Frustration with analog pitching feedback...

[The Blargh]

...or more specifically, the meter not representing my actual aim with the analog stick a majority of the time. It's a very jarring/frustrating experience to have pushed my stick right, and have the meter show me that the pitch is aimed left. Or vice versa. Or even more likely, the pitch simply heading down the middle third.

Now, I understand that player stats still matter, and even with max stats, pitchers miss, and I'm fine with that. What makes this so annoying is that I can't trust the meter as reliable feedback for where to put my analog stick. I can only assume that the game is making the stat calculation on the release, and the meter represents where the pitch is actually heading after the stat modification goes in, rather than where I attempted to aim on my forward motion with the analog stick.

If this is case, I really think that the analog meter should represent where my analog stick is actually pressed, and any stat modifications that affect where the pitch actually lands applied afterward...especially since I can't calibrate the analog stick to train the game where I expect a movement to actually be aimed.

If this isn't the case, and the game actually thinks right is left and vice versa, then I'm really disappointed with the game's accuracy across three different controllers, including one brand new MLB 11: The Show themed one.

I really enjoy the game, and the analog controls as a whole. But it's ridiculously frustrating to try to throw a pitch to the right side of the plate...and it goes left. Or just down the middle. Less to the right sends it into the batters box. Or right where I want it. It's random enough that sometimes I think I'm better off lobbing it down the middle.

I'm not even complaining about the success of the pitches -- my RTTS pitcher is still rocking numbers-wise. It's just, again, a very jarring/frustrating experience to not be able to trust the visual feedback from the analog aim, especially when there's no calibration option (that I've found, at least) to train the analog stick how I aim, and without reliable feedback from the game, I can't tell where the stats are kicking in and making me miss, and when I'm missing the spot and making me miss.

Any advice would be appreciated, of course. Maybe I'm just doing something wrong. My release point is generally right after the line cross so if I miss, I miss low -- I get a lot of normal releases.

[Teamyourmom]

Yeah i hear u dude. It can be frustrating. I play RTTS so i still have somewhat low control attributes. It seems easier to aim my fastball since it has the best control but i cant seem to go 7 innings without giving up 3 runs. It sucks cuz ill spin a gem other than like 5 mistake pitches staying straight. Its always bad when howie kendrick takes you yard. Lol. But to answer your question, the more i play, the better ive gotten. Sometimes it seems i just need to be sitting on the coach just right to keep the controller still as possible. But im much better at it and i prefer it because i can at least control WHERE i miss with a pitch. Just practice and itll get better. Also, sometimes i think the release point plays an effect. Not sure tho. Im still praticing. Good luck!

[The Blargh]

Quote: Originally Posted by Teamyourmom

Yeah i hear u dude. It can be frustrating. I play RTTS so i still have somewhat low control attributes. It seems easier to aim my fastball since it has the best control but i cant seem to go 7 innings without giving up 3 runs. It sucks cuz ill spin a gem other than like 5 mistake pitches staying straight. Its always bad when howie kendrick takes you yard. Lol. But to answer your question, the more i play, the better ive gotten. Sometimes it seems i just need to be sitting on the coach just right to keep the controller still as possible. But im much better at it and i prefer it because i can at least control WHERE i miss with a pitch. Just practice and itll get better. Also, sometimes i think the release point plays an effect. Not sure tho. Im still praticing. Good luck!

The release point plays a big effect -- I'm always far more likely to hit the left to right aim when my release point is normal or just slightly late...much like real life!

It's not so much the effects of a miss that bug me, or getting taken yard -- like I said, my RTTS pitcher (go Duke Boomer, go!) is actually rocking pretty hard in his rookie year in the majors. It's just more of a game feel complaint, and me being used to trusting visual feedback on games without calibration options. I'd like to be able to tell if it was a mistake on my part that got me owned so I can correct it, or if it's a mistake on Duke Boomer's part because his BB/9 or CTRL rating for a pitch is ***, you know?

I wouldn't mind seeing the same final results I see now, as long as the game-force misses were applied after the meter gave me proper feedback as to where my stick actually aimed. If I wasn't clear before, I don't really want any change in final outcome, but a change in display. I think the game would have a better feel if the analog pitching meter were an accurate representation of my input, after which point the game applied its modifiers to determine where my pitch ends up.

[Teamyourmom]

Yeah i know what u mean. There have been times where im like WTF. Its like i swear i did the same as the other pitches, yet this knuckle curve hangs and BAM! HR! I try to over-exaggerate pitches on the corners cuz id rather miss with a ball then a fastball splitting the middle. I do wish it was more accrate tho...or at least a slider to allow for sensitivity or somethin. All in all i guess i just ignore it now. I did tweak the human control slider a bit since i was gettin abused. Lol. At least the misses arent as terrible. I still have plenty of mistake pitches. Im hoping that all goes away once my control ratings increase.

[stealyerface]

Go to the Pitching Practice sessions and practice your release, aim, and stick speed towards the target.

