Hi there! Rob Nelson here, Producer for The BIGS 2 at 2KSports. We’ve had a pretty wild ride with The BIGS 2 and I’m thrilled with how it’s come together. From the new modes we’ve created, to the new gameplay features, and all the polish that’s gone into the game. I can’t wait for everyone to get a chance to check it out. There is a ton of stuff to talk about but for this diary I want to focus on the changes we’ve made to the core gameplay.

Philosophy for gameplay:

The philosophy going into development on The BIGS 2 is to take what we established in The BIGS and take it to the next level. It can be frustrating for some gamers who play a sports title one year, baseball games in particular, get really comfortable with the basic controls, and then in the next year’s game have those controls changed so much that they have to learn them again from scratch. I’ve heard from many sports gamers over the years who've picked up a new game that has brand new controls and after trying them for a couple hours end up going into the options menu and switching back to the classic controls they’re used to. In some cases with some games it makes sense to rebuild your controls, but for The BIGS 2 we wanted to stick with what worked. (Although this is slightly untrue for the pitching controls on the Wii which have been altered from The BIGS to make them much easier to use and feel more like a natural throwing motion.) Fans of The BIGS have no trouble jumping in and picking up where they left off. Gamers who didn’t play the original BIGS should have no trouble jumping into the game either as the controls were designed to be easy for anyone to pick up and play. 

That is not to say that The BIGS 2 gameplay doesn’t have a ton of new features, additions and tweaks because it does. While everyone will be able to hit, pitch, and field it will take practice, skill, and a good strategy to master the game. Our goal with The BIGS 2 gameplay was to add layers of depth and strategy to our already solid foundation. Here are some of the new features which I feel accomplish this goal.

Batter’s Wheelhouse:

We’ve added an exciting new feature called the Batter’s Wheelhouse. This is the batter’s preferred section of the strikezone. It’s represented by a large red circle that’s a different size and in a different position depending on who the batter is. The more talented and higher rated the batter, the larger wheelhouse they’re going to have. The pitcher has a choice on each pitch. Does he throw inside the batter’s wheelhouse or does he pitch around it. If the pitcher throws a pitch inside the Batter’s Wheelhouse he’s taking a risk. If the pitch goes into the wheelhouse and gets passed the batter it’s going to give the pitcher’s team more turbo (turbo will be explained later in the diary) and it’s going to shrink that batter’s wheelhouse for the rest of the game. However, if the batter makes contact with that pitch then he’s got a good chance of getting a great hit. It’s a true risk/reward scenario. What I really like about this wheelhouse feature is that it doesn’t necessarily change the “how” of pitching, it changes the “why” of pitching. The pitching controls are still the same but now you have to put more thought into what kind of pitch you want to throw and where you want to throw it. The feature also has strong roots in real baseball strategy.

A misconception about The BIGS series is that because it’s an arcade baseball game with over the top presentation and style, that it’s a departure from real baseball. While there are certainly some aspects of The BIGS 2 that are over the top, the game at its core is true to baseball. We want to highlight the exciting moments and players in baseball, we don’t want to break baseball. Features like the Batter’s Wheelhouse strengthen this idea. As baseball fans know in a real baseball game the strategy being implored by the pitcher and the batter on every pitch in terms of what type of pitch to throw, where to throw it, which pitches the batter is looking for, trying to figure out what the other person is expecting what to do about it, etc. The Batter’s Wheelhouse helps us get closer to that in The BIGS 2 from both the pitcher and the batter’s point of view. In baseball video games in the past, the pitcher and batter only had to worry about the type of pitch and the location of the pitch. In The BIGS 2 you also have to consider whether or not to attack someone’s wheelhouse or to pitch around it.

One strategy is to attack someone’s wheelhouse right out of the gate. If I’m the pitcher and I think I’m better than the guy I’m playing against (or the CPU) I might go after him right at his wheelhouse from the start of the game. I could start throwing every pitch into his wheelhouse trying to shrink his wheelhouse for the rest of the game, giving my team more Turbo to play with, and intimidating the other player. Being this confident in my ability to get pitches through his wheelhouse could turn out badly for me. If I start chucking pitches into his wheelhouse from the start and he gets a few extra base hits off me it’s going to give his Big Play meter a head start over mine. Maybe I should try and pick my spots better. I can try to get him off balance before I attack his wheelhouse. Perhaps if his wheelhouse is on the inside portion of the strike zone I’ll start off by hitting him with a couple of fastballs on the outside of the plate. If I can get him to a 0-2 count then when he’s getting used to the speed of the fastball, I’ll then go right into his wheelhouse with a change-up. As a pitcher I have to pay attention to which of my pitches the batter is having trouble with, how aggressive he is at the plate, all his tendencies as a hitter so I can choose the best time and situation to attack his wheelhouse. 

