Am I the only one that uses directional hitting?
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@Steelerof3Rivers said in Am I the only one that uses directional hitting?:
directional hitters I know who were regular WS players before last year haven’t made WS since 18.
Huh?
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@jimjones9989 said in Am I the only one that uses directional hitting?:
@raesONE said in Am I the only one that uses directional hitting?:
@jimjones9989 said in Am I the only one that uses directional hitting?:
Lots of WS guys use it, they just don't tell you
That's because they don't.
Except....they do. There are entire youtube channels dedicated to the finer side of using directional, by WS players. Big Tom being one of many. I didn't spend time learning how to do it, but plenty of people have mastered it.
So there's a handful of guys who use it and make WS occasionally or even consistently. That doesn't mean "lots" of guys use it. It's a shame we can't access the true numbers because I'd bet the house that the overwhelming majority in WS uses zone hitting.
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My TV is 10 years old, picture is great but the lag on the show is brutal. Yes I know get a monitor, but should a have to to be successful at a 60 dollar game? The other games play fine.
Directional is great vs the cpu, especially moments. Just wait for the offspeed meatball.
I found zone better for ranked, although I still suck. I was atleast making contact with zone, and it allows you to sit on certain pitches. Guy the other day threw a curve down and away in every two strike count. Just sat on it and hit it a mile. I will say I hit more Homer's with directional, but I would lose 2-1 with my only hit being a HR. -
I'm a directional guy. I tried zone, but I felt like I was a cyborg with a laser eye and it was screwing up my timing as I was more focused on getting the ball in the circle. I have a 14 year old plasma screen so I do my best with what I got.
Side note: i know the real game has changed and become a ding ding festival which is basically the show now but i do miss the innings where there are lots of base hits, doubles, walks where there is more movement going on the bases than just walking up to the plate and smashing home runs.
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@Tankdriver499 said in Am I the only one that uses directional hitting?:
I'm a directional guy. I tried zone, but I felt like I was a cyborg with a laser eye and it was screwing up my timing as I was more focused on getting the ball in the circle. I have a 14 year old plasma screen so I do my best with what I got.
Side note: i know the real game has changed and become a ding ding festival which is basically the show now but i do miss the innings where there are lots of base hits, doubles, walks where there is more movement going on the bases than just walking up to the plate and smashing home runs.
i couldnt agree more man. I used zone when i bought the game and only switched a few weeks ago but there is noticeable difference in my hitting with directional. I dare say more skill is involved because you have to know your hitters tendencies and choose the write direction or your screwed. Zone you can just sit somewhere and wait.I cant catch up to fastballs with either so thats out the window lol
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@ChuckCLC said in Am I the only one that uses directional hitting?:
@The_Joneser said in Am I the only one that uses directional hitting?:
You’re not going to hit everything out like you can with good PCI placement (which is quite ridiculous and unrealistic, by the way),
How is having to put the bat where the ball is ridiculous? It is ridiculous being able to hit without doing that.
Because baseball bats swing on a level plane when done properly. They don’t hover in mid air like a ping pong paddle which is what zone hitting basically is. Swing is irrelevant with good pci placement. Its ping pong.
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@lazy_toast said in Am I the only one that uses directional hitting?:
@Tankdriver499 said in Am I the only one that uses directional hitting?:
I'm a directional guy. I tried zone, but I felt like I was a cyborg with a laser eye and it was screwing up my timing as I was more focused on getting the ball in the circle. I have a 14 year old plasma screen so I do my best with what I got.
Side note: i know the real game has changed and become a ding ding festival which is basically the show now but i do miss the innings where there are lots of base hits, doubles, walks where there is more movement going on the bases than just walking up to the plate and smashing home runs.
i couldnt agree more man. I used zone when i bought the game and only switched a few weeks ago but there is noticeable difference in my hitting with directional. I dare say more skill is involved because you have to know your hitters tendencies and choose the write direction or your screwed. Zone you can just sit somewhere and wait.I cant catch up to fastballs with either so thats out the window lol
You might draw a little ire, there, saying it takes more skill
I hear you, though. I think the thing is that it's a completely different skill, and difficult to master in its own way. While it's incredibly hard to match PCI location to pitch location consistently, it's also difficult to quickly decide "how" to swing at a pitch in a particular situation with a particular player, and then execute it. Dare I say it's a bit more cerebral than zone, while zone requires more hand-eye coordination? And that is by no means saying that zone hitters are dumb (nor directional hitters spastic); it's a preference to control a different aspect of the game.
