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Work on some math? Maybe try to incorporate launch angles and exit velocity into your lesson plans?

It pains me that “rigged” has entered the lexicon as an accepted description for situations that got the better of you, despite having had the same opportunities as others (who succeeded without much trouble).

Granted, there are a lot of HRs hit in this game... too many for my taste, but online play isn't always about scoring gobs of runs. I mostly play ranked, so maybe it's different with BR and events, but I usually score between 3 and 4 runs a game and usually give up between 3 and 4 runs a game (I'm not very good; I think I'm 174-145 overall).

I will definitely run into goons that eventually mercy rule me, but I use those as learning opportunities to see how long I can last... try different things until you keep it in the park more often than you were at the beginning... not saying you'll eventually beat those people (I don't), but some of the things I learned that worked to prolong their getting to a 10 run lead have worked pretty well against normies.

@dbub_PSN - The A's may suck right now, but they do have 9 world titles and a pretty storied history... I don't think 5 99s is too much

Now the Giants having 7... that's a problem.

These posts make me smile… OP has very strong opinions of things he knows nothing about.

After playing nothing but timing/analog for over a couple of years, now, I actually just gave up the ghost a few weeks ago and have been playing zone… I dislike the mechanic, but I was growing tired of having to get really good luck to scrape more than 5 hits together above 700.

Face it, OP, you’re losing to players who are better than you are and you’re just grasping at excuses because you’re having a hard time coming to terms with that.

Or maybe just give the batter his R2 overlay as often as he wants and for as long as he wants, but without stopping the pitcher from proceeding. No reason why that would need to preclude the opposing player from selecting his pitch and starting his wind-up. If someone wants to study pitch locations instead of paying attention to the pitcher, let them watch strikes fly by.

Honestly, that's one of the most irritating things to me; time is not the batter's to control in that situation, and that someone can slow the pitcher's cadence until he's good and ready flies in the face of everything that is baseball.

I was just saying this… I have a cat named Captain Stubing, and he’s very stealthy. Many times a week at feeding time, my wife or I scour the house and say, with exasperation, “can’t find Captain.”

I know how you feel, OP. It’s very frustrating.

Occasionally he’s behind the couch, atop the subwoofer. But sometimes you just have to wait until he’s hungry enough and comes to you.

He’ll turn up.

@BigCastle00_PSN said in Gwynn's 3,000th Hit Celebration Program - Mission Updates:

This is actually pretty comical but typical in today’s society. A person is entitled to their opinion but as soon as they have something to say that others don’t agree with then woah, watch out.

That's a child's take. Grown ups understand that maintaining a little decorum is important. While anyone can pop off and say just about anything they'd like, however they'd like to say it, there are consequences to that. Being an a--hole to someone carries with it the consequence of people telling you you're an a--hole, or worse, but if the offended person is in a position where doing so would reflect poorly on their company, they just stop interacting.

One person being an a--hole often ruins things for everyone.

Tone matters.

@Dolenz_PSN, there's also a 91 (I think?) Rod Carew from S1... still waiting on that 99. Always been one of my favorites.

The zone interface is an FPS skill, so if these “cheaters” have all played nothing but FPS games, they’re probably really good at putting that reticle right on anything that dare come into the zone. They’re savants, and if they have Zyn logos, they’re idiot savants.

Fingers crossed for a better Rod Carew than that S1 91 card...

@unliveablechris_PSN, What he's trying to explain is that you'll see the word "legend" in the game log, but it's "legend" in the sense of a list that offers explanation.

