MLB 11 The Show News Post

OS Roundtable: What Do You Think of The Show's Move to Analog Controls?

10:10 PM - December 30, 2010 by Steve_OS

In this weeks' OS Roundtable, some members of the staff discuss what they think of The Show's move to analog controls.

What are your thoughts?

Quote:


	"Dustin Toms: Personally I'm not too fond of the move. I think it is a step in the right direction for SCEA, but I have never been a big fan of analog sticks controlling most of the actions in sports games. I will admit that I love the shot stick in NBA 2K11, but other than that I like to keep it old school with the buttons. Last year's game was a great game, but it was still a disappointment to me. I was expecting something great, something fantastic, but instead I got a lot of the same. Hopefully the new analog controls it will kick out the staleness that The Show had last year and give it some new life. Steve Noah: I think it is a welcome addition, and one that is long overdue. It gives us another option, and I mention "option" only because if it is something I don't like, I'll just use the old control system. I know it will take some time to get used to, but I think it's great that the team is giving us something different. A check swing will be a lot easier to execute using the sticks, as opposed to a button press. (I've always had a check-swing issue with The Show series. Maybe it's my strong thumb.)"

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Member Comments

# 41 nemesis04 @ 01/03/11 09:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by peigone


	It's about time. Only 3-4 years late. But please have the option to use either/or or both. Based on the other game's setup, I prefer to pitch with buttons and swing with sticks.

It has been stated that you can mix and match so no worries there!

# 42 Galarius @ 01/03/11 02:18 PM

i am real happy about it

# 43 rspencer86 @ 01/03/11 02:28 PM

I love it. Think about all of the mechanics that go into a baseball swing. Even the best hitters when they are slumping will go back and watch film to see which parts of their swing are breaking down. Maybe they are stepping into the bucket, or their shoulders are flying open, or whatever.

Did pressing the X or [] button simulate that very well? Not in my opinion.

Now you might go through slumps where you are loading up too soon, or pulling through too hard, etc. And you'll have to identify that and fix it to get back to having success. Pretty cool.

Same goes for pitching. There's a lot of subtle movements and mechanics that are more suited to being represented by an analog motion rather than clicking a button a couple of times as it moves along a meter.

# 44 StormJH1 @ 01/03/11 02:44 PM

Wow, really conflicted about this. I'm a 360 user, but I've played The Show quite a bit on PS2, which essentially controls the same. One of the things The Show got right that other baseball games never really did was the reaction speed and timing of batter versus pitcher. If you play an analog swing game (like NCAA Baseball 2006 or the MLB 2k series), the pitch speed is slowed down because it HAS to be. There simply isn't time to preload a swing, decide to follow through, and AIM your swing with any reliability in less than a second.

Even having this as an option fractures the community, and it can cause problems with online balancing, etc. I think that they SCEA was in need of some innovations to this series, which, honestly, isn't really THAT different than it was in 2005, but I'm not sure this was the way to do it. Time will tell.

# 45 StormJH1 @ 01/03/11 02:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rspencer86


	I love it. Think about all of the mechanics that go into a baseball swing. Even the best hitters when they are slumping will go back and watch film to see which parts of their swing are breaking down. Maybe they are stepping into the bucket, or their shoulders are flying open, or whatever. Did pressing the X or [] button simulate that very well? Not in my opinion. Now you might go through slumps where you are loading up too soon, or pulling through too hard, etc. And you'll have to identify that and fix it to get back to having success. Pretty cool. Same goes for pitching. There's a lot of subtle movements and mechanics that are more suited to being represented by an analog motion rather than clicking a button a couple of times as it moves along a meter.

Pressing "X" doesn't simulate a baseball swing, but if we're being honest, neither does moving a control stick. Yes, I get the idea of moving to a more 1:1 type of control, which does work well in NHL and NBA, but only if it's well-implemented (case in point, NHL 2k's shot stick kind of sucked).

Also, "more options" makes sense when you're talking about gameplay modes, variable season lengths, and different camera views...but if it's something this integral to how you PLAY the game, it's almost like you're making a second title. There's something to be said for the fact that the undisputed king of baseball games for the past half a decade has never had any type of analog control. Usually it's the guys playing catch-up that "borrow" features from other games (as SCEA did with metered pitching borrowed from the MVP series).