As I'm writing this, I saw DeathRey's comment about swing being irrelevant with good PCI placement, and I think that highlights another piece of the directional/zone choice: PCI allows you to influence (not control, because the PCI is not the bat) the vertical angle of the swing by aligning it higher or lower relative to the pitch, but it has no bearing on the hitter's hands. While you can't see it, the influence that directional allows control over is exactly that; a left-handed hitter with a stick-right influence is driving through the strike zone with that back hand, trying to get that barrel through the zone quickly to pull, whereas that same hitter with a stick-left influence is pulling that front hand through the zone, keeping the barrel back (increasing the timing window), and inside-outing it to the opposite field.
It's that latter piece that must be controlled by RNG in zone hitting, because there is no means of controlling that aspect of a swing in that control scheme. Directional hitters choose to RNG the placement of the PCI while "controlling" what happens with a hitter's hands.
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@The_Joneser said in Am I the only one that uses directional hitting?:
@lazy_toast said in Am I the only one that uses directional hitting?:
@Tankdriver499 said in Am I the only one that uses directional hitting?:
I'm a directional guy. I tried zone, but I felt like I was a cyborg with a laser eye and it was screwing up my timing as I was more focused on getting the ball in the circle. I have a 14 year old plasma screen so I do my best with what I got.
Side note: i know the real game has changed and become a ding ding festival which is basically the show now but i do miss the innings where there are lots of base hits, doubles, walks where there is more movement going on the bases than just walking up to the plate and smashing home runs.
i couldnt agree more man. I used zone when i bought the game and only switched a few weeks ago but there is noticeable difference in my hitting with directional. I dare say more skill is involved because you have to know your hitters tendencies and choose the write direction or your screwed. Zone you can just sit somewhere and wait.I cant catch up to fastballs with either so thats out the window lol
You might draw a little ire, there, saying it takes more skill
I hear you, though. I think the thing is that it's a completely different skill, and difficult to master in its own way. While it's incredibly hard to match PCI location to pitch location consistently, it's also difficult to quickly decide "how" to swing at a pitch in a particular situation with a particular player, and then execute it. Dare I say it's a bit more cerebral than zone, while zone requires more hand-eye coordination? And that is by no means saying that zone hitters are dumb (nor directional hitters spastic); it's a preference to control a different aspect of the game.
As I'm writing this, I saw DeathRey's comment about swing being irrelevant with good PCI placement, and I think that highlights another piece of the directional/zone choice: PCI allows you to influence (not control, because the PCI is not the bat) the vertical angle of the swing by aligning it higher or lower relative to the pitch, but it has no bearing on the hitter's hands. While you can't see it, the influence that directional allows control over is exactly that; a left-handed hitter with a stick-right influence is driving through the strike zone with that back hand, trying to get that barrel through the zone quickly to pull, whereas that same hitter with a stick-left influence is pulling that front hand through the zone, keeping the barrel back (increasing the timing window), and inside-outing it to the opposite field.
It's that latter piece that must be controlled by RNG in zone hitting, because there is no means of controlling that aspect of a swing in that control scheme. Directional hitters choose to RNG the placement of the PCI while "controlling" what happens with a hitter's hands.
[censored] man they need to fire you. Nice write up
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@lazy_toast said in Am I the only one that uses directional hitting?:
[censored] man they need to fire you. Nice write up
Already fired and not even hired yet... that's rough
Seriously, though, I appreciate the kind words.
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@The_Joneser said in Am I the only one that uses directional hitting?:
@lazy_toast said in Am I the only one that uses directional hitting?:
[censored] man they need to fire you. Nice write up
Already fired and not even hired yet... that's rough
Seriously, though, I appreciate the kind words.
lmao yea def meant to say HIRE sorry bro
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ill switch to zone on a main pitch sinker ball or splitter pitcher since 9/10 pitches drop low or below the zone. other than that i got no problem using directional. I dont play a ton online though.
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So many people that don’t understand how the PCI works
I believe all those “intricacies” and “cerebralness” of directional techniques apply to zone hitting as well. The tendencies, type of swing, type of pitch, all matter just as much in zone.. only more.
you have to do everything the exact same as directional, instead of flicking the stick, you have to actually place the PCI to the ball, and that placement directly affects the trajectory/launch angle (with more precise control and input, not rng).
