Major League Baseball 2K9 Developer Diary: Gameplay

[SoxFan01605]

Re: Major League Baseball 2K9 Developer Diary: Gameplay

I don't feel like going through this entire thread so can anyone kindly tell me if there'll be timing (button) hitting in this year's game?

Yes

[jeffy777]

Re: Major League Baseball 2K9 Developer Diary: Gameplay

I don't feel like going through this entire thread so can anyone kindly tell me if there'll be timing (button) hitting in this year's game?

The answer is YES. You can do classic button hitting, or button hitting combined with zone hitting.

EDIT: SoxFan01605 beat me to the punch

[SPTO]

Re: Major League Baseball 2K9 Developer Diary: Gameplay

Yes

The answer is YES. You can do classic button hitting, or button hitting combined with zone hitting.

Thanks guys

[Checmate101]

Re: Major League Baseball 2K9 Developer Diary: Gameplay

Still havent' heard anything about the end of the game, the winning team line up and give each other high fives at the end..Hope this is in this year. Instead of just standing around

[Bahnzo]

Re: Major League Baseball 2K9 Developer Diary: Gameplay

What about the pitch recognition stuff (ala MVP 05) that was talked about earlier? I hope it's still in and I would've loved to have heard about how it is implemented.

I'm still gunshy about this game due to last year's ****-up, but I will admit that with each new peek I'm more interested. The guy said everything right in this blog and VC seems like they are heading in the right direction.

[JoshCA916]

Re: Major League Baseball 2K9 Developer Diary: Gameplay

Still havent' heard anything about the end of the game, the winning team line up and give each other high fives at the end..Hope this is in this year. Instead of just standing around

yes i need to know too, this is a huge game breaker, i mean if they just walk around with their thumb up their a** then i can't buy this game:wink: j/k

[Blzer]

Re: Major League Baseball 2K9 Developer Diary: Gameplay

Blzr,

Keep in mind 2K took that screen from an unfinished version of the game -- not the guy at ESPN behind the controls.

Actually, this was from the ESPN guy, but also probably from an unfinished version of the game (which is what I'm hoping for).

yes i need to know too, this is a huge game breaker, i mean if they just walk around with their thumb up their a** then i can't buy this game:wink: j/k

Things like this aren't really game killers, but instead can be yet another reason why you would want a game.

Think if SCEA didn't add those things in The Show that are in the details video. Those things add immersion to the authenticity of the game, it's unbelievable.

Remember, it's the little things that count.

[acarrero]

For a while there I wondered if I would ever see cursor batting again. This is awesome news. Zone hitting plus a modified hit stick, sounds perfect. Those who are disappointed with no step-hitting or whatever it's called, I feel your pain. That was a great, hardcore batting control. But try zone hitting, it could be as realistic and even more fun.

It was actually MVP 06: NCAA Baseball that introduced the batting system that inspired MLB 2K8's. The same producer took it with him when 2K hired him after he developed MVP 06 (which will always be an underrated game because it was college baseball, but it's gameplay was as good as any baseball game). To me the step-hitting was the most realistic in terms of how challenging it was to get a hit. My co-favorite batting system was World Series 2K3 zone hitting with cursor (or invisible cursor for hardcore).

[CarryTheWeight]

Re: Major League Baseball 2K9 Developer Diary: Gameplay

It's definitely a positive sign when a member of the development team ends his production diary assuring that his (disgruntled) audience's criticism is valid and that his team is hard at work, producing an improved game. I liked what I read.

The changes to the hitting, pitching, fielding and baserunning systems may take some getting used to at first, but the reasons for their change were valid IMO. Also, on paper, this real-time environment idea keeps getting better and better. If the "Virtual Director" feature is used wisely in conjunction with the living world idea, we could be in for a treat.

A high-quality product will restore faith in this series. Let's hope that the developers' good intentions translate into a solid final product.

[TheTruth]

good question Lisa. I would like to know as well.

[GotZfunk]

What about roster updates?

[swaldo]

But will there be walks? It mentions the AI will paint the corners and throw some outside the zone. How do we know it won't throw 3 perfect pitches after an 3-0 count. As a batter the goal is to get on base any way possible. If walks aren't there I'm not there.

[jeffy777]

Re: Major League Baseball 2K9 Developer Diary: Gameplay

But will there be walks? It mentions the AI will paint the corners and throw some outside the zone. How do we know it won't throw 3 perfect pitches after an 3-0 count. As a batter the goal is to get on base any way possible. If walks aren't there I'm not there.

Well, there were walks in 2K7 and 2K8 (with slider adjustments) so it seems very likely there will be walks in 2K9, hopefully with the default difficulty levels too.

[baa7]

Re: Major League Baseball 2K9 Developer Diary: Gameplay

How do we know it won't throw 3 perfect pitches after an 3-0 count.

That's been a problem with The Show for at least three years, not 2K baseball. As jeffy said, with slider adjustments, the CPU will throw lots of balls. Moreso in 2K7 than 2K8, though.

[SoxFan01605]

Re: Major League Baseball 2K9 Developer Diary: Gameplay

Plus, as I recall, the guy said he was able to draw some walks on default.

Yup! Here it is from BrianEk:

"@drterb - Yeah it's possible to walk. For whatever reason--perhaps default pitch speed?--I'm able to pick out pitch locations easier this time around. This has resulted in longer pitch counts and even a few walks here and there. Still, I really do swing at practically everything."

So that's encouraging...especially since it sounds like he's not particularly patient