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It's beyond stupid and makes grinding impossible. Decided to count this morning. Here's my 1st inning.

1st batter: 4 straight balls way out of the zone. Walk

2nd batter 4 straight balls way out of the zone. Walk

3rd batter 3 straight balls way out of the zone (11 straight balls to start the game) 1 pitch right down the middle, Perfect/Perfect.....amazing diving catch in the gap. Out

4th batter 2 straight balls, 1 pitch in the zone, Perfect/Perfect....82 EV grounder to short, double play.

14 balls
2 strikes
2 Perfect/Perfect
3 outs

That's every inning, every game along with 30 on the gray and dotted corner pitches.

I'm starting to wonder if the new ambush nonsense they added plays a roll in how they tuned the pitching this year because I've never seen it this ridiculous, boring, unrealistic, and stupid.

There is so much that goes into the hitting garbage this year. Let's start with how the CPU pitchers throw 3 balls 3 feet off the plate, dot the gray box with 3 or 4 more, after fouling off a couple you get one down the pipe that you Good/Good and it's a weak 82 EV for an easy out. Meanwhile my Early or Late/Okay fouls have an EV of 103

When you Perfect/Perfect 90% of the time it's right at someone, the CPU makes a diving or jumping catch, or they have super human speed to get to the ball in the outfield.

Add in other ridiculous things like wild pitches in every game., far too many bad jumps for stealing, and cannon arms throwing you out...I even experienced a fly out caught up against the centerfield wall and a guy tagging from 2nd with 61 speed was thrown out at 3rd by a mile.

I look at all the ridiculous Stat grinding needed to complete just one team's TA and it's clear SDS has designed this unfun hitting to prevent the Stat grinding to quickly. Casual gamers stand zero chance of completing any one team when 80% of conquest and mini season games end 1-0.

That's the program model at SDS. There is zero thought put into this game anymore. Get HRs with 1B get Hits with LF.....over and over the same generic broad garbage.

The game needs more player and team specific missions and needs to employ the use of common, bronze and silver cards. Hell I haven't really had to use any gold cards since week 1.
The current offline programs make 90% of what you open in packs completely useless, and with the lame rewards for completing a team collection, pointless.

The retro all-star Showdown is basically designed that a 4 year old can blow through it on the first try. It's basically a participation trophy.

Moments, the most boring and monotonous game mode in video game history has to go.

I usually call out games that being back features they removed years ago and call it "New" but someone at SDS needs to go back and look at programs and team affinity from about 4 - 5 years ago and bring it back.

Veteran in showdowns and moments is way different than Veteran in conquest and play vs CPU. Just my observation and opinion

I feel like every one has 1 or 2 that are tough but there are some tips to succeed.

For starters I hope nobody worries about actually filling proper positions it means nothing.
Make sure your lineup isn't unbalanced with too many right or left handed hitters since we can't preview pitchers. As you draft new players keep balancing so in the later showdown challenges you can set the best line up when you see the pitcher you are gonna face.

The highest rated with most power isn't always the best. Good vision and decent speed is way more important.

When you first start substitute the scrubs on your bench with the highest speed guys you can. You should be able to add a few between 78 and 88 if you're lucky they'll be one in the 90s. They are great for pinch running when you need that run scored from 2nd. As you improve your team always keep at least 2 high speed guys on the bench you'll almost never need a pinch hitter so just keep 1 or 2 tops.

Always take these 3 perks in any order if you can. Eagle Eye, Hero Time, and Rally Time. From silver to diamond as you upgrade.

The above works for me in all showdowns and I've had a pretty easy go with them this year. Hope it helps.

@cardinals588_PSN said in Future Stars Showdown:

Showdowns are easy. People aren't avoiding them,just you.

What a pointless response. Wow there are a lot of narcissistic people on these forums that think their little snarky comments matter. Just because you and I find showdowns not difficult doesn't mean others don't. Plenty of people avoid them. Try stepping away from being in love with yourself and your mad skills for a few minutes and realize thousands of people of all skill levels play this game and they have a right to their opinion and views as well.