And that’s after you’ve made all of those calculations of who’s swing you’re using(yes they’re all different for zone hitting too) what pitch is coming, etc, etc.I’ve played both and it does take skill to be able to master directional, but you’re really only mastering timing the rest is rng that can be controlled better and more realistically by GOOD pci placement. You’ll always be a better player for using zone.
My last suggestion to the people that think it looks weird. Go to settings and turn off the outer PCI Right away, that is what is making it clunky and awkward. and hit with Altitude and you’ll get 3 straight lines to use, you can try diamonds too, it’s just 3 small dots on your screen, each line/dot influencing launch angle. Guarantee you that’ll feel more realistic and/or challenging for you, whatever you may be looking for.
And lastly, I understand if you’re older and struggle with it. I won’t give you the sob story but to make it short to end this my Dad is almost 60 with Parkinson’s and even he was able to play competently with limited practice. Not on HOF or legend lol but you’re all probably more capable than you think, you might just be getting a little frustrated and blaming your eyes/reflexes. No offense, promise
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I think you’ve taken a big leap here assuming people can’t use zone because they suck at it. Matter of fact, in a quick glance through I couldn’t find anyone who said that. People did say they tried it and don’t like it. I use zone all the time. Its really the only way to beat higher level games and challenges (for me) because I find that the offline programming really punishes directional above all star. I just find it gimmicky. Directional feels more like “see ball, hit ball” which I prefer and it also feels more like MVP 2005 which was the smoothest hitting baseball game I’ve ever played.
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@MrGamebred said in Am I the only one that uses directional hitting?:
So many people that don’t understand how the PCI works
I believe all those “intricacies” and “cerebralness” of directional techniques apply to zone hitting as well. The tendencies, type of swing, type of pitch, all matter just as much in zone.. only more.
you have to do everything the exact same as directional, instead of flicking the stick, you have to actually place the PCI to the ball, and that placement directly affects the trajectory/launch angle (with more precise control and input, not rng).
And that’s after you’ve made all of those calculations of who’s swing you’re using(yes they’re all different for zone hitting too) what pitch is coming, etc, etc.I’ve played both and it does take skill to be able to master directional, but you’re really only mastering timing the rest is rng that can be controlled better and more realistically by GOOD pci placement. You’ll always be a better player for using zone.
My last suggestion to the people that think it looks weird. Go to settings and turn off the outer PCI Right away, that is what is making it clunky and awkward. and hit with Altitude and you’ll get 3 straight lines to use, you can try diamonds too, it’s just 3 small dots on your screen, each line/dot influencing launch angle. Guarantee you that’ll feel more realistic and/or challenging for you, whatever you may be looking for.
And lastly, I understand if you’re older and struggle with it. I won’t give you the sob story but to make it short to end this my Dad is almost 60 with Parkinson’s and even he was able to play competently with limited practice. Not on HOF or legend lol but you’re all probably more capable than you think, you might just be getting a little frustrated and blaming your eyes/reflexes. No offense, promise
I used directional for a little. I hated it, you can't control it really. PCI is way better
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@XxDeathReyxX said in Am I the only one that uses directional hitting?:
I think you’ve taken a big leap here assuming people can’t use zone because they suck at it. Matter of fact, in a quick glance through I couldn’t find anyone who said that. People did say they tried it and don’t like it. I use zone all the time. Its really the only way to beat higher level games and challenges (for me) because I find that the offline programming really punishes directional above all star. I just find it gimmicky. Directional feels more like “see ball, hit ball” which I prefer and it also feels more like MVP 2005 which was the smoothest hitting baseball game I’ve ever played.
If this is to me. That was not my intention at all. I did see a few people say it was awkward or weird or not like it for whatever reason. It’s why I offered that suggestion for settings. The last sentence was a cheeky jab, nothing serious though. I know there are people in that boat. Not trying to say ANYBODY sucks just to clarify.
I’m mainly trying to convey a different perspective and say why I believe it’s not unrealistic and the superior option if people are interested in competitive play. I 10000% see why it’s more comfortable to play with, and see your side though. like I said, I used it back in 17 and 18, but a lot of people use it and get flustered by good timing, bad results and my point is that you won’t experience that using zone because it will provide more input based results.
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@MrGamebred said in Am I the only one that uses directional hitting?:
So many people that don’t understand how the PCI works
With respect, I think I do, and I think you're crediting it with extra abilities (being careful in case I'm writing to Jorge Masvidal)...
