With the help of our readers and 2K Sports, we had an opportunity to interview Jason Teirstein, Assistant Producer of MLB 2K7.

Operation Sports:  How many different camera angles are there in the game?

Jason Teirstein:  Instead of adding a bunch of new cameras to MLB 2K7 we focused on dynamic movement.  One thing we talked about when planning the development of 2K7 was our previous tendency to keep all these options around that don’t necessarily work very well with the various improvements made to the game.  We really focused this year on cutting the fat and making sure that everything in the game is well-tuned.  The more cameras, or any other option you have, the more time has to be spent in the tuning and QA stage to make all these play well.  That can lead to a ton of options that are about halfway polished.  As we’ve stated there is a 3-year vision for this game and the year 1 focus was to strengthen the core gameplay and just put out a product that we could really be proud of.  So, to get to the point, there are 5 cameras in the game: the batting camera, the pitching camera, the fielding camera, the “1^st Base” camera, and the “Chase Cam”, (and of course, Baseburner mode is back, with its own dynamic camera).  The batting and pitching cameras really come to life this year, as they will move with the action, following the batters routines or players’ reactions to strikeouts, walks, and hit batsmen.  The “1^st Base” camera is new this year and shows the play from a different angle, gets you a little closer to the action, and really emphasizes the timing of those bang-bang plays at first.  The “Chase Cam” returns from previous installments.  It is the camera that follows the batter around the base paths when you stroke one into the gap.  I think it’s a cool angle… anything to bring you closer to the action and build up the immersive quality of the game.  The fielding camera is probably the most dynamic camera in the game.  On groundballs it stays low, allowing you to see both the ball and the fielder, while staying closer to the action than a higher angle would allow if it too kept both the ball and the fielder in view right off the bat.  On fly balls the camera will raise, increasing depth perception, enabling the user to settle under the ball.  Those are just the gameplay cameras.  There are a ton of other camera angles that will be seen in cutscenes and replays, including the ultra-cool Dirt and Grass cams. 

Operation Sports:  What new presentation features have been added? Anything particularly rewarding once a player has won a W.S.?

Jason Teirstein:  Some of the coolest stuff we did this year presentation-wise was the stadium exteriors.  Our artists spent a ton of time making meticulous replicas of stadium entrances.  Many stadiums also incorporate some pretty neat alternative exterior shots that will be seen between innings, such as the subway platform behind the centerfield wall of Yankee Stadium.  As for World Series rewards, you’ll get really nice celebration cutscenes, followed by the WS Trophy presentation and MVP Trophy presentation in the locker room (and a nice boost to your cash flow in Franchise Mode).

Operation Sports:  How many sliders will there be for CPU pitching? Will we see CPU pitchers throwing a lot of pitches per inning?

Jason Teirstein:  There are 13 total pitching sliders.  As far as how many pitches you will see per inning, that is all up to you and whether you decide to swing or not.  Make no mistake; CPU pitchers will be trying to get you out.  Part of smart pitching is getting the batter to chase some pitches out of the zone and hit the pitch he wants you to hit.  (Personally, I would suggest being a little bit patient.  They will work those corners and throw some tantalizingly close pitches… especially on the higher difficulties).

Operation Sports:  Will the rosters expand to 40-man after September 1st? Could you give us any other information on roster management?

Jason Teirstein:  The rosters will not expand to 40 in September.  There are technical reasons why this is difficult to do, but it is certainly something we will be considering in future installments.  Once again, the focus this year was core gameplay.  We did, however, fill out the minor leagues a bit more than previous years.  Every team will have a full 25-man Triple-A squad and a few Double-A players.  We also made every effort to get as many players that are eligible through licensing into the game as possible.  If a player has appeared in at least one major league game, there is a very good chance that his name and likeness are in 2K7.

Operation Sports:  Will there be regular roster updates and will they be accurate throughout the season?

Jason Teirstein:  Yes and Yes.

Operation Sports:  Will this game run at 60fps?

