AI Follow-up Questions...ie The Boys are back in town....

[Alonzo]

I don't like the whole "small sample size" thing. If you talk about things like batting AVG during a season, you are right, that's a streaky thing, especially at the beginning of the season, but I don't think we have to play a high amount of games to recognize that the OF-speed/reaction is a problem.
Correct me If I am wrong, but it seems like the developers don't see any problems with the game at all. What about the stat-problem (especially the walk-off HR glitch)

[tfigs121]

Quote: Originally Posted by spyder23

I dont know guys, the more and more I play the game, the more I agree with Brian. In the LONG RUN, things will even out at or around default. I get zero doubles some games, last night I had three in a game(two by one player) and another game I've had six doubles in one game. All of these were played on default All-Star. I really think the only sliders that should be changed are AI pitch aggressiveness, Human pitch command, Pitch count and MAYBE cpu timing window up a few clicks. I, at first, was seeing what everyone else was saying about OF speed. And honestly, there ARE times when they seem to get to balls too quick. But I still see my share of doubles, and the occasional triple. I think if we all start tweaking everything, its going to throw something else off. I love the work the slider guys put in, but in looking at some of the slider threads, guys are changing WAY too much stuff. Even Brian at SCEA said the game plays best over the long haul at or near default...and I am agreeing with this the more and more I play. Every slider thread I go into, someone is saying "I just had my best game ever" using so-and so's sliders. This is a total false assumption IMO. One game at any level COULD give you your perceived "best game ever". I had a hell of a game last night on default all-star. Baseball games vary so much, game to game. Mike Hargrove once said it takes a good 40 games to really SEE what type of team you have(in real life), where weaknesses are, where team strenghts are, etc. Why shoudl we expect it to be any different? Granted, this is not real life, but to me, it sounds like that is what everyone is trying to achieve(real life "results"). But I mean read between the lines on Brian's answers. I dont think anyone outthere has played ALL 162 games yet of their frnachise. How does ANY of you even know that everything is so out of whack? Look at his examples...I think he is right. I can take any team's ten game period and look for SOMETHING to say, "wow that is crazy". I have been thrown out trying to steal with Hanley Ramirez twice in this game on default. Jon Lester threw a two hit shuout for me against the Phillies. Roy Halladay has gotten lit up for me. Soriano homered 3 times on game. I have went 4 games without homering. Carlos Lee had an inside the park homer on me. This is all in random exhibition games. I think we need to trust the GAME ENGINE. 10 games....20 games...even 30 games, in my mind, isnt enough of a sample size. Baseball is a marathon...its not a sprint. Stats are always out of whack in real life in April. I think other than adjusting some AI pitching command and just pitch counts overall, not much needs messed with. Maybe a click for cpu power or time window but thats it. Certainly not to the extent of the some of the sliders in that section. Its overkill IMO. It may bring you your desired results in your search for the Holy Grail of "best game I ever played just now using so and so's sliders", but I think it messes with everything in the long run. The game plays fantastic out of the box...I'm seeing a perfect amount of doubles on average.(and triples) Do some research...do the math. You dont have to double every game. Baseball is great because its the uncertainty of what is going to happen. For once, playing a baseball video game has given us, well at least ME, that. I never know what each game is gonna bring. This is one freaking AWESOME baseball game.

Amen! Last year, after becoming obsessed with sliders I finally went back to default and simply enjoyed the game. Not to put anyone here down, I know they all put a lot of work and thought into their sliders, but I would take what Brian is saying over what others here say in terms of sliders and tweaking, etc. and give the game a chance on default or close to it.

To add another example of looking at the short term, take into consideration the Rockies run of 21 of 20 games or A-Rod's April last year. If we got those results, we would have been going crazy and complaining how the whole game is out of whack.

Just my thoughts.

Thanks Brian for coming on here and giving us invaluable info and insight into the AI of this game.

tfigs

[brunnoce]

GREAT post spyder23

im 100% with u on this...and im also seeing the same things u are in the long run.

[spyder23]

Quote: Originally Posted by Alonzo

I don't like the whole "small sample size" thing. If you talk about things like batting AVG during a season, you are right, that's a streaky thing, especially at the beginning of the season, but I don't think we have to play a high amount of games to recognize that the OF-speed/reaction is a problem. Correct me If I am wrong, but it seems like the developers don't see any problems with the game at all. What about the stat-problem (especially the walk-off HR glitch)

That's just a glitch(walk off HR stat) they can probably correct in a quick fix(even though I have no idea lol). I'm not talking about that stuff.

I'm talking about gameplay. OF speed is not nearly as big a problem as many seem to think, is all I'm saying. If people start editing OF speed too much, how do you know in the long run it wont cause MORE doubles by the end of game 162? Then again, how do I know it wont?

I just trust the game engine, and come on, think about it. SCEA guys come on here(which is amazing in itself) and they actually ANSWER things we are asking or need addressed. I think these guys have a pretty good bead on what baseball is...I'll trust what they are trying to sell me on, and from what I have seen with my own eyes when I play.