I believe all those “intricacies” and “cerebralness” of directional techniques apply to zone hitting as well. The tendencies, type of swing, type of pitch, all matter just as much in zone.. only more.
Of course you can think about tendencies, and you have to time the pitch and know its type to be successful, but you have zero control over the type of swing using a PCI. By "type," I mean the spectrum between pull and push... in zone hitting, you're relinquishing this to RNG.
you have to do everything the exact same as directional, instead of flicking the stick, you have to actually place the PCI to the ball, and that placement directly affects the trajectory/launch angle (with more precise control and input, not rng).
And that’s after you’ve made all of those calculations of who’s swing you’re using(yes they’re all different for zone hitting too) what pitch is coming, etc, etc.That placement does indeed affect the launch angle, but an element of chance is introduced in determining the trajectory, because trajectory also relies upon the angle of the bat in the horizontal plane. Think of it like the movement of an airplane, in terms of pitch (up and down) vs. yaw (side to side); PCI allows control over intended placement (again, it isn't the bat), and in doing so, you have influence over the vertical plane of a swing, or its pitch. With directional, you have control over the horizontal plane of the swing, or its yaw, and its pitch (incorporating up and down), but you're sacrificing control over the placement to RNG.
And before you say you have control over the horizontal with a PCI, you dont; you aren't influencing control of the angle of the bat on the horizontal plane, you're just influencing the position in space of where the barrel ends up. I wish I could draw on this... okay, bear with me. Vertical lines are the sides of the strike zone, x marks location, a slash represents the bat's angle in the swing as it makes contact in a particular location:
A PCI allows for this: I..x........I or I........x..I
Directional lets you do this: I../.........I or I..\ .......ITo over simplify, you've got four factors to consider: pitch, yaw, timing, and placement. We'd likely need another hand to control all four, so these control schemes allow us to influence three of them, leaving the fourth to chance. Zone gives up on yaw, directional gives up on placement, with RNG filling in the gap.
I’ve played both and it does take skill to be able to master directional, but you’re really only mastering timing the rest is rng that can be controlled better and more realistically by GOOD pci placement. You’ll always be a better player for using zone.
And that's my problem with zone: it's overpowered and unrealistic. Yes, you should be able to beat a pitch low and away, but you do that by driving it low and hard the other way. Zone, with its flavor of favorable RNG, allows a batted ball off of that pitch to defy physics and be blasted to the moon in a direction it has no business flying. While I agree with you that RNG can be better managed using zone, making you have better results in some situations, it isn't more realistic.
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@raesONE said in Am I the only one that uses directional hitting?:
@jimjones9989 said in Am I the only one that uses directional hitting?:
@raesONE said in Am I the only one that uses directional hitting?:
@jimjones9989 said in Am I the only one that uses directional hitting?:
Lots of WS guys use it, they just don't tell you
That's because they don't.
Except....they do. There are entire youtube channels dedicated to the finer side of using directional, by WS players. Big Tom being one of many. I didn't spend time learning how to do it, but plenty of people have mastered it.
So there's a handful of guys who use it and make WS occasionally or even consistently. That doesn't mean "lots" of guys use it. It's a shame we can't access the true numbers because I'd bet the house that the overwhelming majority in WS uses zone hitting.
I don't disagree with you, but WS players use it. The rest of us should show a little less hate to those that decide to play that way. Guys hitting under the Mendoza line shouldn't get a pass because they use zone, and guys making world series with directional shouldn't be frowned upon for their input choices.
Lately, I've been using pure analog, it's a blast to use, and I still get solid hit results. A lot of snobbery in the community about input, I think that's ridiculous.
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@The_Joneser said in Am I the only one that uses directional hitting?:
@MrGamebred said in Am I the only one that uses directional hitting?:
So many people that don’t understand how the PCI works
With respect, I think I do, and I think you're crediting it with extra abilities (being careful in case I'm writing to Jorge Masvidal)...
