Mike Lowe MLB The Show '17 Sliders

[Mike Lowe]

*The official sliders for OSFM rosters*

*Please do not ask whether these can be used in other modes or difficulties. Instead, please read this first post and use the search feature as these questions have already been asked ad nauseam. These are made for franchise mode using the info I already wrote below. I am no longer responding to these questions.*

Version 3.0 (3-3-17)
Patch 1.13


FAQs

• Yes, these are up in the vault. Search for OSFM Mike Lowe.
• Yes, I believe these will work fine on other difficult levels.
• I use zone hitting on HoF, but with the cursor off. They will work fine with directional hitting.
• I do move my cursor around, but also keep a simple gameplan in place for each at bat, and try not to over-complicate my at-bats.
• I pitch on Legend, and pitch for the edges to look to get the AI to chase, so walks and Ks will happen. I also max out the pitch effectiveness on the meter w 2 strikes and/or 3 balls.
• I try and not throw wild pitches with runners on base as the catchers in this game just aren't all that great at blocking pitches in the dirt.
• Yes, the AI will throw some beanballs, but your HBP will be in-line with the rest of the simulated league.
• I use auto-fielding for the added animations (and better defensive plays) that you simply will not see on manual fielding.

Welcome
Thanks for checking out my sliders for MLB The Show '17! This is my third season working on sliders for this game, which includes one of those seasons being a full 162 games where all games and all pitches were played.

I've been involved in game development as a freelance hobby, most notably as a beta tester for Out of the Park Baseball, and I'm heavily focused on details and accuracy of simulation, striving to have a slider set that matches modern MLB output, but also across the simulated game spectrum.

Goals of this set (approximates, and won't be every single game):
60% first pitch strikes
62% ball:strike ratio, but 65-68% for higher-end pitchers
.300 team BABIP (BABIP calculator)
15% foul balls per total pitches
21% swings and misses per total number of swings (misses plus strikeouts)
HRs right around 1 per game, per team, maybe a tick above. (1.1-1.2)
HBP should fall in-line with simulated games
Depending on repertoire, varied flyball to groundball ratios
The rest of your statistical accuracy will come from these. Simple.

*****I stream some games from my franchise, and you can see my results, box scores, etc at the end of each game. The link can be found in my signature.*****

I've been playing the show since the game first came out, and I'd say I'm a good player, having once been ranked in the Top 100 in Diamond Dynasty (no longer play that mode much). Most importantly, I love baseball and am always looking for ways to make The Show as realistic as possible, even if that means I don't win the division every year. I hope you find some value in these sliders and if not, be sure and check out some of the others on OS.

***Lastly, make sure you spend more time playing the game than exploring the sliders forum!***

Nutshell Version
This set is based on accurate first pitch strikes, ball to strike ratios, BABIP, foul ball %, swinging miss %, HR ratios, and groundball to flyball ratios. This is also the only slider I set I've seen that will give you accurate HBP totals for played games.

Detailed Version
These sliders are designed for folks who've found they're in need of a more challenging set when compared to the more popular slider sets out there for MLB The Show. I was using some of those sliders before myself, but they became far too easy to dominate and win.

Regardless of which slider set you choose, it's important for you the gamer to take ownership of YOUR sliders and move beyond slider dependency/slideritis, and learn how to comfortably tweak them without feeling as though the sky is falling.

Dymanic difficult is a brilliant idea, but it's too simplified--instead, take up the challenge to dynamically adjust your OWN difficult (sliders/settings) as you go. I'm not a fan of "final" or "locked" sliders because you should always be evaluating and tweaking to adjust to your improved gameplay during the season; you're going to be better on game 162 than you are in game 1, period.

At the same time, this game is clean and balanced enough that you don't need to restart over and over just because you bumped a few sliders up or down. Just play and continually check yourself against the league stats and rankings, and keep sample size in mind.

The game plays well out of the box, and variety AND oddities are a part of baseball; over the course of 162 games, it will level itself out just fine, and the cream will rise to the top. Don't worry if you're not the cream every season.

Use these sliders as a base and tweak, because we ALL play differently and have our own unique skill sets. You don't need to wait to start a franchise to use these sliders, you don't need to start anything over, and you can tweak during your season as you won't be seeing anything out of the realm of possibility, and certainly nothing that won't stand the test of time over 162 games.