# 46 rspencer86 @ 01/03/11 05:51 PM

I agree that neither simulate a baseball swing - only motion controls could come close to doing that. But the analog stick gives you a better feel of actually controlling the swing, and can more naturally simulate important mechanics of a swing (loading up, firing through).

And of course it has to be well-implemented to be a positive change. That goes for anything a developer adds or changes.

# 47 Joey @ 01/03/11 11:02 PM

I have to disagree with you on the pitch speed having to be slowed down. If you currently use the left stick when you bat, the only thing new you will be doing is preloading your swing - which will happen I assume right before the pitcher releases the pitch. I see no difference in the 2 in that regard. Then again, it's a bit premature to be making assumptions either way since none of us have any idea how SCEA implemented analog.

Quote:

Originally Posted by StormJH1


	Wow, really conflicted about this. I'm a 360 user, but I've played The Show quite a bit on PS2, which essentially controls the same. One of the things The Show got right that other baseball games never really did was the reaction speed and timing of batter versus pitcher. If you play an analog swing game (like NCAA Baseball 2006 or the MLB 2k series), the pitch speed is slowed down because it HAS to be. There simply isn't time to preload a swing, decide to follow through, and AIM your swing with any reliability in less than a second. Even having this as an option fractures the community, and it can cause problems with online balancing, etc. I think that they SCEA was in need of some innovations to this series, which, honestly, isn't really THAT different than it was in 2005, but I'm not sure this was the way to do it. Time will tell.

# 48 rudyjuly2 @ 01/04/11 07:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joey


	I have to disagree with you on the pitch speed having to be slowed down. If you currently use the left stick when you bat, the only thing new you will be doing is preloading your swing - which will happen I assume right before the pitcher releases the pitch. I see no difference in the 2 in that regard. Then again, it's a bit premature to be making assumptions either way since none of us have any idea how SCEA implemented analog.

The ESPN article said you can't preload your analog swing so timing is more important making pitch speed an even bigger factor. I really hope the sliders go back to a 20 point system and have more bite.

# 49 nemesis04 @ 01/04/11 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rudyjuly2


	The ESPN article said you can't preload your analog swing so timing is more important making pitch speed an even bigger factor. I really hope the sliders go back to a 20 point system and have more bite.

Well you could but there would be a penalty with your PCI shrinking. Developing your timing from coiling to uncoiling in a fluid manner is key. Pitch speed will not be slowed down by default just because the analog feature is picked as the other poster suggested. I know pitch speed is important to you Rudy as you feel in general it is too fast. I can talk with them to see if it could be slowed down even more.

# 50 Joey @ 01/04/11 10:50 AM

When I say preloading, I'm talking about whatever triggers the beginning of your swing. For example, if someone's trigger is lifting their leg up, they don't do that after the pitcher releases the ball, rather they do it right at the moment of release - if not a split second before. If they decide to take the pitch, the leg just comes back down and they don't swing. So again, I see no reason to think that pitch speed would play a different part in an analog swing, as it's all one fluid motion. I can't imagine that both the start of your swing and the swing itself would take place after the pitcher has released the ball. But again, I will say, who can say for sure? It's all speculation at this point.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rudyjuly2


	The ESPN article said you can't preload your analog swing so timing is more important making pitch speed an even bigger factor. I really hope the sliders go back to a 20 point system and have more bite.

# 51 Blzer @ 01/07/11 02:05 AM

I always passed on MVP because it was a timing-based hitting system. Yes, there was left stick directional influence with the swing but it didn't change the fact that proper timing and pitch location guaranteed contact. This is the case with 2K10 and thusly I didn't play it much this past year. This has slightly been the case with The Show, and thusly I have noted some slight flaws in the hitting system (which is improving year after year).

I will probably say "no thanks" to right-stick hitting as well. It looks like it will be done the way I would have most anticipated it to be a successful system, but I like having to use my left stick skills to make contact with the ball as well as being able to time it. With their new implementation of a cursor system for The Show '11, I have a feeling I'm going to use that and use the right analog stick for fielding. Pitching is up in the air for now, though. I'll give the right-stick controls a try, but time will tell whether it will be favored over the button-meter style we're all accustomed to with this series.

