MLB 11 The Show News Post

Four Keys to Success for MLB '11: The Show

08:14 PM - September 2, 2010 by RaychelSnr

Baseball's pennant push is in full swing, and several teams are feverishly trying to claw their way to a division title. For those of us whose teams have already been eliminated from postseason consideration (my beloved Tigers included), the only baseball we really have to look forward to right now is next season's entry of Sony's stellar MLB: The Show franchise. While this year's title was an excellent addition to the series, there are definitely some nagging issues holding the game back from the elusive "GOAT" status.

With plenty of time still left in this year's development cycle, I figured I would put together a couple critical aspects of the game that should be altered for the upcoming season.

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Member Comments

# 41 Knight165 @ 09/04/10 11:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bumble14


	Not true Eeski, there is no such option in MLB10. You can use rookie hitting that is timing based, but there is no option that does what you've described. I too played high level baseball, I get what you are saying. With this being said, in real life you have total control of your hands,arms,torso,and positioning within the batting box- this is what I'm looking for in a new hitting engine.

Either you're misunderstanding what Eski is saying.......I'm misunderstanding what you are saying above...... you don't know what's in the manual.....or...what's in the manual is not in the game......but it states that using the left analog stick will be your swing direction in the zone...and the right analog stick will (up) influence a fly ball.....(down) influence a ground ball......(right) influence a ball to 1B....(left) influence a ball to 3B.(in any mode)

Is any of this correct?

M.K.
Knight165

# 42 JDK-OS @ 09/05/10 10:05 AM

1. Pitching
2. Stat/Att tracking and viewing
3. Fielding

These are the three main components I would liked to be re-worked for '11 in order. #2 and #3 are fairly self-explanatory. Mainly get rid of the glitches and bugs with fielding (slo-mo running, wrong animations, etc.) and clean up the mess that is the menu system of The Show.

I would like something a bit more engrossing on the pitching side. I'm actually theorizing on a pitching system at the moment and will post something in the forums when I finish.

# 43 AndyP @ 09/05/10 01:22 PM

I want to see a chance to pitching. That interface is becoming a bit same-old-same-old and they need to offer an alternative - make it optional - but change it up a bit otherwise pitching is going to become very stale. I often have the CPU sim pitching innings for me these days for that very reason.

# 44 Bumble14 @ 09/05/10 11:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Knight165


	Either you're misunderstanding what Eski is saying.......I'm misunderstanding what you are saying above...... you don't know what's in the manual.....or...what's in the manual is not in the game......but it states that using the left analog stick will be your swing direction in the zone...and the right analog stick will (up) influence a fly ball.....(down) influence a ground ball......(right) influence a ball to 1B....(left) influence a ball to 3B.(in any mode) Is any of this correct? M.K. Knight165

Knight-

I was saying that MLB10 does not include a left stick influence like MVP. You are correct, MLB10 does include a right stick influence where you cue up where you want to hit the ball. In MVP you did not cue up the hit direction pre pitch, but rather while you swung the bat with the left stick.

From what I understood, Eski was saying that there is an option in MLB10 that allows for the left stick to control the hit influence. This is not correct.

Hope that clears things up.

# 45 Knight165 @ 09/06/10 11:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bumble14


	Knight- I was saying that MLB10 does not include a left stick influence like MVP. You are correct, MLB10 does include a right stick influence where you cue up where you want to hit the ball. In MVP you did not cue up the hit direction pre pitch, but rather while you swung the bat with the left stick. From what I understood, Eski was saying that there is an option in MLB10 that allows for the left stick to control the hit influence. This is not correct. Hope that clears things up.

