MLB 2K9 Official Thread of 360 owners fingers crossed

Gangrel · Post by **Gangrel** » Fri Mar 20, 2009 11:43 am

Hey, we're getting a patch, and hopefully it improves things. If it does, it will make the game more fun for me. I'm having fun now, but I still have moments of "this could be so much better."

Hey, if anyone dislikes the game that much, they could join this guy on the 2k boards and send a certified letter to Bud Selig....

http://www.2ksports.com/forums/showthread.php?t=212986

ansonlee · Post by **ansonlee** » Fri Mar 20, 2009 12:11 pm

Baseball games are flavor of the month games since not much comes out in march. I am done with this game until oct. I like the game but can't see myself playing 9 innings on the couch with the weather getting better.

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Fri Mar 20, 2009 12:40 pm

The modders just released Yankee Stadium and Arlington Park.

Teal · Post by **Teal** » Fri Mar 20, 2009 12:42 pm

Gangrel wrote:Hey, we're getting a patch, and hopefully it improves things. If it does, it will make the game more fun for me. I'm having fun now, but I still have moments of "this could be so much better."

Hey, if anyone dislikes the game that much, they could join this guy on the 2k boards and send a certified letter to Bud Selig....

http://www.2ksports.com/forums/showthread.php?t=212986

god, that guy's mom needs to kick him out of the basement, and tell him to go get a real life.

Gangrel · Post by **Gangrel** » Fri Mar 20, 2009 12:42 pm

See, even though I am busy during the summers, I love having a baseball game to play. Perhaps I'm showing my age, but I like to have, on a rainy night, or some night I want to relax, a game where I can sit back, relax, sip a coffee or beer in between pitches, and enjoy a game.

That's why I hope the patch improves things, so I can do this. Heck, even with it's flaws, I played a lot of 2k8 last year for this very reason, and my MVP 05 disc on my PC must have laser marks for the over-use!

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Fri Mar 20, 2009 2:59 pm

Here are some screenshots of Citi Field.

sportdan30 · Post by **sportdan30** » Fri Mar 20, 2009 4:00 pm

Wow. Those are beautiful screen shots.

MizzouRah · Post by **MizzouRah** » Sat Mar 21, 2009 12:05 pm

Can't wait for the patch.. at least it sounds like it's coming close to opening day.. or at least not much past it.

I hate it when a sports season has been going on for awhile and then a game gets patched.

I still don't see an issue with the 1b coming off the bag playing with the Cardinals and Pujols.. the only time he has come off is when the meter is in the red.. pretty realistic to me.

I also love how a hard throw (maxxed) can result into an over throw.

Gangrel · Post by **Gangrel** » Sat Mar 21, 2009 12:18 pm

I think the 1b glitch seems to happen mostly with button throwers, and not right stick throwers... at least it seems to be the consenus.

pigpen81 · Post by **pigpen81** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 9:51 am

greggsand wrote:
pigpen81 wrote:I am getting a lot of disc read errors lately.

I hope the 2nd patch helps.
Just rip it to the HD??? That'll cure all disc errors.

OK..I am back in town.

I cleared space on the HD to install the game onto it...but.....every time I get to 26%, I get the Dirty Disc Error message.

I can't even burn the game to the HD.

Should I go and exchange the disc?

If I cannot play this game...or if my 2nd 360 is going down the toilet.....I am going to blow a gasket

MizzouRah · Post by **MizzouRah** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 11:11 am

That sucks pigpen.. can you install any other games you have?

pigpen81 · Post by **pigpen81** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 11:43 am

FIFA 09 installed to the HD...no problem.

I will exchange the game shortly...and pray that it works/installs.

I actually, REALLY like this game despite the complaints.

pigpen81 · Post by **pigpen81** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 2:06 pm

Gamecrazy cleaned the disc, and I was able to install it on the HD.

I am a happy camper

MizzouRah · Post by **MizzouRah** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 8:12 pm

pigpen81 wrote:Gamecrazy cleaned the disc, and I was able to install it on the HD.

