slider adjustments to reduce human strikeouts

[DarwinB]

I'm on HOF with timing hitting.

Current hitting sliders are:

Contact - 5
Power - 4
Timing - 5
Solid hits - 4

My cpu pitching sliders are at 5,5,3 and pitch speed is at 4. I have foul frequency at 6. I don't use any hitting aids (guess pitch, strike zone).

I'm getting a decent amount of hits per game. Played 3 games as the Brewers and got 6,9,10 hits in those games, with 4 doubles and 4 homers. My BA was .238 for the series. Not bad, not great.

My problem is that I strikeout WAY too much. I struck out 31 times in this series. The last game I struck out 13 times, chased 29 pitches which led to 9 of my strikeouts. I don't want to go down to AllStar, as I like the challenge of HOF and hit too easily on AS.

So how do I tweak my sliders to help reduce my strikeouts? Lower pitch speed to 3? Tweak cpu pitching sliders from something other than 5,5,3?

Yes, I realize my strikeouts are mostly as a result of human error, and sliders can't be blamed for me chasing pitches - but am wondering if there is a tweak I can make to a slider that would help me cut down my K's while not necessarily increasing my hit totals too much. Thanks

[JackBurton]

Re: slider adjustments to reduce human strikeouts

Are you using the contact swing on 2 strikes? I find that can really decrease strikeouts as the PCI gets bigger plus you can check swing very easily.

I would lower pitch speed if you can't turn on an inside fastball when you are looking for it or if you can't properly hit high fastballs when looking for them. That's how I set my pitch speed as you shouldn't be struggling on fastballs when you are sitting on them.

Raising timing helps in lowering strikeouts. It shouldn't make a huge difference but at the same time, it won't increase hit totals much either. Move this slider up a couple notches at a time, it's not very powerful.

Raising contact will increase your PCI but this will have the most impact for increasing hit totals so if you move it up, only move it up a notch at a time. However, since you are using timing hitting, it might not increase hit totals as much as say if you were using zone hitting.

I wouldn't tweak the CPU pitching sliders if you feel you are getting realistically pitched games with good ball/strike ratios.

[Bobhead]

Re: slider adjustments to reduce human strikeouts

Both the Contact and Timing sliders affect strikeouts. The most accurate solution can be drawn by analyzing your strikeouts (press L3 after pitches), did you strikeout because of PCI location, or poor timing? If the former, raising Contact will increase your batters' internal (independent of human input) ability to swing in the right location, meaning you will put the ball into play more often, and strikeout less frequently.

Jack was right up to this point, but I assure you that both - although moreso Timing - have an impact on batting averages. On higher difficulties, an increased Timing will lead to "just late" swings resulting in hits in the gap, or down the line, as opposed to those swings resulting in foul balls or missed swings.

In terms of Sliders, Contact appears to be your solution, but whichever you increase, I definitely recommend you also increase Foul Frequency to compensate.

The most important thing though is that it sounds like you need to use Contact Swing more frequently. Contact Swing is essential for staying alive with 2 strikes, and prevents the pitcher from abusing outside pitches all day. I've even hit a home run with C-Swing; it is certainly not useless offensively. Just be sure to intentionally swing early or late, if you aren't sure about the location, to increase the chance of it going foul.

[G4Vendetta]

Re: slider adjustments to reduce human strikeouts

don't worry about the sliders first. The reason you and most people are striking out is because the batter's view is not where it should be. Make a custom batting view more like the pic here. I started a thread about this to try and explain something so simple but makes the game fatally flawed out of the box. Fortunately, we can adjust the batter view.

The view should be as close to the batters hip as possible and about waist high. The strikezone extreme side will split the pitcher in half for reference.

Almost the strike frequency should be between 0 and 2. 1 and 2 being more realistic for a first strike MLB ave which is 58%.

It seems the developers are not baseball players and if they are they forgot batters don't see the ball from the catchers eye.

[rymflaherty]

Re: slider adjustments to reduce human strikeouts

All the above seem like great suggestions.
I myself may have to try creating that custom camera......if I were you I'd probably try that first.
Then if that didn't work - timing up a notch and making sure to use contact with 2 strikes.
Then if still having problems.....moving contact up one. I'd think you could get away with that and not drastically ruin the game. If you get a few less strikeouts and it leads to a couple more hits per game, if anything that is probably closer to what it should be.
At this point I really don't understand how so many people seem to be hitting .240 and calling it a "realistic" experience. Only one team (Seattle) hit under .240 last year. Granted that's probably more realistic than hitting .330, but a true sim result should be more so .250-.270.

Another issue with "realism" I'm starting to have is with CPU pitch selection. I'm not sure if it's just the game, HOF, or the changes with the CPU sliders, but from my experience there are simply too many breaking balls being thrown.....and to me that's a main cause for the strikeout issues.
Playing a game last night and had 4 CH's up in a row to start an at-bat. In a three inning stretch nearly 70% of pitches were off-speed pitches from a primarily fastball pitcher ( I don't chase a ton, so I didn't really give incentive to keep going with those pitches). Maybe I'll have to start charting it closer and that was an aberration, but from my experience it seems to be a much higher percent than the 20-30% range you'd see from the average MLB pitcher.

