ScoopBrady wrote:Ok, I'm gonna sound like the biggest moron alive but I created a user profile and can't for the life of me figure out how to use it. It's getting annoying having to change the settings each time I start a new game. Anyone?
Scoop I hope this makes sense. At the top of the settings screen where it has the level you want to play the game at(Rookie,HOF,ect) Scroll through all of the levels in the highlighted colum and your profile will be there if you saved it.
Anyone notice (I think someone did mention this in the thread) that you can make contact with the ball even after it reaches the catcher? Has anyone struck out in this game using zone hitting? I can be a half-second late and still hit the ball almost out of the catcher's mitt. Watch the replay of it. It's hilarious.
I noticed that too. The ball is clearly in the catcher's mitt and then shoots out of it. I'm trying not to let that be a big deal.
Re: K's - I played a game as the Yankees vs. BoSox with zone hitting, all aids turned off on Veteran Level. Schilling pitched. I neither walked nor struck out, although I did lose like 19-4.
When I pitch, I find I throw a lot of balls, but still haven't walked anyone. I guess that is my fault because with two balls I don't go for the corners as aggressively.
I need advice on fielding. Using either classic or 2004 cam, I have real trouble telling where my fielders are in relation to the ball. So I end up not getting to a lot of fly balls and I miss a ton of grounders because when the ball is hit I can't tell where my fielder is initially. Any suggestions for getting a better jump on the ball? Are there any other camera angles that are really high that would let me see more of the action?
NoJoke, I think I understand you question right. You are having problem because you can't see your fielder, right?
I am pretty sure ASB puts and arrow on the screen in relation to your closest fielder. Just push your controller in the direction of that arrow. At least this is how it was in 04
this ball/bat collision problem has always been there.
it's sorry to see that Acclain hasn't gotten rid of any
of these annoyances in over 3 years (the "crouch",
the late contact, the button mashing controls, the
too accurate pitching, the too-many leaping catches)
They seem too intent on adding more and more content, without
refining the core gameplay.
p.s. MLB is growing on me more and more!
Bill_Abner wrote:Anyone notice (I think someone did mention this in the thread) that you can make contact with the ball even after it reaches the catcher? Has anyone struck out in this game using zone hitting? I can be a half-second late and still hit the ball almost out of the catcher's mitt. Watch the replay of it. It's hilarious.
The pinpoint control has been improved a bit this year, but mainly the CPU offense is much improved, so no more can you shut down the cpu teams with ease. If you have all the pitching aids and vibration off, you are going to miss your spots, because you won't be quite sure where you are aiming without aids.
I agree with you Parker. With all the pitching aids off, I'm having a heck of a time hitting my spots. I've even had Woody Williams tossed for unintentionally throwing at a batter because I couldn't locate my cut fastball. I'm really enjoying the pitching interface in ASB compared to MVP and MLB. It's just too easy to throw a strike at the corners in MVP and MLB. The strike zone seems a tad smaller in ASB, but maybe that's just me.
In regards to zone hitting, I've had my share of hitting outbursts but nothing too extreme that results in a homer fest. However, that does seem to be the opinion with a lot of people. I haven't tried the 2D cursor yet, but I'm going to play around with it tonight. Supposedbly, people are having excellent results in terms of variety of hits and helps lessen the homerun craze.
I seriously can't find that much about this game to complain about. They've changed it just enough this year to make it that much more enjoyable for me. The randomness of the game is beyond sweet. MLB just seem too contrived for me, and while MVP is fun to play there's just too many glaring issues with it. Plus, I love the in-game save feauture in ASB! No excuse for the other games not to include that.
This is Sportdan30 asking you to TAKE IT WITH A GRAIN OF SALT....
sportdan, I like salt as much as the next guy but when you say that you are sick to your stomach of the same people complaining about "Game X" then turn around and say, "MLB just seem too contrived for me, and while MVP is fun to play there's just too many glaring issues with it" I personally have no idea what you're getting at. So of the three games released, you're only happy with one of them, but you're sick of the complaining about games that you also feel have serious issues?
Anyway, it really doesn't matter to me personally; I just found that kinda odd.
I hear ya Bill and I understand what you're getting at. Didn't mean to confuse anyone. I've had time now to play all three games. Each baseball game to date has its positive and negatives. That said, at least to me there are more positives with ASB than MVP and MLB. Further, I'm finding more negatives with MVP and MLB in comparison to ASB. I'm not saying ASB is a perfect game...it's far from it, but the nagging issues that bother so many of you don't bother me. I'm just finding ASB to be a better representation of the grand ol' game.
That's just my view. Take it with a grain of salt.