Jason Teirstein:  It will run at a steady 30 fps.

Operation Sports:  What are some of the new features this year?

Jason Teirstein:  My favorite non-gameplay feature is the new Franchise main menu.  Rather than having to explore (scroll?) through menus to hear about stats and news from around the league, it is all presented for you right there on the main page.  There’s also a nifty “bottom-line” ticker that will update you with scores and news from around the league.  Neat drop-down menus make navigation through the various franchise sections incredibly easy.  My favorite new gameplay feature is drag bunts.  You can square for a sac bunt by clicking the R-stick before the pitcher has released the ball.  Click it again and you’re back to batting.  If, however, you click the stick after the ball has been released, the batter will attempt a drag bunt (a bunt for a hit).

Operation Sports:  Will all 3 minor league levels be included this year?

Jason Teirstein:  They are all included in that they are there.  They are not playable however, and the initial roster only has AAA filled with 25 guys and a few players in AA. 

Operation Sports:  NBA 2K7 on the 360 had horrific online league issues. Has that been addressed so that it won't repeat itself in MLB 2K7?

Jason Teirstein:  I am not aware of the issues that were present with NBA 2K7’s online leagues.  That code is constantly being updated though.  I am sure that as long as QA was aware of the issues with NBA, they made sure not to let us repeat them in MLB.  One change that I know we made for sure was the ridiculous roster requirements MLB 2K6 had for fantasy-drafted online leagues.  Those requirements are much more reasonable now.  No longer are you forced to have 2 3B and 2 1B on your roster at all times.

Operation Sports:  How will rain and weather affect gameplay? Will we see any rain delays? Will weather have any effect on whether the retractable roofs are open or closed during gameplay?

Jason Teirstein:  There will be rain delays and rain outs.  The weather will effect whether or not retractable roofs are open.  On top of that, there are weather effects on batted balls.

Operation Sports:  Are there any differences, other than graphical, between the current and Next Gen versions?

Jason Teirstein:  Honestly, there are too many to mention.  We spent a lot of time differentiating the two versions.  Animations are but one example.  Next Gen has a lot more memory, enabling us to add a TON more animations – especially Signature Style animations - and play them at a higher sample rate (Think of HD versus standard television).  Higher sample rate means better looking and smoother animations).  Having these extra animations enabled us to remove some cutscenes from Next Gen and do some more things in “real-time”.  There’s also just a lot more variation in the animations in all aspects of Next Gen gameplay.

Operation Sports:  Will you be able to control all MLB teams in a season?

Jason Teirstein:  You can control up to 4 teams in Season, Franchise, and GM Career Modes.

Operation Sports:  In franchise mode, will the draft take place in April like in real life, or is it still at the end of the season?

Jason Teirstein:  In MLB2K7 the draft will take place during the off-season, not June like in real life.

Operation Sports:  Will there be real time lighting? For example, evening games progressing into night, afternoon games progressing into the early evening?

Jason Teirstein:  Yes, this was actually a feature in 2K6 for the 360, but I think we did it even better this year.  Especially with the overall improvements to the lighting engine, everything feels more realistic.

Operation Sports:  Do you have to purchase Inside Edge?

Jason Teirstein:  When playing an exhibition game you will be given a set amount of Inside Edge points to spend on the opposing teams’ players, though it’s up to the player whether he wants to use the Inside Edge points or not.  In Franchise you can spend team funds on scouting reports.  Periodically throughout the season IE will have a sale in which you can purchase scouting reports at a discounted price.

Operation Sports:  Is base running improved or is it the same system?