Gotcha'.
I thought you were saying it wasn't in at all...(either that or I was thinking I was misunderstanding either you or Eski...turns out I was anyway...just not in the way I thought

)

M.K.
Knight165

# 46 snugglyirishman @ 09/07/10 12:07 AM

To go along with the sliding issue I would love for them to get rid of the analog base running....far too often in RTTS my player will be running to second and not slide but then decide to go for 3rd and when I hit back on the analog stick he just stops running and is tagged out...or if I hit a gapper and try for a triple he'll come around 1st and slow down to a stop and then start up again and only make it into 2nd....there has to be a better baserunning system

# 47 HustlinOwl @ 09/07/10 12:17 AM

classic ftw

# 48 Wolfwithin @ 09/07/10 01:40 AM

I would like to see a smoother base running. I stop short all the time on classic because the game decides on this play my guy is not going to try for the triple when that is all he needs for a cycle with the ball in the deepest part of the field and has not been fielded yet when I reach second. I always seem to stop turn all the way around and then head to third to miss it in a slide. I just wish if I want to go all out and keep the button pressed down then I go all out. I would rather risk it and be aggressive more than what I am allowed to do now.

The hitting can use some small tweaks most for me would be the camera but other then that I am fine with what is here. Also a better RTTS goals and training system would be great. I should not get punished for a hit and run if the ball is way out of the zone and swinging would be stupid. Or the double penalty for not being able to steal a base. Also randomized stats when you start so you have a chance at being a stud instead of a guy that is just picked for filler like it feels like sometimes. I know some guys spend years in the minors with little movement but others spend a month or two and are in the majors. I would just like the chance.

# 49 cheechoo98 @ 09/07/10 11:32 AM

I agree with all your points except the Batting. I personally like the batting in the MLB series. The R-Stick isn't a nuisance, since you flick it before the pitch, then you can put your thumb over to the face buttons easily enough. PLUS, I like how I can change my mind by flicking the R-Stick multiple times before the pitch.

I understand the feeling of 'randomness' sometimes, but it's probably spot on. An Example: I was batting and wanted to do a hit and run. I had a runner on first and RH Aaron Hill at the plate. I flicked the R-Stick to 5 o'clock position for a grounder to the right side. The runner took off, i swung and it was a HR down the LEFT Field Line! . TOTALLY random, right? BUT what happened was that 1) it was a changeup, so I was early and pulled it.. and 2) I got under the pitch a little, so it was lofted in the air.

The batting is realistic, yet still FUN. In BP, i decided to test out if I could 'inside-out' pitches to the opposite field. You can! I pulled the L-Stick inside and pushed the R-Stick to the opposite field. On a basic BP fastball. So I'm intentionally pulling my PCI / sweeet-spot of the bat 'inside' as if I'm doing it in real-life. That is the most realstic representation of hitting, I've played, and it is still FUN. IMO.

I agree with the sliding for sure. MVP 2005 had 100% user controlled slides to all the clock positions on the R-Stick. It's 'sort of' there on the basebaths, but they seem unresponsive. And at the plate, I don't know why there seems like we have no control there.... I don't know why MLB hasn't implemented it yet.

My only other point would be Pitching. I actually like the pitching in 2K10. It is also a fairly accurate representation of pitching on the mound. R-Stick, pull back then gesture forward in different directions according to the pitch type. It's kind of like how you have to change your execution from throwing a curveball vs a fastball in real-life. PLUS, pitching shouldn't be about hitting a bar on a meter - it should be about your body/arm gesture. With that said, I'm not opposed to a Swing Stick either. An option for it would be the way to go as opposed to changing the system altogether.

Still playing MLB10 and will, for a long time!

# 50 badmrfrosty7 @ 09/07/10 04:18 PM

Plays at the plate please! I'm sick of seeing the same slide and tag animation play out. These plays are supposed to be far more exciting

# 51 DiamondbacksLive @ 09/07/10 07:49 PM

Situation Mode would be really great. It's when you set up a game in which inning you want, what team, pitcher, batter, the count, and what the score is. This mode will help people create videos of past no-hitters or cycles, accurately.

I just thought of this the other day and it would be really cool if they added this.

