The Other/Anti Little Things Thread

[brendanrfoley]

Re: The Other/Anti Little Things Thread

Fenway Mac -- warm up pitchers from the Pause ---> Subsitution menu. You can see his stats there.

This is a great thread, by the way. Constructive and could really help the guys over at 2K make a terriffic produce.

I hate how the game will automatically change the selected base runner at times. With a man on second, the hitter will smoke a gap shot. I hit down on the right stick the send the man on second home, then hit "A" to switch to the hitter and send him to second.

The problem? Too often, the game switches back to the base runner as I'm hitting up on the right stick. It sends him back to second and correcting it often forces the base runner to stay at third or get thrown out at the plate.

[Trevytrev11]

Re: The Other/Anti Little Things Thread

When in the stretch (the pitcher starts with his hands set) and you shake off the catcher, your pitcher will shift his hands. This is a BALK. Once his hands are set, the only movement the pitcher can do is to step off, pick off or throw a pitch.

While it may add a few extra minutes to the game, I really wish they would go through the process like a real major leaguer and choose your pitch before coming set...then you could choose your pitch and location before actually throwing the pitch as well.

[FenwayMac]

Re: The Other/Anti Little Things Thread

Fenway Mac -- warm up pitchers from the Pause ---> Subsitution menu. You can see his stats there.

This is a great thread, by the way. Constructive and could really help the guys over at 2K make a terriffic produce.

I hate how the game will automatically change the selected base runner at times. With a man on second, the hitter will smoke a gap shot. I hit down on the right stick the send the man on second home, then hit "A" to switch to the hitter and send him to second.

The problem? Too often, the game switches back to the base runner as I'm hitting up on the right stick. It sends him back to second and correcting it often forces the base runner to stay at third or get thrown out at the plate.

Is there another button I should be hitting to get season stats? I always warm up my pitchers from the pause menu, so unless there is another button to hit? Same problem applies to my pinch hitters, only see their main contact, power, etc, and no season stats.

[snowmizer]

Re: The Other/Anti Little Things Thread

Here's hoping that 2K/VC reads this, takes our gripes and implements them into 2K10.

- I hate the way the batting cursor looks, hence it's why I don't use cursor hitting.

Here's a case of VC trying to reinvent a wheel that was already perfectly round.

Cursors have always been circles, representing the fat part of the bat. Sometimes they vary in size to reflect better/lesser hitters. Everybody understands them; nobody (who likes batting cursors) has ever complained about using them.

So, what to do?

Change to a full-size, distracting, floating bat graphic. Ugh.

[jerm21]

Re: The Other/Anti Little Things Thread

I HATEEEEEEEEEEE. when the batter pops a ball up wickedddddd high into shallow outfield ground. and the infielder is just chillen there watching the ball drop behind them, while the outfielder is making the run in to catch the bounce (when the infielder should be back stepping to catch the ball.)

[Trevytrev11]

Re: The Other/Anti Little Things Thread

Here's a case of VC trying to reinvent a wheel that was already perfectly round.

Cursors have always been circles, representing the fat part of the bat. Sometimes they vary in size to reflect better/lesser hitters. Everybody understands them; nobody (who likes batting cursors) has ever complained about using them.

So, what to do?

Change to a full-size, distracting, floating bat graphic. Ugh.

Personally, I don't mind the shape of the cursor. It makes sense to me that your hitting with a bat, the cursor should be shaped like a bat...then you have visual confirmation of the sweetspot, the end and the handle of the bat to understand whey contact on one hit may be weak and another solid. Had the stuck with a circle, I would have been fine with that, but to me, it makes sense to have the shape of the object making contact with the ball, the shape of the actual object.

For me, it's just the aradish look to it. The could have easily used a very transparent bat that wouldn't have taken away from the overall visuals of the game (same with the pitching meter). Instead they have something that looks to be taken from a kids Pokemon game or something.

The other huge flaw in the system is that every players bat is the same size, which insinuates that it is as easy to make contact with Mr. Strikeout (Ryan Howard) as it is with Mr. Contact (Jason Kendall). The area of the bats for these two players should be vastly different sizes. If they wanted to go with an invisable area around the graphic as not to make things look even uglier, that would be fine, too. But it's not the case either.

How can you have a system that doesn't take into account ones ability to make contact better than another?

[jerm21]

Re: The Other/Anti Little Things Thread

after hitting a homerun right after the crack of the bat players should run up the steps to watch it fly. then they should proceed to the walk up steps to hiigh five the player that just hit it.

the faces look like garbage..if you look at it, they have NO eye colors right none (well at least on the red sox team anyways)

they should add necklaces as an addition to equipment

colors are all off in stadiums, and uniforms, red sox away uni's should wear navy blue shirts under jersey not red.

[Bwnarrow3]

Re: The Other/Anti Little Things Thread

Maybe 2K will read this thread to prepare for next year.

