The Phoenix Slider Set v1.0 for MLB 10 + In-depth slider descriptions

[Phoenixmgs]

You can download my sliders, named Phoenix Final, on SportsConnect.

Slider values: 0 is the minimum, 5 is default, and 10 is the maximum.


Gameplay Options:

Hitting Difficulty: Legend
Pitching Difficulty: HoF
Pitching Interface: Classic or Meter*
Guess Pitch: Off/No Feedback


My sliders for the most part should work across multiple difficulty levels, which you can read about here. To my knowledge, moving up hitting difficulty levels should just make it less forgiving with the placement of the left stick and your swing timing as well, and moving up pitching difficulties should make the CPU more potent at the plate. If you find hitting to be too difficult for you, move the user timing slider up, it is the only slider that directly increases your batting average. If you are pitching on a different difficulty level, you may need to tweak the CPU's contact and timing sliders.

*If you prefer using the pitching meter, adjust User pitcher consistency to 0.


User Sliders:

Contact: 3 (User preference*)
Power: 1 (bump this up to 3 if you primarily use the contact swing)
Timing: 0
Fouls: 5
Solid Hits: 0
Starter Stamina: 6
Reliever Stamina: 0
Pitcher Control: 6
Pitcher Consistency: 8 (0 if you are using the pitching meter)

*The user contact slider is purely a check swing slider. Adjust this slider to wherever you feel check swings are fair for YOU.


CPU Sliders:

Contact: 2
Power: 1
Timing: 3
Fouls: 2
Solid Hits: 0
Starter Stamina: 6
Reliever Stamina: 0
Pitcher Control: 6
Pitcher Consistency: 8
Strike Frequency: 5
Manager Hook: 7
Pickoffs: 2

- The CPU can be struck out in a pretty realistic fashion, the CPU will actually at times chase pitches in the dirt.

- I really feel that I've nailed CPU pitching as best as possible. You will see realistic ball-to-strike ratios. You won't see an over abundance of wild pitches or hit-by-pitches.


Global Sliders:

Pitch Speed: 4 (purely user preference)
Fielding Errors: 4
Throwing Errors: 7
Fielder Run Speed: 0
Fielder Reaction: 10
Fielder Arm Strength: 4
Baserunner Speed: 5
Baserunner Steal Ability: 5
Baserunner Steal Frequency: 5
Wind: 5
Injury Frequency: 5

- For whatever reason. the CPU is slower at stealing than the User. Therefore, stealing cannot be fixed via sliders because the CPU and User base stealers don't steal at the same speed. So, tweaking the baserunner steal ability does not work because it's a global slider. User stealing will be fair if you don't extend your lead, just steal from the default leadoff. However, the CPU will be thrown out most of the time so you have do the following:
Solution: You are going to have to edit the 2 catchers on your team and lower their arm strength attribute by about 15 points. I have not 100% tested this so edit your catchers' arm strength until the CPU is getting a fair shake on the bases.

[Phoenixmgs]

In-depth slider descriptions:

The descriptions tell you exactly what each slider does so you can tune the game for yourself if need be.

User Sliders:

Contact
- This is purely a check swing slider for the User because the slider is for plate vision and discipline. Since you swing the bat for all your players, your players' vision and discipline is completely tied to YOU. Raise to make check swinging easier, lower to make check swinging harder.
Power
- This slider effects how far balls are hit, this is your ideal HR slider. It will not increase extra base hits other than HRs. Raise for more distance, lower for less distance.
Timing
- This slider adjusts the window you have to make contact with the ball along with the window for making solid contact (increase/decrease extra base hits). This is the only slider that directly increases/decreases hit totals. This slider will also increase/decrease strikeouts. Raise for a bigger window (easier to hit), lower for a smaller window (harder to hit)
Fouls
- This slider obviously increases/decreases foul balls. More importantly it'll effect strikeouts as increasing the slider will let you and the CPU slide a bit on 2 strike counts allowing the batter to stay alive instead of striking out at times. Raise for more foul balls, lower for less foul balls.
Solid Hits
- This slider effects how hard batted balls are struck that ARE NOT hit squarely. So, if you put a good swing on the pitch, the ball will be hit hard no matter what this slider is set at. Lowering this slider just increases hit variety on balls that aren't hit well, that is all. If you find yourself having a hard time hitting extra base hits, raise this slider to 1 or 2. I would not recommend going past 2 or you'll see pretty much every batted ball hit hard. If you are still having trouble hitting extra base hits at 2, increase the timing slider or lower pitch speed. Raise for less hit variety, lower for more hit variety.
Starter Stamina
- Increases/decreases the number of pitches a starter can throw.
Reliever Stamina
- Increases/decreases the number of pitches a reliever can throw.
Pitcher Control
- This IS NOT a proper pitcher control slider. This slider does nothing but increase meatballs pitches when lowered and decrease meatballs when raised.
Pitcher Consistency
- This slider is basically your pitcher control slider. Raising pitcher consistency pretty much increases the chance of the pitch going in the area where the pitcher wants it and decreases the chances of the pitch missing by a lot. This slider heavily influences the amount of wild pitches and hit batters. Lowering this will make pitchers less accurate (idea for meter pitching) and will allow for more wild pitches and hit batters.