# 52 TN - BRAVES FAN @ 09/08/10 08:29 AM

1) When you're playing online, If someone has a headset on then show a microhphone icon in the lobby beside their name.

2) Do away with the Mic On/off button...You should be able to hear someone as soon as you are at the team selection screen. What happens if maybe I wanna play a headset game, and also want to match up teams with the other guy, As it stands now, I can't do that unless I message them and that takes to long.

3)Put in a weekly baseball tonight show that shows the highlights from around the league.

# 53 decga @ 09/08/10 12:27 PM

I most totally agree with having the user on manual sliding control the slide by using the stick.

# 54 swaldo @ 09/08/10 03:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheechoo98


	I understand the feeling of 'randomness' sometimes, but it's probably spot on. An Example: I was batting and wanted to do a hit and run. I had a runner on first and RH Aaron Hill at the plate. I flicked the R-Stick to 5 o'clock position for a grounder to the right side. The runner took off, i swung and it was a HR down the LEFT Field Line! . TOTALLY random, right? BUT what happened was that 1) it was a changeup, so I was early and pulled it.. and 2) I got under the pitch a little, so it was lofted in the air..

You're batting is all wrong. First, you cannot aim your right stick in the 5 o'clock position. It's either up/down to influence flyball/grounder, or left/right to influence bunts to the 3rd or 1st base side. There's a typo in 'The Show 10' manual because it states left/right influences balls to first or third. However, look at the description when you change the influence setting on or off - it states it's for bunts only. Also, in 'The Show 09' the manual, settings and in-game controls say it's to be used for bunts. I think they do it this way because it's harder for a user to have total vertical control, whereas horizontal control is easier because it's based on swing timing (except bunts where the influence stick is the only way you can aim.)

You didn't mention where your left stick was aimed but if it was aimed in the middle then I wonder why it ended up a home run? Because since the right stick was down in the 5 o'clock it enabled the grounder influence! Now if you're going to tell me you made a mistake and it was the left stick pointing in the 5 o'clock that's still wrong, because aiming low will influence a flyball. If the pitch is low there's not much you can do and you'll probably hit it on the ground anyway. But if you really want to push a ball on the ground you have to make sure the PCI is on top of it and swing a bit late, so to do this I'd start with the PCI near the middle, not low. In general though, you really don't need to use the influence stick to hit the ball where you want.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheechoo98


	The batting is realistic, yet still FUN. In BP, i decided to test out if I could 'inside-out' pitches to the opposite field. You can! I pulled the L-Stick inside and pushed the R-Stick to the opposite field. On a basic BP fastball. So I'm intentionally pulling my PCI / sweeet-spot of the bat 'inside' as if I'm doing it in real-life. That is the most realstic representation of hitting, I've played, and it is still FUN. IMO.

First of all swing influence doesn't work in batting practice. Secondly, as stated above left/right only influences bunts. In this case you probably just swung late and over the pitch.

In the past I've had to break the news to several others they are not doing things right and that's something 'The Show' needs to improve on. At least in MVP you knew where you stood and understood exactly how batting works. I remember telling this one guy that he didn't understand how hot/cold zones worked because they are messed up in the game. He replied that for two years he was pitching to hot zones he thought were cold and vice versa! Funny thing is that he said his teams average ERA was less than 3.50, LOL.

I've played 'The Show' a ton and still am confused about certain things. For example the developer said the game is designed for "Pure Zone" hitting. Are they referring to fixed zones? If so how many zones are in a batters box? Let's say there are 9 zones and my PCI covers only half of the top left zone: do I still make contact if the ball is inside the zone but outside the PCI? Is there a contact penalty for only covering half the zone, or do I get full credit since the PCI is in the zone? If not then I guess they are saying the PCI is actually a moving zone, which other games refer to as "cursor batting." If this is the case then it sure isn't accurate, because many times I'll hit a ball even though my whole PCI was way off.

