Funkycorm’s MLB 21 All-Star Classic/Directional Sliders

[Funkycorm]

Updated 5/4/21


These are for MLB 21 and are being played on the PS5 though they will work on any system.


As of reading this, these sliders are our first version.


Hello and welcome to the thread. For those that don’t me, my name is Funkycorm and I am that guy with the crazy roster theories and the super decreased potential roster. Not to mention the guy, that spends quite a bit of time editing draft classes at the end of the season. I am also that guy that likes to sim years into the future then play in a half real/half fictional league 7-8 years into the future and who is known to spend 20-30 hours simming and editing just to get to where the game feels right. I have followed some of the other slider threads here over the last few years to learn new things and to get some good ideas and drew some inspiration from them.


I have never released a slider set in any game before but decided I would this year for a few reasons. One being the fact that I released a roster and thought I would contribute more to the community. Second is that I have different ideas on a few of the sliders and wanted to share those thoughts here. Third, my approach to the game as a whole is a bit different (just read my posts on rosters) and my approach to playing is different than some when it comes to settings. Lastly, some other slider makers share their progress in the game and I am looking for a hub I can do that in myself as well.


I do not claim to be a slider expert and have not deep dived into what each individual slider does but instead I have found what works well for me and want to share that as well as my observations about a few sliders. I am of the belief that the more ideas on here the better as it leads to better exchanges of those ideas. These will be similar to others as this series has always played very well close to default. There are no sliders that are truly wrong just different points of view and what works for everyone is different.



What I am playing in MLB 21:


I will be playing 2 very different franchises in MLB 21.


One will be a future Indians franchise in the 2031 season. That season matches the current real schedule because the schedules are on a 5-year rotation so I will be playing the real schedule which is why 2031 was picked. Plus, it is fun to have half real, half fictional players in the league. I will be playing every pitch of that year. Honestly, I can't recommend enough trying something like this once in a sports game. It is just plain awesome. Build up your team over the years by simming and see those results come to fruition.


The second will be a Cubs franchise starting in 2021 and playing every pitch. This will be the first time in a while I have done this with a franchise in any game. I have been playing with fake teams or simming into the future in all sports games for a while now. The last time I played every pitch from the get go was back in 2014. I will be simming most of spring training though.


These two franchises will be played fairly evenly. I will also likely stream some games as well once out of the testing phase.


I am also doing a quick manage Rockies franchise but that is not related to this. This is mostly if I have only a short bit of time to play and want to have some franchise progress. Plus, I use it to teach my wife the game. My goal one day is to have her build her own contending team next to mine and pit them against each other in simulation.


All of these franchises will be using my Potential Edit Default Roster Project which has its own thread in the roster section.



My General Thinking:

1. I want ratings to matter.
2. I don’t care about stats. They will come naturally.
3. I want to play and enjoy myself.



Game Settings:

This is where you will see some difference in my approach and how I play. Any new player may want to toggle a few of these differently. I note my recommendations under specific settings.


Batting & Baserunning (basic and advanced toggles):

Hitting Difficulty: All-Star
Hitting View: Fish Eye

There is some preference here but do not use the strike zone ones as they make hitting too easy. All playing by me is done on fish eye. Also avoid outfield hitting views. It looks realistic like a broadcast but it is too easy.

In-Play View Offense: Medium

I am not a fan of the dynamic view or anything. I like watching where the ball goes when I hit it. I may see what the others are like but we are sticking with this for now.

Hitting Interface: Directional

This is a must. It makes ratings matter. There are guides on how to directional hit. I will leave that to others. I have my own system for influencing directional hitting but won’t go into details here.

Input Type: Buttons

Analog Type: Flick
Camera Shift: Off

It is too annoying to have on. Way too annoying. So annoying even (but said like Cyborg from the Teen Titans when waffles are involved)

Plate Coverage Indicator: Off

We don’t want those arrows showing up from influencing directional hitting. The rest of the PCI settings don’t matter.

Guess Pitch: Off

This is an absolute must. Do not turn this on. It handicaps you and makes you a worse hitter. Your hitting will never improve with this. It penalizes you if you are wrong.

Baserunning Decisions: Assist
Baserunning Interface: Default
Sliding Decisions: Assist
Runner Windows: On

I like the windows on because I want to follow the ball but know where my runners are.



Pitching (no basic and advanced toggles):

Pitching Difficulty: All-Star
Pitching Interface: Classic. Pulse meter display does not matter

This is a must. It makes ratings matter.