I'm having enough trouble hitting my spots with vibration left on! I'm walking 3 to 4 batters a game, largely because the CPU seems capable of crushing me on HOF if I'm not careful. I'm going to give the 2d cursor a go, as that was what I played with last year, but I'm fine with the hit variety on zone hitting so far. Just not enough hit down the lines, really.
Fielder cam is a real mixed bag for me. I've warmed to it in concept, and some games things work out great, while in others I give up like five runs that I otherwise wouldn't have if I had used the normal camera. Very frustrating. I feel compelled to get good at it for online purposes, however.
It really is frustrating that they've ignored certain legacy issues regarding gameplay in favor of adding features. I swear the game would be 7% better if you couldn't hit it out of the catcher's glove (don't question my numbers, it's science). And if they're dead set on focusing on features first and gameplay tweaks second, at least find time to give me some less retarded expansion team names. I swear, there are like three that I find believable as MLB club names, and even those are stretches.
I'm encouraged by what I'm seeing from the CPU in terms of scoring. ASB seems to come closest to my ideal difficulty level, without having to make crazy adjustments. I lose at MLB sometimes, but in no way do the batters put fear into my heart. I just keep the ball down and usually escape unscathed. Trying to find the middle ground between Pro and All-Star levels in MVP was like my own white whale. I'll pick up MVP again and start fiddling with the sliders the next time I'm overcome with self-loathing. So for that, I'm really happy with ASB. Playing with my franchise in Old Dodger stadium is a big plus, too.
ScoopBrady wrote:Jackdog,
Thanks man! I never would have thought of trying that.
I am glad you figured my gibberish out
I am doing something I never thought I would like. I am Using the 2D cursor.Parker was right,the only way I was going to make this game work for me was to start playing with the cursor.
I am now having a great time with this game. It has it's problems, but the things it does right make you forget about those pretty fast. No one does ballparks like ASB,WOW! I am going to start a Reds and Tigers franchise.
I just don't understand the veteran ASB players who are not happy with this game. You can't expect a game to get 10 times better in a year, but there are MANY MANY things better about this year's version. There are still some vacuum catches, but I'd say it happens at least 2/3rds less often. Fielding is still not perfect, but the only time in the asb 2004 cameras that I have a hard time getting to a ball is a popup on the corner of a screen, and you have plenty of time to adjust. Ground balls haven't been much of a problem, although the cpu positions the fielders more than in MVP but not as much as in MLB as others have noted.
I can understand the negative reactions of those who have never played ASB...this type of baseball game just isn't for everyone. But this is the only game this year that has come close for me in terms of producing realistic pitch counts, walks, strikeouts, etc. MLB is decent, MVP doesn't even come close in terms of realism.
Cursor hitting this year isn't really much different from zone last year, because last year, pitch speeds were so fast you basically had to choose a zone to look for before a pitch anyway. The cursors are much more forgiving and you can usually move it enough after a pitch so that you will only swing and miss if you are looking for a pitch on the complete opposite end of the plate. But I can already tell it's not going to be as easy to pile up the hits as it was with WSB's cursor system.
Last edited by Parker on Thu Mar 25, 2004 3:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.
ScoopBrady wrote:Jackdog,
Thanks man! I never would have thought of trying that.
I am glad you figured my gibberish out
I am doing something I never thought I would like. I am Using the 2D cursor.Parker was right,the only way I was going to make this game work for me was to start playing with the cursor.
I am now having a great time with this game. It has it's problems, but the things it does right make you forget about those pretty fast. No one does ballparks like ASB,WOW! I am going to start a Reds and Tigers franchise.
JackDog - What settings are you using (difficulty, pitch speed, camera views, etc.)? My Gamestop says I will have the game in a matter of hours, and I'm looking to get started as soon as I can get that shrink wrap off!
Let me just add that pitching from the new behind the pitcher cameras is a joy. Much better than in any other baseball game in recent memory. Being able to play the game from 2 different angles that are actually playable is a big bonus.
DB, why did you hide the rest of your post qualifying your initial statement with a laundry list of minor problems you've encountered by making it the same color as the background?
I've seen lots of little glitches almost every game...but no showstoppers.
Funny one I'd like to share:
Matsui picks up a double near the line, I press the button to throw to the cutoff man...
...and Matsui whips the ball straight into the padding on the left field line, only to ricochet at about a 30 degree angle into the glove of the cutoff man.
They must be teaching some advanced techniques over in Japan...
I hid it because I'm sick of picking through baseball games right now. If it's fun, it's accurate (rosters galore in ASB) and it looks good, I'm cool with it. It's my favorite out of the games released so far.
I asked this over at OS, but I want the opinions of those here as well.
It seems that zone batting is once again screwed up. That leaves (for me at least) 2D cursor hitting. How close is this to WSBs style of cursor hitting? I don't know how to explain it, but WSB was the only game were I enjoyed a cursor. For some reason I don't focus in on the cursor, but rather the ball. In every other cursor system I found myself just following the cursor too much. To me real baseball is watching the flight of the ball and reacting to it. I could do this in WSB. Can it be done in ASB?
