Blazzen's Slider Research Thread

[mkharsh33]

Re: Blazzen's Slider Research Thread

here are mine:

pitcher stamina: 40

user batting: 50 / 40 / 70 / 100 / 100 / 75 / 0 / 25 / 0 / 40 / 40

cpu batting: 60 / 55 / 80 / 100 / 100 / 75 / 65 / 60

user pitching: 80 / 85 / 70 / 40 / 70 / 90 / 95 / 75

cpu pitching: 65 / 75 / 0 / 0 / 75

user fielding: 0 / 75 / 60

cpu fielding: 0 / 60

user running: 65 / 25 / 40

cpu running: 75 / 70 / 70 / 75 / 60 / 45

[Blazzen]

Re: Blazzen's Slider Research Thread

^ Your sliders look good. The only one that I wondered about was why you raised CPU running speed to 75 - I'm curious.

Last nights game:

Braves 5 12 1
Rockies 0 10 0

Yes, I somehow scattered 10 hits 3 walks and a hit batter hahaha. They had runners on every inning but just couldn't get anyone in. I turned 2 or 3 double plays which helped along with striking out 10. Not like they had all singles either. They had 2 doubles and a triple in there but still couldn't score.

I simmed the last game of the series vs. the rockies, which I won and it gave me a 4 game sweep of the rockies, winning 12 of my last 14 and that puts me at the all star break.

If I make changes it will probably be to bump CPU batting power up to 80 and to bump user pitching gesture up to 80 also. This should give the CPU a little more pop and also make it so I don't paint the black so much. I haven't felt much pressure pitching at all so I may also raise user pitcher composure.

I'm gone all weekend (going to the Braves vs. Mets in ATL this weekend, 5th row behind first base dugout ) so I'll post more results when I get back.

[mkharsh33]

Re: Blazzen's Slider Research Thread

sounds good...

some of the sliders i honestly don't understand what they do...so i looked closely at the bfj's and darkspace's in some of those to try and interpret what they were trying to do. plus, i took your averages into consideration - where i thought the number was a middle number (say, 63.5 for example) i would bump it up to 65 instead of down.

the running speed just makes it more challenging...i felt the CPU lacked aggression at times - well, when i raised aggression it seemed too hard...so to compensate for this, i toned down their aggression but raised the running speed.

[moral_virus]

Re: Blazzen's Slider Research Thread

I just inputted the sliders on the primary post of this thread and fell in love with them almost immediately. Of course, that was at my friends place which seemed to showcase the computer being more patient - when I got home with them the computer went back to its old habits and didn't really work the count. I then played with the hold gesture and release gesture and think I've got them to where it's both challenging and puts me in a position to actually miss my location but not catch strike calls all the time.

Bumped up the power for both the user and AI to 100, and I love it there. I'm not very good at driving in the long ball, and the computer never really tagged me good enough on my mistake pitches until I pumped them to 100. I started to think that even at 100 power for myself that I wasn't going to catch any long balls on pitches I located and put a good swing into until an Eric Hinske 2 run shot to tie up a exhibition game in Arizona. I think that's a testament to the other sliders controlling the bat attributes that ensure that I'm not tanking every mistake pitch, just like in real life.

Now to work on these blasted pitch counts a bit.

[itbeme23]

Re: Blazzen's Slider Research Thread

EDIT: Posted below are the most current "Blazzen" Sliders. I'll continue to update these sliders as I tweak them ON THIS PAGE, however I will not continue to update the spreadsheet because it was mainly for research purposes. Plus it's a pain in the *** to change it, save it, zip it and then upload it (I'm lazy). BOLD MEANS THAT SETTING HAS CHANGED AND IS NOT THE SAME AS THE SPREADSHEET.

