MLB 2K9 News Post

Padrecast: MLB 2K9 Feature List (Pasta Padre)

07:50 PM - January 12, 2009 by bigfnjoe96

Pasta Padre has posted his Padrecast joined with Operation Sports one and only Chase Becotte. In this podcast, they will be discussing the feature list in MLB 2K9. Click here for the link to the podcast.

Game: Major League Baseball 2K9Reader Score: 6/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS3 / Xbox 360Votes for game: 38 - View All

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# 1 Blitzburgh @ 01/12/09 07:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigfnjoe96


	http://www.pastapadre.com/category/baseball Listening now

Yeah, I listened to it this morning but there is nothing new at all. They just discussed each feature on the list that he was able to get his hands on.

I'm really looking forward to this years game. I haven't really enjoyed 2k baseball since 2k4. Here is hoping to a new future of fun baseball.

# 2 bigfnjoe96 @ 01/12/09 08:03 PM

Pasta says he's 95% sure "MEATBALLS" will be in 2k9

# 3 King Gro23 @ 01/12/09 08:06 PM

its cool if they are in I like them because its real but if they make the A.I. blast a double minimum off it everytime then its dumb. and if i meatball a curve i dont it want it to display a 90 mph "meatballs"
A hangin curve would be good around 75-81

# 4 drterb @ 01/12/09 08:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigfnjoe96


	Pasta says he's 95% sure "MEATBALLS" will be in 2k9

I think he said MEATBALLS were "gone" in 2k9. At the 20 minute mark in the file.

Unless I'm misinterpreting what he is saying.

# 5 duke776 @ 01/12/09 08:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigfnjoe96


	Pasta says he's 95% sure "MEATBALLS" will be in 2k9

That sucks, and it pretty much ensures I won't be getting it this year. I'll probably rent it eventually, but this is something that is a game killer to me. But, if it turns out that they're gone I'll be extremely happy and will have much more faith in the game.

# 6 Damanjinx @ 01/12/09 08:26 PM

It was said that 95% that meatballs are gone.

# 7 bigfnjoe96 @ 01/12/09 08:32 PM

Maybe I mis-heard sorry. BTW Chase thanks for the shout-out...

# 8 Blzer @ 01/12/09 09:14 PM

I don't really know what Chase was talking about when it came to influencing hitting.

The way I see influencing hitting, it has to do with how the player is swinging, and nothing more. If you want to influence a fly ball, you are going to uppercut your swing. If you want to influence a ground ball, you are going to chop down on the ball. If you make perfect contact (meaning not over or under the ball), you will hit what you wanted to hit. The pitch height is irrelevant. The only way that pitch height matters is how often a player normally is able to get under a low pitch or above a high pitch, which isn't often.

The other difference is a player's normal approach to that pitch given the timing, meaning to get a pitch at the knees, your bat must go down to get that from your shoulders, or wherever your hands begin prior to the swing. If you time it correctly, you should get the bat hitting its absolute minimum on the "swinging plane" and you should be able to produce a line drive. Same goes with a high pitch (though the top of the zone should be no higher than the belly button, so you shouldn't be chasing higher pitches anyway).

I'll make a small table showing what should happen in the result of a normal, uppercut, or chopped swing in relevance to how your bat meets with the ball (over/under, dead-on, etc.). This is assuming you've met with the ball at the right time, so the height of the pitch should be completely irrelevant:

So you see, I think the way that he said it was more on the lines of: "If you influence a fly ball on a high pitch, you'll have greater success." On a rare occasion, this is correct; though we must keep in mind that normally a hitter drops his hands to the pitch first, so on the point of coming back up for a high pitch, it will normally result in a pop up. If you know where that sucker is coming beforehand, then you have a shot at a nice fly ball, if not a home run. But the truth is, you're influencing it by changing your bat angle on contact, by uppercutting your swing. Just keep that in mind. Now I'm not saying that this is how 2K will do it (or how SCEA does it), but IMO this is how it should be done. Zone hitting and timing takes care of the rest... where you place your bat on the ball.

Oh, and MVP didn't use zone hitting. They used a timed system with influencing your hits just like 2K7. Just something else I picked up on that I thought might have needed some addressing.

EDIT: And just for clarification, it was Chase who said that he was 95% sure meatballs would be gone from the game.

# 9 ChaseB @ 01/13/09 01:41 AM

Blzer, the only big point I was trying to make was that people on the forums were worried about balance issues if they used the influence aspect and were able to hit fly balls in situations they wouldn't normally be able to.

And you're right about MVP, I was just thinking it was zone at the time because I was thinking about the 9 hot and cold zones each batter had.

PS, I said 95% meatballs weren't in -- or if they are -- they certainly won't mean HRs on most occasions.

# 10 ChaseB @ 01/13/09 01:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scottdau


	Good job guy. Chase you need to be nicer to Brian. Also, just becasue you don't like something doesn't mean someone doesn't like it. Any ways good job. I am curious apart this game. Also, especially because Tim is the cover boy!

I won't be nicer to Brian, he's an evil, evil child. And, obviously, if I don't like something that doesn't mean someone else doesn't like it. But it's not like I'm going to add that caveat in after everything I don't like.

# 11 Blzer @ 01/13/09 01:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChaseB


	Blzer, the only big point I was trying to make was that people on the forums were worried about balance issues if they used the influence aspect and were able to hit fly balls in situations they wouldn't normally be able to.

Ah ha, gotcha. Guess I just didn't want people to be misinformed on how, IMO, the influence aspect should be implemented in the game. I wasn't trying to call you out, it wasn't even really about targeting your "being incorrect" or anything as much as it was trying to explain to everybody what it really means to "influence your hits."

