MVP Impressions

[NoJoke]

I have the exact opposite problem. I think in about 35 games played on Pro and All-Star, I've hit maybe three homeruns. And none reached 400 feet. I'm just gonna keep practicing until opening day rosters come out and then I'll start a dynasty. But if I can't figure it out by then, I may check out everyone's MLB 2006 feedback. I just like playing baseball on the computer, but the GUI here does lessen that a bit.

Is there a concensus (sp?) on how to hit yet? I've seen so many different explanations over at OS that I don't know if anyone knows what they are talking about.

[Leebo33]

Is the stick "pressure sensitive" on swings or is a slight uppercut swing the same as having the stick pressed all the way up to the top?

I like the concept of "variable stuff", but I'm not sure they executed it properly. I had Lieber on the mound and I was nailing the meter, mixing up my pitches, throwing balls out of the strike zone, etc. and I gave up 7 runs in 3 innings. During his next start I wasn't nearly as good and he pitched 7 shutout innings. I think I may turn it off.

[matthewk]

There are just too many home runs in MVP 2005 on ALL STAR level. I even tried putting the Human batting power slider at -10 and still hit too many home runs. I am going to start playing on MVP level and tweak sliders as needed. IF I find some good sliders for MVP level I may post them.

What is this the 10th time you've stated this? WE GET IT ALREADY!! You hit too many HRs in MVP. Take DBs advice and move the user power slider down to -50.

[matthewk]

I have the exact opposite problem. I think in about 35 games played on Pro and All-Star, I've hit maybe three homeruns. And none reached 400 feet. I'm just gonna keep practicing until opening day rosters come out and then I'll start a dynasty. But if I can't figure it out by then, I may check out everyone's MLB 2006 feedback. I just like playing baseball on the computer, but the GUI here does lessen that a bit.

Is there a concensus (sp?) on how to hit yet? I've seen so many different explanations over at OS that I don't know if anyone knows what they are talking about.

There is one great thread at OS about how hitting works in MVP (Sorry, don;t have the link...too lazy to find it right now). I can't remember they guy's name, but he has a Mattingly avatar. He had the best explaination of MVP hitting I have read.

Until this year I never "got it" with respsect to MVPs hitting system. It feels like they tweaking it from last year, and now I am finally enjoying hitting in MVP. I had problems hitting HRs on Pro level (1 every 2 games), but my last few games I have come close to 1 per game, and I am getting more balls deep than I was early on.

My plan for hitting was to avoid using the stick 90% of the time until I got my timing down. Taking pitches is also VERY important, even if you let some strikes blow by you. In games where I was patient I ended up seeing better pitches to hit. When I swung at everything I thought was close to a strike, I swear the CPU picked up on this and avoided giving me good strikes to hit.

BTW, I have hit HRs without using the stick at all, and I even hit one pressing down and going for a low slider. Pressing up helps, but it is not the only way to hit HRs this year. I usually use the stick in situations with runners on base. Say you have a runner on second with less than 2 outs. I sometimes try and hit to the 1st base side by pressing the stick that direction and down in order to try and advance the guy on 2nd to 3rd. It doesn't always work (which it shouldn't) but it does mimic real baseball where guys will try and advance runners.

[Brando70]

The hitting thread at OS is pretty helpful -- Skyboxer was the name of the OS user who posted, I think.

This is all personal opinion/observation, but hitting seems to be a timing-based system influenced by pitch and bat location. The timing is the most important part. If you swing away but are real early, you will still pull the ball. If you swing down but time it right, you have a good chance of driving the ball, not necessarily on the ground.

You can hit without moving the stick, as long as the pitch is in the zone more or less. So if you're struggling, it's likely because you're not judging pitch speed correctly. Most of my SOs are from swinging too early or late. Try hitting without moving the stick, just to get a sense of when you make contact.

Then, I find going with the pitch usually gives you the hardest hit balls. The one exception I've found are horizontally breaking pitches like sliders, you can pull those even if they are breaking away from you if you time it right (and aim properly).

The wild card in this is that you can move the stick one way and hit balls located in the opposite location. I cranked a low change up with Aramis Ramierez by pushing up. I am not sure when this works. I think it's a combination of hitting ability, hot zones, and pitch.

[Leebo33]

I had a rash of injuries last night at both the minor and major league level and allowing the CPU to optimize my minor league rosters did not hose up my major league roster.

[Bill_Abner]

I had a rash of injuries last night at both the minor and major league level and allowing the CPU to optimize my minor league rosters did not hose up my major league roster.

Yeah I figured out how to do that. Well, actually Todd did. This isn't as bad as I first assumed. Still, I think the Optimize button needs to be more configurable, but at least injuries don't wonk up the whole organization now.

And yes Dan we can agree on that. MVP is pretty good on the field (I still think hitting is unsatisfying at times..but pitching is a lot of fun) but off the field it's extremely mediocre.

