score 10 runs every game you play...you might go 2 weeks and hit 3-4 home runs and not score more than 2 runs a game and then boom...go off for 4 homes runs in one game and score at will....If you are a fan of baseball it's self and not just of the game you will understand the art hitting and scoring a lot better (Just saying) not talking about anyone...Baseball is the best sport in the world cause it's the hardest art to master.

I agree with pretty much everything you wrote (except for the part about baseball being the best sport in the world - puck lover here!). This is the first time in about five years or so that I'm going to devote some heavy time with a baseball game and I have to get back into the swing of it (pun untended). For example, I have to remember that every player takes a different approach to batting. I can't force my free-swinging ways onto my entire lineup, i.e. Elsbury doesn't attack pitches the same way Ortiz does.

[pilot221]

Re: Flame me if you want but...

In regards to your 2nd comment, that's just confirmation bias. Over a period of 10 games you should actually tally how many missed calls are made in your favor and then the CPU's favor.




I don't know what to tell you. Lower the difficulty? This is Baseball, that stuff happens. You don't hear the Mariners and Giants players complaining about their poor offenses because their offenses are just horrible not because "EVERY BALL WE HIT IS RIGHT TO SOMEBODY!!!". The game needs to be balanced in a way that yields results in line with the Major Leagues.

I want the game to reflect the ratings of the players more so than my input so it can still be considered a "simulation". I just want to be the puppeteer putting my guys in the best position to win and that's exactly what this game is. If you want to play a game where ratings don't matter and any "Wheelhouse Contact, Perfect Timing" swing leads to a homerun then pop in Triple Play baseball or something. This is Baseball, and it's a game where it tries to simulate the fine balance between realism and user input. Give it some time and let your eye adjust to the pitching in the game and really be stingy in regards to the swings you take. You have to remember that the results of these swings are largely driven by the Pitcher's ratings also. There are so many factors involved and from my experience HOF difficulty with True Analog batting mode has produced perfect results for me with no change in sliders. Just find what works for you.

Just providing my input. Don't need to be told to go play some other game. Nor do I need to be told that this is baseball. I'm quite aware.

Player ratings and the other things you mention has nothing to do with the issues I, and clearly a large number of other players are talking about. I'll just go ahead and assume you misinterpreted what I was trying to convey.

I'm well aware of the way the game works, this isn't my first time. Just because I have a gripe doesn't mean I hate the game, suck, or am going to affect the the sales.

I love the game. Always have. I'm not going to turn a blind eye to some issues though. A fanboy I am not.

Thanks for your input, good day.

[jmik58]

Re: Flame me if you want but...

I am thoroughly disgusted at this point with the hitting in this game.I want to love this game because it is so great in many areas but holy crap the hitting is beyond frustrating. I have been playing this series for 5 yrs now. I play on veteran with the red sox. I have upped my timing all the way up, contact up 1, cpu pitching down almost all the way, lowered the pitch speed all the way. Still horrible. Oh I am getting hits, about 8-10 /game. A walk or two /game as well. I have a good batters eye, striking out around 7-8 times /game. Strike to ball ratio is around 60/40%.I am thumping the ball hard, line drives, a ton of them, usually right at somebody. I just finished up the 5th game today with Boston and no HR's at all even though I am wacking the hell out of the ball. I don't know what else to do but it shouldnt be this freaking hard to score runs.In those 5 games I have scored a total of 1 run in each game. Any help would be appreciated.I have tried everything.I am patient at the plate taking alot of pitches.I am hitting the ball fine, but not a homer in 5 games , come on. Ok Im done with the rant.

Striking out 7 or 8 times a game is a bit high on the "good eye" spectrum, lol.

All digs aside though, here's what I've found that works...

Take the first pitch. I make the pitcher throw me a strike before I even take the bat off my shoulder. It wears them out faster and gets you walks and into good hitting counts. If I notice a pitcher is grooving them I'll adjust and jump on a first pitch just to keep him honest from time to time. Also, when guys are on base you've got to be ready to jump on the first good one you see, especially with your better hitters.

