MLB 16 The Show

[sportdan30]

Played a day game yesterday at AT&T Ballpark in San Fran, with all the pitching and hitting displays off (strike zone, batter feedback, etc). Wow, what a gorgeous game this is!

If you haven't experimented with offset zoom when batting, give it a try. It really provides a really cool perspective of almost being in the batter's box. Plus, I found I was able to lay off some pitches out of the zone I normally would swing at.

My son added ESPN's Baseball Tonight theme for the pre-game along with some batter walk-up music, and we're trying to find the right music for the mid and end of inning. It really adds to the overall presentation.

[TCrouch]

If you haven't experimented with offset zoom when batting, give it a try. It really provides a really cool perspective of almost being in the batter's box. Plus, I found I was able to lay off some pitches out of the zone I normally would swing at.

Thanks for this, I'll have to try it. Normally I can play a game and "figure it out" enough to be good at it. With baseball, I've always got this problem:

I can either see WHERE the pitch is, or HOW FAST the pitch is--never both. My brother and I can play some couch-vs. games in The Show (he's a big baseball nut but not a big gaming nut), and it's always "swing at fastballs, and then also swing at curveballs that drop into the dirt....wash, rinse, repeat".

I can NEVER tell which pitch is coming, how to recognize the differences, or where the damned thing is going. I mean, I can tell the basics, like when a pitch has a little arc to it, but at that point, I can't tell how quickly it's coming at me, so if it's a fastball, it's burned by me before I even know what's going on.

My thought was "hell, I'll set this to beginner and see how it goes" and that's the polar opposite. They don't throw anything but fastballs, and nothing but strikes. So that's like buying an Aprilia race ready bike and then putting training wheels on it.

Long story short, I've been struggling to figure out which camera to use for hitting, because I can tell there's a game that I can really have a ton of fun with, and the analog swing helped me some. But what I realized is that 'beginner' is what helped me the most. Even back on Easy or whatever it is, I still can't consistently see what's going on when batting.

So, thanks. I'll try the offset zoom.

[sportdan30]

Well, I've always used the default camera angle, which sets the perspective a few feet behind the plate. For me, it's always been difficult to see the break on pitches, or determine the pitches that sink in the strike zone, until it's too late (especially change ups). I'm a decent fast ball hitter and that's what I usually key on, and have had some moderate success. With this angle though, you can really get a sense of a curve ball, but also pick up on where the pitch is going a bit earlier than the default camera angle. Now, you may need to turn down the pitch speed a little, because you are closer to the batter's box. The view itself puts you closer to the action, which I find to be really cool.

Have you tried adjusting the difficulty to dynamic? It starts you on Rookie, but there are different levels within each difficulty. It progresses steadily, but depending on how you're doing in that particular game, it may become easier or harder. For example, I tee'd off on the Brewer's third starter for 12 runs on dynamic difficulty. It felt too easy. I was still on Rookie, but moving ever so quickly towards Veteran. My next game was against the ace from the Marlins, Fernandez. I figured I'd have just as much success because, "hey, it's on Rookie....he'll throw a lot of meatballs." Well, he mixed up his pitches and threw more pitches out of the strike zone, keeping me off balance. I was only able to muster a couple runs through 7 innings. So, a lot also has to do with the quality of pitcher you're facing. Once you find that happy medium on dynamic difficulty, you can freeze it so it no longer moves up and down depending on how you're fairing.

[TCrouch]

It was on dynamic to start with, and that's where I was sh*tty. Now, granted--I know that in baseball, hitting .400 is not exactly normal. But when I'd go 1 for 4, or have an 0 for 5 night because I had no idea how to predict or see a pitch, I got frustrated with it. I never felt like I had the tools I needed to succeed, which is where I went digging in the options. I've always used the default camera before, as well, so I can try this to see if it helps at all. Adjusting a pitch speed slider may be the thing to look at, as well.

The problem with my dynamic is it couldn't go any easier and I was still not sure why I was succeeding, or why I was failing. That, to me, is what amounts to frustration. If you can freeze the Dynamic difficulty, that's a good thing. When I moved it to beginner, I'm hitting like 5 for 5 and getting almost the full round trip with my RTTS player in a lot of games. Single, double, triple, HR. So finding that happy medium where I have to work for it, yet know WHY I'm doing better, will help.

A lot of good tips for a noob, thanks!

[TCrouch]

I tried the offset zoom at lunch, and it's quite a bit better. Naturally, you still can't see the outside edge as well as you would like, because I'm not sure how that would even be possible as offset. But then it at least presents a realistic "is it on the corner or not?" dilemma.