[webdanzer]

I think the batting/pitching interface is the worst aspect of MVP on the field, and that's unfortunate because to me it's the most important part of baseball. It puts dampers on what otherwise is an amazing game.

I'm having a hard time enjoying a hitting system where you really don't know what you are supposed to do to get the results you want. Say it's two outs, bottom of the ninth, bases loaded, you're down by three. You really want to hit that homerun. 3-2 pitch, it's centered low in the strikezone. Say that's a hot area. In MVP, what do you do? Hit up? Yeah, that increases the chances of a fly ball. Hit down? Well, you do get a power boost for going with the pitch, and I've hit HR's this way before.

(In zone hitting, BTW, you'd push down and hope for the best. In cursor hitting, you'd line up your cursor's sweet spot just beneath and maybe to the pull side of the pitch. If the pitch is low, go lower. Cursor hitting BY FAR gives you the most influence on what happens next, and I can't understand why with the outcry of folks wanting more user influence over pitching, everyone is happy to cede that up at the plate. But I digress)

And I'm starting to get upset with a pitching system that I previously thought was pretty darn good. To pitch effectively, all you need to do is stay low in the zone and hit the release point. The risk reward is usually too great to bother going high, and there really seems to be no need in the 'set-up' pitch. I'm coming off a string of high strikeout low cpu scoring games where all I did was stay low. It's all about hitting your release.

Basically, while the game is still enjoyable, I've hit a win streak now and gotten good results(on MVP and ALL-STAR) by simply hitting high, pitching low.

[dbdynsty25]

I think the batting/pitching interface is the worst aspect of MVP on the field, and that's unfortunate because to me it's the most important part of baseball. It puts dampers on what otherwise is an amazing game.

Absofreakinlutely. I pretty much hate the pitching system but I'm getting by knowing that the rest of the game is so good. I am eagerly awaiting mlb 2006 because I know you can turn the stupid meter off and still get some variability to your pitches. Hopefully that will completely satisfy me, instead of MVP leaving me out to dry with some blue balls.

[Leebo33]

MVP leaving me out to dry with some blue balls.

[dbdynsty25]

The disc hole isn't small enough...what did you think I meant?

[Brando70]

I think what DB is saying is that when you buy MLB 2006, you get a free handjob. That is a great selling point, they should remember to put that on the back of the case. However, I am dubious of a baseball game that doesn't know what year it is

I'm not quite sure what to say about the meter. It is precise if you it the green spot. On default difficulty, it's fairly easy for most regular gamers to do. But when you adjust that slider, it does get considerably harder, and your pitches will then vary if you miss the meter area.

I agree that the hitting interface to MVP is its weakest link. But having said that, I don't think it's bad. To answer Web's question, I'm probably pushing down on that pitch, thinking I want to make the best contact. But others could probably still push up and hit it. Maybe that's what's interesting -- there is no right answer?

I would prefer Sega's True Swing, I think it's great, but now you can't have one button hitting in MLB 2k5. My experience with two button swing interfaces is that, once you get really good at the game, you can abuse the power swing too much.

[TheGamer]

"I would prefer Sega's True Swing, I think it's great, but now you can't have one button hitting in MLB 2k5. My experience with two button swing interfaces is that, once you get really good at the game, you can abuse the power swing too much."


Actually all you have to do on MLB 2k5 is increase the batting power slider and you have 1 button hitting with the contact button. I've hit several homers. and the dribblers in the infield are turning into line drives to the outfield.

[Bill_Abner]

"I would prefer Sega's True Swing, I think it's great, but now you can't have one button hitting in MLB 2k5. My experience with two button swing interfaces is that, once you get really good at the game, you can abuse the power swing too much."


Actually all you have to do on MLB 2k5 is increase the batting power slider and you have 1 button hitting with the contact button. I've hit several homers. and the dribblers in the infield are turning into line drives to the outfield.

Brad is there a way to fix the pitcher snagging every damn ball hit up the middle in 2k5? Is there an answer to this aside from editing ratings?

[TheGamer]

I believe the key is in the batting contact and batting power sliders. after I increased the batting power and decreased contact, I saw more hard hit balls up the middle either passed the pitcher or ricochets off the pitchers glove or body..at first I saw a lot of homeruns with the contact swing so I decreased the contact slider, increased pitch speed and variability, and I got a large variaty of hits, including routine grounders, dinks to the outfield, line drives in the hole, and straight up the middle passed the pitcher and SS & 2B.

[dbdynsty25]

Just so we can do a super bump...check out this cool writeup on Grantland about the modding community keeping MVP Baseball alive on the PC. So awesome. Need to try this when I get home tonight.

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/mvp-b ... deo-games/

[Danimal]

That's a fantastic read, thanks DB

[Brando70]

Thanks for posting that, DB, amazing what those modding groups are doing.