Pitch Feedback: Off

We want to feel how we are pitching. If the hitter is off balance, we can tell without the game telling us he swung early or late. It makes pitching more rewarding.

Pitching View: Broadcast/Outfield

Broadcast for all of your away games no matter what. I will be using Outfield for my Cubs franchise home games only so it will be like broadcast because I am not a fan of their specific broadcast angle. The important thing here is consistency. One view for home and broadcast for away. My Indians franchise gets full broadcast because I love their broadcast angle.

Pitching Ball Marker: Classic Fade

You see it for a second when you select your pitch. You need to know where you want to go with your pitch before it fades. You can still move it once it fades. If you are new, I recommend this to be set to ‘classic on’ until you get more comfortable. I use classic because I don’t like the red arc that comes from the other choice. Classic is less intrusive for a cleaner screen but we still want to see it.

Pitch Confidence: On
Pitch Delay: Normal
API: Off

I am not a fan of the glove pop up here. I like to call my own game when I pitch. If you are new to baseball or this game, I would recommend this be set to ‘on’ and not set to ‘auto’ as it won’t show up on auto on all-star difficulty.



Fielding (no basic and advanced toggles):

Throwing Interface: Buttons
RTTS Throwing: ShowTime. Doesn’t matter in franchise unless doing player lock.
Throwing Meter: Off

We don’t want an ugly meter in our field. Plus, it makes user skill matter more than ratings. We don’t want that.

Fielding Decisions: Auto

You see the full gambit of beautiful animations without ugly circles and indicators on our field. Yuck! No one wants that.

Throwing Decisions: Off

The game fields the ball, I decide where it goes. It keeps you honest and engaged with auto fielding on.

In-Play View Defense: Medium

I am not a fan of the dynamic view or anything. I like watching my fielders make plays. I may see what the others are like but we are sticking with this for now.

Throw Cancelling: On
One Button Dive/Jump: Off
Auto INF Jump Reaction: On
Auto INF Dive Reaction: On
Catch Position Indicator: Off
Defensive Shift: Auto

You need to pay attention here when major shifts happen. I typically change most back to normal but I leave this on auto because I will forget to change to double play depth, etc.

Off the Wall Ribbon: Off

We don’t want to see that. With auto fielding, we have to see how our outfielder is reacting so we know if we need to load a throw or not. Keeps you honest on auto fielding.



General (basic and advanced toggles):

Gameplay Style: Simulation

This is a must to make ratings matter.

Fielding Aids: Off, sub choices are locked
Strike Zone: On

Stays on when you pitch but when hitting it fades as the pitch is coming when batting. This is why I dub my set up a cleaner screen and not a true clean screen.

Hot Zones: Off
Wind: On
Warm Up Relievers: On
Dynamic Difficulty Updates: Doesn’t matter
Vertical Camera Movement: Standard
Horizontal Camera Movement: Standard
Tutorial Tips: Off

If you are brand new to the game, you can have these ‘on’ if you want. It is a personal preference.

Post-Game Auto Save: Off

I hate auto saves on anything oh so much. I like to be in control of my own saves.

Scorebar Display: On
Pitch Select Display: On

I want to see my pitcher’s repertoire. I also want to know my opponent’s pitches when I am hitting.

Swing/Pitch Info: Off

If you are just beginning, I would consider ‘on’ but be warned, this is a crutch and will only anger you if you are slightly early or late knowing you just missed solid contact or the ball in general if you have good timing but swing and miss as that happens. You should be able to tell if you are early or late just by playing. No need for this annoying huge box in the corner.

Balks: On
Umpire Accuracy: Average

This needs to be on average. You get just a few too many bad calls with some umps on personalized. This setting still let's umpire personality show but keeps it more consistent. This was a game changer when I figure this out in MLB19. Those umps that have bad zones will still call it that way. It just promotes a little more consistency in those zones. It’s not perfect but we don’t want that setting. I need to yell at the TV once in a while or it isn’t baseball.

Umpire Close Plays: On
Check Swing Appeals: On
Injuries: On
Ejections: On
Vibration: On

This is a double-edged sword. It directly goes against classic fade because it vibrates once it fades and moves out of the zone but you lose all vibration in game as a whole. I would rather have it on so I get the haptic feedback that is in the game on the PS5.

Game Log Order: Default



Presentation:

These are all personal preference.

Presentation Mode: Hybrid

You get a mix of presentation and efficient game play. Games on this setting still take about an hour depending on multiple factors.

Pitch Selection Cameras: None

I recommend these as none if you are new as it won’t show you the API glove. With it being off though, it is personal preference. I am not a big fan of them so they stay off. They were cool at first but I got tired of them quickly.