<TABLE style="WIDTH: 193pt; BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=257 border=0><COLGROUP><COL style="WIDTH: 145pt" width=193><COL style="WIDTH: 48pt" width=64><TBODY><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="WIDTH: 145pt; HEIGHT: 15pt" width=193 height=20>Slider Name</TD><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 48pt" width=64>Blazzen</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>

</TD><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">

</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>Pitcher Fatigue</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">50</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>

</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">

</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl68 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>User Batting</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">

</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>Batting Success</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">55</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>Batting Contact</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">40</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>Batting Power</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">65</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>Pitcher Handedness Influence</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">100</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>IE Batting Zone Influence</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">100</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>Batting Pitch Influence</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">75</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>Batter's Eye Influence</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">20</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>Hit Direction Influence</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">40</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>Zone Hitting Influence</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">45</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>Bunt Contact</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">40</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>Bunt Success</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">45</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>

</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">

</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl68 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>CPU Batting</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">

</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>Batting Success</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">60</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>Batting Contact</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">60</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>Batting Power</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">75</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>Pitcher Handedness Influence</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">100</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>IE Batting Zone Influence</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">100</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>Batting Pitch Influence</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">75</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>Bunt Contact</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">65</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>Bunt Success</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">60</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>

</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">

</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl68 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>User Pitching</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">

</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>Pitch Meter Speed</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">80</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>Pitch Speed</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">85</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>Gesture Recognition</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">70</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>Hold Timing Influence</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">35</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>Release Timing Influence</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">65</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>Pitch Rating Influence</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">95</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>Pitch Break Influence</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">95</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>Pitcher Composure Influence</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">65</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>

</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">

</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl68 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>CPU Pitching</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">

</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>Pitch Success</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">65</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>Pitch Selection Tendency</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">75</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>Strike Zone Tendency</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">0</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>Pitch Zone Tendency</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">25</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>Pitcher Composure Influence</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">70</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>

</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">

</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl68 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>User Fielding</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">

</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>Fielding Errors</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">30</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>Throw Meter Influence</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">75</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>Fielder Speed</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">60</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>

</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">

</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl68 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>CPU Fielding</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">

</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>Fielding Errors</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">30</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>Fielder Speed</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">60</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>

</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">

</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl68 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>User Running</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">

</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>Base Runner Speed</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">65</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>Pickoff Success</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">25</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>Catcher Throw Out Success</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">40</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>

</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">

</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl68 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>CPU Running</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">

</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>Hit and Run Tendency</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">75</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>Sacrifice Bunt Tendency</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">70</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>Squeeze Tendency</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">70</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>Base Running Aggression</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">75</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>Steal Aggression</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">50</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20><TD class=xl64 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; HEIGHT: 15pt" height=20>Steal Success</TD><TD class=xl66 style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none">45</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

Blazzen,

It's funny how every year I find people who are as OCD about sliders as I am. I spent a good 3 1/2 months coming up with "playable" sliders for Madden 09, and I have experimented with several different sliders for MLB 2K9. I've already used several sets: BFJ's, Darkspaces, and JBH's. IMO, the best set has to go to JBH. I've been using his for nearly the past two months, and his sliders have provided me with the best variety/realism in the games that I've played. The only sliders that I have tweaked from his original set have been User Power (from 70 to 85), and I have also tweaked his CPU Batting numbers (Success from 70 to 65, Contact from 60 to 55). I've been playing with this set for the past two weeks, and I have been getting pretty decent results.

I'd say the only thing that's been a little low is user and cpu strike outs. The higher contact rating has a lot to do with that I imagine. I wasn't too patient pitching or at the plate either. I found you have to throw a certain amount of balls to the CPU to get strikeouts and I was throwing too many first pitch fastballs for strikes. I was also jumping on a lot of first pitch fastballs from the CPU. I'm considering lowering the CPU strike zone down to 0.

Blazen,

I would like to share with you some of my findings about the User/CPU strike out ratios. You noted that you haven't been seeing many K's on either side, but I must say that I have been seeing plenty of strikeouts on both sides with the current sliders that I am using. You mentioned that you thought it could be attributed to the lower contact ratings, but I wanted to share this with you first.

You have your User/CPU Batting sliders set as follows:
(Success, Contact, Power)

User: 55, 40, 65
CPU: 60, 60 75

I have those sliders at the following values:

User: 60, 40, 85
CPU: 65, 55, 80

If you'll notice right off the bat, my contact values are pretty similar to yours, with the exception of the CPU contact being slightly lower.