Also, if I use power swing AND the influence stick (up for flyball) what is going on under the hood? If my swing location and timing is perfect will I turn a home run into a long flyball? Or will I hit a home run even further?

# 55 Knight165 @ 09/08/10 04:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swaldo


	You're batting is all wrong. First, you cannot aim your right stick in the 5 o'clock position. It's either up/down to influence flyball/grounder, or left/right to influence bunts to the 3rd or 1st base side. There's a typo in 'The Show 10' manual because it states left/right influences balls to first or third. However, look at the description when you change the influence setting on or off - it states it's for bunts only. Also, in 'The Show 09' both the in-game tutorial and manual say it's to be used for bunts. I think they do it this way because it's harder for a user to have total vertical control, whereas horizontal control is easier because it's based on swing timing (except bunts where the influence stick is the only way you can aim.) You didn't mention where your left stick was aimed but if it was aimed in the middle then I wonder why it ended up a home run? Because since the right stick was down in the 5 o'clock it enabled the grounder influence! Now if you're going to tell me you made a mistake and it was the left stick pointing in the 5 o'clock that's still wrong, because aiming low will influence a flyball. If the pitch is low there's not much you can do and you'll probably hit it on the ground anyway. But if you really want to push a ball on the ground you have to make sure the PCI is on top of it and swing a bit late, so to do this I'd start with the PCI near the middle, not low. In general though, you really don't need to use the influence stick to hit the ball where you want. First of all swing influence doesn't work in batting practice. Secondly, as stated above left/right only influences bunts. In this case you probably just swung late and over the pitch. In the past I've had to break the news to several others they are not doing things right and that's something 'The Show' needs to improve on. At least in MVP you knew where you stood and understood exactly how batting works. I remember telling this one guy that he didn't understand how hot/cold zones worked because they are messed up in the game. He replied that for two years he was pitching to hot zones he thought were cold and vice versa! Funny thing is that he said his average ERA was less than 3.50, LOL. I've played 'The Show' a ton and still am confused about certain things. For example the developer said the game is designed for "Pure Zone" hitting. Are they referring to fixed zones? If so how many zones are in a batters box? Let's say there are 9 zones and my PCI covers only half of the top left zone: do I still make contact if the ball is inside the zone but outside the PCI? Is there a contact penalty for only covering half the zone, or do I get full credit since the PCI is in the zone? If not then I guess they are saying the PCI is actually a moving zone, which other games refer to as "cursor batting." If this is the case then it sure isn't accurate, because many times I'll hit a ball even though my PCI was way off the ball. Also, if I use power swing and influence stick (up for flyball) what is going on under the hood? If my swing location and timing is perfect will I turn a home run into a long flyball? Or will I hit a home run even further?

I think you're wrong on the left/right influence as far as hits go. I think the GAME OPTIONS description is missing the l/r part for hitting....and confuses you by only listing the L/R for bunting(since nobody wants to bunt a ball in the air!).
In the CONTROLS section...it states the right stick with a L/R influence for 1B/3B plus you feel the controller acknowledge your command through a vibration.

I'll PM Russ or Kolbe to ask for clarification as I can't be absolutely sure due to the conflicting descriptions.

M.K.
Knight165

# 56 swaldo @ 09/08/10 04:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Knight165


	I think you're wrong on the left/right influence as far as hits go. I think the GAME OPTIONS description is missing the l/r part for hitting....and confuses you by only listing the L/R for bunting(since nobody wants to bunt a ball in the air!). In the CONTROLS section...it states the right stick with a L/R influence for 1B/3B plus you feel the controller acknowledge your command through a vibration. I'll PM Russ or Kolbe to ask for clarification as I can't be absolutely sure due to the conflicting descriptions. M.K. Knight165

That would be great if you can get official confirmation. Brian (the dev) said in the past it's a legacy feature which has been around since the series began. So I just checked the user manual for 'The Show 06' on PS2 and it says...

"Try to hit ball the ball to right side."
"Try to hit ball the ball to left side."

