Re: Article on improving MLB 2k8
Baseball Stars on the NES, still to this day, has the most FUN fielding system I've ever played.
I think the reason I like it is because the read and reaction time is so fast that when you make a play on the ball it really feels like you made the play. The perspective of the fielding on Baseball Stars is zoomed in but not too zoomed in like some older games. The defense responds immediately to your control and from the moment the ball is hit you are reacting and holding the direction for your player to get there. Making a diving stop up the middle with your shortstop is so much fun because it happens so fast and the control is fluid.
In addition, Baseball Stars has a simple but great throwing mechanic that again gives the user control so it feels like you are the one making the play. When you throw to a base you are supposed to press the throw button and the basedirection simultaneously. If you mistime it a little you get a weaker throw that baserunners often beat out. But if you time it right, your fielder rockets the ball to the base. This way, fielding a routine grounder and getting a fast runner out is really fun, because you control how hard of a throw you make. Making a diving save in the hole, getting up and timing the throw perfect to barely beat out the runner is even better. Newer throwing systems try to incorporate a user-controlled aspect to their throwing but it can come off as sluggish and routine because you often have to charge the throw. I'm sorry but a quick timing mechanic works a lot better because baseball is all about quick reactions, especially when turning two.
So to tie this in with 2k baseball, I think the fielders should move fast and fluid without a lot of momentum to navigate through. That makes the fielding more intuitive and reaction-based. The ball should scream through the infield on tough grounders, and line drives over the infielders heads should require quick reactions by the player to position and jump up to catch them. Placing too much momentum on the fielders just burdens the user control and fun factor imo. Fielding is a twitch reaction in real life and in order to make it fun, that should be carried over.
I think the camera should focus more on the baseball than the actual zoomed out view of the field, within reason of course. Playing the game, you should always be reacting to the ball at every moment. With modern games, it often seems too skewed toward identifying your fielder and then reacting to where the ball is headed. I like the feeling as if as soon as the ball is struck, I'm giving everything I have to get to spot where I think that ball is going. Newer games have such a zoomed out view of things that it's like the ball just kind of floats out to a spot, and you are passively controlling an animation instead of reacting to the ball yourself through the controller.
Baseball Stars on the NES, still to this day, has the most FUN fielding system I've ever played.
I think the reason I like it is because the read and reaction time is so fast that when you make a play on the ball it really feels like you made the play. The perspective of the fielding on Baseball Stars is zoomed in but not too zoomed in like some older games. The defense responds immediately to your control and from the moment the ball is hit you are reacting and holding the direction for your player to get there. Making a diving stop up the middle with your shortstop is so much fun because it happens so fast and the control is fluid.
In addition, Baseball Stars has a simple but great throwing mechanic that again gives the user control so it feels like you are the one making the play. When you throw to a base you are supposed to press the throw button and the basedirection simultaneously. If you mistime it a little you get a weaker throw that baserunners often beat out. But if you time it right, your fielder rockets the ball to the base. This way, fielding a routine grounder and getting a fast runner out is really fun, because you control how hard of a throw you make. Making a diving save in the hole, getting up and timing the throw perfect to barely beat out the runner is even better. Newer throwing systems try to incorporate a user-controlled aspect to their throwing but it can come off as sluggish and routine because you often have to charge the throw. I'm sorry but a quick timing mechanic works a lot better because baseball is all about quick reactions, especially when turning two.
So to tie this in with 2k baseball, I think the fielders should move fast and fluid without a lot of momentum to navigate through. That makes the fielding more intuitive and reaction-based. The ball should scream through the infield on tough grounders, and line drives over the infielders heads should require quick reactions by the player to position and jump up to catch them. Placing too much momentum on the fielders just burdens the user control and fun factor imo. Fielding is a twitch reaction in real life and in order to make it fun, that should be carried over.
I think the camera should focus more on the baseball than the actual zoomed out view of the field, within reason of course. Playing the game, you should always be reacting to the ball at every moment. With modern games, it often seems too skewed toward identifying your fielder and then reacting to where the ball is headed. I like the feeling as if as soon as the ball is struck, I'm giving everything I have to get to spot where I think that ball is going. Newer games have such a zoomed out view of things that it's like the ball just kind of floats out to a spot, and you are passively controlling an animation instead of reacting to the ball yourself through the controller.
Comment