RANDOMNESS. Baseball video games need to have more randomness! They have slowly been adding this into their games---but not fast enough in my opinion. Most of them do account for random offline throws, random dropped balls---but not nearly enough to make the game even remotely realistic.
****** THIS IS THE REASON THAT SO MANY PEOPLE GET BORED WITH BASEBALL VIDEO GAMES EVERY YEAR****
Ask yourself this..... when was the last time you were able to play a complete season of any baseball video game without getting bored to death? .....or even to the All-Star break???? These games are way too predictable and stagnant. I was reading the Operation Sports interview with an ASB spokesperson, where the spokesperson said something to the effect of "We have tweaked the baserunning, but they will NEVER get caught making the first out at third base!"
I say--- "WHY NOT????" Of course, the old baseball rule says Don't ever get caught making the first out at third base.....but guess what? It FREAKIN HAPPENS in real baseball. Does it happen alot? No. But does it happen? HELL YES IT HAPPENS! In real baseball, how often do you an outfielder make a bad break on the ball---only to let it drop for a basehit, or how often do you see an infielder take a chance and try to get the lead runner at second--only to fail and have runners at first and second? It doesn't happen every game, but it does happen in real life. Now ask yourself---how often do you see this from the CPU in videogame baseball? NEVER. EVER. If the CPU knows it can't the lead runner, it will automatically get the easy out at first.....it doesn't even try because the program tells it that it won't get the lead runner. The CPU will never make a bad break on a ball---or take a bad angle at cutting off a gapper.....instead it robotically runs directly to the ball every time.
So why not program some unpredictability in the baserunning model?
Why not program some unpredictability in the pitching model?
Why not program some unpredictability in the batting model?
Why not program some unpredictability in the fielding model?
Why do all of these supposed next-gen baseball games still have the same old boring by-the-book rules and physics? You NEVER see the CPU try to stretch out a single into a double and get caught.....the CPU is programmed to only go for the extra base if they can actually make it. The CPU is programmed to only throw to a base to get you out if they actually can get you out!! If the CPU knows that you will beat the throw---EVEN IF IT IS ONLY BY A FOOT--they will usually just stand there with the ball and let you slide in to the base. This is true with pretty much every baseball game out there.
The AI in these games is so boring and robotic and predictable and has been like this forever. Just adding in a couple of random dropped balls or random offline throws is not going to cut it anymore. Why don't gamers make a bigger issue out of this? Why are they happy to get these baseball-strictly-by-the-rules videogames every year?
****** THIS IS THE REASON THAT SO MANY PEOPLE GET BORED WITH BASEBALL VIDEO GAMES EVERY YEAR****
Ask yourself this..... when was the last time you were able to play a complete season of any baseball video game without getting bored to death? .....or even to the All-Star break???? These games are way too predictable and stagnant. I was reading the Operation Sports interview with an ASB spokesperson, where the spokesperson said something to the effect of "We have tweaked the baserunning, but they will NEVER get caught making the first out at third base!"
I say--- "WHY NOT????" Of course, the old baseball rule says Don't ever get caught making the first out at third base.....but guess what? It FREAKIN HAPPENS in real baseball. Does it happen alot? No. But does it happen? HELL YES IT HAPPENS! In real baseball, how often do you an outfielder make a bad break on the ball---only to let it drop for a basehit, or how often do you see an infielder take a chance and try to get the lead runner at second--only to fail and have runners at first and second? It doesn't happen every game, but it does happen in real life. Now ask yourself---how often do you see this from the CPU in videogame baseball? NEVER. EVER. If the CPU knows it can't the lead runner, it will automatically get the easy out at first.....it doesn't even try because the program tells it that it won't get the lead runner. The CPU will never make a bad break on a ball---or take a bad angle at cutting off a gapper.....instead it robotically runs directly to the ball every time.
So why not program some unpredictability in the baserunning model?
Why not program some unpredictability in the pitching model?
Why not program some unpredictability in the batting model?
Why not program some unpredictability in the fielding model?
Why do all of these supposed next-gen baseball games still have the same old boring by-the-book rules and physics? You NEVER see the CPU try to stretch out a single into a double and get caught.....the CPU is programmed to only go for the extra base if they can actually make it. The CPU is programmed to only throw to a base to get you out if they actually can get you out!! If the CPU knows that you will beat the throw---EVEN IF IT IS ONLY BY A FOOT--they will usually just stand there with the ball and let you slide in to the base. This is true with pretty much every baseball game out there.
The AI in these games is so boring and robotic and predictable and has been like this forever. Just adding in a couple of random dropped balls or random offline throws is not going to cut it anymore. Why don't gamers make a bigger issue out of this? Why are they happy to get these baseball-strictly-by-the-rules videogames every year?
). Im all for that. But think about this: Pudge is catching for your team. 2 strikes, 2 balls. You are tied in the ninth. You come with the heat. Batter swings and misses but Pudge drops the strike. Its a speedy runner who makes it to first ahead of the play. Next guy belts a homer to right field, you lose. In real life, you could go...."damn Pudge, but I guess even the greats make a mistake on occasion." In a video game, you are going to be think, "damn game cheated me... no way Pudge drops that." No matter how you rationalize it, you will always wonder if it was truly random or some programmers attempt at "miracle comeback AI" (High Heat veterans know what I mean 
). This will anger the casual fans and companies want to avoid this.
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