I forced a ton of 2-2 counts at lunch, and I usually go 0-2 right away. So that was awesome. I got struck out looking when a pitch hit the outside corner, but that got me to thinking...

When Playstation VR launches, how UNREAL will that be, if you had a first person view? Talk about being in the batter's box.

[snaz16]

I didn't think there was a whole lot to improve upon , but they did. Easily the most enjoyable game of the series to date. They absolutely nailed the lighting. And the addition of the classic ballparks are sweet. Hope they add some more down the road. I played S.F. and Cincy in their throwbacks at Crosley Field with clear skies at 7pm in April. What a thing of beauty.

[Diablo25]

For those struggling with hitting...it may sound pretty basic but you must watch for the ball right out of the pitchers hand. If you don't look at the release point you will struggle. First thing I do when facing a new pitcher is find his exact release point and look right at that spot when the ball is a delivered. It you just try and "pick it up" you will struggle.

Oh and the game is the tits

[TCrouch]

For those struggling with hitting...it may sound pretty basic but you must watch for the ball right out of the pitchers hand.

GAME.

CHANGER.

Yes, it does sound basic, and yes, it seems like common sense. At first I thought I was doing this...but then I realized I'm not watching the exact location where it's leaving his hand. I was watching the pitcher, the flight of the ball, all sorts of things (and usually different things from pitch to pitch), and after reading this, I played about 5 innings at lunch, and before starting, I set it back to the 'default' camera that I tried playing on to start--that fishey thing. I figured if it worked for so many people, there must be a way to tell what's going on, and applying this one little bit of advice:

I walked 4 times (I usually go four GAMES without a walk!).
I struck out only twice (once when I thought the ball was high and out of the zone, and once swinging at slider).
I ripped a triple and two doubles.
I scored an early run.

Now, I took your advice and then applied it to the strike zone...seeing how far over the "top" of the box his release point was, and suddenly I was seeing those "high" fastballs much, much better. I get bit on a few curve balls that start high and then drop out, but it was after you gave this advice that everything "clicked". I could even paint imaginary lines from that point to each corner of the zone, and then I might be expecting something low and inside, and if the ball's path is "inside" of that line to the inside corner, it was suddenly starting to make sense how to see where a ball is heading.

Thank you SO MUCH, man. Absolutely world-changing advice for somebody like me, who apparently didn't even know the basics of baseball

[Diablo25]

For those struggling with hitting...it may sound pretty basic but you must watch for the ball right out of the pitchers hand.

GAME.

CHANGER.

Yes, it does sound basic, and yes, it seems like common sense. At first I thought I was doing this...but then I realized I'm not watching the exact location where it's leaving his hand. I was watching the pitcher, the flight of the ball, all sorts of things (and usually different things from pitch to pitch), and after reading this, I played about 5 innings at lunch, and before starting, I set it back to the 'default' camera that I tried playing on to start--that fishey thing. I figured if it worked for so many people, there must be a way to tell what's going on, and applying this one little bit of advice:

I walked 4 times (I usually go four GAMES without a walk!).
I struck out only twice (once when I thought the ball was high and out of the zone, and once swinging at slider).
I ripped a triple and two doubles.
I scored an early run.

Now, I took your advice and then applied it to the strike zone...seeing how far over the "top" of the box his release point was, and suddenly I was seeing those "high" fastballs much, much better. I get bit on a few curve balls that start high and then drop out, but it was after you gave this advice that everything "clicked". I could even paint imaginary lines from that point to each corner of the zone, and then I might be expecting something low and inside, and if the ball's path is "inside" of that line to the inside corner, it was suddenly starting to make sense how to see where a ball is heading.

Thank you SO MUCH, man. Absolutely world-changing advice for somebody like me, who apparently didn't even know the basics of baseball

I've been there dude. Sometimes I find myself getting lazy and just trying to pick it up in the air and i end up just hacking at everything. That's when I take a step back and tell myself to find the release point . If the hitting background is good you can really pick things up well.

In real ball when I was playing and struggling at the plate I'd think it was something mechanical. Sometimes it was but a lot of the time it wasn't. One of the best pieces of hitting advice I ever got in the minors was from Ron Jackson who was the roving hitting instructor for the Brewers. He was the big league hitting coach for the Red Sox in 2004 when they won the World Series. He simply told me, dude, it looks like you aren't seeing the ball. He told me to soft focus on the pitcher until release and then hard focus on the release point and try and see right out of his fingers. It sounds elementary but it totally changed my career. I just applied it to The Show . Glad it was a help. Enjoy raking

[10spro]

Loving the game. I am averaging about 8-10 hits a game on exhibitions game mainly. The fish eye camera angle just suits me like a glove. In years past, I would custom make my own zoom camera angle but I have not touched anything else in 16. Online games are still a bit laggy especially when you make contact with the ball as I played a couple of Dynasty games.

