Bobhead's Sliders

[jr86]

Re: Bobhead's Sliders

So i just finished up another 3 game series v the Angels with the changes i have made 2 posts back.

L 3-10
W 6-0
W5-4

Runs-14
Hits - 31
Doubles -11
HR's-2
BB-8

So basically this is continuing the theme as before. Runs are right in line with where they should be but this time doubles are too high with the Hr's being in range. Hits are a tad too high but not over the top and BB's are good too.
I think i am just going to have to realize that i cannot get everything to line up and just accept it as is. This was a great series and i scored 2 in the bottom of the 9th of the final game to take the series so it dosen't get much better than that!

[HechticSooner]

Re: Bobhead's Sliders

So i just finished up another 3 game series v the Angels with the changes i have made 2 posts back.

L 3-10
W 6-0
W5-4

Runs-14
Hits - 31
Doubles -11
HR's-2
BB-8

So basically this is continuing the theme as before. Runs are right in line with where they should be but this time doubles are too high with the Hr's being in range. Hits are a tad too high but not over the top and BB's are good too.
I think i am just going to have to realize that i cannot get everything to line up and just accept it as is. This was a great series and i scored 2 in the bottom of the 9th of the final game to take the series so it dosen't get much better than that!

One thing that you absolutely have to remember about baseball is that in a small sample size you will see MAJOR fluctuations and only have you look at a whole season can you really even get close to seeing if the numbers truly match up.

[Bobhead]

Re: Bobhead's Sliders

I have added a second set of sliders for anyone who wants to play on Hall of Fame batting, in addition to Hall of Fame pitching.

I have been playing on Hall of Fame myself, and have been testing these for quite some time (since early May). It's pretty much the same set, the only difference being that offense is basically brought back up to default to match the increased difficulty.

I also made a couple of changes (the old changes from my previous update are also still highlighted, so it's not as much as it looks).

Timing: Lowered to 7 to match the recently reduced Foul Frequency.

Arm Strength: Increased to 2 because I see a few too many lollipops thrown. Baserunning speed has been at 1 for a while now so I feel I've played enough games to know that 2 is where it will stay.

Consistency/Control: Only changed in the Hall of Fame set for now, but I did a lot of testing with consistency at 0, initially just for the hell of it, but also because I wanted to really see the optimal settings for pitch variety and realistic walk rates. I can promise you I got it right this time.

--------

thanks for the input, bobhead. I've begun a new franchise to get a fresh start. I've been playing with contact at 5 and pitch speed at 4 and getting better hitting results, but maybe I'll try your adjustments to cpu pitch consistency and fielder reaction instead and see what happens. in any case, I'm still able to get good at bats (I had a 12-pitch at-bat with jeter yesterday that ended in a walk!).
also, one thing I've been noticing - I became especially aware of it since the real-life yankees got a lot of them in a game I watched a few days ago - is that you almost never see those bloop pop-fly hits that land in no-man's land between the infield and outfield. as you say, it seems that the fielder reaction time is just too quick, and the outfielders just run in and settle under the ball.

are you guys seeing any of those types of hits now with reduced fielder reaction?

Were the real life Yankees playing at Yankee stadium when they got this bloop hit? I think the biggest reason you are seeing a shortage of them is that you are playing in a very small stadium.

I could definitely do with seeing more of them though, but so far it does seem like Reaction is helping. (I just gave up a bloop single last night after a walk, extremely frustrating).

So i just finished up another 3 game series v the Angels with the changes i have made 2 posts back.

L 3-10
W 6-0
W5-4

Runs-14
Hits - 31
Doubles -11
HR's-2
BB-8

So basically this is continuing the theme as before. Runs are right in line with where they should be but this time doubles are too high with the Hr's being in range. Hits are a tad too high but not over the top and BB's are good too.
I think i am just going to have to realize that i cannot get everything to line up and just accept it as is. This was a great series and i scored 2 in the bottom of the 9th of the final game to take the series so it dosen't get much better than that!

You are going to need a much bigger sample size to really be certain of how things will go, as Hechtic said. Also keep in mind that how it usually works is you will be way above averages in a lot of things, then one day you will run into a pitcher who is on his game, and all the resulting zero's will bring your averages way down. Don't expect to be playing into the averages every game, it's in the long run that your extremes will even out and leave you "where you should be."

