The umps on variable are dreadful

[HimynameisMattyK]

I've thrown pitches that caught a pretty good part of the plate and the umpire will consistently call it a ball. I Know it's supposed to bring realism to the game but it's a little ridiculous when the pitch is blatantly a strike and the ump is pretty much squeezing you. Has anyone else noticed this?

Sent from my SM-P600 using Tapatalk

[Dolenz]

Quote: Originally Posted by HimynameisMattyK

I've thrown pitches that caught a pretty good part of the plate and the umpire will consistently call it a ball. I Know it's supposed to bring realism to the game but it's a little ridiculous when the pitch is blatantly a strike and the ump is pretty much squeezing you. Has anyone else noticed this? Sent from my SM-P600 using Tapatalk

As a batter I have been both burned and saved by the variable umps. It evens out. Now, the check swing appeals I feel like they just flip a coin on.

[NEOPARADIGM]

Noticed it? It's intentional and pretty much perfect. Turn it off if it bugs you.

[Madden's Jowels]

Turn it off?



It's extremely realistic to get squeezed by an ump it happens all the time in real life lol. Or the inverse where the strike zone suddenly goes down to the shins or up to the numbers

[ShaBoomer]

I can't remember the exact number (it was in one of the preview videos), but there are X number of "different" umpires, each with their own unique strike zone.

So any "missed" calls should be consistent with a particular umpire, but not consistent across all of them. Please note that I said "should". Who knows what's really going on.

But what really bothers me is variable calls during pitcher warm ups. Since each pitch thrown affects confidence, a bad call during a warm up can have an affect (no matter how small). It seems unrealistic to even have a strike zone and a called ball or strike on a warm up pitch anyway, since the umpire isn't even standing behind the plate.

[jdeszcz]

Quote: Originally Posted by HimynameisMattyK

I've thrown pitches that caught a pretty good part of the plate and the umpire will consistently call it a ball. I Know it's supposed to bring realism to the game but it's a little ridiculous when the pitch is blatantly a strike and the ump is pretty much squeezing you. Has anyone else noticed this? Sent from my SM-P600 using Tapatalk

I've noticed it from day one and I actually like it. I only had the opportunity to play the 2K series in the past and once I got the pitching down pretty good it was fairly easy to paint the edges of the zone and dominate. I like the variability and while I feel like I've gotten screwed on some pitches I do know that there have been quite a few where I got calls out of the zone that I shouldn't have.

What does suck though is variable umpires coupled with meter pitching. It seems to me that the meter mechanic is broken to some extent as I will execute a perfect pitch with the meter, but the pitch ends up wildly away from where it was intended. I realize energy & confidence play a part in pitching, but those variables affect the way the meter works....lack of energy and confidence means a fast meter that is tougher to execute...but if I execute on the meter, specifically stopping it precisely on the yellow/white line (so that it flashes) my pitch should be delivered specifically to where I intended it. When it doesn't, but instead drifts to to the black, or to the knees or letters, thus on the edge of the zone and the ump calls a ball, well that just sucks.

[ShaBoomer]

Quote: Originally Posted by jdeszcz

I've noticed it from day one and I actually like it. I only had the opportunity to play the 2K series in the past and once I got the pitching down pretty good it was fairly easy to paint the edges of the zone and dominate. I like the variability and while I feel like I've gotten screwed on some pitches I do know that there have been quite a few where I got calls out of the zone that I shouldn't have. What does suck though is variable umpires coupled with meter pitching. It seems to me that the meter mechanic is broken to some extent as I will execute a perfect pitch with the meter, but the pitch ends up wildly away from where it was intended. I realize energy & confidence play a part in pitching, but those variables affect the way the meter works....lack of energy and confidence means a fast meter that is tougher to execute...but if I execute on the meter, specifically stopping it precisely on the yellow/white line (so that it flashes) my pitch should be delivered specifically to where I intended it. When it doesn't, but instead drifts to to the black, or to the knees or letters, thus on the edge of the zone and the ump calls a ball, well that just sucks.

Your pitcher's BB/9 stat, as well as the control stat for each individual pitch he throws, affects the end location of any pitches thrown regardless of how accurate you are with the meter.

[bigwill33]

Quote: Originally Posted by NEOPARADIGM

Noticed it? It's intentional and pretty much perfect. Turn it off if it bugs you.

Would love to turn it off! Except I have tried all of the settings for many years and none of them call the strike zone properly. They all make blatant mistakes, no matter which setting you select. Very frustrating. I hate seeing a pitch catch none of the black and be totally in the strike zone and get called a ball.

I am one of the few people that believe the real MLB should do away with having the home plate umpires call the balls and strikes. Let the technology handle it and have the umpire still be there to read the recordings and make the other calls at the plate.