My weakness is not so much the hitting department, but trying to steal. L1 doesn't always take a step forward for me and when it does I get caught at times.


There are still a couple of head scratchers decisions by the AI at times though. Check this play out after I break my bat and the 1st baseman inexplicably walks off the bag.

[Diablo25]

I like the Fish Eye cam but my favorite is "The Show 16" cam. Loving the game.

[snaz16]

I like the Fish Eye cam but my favorite is "The Show 16" cam. Loving the game.

Same for me , just dropped the camera a notch or 2 for a better perspective on the low pitch.

[TCrouch]

I'll reiterate what a game changer that was for me. I created a fictional SS and started a RTTS over again with Dynamic Difficulty set. I did alright in the batting evaluation and messed up a couple of times in the fielding evaluation. But I did well in the showcase games, and they told me I'd be an early round pick.

I got selected 14th overall by the Rays, and sent to their AA club the Biscuits (really?!?!?). I proceeded to play TWENTY FIVE GAMES of this in RTTS mode last night for the Biscuits, and I was doing well, and most importantly knowing why I was doing well or why I was screwing up. Difficulty kept adjusting northward slightly, but it never got unmanageable. After 25 games I was hitting .389, 4 HR and 12RBI (had a grand slam home run in one game, and a walk-off homer in another, despite playing a SS with no power to start the year).

Suddenly I got "the call", and got moved up to AAA. I've played RTTS off and on for years, but never got called up. Pathetic, I know!

I am now playing for the Durham Bulls (my God, I thought that was a fake team for the movie), and in my first couple of games, I struggled. I think I was hitting .168, 1 RBI...not good. I was afraid of getting sent back down. The pitchers just used different techniques. In AA, they weren't throwing a massive difference of offspeed and fastballs, or sinkers that dropped out of the zone, etc. It was an eye opener.

Then in the last few games of the night, I started being more patient and went 3 for 4 with a triple and two doubles, 4 RBI in the last game. Of course it was so late I had to go to bed, but I've never played that many games of baseball in my life. 25 for the AA club and another 5 or 6 for the AAA club.

So, again....thanks, Diablo.

[Danimal]

I was wondering if someone could do me a favor? I decided not to purchase the game this year because frankly I grew up playing baseball games on the PC and I never finish a season on the PS4.

Well with the announcement today that this weeks PS4 update will have PC remote play I'm thinking of changing my mind. Could someone test this out and see how it works when the update is out? I would really appreciate it.

[sportdan30]

I was wondering if someone could do me a favor? I decided not to purchase the game this year because frankly I grew up playing baseball games on the PC and I never finish a season on the PS4.

Well with the announcement today that this weeks PS4 update will have PC remote play I'm thinking of changing my mind. Could someone test this out and see how it works when the update is out? I would really appreciate it.

I'll be testing this out on the Mac. If there is any kind of issue with regards to lag or response time, batting will be a problem. Correct me if I'm mistaken, but I think the remote play only displays in 720p on the PC and Mac.

[dbdynsty25]

Why would anyone want to play a game remotely on their PC at a severely reduced resolution (likely you're PC display is way higher than your TV) w/ even the slightest bit of lag is beyond me.

Dan's...what is the big advantage of it? I can see playing on your phone or tablet when you're away from your console, but on a PC/Mac?

[sportdan30]

I don't see myself using this feature except for the initial "wow, this pretty cool". My son will most likely use it far more than I will with his WWE 2K16 game. We do have the PS4 in the basement, so being able to play the PS4 on the second level would be nice, but again I think I'll become frustrated with the lack of response/lag.

[Danimal]

Why would anyone want to play a game remotely on their PC at a severely reduced resolution (likely you're PC display is way higher than your TV) w/ even the slightest bit of lag is beyond me.

Dan's...what is the big advantage of it? I can see playing on your phone or tablet when you're away from your console, but on a PC/Mac?

I honestly can't explain it. I can't get through baseball games on the console. Back in the High Heat Days or MVP days I could rip off 5-10 games a night. I get bored playing one game on the console, it takes forever to play.

I've played Madden on the PC through XB1 remote play with no issues although I prefer to play it on the XB1. I prefer NBA on the PC but that is native or at least a port.

I wish I could give you a logical reason, perhaps I'm just over baseball games idk.