Focus on the release point. Find the spot where the pitcher releases the ball. That is the reference point from where all pitches should be judged, so you need to find it and focus on it.

Look fastball and react to off-speed.

Recognize off-speed by how "heavy" the ball looks. If the ball moves steady and fast, it's a fastball. If it "hangs" in one spot before coming into the zone.. it's off-speed.

Only use power swings on 2-0 or 3-1 counts... unless you're trying to draw a walk, especially with no outs or an average or below-average hitter.

Lower the pitch speed slider all the way to zero and then work your way back towards default as you get better. Right now I'm at only 2 or 3 clicks from the left. I feel that default pitch speed is just too intense and difficult.

Use contact swing anytime you're in a poor count...0-2, 1-2, 2-2 (sometimes).

These are just a few of the things I do that help.

I strikeout maybe 2 or 3 times a game on All-Star. I get between 8-12 hits a game on average. Sometimes that includes 5 HRs and 16 hits and other times it's 1 HR and a bunch of hard liners or hard ground outs. That's the beauty of the variety that is baseball.

[Armor and Sword]

Re: Flame me if you want but...

Every year. There is a thread just like this. Every year.

[Ranger05]

Re: Flame me if you want but...

Okay here is perhaps a dumb question. If you adjust sliders does that negate the level you are playing on and make it "custom"? For example if i'm on All-Star level and bump my power and contact up a bit am I no-longer playing on All-Star?

And for the record, I'm happy to say that sliders appear to do the trick. I never seem to have much luck with sliders for some reason. When adjusted they often seem to either do nothing, or way over compensate for whatever category i'm attempting to tweek. This time I bumped up human power and contact along with bumping up the computer power and played back to back realistic games.

results/me Reds

Reds 4 9 1 no HR
Padres 3 6 0 Hudley solo shot

Nationals 6 12 0 Zimmerman (3 run shot)
Reds 3 10 0 Stubbs solo shot, Rolen solo shot

[PhilliesFan13]

Re: Flame me if you want but...

Striking out 7 or 8 times a game is a bit high on the "good eye" spectrum, lol.

All digs aside though, here's what I've found that works...

Take the first pitch. I make the pitcher throw me a strike before I even take the bat off my shoulder. It wears them out faster and gets you walks and into good hitting counts. If I notice a pitcher is grooving them I'll adjust and jump on a first pitch just to keep him honest from time to time. Also, when guys are on base you've got to be ready to jump on the first good one you see, especially with your better hitters.

Focus on the release point. Find the spot where the pitcher releases the ball. That is the reference point from where all pitches should be judged, so you need to find it and focus on it.

Look fastball and react to off-speed.

Recognize off-speed by how "heavy" the ball looks. If the ball moves steady and fast, it's a fastball. If it "hangs" in one spot before coming into the zone.. it's off-speed.

Only use power swings on 2-0 or 3-1 counts... unless you're trying to draw a walk, especially with no outs or an average or below-average hitter.

Lower the pitch speed slider all the way to zero and then work your way back towards default as you get better. Right now I'm at only 2 or 3 clicks from the left. I feel that default pitch speed is just too intense and difficult.

Use contact swing anytime you're in a poor count...0-2, 1-2, 2-2 (sometimes).

These are just a few of the things I do that help.

I strikeout maybe 2 or 3 times a game on All-Star. I get between 8-12 hits a game on average. Sometimes that includes 5 HRs and 16 hits and other times it's 1 HR and a bunch of hard liners or hard ground outs. That's the beauty of the variety that is baseball.

This works. My method as well.

[SwiftyK2]

Re: Flame me if you want but...

Every year I see these threads right when the game is released then they die off in a few months. Has anyone ever mentioned the fact that pitchers are ahead of batters at the beginning of the season and the game replicates this?

[dodgerblue]

Re: Flame me if you want but...