Quote:


	And you're right about MVP, I was just thinking it was zone at the time because I was thinking about the 9 hot and cold zones each batter had.

To be fair, you hit the ball with more authority when you aim outside with an outside pitch and inside/inside pitch. That was just the problem with how MVP's system worked, though... home runs didn't really happen on low pitches, which they should be able to. Instead they only did with high pitches.

Anyway, on my chart, the only three hit types that really can result in home runs are the level swing (both right on the ball and slightly underneath) and an uppercut swing, right on the ball. The most common is the level swing, being slightly underneath the ball. The ball has backspin and carries through the air better. In that regard, a game like 2K7 or MVP should have had most home runs come from no type of fly ball influence, but rather a default, level swing where you generate just enough lift under the ball. Trying the other approach is much more costly, resulting in too many balls being skied rather than launched.

# 12 JohnDoe8865 @ 01/13/09 01:55 AM

Just listened. Very happy to hear "meatballs" should be gone. You better have good sources Becotte! *shakes fist*

# 13 boomhauertjs @ 01/13/09 11:31 AM

You guys made a good point in saying that 2k really should be showing lots of videos, getting the demo out early, etc. to help regain the trust of their customer base. 2k's usually not very good at doing these things, so it will be interesting to see how they market 2k9.

I remember reading after 2k7 that MLB was contemplating getting out of their exclusive contract with 2k. If 2k9 bombs, I wonder if MLB will try to get out of the contract.

# 14 CMH @ 01/13/09 12:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by boomhauertjs


	You guys made a good point in saying that 2k really should be showing lots of videos, getting the demo out early, etc. to help regain the trust of their customer base. 2k's usually not very good at doing these things, so it will be interesting to see how they market 2k9. I remember reading after 2k7 that MLB was contemplating getting out of their exclusive contract with 2k. If 2k9 bombs, I wonder if MLB will try to get out of the contract.

2k did a good job of releasing the demo to 2k8 early, if I remember correctly.

2k is still terrible with releasing video, though.

# 15 boomhauertjs @ 01/13/09 01:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YankeePride


	2k did a good job of releasing the demo to 2k8 early, if I remember correctly.

Actually, they promised that it would be out well in advance of the game and ended up not coming out until after the game was released.

# 16 CMH @ 01/14/09 12:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by boomhauertjs


	Actually, they promised that it would be out well in advance of the game and ended up not coming out until after the game was released.

Oh, is that what it was? Then I didn't remember correctly.

# 17 jeffy777 @ 01/14/09 01:45 AM

I rarely see or pitch any meatballs in 2K8 (probably because I'm using SFG's fantastic sliders), so I'm not really that concerned about whether they'll be in 2K9 or not. With that said, there should be wild pitches when a pitcher messes up, but they shouldn't be fastballs right down the heart of the plate.

# 18 CMH @ 01/14/09 04:48 PM

Wild pitches sometimes, but automatically would be too drastic. It should consider how much you messed up.

If you're out there just flicking the stick for no reason, then yea, you should be hitting the backstop.

But, 2k would do themselves some good if they let most of the pitches (since we can assume that most miss by little) miss the corners for balls or head into the zone.

Too early on the release, then pitches sail high and away. Too late and pitches go low and in (picture this as a righty facing a lefty and vice versa).

Again, not too drastic, though. If I'm trying to jam someone, I aim inside, and I release too late, then that pitch should end up more middle/in on the plate then in on the hands. Same goes if I'm trying to hit that inside corner, and I throw a bit too early, now that pitch should go in toward the hands for a ball.

That would make pitching more realistic and allow us to actually walk guys without trying to.

# 19 jeffy777 @ 01/14/09 04:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YankeePride


	That would make pitching more realistic and allow us to actually walk guys without trying to.

I totally agree. It's basically impossible to walk a guy accidentally in 2K8 or The Show, unless you just really suck with the controls. It needs to be more realistic and more of a challenge to throw the ball where you want it, especially with pitchers who are known to be a bit wild.

But it almost sounds like they are going to make it even easier for people who couldn't handle 2K8's controls, which I personally found to be really easy already.

# 20 Trevytrev11 @ 01/15/09 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YankeePride


	Wild pitches sometimes, but automatically would be too drastic. It should consider how much you messed up. If you're out there just flicking the stick for no reason, then yea, you should be hitting the backstop. But, 2k would do themselves some good if they let most of the pitches (since we can assume that most miss by little) miss the corners for balls or head into the zone. Too early on the release, then pitches sail high and away. Too late and pitches go low and in (picture this as a righty facing a lefty and vice versa). Again, not too drastic, though. If I'm trying to jam someone, I aim inside, and I release too late, then that pitch should end up more middle/in on the plate then in on the hands. Same goes if I'm trying to hit that inside corner, and I throw a bit too early, now that pitch should go in toward the hands for a ball. That would make pitching more realistic and allow us to actually walk guys without trying to.

Basically my thoughts exactly for the most part. Let the system work for itself.

With the old system, missing inside or outside could have been accomplished by missing the end point of the release to the left or right. Not sure about the new system, but it would be nice if a system let you independantly miss in all four directions.

A meter system, unless programmed for randomness, could really only let you miss in one or the other. If late was always down and away and early was always up and in. How could you ever miss down and in or up and away?

Without knowing what the new system will be like, it's hard to anticipate how this (if this) will be accomplished.

I still think:
A) Meatballs as an automatic should be eliminated and things should just naturally occure.
B) A system needs to be put in so locating a curveball isn't as easy as locating a fastball and pitching with Zito isn't as easy as pitching with Maddux.
C) Wild pitches occur only on extreme misses to pitches thrown to the middle of the plate and on slim misses on pitches thrown to the extreme edges of the zone (assuming the miss in the direction out of the zone).

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