[itbeme23]

Re: Bobhead's Sliders

Bob,

I'm using a hybrid of your sliders and TNK's. The main component being that I'm using TNK's hitting sliders using Timing. I like Zone, but I just found myself being too inconsistent with hitting, and it was taking away the fun from the game. I'm content with Timing, and I've finally got my Dodgers franchise off the ground. The question I'm having is in regards to pitching. Like you, I use Analog pitching, and up to this point I haven't had any reason to change it. However, after 15 games in my franchise (I'm 8-7), I find myself leading the Majors with a 2.57 ERA.

Here is what I'm using right now.

BOBHEAD/TNK HYBRID

*ALL TNK/PB*
*TIMING HITTING*

Human Contact - 6
Human Power - 4
Human Timing - 6
Human Foul Frequency - 5
Human Solid Hits - 4

*ALL BOBHEAD*

Human Starter Stamina - 6
Human Reliever Stamina - 1
Human Pitcher Control - 3
Human Pitcher Consistency - 3

*ALL BOBHEAD*

CPU Contact - 3
CPU Power - 4
CPU Timing - 8
CPU Foul Frequency - 2
CPU Solid Hits - 3

*ALL TNK/PB*

CPU Starter Stamina - 5
CPU Reliever Stamina - 2
CPU Pitcher Control - 5
CPU Pitcher Consistency - 6
CPU Strike Frequency - 1

*ALL BOBHEAD*

Pitch Speed: 4 (TNK/PB)
Fielding Errors: 10
Throwing Errors: 7
Fielder Speed: 0
Fielder Reaction: 5
Fielder Arm Strength: 1
Baserunner Speed: 1
Baserunner Steal Ability: 1
Baserunner Steal Frequency: 10
Wind: 4
Injury Frequency: 5

My main question is what to do about my ERA. I'm really trying not to change anything until at least the end of April in my franchise, but I'm starting to get a little worried that I'll continue giving up only 2-3 runs a game. I haven't given up over 4 runs since my sixth game of the season when the Giants schilacked me 9-1. I noticed you have new sliders with Pitch consistency at 1. What kind of results have you been getting? Do you think this would help solve my problem? Other than that, I'm absolutely loving the sliders that I have.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks!!!

[Bobhead]

Re: Bobhead's Sliders

What difficulty are you playing on?

You can try the changes I just made, I've had the same ERA problem, except I didn't really notice it until now, because when I started the season my pitchers all gave up a ton of runs in the first couple of games, and since you can't break ERA's down by time periods, all I saw was a fairly normal ERA as a result. It's only now as I am nearing the 3rd month of my season that my ERA has fell to the point where I realized a change was needed.

----

Dropped Pitcher Consistency and Pitcher Control. 1/1 is what I've been using for several games now, and it's given me some decent and realistic pitch counts and walk rates, and hasn't led to my pitchers being massacred - my main concern - probably because of the reduced CPU Contact.

Dropped Manager Hook because all the other changes I've made recently, including the Consistency above, have resulted in huge increases to pitch counts, meaning the logic that caused the AI to replace their starter in the 8th inning, is now leading to the starter being replaced in the 5th or 6th inning (because he is reaching 100 pitches faster), as such I had to compensate by decreasing this slider. 4 seems to be doing the trick so far.

Stats update before the night is over (I'm in the middle of a game right now lol)

[itbeme23]

Re: Bobhead's Sliders

I'm pitching on HOF, just like you. I'm glad I didn't get that far into my franchise before I made the change (no offense). I will definitely give your new settings a shot, and hopefully I can post some stats/feedback after I get my first game in.

Thanks again for your help. Your insight is definitely appreciated.

[itbeme23]

Re: Bobhead's Sliders

Bob,

As promised, I'm going to give you some feedback on the slider changes you made with Human Pitch Control and Consistency at 1. Let's just say that it was quite a different experience than I have been used to over the last ten games or so. Refreshing, yes....hopefully I'll see some different results over the course of time.

STL: 8 13 1
LAD: 7 13 0

Win: R. Franklin
Loss: B. Hawksworth
Save: F. Salas

STL Batting:
2B: R. Theriot, S. Schumaker, T. Cruz
HR: A. Pujols (2), M. Holliday
RBI: K. Lohse, R. Theriot (2), A. Pujols (2), M. Holliday, T. Cruz (2)

LAD Batting:
2B: D. Gordon, J. Uribe, C. Blake
HR: J. Loney
RBI: J. Uribe (2), A. Ethier, M. Kemp, J. Loney (3)

LAD Baserunning:
SB: D. Gordon, T. Gwynn Jr.