As I mentioned before, I have been using these sliders for quite some time, and I have not seen a deficiency in strikeouts on either side. I played yesterday's Astros VS. Dodgers game with the appropriate pitchers. I went six solid innings with Kershaw, and I was able to strike out 11 Astros with him. I know that Kershaw is a strikeout pitcher, so I expect that from him. I was able to tally 13 total K's with my Dodgers in that game. I think I had Leach, Mota, and Troncoso come in to finish out the game. As you can see, 13 strikeouts isn't a small number at all.

Now, I don't AVERAGE that high of a strikeout number for all of my pitchers. What I have noticed, is that pitchers who have good offspeed stuff, in my case Kershaw, Wolf, and Kuroda, will get their K's in every game. What I find harder to do is get strikeouts with power pitchers like Billingsley and Broxton. Although I usually do get K's with Broxton, I very rarely strike out the side, which is somewhat of a normal occurence for Johnny B. in real life.

UPDATE:

I'm kind of wondering if I need to raise the CPU batting to about what JBH3 uses (70, 60, 80 - it's currently at 60 60 75). Then again, the most offense I've put up is 6 runs and I've done that only twice. All of the other games I've won have been 4 run or less affairs which really has played out about how Braves games go. The CPU can't seem to bunch hits together and they also hit into a lot of double plays. I don't walk very many people at all either so that doesn't help the CPU's cause. I have given up home runs (a 3 run shot to Aramis Ramirez in the bottom of the 8th with Rafael Soriano trying to close out the cubs still lingers in my mind) but not that many, though, in RL the Braves give up the least homers in the majors I believe.

I have found that JBH's original sliders still provide too much offense for the CPU. With his original sliders (70, 60, 80), the CPU averaged over 10 hits a game no matter who I played. I can understand if it was the Phillies getting 12 hits a game, but if I'm giving up 15 hits to the Nats, that is where I have a problem. I currently have the CPU hitting sliders set at (65, 55, 80). I found that lowering the success and contact sliders cuts down on the overal hit total for the CPU, but still allows them to average a decent amount of hits (between 6-8 a game). I left the power number the same because I didn't want to see a drop off in extra base hits. Unless I'm throwing a gem, I'll usually see a couple of doubles a game, mixed in with the occasional triple or HR.

If I make changes it will probably be to bump CPU batting power up to 80 and to bump user pitching gesture up to 80 also.

- I'm glad you made that observation.

[quote=Blazzen;2039846285]This should give the CPU a little more pop and also make it so I don't paint the black so much. I haven't felt much pressure pitching at all so I may also raise user pitcher composure.

- I think I am going to give your user pitching sliders a shot. Again, I'm using JBH's original sliders, and overall, I'm pretty happy with them. However, unless there are men on base, I rarely ever feel pressure on the mound. Over the past couple of games, I have given up a few walks, but that is only because I wanted the hitter to chase a borderline pitch as opposed to throwing him a strike in the full count. I would like to have a little bit more of a challenge when I'm on the mound.

Anyhoo, I just wanted to give you some feedback on the sliders. I've been playing this game non-stop for the past 3 months, so I'd like to think that I know what I'm talking about. :wink:

I'm interested to see what your feedback will be. I look forward to testing out sliders with you guys.

Cheers.

[itbeme23]

Re: Blazzen's Slider Research Thread

here are mine:

pitcher stamina: 40

- Good catch, MK. I have had my Pitcher Fatigue slider set at 40 for some time. I feel like this has to be set at 40 in order for both sides to get consistent quality outings from their pitchers. Even with it set at 40, I still wear out Kershaw and Kuroda within 85 pitches. I usually try to stretch them out to 90, just for statistics' sake, but I found if you do that enough, they'll get hurt. With the Pitcher Fatigue slider set any higher than 40, I find that the CPU makes horrible pitching change decisions. They'll pull a pitcher who's leading 3-0 in the 4th inning after throwing only 60 pitches. That isn't realistic at all, and it got really annoying, really quick. [/quote]

user batting: 50 / 40 / 70 / 100 / 100 / 75 / 0 / 25 / 0 / 40 / 40

- I'm curious to see how your power numbers are. You have your User Batting sliders set WAY lower than mine. I have mine set at 60, 40, 85, and I still have a hell of a time trying to get extra base hits. Doubles happen semi-frequently depending on the team that I'm hitting against, but homers are definitely hard to come by. I moved User Power up to 90 for a few games, but I found that I was smacking balls out of the park way too frequently. I think 85 is the perfect number for me. Just my .02.

