When Will SCEA Address Boundary Play?

[killinois]

I love this game, it's my all-time favorite sports installment, and it never fails to be fun and totally worth the price year in and year out. However, the one aspect of the franchise which repeatedly has left me scratching my head over the years has to do with how players act and react when it comes to any play that is at or near a wall...

It's just a little detail, but the fact that you can't reach over and/or dive into the first 1-2 rows to snag lame pop outs is something that has been lacking from this series, always. Time to do something about it. This is something that happens pretty routinely in the baseball world... and is exciting. Imagine bailing your pitcher out of a bases loaded scenario with two outs to end a game by lunging into the seats to bring it in...

The other weird issue is the magnetic quality of the wall on plays where the outfielders have their backs to home plate and make a catch. I understand physics might carry a guy further towards the wall, or even into it at times, but sometimes it just seems like the wall sucks you into it, and the animation involved just takes up far too much time... and you pay for it when baserunners advance on that animation. Also, it would be nice if there were some way to incorporate agility into those plays... so that the big, lumbering Carlos Lees of the world might have to take more time to stop and pivot than Carl Crawford would.

I also think there could be more errors from outfielders. I'd love to see a "bad route" animation, or guys doing the "backpedal of death", or getting twisted up on balls hit directly over their heads... losing balls in sunlight, or stadium lights... or anything like that would just add.

Either way, I'm loving this game, changes or not. I can't wait until '11!

[nemesis04]

Re: When Will SCEA Address Boundary Play?

You have valid points, as those situations you mentioned need some refinement. They are aware of these things.

[ryan36]

Re: When Will SCEA Address Boundary Play?

The OF wall play bugs me to no end, but it doesn't come up very much.

[MLB01]

Re: When Will SCEA Address Boundary Play?

Yea, I'm sure we all know what he's talkin' about here. I'll add something to the conversation that usually stems off that animation. There's been many times where I need to get the ball home urgently, but the players don't have any urgency to get it there. I don't think it matters how one times the button presses either. Considering the rest of the game flows so accurately to major league baseball, it should be corrected.

[callmetaternuts]

Re: When Will SCEA Address Boundary Play?

The OF wall play bugs me to no end, but it doesn't come up very much.

I'm with you on this. It drives me effing nuts when I snag a ball on the ground at warning track and end up dancing with the wall.

[Skyboxer]

Re: When Will SCEA Address Boundary Play?

I know I've seen players reach over into the seats in foul territory and bring balls back in. No dives into stands though.

[SoxFan01605]

Re: When Will SCEA Address Boundary Play?

I know I've seen players reach over into the seats in foul territory and bring balls back in. No dives into stands though.

It's a triggered animation though...the user has no control over it at all (other than moving the player in place and hoping the animation kicks in...and it doesn't always).

I agree about OF wall play too. I'd like to see not only better ways to make catches near the wall, but be able to manually play the bounces better.

I don't know how many times I've been in a realistically good position to make catch a ball off of a ricochet, only to have it bounce through my player. The trick is, of course, to switch off the player nearest the ball and let the CPU snag it, but I'd like more user control in that area.

I'd also love some type of animation for bare handing a high-hop and gunning a greedy runner down (happens in Fenway quite a bit, given the short distance to the Monster and all the balls knocked off of it).

Really, just a bit better "feel" and sense of control to the fielding in general would be nice.

[ryan36]

Re: When Will SCEA Address Boundary Play?

It's a triggered animation though...the user has no control over it at all (other than moving the player in place and hoping the animation kicks in...and it doesn't always).

I agree about OF wall play too. I'd like to see not only better ways to make catches near the wall, but be able to manually play the bounces better.

I don't know how many times I've been in a realistically good position to make catch a ball off of a ricochet, only to have it bounce through my player. The trick is, of course, to switch off the player nearest the ball and let the CPU snag it, but I'd like more user control in that area.

I'd also love some type of animation for bare handing a high-hop and gunning a greedy runner down (happens in Fenway quite a bit, given the short distance to the Monster and all the balls knocked off of it).

Really, just a bit better "feel" and sense of control to the fielding in general would be nice.

I don't know what causes this, but to me, it is one thing that sort of plagues the fielding in this game...the fact that CPU can do things the HUM realistically can't unless he goes to a message board to learn a trick. I know they are trying to improve fielding...so I trust them.

[Skyboxer]

Re: When Will SCEA Address Boundary Play?

It's a triggered animation though...the user has no control over it at all (other than moving the player in place and hoping the animation kicks in...and it doesn't always).

I agree about OF wall play too. I'd like to see not only better ways to make catches near the wall, but be able to manually play the bounces better.

I don't know how many times I've been in a realistically good position to make catch a ball off of a ricochet, only to have it bounce through my player. The trick is, of course, to switch off the player nearest the ball and let the CPU snag it, but I'd like more user control in that area.

I'd also love some type of animation for bare handing a high-hop and gunning a greedy runner down (happens in Fenway quite a bit, given the short distance to the Monster and all the balls knocked off of it).

Really, just a bit better "feel" and sense of control to the fielding in general would be nice.

I don't know what causes this, but to me, it is one thing that sort of plagues the fielding in this game...the fact that CPU can do things the HUM realistically can't unless he goes to a message board to learn a trick. I know they are trying to improve fielding...so I trust them.

Well The Shows fielding is pretty much animation driven. That's why it's so silky smooth for the most part. However it would be cool to be able to control certain things like diving into stands etc...

[SoxFan01605]

Re: When Will SCEA Address Boundary Play?

I don't know what causes this, but to me, it is one thing that sort of plagues the fielding in this game...the fact that CPU can do things the HUM realistically can't unless he goes to a message board to learn a trick. I know they are trying to improve fielding...so I trust them.

Yup...it can be quite annoying. Fielding has improved though, and being able to override certain animations or "break out" of them was a big plus. They just need to keep at it. Like you said, I trust them.

Well The Shows fielding is pretty much animation driven. That's why it's so silky smooth for the most part. However it would be cool to be able to control certain things like diving into stands etc...

Yeah, it's a tricky balance, no doubt. I don't want to see it completely blown up and end up with the herky-jerky controls of some prior baseball games. I'd just like to see them continue to focus on finding ways to work in more user control into their already stellar animations.

I know fielding is a focus of theirs, so I'm anxious to see where they made their improvements.

[countryboy]

Re: When Will SCEA Address Boundary Play?

I know I've seen players reach over into the seats in foul territory and bring balls back in. No dives into stands though.

So have I....

[cardsleadtheway]

Re: When Will SCEA Address Boundary Play?

Heh, he must have a skinny arm