Recap:

This was a crazy game for sure. I noticed the difference in sliders right away. I found that it was harder to hit my spots, and even though I struck out Rasmus for the second out of the first inning, I ended up giving up a solo shot to Pujols on a 3-1 fastball. I finally mounted a rally in the 3rd inning, getting 4 NL-style small ball runs. Very nice to see. Cards come back in the top of the 4th with two runs of their own. Opposite field solo HR by Holliday, and a sacrifice fly by K. Lohse (of all people). This was after a walk and a single given up by Kuroda. St. Louis would tie it in the top of the 5th with Pujols' second HR of the game. He CRUSHED this one to deep center. Kuroda in the 6th inning, giving up a single and two doubles. I brought in Guerra to escape further damage. Cards would score three runs, making their lead 7-4 after six innings. I brought in Jansen in the 7th, and he'd make it out of the inning, giving up only a single. Dodgers would mount another comeback in the bottom of the 7th. Kemp singled to left, and Uribe followed with a double to score Kemp. James Loney hits a two-run HR deep to right-center to tie the game at 7. I then drag bunt Gwynn to first, who then stole second with only 1 out. Navarro grounds out to third, which doesn't advance the runner, and Thames strikes out in pinch hit duty to end the inning. 7-7 going into the eighth inning. I start to really play the matchups in the eighth. I bring in Elbert to face the lefty Schumaker, and he pops out. I then bring in Hawksworth to face the rookie Tony Cruz, and he singles to center for his FOURTH hit of the game. Next batter is the pinch-hitter John Jay, and I get him to strike out on a nasty changeup low and away. Next batter is Theriot, and he hits an opposite-field double down the first baseline to score Cruz. I get Rasmus to strike out for the fourth time to end the rally. No noise for the Dodgers in the bottom half of the 8th. Cards lead 8-7 going into the final frame. I bring in Guerrier for the top of the 9th. I get Pujols to fly out for the first out. Holliday reached on a single to SS, because Dee Gordon got caught in a weird animation, and allowed the ball to get passed him. Berkman then hits a taylor made double-play ball to second, Uribe throws to Gordon for the out at second, but he drops the transfer, so Berkman is safe at first. I then get Molina to fly out to left to end the top of the ninth. Once again, absolutely nothing left in the tank for the Dodgers in their half of the inning, and the Cards win it 8-7 in a really fun game.

[itbeme23]

Re: Bobhead's Sliders

Bob,

Saw some pretty gnarly changes to the HOF sliders, especially the CPU hitting....interested in getting your thoughts/reasoning behind them.

[Bobhead]

Re: Bobhead's Sliders

My apologies, but those "changes" were supposed to be there like a week ago when I first posted them, but I have been experiencing internet problems the entire week(ugh Comcast) and wasn't able to really update anything. I had submitted the post once and it stalled out, then I had to go back and retype everything, so of course I was rushing and missed the CPU part (because I just copy/pasted the All Star set to save time typing the global slider areas).

That's the same reason I haven't posted a stats update yet, like I said I would. It was taking me like 10 tries to successfully post something, and I thought I had successfully edited the post last week, but the other day I checked back and realized everything was all messed up.

When I made the HoF slider set I decided two things: That it wasn't necessary to use the same expanded timing window for the CPU, because it can swing whenever the hell it wants to anyway. The AI also has access to directional influence and all of that, and doesn't have to use it "ahead of time." The 1 point increase to Timing there now is more to circumvent the 1 point decrease to Contact.

I also decided I would set everything (in terms of CPU offense) back at default and work from there, instead of trying to build off the sliders for All Star, because I feel the AI has a lot more balance to it on Hall of Fame, despite obviously being more challenging, and that the quirks of All Star didn't really apply.

That Contact was lowered to reduce the superhuman plate vision the AI tends to have. Foul Frequency was decreased 1 point to increase pop-ups/ground outs from the CPU, and that's about it.

I have been using the Hall of Fame set more or less for about a month (I switched to HoF a little after my last stat update), and the only changes I've actually made in my game are CPU Power going from 4 to 5, and Manager Hook from 6 to 4, as well as the bolded changes in the set.

You guys have my word here: the following are changes I'm considering, and are the only changes I will make the rest of the year, if I make them.

Both sets: Baserunner Speed at 2
All Star: Pitch Consistency and Pitch Control at 1, to match what they are in the other set (since both sets are on Hall of Fame Pitching).

And note it's still only consideration. I put off fine tuning the baserunner speed and such because I felt it was the least important, and wanted to get the offense and pitching right first, but lately I've been paying more attention to it and I feel like Baserunners are just a tad too slow at 1.