Having said that I haven't turned either console on in over a month.

[10spro]

I have been playing exclusively Diamond Dynasty the last couple of days. Mode is damn addicting trying to complete challenges while playing Battle Royale and Conquest. The drafting of players on BR is cool as you will get some Gold players eventually but should you lose two games online, you're out and have to spend another 1500 stubs to get another crack at it.

Tried Conquest today and the only difference is that you won't face the server issues that's been plaguing Sony here and there and you're facing real MLB teams. With my early crappy team I managed to go 1-1 with the Royals. Every time you win, you get a pack I believe. Can't quite understand 'Capture' yet, as you're trying to get more fans to support your team?

Does anyone know if I can edit the jerseys of my team in DD once the season started? I just can't seem to find that feature.

And Speaking of online issues, this announcement from the developers takes some of the frustrations I experienced this week.



Every season, there’s nothing we look forward to more than finally getting a new version of MLB The Show into our fans’ hands. We spend our offseason striving to make the best baseball game possible, aided by an amazing community that buoys us with their support and terrific feedback.

The Show 16 is the culmination of all of that, a labor of love for all of us, and while we’re proud of everything we put in the package this year, our initial online experience has been inconsistent.

We apologize that the excitement of launch and the start of the season has been soured by these issues. Our team is taking every step necessary and working around the clock to stabilize our online servers as soon as possible.

In acknowledgment of the frustration these issues have caused, if you’ve played The Show 16 while connected to PlayStation Network before 1 pm PDT, Friday, April 8, we’re adding 5,000 stubs and 10 standard packs to your account. Stubs will show up automatically by Tuesday, April 12; no redemption required. Packs can be accessed in the “Open Packs” section by Tuesday, April 12 (via “Main Menu > My Locker > Inventory > Open Packs”).

To those of you who’ve reached out to us during this week, and to the many more who we haven’t heard from but who may have been affected, we extend our endless thanks and appreciation for your patience and ongoing support.

[Diablo25]

I have been playing exclusively Diamond Dynasty the last couple of days. Mode is damn addicting trying to complete challenges while playing Battle Royale and Conquest. The drafting of players on BR is cool as you will get some Gold players eventually but should you lose two games online, you're out and have to spend another 1500 stubs to get another crack at it.

Tried Conquest today and the only difference is that you won't face the server issues that's been plaguing Sony here and there and you're facing real MLB teams. With my early crappy team I managed to go 1-1 with the Royals. Every time you win, you get a pack I believe. Can't quite understand 'Capture' yet, as you're trying to get more fans to support your team?

Does anyone know if I can edit the jerseys of my team in DD once the season started? I just can't seem to find that feature.

And Speaking of online issues, this announcement from the developers takes some of the frustrations I experienced this week.



Every season, there’s nothing we look forward to more than finally getting a new version of MLB The Show into our fans’ hands. We spend our offseason striving to make the best baseball game possible, aided by an amazing community that buoys us with their support and terrific feedback.

The Show 16 is the culmination of all of that, a labor of love for all of us, and while we’re proud of everything we put in the package this year, our initial online experience has been inconsistent.

We apologize that the excitement of launch and the start of the season has been soured by these issues. Our team is taking every step necessary and working around the clock to stabilize our online servers as soon as possible.

In acknowledgment of the frustration these issues have caused, if you’ve played The Show 16 while connected to PlayStation Network before 1 pm PDT, Friday, April 8, we’re adding 5,000 stubs and 10 standard packs to your account. Stubs will show up automatically by Tuesday, April 12; no redemption required. Packs can be accessed in the “Open Packs” section by Tuesday, April 12 (via “Main Menu > My Locker > Inventory > Open Packs”).

To those of you who’ve reached out to us during this week, and to the many more who we haven’t heard from but who may have been affected, we extend our endless thanks and appreciation for your patience and ongoing support.

Editing jerseys/logos etc. is in the "SQUAD" screen of the Diamond Dynasty screens...bottom right corner. Customizations or something. In there will be all your logos, unis, etc.

[10spro]

I'll check it out Diablo. I know you said something similar during our Ice Dragon's games but with everyone talking sometimes, I forget. Maybe we can hook up soon with our DD teams.

[Jimmydeicide]

Thats cos we are playing Hockey not Fuking softball

[10spro]

Thats cos we are playing Hockey not Fuking softball

Bite me b!tch.

[Jimmydeicide]

Do you want me to put my Elton John glasses on?

[Diablo25]

Thats cos we are playing Hockey not Fuking softball

Piss off Jimmy!