In 'The Show 09' the user manual and in-game controls says:

"Influence bunt to 1st"
"Influence bunt to 3rd"

And just for reference here is the settings description in 09 (and I think it reads the same in 10):

"Switch the ability to influence a ground ball, fly ball, or bunt direction ON of OFF. Swing influences can be accomplished with the RIGHT STICK pressed up or down for hits, and left or right for bunts, any time before your swing."

Also, just my experience - I do notice an effect with flyball/grounder influence and definately with bunts, but not regular swings with L/R influence. I can normally attribute the direction of the ball from my swing timing. And think about it...if you swing late what good is an influence going to do if you want to pull the ball? I guess it could speed up the swing animation but I haven't noticed anything like that. Likewise, if you swing early what good is the influence because the ball will already be pulled?

# 57 cheechoo98 @ 09/09/10 01:14 AM

swaldo, let me clarify some things I should have been more specific.

Swing influence works in the 10 pitch BP session you get in RTTS mode. try it, It's pretty cool that you can do it there. Are you sure R-Stick influence doesn't work in regular Practice/Batting Practice? You'll know it does if you feel the vibration. I think it does, but I'll have to check - haven't tried it for a while...

You CAN swing influence R-Stick to the 5 o'clock position -(or the 2 o'clock, 10 and 7-8 o'clock positions). you feel the rumble of the controller when you do it. Therefore, for instance with a LH batter, I can R-stick to the 10 o'clock position if I want to hit a flyable to LF.
I can flick it to the 2 o'clock position to pull a flyball to RF. You can feel the rumble if you move the R-stick to straight right (3 o'clock), centre it, then move it again to diagonal right-up (2 o'clock).

Now, if it really is only the 4 straight left,right,up,down, the range on the R-Stick is wide enough that it registers when you move it to those intermediate/diagonal positions. So I 'could be' imagining a flyball to RF swing, but I don't think so.. I've hit too many HR's with this method of hitting.

On the example of the hit-n-run that went for a HR, I always move my L-stick to where the ball is pitched to try and square up the ball for perfect contact. In that specific instance, I moved it and it was probably under the ball a bit. I can't 100% confirm that, because I didn't check, but I've checked lots of hits after the fact and seen the results of where my PCI was in relation to the pitch and the results are 100% logical. For instance.. and I'm giving away a BIG tip here ( for online anyway ).. pitch a fastball in on the hands and a bit 'up' to a player online, (after setting them up low/low-away) - even up and in.. and many times you can induce an easy pop-up. This is because if the player fails to move their PCI up to hit the pitch, their PCI will be under the ball. easy out. 100% logical.

With the swing influence set to flyable, or pull-flyable, you can Jack a lowball for a HR for sure. i've had it done to me and I've done it myself.

Cheers.

# 58 swaldo @ 09/09/10 12:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheechoo98


	swaldo, let me clarify some things I should have been more specific. Swing influence works in the 10 pitch BP session you get in RTTS mode. try it, It's pretty cool that you can do it there. Are you sure R-Stick influence doesn't work in regular Practice/Batting Practice? You'll know it does if you feel the vibration. I think it does, but I'll have to check - haven't tried it for a while... You CAN swing influence R-Stick to the 5 o'clock position -(or the 2 o'clock, 10 and 7-8 o'clock positions). you feel the rumble of the controller when you do it. Therefore, for instance with a LH batter, I can R-stick to the 10 o'clock position if I want to hit a flyable to LF. I can flick it to the 2 o'clock position to pull a flyball to RF. You can feel the rumble if you move the R-stick to straight right (3 o'clock), centre it, then move it again to diagonal right-up (2 o'clock).

Thanks for clarifying, I didn't realize RTTS BP had influence on. It definately doesn't work in normal BP, there's no vibration confirmation and L/R influence on bunts doesn't work.