[G4Vendetta]

Re: slider adjustments to reduce human strikeouts

I hear you. Because so many breaking balls are chased and missed the pitcher confidence for that pitch gets higher and higher. Then in turn they start to throw it often. The only way to stop them from throwing it---i think---is keep that pitch's confidence lower. The pitchers do seem to use those pitches that confidence are highest with the occasional oddball.

With the correct batting view the game does totally change for the better.

[coreyhartsdaughter]

Re: slider adjustments to reduce human strikeouts

It seems the developers are not baseball players and if they are they forgot batters don't see the ball from the catchers eye.

This is backwards, no? The view you posted IS from the catchers eye level, but on an altered plane.

I feel default Catcher view is actually more true to life (lower and straighter plane of vision), the strike zone is significantly higher and proportionate to both the distance and height of the pitcher. (see post 47 here: http://www.operationsports.com/forum...ikeouts-5.html)

What you've done above is essentially create the view from 2010, where break is more easily picked up and decreased. (even fastballs). If you compare the break on a 4SFB from this year to last year (default Catcher) this years ball drops from the pitchers arm. Last year, although the pitch was forced to go down to be in the strike zone, it basically went straight down with no break because your looking down at the plate.

If you look at the plane of vision from last year to this year, you'll see how home plate is essentiall flatter. Your custom camera pictured above has changed the plane significantly reducing the break on every pitch.

I won't disagree that the view for 2011 is more difficult than that of 2010 (and most likely effects more players out of the box), however it is in effect more realistic as again, it is from a flatter plane.

Of course, who cares! Whatever helps people to enjoy the game more and achieve better personal results. I'd def. agree that your camera would significantly reduce strikeouts, primarily due to the ability to almost immediately identify a pitch type and the appearance of break sooner in the pitch.

[G4Vendetta]

Re: slider adjustments to reduce human strikeouts

This is backwards, no? The view you posted IS from the catchers eye level, but on an altered plane.

I feel default Catcher view is actually more true to life (lower and straighter plane of vision), the strike zone is significantly higher and proportionate to both the distance and height of the pitcher. (see post 47 here: http://www.operationsports.com/forum...ikeouts-5.html)

What you've done above is essentially create the view from 2010, where break is more easily picked up and decreased. (even fastballs). If you compare the break on a 4SFB from this year to last year (default Catcher) this years ball drops from the pitchers arm. Last year, although the pitch was forced to go down to be in the strike zone, it basically went straight down with no break because your looking down at the plate.

If you look at the plane of vision from last year to this year, you'll see how home plate is essentiall flatter. Your custom camera pictured above has changed the plane significantly reducing the break on every pitch.

I won't disagree that the view for 2011 is more difficult than that of 2010 (and most likely effects more players out of the box), however it is in effect more realistic as again, it is from a flatter plane.

Of course, who cares! Whatever helps people to enjoy the game more and achieve better personal results. I'd def. agree that your camera would significantly reduce strikeouts, primarily due to the ability to almost immediately identify a pitch type and the appearance of break sooner in the pitch.

The height of the view would be about chest high and more inside but the pitcher's delivery gets blocked from some batters. As it is a think its about waist level. There is still a flaw that won't allow the perfect angle because of the batter animation and the closer the camera gets to being level with the batter the ability to move up stops. The strike zone box's far right side cuts the pitcher in half. I should have posted a pic of that for reference but I play with it off.

Most pics I'm seeing of custom views are far too far back and in the middle of the plate. In years past the pitch break was far too unrealistic because it just doesn't move that way and most importantly batter's do not see balls coming from the straight angle and severely downward angle. Last year the angle sucked as well and I quit playing because I couldn't adjust the angle.

The height of the view is not as high as it should be. However, in order to see speed and not have to guess the angle most be inside on the side of the batter. The game is also only on a flat 2 dimensional TV and something must be done to give the batter a chance to see the pitch coming instead of only it coming straight for your eye whereby its much more difficult to see speed.

I am glad this year it is customizable. Ill post another picture with the strike zone on for reference. The point is this: in real life I don't have this kind of trouble hitting and picking up the speed and break. The reason: the view is too far back, the pitcher looks far away, and the view should not be so low and in the middle.

[chriscollique]

Re: slider adjustments to reduce human strikeouts

g4vendetta is right the camera view is good thats what i use too u get differents kinda hits with good contact and i dont need to mess with the sliders i play on default sliders all star level...and finally winning games!!!

[BlackBetty15]

Re: slider adjustments to reduce human strikeouts

Something else that I want to kind of throw out there is that with all the factors and what not goin into the pitch accuracy and the somewhat innacuracy of the pitchers repertoire, I have turned the pitcher confidence OFF and that makes the pitcher throw the pitch he is best at which is a a bit more realistic than what has been happening to me. Or at least when i face pitchers like king felix and like pitchers I get their REAL stuff it seems.