Trying to get better at the game.
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I will be the first to admit I am not great at the game. I only get to play a couple hours a week so not much time for practice. But also I have been strictly using directional hitting, I will get a good timing swing and my guy will miss swinging well below the ball. I am currently running mini seasons on All Star for the missions which is well above my skill level. But I got frustrated and switched to zone hitting with the PCI and I had a couple good at bats. So it seems like that is the way to go to get decent hitting? Not sure if a fluke or not. As I said I am not very good and timing my swing while trying to recognize if the pitch is gonna be a strike or ball was already a lot to handle, now I have to add PCI movement into the mix. Do you think I would be better off biting the bullet now learning PCI in hopes that down the road I will be better? Or is directional just better for those without much time to learn the skills?
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It’s worth it IMO. You should adjust even with limited repetitions. But I’ve used zone for like…15 years, so I can’t speak too much on the learning curve.
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I suggest a bac of .10 or above. Makes the game smooth and if you lose you probably won't care .
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I assume that you are playing against the cpu only? If so, I suggest continuing to use directional hitting and concentrate on pitch selection and timing. Learning these two skills is important and will help you later if you decide to advance to zone hitting. Try to take marginal pitches until you get into a two-strike count. Your contact will improve if you are swinging at pitches over the plate (your pitch) instead of on the edges of the strike zone (pitcher's pitch). Also, you will lower the pitcher's confidence and that will result in seeing more mistake pitches.
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@DannyDevito8997_XBL said in Trying to get better at the game.:
I will be the first to admit I am not great at the game. I only get to play a couple hours a week so not much time for practice. But also I have been strictly using directional hitting, I will get a good timing swing and my guy will miss swinging well below the ball. I am currently running mini seasons on All Star for the missions which is well above my skill level. But I got frustrated and switched to zone hitting with the PCI and I had a couple good at bats. So it seems like that is the way to go to get decent hitting? Not sure if a fluke or not. As I said I am not very good and timing my swing while trying to recognize if the pitch is gonna be a strike or ball was already a lot to handle, now I have to add PCI movement into the mix. Do you think I would be better off biting the bullet now learning PCI in hopes that down the road I will be better? Or is directional just better for those without much time to learn the skills?
Honestly, I would say stick to zone hitting. It will minimize the randomness and be more rewarding when you do get hits. It takes time to learn but if you’re playing the cpu, it’s not terribly difficult. You’ll figure it out, just stick w it!!
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I was directional forever.
Made the switch this year to zone and will not look back.When I hit a nuke it is my skill.
When i take a K it is as well.Directional is about the ratings and randomness of the game sort of taking over like the dice in good old strat-o-matic.
I suggest 5 min of practice mode before you play a 9 inning game.
I do not suggest mini seasons or conquest because you will only see the Starter for 1 inning.
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@DONTRED0NME_XBL said in Trying to get better at the game.:
I suggest a bac of .10 or above. Makes the game smooth and if you lose you probably won't care .
While I agree with the sentiment, that's only a light buzz. you need at least a 0.15.
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I made the switch to zone in 2017. I'm 44 years old, so I've been playing the show for many years and was using analog. There us way too much RNG with anything other than zone.
Directional is only for people who want a true sim experience. In DD you want to be able to score the most you can, simulation is not the goal of DD.
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Do the challenge of the weeks. That was a mode that really helped me a few years back to really concentrate and see pitches
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@KOTANK1334_PSN said in Trying to get better at the game.:
Do the challenge of the weeks. That was a mode that really helped me a few years back to really concentrate and see pitches
When I remember this it helps immensely.
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@Orcin_NSW said in Trying to get better at the game.:
I assume that you are playing against the cpu only? If so, I suggest continuing to use directional hitting and concentrate on pitch selection and timing. Learning these two skills is important and will help you later if you decide to advance to zone hitting. Try to take marginal pitches until you get into a two-strike count. Your contact will improve if you are swinging at pitches over the plate (your pitch) instead of on the edges of the strike zone (pitcher's pitch). Also, you will lower the pitcher's confidence and that will result in seeing more mistake pitches.
This is good advice. I'm 61 and have played the show regularly (a couple of hours a day) since I retired in '16. Before that, it was hit and miss when I had the time (and when my kids could get me to sit down with them and play). I only played Franchise until the end of '20, when I was talked into playing DD. That's also when I began spending much more time playing each day.
I played directional until last year when I began flirting with zone. This is the first year that I've dedicated to zone and finally feel more comfortable with it over directional.
Directional can help you focus on your timing without worrying about anything else. Once you feel you have your timing down, then try zone here and there. You'll know when you're ready.
In the long run, zone hitting is where you want to be. It is more accurate. As you have noticed, there is a lot more to think about with it, though.
Play the way that feels the best for you. That's the great thing about this video game; it has almost something for everyone.
The proper hardware can help your timing too. A monitor over a television, for example.
The most important thing to remember is to have fun. There are too many guys on here that hate the game but play it anyway. They'll rant and rave about how bad the game is, but they'll play it anyway. So, just have fun. That's important.
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