I guess whatever you have to do to fill that emptiness in your life bro.

@yankblan said in SDS admit Rookie Rigging:

I'm sorry, but no. Not hating on OP or putting him down, but if most of your games on Rookie go to extras, it ain't the game. It's either you or your TV.

How can it be me or my TV if I can score 30+ runs on 50+ hits in vs CPU? I've played this game for enough years to notice a difference

@DemIsE4_XBL said in Game is Awful:

@Ledfoot_19_PSN IMO all of the issues with this game can be summed up by 3 things: connections, servers and DDA. I highly doubt the coding in the game is that big of an issue. When those 3 things are good, the game plays great. Problem is 99% of the time, one of those are affecting the game.

Have you ever noticed that streamers rarely run into these issues? Have you noticed that most of the top players in this game are close to server cities with notoriously bad internet? Have you noticed when you are up by 4 your players run slower, get thrown out more? This is why you don't try to get extra bases or steal when you are up. That is the DDA kicking in. How about when you are up and all the sudden all your good swings are outs?

If you truly analyze everything you see without worrying about wins and losses, these issues are blaring and very noticeable. I have no intention or never will be a top 50 player in this game. I am almost 56. The game play is very bad due to those things. SDS could really make the game a much more enjoyable experience with better connections and servers.

While everything you say is valid and accurate that covers the online aspect. The offline game has become bad arcade like rather than sim. In a real MLB game you won't see the following;

I don't care how good an arm a guy has nobody is catching a ball on the right center field warning track and gunning out a guy with decent speed tagging from 2nd to 3rd by 2 feet.

You won't see a ball hit for a line drive a few feet over the pitchers head with 108 EV and 9 degree launch angle stay in the air until it reaches the centerfielders glove in mid center field.

You won't see 6 to 8 amazing highlight reel diving and jumping catches in one game.

You won't see a wild pitch per game.

You won't see pitchers throw 3 to 5 pitches 2 feet off the plate but also dot the edges of the strike zone 3 to 5 times all in the same at bat, every at bat.

You won't see players blast fat pitches right at someone 95% of the time but then blast a HR on a just late swing at a ball across their belt buckle.

Add in that for some magic reason Rookie and Veteran, maybe all difficulties are different depending on what you play. If a I play Rookie on vs CPU I've put up 30 runs a game. Play Rookie on Conquest and 7 out 10 games end 1-0. I can still strike out 7 to 8 batters every game but you won't blast the ball around like vs CPU.

DDA or RNG, whatever we want to call exists in all games and I understand it's need in sports but all to often it replaces skill and knowledge of the sport in which we are playing. Sports games inevitably take the turn down the arcade road because you can't offer much change to a sim sport and developers end up losing any care for what hardcore sports guys want. They just try and keep the kiddos and the streamers happy while finding new ways to milk wallets.

Just my opinion

What's going with fielding? My pitcher can't field a slow roller that practically goes through him, hits up the middle my SS and 2B don't move, balls to the outfield gap cause my outfielders to freeze or run the wrong way momentarily, and my first baseman fields a ball a step away from the bag but tosses it to the pitcher anyway......this is all new weird garbage. Anyone else seeing this stuff?

I opened a bunch of packs I had.

Scouting report pack: Altuve

4 Diamond Duo packs: I see that blue......Altuve

29 regular packs: I see blue again....Altuve

Pulled 3 freaking Altuve cards in 5 minutes.

I used to be strictly online but as years progressed in this game I found online to be a joke. Having a good match up and competitive game became to few and far between.
You either play someone who's really great at the game, and kudos to them, or the more often scenario, you lose to a free swinger because patience, discipline, timing, and clearly physics, mean nothing in this game. Online is all about RNG, luck, or who can exploit the issues with this game the best.
Offline used to be fun. As an older gamer I enjoyed the nostalgia of grinding stats to rip packs and collect cards but they are slowly driving us away. TA3 is a great example of how SDS is pushing us away.