# 52 EnigmaNemesis @ 01/07/11 02:18 AM

You should at least give it a try, before you are ready to throw in the towel.

# 53 CoreyMac @ 01/07/11 02:22 AM

Analog for me....Especially for pitching. It adds a new challenge to the game. Analog batting I'll give a shot, but If I have issues check swinging I'll go back to face buttons for hitting because check swings have become a very big part of my game....

Give analog a shot before you dismiss it completely. It's the one thing I enjoy from MLB 2K baseball personally. There's no reason to be "concerned" with analog hitting and pitching when its simply an option. Its not mandatory.

# 54 ChampN252 @ 01/07/11 02:31 AM

I've never played the show, but my biggest thing will stick hitting is that it make hitting one sided. I had 2K10 (broke) and now 2K6 and hitting home runs is too easy. Choose power swing and make contact. Gone. They may have it worked out better, but I'll be watching this.

# 55 Skyboxer @ 01/07/11 08:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChampN252


	I've never played the show, but my biggest thing will stick hitting is that it make hitting one sided. I had 2K10 (broke) and now 2K6 and hitting home runs is too easy. Choose power swing and make contact. Gone. They may have it worked out better, but I'll be watching this.

I wouldn't base anything about The Show to what 2K has offered....IMO of course.
If something does happen that isn't up to par you can be sure SCEA will address it quickly.

# 56 DickDalewood @ 01/07/11 09:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skyboxer


	I wouldn't base anything about The Show to what 2K has offered....IMO of course. If something does happen that isn't up to par you can be sure SCEA will address it quickly.

Agreed. MVP was timing based and it is still, to this day, the best hitting system I've ever played. Just makes more sense to me. This change has me very excited.

# 57 nemesis04 @ 01/07/11 09:17 AM

The system is not just pure timing only. You still need to navigate the right stick towards the inner, middle and outer third of the plate to have solid contact. The only thing being taken care of for you is the height variation for your swing to meet the pitch. If you are under the impression you are just going to pull back and push forward without making an adjustment left/middle/right based on pitch location, you are mistaken. Remember guys this year your PCI location is much more important for quality contact.

# 58 DickDalewood @ 01/07/11 09:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nemesis04


	The system is not just pure timing only. You still need to navigate the right stick towards the inner, middle and outer third of the plate to have solid contact. The only thing being taken care of for you is the height variation of the pitch. If you are under the impression you are just going to pull back and push forward without making an adjustment left/middle/right based on pitch location, you are mistaken. Remember guys this year your PCI location is much more important for quality contact.

Oh I know... my point is just that I love that it's based all of the timing of a single stick. IMO that just makes a lot more sense. It's essentially the same setup as MVP NCAA, as you had to do the same thing with their system for inside and outside pitches.

# 59 nemesis04 @ 01/07/11 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DickDalewood


	Oh I know... my point is just that I love that it's based all of the timing of a single stick. IMO that just makes a lot more sense. It's essentially the same setup as MVP NCAA, as you had to do the same thing with their system for inside and outside pitches.

Yes, the two systems are very close. The system in MVP tended to be forgiving with regards to contact and right stick placement in relation to the pitch in the zone.

# 60 Joey @ 01/07/11 12:33 PM

I can't figure out why some of you are so close-minded about analog. If you don't like it, you don't like it - simple as that. But to say you aren't even going to try it, I just don't get it. To each his own, but

Quote:

Originally Posted by fhqwhgads


	Is anyone else slightly concerned with this whole analog hitting and pitching idea? I just think the whole idea of analog controls is completely overrated. MVP NCAA Baseball did this and it was not all that great. The main problem I have with how The Show is incorporating this feature is the fact that it is completely based on timing. While timing is definitely an important part of hitting a baseball, if not the most important part of all, you must also have hand-eye coordination and be able to literally put the bat on the ball. Analog controls completely ignore this important aspect of batting. Therefore, I am saying, "no thanks," to this option right from the start. I'll never even try it, not once. Now on the positive side I love that The Show will have true zone hitting for the first time. This style of hitting is, by far, the most realistic. One of the most frustrating things last year was when you timed a ball perfectly and made solid contact only to see a little dribbler go off the end of your bat. Hopefully this is taken care of with zone hitting. Is anyone else going to jump right in to zone hitting or are you guys going to give analog hitting a shot?

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