The closer you get to hitting the perfect release point, the more accurately the stick's representation of your aim is. Meaning, if you release the ball in the correct spot, you will be more accurate with where you are trying to aim the ball.... Hmm... Now there is an interesting concept.

Once you get the aim mechanism down with regards to the release point, now you can start working the stick left and right and put some movement on the ball on purpose. You can get the ball to tail in, out, and you can use the stick to really dial in the 2-seamer, and keep the ball down in the zones by varying the release point, and understanding what that does to your aim. Also, with curveballs, I ALWAYS release late, so I get more downward snap on the ball, and if I miss, I miss in the dirt...

Next, when you practice, try pushing the stick up nice and easy, really focusing on the tempo of pulling the stick back, and then pushing forward with a nice easy cadence. Now, really push that stick forward and see the mph difference on the fastballs, and watch what it does to your curveballs.

Once you figure out the dynamics of the actual pitching mechanism, you will be amazed at just how much you can tweak and work the ball, and it allows you to control a lot more of this than you might expect.


~syf

[The Blargh]

Quote: Originally Posted by stealyerface

Go to the Pitching Practice sessions and practice your release, aim, and stick speed towards the target. The closer you get to hitting the perfect release point, the more accurately the stick's representation of your aim is. Meaning, if you release the ball in the correct spot, you will be more accurate with where you are trying to aim the ball.... Hmm... Now there is an interesting concept.

You're right, but even when just practicing the fastball, the timing is different, and not just between the windup and the stretch. I can still even nail the timing (meter yellows), and the aim is still pretty far off, although not as far.

Again, I'm not asking for the pitching to be made more precise or for the game to be easier -- that would be unrealistic, and as someone who has pitched competitively, I appreciate the overall difficulty of hitting one's spots. I just wish the meter itself would be an accurate representation of where I'm aiming so that I can get some feedback on my practice, rather than trying to guess whether I missed the spot because my aim on the analog stick was terrible, or because the pitcher missed his CTRL or BB/9 check.

Quote:

Once you get the aim mechanism down with regards to the release point, now you can start working the stick left and right and put some movement on the ball on purpose. You can get the ball to tail in, out, and you can use the stick to really dial in the 2-seamer, and keep the ball down in the zones by varying the release point, and understanding what that does to your aim. Also, with curveballs, I ALWAYS release late, so I get more downward snap on the ball, and if I miss, I miss in the dirt... Next, when you practice, try pushing the stick up nice and easy, really focusing on the tempo of pulling the stick back, and then pushing forward with a nice easy cadence. Now, really push that stick forward and see the mph difference on the fastballs, and watch what it does to your curveballs. Once you figure out the dynamics of the actual pitching mechanism, you will be amazed at just how much you can tweak and work the ball, and it allows you to control a lot more of this than you might expect. ~syf

I have noticed this, and it's why I continue to play with the analog controls even when they drive me to a point of controller-tossing frustration! Really, despite my frustration, I'm impressed with the implementation of the analog controls. I just wish the meter was actual feedback for things I'm doing on my end, and that the stat calculations happened behind the scene so that I could practice my location and timing without wondering if I pushed the stick to the wrong place (especially when it looks/feels like I pushed it to the right place) or if it's the pitcher's bad CTRL or BB/9 that made me miss.

Thank you for the tips, however. I really appreciate your attempt to help me out!

[bcruise]

Somebody posted an idea for finding the correct angle consistently that's really helped me out (I'd give them credit but I don't remember who it was!)

Basically, try to use the location of the left stick as a reference point for where to move the right one. When you aim toward the corners, the direction you're supposed to push the right stick is going to usually be on the same line that the left is being held. Just try to match that line when you push forward - it's a little easier when you have a reference point like that. It doesn't work so well for when you're aiming low or (obviously) down the middle, but it's definitely helped me hit left and right better.

I have the problem of nearly always underestimating how far to move the stick, so as teamyourmom mentioned, I try to overexaggerate the left/right movement so that if I miss, I miss off the plate. So basically I'm using that left stick position as the reference, and then adjusting a bit more to allow for missing safely. For me at least, that works pretty well.

[Heroesandvillains]

Here's a few tips and tidbits:

1. You don't need to pull all the way back on the right stick for the down stroke. Half way works just fine. This will lessen the distance for the follow through and made an enormous difference for me.

2. When aiming anywhere other than 12 o'clock, try positioning your thumb at 5 o'clock when your end point 10 or 11 o'clock...and and 8 o'clock for a 2 o'clock upstroke. Keeping your thumb dead center on 'off dead center' pitch locations is murder for me.

3. You don't need to constantly go hard with the upstroke. Easy does it. Utilize the harder break/velocity stuff a touch less.

4. SCEA mentioned a hidden sensitivity slider with the analog mechanic, to ensure that folks can't simply master it entirely. In other words, no matter how good you are, you will still see the lining up stuff do some 'odd' things in relation to your input from time to time (like right when you aim left, for instance...as I understand it).

5. Raising user consistency, if all else fails, seems to increase the margin of error on the upstroke, and vice versa for lowering it.