I still think L/R influence doesn't work on regular swings. If you tell a player to lift the ball in the air even if the pitch is low this computes. It wouldn't be easy but you can do it. However, if you tell a player to pull the ball even if your swing is late this doesn't compute. You say results are 100% logical but the only way this could work is if results are illogical.

If your swing is level then I can see where the CPU might give you the benefit of the doubt and send the ball to the left or right even though it should go straight. In any case hopefully the devs can clear things up.

# 59 swaldo @ 09/09/10 03:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bumble14


	FYI- that player fatigue system was implemented perfectly into MVP05. I used to love how my players got tired and more injury prone the more they played. As far as the The Bigs 2 goes, it's just a fun hitting system, end of story. The game itself is fun, but it's no GOTY. I still stand by a lot in the MVP article, especially about hitting. No matter how many disagreed, saying The Shows hitting mechanic was left stick influenced ala MVP is a flat out lie. Yes, I'm calling Brian out on that again. You nailed it on the head though- batting in THe Show series is not constantly rewarding, resulting in an experience that isn't that fun. I miss the charge mound too ;-)

The MVP and BIGS 2 hitting systems are definately fun, and sometimes I get so wrapped up in wanting a sim experience that I forget games should be fun. Perhaps the best way is to go the route of EA's NCAA baseball which offered three hitting systems (and all of them were good.) You had the 'Pure Swing System' ala MVP 05 and Bigs 2, the 'Load and Fire' and finally Zone Hitting.

The 'Pure Swing' was a 3 zone system (aim left, center or right) and the up/down "influence" aiming was basically a fancy word for power or contact swing. The beauty of it was that you could select power or contact on the fly because in most games you have to make this decision prior to the pitch. This is great when you're ahead in a count and want to swing away. But in a way it was bad because if you're trying to survive on an 0-2 count it was a bit easy to just flick the stick up if you saw a high pitch and smash it. Part of the problem though was dumb AI, I mean why are they throwing me a high curveball? I think the best way to use this system is to set ground rules for yourself. For example if you're behind in a count you'd have to decide if you want to use a power swing prior to a pitch, no read & react allowed.

Load and Fire Batting was the same 3-zone system as Pure Swing. You cocked the analog stick back, then up & to the left, center or right to aim. The difference was power and contact was now tied to buttons so overall you had to think more about your approach before each pitch. Also, they took it one step further by adding a protective, defensive swing option. Not many people are aware of this because it's not listed in the controls or in-game video tutorial but it's there. And I challenge anyone to find a review of the game which mentioned it.

L & F was my favorite batting system from EA because I liked being in charge of the batters animation (with a swing being a two step process.) Many times I'd rock back quickly expecting fastball but have to sit and wait for a changeup, then hit it weakly because I loaded so early. Other times I'd swing, change my mind but hit the ball anyway - all off balance and looking like a mental. But in general the game had a batting system for everyone: Pure Swing was the simplest and easy to pick-up, L & F was mid-range and required a bit more coordination and thought, and Zone Batting was for the hardcore player who wanted the most challenge.

NCAA 07 was really a great game which also added 'Rock & Fire' pitching; and there's a camp out there who's trying to get that system added in The Show. I also love the unpredictable flow of the game due to less refined college players.

Anyway, we'd all be setup great if baseball games had Timing Only, Pure Swing, Load and Fire, Zone PCI (ala The Show) and Cursor Batting (ala Pro Yakyuu Spirits.) Five difficulty levels with all of them resulting in realistic stats. Too much to ask?

# 60 clownbaby @ 09/09/10 04:27 PM

One change will put The Show on top of every other baseball game ever:

Reshape the PCI to match that of a REAL sweet spot on a baseball bat. This would make a more oblong shape with a sweet spot indicator placed where the true sweet spot of the bat is.

Hitting would be more difficult, but to counter this, SCEA would have to take a BIG LEAP and actually match up the timing/PCI with the resulting ball trajectory, which is not happening anytime soon from the looks of their previous games...

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