MLB 2K9 - Five Important Steps Towards Rebuilding

[BlyGilmore]

I think the most fundamentally flawed aspect of MLB 2k8 and other games for a while now has been hitting.

There's just no incentive to work the count, try and pick out pitches, take a realistic approach to the plate or anything along those lines. Most people just go up there trying to hit almost every single pitch and are still able to score 4+ runs a game doing so.

This trickles down into other areas. While your pitchers can barely get into the 7th inning, computer pitchers can throw 10 innings unless you knock them around beforehand. Strategy behind when to send the runner is completely void - if you have a fast guy you send him on the first pitch because you're swinging from the heals after that.

The only game I can think of in the past several years where you could work the count, and it was advantageous to do so, was High Heat. MVP Baseball was close to that point with the colored ball system.

[StormJH1]

I owned 2k7, but thought that it was basically unplayable. The only reason I kept it were the stunning visuals. Yet, when you have to essentially cue the batter to swing BEFORE the pitch leaves the pitcher's hand, it becomes pretty obvious that you're not going to be able to differentiate between balls and strikes.

I played the 2k8 demo and knew right away that I wouldn't be buying this game. Not only was the new pitching mechanic clunky and unforgiving, but the framerate drops were HORRIBLE, the game had actually regressed visually, and batting and fielding still weren't any fun.

I'm sick of getting my hopes up for a 2k baseball game only to find out that nothing has changed. 2k is to baseball gaming what EA has become to basketball gaming. 360 users are simply stuck without any better option. I'd rather play last-gen MLB Power Pros or PS2's MLB The Show '08 than 2k8.

[StormJH1]

Also, the author's comment about "poor hit detection" misses the primary point...if all you're doing is playing a swing stick timing game...how do you really know you swung above or below a pitch anyway? It's not like the game lets you determine WHERE you swing the bat!

[baa7]

Quote: Originally Posted by StormJH1

Also, the author's comment about "poor hit detection" misses the primary point...if all you're doing is playing a swing stick timing game...how do you really know you swung above or below a pitch anyway? It's not like the game lets you determine WHERE you swing the bat!

When the pitch is in the dirt and you swing, you're swinging over top of the ball. Vice versa with pitches above the belt/letters.

[Trevytrev11]

Quote: Originally Posted by BlyGilmore

There's just no incentive to work the count, try and pick out pitches, take a realistic approach to the plate or anything along those lines. Most people just go up there trying to hit almost every single pitch and are still able to score 4+ runs a game doing so.

I agree 100%.

This is where the games needs to take a look at what other sports games are doing as far as the AI adjusting on the fly. In the NBA series, the computer will somewhat adapt to your offense/defense and I believe the same for football. Looking specifically at NBA 2K. If you throw the ball to the big man in the post a few times in a row and he's scoring at will, the computer will start to double team him. If a player gets hot, the defense will tighten on a player until he cools down or someone else heats up.

To apply that to baseball, if the user hitter is swinging at every pitch, the AI should adapt and purposely start throwing pitches out of the zone until the hitter changes. If the hitter takes until he gets a strike the first time through the lineup, the pitcher should have a pretty good feeling that he can start pumping first pitch strikes over the middle of the plate until they adjust.

And on the other side of the matchup. If you are a pitcher and can't locate anything, you should expect the AI to be much more patient. They shouldn't be swinging at a 2-0 curveball in the dirt after you just walked the bases loaded. And if you are pumping 85% strikes and they are just looking, they should be expected to be a little more aggressive early in the count.

In this series, the AI seems to have no memory. The outcome of the last pitch seems to have no impact on the next one.

When you get a hitter to chase a fastball up in the zone, 9/10 times, the next pitch is going to be that high or higher. If a guy chases a curve in the dirt, you'll try and bury the next one until he shows he can lay off.

If a hitter is late on the fastball, you're not going to do him a favor and throw him an offspeed pitch, your just speeding up his bat. If a hitters is late on a fastball, you throw him another one. If he's on it or early, then you break out the other stuff. Same if he's ahead of the breaking stuff.

There just seems to be not point to the pitches thrown in this game. Pitchers don't pitch at all with a purpose and the pitch selection seems to be totally random (both pitch type and location). There is no chess match, instead it's more a game of coin toss.

Stat's and ratings are nice, but pitch sequences are more about feel than they are about stats. The last pitch will tell you more than a scouting report. If a hitter is supposed to struggle against a curveball, but hit your last one 425 feet foul, that should tell you that he's on your curve.

[Trevytrev11]

Quote: Originally Posted by baa7

When the pitch is in the dirt and you swing, you're swinging over top of the ball. Vice versa with pitches above the belt/letters.

Other than those extremes, everything else is just random. A fastball at the thigh has the same chance of being hit in the dirt as it does to be hit over the fence.

[allBthere]

Quote: Originally Posted by Blzer

The dual-layer discs couldn't handle all of the content on The Show, mostly in the commentary department. Besides, if it was on the 360, it would be violating the license of only first-party developers (except 2K) allowed to make MLB licensed baseball games.

give me a break.

[allBthere]

My 2 cents is that I wish power pros was available for the 360, ..in that case I wouldn't have reason to worry or care about 2K_.