Mike Lowe MLB The Show '17 Sliders

[wanzalla13]

Re: Mike Lowe MLB The Show '17 Sliders

It is set at one because anything higher and you'll make way way WAY too much contact per swing attempt. You should be missing on about 21% of your total swings, including strikeouts. You can tally this information via the pause menu and batter analysis or whatever it is called.

Is poor contact (i.e. pop ups in foul territory) factored in as well? Or just swings and misses? I'm just getting a handle on all of these new metrics.

[KiDLiQuiD]

Re: Mike Lowe MLB The Show '17 Sliders

Hey, Mike. Picked up the game after a long break and want to give these a try. Will pitching on All-Star work with these or are they made with Legend difficulty in mind?

[Mike Lowe]

Re: Mike Lowe MLB The Show '17 Sliders

Wow! Didn't you say you pitched on Legend difficulty?

Yeah, Legend for pitching, and HoF for hitting.

[Mike Lowe]

Re: Mike Lowe MLB The Show '17 Sliders

Is poor contact (i.e. pop ups in foul territory) factored in as well? Or just swings and misses? I'm just getting a handle on all of these new metrics.

Poor contact is still contact. Approx 21% refers to only the number of misses per swing.

[Mike Lowe]

Re: Mike Lowe MLB The Show '17 Sliders

Hey, Mike. Picked up the game after a long break and want to give these a try. Will pitching on All-Star work with these or are they made with Legend difficulty in mind?

I would say yes and yes. They are made for Legend, but I doubt the game would break by switching difficulties. The game has far more to do with the success of this set than any changes I've made.

My changes simply try to reel in more of the realism that a video game, understandably somewhat, has to balance with keeping folks interested.

What keeps my interest is realism, especially with baseball, so that's what my tweaks are looking to do. But I doubt you'd have any issues or noticable problems, HOWEVER, I would absolutely track your stats because you may see a bit too much dominance, especially with how I have things balance for realistic strikeouts on Legend.

[wanzalla13]

Re: Mike Lowe MLB The Show '17 Sliders

*The official sliders for OSFM rosters*

*Please do not ask whether these can be used in other modes or difficulties. Instead, please read this first post and use the search feature as these questions have already been asked ad nauseam. These are made for franchise mode using the info I already wrote below. I am no longer responding to these questions.*

Version 2.8 (10-3-17)
Patch 1.11








FAQs

• Yes, these are up in the vault. Search for OSFM Mike Lowe.
• Yes, I believe these will work fine on other difficult levels.
• I use zone hitting on HoF, but with the cursor off. They will work fine with directional hitting.
• I do move my cursor around, but also keep a simple gameplan in place for each at bat, and try not to over-complicate my at-bats.
• I pitch on Legend, and pitch for the edges to look to get the AI to chase, so walks and Ks will happen. I also max out the pitch effectiveness on the meter w 2 strikes and/or 3 balls.
• I try and not throw wild pitches with runners on base as the catchers in this game just aren't all that great at blocking pitches in the dirt.
• Yes, the AI will throw some beanballs, but your HBP will be in-line with the rest of the simulated league.
• I use auto-fielding for the added animations (and better defensive plays) that you simply will not see on manual fielding. If you don't believe me, go check my Twitter.

Welcome
Thanks for checking out my sliders for MLB The Show '17! This is my third season working on sliders for this game, which includes one of those seasons being a full 162 games where all games and all pitches were played.

I've been involved in game development as a freelance hobby, most notably as a beta tester for Out of the Park Baseball since 2008, and I'm heavily focused on details and accuracy of simulation, striving to have a slider set that matches modern MLB output, but also across the simulated game spectrum.

Goals of this set (approximates, and won't be every single game):
60% first pitch strikes
62% ball:strike ratio, but 65-68% for higher-end pitchers
.300 team BABIP (BABIP calculator)
15% foul balls per total pitches
21% swings and misses per total number of swings (misses plus strikeouts)
HRs right around 1 per game, per team, maybe a tick above. (1.1-1.2)
HBP should fall in-line with simulated games
Depending on repertoire, varied flyball to groundball ratios
The rest of your statistical accuracy will come from these. Simple.

*****I stream some games from my franchise, and you can see my results, box scores, etc at the end of each game. The link can be found in my signature.*****

I've been playing the show since the game first came out, and I'd say I'm a good player, having once been ranked in the Top 100 in Diamond Dynasty (no longer play that mode much). Most importantly, I love baseball and am always looking for ways to make The Show as realistic as possible, even if that means I don't win the division every year. I hope you find some value in these sliders and if not, be sure and check out some of the others on OS.

***Lastly, make sure you spend more time playing the game than exploring the sliders forum!***

Nutshell Version
This set is based on accurate first pitch strikes, ball to strike ratios, BABIP, foul ball %, swinging miss %, HR ratios, and groundball to flyball ratios. This is also the only slider I set I've seen that will give you accurate HBP totals for played games.

Detailed Version
These sliders are designed for folks who've found they're in need of a more challenging set when compared to the more popular slider sets out there for MLB The Show. I was using some of those sliders before myself, but they became far too easy to dominate and win.