*Franchise update in following post*

[Bobhead]

Re: Bobhead's Sliders

After getting a terrible April (10-18). The Tampa Bay Rays cruised through most of May, with 2 consecutive 5 game win streaks, winning 14 of 17. Everything changed when interleague play came around though. The Rays were quickly swept out of Miami, scoring only 2 runs in 3 games, and getting shut out twice.

The Rays rebounded by sweeping Detroit with great pitching, but are still struggling offensively. It has been 9 games since the Rays scored more than 4 runs in a game, and in the same time period, the Rays have scored 2 runs or less 6 times.

Last 12 games:
TB: 5 -- NYY: 3
TB: 6 -- NYY: 7

TB: 7 -- TOR: 3
TB: 4 -- TOR: 3

TB: 0 -- FLA: 1
TB: 0 -- FLA: 3
TB: 2 -- FLA: 3

TB: 3 -- DET: 0
TB: 4 -- DET: 3
TB: 2 -- DET: 1

TB: 2 -- CLE: 5
TB: 1 -- CLE: 0

---
Pitching Stats:
Innings Pitched: 481 -- 53 Games
Batters Faced: 1958
ERA: 2.83 (up from 2.72)
Walks: 107 -- 2.01 per game (down from 2.125)
Strikeouts: 270 -- 5.09 per game (down from 6.25)
Batting Average: .241
Hits: 473 -- 8.92 per game (up from 8.625)
Runs: 169 -- 3.19 per game
Home Runs: 55 -- 1.03 per game (up from 0.625)

Batting Stats:
At-Bats: 1813
Batting Average: .252 (down from .267)
Hits: 456 -- 8.6 per game (down from 9.5)
* Extra-Base Hits: 109 -- 2.06 per game (down from 2.25)
Home Runs: 50 -- 0.94 per game (down from 1.25)
Walks: 152 -- 2.86 per game (up from 1.875)
Strikeouts: 446 -- 8.42 per game (up from 7.5 per game)
Batting Average w/ RiSP: .261 (down from .315)
Runs scored: 222 -- 4.19 per game

*Excluding Home Runs

More or less what I've expected. The offensive drop I expected because I started the season with an 11-0 win, and the first stats post was only after 8 games. Walks can be attributed to the drop in Pitch Speed as well as that I'm feeling better at the plate than I was, that's one thing I will keep an eye on, though.

24% (23.9) of my hits are doubles or triples, which sounds spot on. At the 8-game update a while back, I had 18 XBH's out of 76 Hits, which is still 24% (23.6), so everything has more or less stayed consistent, relative to my batting average.

My ERA stands out, but don't be fooled. the Tampa Bay pitching staff is pretty well-rated in the game - overrated, in my opinion - and I think this is a big factor. In real life, the Phillies lead the majors with a 2.98, so my ERA is pretty close to "potential reality." Most importantly however, it is important to note that The Show has problems scoring errors and earned runs correctly. If you look up real-life run averages (as opposed to earned run averages),you will see that the Phillies match my number almost exactly, with an average of 3.2 runs per game.

I'm currently at 53 games. I will probably post another update at roughly 75 in.

[Dogbarian]

Re: Bobhead's Sliders

Just to give you more feedback, I've been using your sliders in RTTS, batting on Veteran, and while I'm still not seeing enough walks, or balls for that matter, I am able to draw one on occasion now.

I ran into a problem with my catcher RTTS, with the pitcher being so poor, so I bumped up the CPU pitcher control & consistency while I was receiving and lowered it again for batting. But all of the fielding, and my hitting all seem to be appropriate.

I think what I need to do is move up to all-star hitting, to get more balls, and I'll have to monitor that for a bit to make sure I don't need to move the batting sliders up a bit. And I think now that I have a fairly good grip on things in general, it's time to start a franchise.

[Qb]

Re: Bobhead's Sliders

Bobhead, have you posted the all HOF sliders to the vault? As I said before, when I manually input them, I'm always tempted to make changes...

I think what I need to do is move up to all-star hitting, to get more balls, and I'll have to monitor that for a bit to make sure I don't need to move the batting sliders up a bit.

From my experience, you are correct. User hitting difficulty does affect the CPU pitchers' approach. On rookie & veteran, they tend to throw a lot of strikes, even if they shouldn't. They pitch more intelligently on all-star, but for me, the greatest difference is seen when moving to hall of fame. A lot more nibbling, albeit intelligently, which means the user needs to be on their A-game at the plate. But it also means the potential for more walks and great at-bats with the right approach.

[itbeme23]

Re: Bobhead's Sliders

Bob,

This has been on my mind since your latest stat post, but I haven't had the chance to respond until now.

