SDS's Cheap Ways To Simulate Difficulty Are Sickening
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I love this game, but playing offline, you notice some super cheap tactics to make the game harder, and it's sickening.
1)The kangaroo turf at EVERY stadium. It's as if they don't want you to get triples. The outfielder let's it go knowing it will bounce over the fence.
2)The 'passed ball/wild pitch' bait. You KNOW if you advance, you're toast. They try this a lot.
3)The unassisted DP. Usually happens at 1B, where you can NEVER pull one off, but they tried one at 3B yesterday!
4)The "closer than it should've been" play at first. I usually don't charge grounders, I pre-load the throw, but no matter the speed of your opponent, almost every play you just get the runner by a few steps. As you know, you can't see that runner until they're close to the base, so I think there's a morphing effect, where they speed up the runner, but you can't see it until said runner is crossing the bag.
5)The nonchalant outfield throw. You can have a 90+ arm outfielder out there, but at times, you'll see them let up a bit to give the A.I. runner an extra step. Sort of a subtle double-clutch. A guy with 48 speed should not score fairly easy from 2nd BASE vs. a Diamond fielding OF.
6)The perfectly played carom off the outfield wall. Even though they're the ROAD team, they seem to know exactly where to be for that perfect carom off the wall at a stadium they rarely play at!
7)Pickoffs. You can never get one, but they always seem to get you, which leads into....
8)Rundowns. You can NEVER win one, although I did once recently. The animations in these are awful. No matter how you delay your run back, they always catch you.
9)Destroy the CPU, they trot out the Sinkerballers! So many times I've had big innings only to score nada the next because they bring in pitchers with the OP pitch in the game.
10) Assisted baserunning. How many times has my runner at 2nd froze even though a ball is clearly going to split the outfielders. Run, MF!!!There may be others I can't think of, bored here at work.
I see why many only play Online. If I could hit consistently, I'd be there. I'm also terrible at baserunning.
I guess this means the game engine needs an overhaul, or we need a competing baseball game.
It's like they insult your baseball intelligence. -
I hate number 10....happens way too often, sure you don’t have to have assisted br turned on, but it’s clearly broken or something lol
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I hate when there's a ground ball to the SS and the guy at third immediately dives back to the bag so you have no shot of scoring even with 99 speed.
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The same exact things happen online. The game will do it's best to determine the outcome of a play regardless of mode.
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@deathxsonic_psn said in SDS's Cheap Ways To Simulate Difficulty Are Sickening:
I hate number 10....happens way too often, sure you don’t have to have assisted br turned on, but it’s clearly broken or something lol
Probably my biggest pet peeve in this game right now is the number of times a guy doesn't run when they should. Even guys with good baserunning stats just sit there.
One of these days I need to pull out a stopwatch (IE phone app) and time guys running down the line. Had a mid 40's speed guy beat out a chopper up the middle against me in BR but then have my guy with mid 60s speed get thrown out on a slow roller to SS play I swear took longer to complete than the previous one.
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@khain24_psn said in SDS's Cheap Ways To Simulate Difficulty Are Sickening:
@deathxsonic_psn said in SDS's Cheap Ways To Simulate Difficulty Are Sickening:
I hate number 10....happens way too often, sure you don’t have to have assisted br turned on, but it’s clearly broken or something lol
Probably my biggest pet peeve in this game right now is the number of times a guy doesn't run when they should. Even guys with good baserunning stats just sit there.
One of these days I need to pull out a stopwatch (IE phone app) and time guys running down the line. Had a mid 40's speed guy beat out a chopper up the middle against me in BR but then have my guy with mid 60s speed get thrown out on a slow roller to SS play I swear took longer to complete than the previous one.
Number 4 covers that, brother!
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@thegoaler_psn said in SDS's Cheap Ways To Simulate Difficulty Are Sickening:
@khain24_psn said in SDS's Cheap Ways To Simulate Difficulty Are Sickening:
@deathxsonic_psn said in SDS's Cheap Ways To Simulate Difficulty Are Sickening:
I hate number 10....happens way too often, sure you don’t have to have assisted br turned on, but it’s clearly broken or something lol
Probably my biggest pet peeve in this game right now is the number of times a guy doesn't run when they should. Even guys with good baserunning stats just sit there.
One of these days I need to pull out a stopwatch (IE phone app) and time guys running down the line. Had a mid 40's speed guy beat out a chopper up the middle against me in BR but then have my guy with mid 60s speed get thrown out on a slow roller to SS play I swear took longer to complete than the previous one.
Number 4 covers that, brother!
Yeah kind of. I want some sort of timed proof that speed ratings don't mean a whole lot going home to first. Like yeah sometimes you get the "jogs out of the box animation" (another thing I cant stand) but sometimes you also get the 3B or whatever making a diving stop, retrieve the ball and gun out a guy with 80+ speed but the pitcher/C cant throw out a dude with 30 speed on a swinging bunt...
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Dude, I feel your pain. I could double or triple that list. But it is a pretty good and funny list.
But, I'm guessing, the only way to code a game like this so the numbers somewhat resemble that of an actual MLB experience is to introduce controls. Otherwise folks would just sit there and bat .500, or better, smash 20 HR's a game..run rampant on the base paths. Innings would see players batting 2 or 3 times.
Because when all you really got is a single element in this game...a pitched ball you swing at..when you peel back all the layers it's like the old pong games. Where you hit a light-blip with a paddle. People would get their reflexes timed so they get hit that light blip at any speed.