It's true, I've had every version of the game since '08 and although I love it, hitting continues to be one of the most difficult things to do well.

What I would like to see improved as someone else mentioned is OBP. My averages are usually statistically accurate except for doubles and walks. If pitches were a little more "obvious" balls it would make it better. When I watch a game on tv, there is a lot of pitching on the edges which are usually strikes but then there are a lot of pitches clearly out of the zone. In MLB the show most pitches are right on the edge. I know there is sliders but I hate starting down that road because I never stop adjusting things. I'd rather learn to play the game like it comes out of the box.

Also, one thing I noticed and not sure if it's a one time thing but I got more variety hitting with timing using the analog stick than I did using timing and using buttion pushing. I had more success and more power. Could be just a small sample size though.

[jmik58]

Re: Flame me if you want but...

In reference to the short "guide" I posted previously... I just completed a game in my season in which I lost 6-5. Teams and players aren't important, because the results I had can happen at any time.

I was down 6-0 after three innings. I didn't get a hit until the 4th inning.

The opposing pitcher was getting ALLLLL the calls and was hitting ever edge of the zone from my knees on down; inside and out.

Yet, I still managed to put great swings on the ball but the ball just didn't jump off my bat all game except for maybe three hits. Even when I got a perfect swing in the wheelhouse I was crushing liners and grounders right at guys. It just wasn't my night, even though I felt i "should have" won.

I actually ended up striking out 6 times (making fun of myself because I mentioned before I only "K" two or three times a game). But the pitcher was dealing and I watched a lot of b.s. borderline pitches go against me. That's baseball.

Just as much as I could play five games in a row with the opposite results, my next five games could be just like this one.

Baseball is a game of minute statistic significance. A minor fluctuation in a fraction of a percentage is huge, especially over the course of such a long season.

The Show captures the grind of the sport it represents as well as any sports video game ever made. You have to really have a baseball mind and baseball emotional filter to appreciate and understand/accept the ebbs and flows.

P.S. I really wanted a "Yell @ the ump" button to mash ... Half my team and the manager would have been tossed before the 7th inning.

[Armor and Sword]

Re: Flame me if you want but...

In reference to the short "guide" I posted previously... I just completed a game in my season in which I lost 6-5. Teams and players aren't important, because the results I had can happen at any time.

I was down 6-0 after three innings. I didn't get a hit until the 4th inning.

The opposing pitcher was getting ALLLLL the calls and was hitting ever edge of the zone from my knees on down; inside and out.

Yet, I still managed to put great swings on the ball but the ball just didn't jump off my bat all game except for maybe three hits. Even when I got a perfect swing in the wheelhouse I was crushing liners and grounders right at guys. It just wasn't my night, even though I felt i "should have" won.

I actually ended up striking out 6 times (making fun of myself because I mentioned before I only "K" two or three times a game). But the pitcher was dealing and I watched a lot of b.s. borderline pitches go against me. That's baseball.

Just as much as I could play five games in a row with the opposite results, my next five games could be just like this one.

Baseball is a game of minute statistic significance. A minor fluctuation in a fraction of a percentage is huge, especially over the course of such a long season.

The Show captures the grind of the sport it represents as well as any sports video game ever made. You have to really have a baseball mind and baseball emotional filter to appreciate and understand/accept the ebbs and flows.

P.S. I really wanted a "Yell @ the ump" button to mash ... Half my team and the manager would have been tossed before the 7th inning.

Absolutely 100% agree. It is why it is my favorite sports series of all time. They nail this to a tee.

It's baseball in almost every way like IRL. Truly remarkable.

[ryan36]

Re: Flame me if you want but...

I don't like the direction this thread has gone

[Reggie548]

Re: Flame me if you want but...

I had trouble for about two innings then it started feeling just like the previous games. I hit two homers in my first full gameplay on All Star difficulty. Pulse pitching is what I struggle with and will probably wind up turning off because I think it's pointless.