Batter Walkup: On
In-Game Sideline Reports: Off

Your choice but 2 years of Heidi is enough for me.

In-Game Ticker: On
Closed Captioning: Off



Audio:

These are all user preference. I turn Inside the Show off because I am not a fan of it.



Overall Assessment:

As you can see, I am partially clean screen but still like a few of my tools on screen. This is why I call it a cleaner screen and not a clean screen. I want a challenge but removing a few of the options will just frustrate me and that is not my goal with gaming. (Well, if it’s Dark Souls III then it is. But we will leave my Dark Souls anger for another time.)



My Basic Rules Here:

1. Be respectful and courteous. We are here for a sharing of ideas.

2. Please provide constructive feedback with examples.

3. Toxicity about the game does not belong here and won’t be tolerated. Do not come here to bash and complain about XYZ in the game. Be constructive. Like other threads, this is a safe zone from the abrasiveness of the front-page forum.

4. Baseball has a long season. There are one off’s that occur all the time.

5. Please don’t quote either of these 2 first posts to keep page length under control.


Hopefully you can find use in these sliders and settings. Most slider sets are going to revolve fairly close to default. That is the beauty of on field play in this series. My key difference lies in the settings and in a few of the sliders.


As I also noted above, I will likely be doing some streaming for when I play. So, if you are curious about how the sliders and settings play, that is an option for you. I likely won’t do that for testing because I stop and take notes and it slows the pace of play down.


The Sliders and Remaining settings will be in the next post to keep the opening from getting too long.

[Funkycorm]

Sliders and More Settings


Updated5/7/21



Before you read: if you are using the FM roster I can not guarantee that these will work the same as with my roster. Especially after year 1 as ratings inflation kicks in due to the high potentials. I am playing 10 years in on my roster but it is balanced.

Dynamic Difficulty: Not relevant


Human Contact: 5
CPU Contact: 5

These were just fine on 5 in MLB 20. I will be assessing hitting further though and see.


Human Power: 5
CPU Power: 5

Having these at 4 lead to hitting becoming anemic. I was seeing small dribblers everywhere and no one could hit for power. When at 4 combined combined with solid hits at 4, it was less than optimal.


Human Timing: 5
CPU Timing: 5

Lowering this makes the CPU swing badly a little too much for my taste.


Human Foul Frequency: 5
CPU Foul Frequency: 5

This is going back to default. Sitting at a 4 something felt off.


Human Solid Hits: 4
CPU Solid Hits: 4

There is still a little too much pop on the rosters at default here. This has been a standard adjustment for a few years now.


Human Starter Stamina: 7
CPU Starter Stamina: 6

First stamina needs to be above 5 so pitchers can make it 5-6 innings. Next, the difference in value is not to handicap the CPU or benefit the user. CPU hitters are more patient than users, in my case, so this adjusts for that. My starter isn't going longer than their pitcher is. It balances it out. And it these settings still very much depend on that pitcher’s stamina.


Human Reliever Stamina: 5
CPU Reliever Stamina: 5

I see no need to change these from default.


Human Pitch Control: 6
CPU Pitch Control: 6
Human Pitch Consistency: 5
CPU Pitch Consistency: 5

We want the pitchers to have some more control and minimize meat balls but feel that if both control and consistency are at 6, they paint the corners a little too much.


CPU Strike Frequency: 5

Perfect the way it is.


CPU Manager Hook: 5


CPU Pickoff: 5

The CPU will throw over plenty on default. They control the run game plenty well on default by using pitch outs and side steps. No need to mess with this.


Fastball/Offspeed Pitch Speed: 7/7


This is a personal preference. I am a big proponent of having these be the same. When they are off by 1, I feel like it throws my timing off. I did up this one each as I was a bit early on everything.


Infield Fielding Errors: 4
Outfield Fielding Errors: 5
Throwing Errors: 5
Fielder Run Speed: 3
Fielder Reaction: 3
Fielder Arm Strength: 5

I am starting to see some definite improvement in outfield play with these settings. I am seeing balls fall in the gap and outfielders diving and missing the ball in the outfield. In the infield, I am hoping the decrease in infield fielding errors and the lower reaction speed let more balls get through and less bobbling of the ball.


Baserunning Speed: 5
Baserunning Steal Ability: 5
Baserunning Steal Frequency: 5

There is no need to change these. Playing these on default let the ratings matter most. Stealing is just right on default. Run in the right counts and at the right times and you have success. I do nothing more than preload with L2 and the selected runner and have success but also get caught. It all comes down to running at the right times. The CPU also runs plenty on me as well.