Also, how long to games take? Last year (from what I remember), it took a long time to complete a game.
Can't answer your question regarding the 2d cursor, but you should be able to snag a rental from Blockbuster tomorrow. New releases usually hit their stores on Fridays.
I'm finding the games to take roughly 35-40 minutes to play. Then again, I'm playing on "fast" mode. I think you'd probably be looking at a good hour if you played on "normal" mode. Maybe it's just me, but I notice I don't get a lot of Steve Lyon's commentary when I play on "fast" mode. Kinda miss that. He rambled on about who the slowest runner in Major League Baseball was when I played last evening. It made for a nice little addition to the broadcast.
Question about the 2d cursor. How is the ball to bat collision detection? Is it the same, better, or worse than zone hitting? Honestly, I don't notice the ball/bat collision too much. I guess I'm just used to the series.
"Cursor hitting this year isn't really much different from zone last year, because last year, pitch speeds were so fast you basically had to choose a zone to look for before a pitch anyway. The cursors are much more forgiving and you can usually move it enough after a pitch so that you will only swing and miss if you are looking for a pitch on the complete opposite end of the plate. But I can already tell it's not going to be as easy to pile up the hits as it was with WSB's cursor system.'
Parker wrote:Let me just add that pitching from the new behind the pitcher cameras is a joy. Much better than in any other baseball game in recent memory. Being able to play the game from 2 different angles that are actually playable is a big bonus.
Parker I couldn't agree with you more. This game is as close to real baseball we are going to get this year. Thanks for the tips you have provided in this thread.
JackDog wrote:I grooved every pitch in the last game I played vs the Cubs and only gave up 2 runs I am loving the way this game looks but the gameplay is not a challenge at all.
JD,
That previous statement was a cause for some concern. Did you find that the results of that game were a fluke?
I'm wondering if some of you guys got a different game than I did. I just don't get all the praise. The animations and fielding are atrocious, not to mention the vacuum catches and hitting the ball AFTER it's in the catcher's mitt. Some one said, "Yeah, I saw that, but I'm trying to ignore it". WTF?
I've seen some of the worst stuff I've EVER seen in a baseball game and no one else is even mentioning it. Like when an infielder throws a ball 90 degrees to his left, it's like his motions and everything go forward, but the ball goes left. It's like they left out the animation of him turning and throwing. Granted, as long is the play gets made no harm done, but damn it looks like s*** you'd see on a PS1 game.
Going beyond all the missing, broken or just poor animations that I could probably learn to live with, there are two absolute deal breakers for me and are the main reasons I'm going to return the game.
1. Zone hitting is completely broken on any difficulty level and cursor batting is not an option for me. I can't believe they didn't test this game any better than that.
2. Being forced to use the Fielder cam online takes me completely out of that option as I hated the fielder cam and I refuse to even try and get used to it when regular fielding on the other games works fine for me.
So I have a game that I can't enjoy as a single player game because I hit 10-12 homeruns per game and I can't play it online because of a ridiculous design decision.
Fortunately, my EB has already told me I could return it. I told them that hitting in the game was broken, which it is, and they said to bring it back in.
I guess I'm just amazed because normally this is a tough crowd to please and somehow you guys have found something in this game that makes you overlook all the broken or poorly designed s***. Personally, I really can't get over how bad this game is and that's why I'm wondering if we're really playing the same game. I have seen absolutely nothing in this game that gave me that "Oh, that's cool" feeling. I got that feeling from both MVP and MLB within 10 minutes of firing them up. Just trying to see what the attraction is.
ScoopBrady wrote:Jackdog,
Thanks man! I never would have thought of trying that.
I am glad you figured my gibberish out
I am doing something I never thought I would like. I am Using the 2D cursor.Parker was right,the only way I was going to make this game work for me was to start playing with the cursor.
I am now having a great time with this game. It has it's problems, but the things it does right make you forget about those pretty fast. No one does ballparks like ASB,WOW! I am going to start a Reds and Tigers franchise.
JackDog - What settings are you using (difficulty, pitch speed, camera views, etc.)? My Gamestop says I will have the game in a matter of hours, and I'm looking to get started as soon as I can get that shrink wrap off!
Difficulty= Veteran (for now) 2D cursor. It's not that hard and my stats are on the money. I am sure I will bump this up as I get better with the cursor.
Pitch Speed=Sim
Cameras: Batting=Back
Pitching=Broadcast
Fielding=2004.
I am pitching with a gen count =2-1
I am really enjoying this game right now. I hope you find what serves your needs best.
I am loving the way this game looks but the gameplay is not a challenge at all. 