*****Staying locked into a bad slider set for 162 games is the only thing that will skew your results one way or another, so don't do that!*****

GAMEPLAY OPTIONS
If you'd like, share your box scores here

BATTING & BASERUNNING
Hitting Difficulty - All-Star or HoF
Hitting Interface - Directional or Zone
Input Type - Buttons
Plate Coverage Indicator - Off
PCI Appearance - Wedge (for Zone)
Camera Shift - Off
Hitting View – The Show 15 (gives most realistic 60' 6" view from mound)
In-Play View Offense - Broadcast
Ball Trail - Off
Guess Pitch - Off
Baserunning Decisions - Assist
Baserunning Interface - Default
Sliding Decisions - Assist
Runner Windows - On

PITCHING
Pitching Difficulty - Legend
Pitching Interface - Meter (classic and pulse will work fine as well, so long as you're evaluating your performance)
Pitch Feedback - Off
Pitching View – Broadcast or Outfield (broadcast seems to glitch SI swings making them appear very slow)
Pitching Ball Marker - Off
Pitch Confidence - On
Pitch Delay - Normal
API - Default

FIELDING
Throwing Interface - Buttons
Throwing Meter - No Feedback
Throwing Difficulty - Hall of Fame
Fielding Decision - Auto or Assist (manual fielding)
Throwing Decision - On or Off (manual fielding)
In-Play View Defense - Broadcast
Throw Cancelling - On
One Button Dive/Jump - Off
Catch Position Indicator - On
Defensive Shift - Auto (but adjust yourself too if need be. Auto just helps save time.)

GENERAL
Strike Zone - Off
Hot Zones - Always Preview
Warm Up Pitchers - On or Off
Tutorial Tips - Off
Post Game Auto Save - Off
Scorebar Display - On
Pitch Select Display - On
Swing/Pitch Info - On
Balks - On
Umpire Accuracy - Personalized
Umpire Close Plays - Off (to simulate instant replay)
Check Swing Appeals - On
Injuries - On
Ejections - On
Vibration - Off
Game Log Order - Default

Presentation, Audio, & Mode-Specific Options
All user choice

HOUSE RULES (Optional)
*I would turn the strike ratio way down when facing a knuckleballer.
*Don't feel you must use 30 team control. Live with the fact that the league lives, breathes on its own. If you think the trades are strange, go and review previous MLB regular seasons transactions.
*Manager contracts - On
*Do not activate any sponsors--the AI teams do not have this advantage.
*If you want the artist rendition bio pictures, start your franchise with a fantasy draft, then back out of it before the first selection is made. Rosters will still be intact.
*Do not "visit mound" at the very start of an inning.
*No going back to the bag on a steal attempt.
*Assume the AI teams only want to deal primarily from their trade block. Don't abuse the shop player feature.
*No changing of staff until the offseason unless AI team does so first.

SLIDERS
Dynamic Difficulty Sensitivity - 5 (ignored)
Human Contact - 5 (-1)
Human Power - 5
Human Timing - 1
Human Foul Frequency - 3
Human Solid Hits - 5
Human Starter Stamina - 5
Human Reliever Stamina - 5
Human Pitch Control - 0
Human Pitcher Consistency - 9
CPU Contact - 3
CPU Power - 5
CPU Timing - 0
CPU Foul Frequency - 0
CPU Solid Hits - 2
CPU Starter Stamina - 5 (sim at 10)
CPU Reliever Stamina - 5 (sim at 0)
CPU Pitcher Control - 5
CPU Pitcher Consistency - 3
CPU Strike Frequency - 5
CPU Manager Hook - 2 (once AI goes to bullpen, change to 7, and sim at 7)
CPU Pickoffs - 8
Fastball Pitch Speed - 5 (accurate pull hitters)
Offspeed Pitch Speed - 5 (accurate pull hitters)
Fielding Errors Infield - 10
Fielding Errors Outfield - 8
Throwing Errors Infield - 10
Throwing Errors Outfield - 9
Fielder Run Speed – 2
Fielder Reaction - 2
Fielder Arm Strength Infield - 5
Fielder Arm Strength Outfield - 5
Baserunner Speed - 5
Baserunner Steal Ability - 5
Baserunner Steal Frequency - 5
Wind - 5
Injury Frequency - 8
Trade Frequency - 5 (see post 2 below)

[Mike Lowe]

Here is a quick video recap of what to look for in terms of the measurables mentioned in post 1:

https://youtu.be/KOkhmrwwVDQ

I'd recommend setting the trade slider to:

5 for Spring Training
1 for April
3 for May
4 for June
5 for July 1-29
10 for July 30-31
5 for non-waiver trades set (past July 31)
4 for offseason

Also, here is some deeper slider discussion from later on this thread:

[quote name="jmel07" post=2048773452]Mike -Thanks for publishing your sliders. If you could, I'd love it if you could comment on a few specifically. I'm tracking the differences between the slider sets and where yours stand out the most different are:[/quote]

Human Pitcher Consistency - 0 (Other sets are 3-4)
This helps tremendously w walks, and also allows for those implosion days on rare occassions. It also gives your pitchers an accurate amount of batters' HBP. Read below on AI consistency for more details on that...