CPU Sliders:

Contact
This slider adjusts the CPU's plate vision and discipline. Raise for the CPU to chase less pitches out of the zone, lower for the CPU to chase more pitches out of the zone.
Power
- Same as user slider.
Timing
- Same as user slider.
Fouls
- Same as user slider.
Solid Hits
- Same as user slider.
Starter Stamina
- Same as user slider.
Reliever Stamina
- Same as user slider.
Pitcher Control
Pitcher Consistency
- These two sliders for the CPU are dependent upon each other. The pitcher control slider is actually a pitcher control slider for the CPU. Raising pitcher control will normally raise the number of balls you see, the CPU will try to hit the corners more, which in turn means the CPU will miss out of the zone more. Lowering pitcher control increases strikes because the CPU will throw more meatballs. Pitcher consistency does the same thing as it does for the user. Here's where that dependency I'm talking about comes in; try using my slider settings for pitcher control (6) and pitcher consistency (8) for an inning, then use pitcher control (7) and pitcher consistency (8) and you'll see the CPU throw nothing but strikes. Put pitcher control and pitcher consistency both at (7) and you'll see a great ball/strike ratio but far too many wild pitches and hit-by-pitches.
Strike Frequency
- Raising this makes the CPU throw more early strikes, lowering this makes the CPU throw more early balls. In my opinion, lowering this slider makes the balls seen early in count feel artificial, I really can't explain it any other way.
Manager Hook
- Raising this slider makes the CPU pull their pitchers sooner, lowering this slider will let CPU pitchers stay in the game longer.
Pickoffs
- Raise for more CPU pickoff attempts, lower for less pickoff attempts.


Global Sliders:

Pitch Speed
- Raising it increases pitch speed, lowering it decreases pitch speed.
Fielding Errors
- Raising it will see an increase in fielding errors, lowering it will see a decrease in fielding errors.
Throwing Errors
- Raising it will see an increase in throwing errors, lowering it will see a decrease in throwing errors.
Fielder Run Speed
- Raising it increases fielder speed, lowering it decreases fielder speed. This is mainly an outfielder slider.
Fielder Reaction
- Raising it increases fielder reaction, lowering it decreases fielder reaction. This is mainly an infielder slider. This year, the slider is pretty weak, you won't see a big difference from 0 to 10 honestly. Last year, you would notice a difference just by moving it up or down one notch.
Fielder Arm Strength
- Raising it increases fielder arm strength, lowering it decreases fielder arm strength.
Baserunner Speed
- Raising it increases baserunner speed, lowering it decreases baserunner speed.
Baserunner Steal Ability
- Raising it DECREASES the jump a base stealer gets, lowering it INCREASES the jump a base stealer gets. This slider is REVERSED, and DaiYoung discovered this, all credit goes to him.
Baserunner Steal Frequency
- Raising it increases the chance the CPU will attempt a steal, lowering it decreases the chance the CPU will attempt a steal.
Wind
- Raising it increases the wind, lowering it decreases the wind. The slider literally changes the wind speed in the game.
Injury Frequency
- Raising it increases injuries, lowering it decreases injuries.

[NAFBUC]

Thanks for taking the time and posting your observations and In-depth slider descriptions.

Information, tips, observations and opinions from our OS community enhances the game playing enviroment.

One thing to keep in mind is not to go overboard like your 'broken post' pertaining to meter pitching. The meter pitching works as programmed, it is not broken. You are just to good for the meter pitching interface. Your post would have been recieved better if you replaced 'broken' with 'to easy for me' type wording.

I do like the fact you at least came up with an aternative method for SCEA to explore. (Maybe as another user option, something between classic and meter).

