MLB 2K10 News Post

Major League Baseball 2K10: MLB Developer Insights - Pitchers vs. Hitters Part I & II

03:58 PM - February 8, 2010 by Jamin23

2K Sports has posted two more Major League Baseball 2K10 Developer Insights today. Here is Part I, which includes gameplay video.

Quote:


	"My name is Sean Bailey and I am a gameplay designer on Major League Baseball� 2K10. I want to share with you a quote straight from the white board in my office. Hall of Fame pitcher Warren Spahn once said, �Hitting is timing. Pitching is upsetting timing.� After winning more games than any left-handed pitcher in baseball history, Mr. Spahn is as well versed as anyone when it comes to the battle at the plate between a pitcher and a hitter. In Major League Baseball� 2K10, we have provided an experience where the gamer will really feel the benefits and challenges of upsetting timing, as Warren Spahn so eloquently put it decades ago."

Part II is right here.

Quote:


	"Now, I know what you are thinking� if this is so realistic, then why have I read from recent previews that there might not be a check swing in Major League Baseball� 2K10? Before we get into check-swing talk, let me clarify that the check-swing is in fact part of an upcoming patch. Pulling back on the right stick will play a check swing if you previously committed to a power swing or contact swing. Flicking up to contact swing and then pulling down will stop the contact swing. A power swing is performed by pulling down and then flicking up, as mentioned above. However, if you pull the right stick down back towards you after starting a power swing, that too will result in a check swing. This implementation of check-swinging makes it impossible to do one by accident. Pulling down on right stick = check swing. Never again will you have to ask �Why the heck did he check swing?!?!?� before contemplating launching a controller across the room. It also makes it easier to trigger when you actually want a check swing to play."

Game: Major League Baseball 2K10Reader Score: 6/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS3 / Xbox 360Votes for game: 33 - View All

Major League Baseball 2K10 Videos

Member Comments

# 61 Trevytrev11 @ 02/09/10 01:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by m-dogg


	the only problem with this "1-to-1" pitching control mechanic, is if I do the same thing wrong every time I throw a cutter (which is what human users do) - I can just adjust by aiming higher for example and still pinpoint my pitches. There was a pitch last year that I had no idea what I was doing wrong (no analyzer), but all i had to do was adjust my aiming and I could paint corners with it all game. lame. while the theory behind what they are doing is great, it removes the randomness that I want from my pitches. I just wish they would give us a control slider to increase the randomness of final pitch location in an incremental radius. lets face it, no human is going to mess up a pitch gesture differently every time. its always going to be the same issue if you have one at all...leading to the same locations for the most part. but I do like having a hitting analyzer...makes you believe they have corrected all of the "ball going right through the bat" for a strike that we've seen from 2k. at least I hope so, otherwise its gonna look real bad when the analyzer breaks down why a perfectly timed swing resulted in a strike out!

Regardless you would still have to be consistant with your missed gesture.

In real life if you are missing a little, you make an adjustment to get the pitch where you need it to be. You pick a slightly different spot to initially aim your pitch at. If you start your curve at the hitters shoulder to get it to break over the middle of the plate and you are missing away all day, you start adjusting your spot and now maybe throw it at his helmet to hit your location. There's a bit of trial and error until you lock down your target.

I see this as basically accomplishing the same thing. You either make an adjustment to your location (your pinpoint) or your mechanics (your gesture). One of these (or a combination of both) should help you get your ball to where you need it to be.

Regardless, to get consistant results, you have to be consistant. Even if you are consistantly off in one direction, you're making an adjustment to counter act that. Like golf, you adjust your aim to account for your natural draw/fade. Even on a day with a ton of slice, you can still continuously hit fairways just by adjusting your aim.

Also, it seems like the gesture spot this year is much smaller, which means you're going to have to be more exact, which means it's more likely you will miss in both directions or consistantly in one direction to different degree's.

# 62 RunN1st @ 02/09/10 01:47 PM

Did I understand this correctly.. there is a patch for a game that hasn't even come out yet? If so, I'm speechless!

# 63 Blzer @ 02/09/10 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mniner2003


	Did I understand this correctly.. there is a patch for a game that hasn't even come out yet? If so, I'm speechless!

Don't be alarmed, this happens all the time (happened with The Show last year).

# 64 jeffy777 @ 02/09/10 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blzer


	Don't be alarmed, this happens all the time (happened with The Show last year).

Yep, Call of Duty games are always like this too.

# 65 Kane182 @ 02/09/10 01:54 PM

Video is looking pretty good. What concerns me and this may have been answered, but I hope you can hit homeruns on occasion with the contact swing.

# 66 Trevytrev11 @ 02/09/10 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kane182


	Video is looking pretty good. What concerns me and this may have been answered, but I hope you can hit homeruns on occasion with the contact swing.

It was answered and you definitely can. You just have to be much more exact with the timing of your swing, etc.

# 67 AceTitan @ 02/09/10 02:01 PM

One of the developers said you could hit a homerum with a contact swing. Just your timing would have to be perfect.