Maybe I just have the golden copy of the game then. I'm still getting doubles, and they are exactly where they should be in my opinion. More of them are gappers. Think about real life...I would love to see a breakdown of how many doubles are gappers as opposed to ones that roll down the line(and I have gotten both). I would bet more are gappers.

I dont need to see a double down the line every single game(which seems to be what the majority of people are claiming that is why OF speed is too fast b/c they cut off balls too quickly). Some games I get none, and some games I have gotten three.

Why would you NOT agree with a small sample size? See: Chris Shelton...April 2006. Did someone adjust his power sliders after that month?? Its called law of averages. Things should even out in the long run. Or Sammy Sosa...June 1998. What did he hit, like 23 homers in that month? Steroids or not, that's crazy, and he didnt do ever again.

[brunnoce]

Quote: Originally Posted by Alonzo

What about the stat-problem (especially the walk-off HR glitch)

Now, thats is a real issue(togehter with the double switch messing up all the boxscore) and im sure they arent neglecting it.

Its just that it has nothing to do with Brian's area from what i understood...thats why it wasnt mentioned by him.


But im sure theyre aware of it, and i hope theyer trying to fix it as we speak.

[spyder23]

Quote: Originally Posted by brunnoce

GREAT post spyder23 im 100% with u on this...and im also seeing the same things u are in the long run.

Your example of Chavez is also a great reference. Hitting .512 is crazy! But boom...ten or so games later and he is nearing .300 again and all is right with the universe...and maybe next week...he may be up to .380....that's the beauty of the game of baseball, and it is just what this game captures.

Even Brian states there are hot/cold streaks...which there should be.

[nemesis04]

We can play ring around the Rosie all day here but something is very off with the CPU offense this year! I Played a few games of 07 last night and the CPU plays A LOT tougher game than they do in 08. Kind of disappointing!

[spyder23]

Quote: Originally Posted by nemesis04

We can play ring around the Rosie all day here but something is very off with the CPU offense this year! I Played a few games of 07 last night and the CPU plays A LOT tougher game than they do in 08. Kind of disappointing!

I must have got the turd copy of 07 then, lol. B/c I thought 07 was way easier than 08. And 06 was easier than 07. Pitching last year seemed very easy. I understand everyone plays differently, and not everyone sees things the same, but IMO, last year was way too easy.

Not so this year...at least for me.

[jmik58]

Quote: Originally Posted by Bill_Abner

I still haven't played enough games to really dig into this as much as I'd like to, but is this a question of the number of doubles or the type that people are seeing/not seeing? I will say that in the limited sample of games I have played I noticed a very drastic difference in how the game plays at the MLB level compared to when playing with two minor league teams--specifically relating to this very issue. Capa, are you not seeing any doubles at all? Or is it just that line drives down the line end up being long singles? (I have noticed this, too) Baseball, to me, if the toughest sports game to fine tune via slider tweaks becuse one fix might break something else; everything is related. If we make it so that the right kinds of hits end up being doubles, would that give us too many doubles total?

Bill... this post isn't directed at you, I'm just using yours as a reference to quote from

Ok...so...

I think we need to refocus a little bit on what the real issue is with doubles and outfielders cutting off balls to the gap and down the line.

Somehow the talk keeps coming back to numbers. The issue isn't with the # of doubles. The concern is the style/variety/(insert word) of extra base hits.

The lines need to be opened up and so do the gaps (a little bit). Will this produce more doubles? It's very possible. But at that point we say it's time to reduce a hit quality slider, etc. because we're getting too much of the sweet spot on the ball in an unrealistic fashion.

The sliders that do function in the game can control hit type BUT not the fielders as effectively. We can't do anything as an owner of this game to increase/decrease the realism of doubles regarding what SHOULD BE an extra base hit and what shouldn't. But thanks to great sliders, we CAN manipulate our hit types enough to corral those #s if a true representation of outfielder action and extrabasehits would happen to produce too many.

So main points...
1.) It's not about #, but realism of extra base hits (variety).
2.) Batting sliders are VERY effective even with small adjustments, so any inflation in the # of extra base hits due to correcting the outfielders can EASILY be fixed by using the batting sliders.

Again, remember... we're not looking for a stat or certian number, this is about gameplay and gameplay only. Not simmed #s or long-term numbers... gameplay.

[jim416]

Quote: Originally Posted by nemesis04

We can play ring around the Rosie all day here but something is very off with the CPU offense this year! I Played a few games of 07 last night and the CPU plays A LOT tougher game than they do in 08. Kind of disappointing!

Something HAS changed. I do agree that sliders will have effect, but only if that gamers play style fits the specific sliders that are adjusted. If I do any slider adjustments it really has to be done to fit my own style. I can't just pick up someone elses sliders and go "gee, these are great". Haven't been able to yet. The only way, for me, is if I had the same "talent" that that gamer had who made the sliders.

I'm having a hell of a time hitting this year. It's very discouraging so far. Didn't have this problem at all last year. So, I'm on a search for my holy grail trying to fix the game for me.