As a batter I have a lot of decisions to make as well. I have to be paying attention to how the pitcher is pitching me. Is he avoiding my wheelhouse early in the count? If my wheelhouse is on the outside portion of the strikezone and the pitcher is avoiding it, then I know he’s going to pitch me inside. Knowing that I’m going to be looking for an inside pitch and ready to use the L stick to aim my hit and try to pull the ball. I have to pay attention to the count as well. If I’m sitting at a 2-0 count and can afford to give up a strike I might choose not to swing at the next pitch unless it’s in my wheelhouse, even if it’s a strike. As I mentioned the Batter’s Wheelhouse is grounded in real baseball. If I’m Johan Santana and I’m facing Ryan Howard who I know is an exceptional low-inside hitter, I may choose to go after him in that zone early in a game or series. Howard is probably expecting pitchers to avoid pitching him low-inside and will be looking for something else. However, if I can get a fastball passed him low and inside, now I’ve got him guessing. His advantage just became my advantage. These are the same kind of decisions and strategy that play into the Batter’s Wheelhouse feature in The BIGS 2. In the style of The BIGS series we don’t hide this wheelhouse inside the code where gamers can’t see it or in a menu that you have to go search for. We make it big and bold and put it right there for everyone to see. The batter knows where his wheelhouse is at all times and he knows that you know where it is. Now, the only question is whether or not you have the guts to attack it.

Legendary Ratings and Catches

In The BIGS 2 we’ve introduced a Legendary star rating. Fans of The BIGS will recall that we had a 1 star to 5 star rating system for each Pitch Type as well as each player’s Power, Contact, Speed, Glove, and Arm rating. In The BIGS 2 we’ve introduced a 6th star which turns a rating into a Legendary rating. These Legendary ratings add a lot of strategy to how you play the game. If I’m on offense I know that a team has a 3rd Baseman and a Left Fielder, both with Legendary arms then I’m going to try and avoid hitting to the left side of the field. I’ll stick to trying to go to the right side with as many pitches as possible to avoid his best defenders. The pitcher might pick up on this and purposely pitch me inside (if I’m a righty) to counter this. As in real baseball the more aware you are of the strengths of the opposing team the better decisions you can make. If you’re paying attention and know that the CF on a team has a legendary arm, maybe you won’t try to stretch that single into a double or try to score from 2nd on a line drive single to Centerfield. These Legendary ratings affect the defensive team’s strategy as well. If I’m on defense and I know that the runner on 1st base has Legendary speed, I might hold on to that last bar of Turbo I was about to use for my next pitch and save it for an attempted stolen base where I might need it.

One change in how gameplay is balanced in The BIGS 2 is that you get Turbo faster than in The BIGS. If you’re unfamiliar with The BIGS you gain turbo by throwing strikes or taking balls which you can then use to enhance your play on the field. You can use Turbo while hitting, pitching, running, or fielding to enhance whatever it is you’re doing. In The BIGS it felt like Turbo was only being used for Hitting and Pitching primarily because it was hard to come by. In The BIGS 2 with legendary arms, gloves, and speed you are going to want to use your Turbo once the ball is in play as well. It may take a Turbo throw in some cases to throw out a player with Legendary Speed, or to take an extra base against a player with a Legendary Arm rating. You have more Turbo to play with during the game which will allow you to use it in a variety of situations. 

