MLB 2K9 Wish List

[Trevytrev11]

With 2K8 on the shelves, I’m sure the development team is already back at work on 2K9 or will be shortly.

They always say “the earlier the better” when it comes to these things. And while for most 2K8 was mostly a step in the right direction, most would also agree that it is lacking in certain areas.

So here we go:
1) New Commentary-Drop Joe and John. 2K obviously can’t get what they need out of these guys and the game suffers because of it. Personally, I’d be happy with Peter and Dan if it meant a much more diverse conversation.
2) Go the route of the 3^rd party for the Sim Engine. If the current system isn’t broken, it’s being held together with duct tape. We need a system that properly handles AI lineups, rosters, rotations and transactions as well as calculates realistic statistics and can properly handle player progression.
3) Bring back zone hitting. Who care’s if it isn’t what the masses prefer. It doesn’t have to be the default system, but at least offer it to those that demand it.
4) Update the Stadiums.
5) Update the player portraits. I like the fact they zoomed in to remove the majority of the hat, but it’s still obvious that Zito is wearing an A’s hat. It seems like they could use some sort of editing tool to automatically change the color of a hat when a player moves teams. ESPN is able to do this when a transaction is announced. Also, use computer generate portraits for players without faces.
6) I would like to see the addition of a contact swing. It would result in a slightly larger window of contact, but would noticeable reduce power. This would be specifically for hit and runs, hitting behind runners, protecting with 2 strikes.
7) Update the pitchers repertoire with the proper pitches. Greg Maddux throws a 2 seam fastball and doesn’t throw a 4-seam fastball.
8) Get rid of the whole “meatball” idea. Let pitches miss where they should and when a pitch is totally botched, let the final location be random. And if it happens to be in the strike zone, force the user to recognize it and hit it. Don’t gift wrap it by letting him no ahead of time. In real baseball a mistake pitch is only a mistake if the hitter recognizes it.
9) A la NBA 2K8, give teams personalities and let the user tweak them. Some teams wait for the 3-Run Homer and other teams make things happen. If I’m playing a team with speed, I should be forced to focus on their runners. If I’m playing a patient team, I should be forced to work in the zone.
10) All Star Weekend.
11) A little thing here, but on pop ups in which the catcher tries to catch, have him turn around and face the back stop.
12) Make the GM goals more realistic. Here is an idea: Make it so a player has to be on the team for at least ½ of a season before telling the GM to release him.
13) Maybe this is in 2K8 and I’m just not realizing it, but directional sliding would be nice. It seems that in 2K7 and 2K8 this is random. I try to slide inside and I go outside.
14) Guys who hit a handful of HR’s a year should never walk when they hit one. This should be reserved for guys who hit a lot of HR’s. You will never see a guy like
15) Include, with the game, an instruction book that has actually been updated and ran by an editor and then re-edited and then proof-read for meaningful content.

[slickzeus]

ill settle with improved graphics, no bugs, great presentation (more of the little things that make baseball great!) and dynamic fans. I think joe and john are great commentators, they just need new lines. I feel like im watching sunday night baseball when im playing 2k8. I don't know how everyone hates them when you listen to the garbage announcers that the show has.

[Trevytrev11]

Quote: Originally Posted by slickzeus

ill settle with improved graphics, no bugs, great presentation (more of the little things that make baseball great!) and dynamic fans. I think joe and john are great commentators, they just need new lines. I feel like im watching sunday night baseball when im playing 2k8. I don't know how everyone hates them when you listen to the garbage announcers that the show has.

Well some people just hate Joe and John, but I think everyone else hates the repitiion. They've been arond since 2K5 or 2K6 with very little "new" dialouge, so from a presentation sense, 2K8 sounds like 2K5, which isn't good and is very stale.

[Str8_A]

How about adding that big "ding" noize when hitting the foul pole like in MVP 2005.

[MildlyPsycho]

Presentation - Jeannie and Steve are good and I like how in my franchise they say little things like "Welcome to another addition of Angels baseball", but John and Joe have got to go. Their are so many commentators better than them. They don't even have a damn clue what is happening in the game (though it is realistic). I think some thing like Dan Schullman and an ex-player would be really good.

Bugs - I wanna watch replays without them stuttering and I don't like in game freezes!

Pictures - Yeah it sounds stupid, but Jose Guillen has been on 3 different teams since he was an Angel and yet he still is wearing the red hat. Come on 2K, don't be lazy.

[brendanrfoley]

Can we get this thread stickied? I'm surprised it isn't already!

Graphics
- Smooth out the framerate, even if it means locking the game in at 30fps. The stuttering needs to go.
- Replace the crowd, because it's an eyesore.
- Dugout and bullpen players need more detail.
- Grass needs to look like grass (like 2K7).
- Stadiums need updating, but new crowds and better grass would be a huge improvement.
- More Signature Styles -- they really add to the experience.

Gameplay
- Add the option to hide the pitch cursor.
- More walks out of the box.
- Keep the meatball feature (they are essentially 'hangers'), but fewer of them.
- Increase the ease of making diving stops and catches.
- Keep the MVP-ish hitting model.
- Replace the sim engine (as rumored) to handle computer controlled teams (lineups, rosters, etc.) and computer generated stats.

Presentation
- John Miller's play by play needs to be smoothed out (less lag, etc).
- Add player specific color commentary. Joe Morgan speaks in generic, "great play by the shortstop" terms too often.
- Louder, sustained crowd noise. Lets here it roar in close, tense situations.
- Keep the on-field camera angles for batter walk ups -- but ditch the low-angle shots. They're awkward.
- Add on-field cut scenes after big plays, etc.
- More "League Leader Alert" type updates -- they look great.

I like MLB 2K8 a lot; it does play a good game of baseball once the right tweaks are made. In fact, I made very few slider adjustments and see 3-5 walks a game. Much of the game's problems are in the presentation/graphics department -- and most of my "wishes" are minor tweaks.

My "dream" scenario? Visual Concepts contracts OOTP to handle to off field stuff -- and the development team tweaks the on field.

[jbishop1702]

Looked over on the 2K Forums a while back and they had the 2K9 Wishlist up back in May, taking requests for 2 weeks before they'd have to finalize plans for the upcoming title... While I agree with most of what I've read, I fear that we're too late for the designers to do anything new.

[brendanrfoley]

Yes, the 2K9 wish list is submitted over there. Thankfull, that thread includes much of what we posted here.

I hope we see something from 2K9 early this year -- mid November or so. I'm dying to see what Visual Concepts pulls off.