Most realistic hitting mode

[TheWarmWind]

Hmm, hard to say. Zone is all reactionary: see the pitch, follow the pitch, time the pitch. Whereas Directional is more about having a plan: If I'm ahead I want to pull and get some extra power. If I'm behind I want to push and foul off.

Both have elements of realism to them, so it's hard to say one is better than the other.

Maybe in a few years MLB the show will be on the VR headset, and you can use motion controls to swing. But then you can't feel the weight of the bat, and I'm sure motion controls aren't precise enough yet.

That's it, becoming a pro player! Only way to play the show.

Joking aside, I think there is a point where you have to say "this is good enough" and just go with your preference. Directional plus analog seems plenty realistic to me.

[fanofbaseball]

Quote: Originally Posted by TheWarmWind

Hmm, hard to say. Zone is all reactionary: see the pitch, follow the pitch, time the pitch. Whereas Directional is more about having a plan: If I'm ahead I want to pull and get some extra power. If I'm behind I want to push and foul off. Both have elements of realism to them, so it's hard to say one is better than the other. Maybe in a few years MLB the show will be on the VR headset, and you can use motion controls to swing. But then you can't feel the weight of the bat, and I'm sure motion controls aren't precise enough yet. That's it, becoming a pro player! Only way to play the show. Joking aside, I think there is a point where you have to say "this is good enough" and just go with your preference. Directional plus analog seems plenty realistic to me.

So you're stating zone hitters don't
- have a plan
- try to pull (sit on a pitch) when they're ahead
- work late and waste pushes when behind

Was that part of the joking?

In the even it wasn't, I lack no confidence or certainty in informing you that you have no idea what you're talking about.

[timothythefirst]

Quote: Originally Posted by TheWarmWind

Hmm, hard to say. Zone is all reactionary: see the pitch, follow the pitch, time the pitch. Whereas Directional is more about having a plan: If I'm ahead I want to pull and get some extra power. If I'm behind I want to push and foul off. Both have elements of realism to them, so it's hard to say one is better than the other. Maybe in a few years MLB the show will be on the VR headset, and you can use motion controls to swing. But then you can't feel the weight of the bat, and I'm sure motion controls aren't precise enough yet. That's it, becoming a pro player! Only way to play the show. Joking aside, I think there is a point where you have to say "this is good enough" and just go with your preference. Directional plus analog seems plenty realistic to me.

you can still pull/push the ball with zone hitting too. it's all just timing. it's not like old baseball games where the ball would hit the bat and just go any random direction lol.

like if I know I'm looking for a pitch low and inside and i want to pull it I just put the PCI low and inside and sit on the fastball.

that's why personally i feel like zone is the most realistic. I mean nothing you can do with a button or analog stick is going to really give you the feeling of swinging a bat but i feel like zone hitting gives you the most control over the at bat and what your player does. I used directional for a while when 16 first came out but i hated it because pitches would come in right down the middle and I'd time them perfectly and they'd end up being popups to the infield because i had no control over whether my batter squared the ball up or not.

also... touching on a few posts from the last page - hitters in real life definitely do aim their swings lol. they're not just flailing the bat around and hoping the ball runs into it. Batters look for certain pitches in certain locations all the time. There's also something to be said for "see ball -> hit ball" but you can still do that with zone... just leave the PCI in the middle and if you're seeing the ball well make your adjustments.

and idk about you guys but it's not that hard to aim the PCI while the pitch is coming. well it's hard in the sense that it takes skill to recognize pitches quickly but it's doable, I do it all the time. and I play on hall of fame when i play offline so it's not like i just made it easy. It's not even like it's something I have to put thought into.

my general rule is I just leave the PCI in the middle so if the pitcher makes a mistake I'll crush it, and I just focus on fouling off good pitches on the corners. Then if I'm seeing the ball really well out of the pitchers hand I'll move the PCI accordingly pretty much at the same time I press X.

[jeff257]

I play mostly RTTS and use Zone with buttons. I tried stride and just couldn't get the hang of it. But I do generally put my PCI in one spot and wait for a pitch. I will also move it based on pitch count and if any runners are on base or not because I know the pitchers may be trying different things. For added difficulty I have the PCI turned off so I never see it but can still influence whether I get solid contact or not. Too me that does feel the most realistic. I may try directional if I ever get into Franchise and want to worry more about stats than feel like I am actually at bat though.

[ROTTEN]

Whats wrong with you guys? You are pushing a button or flicking a plastic stick while sitting your *** on a couch or chair ...... Yeah, realistic.

[RoyalBoyle78]

I use Zone with analog stick, It feels the best and take more skill, all I use, Directional to me is kinda easy.

[Dolenz]

Quote: Originally Posted by fanofbaseball

Is it impossible to produce realistic outcomes through the combination of attributes and user input? If it is impossible, why are the "purists" engaging in a console video game when OOTP provides an experience that foremost takes attributes into account and provides realistic stats? If you don't want to personally compete and have a primary role in the outcome of each pitch why play MLBTS?

As soon as you add in user input then all bets are off in regards to realism. A really good gamer could hit .400 with a bronze player while a really bad one could struggle to hit .200 with Mike Trout.

Even with directional hitting, while it may give more realistic stats, it requires user input. If you have Trout at the plate and swing at every pitch out of the zone with bad timing then you will have unrealistic results.

As for OOTP baseball, I have asked that myself question for years whenever I read the Franchise players wish lists and wants. It really boils down to 2 points as far as I can tell. First they want the graphics that MLBTS provides. Secondly they want to play the game, but of course as soon as they take control of their players they will be skewing the realism as far as stats are concerned.


I am one of those players who use zone but does not move the stick around much at all, trying to wait on a mistake pitch and foul off borderline pitches. It works for me.

[TheWarmWind]

Quote: Originally Posted by fanofbaseball

So you're stating zone hitters don't - have a plan - try to pull (sit on a pitch) when they're ahead - work late and waste pushes when behind Was that part of the joking? In the even it wasn't, I lack no confidence or certainty in informing you that you have no idea what you're talking about.

My bad. I should have said that Zone is more reactionary and Directional is more planning, but both have reactionary and planning elements, you are right.

My point was that finding what the most realistic hitting interface is about what jives the most with the player.