Okay this made me laugh and realize how corny my PSN is
And you definitely do understand, I guess I shouldn’t have said that(although there are a couple in here that don’t)And before you say you have control over the horizontal with a PCI, you dont; you aren't influencing control of the angle of the bat on the horizontal plane, you're just influencing the position in space of where the barrel ends up. I wish I could draw on this... okay, bear with me. Vertical lines are the sides of the strike zone, x marks location, a slash represents the bat's angle in the swing as it makes contact in a particular location:
A PCI allows for this: | x | or | x |
Directional lets you do this: | / | or | \ |To over simplify, you've got four factors to consider: pitch, yaw, timing, and placement. We'd likely need another hand to control all four, so these control schemes allow us to influence three of them, leaving the fourth to chance.
As for this, you’re right. Realistically speaking neither of them fully capture the realism and truthfully the only solution is a brand new hitting engine, something universal though. But to be fair, 99% of people are NOT diving into it this deep to understand the intricacies of directional and truthfully I’m not even sure if SDS is willing or able to. But someone said it earlier, maybe even you lol, but an in depth hitting tutorial would clear up these debates a long way.
Final Note: sorry I couldn’t get to everything, and sorry if I offended you on the first line. Not my intention or really toward you Lol BUT just wanted to say I literally never ever ever am able to pull something DOTTED low and way off speed out using zone. It’s only a homer if the pitcher confidence is down, but then all bets are off everything is a homer(another stupid part of the game)
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@jimjones9989 said in Am I the only one that uses directional hitting?:
@raesONE said in Am I the only one that uses directional hitting?:
@jimjones9989 said in Am I the only one that uses directional hitting?:
@raesONE said in Am I the only one that uses directional hitting?:
@jimjones9989 said in Am I the only one that uses directional hitting?:
Lots of WS guys use it, they just don't tell you
That's because they don't.
Except....they do. There are entire youtube channels dedicated to the finer side of using directional, by WS players. Big Tom being one of many. I didn't spend time learning how to do it, but plenty of people have mastered it.
So there's a handful of guys who use it and make WS occasionally or even consistently. That doesn't mean "lots" of guys use it. It's a shame we can't access the true numbers because I'd bet the house that the overwhelming majority in WS uses zone hitting.
I don't disagree with you, but WS players use it. The rest of us should show a little less hate to those that decide to play that way. Guys hitting under the Mendoza line shouldn't get a pass because they use zone, and guys making world series with directional shouldn't be frowned upon for their input choices.
Lately, I've been using pure analog, it's a blast to use, and I still get solid hit results. A lot of snobbery in the community about input, I think that's ridiculous.
I'm not judging anyone who uses anything other than zone hitting, that's fine. Although I would personally prefer zone hitting being enforced in all online game modes, but that's just my personal opinion. I was just arguing the fact that most people in the upper tiers are most definitely zone hitters, and it makes sense too since it's the input mechanic least prone to RNG.
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@raesONE said in Am I the only one that uses directional hitting?:
@jimjones9989 said in Am I the only one that uses directional hitting?:
@raesONE said in Am I the only one that uses directional hitting?:
@jimjones9989 said in Am I the only one that uses directional hitting?:
@raesONE said in Am I the only one that uses directional hitting?:
@jimjones9989 said in Am I the only one that uses directional hitting?:
Lots of WS guys use it, they just don't tell you
That's because they don't.
Except....they do. There are entire youtube channels dedicated to the finer side of using directional, by WS players. Big Tom being one of many. I didn't spend time learning how to do it, but plenty of people have mastered it.
So there's a handful of guys who use it and make WS occasionally or even consistently. That doesn't mean "lots" of guys use it. It's a shame we can't access the true numbers because I'd bet the house that the overwhelming majority in WS uses zone hitting.
I don't disagree with you, but WS players use it. The rest of us should show a little less hate to those that decide to play that way. Guys hitting under the Mendoza line shouldn't get a pass because they use zone, and guys making world series with directional shouldn't be frowned upon for their input choices.
Lately, I've been using pure analog, it's a blast to use, and I still get solid hit results. A lot of snobbery in the community about input, I think that's ridiculous.
I'm not judging anyone who uses anything other than zone hitting, that's fine. Although I would personally prefer zone hitting being enforced in all online game modes, but that's just my personal opinion. I was just arguing the fact that most people in the upper tiers are most definitely zone hitters, and it makes sense too since it's the input mechanic least prone to RNG.
I agree that a universal input would be best, and I don't think YOU are judging, just my soapbox of the day.
I have friends that refuse to use button accuracy, analog pitching, or zone hitting because they think it's too hard. If the game forced it, they (and others) would realize it's not that hard, and they'd enjoy the game a lot more.
Maybe next year....
