Global Slider Discussion

[Bobhead]

This thread's title brought to you by heroesandvillains. All rights reserved.


As I teeter back and forth between whether to stick to playing "out of the box," or working on a full set of sliders this year, I am curious as to what everyone's observations are thus far. Of course, everyone has a different playing ability and style, so I don't see much merit in discussing pitching or hitting sliders. Instead, I wanted to stick to discussing the sliders I feel are more agreeable, the "neutral" ones if you will.

While discrepancies and subjectivity cannot be completely avoided, I feel like there is no real reason for many people to be at opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to the speed of a baserunner, or the amount of errors, etc...

Thus, this thread is for everyone to post their observations on how the game plays out of the box, with regards to only the following sliders:

- CPU Pickoffs
- Fielding Errors
- Throwing Errors
- Fielder Run Speed
- Fielder Reaction
- Fielder Arm Strength
- Baserunner Speed
- Baserunner Steal Ability
- Baserunner Steal Frequency
- Wind

Do you feel like fielders run too quickly this year? Too slowly? Any of these seem to be significantly different from last year? Anything you feel worth mentioning with regards to one of these slider/attributes, feel free to say here. The more reasoning, information, or context you can give, the better.

[Heroesandvillains]

Re: "Neutral" Slider Discussion

As I teeter back and forth between whether to stick to playing "out of the box," or working on a full set of sliders this year, I am curious as to what everyone's observations are thus far. Of course, everyone has a different playing ability and style, so I don't see much merit in discussing pitching or hitting sliders. Instead, I wanted to stick to discussing the sliders I feel are more agreeable, the "neutral" ones if you will.

While discrepancies and subjectivity cannot be completely avoided, I feel like there is no real reason for many people to be at opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to the speed of a baserunner, or the amount of errors, etc...

Thus, this thread is for everyone to post their observations on how the game plays out of the box, with regards to only the following sliders:

- CPU Pickoffs
- Fielding Errors
- Throwing Errors
- Fielder Run Speed
- Fielder Reaction
- Fielder Arm Strength
- Baserunner Speed
- Baserunner Steal Ability
- Baserunner Steal Frequency
- Wind

Do you feel like fielders run too quickly this year? Too slowly? Any of these seem to be significantly different from last year? Anything you feel worth mentioning with regards to one of these slider/attributes, feel free to say here. The more reasoning, information, or context you can give, the better.

Bobhead,

Since you've donated to OS, I'd recommend you change your post title to include the word "Global." Example: "Global and Neutral Slider Discussion."

I almost didn't even open this thread, until I did, and realized what you were taking about. LOL! I really don't plan on slider tweaking this year...except...

The sliders you're taking about.

Anyway, it's early, but I'd like to see more CPU steal attempts and errors all around (I use Auto fielding). But I haven't played enough yet to say anything with any certainty.

[nomo17k]

Re: "Neutral" Slider Discussion

I haven't spent too much time really watching/playing games and all are on Vita, but a couple things that I'm already thinking about the sliders you mentioned are...

-- Fielder Arm Strength is a bit too high.
-- Fielde Run Speed can be toned down a bit more.

Just going by visual though... I want them to look good in the field playing like real stuff. I don't know yet if I'll be adjusting those based on stats I've been accumulating.

I don't know about the rest of the global sliders yet.

In general, the default slider set has been playing very sim baseball for me (CPU vs CPU).

[Majingir]

Re: "Neutral" Slider Discussion

For CPU pickoffs, I think the middle(or maybe 1 to the left or right) is fine. They'll throw pickoffs if you're guy is too far from the bag, but they won't throw for no reason at all.

Wind is fine in the middle too, cause weather is unpredictable. One day it could be 0, next day it could be 20 or something.

Harder ones for me to determine and the fielder run speed/reaction/arm strength.

I know for fielding/throwing errors, the MLB average is around .6 per game(for each team) so them being in the middle means that we'll probably see 1-2 errors a game combined(on average).

Baserunner speed is another one I dont' think I'll be able to determine good sliders for. Frequency though, you should be seeing a stolen base attempt once per game, and steal success is around 70%, so maybe that slider should be moved abit up?

[Jgainsey]

Re: "Neutral" Slider Discussion

I haven't spent too much time really watching/playing games and all are on Vita, but a couple things that I'm already thinking about the sliders you mentioned are...