They have to manufacture the "out" scenarios. And, likely, with somewhat of an emphasis on parity and keeping a semblance of competition. It often ain't pretty but what are they gonna do?
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@ironeyes_cody_psn said in SDS's Cheap Ways To Simulate Difficulty Are Sickening:
Dude, I feel your pain. I could double or triple that list. But it is a pretty good and funny list.
But, I'm guessing, the only way to code a game like this so the numbers somewhat resemble that of an actual MLB experience is to introduce controls. Otherwise folks would just sit there and bat .500, or better, smash 20 HR's a game..run rampant on the base paths. Innings would see players batting 2 or 3 times.
They have to manufacture the "out" scenarios. And, likely, with somewhat of an emphasis on parity and keeping a semblance of competition. It often ain't pretty but what are they gonna do?
I had this in mind while posting. It would be total anarchy if things were that easy. It's just that some shenanigans are just shameless cheating, like All-Madden difficulty In Maddens.
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The cpu also knows the future. Times a single gets hit to RF and you see him and his 43 speed is going to try for second. You laugh because he will be out by 20ft. NOPE the second basemen bobbles the ball. Happens a lot.
Also I love that the speed of the ground ball you hit is always in correlation with the speed of the batter so you are always just a half step of beating it out. If your guy has 50 speed the ball he hits will be much slower than if you had a guy with 90 speed.
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A few to add;
The CPU never REALLY makes an errant throw in from the OF; and when they "do", by the time it becomes clear that they totally missed their cutoff, there will be someone in place to back it up.
The amount of times- % wise- that an errant pickoff throw... hits the base coach and dies. I mean, it doesn't go wild often, but when it does, hits the base coach about 75% of the time.
Wouldn't mind seeing a middle infielder botch that "quick SS transfer to 2B barehand mid-throw" that starts so many double plays; I mean in this game, almost never in reality.
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I would add in the amount of broken bats on inside pitches is a bit extreme too. But baserunning is horrible, so many lost runs because of it.
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You forgot #11 which seems to happen every other game for me when u hit gap double and runner runs through the base even runs past 3rd to get out so dumb.
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I've noticed on higher difficulties the cpu will start pitching like online players. All the sudden pitchers are throwing high sinkers and a ton of back foot breaking balls. Its like they programed the cpu to replicate top online players, and embraced the cheese.
Also you forgot the biggest bullshitt about playing the cpu. When your pitcher is cruising and all the sudden the 8 hole hitter will lay off everything and take pitches right in the black that will be called balls, and then either get a 12 pitch walk or a single that will destroy your pitchers confidence.
The umpires calling pitches that don't even touch the zone strikes for the cpu, while you can have a pitch 95% in the zone, in the same quadrant called a ball.
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@go4stros25_psn said in SDS's Cheap Ways To Simulate Difficulty Are Sickening:
I've noticed on higher difficulties the cpu will start pitching like online players. All the sudden pitchers are throwing high sinkers and a ton of back foot breaking balls. Its like they programed the cpu to replicate top online players, and embraced the cheese.
Also you forgot the biggest bullshitt about playing the cpu. When your pitcher is cruising and all the sudden the 8 hole hitter will lay off everything and take pitches right in the black that will be called balls, and then either get a 12 pitch walk or a single that will destroy your pitchers confidence.
The umpires calling pitches that don't even touch the zone strikes for the cpu, while you can have a pitch 95% in the zone, in the same quadrant called a ball.
You know when the computer batter suddenly starts fouling off everything..that they struck out on before..it's rally time!
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CPU LOVES full counts. That’s all I have to say.
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My biggest pet peeve has to do with packs. I know this is slightly off topic but how is there 53 different diamond players and I’ve pulled Shane Bieber 3 fukin times in a row now?!?! And before that I pulled Corbin Burnes twice in a row! I refuse to spend money on stubs and I have 500k from religiously saving but I’ll never complete the live series if I can’t pull at least one of the top 3.(Trout, DeG, Acuna) Literally the revealing of diamonds is the best part of the entire game for me but it’s starting to lose its luster when I keep seeing the same [censored] guy. Buying Acuna just wouldn’t feel as fun... I’ve been a huge Braves fan my whole life and I only own one sports jersey... and that would be Chipper Jones. I guess I’ll never see him in this game though.
️ Rant over
Edit: I just realized I will see Chipper... the 79 Ovr. Silver Chipper...
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Excellent post OP I agree with everything you have said here. It is a shame that SDS employs cheating and locked animations as frequently as it does if at all. By doing so, they are teaching younger players that cheating is an achievement mechanism which is the greatest shame of all. However, as he has never suspended a single Astros or Red Sox player for their roles in the cheating scandals of recent and since he has reinstated both Hinch and Cora, I am certain Rob Manfred approves 1000% on SDS importing an AI predicated on cheating against it's own customers. Anyway, thanks for the post!!!
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I had another doozy, where I thought I pulled off an unassisted DP at first.
Checked the replay, and my 1B just nonchalantly swipes a tag, where if he showed urgency like the A.I. I'd have had it.Another worked for me. Tatis made a serious 'range' gounder play for me. No R2 pops up, so I check and he made a sliding motion for a few feet to reach the ball. I said 'thanks,' but shows the intentional speed up is in effect as well.
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