CPU Power - 2 (Other sets are 4-6)
For '17, nearly everything hit solid is a HR. Even SSD just tweeted out an infographic of results of all played games they are tracking, and it actually shows MORE HRs hit than 2Bs. No way is that that MLB baseball.

CPU Foul Frequency - 1 (Other sets are 3-5)
Foul balls should equate to roughly 15% of total pitches, the MLB average. Otherwise, not enough walks, not enough Ks, and not enough swings and misses resulting in pitchers not throwing enough pitches.

CPU Solid Hits - 6 (Other sets are mostly 4)
To keep the AI dangerous. Don't make mistakes all game long and expect to live to tell about it.

CPU Reliever Stamina - 0 (Other sets are mostly 3)
To further help the improvement to middle relief pitcher usage by AI, ie more matchups late in games. Also 100% necessary when simming games to keep IP below appearances.

CPU Pitching Consistency - 1 (Other sets are mostly 4)
You won't see enough hit by pitches by the AI in played games, negatively affecting your OB%. Go check your player stats if you're using another set, and you'll see your hitters are dead last in MLB for HBP.

CPU Strike Frequency - 5 (Other sets are mostly 2-3)
Other sets must not be looking at the pitcher analysis, because this slider has been perfectly balanced at default for years. Read my post #1 here for more info. Remember, don't go off of "feel" when we can clearly use real measurables.

CPU Pickoffs 9 - (Others mostly 5-6)
If you watch a MLB game, do you see more than the maybe 1-2 pickoffs you'll see in a played game on default? Also keeps you honest with not taking too many big leads, forcing you to be cautious.

Fielding Errors OF - 3 (Others are mostly 5-6 and are noted to be pretty infrequent even at default)
Actually, this can probably go back to default or yeah, maybe 6. This was lowered last year to help w the line drives magically going through your OFs.

Fielder Reaction - 7 (Others around 5-6)
I just lowered this from 8 to 7 today, but it's to help IFs catch more of those line drives that they otherwise seem scared of. What I'm watching closely now is for not too many groundball singles being turned into groundouts. What are others seeing?

Fielder Arm OF -3 (Others mostly at 4)
This was to help increase doubles last year. Still seems fine to me this year, but sure, let's keep an eye on it. Remember though, this slider spiked right around when Cespedes showed up on YouTube, and the game began grossly exaggerated arm strength, or more specially velocity (different than distance/trajectory).

[quote name="jmel07" post=2048773452]I'm specifically interested in what you're seeing with CPU Consistency at 1 and Strike Frequency at 5. Does this have the same results as the opposite (5/1 or 4/1)? I've only played with Consistency at 4 and Frequency at 2 and I know this results in some walks and the pitchers not putting too many pitches in the meaty part of the strike zone. What does 1/5 accomplish? (Not judging, honestly curious).[/quote]

No, not the same thing. If folks feel the need to lower strike percentage, well, frankly they need to practice hitting and their plate discipline. That slider is not the issue. SSD has that one perfect.
----------------------

I wrote my replies under your questions. When I'm back at my computer, I'll edit the font color for easier reading.

[RoyceDa59]

Hey Mike, how to you feel about the HR total's do you feel like you are seeing most runs coming from the Long ball?

[Mike Lowe]

The area I'm watching closely is the AI's ability to hit HRs which seems inflated here in the early testing.

[Mike Lowe]

Quote: Originally Posted by RoyceDa59

Hey Mike, how to you feel about the HR total's do you feel like you are seeing most runs coming from the Long ball?

Yes, that is what I am seeing.

[xNobleEaglex]

Excited to see you making another set this year! I have always had really great luck with your sets in previous versions, so I'm looking forward to using your 2017 set!

[squashbuggie]

Quick Manage Sliders: 1/1/10 works properly.

[JaFFiTh]

I know in previous years you were trying to get the sim stats correct for the pitchers. This year it seems to be out of whack. At 5 starters are perfect as is, but for relievers. Long relievers goes close to.... heck even goes over 200ip (usually at least 60-90 GP), lots of pitchers have hit over 100 GP

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