|
All Star
OVR: 5
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Morgantown, WV
Posts: 11,569
|
JoshC1977's "Maximize Player Ratings" MLB 20 Sliders
Updated on 02/09/2021
Last year was my initial attempt to do my own MLB Sliders. I feel that overall, we were quite successful and I wanted to share my approach again.
You see, I have this problem. I lose interest if I get any hint that player ratings aren't mattering as much as they should. As a consequence, I GREATLY prefer operating with zero slider adjustments (to maximize the player rating influence); but MLB The Show always seems to need a little tuning. So, we need to do this very carefully...
Understand, this is a very niche setup with a very explicit design in mind. I'm not interested in a slider setup that makes the game look/play a particular way or that yields certain statistical outcomes. I just want the player ratings to be reflected in a believable manner in their on-the-field actions. If every player kinda feels the same, well...why bother building a team?
So, let's get to it....
What is the goal?
The goal is the same this year: to maximize the impact of player ratings. If ratings don't matter, then it is pointless to play franchise mode.
What does this mean?
Well...let me give you an example. Playing every game in my Reds franchise, I had a player with 99 contact/78 power (vs righties) and 60 contact/42 power (vs lefties) and with mid-60s vision hit .402 with 40 HRs vs righties and around .280 with 1 HR vs lefties. Think about that for a second...a 99 contact hitter (which is essentially HOF-level for that season)...he should be pretty darn good at hitting, right? A max-rated contact hitter with a lot of power in a small home ballpark hit just over .400 vs that handedness. That's not unreasonable, right? Does it change your opinion that the player in question was Scooter Gennett? If it does, than this is the wrong thread for you.
Many people will say, "That isn't realistic!! Scooter isn't that good!!!!" That's a biased assessment based on real life; not an assessment of what could happen based on that player's ratings. But many folks will look at that and adjust things because it is "too easy"...but if one biases the game/sliders to the point where that can't ever happen to a player with those ratings, that is NOT believable either!
How do we get there?
1. We use Classic Pitching and Directional Hitting with auto-fielding. These two interfaces (plus auto-fielding) minimize the risk that user stick-skill ability (e.g. aiming a PCI or hitting the sweet spot on a meter) can override ratings. If you use other interfaces, you should use sliders dedicated for them.
2. No Quick Counts. The more pitches you face/throw, the more in-game sample size you gain. The more sample size, the more likely outcomes are being driven by ratings more than randomness. I understand QCs are convenient, but you lose something with them and I highly discourage their use.
3. Use of All Star difficulty. I personally believe that All Star provides for the widest range of ratings to be properly represented, but is often JUST a hair on the easy side for me because the AI isn't quite as sharp. We have two options, dumb-down HOF or make AS "smarter". For me, if I can make the middle difficulty smarter without massively boosting the CPU, I will always go that route.
3. Minimizing slider adjustments. This will, again, allow for the widest range of ratings to be represented. With MLB, the default values are not always ideal...but adjustments in the range of 4 to 6 are usually more than adequate to address any imbalances. Don't be shocked if we wind up at (or very near to) default. This also minimizes potential side effects (like how raising the stolen base sliders nerfs solid contact - something we learned last year).
4. Clean Screen and no vibration. This is not just a preference, this is a significant key to how this set works and a way of life. Many people are FAR too reliant on the stuff on the screen to play the game. Using things like pitch markers, PCIs, meters, strike zone/hot zone markers, catch indicators, swing feedback, etc. is like beating on a trashcan.
Remember, we're not here to play a video game, we're here to play baseball...
Central Tenants of this thread:
NOTE: We're going to do a lot of things that go against the grain of what most guys do. I'm going to ask you all to take a leap of faith and trust me.
1. Sample size, sample size, sample size. Some individual player rate stats (like BABIP) don't stabilize in even one SEASON of at bats. Think about that, you need multiple seasons of data. Fortunately, other stats stabilize over smaller samplings (like 60-80 games). Posting things like, "I played 3 games and here are my thoughts/stats" is cute and all...but it doesn't help us (and often, can de-rail things).
2. We will focus any adjustments heavily on "how do we make the CPU SMARTER?" vs handicapping the user. Lowering sliders often leads to more "random outcomes" vs "ratings-driven outcomes" and that is NOT what we want here.
3. Initial efforts will be focused on "does what we see make sense?". I can't jam out 80 games in a week to get sample size. So, we will always look at things from a "does the behavior make sense?" perspective. A CPU pitcher throwing meatball after meatball makes no sense; I don't need 80 games to tell you that. A user pitcher with a good control rating constantly throwing pitches 2 quadrants off his target makes no sense; I don't need 80 games to tell you that. We'll make adjustments off of those initial assessments and build sample size from there.