We've known for years that Rookie in play vs CPU as opposed to Conquest and Mini Seasons are massively different.

I can easily put 30+ runs and 50+ hits vs any team in a 9 inning vs CPU game on Rookie but then with the same squad in Conquest or Mini Seasons on Rookie 75% of my games go to extra innings and are 1 to 2 run games with 3 to 4 hits. They clearly mess with it so you can't grind offline in those modes.

I've learned to live with that over the years but with the lack of ways to complete team affinity 3 for offline gamers it's really frustrating. Just admit Rookie, Veteran, and All-Star are one in the same in those modes.

Lol...so if anyone read earlier McCovey took me FOREVER. Easily over an hour and a half to hit 2 HR on Veteran with a 99 power hitter. Hundreds of pitches.

I'm now doing a conquest game on veteran with players lower than McCovey. I've hit 4 hr with the first six batters on a total 11 pitches.

SDS do not tell us Veteran in moments is the same Veteran in all modes.

That Showdown felt oddly easy, almost as simple as the HR Derby one. Agree with the poster who mentioned Gibsons speed changes but I only needed the 2 runs and blasted 2 solo shots in no time. Just stay away from his higher fastballs, all fly outs.

55,000 stubs with a 99% chance you'll land two 85 diamonds worth about 7,000 stubs combined. Quite the racket they have going. I sprung 25,000 on a chase pack and, like eating Taco Bell at 2am, immediately regretted it as I opened my 85 Nathan Evoldi.....but sometimes I need that reminder that I'm in an abusive relationship.

@dmc04005_PSN said in Today’s Sammy Sosa Moment:

Really you can’t get 3 hits in a game? You guys will complain about everything

Ok Mr Awesome....moments are a complete time suck and the most monotonous and boring mode in any game. The way the CPU pitching is this year you're lucky to get 1 maybe 2 good pitches to hit per at bat. So when you need 3 with an xtra base hit in a 4 maybe 5 at bat game, where you'll probably walk twice after 5 pitches 2 feet off the plate and 6 on the gray with 5 foul balls or the Perfect/Perfect at'em line drive or the fly out with 84 EV for a of corn fly out......yeah it's absurd. Good thing you're amazing and this idiocy doesn't affect you.

Lol....some of the complaints about this game can be ridiculous but the show boys that constantly defend the indefensible (not saying this thread absolutely fits that category) are absolutely hysterically embarrassing. Face it fan boys, the game has major issues and has been in steady decline for about 4 years. It still has its appeal, and if you love baseball it still can deliver at times, but it's quest for the almighty dollar and lack of ways to build on the franchise has sent it into the all to familiar arcade style game nose dive. It was inevitable and it's ok, you'll meet someone else.....

I recently posted an idiotic thread about pack odds and immediately made it inflammatory. I then went on to feed the very devolving a post like that will do. I have plenty of issues legit about this game and can even question the legitimacy of pack odds but overall its probably just a combination of total insane bad luck this year and the bizarre way the market turned early this year making packs feel unrewarding.

I let frustration get the better of me and ego drive it down hill. We all have legit complaints and all know some on the forum will fan the flames be it a loyal defender or blind hatred for the game and I don't want to be either of those. Overall the vast majority of peeps on this forum are good people with valid points, gripes, insight, and helpful tips and I'm glad to be a part of it.

Sorry to those I called out and for dragging that thread to the lowest level of social media.

Peace out 🤟

He was in the wrong thread....he was looking for "Stuck in a padded room and you can't get out of it"......hopefully he finds that soon.

For years this has been the case. Patience and good timing are not rewarded. Way too much well timed contact make outs and way too many bad swings at bad pitches make hits that defy physics. It's by design in the RNG so casual gamers have a chance, stay interested, and hopefully buy stubs. At least that's my belief.