[jerm21]

Re: The Other/Anti Little Things Thread

and hats.

they should do something with the hats.

1.) the logo's, everyone knows, are too big.

2.) some hat uni combinations aren't the real ones.

3.) the hats just looks awkward on some of the players, lets make it so there is a certain way a player wears a hat
-flat brimmed
-a little sideways
-or just regular

it would be a nice touch as well, when the pitcher is walking off the mound, or in the dugout to be able to take his hat off and wipe the sweat off his forehead.

-Oh yeah, and manager jackets, should have team name, and not make them look so big.
-have pitching coach in there.

[snowmizer]

Re: The Other/Anti Little Things Thread

It would also be nice if somebody with some knowledge of umpiring was involved. The questionable strike zone is bad enough, but can we get some basic mechanics down?

A pitch comes in, and ends up passing the batter. There are three possible things that could out of the umpire's mouth...

1. "Strike!", if it's a called strike
2. "Ball", if it's a called ball
3. Nothing, if it's a swing and a miss, or such a bad pitch that the entire ballpark knows it's a ball (and the umpire doesn't feel it's worth the effort to point out the obvious)

No "Ball 1". No "Strike 2". Certainly not anything like "2 balls, 2 strikes", which forces you to quickly remember what the count had been in order to determine this latest call. Just "Ball", "Strike", or nothing, please.

If VC gets those basics down, then include, for checked swings, "Ball... did he go?" (The base ump needs much quicker animations, with two possible answers: "Yes, he did" and "No, he didn't".)

Then, if they're really ambitious, delete the "Fair ball!" call (it doesn't exist... umps yell "Foul!", but point fair), which I'm pretty sure I've heard on at least one outfield hit in 2k9. And change that arm motion seen on most routine plays at first.

Almost everytime there's an out at first, it looks like he's starting to make a safe sign the way both arms initially swing. Just motion capture somebody only raising their right hand into a fist; it should be impossible to not have that correct.

[BigBlue]

Re: The Other/Anti Little Things Thread

Just remembered another one . . . how many Willie Mays' type catches can you possibly see in one game!?! Fielders do not run with their backs to the plate all the time. And where's the head tracking? Shouldn't the fielder be LOOKING at the ball while they're trying to catch it?

I understand that this is VC's first year taking over the Baseball game. But, I am one who agrees that had they tweaked last year's game and included the new announcing team, this game could have easily been a 9! While I like the real-time stuff going on down on the field, I'm tired of guys walking through each other.

Next year, I will be less forgiving!

BigBlue

[mattstl77]

Re: The Other/Anti Little Things Thread

With all respect, I hope the developers spend more time making the players "right" than they do the umpires.

The "Honey-Do" list for VC is sure piling up. I think it is unrealistic for them to make a game that will compete with The Show next year. Possibly the year after, but VC definitely has a steep uphill climb.

[snowmizer]

Re: The Other/Anti Little Things Thread

With all respect, I hope the developers spend more time making the players "right" than they do the umpires.

I could have sworn this was the "Little Things" thread, where relatively small details are pointed out as being wrong. I didn't realize this was a "Dealbreaking Mistakes" thread, instead.

With all respect, I thank you for your fantastic feedback.

[Kane182]

Re: The Other/Anti Little Things Thread

How can you have a system that doesn't take into account ones ability to make contact better than another?

What I'm hoping is their contact rating comes into play here. Taking your example, If Kendall hits it off the end of the bat his quality of contact should be better than if Howard were to hit the same spot.

Vice versa with the power spot, if they both hit the same "meaty" spot on the bat you would think Howard's ball would travel further than Kendall's.

Now if it really works like that or not, only the dev's can really tell.

In the end though, I agree that different bat sizes would be best here.

[Trevytrev11]

Re: The Other/Anti Little Things Thread

What I'm hoping is their contact rating comes into play here. Taking your example, If Kendall hits it off the end of the bat his quality of contact should be better than if Howard were to hit the same spot.

Vice versa with the power spot, if they both hit the same "meaty" spot on the bat you would think Howard's ball would travel further than Kendall's.

Now if it really works like that or not, only the dev's can really tell.

In the end though, I agree that different bat sizes would be best here.

You can run your own tests in batting practice mode as all pitches are down the middle. You can then slowly move your cursor away from center and judge the outcomes. What I have found is that Kendall doesn't have any lee-way compared to Howard. A miss of a few inches by both results in a swing and a miss. The quality of contact didn't seem to be much better with Kendall either on pitches off the end of the bat, handle, etc...but in reality the difference shouldn't even be in quality of contact, but contact overall. If it was just quality of contact, then we are still missing the piece that makes Kendall strike out much less often...instead we would be left with a system in which they would strike out an even number of times, but Kendall would likely just hit for a higher average, due to better quality of contact.