4. Finally, sliders are like an old-school scale (where you have the lady holding the two pans that balance off of each other). When you add or subtract in one pan, it causes the other one to move....sliders are the same, everything you change will be compensated for in another area of the game. So, it isn't enough to say, "I want more stolen base attempts, so I will increase those sliders". You have to look at how the game compensates for that (in this example for MLB 19, the game re-balanced itself by decreasing power output).
5. One other thought: Zone hitting. Zone hitting is antithetical to the tenants of this thread and will have deleterious consequences. It's too user-input based to maximize ratings. I highly discourage the use of that interface unless you are playing on legend with all visual aids (including PCI) turned off.
The Settings
Batting and Baserunning:
Hitting Difficulty: All-Star or All-Star +
Hitting Interface Directional
Input Type - Buttons
Plate Coverage Indicator - Off
Camera Shift - Off
In-Play View Offense - Broadcast
Hitting View: Retro (Users Choice)
The camera angle you hit with. Majorly important!! Retro works really well for me but it may not for you. I do know for a fact that one's perception of the pitch speed will vary depending on your camera (fish eye is an example of a camera where pitch speed will seem faster). That said, I HIGHLY discourage the use of the 'strike zone' cameras for hitting or pitching. We're not playing online - we don't need to take the easy way out here. If you use one of these and find things are "too easy" for you, please change them immediately.
Ball Trail - Off
Button Interface: Classic
Guess Pitch: Off
There are horror stories about people who think this will make the game a bit easier. The reality is that the game arbitrarily punishes you for guessing wrong. Anticipating the pitch and location is already part of the game - guess pitch is an redundant and unnecessary setting. I implore everyone to not use it.
Baserunner Interface: Default
Baserunning Decisions: Assist
Sliding Decisions: Assist
Runner Window: Off (Much more challenging and rewarding plus cleaner screen)
Pitching:
Pitching Difficulty: All-Star or All-Star+
Pitching Interface: Classic
Pitching View: Broadcast
This adds a little variety as the angle changes for each stadium (and it will change how much you need to move the stick to move the ball marker as well...so it is an adjustment for road games...like real life). If you're not a fan of that (or if you get a bad angle that doesn't show the catcher's sign), the Outfield camera is a nice option (I used that all last year)
Pitching Ball Marker: Off ("On" for those that struggle with it off)
Pitch Callout: Off (cleaner screen but turn it on if you like)
Pitch Confidence: On
Pitch Delay: Normal
API: Default
Fielding:
Throwing Interface: Buttons
Throwing Meter: Off
Throwing Difficulty: NA
Throwing Decision: Off
Throw Canceling: On
Fielding Decision: Auto
Auto fielding is awesome because it maximizes player ratings and it looks beautiful.
Defensive Shift: Manual
Auto-shift has cost more players games (both offline and online) than any other thing. If you use auto-shift, be very conscious of extreme shifts...an oppo hit away from the shift can change the outcome of a game.
All Indicators - off
Fielding View Offense: Broadcast
Fielding View Defense: Broadcast
General
Strike Zone: Off
Hot Zones: Off
Warm Up Relievers - On
Balks: Off
Tutorial Tips - Off
Post Game Auto Save - On
Umpire Balls and Strikes: Personalized
Umpire Close Plays: On
Check Swing Appeals: On
Injuries: On
Ejections: On
Scorebar Display - On
Pitch Select Display - Off
Swing/Pitch Info - Off
Vibration - Off
I cannot state how important this setting is. When turned on, the vibration will start rumbling as you near the edge of the strike zone. This induces some really bad habits, like keeping you right on the edge of the plate because the game is telling you exactly where it is. By turning it off, and with clean screen, you have to rely on your feel and knowledge of how much your pitcher's stuff breaks.
Now, some people might think it sounds "too hard". It really isn't; I've seen people adjust pretty quickly. Your initial instinct will be to either move the stick too little (resulting in getting hit hard) or too much (resulting in poor control). You'll hone-in on it quicker than you think but without some game mechanic giving you artificial feedback. Combined with our control slider settings, it makes for a beautiful combination that makes pitching frustrating and rewarding.
Game Log Order - Default
Presentation Options
Presentation Mode - Broadcast
Pre Pitch Cameras - Your choice
Frequency - Your choice
Batter Walkup - On
In-game Ticker - On
Closed Captioning - Off
The Sliders
Dynamic Difficulty Sensitivity N/A
User/CPU Contact 5.
This slider is critical to game balancing. DO NOT EVER TOUCH THIS (unless you want to adjust about 8 other sliders...then, there's no point in playing because you've killed the meaning of player ratings). Even one tick will greatly imbalance the game (I even saw signs that raising the CPU contact to 6 will spur on a higher run scoring environment for the user as well).
User/CPU Power 5
This is another one that is critical to game balancing, changes will quickly alter the CPU's approach (whether hitting or pitching...depending on the value adjusted).
User/CPU Timing 5
I don't have issues with this at default.
