First, that does look like a really good implementation of directional hitting. It actually adds a feature that I used all the time on MLB 2K. The directional hitting was perfect, but the devs, like most everything else they did, didn't explain s***. What made it work is that if I wanted to go the other way, then what I really needed to do, on top of choosing that direction, was wait for a pitch that let do that with more pop. If you tried to go the other way on an inside pitch, it was going to be a crap ground ball. I though of it as exactly how I hit. Hold my shoulder in to go the other way, open it up to pull it. Further, since this could be done as the pitch is on its way, I could adjust on the fly to just maximize my hit if I was not worrying about hitting behind a runner.Diablo25 wrote:I really liked what they had to say about directional hitting. At about the 11:45 mark of the video Ramone brings in two of the developers. One is named, I believe, Chris Gill and he played professionally. What he says about directional hitting (while they are demonstrating it) is spot on. This is what makes The Show sooooooo good. I love that there is a guy like this on their team. I think in previous baseaball video games directional hitting was gimmicky. This is the real s***. It is strategy. It is how you are supposed to play baseball. It is how the game is played at the highest level. I can't tell you how much situational hitting was stressed when I was with Milwaukee and it has become even more pronounced in today's MLB. I'm even more excited for 15 now.
http://www.pastapadre.com/2015/02/05/ml ... ive-stream
This is one of the reasons why the quick counts they added last year was dumbed the game down so much. How are you supposed to work the count and look for the right pitch if the game is taking those early pitches away from you. Working the count doesn't mean taking to first three or four pitches. It means being extra selective.
The biggest problem I had whenever play The Show was how utterly mindless hitting felt. So adding this in is a huge step in the right direction. But it annoys me to see them get so much credit for this when it was a staple of 2K baseball. But at least it is a feature that adds to the strategic play, and might make some guys turn off the quick counts. I get that baseball is boring to some, and they want to get straight to signing the bat, because taking pitches and fouling them off is boring, but that is the nuts and bolts of what makes baseball engaging, by forcing the opposing pitcher to work harder by avoiding pitcher's pitches.
Honestly, something as simple as this might get me to give The Show another shot. In particular, the way they shift focus is at least a smart way to get the gamer to think about what he is doing. I'm not sure why the camera has to move, since I was able to concentrate on locations just fine without it, but it if helps guys see the bigger picture, that's great.
. I've been watching all the streams. Super excited for the 31st!