I am a happy camper

Good for you!

Gangrel · Post by **Gangrel** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 10:38 pm

Two questions....

Does attendance ever change? I just started two games, and my beloved Nats had the exact same attendance for the 2nd game. (I was curious adn wrote it down from the first one)

Also, does anyone know what "Smart Hold" does? Does it make your runner dive back to the bag automatically?

I might turn it off, to see if it fixes the baserunning....

I had Dukes on second, pop fly is caught. I think I started him towards 3rd, then sent him back. Once he was on second, he takes off for third again? ( I may have hit the right stick, I'm not sure) He doesn't get tagged, and slides back into second safely. Then, proceeds ro run AGAIN towards thirdt. I am pretty certain this time I didn't touch anything... and he did it on his own.

Needless to say, he was out.

The second wacky baserunning glitch I've seen.......

greggsand · Post by **greggsand** » Mon Mar 23, 2009 1:38 am

Latest update from 2k:

"Hey all from the cold United Kingdom,
I wanted to give you more details about Patch 2 as they have been passed to me. The patch is almost ready for submission as the final tweaks are being made. From there, it must go through the proper approvals which puts it a minimum of two weeks out. But I did want to share JUST A FEW (read NOT ALL) of the things it will address:

AI Agressiveness
Home Run Totals
Fly balls in the outfield tweaked so ghastly fielding errors will be a thing of the past
1st baseman stepping off bag has been tweaked
Issues with the pitch overlay hud
Fixed pickoffs, especially to 2nd base
Roster issues as it pertains to subsituting pitchers and bench

There is more news to come, but wanted to share at least these fixes with you. Thanks!"

MizzouRah · Post by **MizzouRah** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 1:59 am

Won my first game on legend default. There is alot to like about this game.. my game had 4 errors.. tons of hit variety, and overall.. just a fun game.

I had to put Rasmus in the game becuase Ludwig was horrible in the field. Rasmus went on to hit 2-5 with a HR and two RBI's.

I won 11-8, but it felt so realistic.

Gangrel · Post by **Gangrel** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 5:12 pm

I've actually played my last two games on All Star defaults, with only tweaks to some of the pitching sliders. It's been pretty fun as well.

I just want the patch to come out so we can then do some real tweaking......

edit: sigh... i really hope they fix the fielding in this patch.

I just had two separate "uhmmmmm" moments in one game.

One where my CF is heading down towards the ball, then for some unknown reaoson, hits a forcefield, angling away from the ball before regaining control and heading due south again.

Then, my RF is heading across the screen on a fly ball, does a "hitch" about 10 feet away from the ball that slows him one step, which then... you guessed it, made him one step away from catching the ball a second later.......

It's like those hits HAD to happen, so they just moved the fielders out of the way.

pigpen81 · Post by **pigpen81** » Sat Mar 28, 2009 2:13 am

I posted this on my OS Blog:

My Personal Thanks to the MLB 2K9 Team
Posted on March 28, 2009 at 06:05 AM.
(0) [Comments]

Baseball games have been my fondest love in gaming since Microleague Baseball on the Commodore 64. I remember when I first saw the add for it. I was heading home from a Dodger game when I was around 13...and there was this add in the back of the Dodger game day program...Microleague Baseball...complete with screenshots...I was in heaven.

I then moved on to Hardball a couple of years later...then the classic Nintendo machine with the Bases Loaded and Baseball Stars series......pure heaven at the time.

I have played every series on every system since then, including the venerable High Heat on the PC...and my personal fav as most underrated baseball game of all time, the VR baseball series on the PS1.

Anyway, with the advent of the next gen consoles, I finally feel I have a baseball game worthy of next gen...(please, don't tell me about MLB 09...I don't own a PS3 and I have played that game for around 5 years on the PS2...terrific game...but stale IMO..and I don't have the money to purchase a PS3 for it.)

MLB2K9 on my 360 is almost everything I have been looking for in a baseball game.