cpu batting: 60 / 55 / 80 / 100 / 100 / 75 / 65 / 60

- Pretty damn close to mine. I have mine set at 65, 55, 80. I've thought about lowering CPU Batting Success down to 60, as you have it, and I still might do that. I am going to raise my Bunt Contact and Success sliders to your settings just for the hell of it. I currently have mine at default.

user pitching: 80 / 85 / 70 / 40 / 70 / 90 / 95 / 75

- I'm going with your pitching sliders to see if that can make things a bit more challenging for me. My main complaint with the User Pitching is the lack of walks. My current pitching sliders weren't very far off from yours, but most of them needed to be raised a click to match yours.

cpu pitching: 65 / 75 / 0 / 0 / 75

- I currently have these sliders set at 65, 65, 5, 10, 80. I wonder if you could tell me why you made the changes that you have to these sliders.

Cheers.

[mkharsh33]

Re: Blazzen's Slider Research Thread

i just had an amazing game:

Reds (CPU) vs. Rays (me)

Reds 3 10 1
Rays 8 12 0

Reds took a 2-0 in the first with a 2-run HR by Brandon Phillips off Jeff Niemann. In the top of the 6th the Reds went up 3-0 off Edwin Encarnacion's ground out scored a run (runners on 1st and 3rd with one out) - TB couldn't turn the double play (VERY close on the replay, but a good call).

In the bottom of the 6th the Rays finally got something going - Aaron Harang had been unhittable, scatting 3 hits through the first 5 innings. But the Rays tied it at 3 with a bases loaded walk by Carl Crawford scored a run, and then a single to left scored two runs off the bat of Ben Zobrist....game tied at 3 after 6.

Jeff Niemann settled down and pitched a solid game, throwing 90 pitches through 7 innings (62 for strikes), striking out 6, and no walks. However, he did not get the win.

The floodgates broke open for the Rays in the bottom of the 8th as they would score 5 runs...a pair of 2-run homers by Carlos Pena and Pat Burrell, as well as a seeing eye single by Dioner Navarro finished off the Reds, giving the Rays an 8-3 lead.

Dan Wheeler pitched two scoreless innings in relief to notch the win, throwing 10 pitches (9 for strikes) and shutting the door.

Harang takes the loss, throwing 103 pitches (65 for strikes) - 7 IP, 7 hits and 4 runs, striking out 2 and walking 3. Weathers and Rhodes were tagged in relief, before Nick Masset finally got a groundball out.

Brandon Phillips had the big bat for the Reds, going 4-4 (a HR and a double)...the Rays were led by Carlos Pena (2 for 3, 3 RBI) and Ben Zobrist (3-4, 2 RBI).

Very satisfying win...patience at the plate paid dividends late.

my updated sliders I used for this game (some changes from previous post):

pitcher stamina: 40

user batting: 50 - 40 - 70 - 100 - 100 - 75 - 0 - 25 - 0 - 40 - 40

CPU batting: 50 - 50 - 80 - 100 - 100 - 75 - 65 - 60

user pitching: 80 - 85 - 70 - 40 - 70 - 100 - 100 - 75

CPU pitching: 65 - 75 - 0 - 0 - 75

user fielding: 0 - 75 - 60

CPU fielding: 0 - 60

user running: 65 - 25 - 40

CPU running: 75 - 70 - 70 - 75 - 60 - 45

notes: for CPU batting, i'm basically using BFJ's, but raised contact by 30 points...i like hit direction influence at 25 (i use the left thumb stick, but i don't want it to be so obvious - this gives some variance and makes you pay for mistakes and bad guesses).

the two user pitching ratings i raised to 100 were just to see how they felt...honestly, i couldn't really see anything significant from my previous numbers. i got shelled when i made stupid pitches down the middle or missed my spot. i think i have to not be so afraid to walk big hitters. i changed up my pitching attack when going through the lineup.

for example, last night i was the reds and played the pirates. i ended up losing 5-3...i had cueto pitching and gave up 4 runs in the first inning. but i also had a stretch where i sent down 14 straight batters, but my pitch count hit 98 and i didn't want to risk another inning (a reliever gave up a run). i had two on and one out and hit into a game ending double play.

for as much grief we give this game, and it is FAR from perfect, i'm actually finding it a lot of fun. the fielding gives me fits but i really enjoy this game.

also, i think what makes it most fun is the pitching composure rating. when you hit those moments where the ball is moving around and you've got to make big pitches, it just feels so real. plus, i have the crowd volume jacked to full, so you also get that feel as well.

but i think i'm sticking with these sliders for the long haul. i guess i could tweak forever, but it only makes me miserable. i like it where i'm at and will probably start a dynasty soon.