Regardless of which slider set you choose, it's important for you the gamer to take ownership of YOUR sliders and move beyond slider dependency/slideritis, and learn how to comfortably tweak them without feeling as though the sky is falling.

Dymanic difficult is a brilliant idea, but it's too simplified--instead, take up the challenge to dynamically adjust your OWN difficult (sliders/settings) as you go. I'm not a fan of "final" or "locked" sliders because you should always be evaluating and tweaking to adjust to your improved gameplay during the season; you're going to be better on game 162 than you are in game 1, period.

At the same time, this game is clean and balanced enough that you don't need to restart over and over just because you bumped a few sliders up or down. Just play and continually check yourself against the league stats and rankings, and keep sample size in mind.

The game plays well out of the box, and variety AND oddities are a part of baseball; over the course of 162 games, it will level itself out just fine, and the cream will rise to the top. Don't worry if you're not the cream every season.

Use these sliders as a base and tweak, because we ALL play differently and have our own unique skill sets. You don't need to wait to start a franchise to use these sliders, you don't need to start anything over, and you can tweak during your season as you won't be seeing anything out of the realm of possibility, and certainly nothing that won't stand the test of time over 162 games.

*****Staying locked into a bad slider set for 162 games is the only thing that will skew your results one way or another, so don't do that!*****

GAMEPLAY OPTIONS
If you'd like, share your box scores here

BATTING & BASERUNNING
Hitting Difficulty - All-Star or HoF
Hitting Interface - Directional or Zone
Input Type - Buttons
Plate Coverage Indicator - Off
PCI Appearance - Wedge (for Zone)
Camera Shift - Off
Hitting View – The Show 15 (gives most realistic 60' 6" view from mound)
In-Play View Offense - Broadcast
Ball Trail - Off
Guess Pitch - Off
Baserunning Decisions - Assist
Baserunning Interface - Default
Sliding Decisions - Assist
Runner Windows - On

PITCHING
Pitching Difficulty - Legend
Pitching Interface - Meter (classic and pulse will work fine as well, so long as you're evaluating your performance)
Pitch Feedback - Off
Pitching View – Broadcast or Outfield (broadcast seems to glitch SI swings making them appear very slow)
Pitching Ball Marker - Off
Pitch Confidence - On
Pitch Delay - Normal
API - Default

FIELDING
Throwing Interface - Buttons
Throwing Meter - No Feedback
Throwing Difficulty - Hall of Fame
Fielding Decision - Auto or Assist (manual fielding)
Throwing Decision - On or Off (manual fielding)
In-Play View Defense - Broadcast
Throw Cancelling - On
One Button Dive/Jump - Off
Catch Position Indicator - On
Defensive Shift - Auto (but adjust yourself too if need be. Auto just helps save time.)

GENERAL
Strike Zone - Off
Hot Zones - Always Preview
Warm Up Pitchers - On or Off
Tutorial Tips - Off
Post Game Auto Save - Off
Scorebar Display - On
Pitch Select Display - On
Swing/Pitch Info - On
Balks - On
Umpire Accuracy - Personalized
Umpire Close Plays - Off (to simulate instant replay)
Check Swing Appeals - On
Injuries - On
Ejections - On
Vibration - Off
Game Log Order - Default

Presentation, Audio, & Mode-Specific Options
All user choice

HOUSE RULES (Optional)
*I would turn the strike ratio way down when facing a knuckleballer.
*Don't feel you must use 30 team control. Live with the fact that the league lives, breathes on its own. If you think the trades are strange, go and review previous MLB regular seasons transactions.
*Manager contracts - On
*Do not activate any sponsors--the AI teams do not have this advantage.
*If you want the artist rendition bio pictures, start your franchise with a fantasy draft, then back out of it before the first selection is made. Rosters will still be intact.
*Do not "visit mound" at the very start of an inning.
*No going back to the bag on a steal attempt.
*Assume the AI teams only want to deal primarily from their trade block. Don't abuse the shop player feature.
*No changing of staff until the offseason unless AI team does so first.

SLIDERS
Dynamic Difficulty Sensitivity - 5 (ignored)
Human Contact - 6
Human Power - 5
Human Timing - 1
Human Foul Frequency - 3
Human Solid Hits - 5
Human Starter Stamina - 5
Human Reliever Stamina - 5
Human Pitch Control - 1
Human Pitcher Consistency - 10
CPU Contact - 3
CPU Power - 5
CPU Timing - 0
CPU Foul Frequency - 0
CPU Solid Hits - 2 (-1)
CPU Starter Stamina - 5 (sim at 10)
CPU Reliever Stamina - 5 (sim at 0)
CPU Pitcher Control - 5
CPU Pitcher Consistency - 3
CPU Strike Frequency - 5
CPU Manager Hook - 2 (once AI goes to bullpen, change to 7, and sim at 7)
CPU Pickoffs - 8
Fastball Pitch Speed - 5 (accurate pull hitters)
Offspeed Pitch Speed - 5 (accurate pull hitters)
Fielding Errors Infield - 10
Fielding Errors Outfield - 8
Throwing Errors Infield - 10
Throwing Errors Outfield - 9
Fielder Run Speed – 2
Fielder Reaction - 2
Fielder Arm Strength Infield - 5
Fielder Arm Strength Outfield - 5
Baserunner Speed - 5
Baserunner Steal Ability - 5
Baserunner Steal Frequency - 5
Wind - 5
Injury Frequency - 8
Trade Frequency - 5 (see post 2 below)

Does your slider set allow for the occasional offensive explosion by either the human player or CPU ?