My demo:

37 years old, married, 2 children
All-Star default
Zone Hitting
No Inside Edge

I spent 20 games playing 2K8...and the hitting model left me frustrated...the swing stick wasn't rewarding.

2K9 has added the zone hitting...and I feel an instant connect with hitting again. I know why I fail...and why I succeed when batting. I know when I deserved that weak grounder to the 2B...because I chased a pitch off the edge of the plate. I know why I hit a weak grounder to 3rd...because I jammed myself on an inside FB...or cutter. I know why I deserved that monster home run I hit to left center...because I recognized the hanging slider, and put the barrel of the bat where I needed to.

2K9 has made hitting insanely fun and challenging again...with zone hitting and the swing stick.

Pitching and fielding is not the chore I have experienced in the past few years....it is also challenging and rewarding. I usually have fast forwarded to hitting with the MLB series...not with 2K9.

The presentation is terrific. I feel like I am playing in a big league ballpark...and watching balls bounce around everywhere...especially on HR's.....it makes me giddy. the ball physics are outstanding.

Now....there are areas that need tweaking/adding for the future:

Fielding:

There are to many diving stabs....it would be much better if balls bounced of the gloves much more...although it does happen...just not often enough.

OF'rs jump around a little to much...especially near the wall.

I have only seen the 1B glitch twice in 20 games...one for me and one for the CPU...both called errors both times....so I just make believe the throw pulled the 1B off the bag...much like my Microleague Baseball days.

Running: I love the stealing mechanic...but the slides into the bag are to slow...a few times I had the bag stolen...but the slide took to long for the hands to touch the bag...and I was out each time.

Batting: I would make the bat a little more transparent in the zone hitting...it sticks out to much. Also...it would be nice to have a replay to show where the ball connected with my transparent bat.

Pitching: Please give me the option to turn of my ball cursor...it would make pitching much more challenging. Also, the CPU needs to throw more balls...and the strikezone is a tad to big.

Presentation: Give us an option for a behind the back fielders view..ala ASB 2005. That would be nirvana!

Fix the stat overlays on the batter walk-ups...many are off.

Settings: Please please please let us save our camera settings. Changing them every time I start up my 360 is a drag.

Thanks again 2K for making a fun, immersive game that I look forward to playing every evening!

I feel like I am 13 again

Gangrel · Post by **Gangrel** » Sun Mar 29, 2009 3:42 pm

Patch is in approval, they say by Opening Day with no "surprises".

Ron from teh 2k boards is "hunting down patch notes" as I guess he's in the UK at the moment. I hope they tweak injuries and fix the baserunning.

In my franchise now, I had Adam Dunn fracture his wrist as he approached the wall on a home run, but he didn't wall climb or anything. And in a game I was just playing Willie Mo Pena did the same thing and hurt his shoulder. It's as if the moemnt any fielder touches the wall, they will get injured, wheter you're diving, climbing, or just grazing it.

Also, man on first, better hits a pop fly to the second basemen.... what does the runner do? Take off for third, and no amount of me hitting the back button would get him to turn back.

I turned the game off at this point......

greggsand · Post by **greggsand** » Sun Mar 29, 2009 4:44 pm

I remember some former 2k bball game on the 1st xbox that used to have (what we'd call) "sniper injuries". Where a pitcher would throw a pitch (no swing) & suddenly the Right Fielder would be rolling around in the outfield with a knee injury. good times.

Gangrel · Post by **Gangrel** » Wed Apr 01, 2009 8:33 pm

According to 2ksports forums, the PS3 patch is out.