[Blazzen]

Re: Blazzen's Slider Research Thread

[quote=itbeme23;2039861478]Blazzen,

It's funny how every year I find people who are as OCD about sliders as I am. I spent a good 3 1/2 months coming up with "playable" sliders for Madden 09, and I have experimented with several different sliders for MLB 2K9. I've already used several sets: BFJ's, Darkspaces, and JBH's. IMO, the best set has to go to JBH. I've been using his for nearly the past two months, and his sliders have provided me with the best variety/realism in the games that I've played. The only sliders that I have tweaked from his original set have been User Power (from 70 to 85), and I have also tweaked his CPU Batting numbers (Success from 70 to 65, Contact from 60 to 55). I've been playing with this set for the past two weeks, and I have been getting pretty decent results.



Blazen,

I would like to share with you some of my findings about the User/CPU strike out ratios. You noted that you haven't been seeing many K's on either side, but I must say that I have been seeing plenty of strikeouts on both sides with the current sliders that I am using. You mentioned that you thought it could be attributed to the lower contact ratings, but I wanted to share this with you first.

You have your User/CPU Batting sliders set as follows:
(Success, Contact, Power)

User: 55, 40, 65
CPU: 60, 60 75

I have those sliders at the following values:

User: 60, 40, 85
CPU: 65, 55, 80

If you'll notice right off the bat, my contact values are pretty similar to yours, with the exception of the CPU contact being slightly lower.

As I mentioned before, I have been using these sliders for quite some time, and I have not seen a deficiency in strikeouts on either side. I played yesterday's Astros VS. Dodgers game with the appropriate pitchers. I went six solid innings with Kershaw, and I was able to strike out 11 Astros with him. I know that Kershaw is a strikeout pitcher, so I expect that from him. I was able to tally 13 total K's with my Dodgers in that game. I think I had Leach, Mota, and Troncoso come in to finish out the game. As you can see, 13 strikeouts isn't a small number at all.

Now, I don't AVERAGE that high of a strikeout number for all of my pitchers. What I have noticed, is that pitchers who have good offspeed stuff, in my case Kershaw, Wolf, and Kuroda, will get their K's in every game. What I find harder to do is get strikeouts with power pitchers like Billingsley and Broxton. Although I usually do get K's with Broxton, I very rarely strike out the side, which is somewhat of a normal occurence for Johnny B. in real life.




I have found that JBH's original sliders still provide too much offense for the CPU. With his original sliders (70, 60, 80), the CPU averaged over 10 hits a game no matter who I played. I can understand if it was the Phillies getting 12 hits a game, but if I'm giving up 15 hits to the Nats, that is where I have a problem. I currently have the CPU hitting sliders set at (65, 55, 80). I found that lowering the success and contact sliders cuts down on the overal hit total for the CPU, but still allows them to average a decent amount of hits (between 6-8 a game). I left the power number the same because I didn't want to see a drop off in extra base hits. Unless I'm throwing a gem, I'll usually see a couple of doubles a game, mixed in with the occasional triple or HR.



- I'm glad you made that observation.

This should give the CPU a little more pop and also make it so I don't paint the black so much. I haven't felt much pressure pitching at all so I may also raise user pitcher composure.

- I think I am going to give your user pitching sliders a shot. Again, I'm using JBH's original sliders, and overall, I'm pretty happy with them. However, unless there are men on base, I rarely ever feel pressure on the mound. Over the past couple of games, I have given up a few walks, but that is only because I wanted the hitter to chase a borderline pitch as opposed to throwing him a strike in the full count. I would like to have a little bit more of a challenge when I'm on the mound.

