MLB 2K8 Wishlist

[born_bad]

Re: MLB 2K8 Wishlist

I agree, this is where I think EA did a great job with the first NCAA (never played the second). You really felt that you had complete control over the swing. You could stop it 25% of the way, 50% of the way and even 70-75% of the way. You might get called for not checking the swing, but at least you had the opportunity to try it.

In this game, it seems to me that the second you budge the stick at all, the swing is executed. Check swinging for me is a huge issue and it shouldn't be. It's not difficult to stop your swing.

Also, on the same topic....Move Bunt away from the R-stick. None of the face buttons get used while hitting with the swing-stick, so apply it to them. Although it rarely happens any more to me, intially I bunted on accident too many times because I wanted to crush the pitch, got a little over excited and pressed the stick in a bit. Even if it doesn't happen to most and happens occasionally to some, it could easily be a non-issue by just moving it. There is no added benefit to having it on the stick. Your opponent can't tell the difference and most people don't decided at the last split second to bunt, it's usually determined prior to the AB...so why not make it a complete non-issue all-together. Shouldn't do any harm what so ever.

The Y button also bunts, so if you want a face button to bunt the game already does do that. I agree that it shouldn't be a click on R stick because it does result in unwanted bunt attempts sometimes. I also agree that full control of the bat would be much better.

[Trevytrev11]

Re: MLB 2K8 Wishlist

The Y button also bunts, so if you want a face button to bunt the game already does do that. I agree that it shouldn't be a click on R stick because it does result in unwanted bunt attempts sometimes. I also agree that full control of the bat would be much better.

Yeah, i understand that is also bunts, but I guess my problem is that I can't take it off of the R-stick completely. So occasionally, I still end up bunting accidentally.

[mrmonkeymark]

Re: MLB 2K8 Wishlist

- Fix the sound of the ball when it hits the bat!!! Make it sound real.... none of this fire cracker/ bull whip stuff!

- Fix the ball physics.... the baseball shouldn't float at all... when pitching the ball should zip right in there.... when fielding, no more lob balls....

- Fix the fielding animations... players throw funny when they are on the run... lots of time the fielders jump when they throw, when they shouldn't... things like this.

- Fix the swing animations, more realistic follow-throughs....

- There should be more foul balls and hit types... balls should foul straight back, or just get a piece of it more often.

- More dynamic weather... clouds that roll over and block the sun for a moment, causing a shadow, but then passing.

- Better crowd sound... louder in tighter situations... More sound in playoff games.

- Overall, more fluid player movements, some things seem a little herky-jerky.

- Homeruns that bounce off of seats or other objects.

- Get rid of outfielders that get back on the ball so fast and scale the wall to make web gem catches like 5 times a game!

- Have the flags move depending on the wind. If the wind is blowing out, the flags should be blowing out. Have the flags stop moving when the wind dies down, and pick up subtley when the wind picks up.

- Fix pitching deliveries... make greg maddux look like it's greg maddux, he has a slower more fluid windup and release... too herky-jerky in 2k7

- Watch a real game of baseball, then notice what is different in the video game and keep fixing the mistakes that are in the video game!

- These are just a few that I can think of right now.

I was watching some MLB 2K7 video, and I noticed the swings are really bad....

-in 2K7 when a player swings, their head still turns funny and doesn't follow the ball right away.

-Also, with fielding, crow-hops in the outfield look goofy... not very smooth, like the crow-hop isn't being used to get strength on the throw, rather it's just a "thing they do" before they throw no matter what.

- Basically, fielding, pitching, and hitting animations need to be completely re-worked. Make EVERYTHING look smooth!

[mrmonkeymark]

Re: MLB 2K8 Wishlist

The camera view also needs to be tweaked.... the same infield camera was very boring... need many options for cameras like in the NBA 2K games.... how about a camera that pans around behind the fielders after the play is made... thus showing the ball being thrown to the bases from behind the fielders....

[SgtDillznick]

Re: MLB 2K8 Wishlist

The hitting engine needs to be scrapped in its entirety. This game trivializes the most difficult thing in sports to do... hit a baseball. It turns an act of uncanny hand-eye coordination into "timing is everything". Anyone who has ever hit a baseball knows that hand-eye coordination is the most important factor in getting the bat head on the ball... not timing.

All MLB 2K8 has to do is look towards it's new buddy, MLB Powerpros (and it's cousin, Pro Yakyuu Spirits), on how to create a hitting interface that is challenging and realistic. It is a cursor hitting interface, where the cursor is in the shape of a bat. the cursor is moved about the strike with the left stick and X (or A) is used to initiate the swing. When a pitch is thrown, the batter gets an outline of the pitch on his strike zone, basically simulating the "batter's eye". You job is to match your bat cursor with the ball as seen by your batter. The base size of the cursor is obviously determined by the individual batter's ratings. However, this is where the similarities stop with most cursor based interfaces that you are used to (i.e., All-Star Baseball).

The cursor changes size depending on the situation. If the pitcher throws a pitch in your cold zone, the cursor shrinks, and vice-versa if the pitch is thrown in a hot zone. If your hitter sucks when hitting with 2 strikes, the cursor shrinks, and vice-versa. If your batter sucks with RISP, the cursor shrinks, and vice-versa.

The pitcher's attributes also play into how well your batter sees the ball out of his hand. If a pitcher keeps nailing corners, the ball marker will be very difficult to see. If the pitcher hangs a curve, not only does your hitter see exactly where is will go, but you also get a small graphic of the spin on the ball.

It's pretty difficult to explain to people who have never played a Konami baseball game before, but the system is far superior to the swing stick or classic swing. Do a youtube search on Pro Yakyuu Spirits and you'll see what I'm talking about.