User/CPU Foul Frequency 5
I know some folks like to lower this to induce strikeouts. I call it the "swing de-sync" slider. Basically, it adds a 'dice roll' effect on swings that make little sense at times. I don't care what others might say, but if you can't get strikeouts, there is something else wrong with how your game is balanced.
User/CPU Solid Hits 4
This is a classic adjustment. Frankly, there are way too many line drives in this game at default (on any level). It impacts everything in the game, from how fielders play relative to the ball, ball trajectories, hit variety, everything. It wasn't until I moved this slider back down that I felt like I was playing baseball again.
The effects are obvious for the user; but this is a CRITICAL adjustment for the CPU offense. At default, they hit so many balls hard that it was detrimental. Now you will see more flares, dribblers, gappers, etc. Those are the hits that win games, not HRs. It's also critical for the CPU because it brought back a sense of urgency to their ABs. With the User Pitch Control at 6, they do a much better job of taking pitches. The problem, they were taking pitches that they should have been swinging at. Once we lowered solid hits, the CPU 'feared' not getting a lot of chances, and started swinging at more appropriate times. THAT, combined with the better ball trajectories, has allowed the CPU offense to shine a lot more brightly...and without introducing that feeling of random dice rolls.
User/CPU Starter Stamina 6
A needed bump here to give SPs more pitch capacity. The initial fade you see with an average stamina pitchers begins to happen about 10 pitches later than before. I'm perfectly comfortable with it at 6; but default can work as well.
User/CPU Reliever Stamina 5
This "seems" ok at default. I'm intrigued by some slider guys bumping this up. I'll closely monitor this and evaluate how effective relievers are when they pitch.
User Pitch Control at 6
CPU is more patient in ABs. More borderline pitches as they don't drift all over the place. So, expect an overall increase in walks and a smarter CPU offense as a result. If you're a "nibbler" when you pitch, you're going to have issues with this because pitches don't drift as much (unless your P sucks). You have to play baseball and really mix up throwing early count strikes both in the zone and on the periphery.
CPU Pitch Control at 6
Way more borderline pitches. You'll be forced to swing at "pitcher's pitches" more frequently. This leads to an increase in hit variety and if you're patient, you can glean more walks/Ks. While not an issue I've had, it does lead to fewer fat pitches over the heart of the plate. They'll still happen, but with a more reasonable frequency. It's a nice change because it doesn't "gimp" your offense but does make you think a bit more....which is very much to my style of play.
User/CPU Pitcher Consistency 5
With all the other settings we have, this looks REALLY solid.
Strike Frequency 5
I've seen no need to alter the CPU pitching approach with all the other settings we have, leave this alone.
Manager Hook 5
I'll be honest...I've never touched this before. But there are some occasional head-scratching decisions that have made me consider bumping this up. But there are IRL too. I'm going to leave this alone for the time being.
Pickoffs 5
This plays such an insignificant part of the game overall; I'm not willing to tinker and risk it impacting anything else.
Fastball Pitch Speed 8
Off speed Pitch Speed 7
Pitch speed is VITAL to your performance. Yes, the value you select is a personal preference, but it still comes down to one thing. How comfortable are you at the plate? If you're comfortable with the pitch speed, it's too slow for you...bump it up a notch and find a place where it's hard for you to catch up to high velo unless you're sitting on it but not so hard that you can't pull anything. One critical thing, keep the offspeed setting one notch below the fastball value. The speed settings are way too close together if the values are the same (that was a change made this year).
Fielding Errors Infield 5
Fielding Errors Outfield 5
Throwing Errors Infield 5
Throwing Errors Outfield 5
All 4 of these are perfect "as is".
Fielder Run Speed 5
Fielder Reaction 5
Setting these both to 4 can work, but while it make look 'prettier' at times, it can also cause pretty significant spikes to averages. I definitely feel as though the game balances much better if you leave these alone.
Fielder Arm Strength Infield 5
Fielder Arm Strength Outfield 5
Baserunner Speed 5
DO NOT INCREASE any of these above default. With the lower exit velos from the solid hits slider, increasing these values will throw off a lot of the balance. Essentially, we used the solid hits slider to hone-in the defense and make the field feel "larger". I'm VERY comfortable with where these are.
Baserunner Steal Ability 5
Baserunner Steal Frequency 5
Frankly, if the players are rated properly...they WILL steal...a lot. I've had third stolen on me numerous times. I think this is incredibly well-balanced this year.
Wind 5
Just changes the MPH of wind as a percentage. So, if you have a 10 MPH wind at 5, it will be 20 MPH at 10.
Injuries 6
This has been a revelation this year. I've seen a greatly improved increase in injuries from ones that knock guys out for the rest of the game, to short term injuries, to much longer-term injuries. HIGHLY recommended.
Trade Slider
Personal preference - I usually use something similar to Armor's and ramp up in June/July
Last edited by JoshC1977; 02-08-2021 at 01:47 PM.
|
03-12-2020, 01:13 PM