[topside]

Tried these today because they looked very challenging and I usually go for the harder sliders. I had a very hard time making contact and struck out a ton. I also had a very hard time striking out the CPU. Didn't have any errors in the game for either team and noticed the CPU really hits the ball hard when they make contact. I'm going to play a few more games with them and let you know

[Stickum11]

Phoenix,
I am just wondering how you were able to determine the actual cause and effect of each individual sliders? It's great work and is probably the most beneficial post on here so everyone can adjust to their own strengths and weaknesses. Thanks.
RC

[baseball66]

Excellent thread Phoenix i'll be giving these a whirl today.

Would you say then that the solid hits slider increases or decreases the "sweet spot" on the bat and timing makes the "barrel" of the bat larger or smaller?

One thing i'm not sure of as i haven't really taken note to much but do the cpu runners at 1st esp. the faster ones take an extra step lead or do they settle on default same as we are given. If they do take an extra step then setting the steal ability slider at 4 still does not even things out?

One other thing Phoenix how do you use the L stick?
-not at all?
-preset it?
-try and aim at the ball as it comes at you?

Thanks

[Entiae]

Just downloaded these and I will try them out.

I changed two sliders though, Pitch Speed (up to 5) and CPU Strike Frequency (down to 3). I like those so I want to keep playing with them.

And I set the Power slider to 3 since I rarely use the power swing.

[Phoenixmgs]

Quote: Originally Posted by topside

I had a very hard time making contact and struck out a ton. I also had a very hard time striking out the CPU. Didn't have any errors in the game for either team and noticed the CPU really hits the ball hard when they make contact. I'm going to play a few more games with them and let you know

If you're having a hard time hitting, increase timing or lower pitch speed. How I like to test pitch speed for myself is by testing to see if I'm able to pull a high and inside fastball from a pitcher who throws 92-94mph when I'm SITTING on that pitch. When I have pitcher throwing 95+, I find it somewhat difficult to hit a high inside fastball even when I'm sitting on it. The CPU will not magically hit like real humans with my sliders, but it should be just about as close as you can get with this game. I've had the CPU occasionally strikeout on balls in the dirt (this is not something you can bank on them doing, but they will do it every so often). You do have to make that extra pitch with the CPU to get their timing off. For example, you just threw two fastballs to get ahead 0-2, don't go right to the changeup, throw that extra fastball (either right on the black or for a ball) then throw the changeup. If you have solid hits at 0, that is the lowest you can go to have the CPU hit the ball more softly. If you're playing on Legend pitching, then the CPU can just be ridiculous no matter how good you are pitching.

Quote: Originally Posted by Stickum11

Phoenix, I am just wondering how you were able to determine the actual cause and effect of each individual sliders? It's great work and is probably the most beneficial post on here so everyone can adjust to their own strengths and weaknesses. Thanks. RC

It's just from tweaking these sliders for the past 3 years. Each year, these sliders do basically the same thing. Each year, the game on default sliders plays differently but the sliders themselves will effect the game the same way they did the previously. Sometimes sliders are weaker or more sensitive but they are still doing the same thing. Of course, I've looked through many a slider post here over the past 3 years, and several other users stumble upon something you didn't realize, then you take in that knowledge with little to no work on your part.

Quote: Originally Posted by baseball66

Would you say then that the solid hits slider increases or decreases the "sweet spot" on the bat and timing makes the "barrel" of the bat larger or smaller? One thing i'm not sure of as i haven't really taken note to much but do the cpu runners at 1st esp. the faster ones take an extra step lead or do they settle on default same as we are given. If they do take an extra step then setting the steal ability slider at 4 still does not even things out? One other thing Phoenix how do you use the L stick? -not at all? -preset it? -try and aim at the ball as it comes at you? Thanks

I would say timing makes the barrel smaller or bigger. Solid hits maybe only very very slightly makes the barrel smaller or larger. I would say with solid hits at default, pretty much every part of the bat is a sweet spot. My first few games played in 10 were disappointing, everything the CPU and I were hitting were hit hard. With solid hits at default, a routine grounder to SS is a laced one hopper where that routine grounder with solid hits at 0 is your standard 2 or 3 hopper or maybe even a bit of a chopper.

Setting the steal ability at 4 will make CPU stealing good but it will break User stealing. At default, the User can steal realistically with no extended lead. At 4, the user can steal too well. The slider can only set stealing proper for either the user or CPU, since the base stealers are getting different jumps. Doing the catcher edits is just easier, you only have to edit your catchers, should only be 2 players.

Lastly, I aim the left stick as the pitch comes in.