Jason Teirstein:  The mechanic of baserunning has stayed basically the same.  The triggers or L2/R2 will increase/decrease the selected runner’s destination base, the bumpers or L1/R1 will increase/decrease all runners’ destination base.  The only change is in the sliding mechanic on the R-stick.  Previously, sliding with the stick was controlled by the baserunning PIPs’ position relative to the base on the screen.  This year it is as if the base is always forward.  Push straight up for a straight head first slide, pull down for a straight feet-first slide.  You can do hook slides to either side as well by moving the stick appropriately.  This change was made necessary by the new baserunning PIPs, which are now diamond-shaped instead of appearing in the four corners as they did last year.  (XBOX and PS2 will remain in the corners)

Operation Sports:  Are the outfielders arms varied and toned down? It seemed as though everyone had a cannon for an arm. Are there swing stick improvements to get more fluid with the swing?

Jason Teirstein:  We put a lot of work into throw speeds and trajectories this year.  I am confident that the so-called “Rocket Arms” issue is gone from the game.  As for the Swing Stick, it is basically the same mechanic as last year but with all new swing animations.  Gone are the odd looking swings that were in the MLB franchise for so many years.  The new swings are really good looking and address the issues with fluidity.  Some improvements were made code-wise to improve the contact point and increase hit variety and realism. 

Operation Sports:  What audio improvements have been added to this year’s game?

Jason Teirstein:  We added a few new wrinkles to our crowd audio system in 2K7.  Basically, you will hear a lot more individual fan voices.  There are a lot more layers to the crowd audio and these are driven by an under-the-hood intensity system that measures the importance of every moment in the game.  There is also some pretty cool analysis by Jeannie Zelasko and Steve Physioc, our studio team, especially the deeper you get into a Franchise.  And of course we got Jon Miller and Joe Morgan back into the booth to record a ton more game content.  We also enable them to finish their lines more where it’s appropriate, rather than having them stop mid-story to call a fairly unimportant ball.

Operation Sports:  Has the amount of foul balls been improved? What is the possibility of getting a foul ball slider/foul ball attribute in the near future?

Jason Teirstein:  As I mentioned earlier, hit distribution in general has improved and I think there are a good amount of foul balls.  I’d probably still like to see a few more go straight back to the screen though.  A foul ball slider/attribute is certainly a possibility, but it is not in 2K7.  One thing to keep in mind is that when you overload a game with sliders, they start to fight with one another.  That can make it very difficult to tune the gameplay.

Operation Sports:  When was the roster cut-off date?

Jason Teirstein:  January 2^nd.  There will be a downloadable roster update on the release date and another on Opening Day.  There will also be multiple updates throughout the season.

Operation Sports:  Are there random schedules year to year, in career mode?

Jason Teirstein:  Yes.  Well not entirely random, but a rotating MLB-format schedule.

Operation Sports:  Will there be in game saves?

Jason Teirstein:  Yes, both Exhibition and Franchise modes will allow you to save mid-game.

Operation Sports:  We would like to thank you for your time with this interview, is there anything else you would like to add?

Jason Teirstein:  Thanks for your interest in our game and for being such passionate gamers.  OS is certainly a special environment that really fosters some very interesting discussions about sports gaming (albeit some not-so-interesting bickering as well ;-)).  It’s always fun to poke around a bit on here.  A few people have wondered why our developers don’t post on the site.  Without getting into too much detail, that’s company policy, so I wouldn’t hold your breath.  If you think about it, it makes sense.  It is Marketing’s job to disseminate information about the game to the general public, not ours.  For us to do that would seriously undermine them and their plan.  I get the impression that there is an overall sense of excitement about this game, which for us, we’re just really happy to see.   Honestly, we were a bit unsure if we would be able to win some people back after last year’s disappointment.  However, we can now see that the opportunity is most certainly there and I hope everyone is just as excited when they finally get to play it.  Personally, I can’t wait to get my own copy and fire up a franchise.  I must avenge my Yankees string of disappointing postseason losses!  I will bring a championship to the great city I previously called home!  But in the meantime, I’m just like the rest of you… waiting.  At least I have 2K8 pre-production to keep me busy and Spring Training reports to read about!  Oh, and I look forward to getting anonymously whooped by a few of you online as well – just look out for Wang’s sinker.