With the increase in CPU contact from 3 to 4, are you still seeing a decent amount of strikeouts per game? With contact at 3, it seemed like I was getting a good result of 5-8 strikeouts per game, with the occasional 9-10 K performance by front-line starters (Kershaw and Billingsley). I noticed in your stats that you've seen a decrease in your average strikeouts per game since increasing CPU contact to 4, and I was wondering if you ever consider dropping it back down to 3? 5 Ks per game seems a little on the low end, especially over a period of the whole season don't you think???

I really enjoy your new pitching sliders, so I'm going to give your CPU hitting sliders a shot once I'm back in town tomorrow. I will admit that I was reluctant to give the CPU that much of a shot in the arm (no pun intended) offensively, but I know that a whole lot of testing goes into your slider settings, so I am willing to give them a try. I just hope that my pitchers don't get shelled every game. When I had your previous settings (CPU contact 3, Power 4, Timing 8, Solid Hits 3), I was getting good results, and the scores were varied (which is a big thing for me). I hope I get that same variability when I make the switch to your new sliders tomorrow morning.

Cheers....

[Bobhead]

Re: Bobhead's Sliders

Bobhead, have you posted the all HOF sliders to the vault? As I said before, when I manually input them, I'm always tempted to make changes...

Just uploaded them. Enjoy

Bob,

This has been on my mind since your latest stat post, but I haven't had the chance to respond until now.

With the increase in CPU contact from 3 to 4, are you still seeing a decent amount of strikeouts per game? With contact at 3, it seemed like I was getting a good result of 5-8 strikeouts per game, with the occasional 9-10 K performance by front-line starters (Kershaw and Billingsley). I noticed in your stats that you've seen a decrease in your average strikeouts per game since increasing CPU contact to 4, and I was wondering if you ever consider dropping it back down to 3? 5 Ks per game seems a little on the low end, especially over a period of the whole season don't you think???

I really enjoy your new pitching sliders, so I'm going to give your CPU hitting sliders a shot once I'm back in town tomorrow. I will admit that I was reluctant to give the CPU that much of a shot in the arm (no pun intended) offensively, but I know that a whole lot of testing goes into your slider settings, so I am willing to give them a try. I just hope that my pitchers don't get shelled every game. When I had your previous settings (CPU contact 3, Power 4, Timing 8, Solid Hits 3), I was getting good results, and the scores were varied (which is a big thing for me). I hope I get that same variability when I make the switch to your new sliders tomorrow morning.

Cheers....

I haven't really seen that big of a change. I know my strikeouts are way down statistically speaking, but I've only had the contact increase for about a month or so (last 30-35 games) of in-season time, so there's still another 15 or so games to account for, because the first set of stats was after 8 games. I know looking back at my schedule, I lost a lot of games that first month, so I think the strikeout rate decrease is just a result of how I've been playing, and I'm pretty confident that if I played 5-10 games then checked my stats again, they'd be slightly higher.

Also, I'm not really much of a strikeout guy myself. I'd be willing to bet money that anyone who uses my sliders will always be ahead of me in strikeouts, because more frequently I find myself pitching to contact, or to induce a double play, and it's only in the ridiculous jams that I'm really pitching with a strikeout in mind.

You shouldn't see any changes in hit variance at all. The 1 point cut in Timing was just because it was a little too easy to foul off pitches you completely misread. Lowering Foul Frequency alone would have fixed the problem, but then the timing window would be expanded, because fewer pitches would land outside the foul lines. I only lowered Timing to keep things the same.

[itbeme23]

Re: Bobhead's Sliders

Bob,

I've played a total of five games with your new CPU hitting sliders, and I've been getting hit HARD, which was my main concern. I understand that five games is not the greatest sample size, but I played with your previous hitting sliders for well over 30 games, and I was getting great results (variety) with CPU Contact at 3, while also seeing a realistic amount of strikeouts. I say realistic because the averages were pretty much spot on. With Kershaw, I was able to K at least 6 a game, with the high being 10, and with lower-level starters, I would have to really work to get 5 or 6 strikeouts. I've been getting shelled by the CPU with the current settings, and I'm leaning towards moving contact back down to 3 to see how that works. I figured with the increase in foul frequency, dropping contact won't have that big of an effect other than increasing strikeouts (I hope). I've also been seeing a substantial increase in doubles by the CPU, so I want to keep an eye on that as well. I'm actually thinking of back through my first 20 games of my franchise to see what the average number of doubles has been. All I know is, over the last few games, half of the CPU hits have been for extra bases (2B, HR). I'm not sure what the exact statistic should be, but I don't think it should be that high.

Thoughts???