Anyhoo, I just wanted to give you some feedback on the sliders. I've been playing this game non-stop for the past 3 months, so I'd like to think that I know what I'm talking about. :wink:

I'm interested to see what your feedback will be. I look forward to testing out sliders with you guys.

Cheers.

I appreciate the feedback.

As far as strikeouts go I think I need to throw more balls. I get in a groove and start throwing lots of first pitch fastballs for strikes and if I'm getting guys out I just keep doing it. I pitch to contact far too often I think. I do have a strikeout pitcher (Javy Vazquez) on my staff (Braves) so I do get K's with him but the other guys I have are Lowe and Jurrjens who both pitch to contact, Kawakami who is an average pitcher and Hanson who's rated pretty low despite a solid rookie start (I've bumped up his K rating but his pitches have awful movement ratings). I think being a little more patient pitching and be willing to nibble some more will help me.

Regarding too much offense with JBH's sliders - I found that too and my values are lower. However you do have to keep in mind that WHIP (walks + hits per inning pitched) is what matters more than hits. I don't walk many people so the amount of hits I give up per game is higher to make up for the lack of walks. MLB average last year was 19 hits and 6 walks (around there I'm going from memory) so if you don't walk anyone you can expect up to 3 more hits per game (12-13 total) and still be in the average range. I do find the CPU hits a bit too many singles which is why I upped the power rating. I also have McLouth in center and it seems I'm able to cut off a lot of hits with him.

[Blazzen]

Re: Blazzen's Slider Research Thread

- Good catch, MK. I have had my Pitcher Fatigue slider set at 40 for some time. I feel like this has to be set at 40 in order for both sides to get consistent quality outings from their pitchers. Even with it set at 40, I still wear out Kershaw and Kuroda within 85 pitches. I usually try to stretch them out to 90, just for statistics' sake, but I found if you do that enough, they'll get hurt. With the Pitcher Fatigue slider set any higher than 40, I find that the CPU makes horrible pitching change decisions. They'll pull a pitcher who's leading 3-0 in the 4th inning after throwing only 60 pitches. That isn't realistic at all, and it got really annoying, really quick.

- I'm curious to see how your power numbers are. You have your User Batting sliders set WAY lower than mine. I have mine set at 60, 40, 85, and I still have a hell of a time trying to get extra base hits. Doubles happen semi-frequently depending on the team that I'm hitting against, but homers are definitely hard to come by. I moved User Power up to 90 for a few games, but I found that I was smacking balls out of the park way too frequently. I think 85 is the perfect number for me. Just my .02.



- Pretty damn close to mine. I have mine set at 65, 55, 80. I've thought about lowering CPU Batting Success down to 60, as you have it, and I still might do that. I am going to raise my Bunt Contact and Success sliders to your settings just for the hell of it. I currently have mine at default.



- I'm going with your pitching sliders to see if that can make things a bit more challenging for me. My main complaint with the User Pitching is the lack of walks. My current pitching sliders weren't very far off from yours, but most of them needed to be raised a click to match yours.



- I currently have these sliders set at 65, 65, 5, 10, 80. I wonder if you could tell me why you made the changes that you have to these sliders.

Cheers.[/quote]
Pitcher stamina at 40 is something I'm going to try out as well. I hate seeing the CPU pull a pitcher way too early also.

[Blazzen]

Re: Blazzen's Slider Research Thread

i just had an amazing game:

Reds (CPU) vs. Rays (me)

Reds 3 10 1
Rays 8 12 0

Reds took a 2-0 in the first with a 2-run HR by Brandon Phillips off Jeff Niemann. In the top of the 6th the Reds went up 3-0 off Edwin Encarnacion's ground out scored a run (runners on 1st and 3rd with one out) - TB couldn't turn the double play (VERY close on the replay, but a good call).

In the bottom of the 6th the Rays finally got something going - Aaron Harang had been unhittable, scatting 3 hits through the first 5 innings. But the Rays tied it at 3 with a bases loaded walk by Carl Crawford scored a run, and then a single to left scored two runs off the bat of Ben Zobrist....game tied at 3 after 6.

Jeff Niemann settled down and pitched a solid game, throwing 90 pitches through 7 innings (62 for strikes), striking out 6, and no walks. However, he did not get the win.