edit: patch notes

A noticeable reduction in amount of fly balls missed by outfielders (both the target and slowing down before a fly ball is caught have been fixed).
Tuned overall slider values to get a better stand alone game, based on community suggestions
Turned down Home Runs, should see dramatic improvement in amount of home runs hit during game play.
AI aggressiveness tweaked – AI will take more balls
Throwing in the “Red” was way harder than the best “Green” spot so maximum strength lowered in the red
In-game crash resolved when not opening the Pitch Overlay hud and then bringing in another pitcher. Will resolve late inning crashes.
Added variety so that all fielders arm strength isn’t so similar. Now the better arm strength fielders will make a difference.
Fixed the bug that was causing the catcher to disappear when switched with a DH.
There was another bug fixed when substituting the catcher and the DH that would cause the umpire to throw the ball backwards.
Added more variety in pitching by making the gesture be a little harder to nail down “perfectly”
Fixed a bug where the base runner would JOG home (Sacrifice fly and ground balls)
Tweaked the issue where the 1st baseman’s foot would come off the bag too easily resulting in a lot of infield hits that should have been routine outs.
Pitchers will now walk off the mound after the 3rd strikeout in an inning.
Tuned numbers to fix the fact that pickoffs were too easy, especially at second base.
Increased the delivery speed of the animations from the stretch to improve throwing out the AI when they attempted to steal.
Pitcher rotation bug fixed where users in leagues would have their first bench player put in as their starting pitcher. They could adjust the starting pitcher but never get their bench player back to their line up. This would eventually lead to a crash.
The user was unable to send a trade when having nine pitchers or eleven hitters on their roster in a fantasy draft league online. That has been resolved
Online - Menu - The Winning/Losing Streak will now populate correctly when viewing the Card Battle Leader boards.
League settings changes now will take affect immediately.
Audio settings get reset when going online.

There are a lot of other things, including some franchise stuff, but they are more minor and countless. I am sure you'll come across them, but these are the major updates.

- Ronnie

MizzouRah · Post by **MizzouRah** » Wed Apr 01, 2009 10:46 pm

Nice!

I guess us 360 players will have to wait weeks for MS to approve it!

pigpen81 · Post by **pigpen81** » Wed Apr 01, 2009 10:59 pm

The rumor is it will be out for the 360 on Friday.

If everything works as advertised.....WOW

A good game will become great!

greggsand · Post by **greggsand** » Wed Apr 01, 2009 11:05 pm

Sounds super good:

Back from the UK today and happy to be releasing patch notes. The PS3 dropped today, the 360 will be released by MS, I hope to have exact confirmation on a time/date in a bit.

A noticeable reduction in amount of fly balls missed by outfielders (both the target and slowing down before a fly ball is caught have been fixed).
Tuned overall slider values to get a better stand alone game, based on community suggestions
Turned down Home Runs, should see dramatic improvement in amount of home runs hit during game play.
AI aggressiveness tweaked – AI will take more balls
Throwing in the “Red” was way harder than the best “Green” spot so maximum strength lowered in the red
In-game crash resolved when not opening the Pitch Overlay hud and then bringing in another pitcher. Will resolve late inning crashes.
Added variety so that all fielders arm strength isn’t so similar. Now the better arm strength fielders will make a difference.
Fixed the bug that was causing the catcher to disappear when switched with a DH.
There was another bug fixed when substituting the catcher and the DH that would cause the umpire to throw the ball backwards.
Added more variety in pitching by making the gesture be a little harder to nail down “perfectly”
Fixed a bug where the base runner would JOG home (Sacrifice fly and ground balls)
Tweaked the issue where the 1st baseman’s foot would come off the bag too easily resulting in a lot of infield hits that should have been routine outs.
Pitchers will now walk off the mound after the 3rd strikeout in an inning.
Tuned numbers to fix the fact that pickoffs were too easy, especially at second base.
Increased the delivery speed of the animations from the stretch to improve throwing out the AI when they attempted to steal.
Pitcher rotation bug fixed where users in leagues would have their first bench player put in as their starting pitcher. They could adjust the starting pitcher but never get their bench player back to their line up. This would eventually lead to a crash.
The user was unable to send a trade when having nine pitchers or eleven hitters on their roster in a fantasy draft league online. That has been resolved
Online - Menu - The Winning/Losing Streak will now populate correctly when viewing the Card Battle Leader boards.
League settings changes now will take affect immediately.
Audio settings get reset when going online.

There are a lot of other things, including some franchise stuff, but they are more minor and countless. I am sure you'll come across them, but these are the major updates.