Wind: 4

In my experience, wind has a direct impact on temperature. There were a few too many 70-degree Saturday afternoons in Cleveland in August (when it should be closer to 80 degrees) at default so I changed it up. I am finding this plays wells at 4 and will be leaving it at 4 in my next set of testing.


Injury: 6

I wish there was a 5.5 that we could set for this. At 5 we don't get much, but at 6 we get more. I will be looking closely at this in MLB 21 but you need a good number of games to truly assess this.


Trade: This one varies but never goes above 5.

I have found that above 5 is when you start seeing those oddball prospect trades, especially this year. The game naturally ramps up trading naturally. Putting it at 1 will show this. I have done the below setup for a few years now.

All-star game to deadline: 5
Rest of season and spring: 3
Off season: 4

It's nothing crazy but the oddball trades that people say the CPU are making with each other this year haven't happened in 10 seasons of simming so far. There are plenty of trades at these numbers as well and not the rebalancing kind. Obviously, the CPU will still accept weird user trades right now but this refers to CPU to CPU trades and not the trade logic from user to CPU. We know it needs some additional tweaks. This is set to 5 on the vault set.


These will be in the vault. Note this applies to sliders only. You must set the settings yourself:


This is the base first test version from above without any changes that are being tested. Anything with a range value like trade and wind is set to the default of 5 in the set in the vault.


Info in next post.



Franchise Set Up:


This happens when starting a new franchise.


GM Contracts: Off
Fantasy Draft: Off
Allow FA Legends: Off
CPU Roster Control: Off

Warning: This is a common mistake to set this to on. Do not set this to on if you want injuries. If this is set to on, you will have no injuries even if they are turned on and set to 10.

CPU Trades: On
Ignore Budget: Off
DH: Auto
Extra Innings Runner: On




Mode-Specific Settings:


Using 30 team control is your call. I will not recap how to set it up as there are better places for that on the forums.

My Indians franchise will be single team control.

In my Cubs franchise, I will be trying and using 30 team control for the first time ever.


For single team control:

Critical Situations: off
Lineups/rotations: manual
40-man: manual
Roster moves: manual
Scouting: manual
Drafting: manual
Waivers: manual
Injury management: manual
Management: manual
Trades: manual
Free agency: manual
Contracts: manual


As you can see, in one team control, I want to be in charge of it all. I am meticulous and retentive in my control of one team. I like a lot of things a certain way in the game. It’s why I made my PDR Roster. I also like to be that ruthless GM that manages service time and manipulates it. I like to adjust my scouting assignments daily. I want full control of my staff and who comes on board. I will be using these above settings for the Indians in my future franchise and for the Cubs in my present day one.


For 30 team control:

Critical Situations: off
Lineups/rotations: auto
40-man: auto
Roster moves: auto
Scouting: auto
Drafting: manual
Waivers: manual
Injury management: auto
Management: manual
Trades: manual
Free agency: manual
Contracts: manual


I am doing a mix here. I will likely turn contracts to auto once the better players are signed. There are certain players I want to stay on certain teams so I have that on manual. I want to control who is the manager of what team. I don’t want any wonky rule 5 drafting and oddball waiver signings either. I also have seen a few too many low-level contracts for players that should get more. I have accepted it in my Indians as my roster is still balanced but I want to control it from the start with the Cubs. My Cubs franchise will feature the Cubs as having my single team control mentioned above again for my retentiveness. It really is a problem.


As far as sponsorships, he is what I am doing for 30 team control:

Top 10 spenders get 3 diamond
Middle 10 spenders get 2 diamond
Lower 10 tier spenders get 1 diamond


I will leave this up to the user on how they want to classify these groups. There are a couple of breakdowns in other threads. I will be keeping it simpler here.


For my Indians franchise this does not apply as it is single team control. They get 3 diamond sponsorships even though they would be getting only 1 in these settings. The Cubs will also get 3 diamond but that are usually a top 10 spender.


Well, that's it for the sliders and additional settings.

[Funkycorm]

File Info


File Name:
PSN:


No file currently on the vault.

The sliders above are going to be locked in for a bit for me. I really like where everything is at right now.


Updated: 5/4/21

[Funkycorm]

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[Funkycorm]

You may post freely.

[Funkycorm]

Foul frequency is back to 5.

Played a few games and was getting just a few too many swing and misses from both me and the CPU on things that would have been foul tips in 20.

Will test it out this weekend to see. I am still assessing a few other sliders but need some more time with the game to make decisions.