CPU Suicide Squeezes

[BlacknBlue]

How is this still a thing?

I haven't had much time to play with life getting in the way, so it completely escaped my mind that the AI did this, still.

Up 4-3, in the bottom of the 9th at Wrigley. 1 out and Bryant beats a shift, that I of course didn't put on, but whatever. Triples to right field, right over the first base bag.

Rizzo is up next and I have Rivero (Pirates closer, who hasn't had an updated name yet and probably won't get it until 2019) on the mound. I thought about intentionally walking him to try and get a double play, but thought I would go after him with the lefty vs lefty matchup.

Infield is already drawn in so a play at the plate is in order for a ground ball at any infielder.

First pitch, I lose control of a slider and nearly hit Rizzo, but as I am letting go I hear "Runner breaks for the plate" and immediately I remember the BS that is about to occur. Rizzo starts to show bunt, but at the same time has to kick his legs out of the way to not get plunked. I think, no way he gets a piece of this pitch and that Bryant will be meat at home.

Boy was I wrong! Rizzo, while getting out of the way of the pitch as to not get beaned, simultaneously plops down a perfect bunt about half way up the first base line.

Now here is where the game really rubs salt in the wound. When I notice that this has occurred I immediately decide to just take the out handed to me and to allow the run to score. I figured, might as well make sure I don't compound things by trying to force a throw home that will inevitably be late anyway and then have a runner on first.

But NOOOOOO! The game decides to F me one more time for good measure. I stand in the basepath and attempt to move my controls to have Josh Bell apply the easy tag on Rizzo, who is slowly lumbering up the line. As I attempt to just easily step towards him and apply the tag I notice that I cannot control Bell and I am stuck in an automated animation. Bell then reaches out and extends his arm, fully, and attempts to tag Rizzo. Meanwhile, Rizzo (almost in slow motion) turns and runs way out of the basepath and slides his body around the tag and continues to mosey on to first base. Nobody is covering the bag, of course, and even if they were I doubt it would allow me to break the animation and make a throw, because it certainly wouldn't allow me to break it to run him down myself.

Needless to say, 3 innings later I give up a walk-off homer. By this time it is after 3am and I've wasted nearly 2 hours of my life on this trash.

You can try and claim there are not forces at work within the programming of this game that don't decide outcomes with predetermined factors, but then bs like this occurs and suggests otherwise. Makes you not want to even turn the game back on. Not only is it highly unlikely that Rizzo would attempt a squeeze in that scenario, let alone ever, to make it so that I have no control over the situation at all is ridiculous. And to get down a bunt, a perfect bunt, on a pitch that should've hit him is atrocious.

The squeeze needs to be removed from the game, period. It is a cheese and money play tactic by the AI. And it is something that is used so infrequently in real life that we would be better off just not having it at all in the video game, since it is not implemented properly to begin with.

They nerf bunting on the human side to counter cheese online, but yet can't be bothered to take the time to nerf something that assists the AI in an unrealistic manner? Unreal.

[countryboy]

Reading the thread title made me realize that I don't know that I've seen a suicide squeeze in the game this year.

Anyways as to what I do in these situations to counteract a potential suicide squeeze attempt.

If the CPU has a runner on third and less than 2 outs late in the game where a suicide squeeze may take place (all too common in '16) I will set my first baseman and third baseman to bunt defense and then I'll have my second baseman and shortstop play in just in case the hitter does not bunt and swings away. This way I am doing my best to cover a suicide squeeze play as well have the middle of the infield in to try and get the out at home on a ground ball at them.

As for the shift you didn't call for, this is why I have defensive positioning set to Manual. I don't like to do the shifts, especially extreme shifts. I'm old school.

[BlacknBlue]

Quote: Originally Posted by countryboy

Reading the thread title made me realize that I don't know that I've seen a suicide squeeze in the game this year. Anyways as to what I do in these situations to counteract a potential suicide squeeze attempt. If the CPU has a runner on third and less than 2 outs late in the game where a suicide squeeze may take place (all too common in '16) I will set my first baseman and third baseman to bunt defense and then I'll have my second baseman and shortstop play in just in case the hitter does not bunt and swings away. This way I am doing my best to cover a suicide squeeze play as well have the middle of the infield in to try and get the out at home on a ground ball at them. As for the shift you didn't call for, this is why I have defensive positioning set to Manual. I don't like to do the shifts, especially extreme shifts. I'm old school.

We shouldn't have to go to these measures to counteract unrealistic money plays by the AI. This is a legacy issue and needs to be addressed now!

How do you counter the locked-in animation of an attempted tag that misses?

[countryboy]

Quote: Originally Posted by BlacknBlue

We shouldn't have to go to these measures to counteract unrealistic money plays by the AI. This is a legacy issue and needs to be addressed now! How do you counter the locked-in animation of an attempted tag that misses?

Just trying to help deal with what we have now.


I don't know, I haven't experienced my fielder being locked into an animation when missing an attempted tag.

[sabastiane]

Last year I had the cpu do two straight squeezes to win the game

[coach422001]

Quote: Originally Posted by sabastiane

Last year I had the cpu do two straight squeezes to win the game

I would have walked the bases loaded after the first one and depending on the number of outs played a 5 man infield to try to combat the next attempt. Then hope my players don't lock up once the ball is in play.

[CujoMatty]

It’s less frequent this year but it still happens. Every time though for me the cpu does it on the first pitch. If there is a runner on third with less than 2 outs in a close game late I pitch out. I’ve caught the cpu the last 3 times trying it.

[Ace1234NY]

Ehh, it is part of baseball. Maybe they should do it slightly less often. Maybe it should be less effective. But I wouldn't go so far as to remove it.

Anyway, my fun story about CPU suicide squeeze is this. 10th inning of a 0-0 game. First batter gets a hit down the 1st base line. My RF does the infamous jog to the ball which allows what should have been a single to become a double. I intentionally walk the next guy. Then the CPU lays down a bunt to move them over. I walk the next guy to get a force at any base. First pitch they go for the dreaded squeeze. I threw a fastball high and it pops up into the air. My pitcher is running in to catch it before it falls. He stretches out to make the catch. I think: Wonderful, I have them dead for an inning ending double play. The ball goes in the glove for a brief moment...and then falls through what must be a trap door straight through the glove to the ground and the winning run scores.