-- Fielder Arm Strength is a bit too high.
-- Fielde Run Speed can be toned down a bit more.

Just going by visual though... I want them to look good in the field playing like real stuff. I don't know yet if I'll be adjusting those based on stats I've been accumulating.

I don't know about the rest of the global sliders yet.

In general, the default slider set has been playing very sim baseball for me (CPU vs CPU).

I haven't been able to play too much yet, but those were the first issues to jump out at me as well.

[Bobhead]

Re: "Neutral" Slider Discussion

A lack of errors was the very first thing I noticed, all the way back in like my first 3 innings of 2012. Like you guys, I also quickly noticed that Fielder Arm Strength needed to be lowered. Right now I have field/throw errors and 6/7, and arm strength at 4. I haven't changed fielder run speed yet, but I haven't really put thought into it, either.

[Qb]

Re: "Neutral" Slider Discussion

Glad to see this. These are the sliders I'm more interested in discussing here, as the hitting/pitching settings are largely skill-based. I only have a few games under my belt, so anything I say is very much first impression stuff.

I have Fielder Speed and Arm Strength down one click from default. I want to avoid going too far this early, but I still feel throws might be a touch too strong. I threw out a guy at 3rd from medium-depth LCF with Alex Presley (weak arm) flat-footed after cutting the ball off in the gap. Later that inning, I nailed a guy at the plate with after a ball to the wall in RCF. From just short of the track, the throw from the RF to cut-off was on the fly, then a one-hop rope from well on the outfield grass nailed him at the plate. This is with default BR Speed using All-Star difficulty analog throwing, so perhaps increased throwing errors or difficulty might be another avenue to explore since all throws in question were spot on accurate. I notice this on my few throws to 2B on steal attempts as well.

Speaking of steal attempts, I will most likely raise BR Steal Frequency, although I'm not sure how far. I have it up two clicks for now; Rajai Davis took off in the first inning of my game last night. I threw him out with one of those perfect throws -- I also picked him off -- and I got someone else in a previous game. Thus far it's been mostly one attempt by a true base-stealer (played Jays twice in ST); I'd like to see more from others, but this is one I'll rely on the CPU/CPU sim guys to monitor... get on it, Nomo!

I'm in much the same boat with errors. I suspect a slight increase will be appropriate, maybe more for throwing, as I haven't seen any wild throws (from myself or CPU). No bobbles or bad hopes either, just a missed flyball by the CPU CF and a phantom error on Pedro on a grounder towards the line I thought was a clean hit. This is another one I like to evaluate by way of simulated stats.

Finally, I haven't touched CPU Pickoffs yet, despite having it very low in '11. I've seen a few throws from them, including to 2B, but it's not automatic when I take an extra step. But if consistently take it, the CPU will react, so it appears to good so far.

[Bobhead]

Re: "Neutral" Slider Discussion

Yeah Pickoffs is something I've been keeping an eye on, but thus far everything seems fine; it definitely appears that the devs fixed the pickoff woes from last year. I'm with you on steal attempts also, but I haven't actually changed anything yet myself.

[Qb]

Re: "Neutral" Slider Discussion

Do you want me to edit the thread title? Like H&V, my reaction to the current one was to expect sliders that were equal for the user and CPU.

[Bobhead]

Re: "Neutral" Slider Discussion

Do you want me to edit the thread title? Like H&V, my reaction to the current one was to expect sliders that were equal for the user and CPU.

Yes, that would be great. I thought editing the "title" in my post would change the thread's title, but I just now realized it didn't. "Global Slider Discussion" is fine.

[Heroesandvillains]

Re: Global Slider Discussion

How are you guys feeling about in-game and sim injuries?

I've seen one in-game injury so far (let's say 10-15 games played, 5 watched...so 20 games total).

And I'm seeing a TON when I sim to the next day in Franchise.

Last year, I used 7 for in-game and 3 for simming, but I don't want to do anything just yet until I get everyone's feedback.

[DarwinB]

Re: Global Slider Discussion

How are you guys feeling about in-game and sim injuries?

I've seen one in-game injury so far (let's say 10-15 games played, 5 watched...so 20 games total).

And I'm seeing a TON when I sim to the next day in Franchise.

Last year, I used 7 for in-game and 3 for simming, but I don't want to do anything just yet until I get everyone's feedback.