[xNobleEaglex]

Re: Mike Lowe MLB The Show '17 Sliders

Does your slider set allow for the occasional offensive explosion by either the human player or CPU ?

Absolutely. I get a wide variety of outcomes for both teams using this set.

[louthedew]

Re: Mike Lowe MLB The Show '17 Sliders

Absolutely. I get a wide variety of outcomes for both teams using this set.

Agreed. Prime example in my Angels franchise I beat Seattle in game 1 of the series 10-3. Next game I lost 9-2. I’ve also had 1-0 type games so far early in the year as well.


Sent from my iPhone using Operation Sports

[Mike Lowe]

Re: Mike Lowe MLB The Show '17 Sliders

Sliders updated slightly after my game last night.

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

[GWPump23]

Re: Mike Lowe MLB The Show '17 Sliders

Sliders updated slightly after my game last night.

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

LIKE the subtle changes...

AI's offense seems a little watered down now with your current set? Could be due to control? (don't have much of a sample size)

MAY just FEEL easier after that last 162-game shellacking I took with your previous set, I mean I'm so used to getting thumped

-GW-

[Mike Lowe]

Re: Mike Lowe MLB The Show '17 Sliders

LIKE the subtle changes...

AI's offense seems a little watered down now with your current set? Could be due to control? (don't have much of a sample size)

MAY just FEEL easier after that last 162-game shellacking I took with your previous set, I mean I'm so used to getting thumped

-GW-

Ha, you know better! Larger sample size needed.

[bostonboy_003]

Re: Mike Lowe MLB The Show '17 Sliders

Hey Mike great work on the sliders as always...just have a quick question that you or anyone in the community can help me answer....

I want to start a new franchise but sim the season and sim straight to the offseason, i.e. where we are today so I can sign free agents and mold my team as if I were the GM in real life. However, no matter what I do, I cannot get the real life free agent classes to appear in my franchise mode. Almost every time over 50% of the players who are free agents (Hosmer, Darvish, JD Martinez, Arrieta, Santana etc) resign with their current team or do not opt out of their deals, and are not in the free agent pool in the game.

How can I get the real life free agent classes to appear in my franchise? Do I need to set up 30 team control and manually resign/not resign each teams free agents? Although that would be time consuming, I would be open to doing it. Or is there an easier way to do this?

Thanks again!

[Mike Lowe]

Re: Mike Lowe MLB The Show '17 Sliders

Continuing to play offline as the Marlins are about a week away from the trade deadline after my game last night. We've won 5 in a row again, and are now 1 game below .500 at 48-49.

We're keeping our eye on the trade market for a potential SP, most likely. We're currently 4 games out of the wildcard and about 10-11 games behind The Nationals in the division.

[Mike Lowe]

Re: Mike Lowe MLB The Show '17 Sliders

Hey Mike great work on the sliders as always...just have a quick question that you or anyone in the community can help me answer....

I want to start a new franchise but sim the season and sim straight to the offseason, i.e. where we are today so I can sign free agents and mold my team as if I were the GM in real life. However, no matter what I do, I cannot get the real life free agent classes to appear in my franchise mode. Almost every time over 50% of the players who are free agents (Hosmer, Darvish, JD Martinez, Arrieta, Santana etc) resign with their current team or do not opt out of their deals, and are not in the free agent pool in the game.

How can I get the real life free agent classes to appear in my franchise? Do I need to set up 30 team control and manually resign/not resign each teams free agents? Although that would be time consuming, I would be open to doing it. Or is there an easier way to do this?

Thanks again!

The AI does not resign players during the regular season, so this must be happening at the start of the offseason. That's when I'd use the 30-team control just to ensure teams don't resign anyone, if that's what you want to do.

[Mike Lowe]

Re: Mike Lowe MLB The Show '17 Sliders

Hey Mike great work on the sliders as always...just have a quick question that you or anyone in the community can help me answer....

I want to start a new franchise but sim the season and sim straight to the offseason, i.e. where we are today so I can sign free agents and mold my team as if I were the GM in real life. However, no matter what I do, I cannot get the real life free agent classes to appear in my franchise mode. Almost every time over 50% of the players who are free agents (Hosmer, Darvish, JD Martinez, Arrieta, Santana etc) resign with their current team or do not opt out of their deals, and are not in the free agent pool in the game.

How can I get the real life free agent classes to appear in my franchise? Do I need to set up 30 team control and manually resign/not resign each teams free agents? Although that would be time consuming, I would be open to doing it. Or is there an easier way to do this?

Thanks again!

What I would do is start a new franchise using an up-to-date roster, then simulate the year with transactions off. That will give you the most accurate rosters heading into 2018, even though the stats will be off by a year since your 2017 would have been simulated.