I don't know where the exact quote where this was said, but i'm sure someone here can agree with me here that this was said.

# 68 Blzer @ 02/09/10 02:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kane182


	Video is looking pretty good. What concerns me and this may have been answered, but I hope you can hit homeruns on occasion with the contact swing.

This one still concerns me, and I almost forgot to point it out with everything that I loved to hear about the positives. Not once did the developer or the trailer voice-over mention the ease of hitting a home run this way.

There's a good chance that, if defensive swing is available with the power swing, I'm going to do everything vested in me to have a "power swing only" slider set, so that I can have everything even out correctly using said swing (more than likely we start with lowering overall power and raising overall contact). Let's just hope it works that way and not so much that people with low power ability just botch their power swings overall.

Again (and I explained this in that video), I don't like deciding who hits with power and who hits with contact. When I do this in games, this always results in power hitters hitting way too many home runs and contact hitters hitting way too few.

I say we have one standard swing and let the ratings decide everything. Or if necessary, maybe have a 95% standard swing (95% of power rating and 95% of contact), and then holding the right trigger will increase the power ability just by a small bit (100% power and 90% contact) and holding onto the left trigger will increase contact ability (90% power and 100% contact). This makes for a tiny threshold where the standard swing doesn't impact the power ability very much at all. This would probably be most ideal and favored if we didn't already use the left trigger for stealing bases.

# 69 Kane182 @ 02/09/10 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trevytrev11


	It was answered and you definitely can. You just have to be much more exact with the timing of your swing, etc.

That is very exciting to hear. Thanks

# 70 mwjr @ 02/09/10 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigfnjoe96


	This was the BIG Problem last year on WHY the AI was swinging @ everything b-4 the PATCH. Oh boy...

Yeah, I remember that being a big issue. And I remember it still being an issue after the patch.

Hopefully this is remedied before the release.

# 71 NINJAK2 @ 02/09/10 02:59 PM

i'm not a huge baseball fan but I was definitely impressed with that video. looks great.

# 72 cubsfan203 @ 02/09/10 03:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Padgoi


	I wonder if the cursor hitting is the same as last year? And the button-based hitting? They didn't mention these at all and some of us really dislike the swing stick.

I hope those are still options. Cursor hitting made 2k9 so much better imo.

# 73 jeffy777 @ 02/09/10 03:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Padgoi


	I wonder if the cursor hitting is the same as last year? And the button-based hitting? They didn't mention these at all and some of us really dislike the swing stick.

Chase said cursor hitting was still in. The devs mentioned in the online insight that there would be options to make leagues with button-only controls, so it sounds like classic controls are still in as well.

# 74 thehappygamer @ 02/09/10 05:20 PM

The camera angle towards the end when Morneau hits the homer at Tropicana is great! Really reminds me of the two angled cameras of MVP 2005 which I always used. I wonder if this view will be selectable in game or was just for the trailer?

# 75 SoxFan01605 @ 02/09/10 07:21 PM

This insight was full of good news for me. And with the news of a patched in check-swing function, I officially have no major gripes to this point. Aside from some minor graphical and animation concerns, at this point (for me at least) there is really nothing more to think about until I can get my hands on the game and put it through it's paces. Most of the info is encouraging though, I'll say that much!

# 76 tmac55 @ 02/09/10 07:49 PM

I could not agree any more with that post. This game has to be well received and so far so good from the recovery of 2k9. As for minor graphical glitches like jersey numbers and things of that nature, I could really care less as of now.

Looking forward to some gameplay footage from an actual game and not a trailer.

# 77 jeffy777 @ 02/09/10 08:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SoxFan01605


	This insight was full of good news for me. And with the news of a patched in check-swing function, I officially have no major gripes to this point. Aside from some minor graphical and animation concerns, at this point (for me at least) there is really nothing more to think about until I can get my hands on the game and put it through it's paces. Most of the info is encouraging though, I'll say that much!

That's where I'm at too, man.

# 78 mwjr @ 02/11/10 01:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SoxFan01605


	This insight was full of good news for me. And with the news of a patched in check-swing function, I officially have no major gripes to this point. Aside from some minor graphical and animation concerns, at this point (for me at least) there is really nothing more to think about until I can get my hands on the game and put it through it's paces. Most of the info is encouraging though, I'll say that much!

I'm intrigued thus far. I'm concerned by the CPU's ability to take balls, as might have been suggested in the Jose Guillen Inside Edge report I mentioned earlier. I hope that's not an issue again.

ALSO...I hope it's not too much to ask that the franchise mode has been revamped.

# 79 Jamin23 @ 02/13/10 11:28 PM

How come it still says Alan's metal supply instead of Western Metal supply?

# 80 Jamin23 @ 02/14/10 11:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kcxiv


	probably didnt get permission to use the official name.

It's a little thing, but it makes the game that more authentic. It says Western Metal Supply in the show and it is part of the stadium, so they should have permission to use it. Plus I think it said it in previous versions of the game.

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Major League Baseball 2K10: MLB Developer Insights - Pitchers vs. Hitters Part I & II