Players with Legendary glove ratings will be able to perform Legendary Catches during the game. Those players will be able to dive, jump, and climb for balls that other fielders can’t get to. These Legendary Catches aren’t automatic though! You have to work for them. Each time there is a Legendary Catch opportunity you have to successfully complete a contextual mini-game to make the catch. The type of mini-game you have to complete depends on your position on the field and the type of play you’re trying to make. The way it works is this. If for example when you’re playing with a Center Fielder with a Legendary Glove and are charging a fly ball that’s hit to shallow CF, a circle will appear on the ground showing you where the ball is going to land. When you’re in diving range of the ball the circle will flash green. If you hit the dive button at the right time you’ll enter a Legendary Catch mini-game. In this particular scenario the mini-game is a timing challenge. You’re shown the face button of the controller with a large ring around it. (this only applies to 360/PS3, for the Wii we have Wii Remote specific mini-games) As soon as you enter into the mini-game the ring starts to close, and you’ll have to press the face button that you’re shown right as the ring closes around the button icon. If you are successful you will make the catch. If your timing is off you will blow it and now your fielder is on the ground and the ball bounces passed you. In a similar scenario, if a ball is hit over your head to deep Centerfield and you’re trying to make an over the shoulder diving catch it’s going to be more difficult. This time when you enter the mini-game you’ll have the same ring closing in and the same timing challenge, but you won’t know which button you’re supposed to press until the very last instant. This is done to make the catch more difficult to make. After all, you can’t see the ball until the last instant when you’re trying to make an over the shoulder diving catch, so why should you get to see the button you need to push until the last instant? We wanted the mini-games you encounter to make sense within the context of what you’re doing on the field.

Another good example is on our foul ball catch. This is where you have an opportunity to make a play on a fly ball that’s hit just over the foul wall into the stands. You’ll need to lean on the railing and reach into the crowd to make the play. The mini-game you will need to complete in order to make the catch is to keep a ball balanced on a beam for a few seconds. You’ll be given a ball sitting on a balance beam and you’ll need to use the triggers to try to keep the beam level so the ball doesn’t roll off. If you can do this for a couple of seconds you will make the catch. This represents the difficulty the player is having trying to balance on the railing while reaching into a crowd of people trying to make a play. We have completely different mini-games for home plate collisions, home run robbing wall climbs, infield jumps and dives, dugout catches and more. The Legendary catches are epic, exciting and a lot of fun to try and pull off.

These are just a few of the major changes we’ve made to gameplay in The BIGS 2. We absolutely wanted to keep pushing forward on what we created in The BIGS without taking away the things that made it enjoyable while finding ways to add strategy and depth to the game while keeping it easy to play, fast, dramatic, and deep. Here is a list of some of the other things we’ve done for gameplay.

• Enhanced Perfect Pitch. We put a little extra on to our Pitch Meter for The BIGS 2. Let’s say for example that your fastball is tied to the A button. When you throw a fastball and get a perfect pitch on the pitch meter, there will be a very small window of time in which you can get an enhanced perfect pitch. If you hit the A button again at the exact right moment time will slow down as the camera dramatically zooms in on your pitcher’s face and you get a ball trail with some extra speed on your pitch. This is a feature for advanced players. The timing for this is very difficult but if you’re good enough you’ll get a little something extra for that pitch. It’s not something you have to do in order to be a good pitcher, but it’s a little something extra if you have the skills to pull it off. 

• Improved baserunning. We’ve added an arrow to the baserunning HUD to show you whether or not your runner is advancing to the next base or stopping. This fixes an issue that gamers had on The BIGS.

• Improved animations. We’ve added a ton of new animations to the game as well to keep it looking fresh and new as well as to deal with some gameplay complaints regarding player movement and fielding difficulties.

• Stadium Specific Big Blast home runs. Big Blast home runs have stadiums specific animations. You get special effects and visuals that are different depending on the architecture and landmarks of the stadium you’re in.

• Big Slam. We’ve added a new Big Slam feature which sits on top of the Big Heat and Big Blast from The BIGS. Those two features are still in the game as well but if you hold on to your Big Play points until your meter is full you can initiate a Big Slam. A Big Slam is a rapid fire succession of pitches where each of the next 4 batters in your lineup each get 1 pitch to hit. It gives you the opportunity to fill up the bases and hit a grand slam. If you initiate a Big Slam with no runners on base the first 3 hitters in your lineup get a single pitch which if they make contact with gives them an automatic single. If all 3 make contact it loads up the bases and your 4th batter gets the chance to hit a Grand Slam. This can help you extend a lead and put a game away, or help you make a dramatic comeback.

• Improved dramatic camera and visuals. We’ve tightened up the camera to help create a fast paced action-filled game. It shows off our re-worked player models, improved lighting, improved stadiums, and more.

As I mentioned at the top, I’m really excited about this game coming out and everyone getting a chance to play it. We’ve added features and modes everywhere in the game including a Season mode, Become a Legend mode, improved online support, Mini games, and new Home Run Pinball locations. I’ll be going into details on these in future producer diaries. See ya!!