The floodgates broke open for the Rays in the bottom of the 8th as they would score 5 runs...a pair of 2-run homers by Carlos Pena and Pat Burrell, as well as a seeing eye single by Dioner Navarro finished off the Reds, giving the Rays an 8-3 lead.

Dan Wheeler pitched two scoreless innings in relief to notch the win, throwing 10 pitches (9 for strikes) and shutting the door.

Harang takes the loss, throwing 103 pitches (65 for strikes) - 7 IP, 7 hits and 4 runs, striking out 2 and walking 3. Weathers and Rhodes were tagged in relief, before Nick Masset finally got a groundball out.

Brandon Phillips had the big bat for the Reds, going 4-4 (a HR and a double)...the Rays were led by Carlos Pena (2 for 3, 3 RBI) and Ben Zobrist (3-4, 2 RBI).

Very satisfying win...patience at the plate paid dividends late.

my updated sliders I used for this game (some changes from previous post):

pitcher stamina: 40

user batting: 50 - 40 - 70 - 100 - 100 - 75 - 0 - 25 - 0 - 40 - 40

CPU batting: 50 - 50 - 80 - 100 - 100 - 75 - 65 - 60

user pitching: 80 - 85 - 70 - 40 - 70 - 100 - 100 - 75

CPU pitching: 65 - 75 - 0 - 0 - 75

user fielding: 0 - 75 - 60

CPU fielding: 0 - 60

user running: 65 - 25 - 40

CPU running: 75 - 70 - 70 - 75 - 60 - 45

notes: for CPU batting, i'm basically using BFJ's, but raised contact by 30 points...i like hit direction influence at 25 (i use the left thumb stick, but i don't want it to be so obvious - this gives some variance and makes you pay for mistakes and bad guesses).

the two user pitching ratings i raised to 100 were just to see how they felt...honestly, i couldn't really see anything significant from my previous numbers. i got shelled when i made stupid pitches down the middle or missed my spot. i think i have to not be so afraid to walk big hitters. i changed up my pitching attack when going through the lineup.

for example, last night i was the reds and played the pirates. i ended up losing 5-3...i had cueto pitching and gave up 4 runs in the first inning. but i also had a stretch where i sent down 14 straight batters, but my pitch count hit 98 and i didn't want to risk another inning (a reliever gave up a run). i had two on and one out and hit into a game ending double play.

for as much grief we give this game, and it is FAR from perfect, i'm actually finding it a lot of fun. the fielding gives me fits but i really enjoy this game.

also, i think what makes it most fun is the pitching composure rating. when you hit those moments where the ball is moving around and you've got to make big pitches, it just feels so real. plus, i have the crowd volume jacked to full, so you also get that feel as well.

but i think i'm sticking with these sliders for the long haul. i guess i could tweak forever, but it only makes me miserable. i like it where i'm at and will probably start a dynasty soon.

Glad to hear you're having good games and you've got your sliders just about nailed down. If the user is able to be patient in both pitching and hitting I've found that's when the game yields its most realistic results.

[Blazzen]

Re: Blazzen's Slider Research Thread

Update:

Played the first game of the Braves vs. Mets series. It was Santana vs. Lowe. I actually went to the game saturday and had to not only witness the gem Santana pitched in real life but ALSO had him throw one against me. If I face him again the first thing I'm doing is throwing at his HEAD!

Anyways:

Mets 2 12 0
Braves 0 3 1

I pitched out of trouble a couple innings with Lowe but did give up runs. I think Reyes scored both runs and he stole 3 bases on me. I turned a couple double plays via Lowes sinker ball. All 12 mets hits were singles which is not really what I want to see. It's a different mets line up opposed to real life as they have no hurt position players. My outfielders were playing deep for the power guys so they were able to keep the ball in front of them and hold people to singles. Without extra base hits it is easy to scatter hits like this. I actually had a chance to tie it up in the ninth against K-Rod. I had runners on first and third and I pinch hit Ryan Church for Diaz and ended up lining out. It was a good game though.

