Defensive Urgency

[jeff.ragauskis]

I thought early on, it seemed that this year's version of the show had better defensive pacing. Now having played a large number of games, I still have a slight issue with how the shortstop (one of the main culprits) throws for faster runners. It seems more often than not these individuals end up safe due to double clutching, taking their time, etc.

Any tips/tricks on how to adjust this? Is there something I may be doing in my playing style that is causing this.

Thanks

[Armor and Sword]

Re: Defensive Urgency

It's why I lowered base running speed to 3 on my sliders. It truly let's the top speed guys shine and not let a 50 rated speed guy beat out a lazy ground ball hit to the SS for that very reason. SS has a lazy animation which I noticed within 2 games of first playing this years version.

Try it.

[shadow2201]

Re: Defensive Urgency

There's also quite a few instances, at least that I've seen, where an OF will throw a really high, arcing, slow throw to the infield, and most of the time, it's been just on a normal play, but I've had it happen when guys are on 3rd and it allows them to go home. And on top of what was said above, a lot of slow lobs from the SS to the 2B, or 2B to the SS on a double play.

[Armor and Sword]

Re: Defensive Urgency

There's also quite a few instances, at least that I've seen, where an OF will throw a really high, arcing, slow throw to the infield, and most of the time, it's been just on a normal play, but I've had it happen when guys are on 3rd and it allows them to go home. And on top of what was said above, a lot of slow lobs from the SS to the 2B, or 2B to the SS on a double play.

Sometimes that is attributed to precision input, take out slides, player rating, etc. Again lot's of things going on in the algorithm under the hood. It happens...no doubt, but not often.

[KBLover]

Re: Defensive Urgency

In addition to lowering speed, you can increase the strength of infield throws. This is my preferred "accommodation" since at default, throws are far too soft for my tastes.

Infielders with strong arms can really chuck that ball and any left infielder's arm will need to be strong, so it really expresses.

But, yeah, it's not you in all likelihood. It just for some reason that animation is thought to be how SS play the game against a fast runner or even an average one hustling down the line.

As realistic as this game can be, some of these animations are just not baseball.

[Armor and Sword]

Re: Defensive Urgency

In addition to lowering speed, you can increase the strength of infield throws. This is my preferred "accommodation" since at default, throws are far too soft for my tastes.

Infielders with strong arms can really chuck that ball and any left infielder's arm will need to be strong, so it really expresses.

But, yeah, it's not you in all likelihood. It just for some reason that animation is thought to be how SS play the game against a fast runner or even an average one hustling down the line.

As realistic as this game can be, some of these animations are just not baseball.

I may bump up infielder arm strength to 6 and try this as well.

[KBLover]

Re: Defensive Urgency

I may bump up infielder arm strength to 6 and try this as well.

I'm so I have it at 8 or 9 (can't decide which one gives me the same estimated velocities I see on StatCast) against 5 speed.

So for 3 speed and using the same "+3 pattern", 6 should do nicely for you if things scale in the engine, and they usually do for things like this.

[countryboy]

Re: Defensive Urgency

It's why I lowered base running speed to 3 on my sliders. It truly let's the top speed guys shine and not let a 50 rated speed guy beat out a lazy ground ball hit to the SS for that very reason. SS has a lazy animation which I noticed within 2 games of first playing this years version.

Try it.

The SS not charging the ball animation and the corner infielders ducking line drives animation are two animations I would love to see taken out of future games. Nothing worse than giving up an infield hit or trying to jump for a line drive with a corner infielder only to see them duck underneath the baseball.

[HypoLuxa13]

Re: Defensive Urgency

The real only urgency (or lack of) that I have had an issue with is the SS not charging choppers and slower ground balls at times. Specifically, I've seen it the most with Xander Bogaerts on my DD team in Conquest mode. I have not seen it much in Franchise. It seems like the player gets locked into a "wait back" animation and you can do nothing but preload your throw and hope for the best.

[Acts 4 12]

Re: Defensive Urgency

I'm so I have it at 8 or 9 (can't decide which one gives me the same estimated velocities I see on StatCast) against 5 speed.

So for 3 speed and using the same "+3 pattern", 6 should do nicely for you if things scale in the engine, and they usually do for things like this.

Please forgive me OP I'm in no way trying to hijack your thread but KBLover are the sliders that you use posted anywhere? I've read several things that you posted that have looked interesting and I'm curious to see what your personal slider set looks like.

[Kodii Rockets]

Re: Defensive Urgency

The SS not charging the ball animation and the corner infielders ducking line drives animation are two animations I would love to see taken out of future games. Nothing worse than giving up an infield hit or trying to jump for a line drive with a corner infielder only to see them duck underneath the baseball.

Spot on, there are SO many times I'm screaming at Brandon Crawford to CHARGE THE DAMN BALL!!! Lolol

It makes me cry when it's someone like Dee Gordon on a dribbler and he's fielding the ball at the edge of the outfield grass.

[KBLover]

Re: Defensive Urgency

Please forgive me OP I'm in no way trying to hijack your thread but KBLover are the sliders that you use posted anywhere? I've read several things that you posted that have looked interesting and I'm curious to see what your personal slider set looks like.

The ones I currently am using now aren't yet (I like to change up every so often, try to uncover more about how the game works by trying to get the same overall results with different sliders and seeing how the "guts" look, BIP profiles, BABIP, etc). Right now I'm toying with OF throws being like Statcast data and trying to decide how to emulate the "route efficiency" metric.

I have 4 "types" on the Vault, all All-Star/All-Star, Classic/Directional...basically Armor&Sword's gameplay options except I use auto baserunning. They all try different things, but have the higher infield throwing (if I remember correctly). I try to describe in the text, but it gets hard lol. Owner is Temunar, my PSN name.

[bcruise]

Re: Defensive Urgency

It's why I lowered base running speed to 3 on my sliders. It truly let's the top speed guys shine and not let a 50 rated speed guy beat out a lazy ground ball hit to the SS for that very reason. SS has a lazy animation which I noticed within 2 games of first playing this years version.

Try it.

FWIW I feel like baserunner speed is too fast in general (I've put the stopwatch on players going home to 3rd compared to videos of their real life selves). So there's not really any harm in doing this at all. I also put fielder speed down to 3 to compensate - it opens up the outfield and allows for some more extra base hits even with the slower runner speed. That's still a bit of a WIP, but I like what I'm seeing.

Might be a concidence but I've also seen far fewer dumb AI decisions on the basepaths since I made that change, particularly the decision to try and score.

[KBLover]

Re: Defensive Urgency

FWIW I feel like baserunner speed is too fast in general (I've put the stopwatch on players going home to 3rd compared to videos of their real life selves).

I haven't timed any longer runs like that yet. How about home-to-second times? Too fast like with home-to-third?

I ask because I've seen scouting tables for home-to-second times, so I was wondering if you noticed anything.

Home-to-first seems okay at 5. When I convert 0-99 to 20-80 and then put the scouting scale - guys seem to run based on where it would fit (granted I'm converting ratings, but still it's always been very close).

Could runners be too fast going for extra bases but running realistic home-to-first?

[KBLover]

Re: Defensive Urgency

LOL - and of course CPU Lindor beats out a grounder to SS.

This is how I check runner times:

Lindor has 78 speed, so that gets translated into a 62 scout rating (20-80).

60 is 4.1 for a LHB.

I timed Lindor and he's around 4.08. That seems about right (5 baserunner speed)

Does this process make sense?