Down with the 2K hitting engine!

[michaeldu]

Re: MLB 2K8 Wishlist

Please take away the red icon at the fence to rob homers when the computer is on defense. It totally takes away the suspence of human controlled homeruns.

[djep]

Re: MLB 2K8 Wishlist

Please take away the red icon at the fence to rob homers when the computer is on defense. It totally takes away the suspence of human controlled homeruns.

I agree. The only thing that makes it somewhat suspenseful is that there is the possibility the outfielder might make one of his super leaping catches at the wall to rob the HR.

[michaeldu]

Re: MLB 2K8 Wishlist

I agree. The only thing that makes it somewhat suspenseful is that there is the possibility the outfielder might make one of his super leaping catches at the wall to rob the HR.

Which is fine , he can make an attempt, I just don't want to know it's comming. Lately with some of the sliders I have been trying , I have hit some deep balls way back to the track, but i know there not homers, because there is no red icon at the wall. It would just be nice to hit a deep ball and hope it might go out, instead of knowing.

[Scooter3]

Re: MLB 2K8 Wishlist

Which is fine , he can make an attempt, I just don't want to know it's comming. Lately with some of the sliders I have been trying , I have hit some deep balls way back to the track, but i know there not homers, because there is no red icon at the wall. It would just be nice to hit a deep ball and hope it might go out, instead of knowing.

I agree, it takes away some of the suspense...

It would be nice if in 2K8 they would add "Fielding Assist" With no visual affects added...

In other words, when in "Fielding Assist" the CPU would control the player fielding the ball, and we would control the throw, so in this case there's no need to have a red circle showing who the player is that's fielding the ball...

Scooter...

[ehh]

Re: MLB 2K8 Wishlist

66) Something I've posted in length about before:

I think the logic of the power swing and contact swing is bogus. Ideally, in this game a player is supposed to use the contact swing except when they try to "nut up" and hit a bomb. This isn't the mentality a hitter has. A homerun is more a function of timing the pitch properly, hitting the ball with the fat part of the bat and getting slightly under the ball in order to lift the ball in the air.

In reality, hitters try to hit the ball as hard as they can most of the time. Even Juan Pierre tries to hit the ball hard most of the time, he just lacks the power to put the ball over the fence. He may get slap happy when down in the count, but like most hitters, he is trying to jump on a pitch when he is ahead or even in the count. The exception is when a hitter is trying to execute a hit and run, is trying to just put the ball in play while sacrafing power because a strikeout would hurt his team (maybe a runner on 3rd with 1 out) or just a guy like Polanco who refuses to strikeout or when a runner is trying to aim the ball (hitting behind a runner on second or trying to hit to a hole in the defense).

Which is why the one-button cursor hitting of 2k4 was, is and always will be the greatest hitting system a baseball game has seen.

[Trevytrev11]

Re: MLB 2K8 Wishlist

Which is why the one-button cursor hitting of 2k4 was, is and always will be the greatest hitting system a baseball game has seen.

Refresh me on 2K4's system. It's been a while and I can't remember if I was playing WSB or MVP that year. Was it a zone hitting system?

The only reason I think there is a need for a second button is because for certain hitters (usually pure contact guys like Polanco, Eckstein, Pierre, Hatterberg) there is a time where they will basically forfeit all power just to put the ball in play. You won't see guys like Sheffield, Thomas, Vlad ever get cheated on a swing. I like the idea of having the benefit of a little extra contact with the forfieture of power for certain situations where it is imerative that my hitter puts the ball in play (hit and run, hitting behind runners, 2-strike count with RISP).

[michaeldu]

Re: MLB 2K8 Wishlist

I agree, it takes away some of the suspense...

It would be nice if in 2K8 they would add "Fielding Assist" With no visual affects added...

In other words, when in "Fielding Assist" the CPU would control the player fielding the ball, and we would control the throw, so in this case there's no need to have a red circle showing who the player is that's fielding the ball...

Scooter...

that's exactly right, just like mvp had. In mvp it was always fun to hit it deep because you never knew if it was going out.

[ehh]

Re: MLB 2K8 Wishlist

Refresh me on 2K4's system. It's been a while and I can't remember if I was playing WSB or MVP that year. Was it a zone hitting system?

It was a free-floating cursor, but it was so dead-on and perfectly implemented. Plenty of foul balls, true hits every time, great hit variety. Every time I made contact I knew where the ball was heading, I could tell if I got a hold of it or if I was out in front and was going to bloop it, etc.

I played 2k4 for a solid 5-6 hours this week. The game is still fun as hell.

[Trevytrev11]

Re: MLB 2K8 Wishlist

It was a free-floating cursor, but it was so dead-on and perfectly implemented. Plenty of foul balls, true hits every time, great hit variety. Every time I made contact I knew where the ball was heading, I could tell if I got a hold of it or if I was out in front and was going to bloop it, etc.

I played 2k4 for a solid 5-6 hours this week. The game is still fun as hell.

Was it a visable cursor that you actually had to visually locate or was it invisable in more of a zone-hitting system?

Also, it if was an actual visable cursor, how was the pitch speed? I guess my concern is that pitch speed would need to be toned down a bit as it would take you slightly longer to accurately move the controller than it would to just react in real life (not a lot, but a little).

[mrmonkeymark]

Re: MLB 2K8 Wishlist

- There needs to be a new pitching mechanic so that a pitcher throws more balls and walks. For example, the pitcher should not be able to hit the same spot that the player is aiming for. Sometimes the pitcher should get wild for no reason, and not be able to hit spots.