I've made several changes to the sliders including:
Pitcher Fatigue
Batters Eye
Hit Direction Influence
CPU Batting Power
User Pitching Gesture
User Pitcher Composure

I'm hoping to see more extra base hits. If I don't in the next couple games I may tweak the sliders some more to help facilitate.

[mkharsh33]

Re: Blazzen's Slider Research Thread

regarding the power issue - i was a bit concerned about this as well. but i really believe that you MUST take a patient approach, as in real baseball. If you need to take a risk and hit the first pitch, then do so. But 95% of the time I take the first pitch, sometimes the first two. I go into defensive mode on 2 strikes, but that's real as well for most batters. (in one instance i fouled off 5 consecutive pitches the other night with 2 strikes on me).

put the pitcher stamina at 40 - trust me, it changes the complexion of the game.

it's taken me awhile, but i think i've finally nailed it, and the more i play this game the more i've come to appreciate it (in spite of its flaws).

hope you find the sliders right for your fit...

[Blazzen]

Re: Blazzen's Slider Research Thread

I think I'm going to need more user and cpu extra base hits. The total number of hits per game is fine there's just too many singles. How do I raise extra base hits while keeping the total number of hits the same?

I'm thinking I raise power and lower success? Or do I raise power and lower contact?

[mkharsh33]

Re: Blazzen's Slider Research Thread

i know what you mean...not sure which two to play with. something would tell me to raise power and lower contact - BUT i don't know if contact means the ability to make contact or singles contact. it may mean that you lower success and raise power (which is where i personally would start).

what i did today was change two pitching sliders with my current hitting sliders and i'm going to test these with my current hitting sliders (of success 50, contact 40, and power 70):

cpu pitch success to 70

cpu pitch selection tendency to 100

you're right - just too many singles. i'm thinking about going with 40, 40, 70 with my hitting sliders, but i need to test some more games to get a better feel.

[Blazzen]

Re: Blazzen's Slider Research Thread

i know what you mean...not sure which two to play with. something would tell me to raise power and lower contact - BUT i don't know if contact means the ability to make contact or singles contact. it may mean that you lower success and raise power (which is where i personally would start).

what i did today was change two pitching sliders with my current hitting sliders and i'm going to test these with my current hitting sliders (of success 50, contact 40, and power 70):

cpu pitch success to 70

cpu pitch selection tendency to 100

you're right - just too many singles. i'm thinking about going with 40, 40, 70 with my hitting sliders, but i need to test some more games to get a better feel.

I played some at lunch today and determined I needed more power. I plan on lowering user success and raising contact by 5 each and I'm going to bump user pitching gesture up to 80 (5 points up, it was 75) to promote more CPU offense.

The sliders look very close to JBH3's but success is 10 lower for user and cpu but the pitching is also more difficult for user (high gesture slider).

They will look something like this:

Slider Name Blazzen

Pitcher Fatigue 40

User Batting
Batting Success 50
Batting Contact 40
Batting Power 70
Pitcher Handedness Influence 100
IE Batting Zone Influence 100
Batting Pitch Influence 75
Batter's Eye Influence 25
Hit Direction Influence 25
Zone Hitting Influence 50
Bunt Contact 40
Bunt Success 45

CPU Batting
Batting Success 60
Batting Contact 60
Batting Power 80
Pitcher Handedness Influence 100
IE Batting Zone Influence 100
Batting Pitch Influence 75
Bunt Contact 65
Bunt Success 60

User Pitching
Pitch Meter Speed 80
Pitch Speed 85
Gesture Recognition 80
Hold Timing Influence 35
Release Timing Influence 65
Pitch Rating Influence 95
Pitch Break Influence 95
Pitcher Composure Influence 75

CPU Pitching
Pitch Success 65
Pitch Selection Tendency 75
Strike Zone Tendency 0
Pitch Zone Tendency 25
Pitcher Composure Influence 75

User Fielding
Fielding Errors 30
Throw Meter Influence 75
Fielder Speed 60

CPU Fielding
Fielding Errors 30
Fielder Speed 60

User Running
Base Runner Speed 65
Pickoff Success 25
Catcher Throw Out Success 40

CPU Running
Hit and Run Tendency 75
Sacrifice Bunt Tendency 70
Squeeze Tendency 70
Base Running Aggression 75
Steal Aggression 50
Steal Success 45