I'm seeing the same thing. After several exhibition games I started a franchise with the injury slider at default. After I simmed the first day of the season before playing my game there were 8 injuries (4 were for 3-4 months).

Last year I had the injury slider at 3 for both sim and in-game and that is where I have it this year. Yes, injuries are part of the game, but it can kind of take the fun out of it as well. I remember last year, my first trip to Texas with my Yankees and Josh Hamilton, Michael Young and Ian Kinsler were all out with serious injuries. I also had A-Rod and Cano get hurt in the same game with serious injuries but I reversed them.

It would be nice to be able to limit the seriousness of injuries if you wanted to. Maybe we could have the option of limiting the length of injuries to a maximum of 3-4 weeks or something. I don't mind my star/favorite players being out for a few weeks, but not for months or the season.

[Bobhead]

Re: Global Slider Discussion

At 5 games into my franchise, I've seen only 1 injury in a played game. It was some sort of freak "random" pitcher injury, that only lasted 2 days. I've seen like 5 injuries in that time span in my minor league games, which I simulate. That seems like a lot, but thinking about it, that's about 2.5 per league?

Does anyone else feel like fielders get rid of the ball wayyyy too quickly in this game? I've lowered Arm Strength all the way to 0 now. At this point I'm wondering if the slider is reversed, because I feel like it needs to be lowered even more.

[DarwinB]

Re: Global Slider Discussion

At 5 games into my franchise, I've seen only 1 injury in a played game. It was some sort of freak "random" pitcher injury, that only lasted 2 days. I've seen like 5 injuries in that time span in my minor league games, which I simulate. That seems like a lot, but thinking about it, that's about 2.5 per league?

Does anyone else feel like fielders get rid of the ball wayyyy too quickly in this game? I've lowered Arm Strength all the way to 0 now. At this point I'm wondering if the slider is reversed, because I feel like it needs to be lowered even more.

I'm not sure what it is, but I am one of the many who have had my RF throw a guy out at first. Mind you it was a hard hit ball by Sandoval right at my RF, so I guess it could happen on occasion. But I REALLY don't like adjusting sliders like arm strength, baserunner speed, etc, as it can easily create a domino effect and cause you to adjust other sliders to compensate. Maybe if enough express concerns a patch could fix things up

[DarwinB]

Re: Global Slider Discussion

I deleted my D'backs season and started again and played the first game between Lincecum and Kennedy.

For cpu pitching I used:

control - 4
consistency - 5
strike frequency - 3

I lost 4-1 but I blew a bases loaded 1-out situation (more on this later), and a runners on 2nd and 3rd with nobody out opportunity.

Lincecum lasted 7 innings, throwing 111 pitches, giving up only 1 hit, striking out 8 and walking 4. His strike ratio was 59% - and that includes my swinging at quite a few pitches out of the strike zone. Is that too low of a ratio? Overall the strike ratio for the Giant pitchers was 61% - so fairly realistic I think. I ended up with only 4 hits (2 XBH), 4 BBs and 10 k's (mostly of the swinging at bad pitches variety)

With human pitching sliders at default my strike ratio was 61%. My issue was that I couldn't strike anybody out and only had 2 k's in the game. I gave up 13 hits, including a double, a triple and a homer

But a few observations:

As mentioned, I had a bases loaded 1-out situation. Goldschmidt was the runner at 3rd. I hit a fairly long fly ball down the right field line. Melky Cabrera has to run it down to make the catch. Goldschmidt takes off for home and with fielder arm strength at default he guns him down at the plate. In this case it wasn't unrealistic that Cabrera got to the ball to make the catch (fielder run speed at 4), but I don't think he should have been able to hrow the guy out out home even though Goldschmidt isn't a very fast runner)

Then, with fielder run speed at 4, I hit a pretty solid, long tailing flyball deep in to the left field corner. Huff runs it down rather casually, but i did manage to get a sacrifice fly out of it.

So, after playing several games and this past game I think I am going to start my season with the following slider adjustments:

all default (5) except:

human timing - 6
reliver stamina - 2
cpu pitching consistency - 4 (control at default)
cpu strike frequency - 4
pitch speed - 3 (I'm 48 years old, enough said)
fielder run speed - 3
fielder arm strength - 4
injury frequency - 3 (personal pref. I don't mind a few injuries but not too many)

I would appreciate your input and feedback