Here's a sample log (the first instance in the first line is what I said above; you'll see the difficulty in the third block, on the second and third lines where it says "hitting difficulty" and "pitching difficulty"):

Game Log Legend
Critical Play
Run Scored
Critical Situation
Simulated Play

• Go-Ahead Play

Perfect Contact Hits (Perfect-Perfect)
Mauer: 108 mph (Mauer lined to center for a single. )
Pena: 114 mph (Pena grounded to center for a single. )
Devers: 115 mph (Devers homered to right (448 feet). 2 RBI)

Citizens Bank Park (20 ft elevation)
Hitting Difficulty is All-Star.
Pitching Difficulty is All-Star.
2024 Online Game
Maximum attendance: 33,475 (78% capacity)
Weather: 67 degrees, Clear
No Wind
Scheduled First Pitch: 7:00pm
Game Scores: 33 (Caminiti), 37 (Lopez)

@tmoneymill_PSN, how many RS games have you played using the timing interface? I've played over 200 this year, and I can tell you that what you're saying is 100% incorrect. Even on balls floated right down the middle of the plate, 99s will fail to reach safely roughly 60% of the time. Move the ball from the heart (but still in the strike zone), and you'll see that failure rate jump to about 70%. With my best cards, I'm hitting roughly .300 to .330, homering about once every 15 ABs through hundreds of plate appearances. Good zone players make those stats look pathetic.

It's more difficult to succeed while hitting when using the timing interface (more so when you use analog). If it was easier to succeed, then everyone would use it.

I often will switch to zone for moments when a homerun is required--or even temporarily in RS games when someone is spamming locations--because it seems that if you put that [censored] reticle anywhere near the ball and time it well, you've got a coin-flip's chance of a home run. For giggles, I played an RS game this morning using zone (I was around 630 and my opponent a little lower, I think), and it was much of the same; I didn't set the world on fire, but I hit 3 HR and 2 more perfect/perfects that each hit the wall on a screaming line drive.

While it may be difficult to line up the PCI and point the batter's eyes at the ball using zone (which is really a dumb mechanic, when you think about it), that thing is far more forgiving than both timing and directional.

That's an advantage.

@virusts_XBL, I think thats more true with directional than it is with timing, as I can hit the corners just fine (though I suspect analog input has something to do with that in allowing a taste of placement control).

I’d played about 500 RS games using directional in 2020 alone and it was definitely the case that I only had success over the heart. Now I just need to react quickly enough and so long as I angle my swing stick correctly, I can hit pitches in the corners. Less success with that on HOF levels, but still possible if I’m patient and work counts.

But everyone is correct that it has a lower ceiling because random chance limits success, even when well timed. The ceiling for a good zone player is much higher.

OP might want to consider it since he’s struggling so much with zone.

“Much like the secret service BS”?

@Cubsfan217_XBL, yeah, but I can't complain too much... considering the state of the franchise, the A's have had more than their share of decent cards so far.

A's fan... Rooker's had a hell of a 1st half: .290 avg, 22HR, 67RBI (I didn't realize the A's had put 45 on base this year). Just a 75 Live Series.

Was already running a Twins team, so just kept doing my thing to get that Mauer card pretty quick... just swapped my S1 Wild Card Mauer for the rookie after moments. That HOF card is pretty nice with the extra 15 power from each side (rest already at max)... always loved Mauer's swing, and he's an absolute monster with that boost... not that he needs it.

No interest in the others, so if they happen organically while I'm playing, great.

@SaveFarris_PSN, understand your point, but to not consider Santana better than those on your list because of career WAR stats is a bit harsh, if not misguided.

Injuries ended his career far too soon, so he didn't get much of a chance to accumulate WAR stats. His 45.6 did edge out Addie Joss's 33.9, though, and Joss (with far better stats but even less time to accumulate WAR stats before dying from meningitis) is in the HOF.

Johan's 2004 season alone should net him that 99, OP's hyperbole aside.

@Dolenz_PSN, it may very well be that you'd just prefer to do this from the game itself (that would be great), but you can do this from the companion app; go to Inventory, filters, then select Ownership, and Dupes from the drop down. Show the results, and only cards with duplicates will show... give a long press on a card, touch Quick Sell, and you'll see an option to "Quick Sell (however many you have) Dupes for (whatever the total is).