TP 99--Strikeouts?
MSJK/BBS
Has anyone had any real success getting opposing batters to strikeout? I
can whiff between 5-10 batters (computer set at talented) with Wakefield
(BoSox) throwing knuckleballs like crazy, but I'll be lucky to get 2 with
Pedro Martinez or Roger Clemens. Is it just me or does every non-knuckler
have to settle for (maybe) 20 K's a season?
LishSux (Alicia Bledsoe)
MSJK/BBS wrote in message <6n3qu3$j42$1...@supernews.com>...
Well, after much practice and experimentation, I'm averaging between 7-12 Ks
per game. I even got 18Ks with David Cone once, and Randy Johnson has
gotten 12Ks and 17Ks in the last two games I've used him.
I'm playing at PRO level with all the defaults, including aftertouch being
on. Here's the "trick" I have learned. It takes a little practice, and
it's not too realistic for REAL baseball, but if you want Ks, this will
help. Before I tried this, I was getting about 2-3 Ks per game, even with
Johnson.
Anyway, the computer seems most vunerable to LOW pitches. No matter what
pitcher I am using, I will always use the FASTBALL as my main pitch, even if
the fastball is rated very low for that particular pitcher. I try to get
ahead in the count with the fastball.
For example, for a first pitch to a new batter, throw the fastball DOWN, and
down the MIDDLE. The key to sucessfully getting the computer to swing and
miss, or to not swing and take a strike, is the sequence of key presses on
the gamepad. I'm using a sidewinder, but this should apply to all gamepads.
To throw the above pitch successfully, wait until the pitch screen comes up.
Press the "2" button to select fastball, and WAIT until your player has
completed the windup before doing anything else. Failing to do so seems to
break up any rhythm for your pitcher, plus I am superstitious. Anyway,
after his windup is complete, pull the d-pad straight down (which is
selecting the pitch location) and while doing this, push the "2" button to
throw the pitch. As soon as your pitcher begins to throw, release the d-pad
AND the button. Now you have to really watch the ball. It should be
heading down the middle, but down in the strike zone. When the pitch gets
very near the batter but not close enough for him to swing yet, that's when
I pull the d-pad straight down again, causing the pitch to drop right before
it reaches the plate. Result equals a swing and miss strike, or a taken
strike by computer.
So the key pattern to repeat is:
1) Select FASTBALL with "2" button
2) Wait until windup complete
3) Push and hold d-pad down to select pitch location
4) While holding d-pad down, QUICKLY press "2" button to throw pitch
5) As soon as pitch is thrown, QUICKLY release d-pad and "2" button
6) When pitch gets NEAR plate, pull d-pad down to cause pitch to drop
more
It'll take a lot of practice to do this right and depending on your pitcher
and how well he throws the fastball and how hard he throws the fastball,
when to pull the d-pad down at the very end (step 6) will vary. Fatigue
also affects this. Sometimes with a certain pitcher, I will have to pull
the d-pad down a lot earlier. Sometimes I'll have to pull the d-pad down a
lot later, or not at all. To know when to do this, you really have to
practice and LOOK at the trajectory of the ball. You can sort of tell where
a low fastball will end up after its gone halfway to the plate. If it looks
a little high, pull d-pad down earlier. If it looks a little low, don't
pull the d-pad at all. If it looks just right, pull it down a LITTLE to
cause the computer to swing over it. Practice, practice, practice.
Anyway, that's how to get a strike in general. To get a strikeout, I
usually use the above with the following pattern:
1) Throw fastball like mentioned above as 1st pitch to new batter.
2) Repeat this until you get ahead in the count (i.e. 2 strikes).
3) When you have 2 strikes on the computer, you COULD try the fastball
trick again.
However, 50% of the time that won't work. The computer is either
looking for the same pitch, or when you throw it, your pitcher will end up
throwing it higher than usual, and if you're not quick with the d-pad at the
end, the computer will hit the ball.
The best thing to do with a 2 stirke count is to make the computer chase
something bad. It will often do so, even in a 3-2 count. An example of a
bad pitch COULD be a fastball down the middle, and WAY down in the zone
(i.e. pull that d-pad down real early). Or, what I usually will do is use
another pitch to throw a bad pitch.
The best ones I have found are SLIDER, SPLITTER, and SINKER. Which one
to use actually will depend on how well your pitcher throws them, unlike the
FASTBALL. Choose the one rated the highest. Here's how I throw the 3
pitches BADLY to get a stike and strikeout.
SLIDER:
1) Press whatever button selects slider
2) Wait for windup to complete (as before)
3) Push d-pad in diagnoal direction that represents LOW and AWAY
4) Push "2" button to throw pitch, while holding d-pad down (as before)
5) Release pad and button when pitch is thrown
6) As ball is travelling towards batter, pull d-pad either striaght
down, or in the diagonal direction representing LOW and AWAY. The
difference in this situation is that you want to do this with the d-pad a
lot EARLIER than you did when trying to throw a fastball 1st or 2nd strike.
Also, you want to hold the d-pad in this direction all the way to the end.
The resulting effect is a pitch that is WAY out of the zone (which is what
you want to throw, remember) at the plate, something the computer will
usually swing at when it is down 2 strikes. Again, this will take a little
practice to perfect. When to start the final d-pad pull and whether to pull
it straight down or diagnoally will depend on the pitcher and the situation.
Practice...
SINKER & SPLITTER
The approach to throwing these two pitches when you have 2 strikes and
are trying to get the computer to chase are the same as the SLIDER
instructions. Except, for these two pitches, I never try the d-pad in a
diagonal direction at the end. Doing so actually causes the pitch to go WAY
WAY out of the zone, and the computer will just take the ball instead. For
these two pitches, I recommend pulling the d-pad STRAIGHT down in step 6
from above. Again, it will take practice and depend on pitcher, but it's
someplace to start.
Finally, all of these suggestions really are intended when you are ahead in
the count or to get you ahead in the count. If you fall behind in the
count, here's something to try.
If you are behind in the count 3-0, which can happen if you were
unsuccessful with the fastball on occasion, do this for the next three
pitches. I have often been down 3-0 and actually come back to strike out
the computer.
For 3-0 count, throw a FASTBALL down the middle and down. Do it just
like described in the very beginning of this letter, except as soon as the
pitch is thrown, do NOT use the d-pad to re-direct the pitch at the end.
The computer will take the strike and if you attempt to re-direct, you'll
more than likely throw ball 4.
Okay, now you have a 3-1 count. On a 3-1 count, throw a fastball, but
do it this way. Push and release "2" to select fastball. As soon as windup
is complete, push and release "2" again to throw ball. The key difference
here is that you are NOT using the d-pad to select a pitch location down.
Just push the button. This will select a location down the middle and belt
high. Now here's the key. AS SOON AS the pitch is thrown, now pull the
d-pad and hold it all the way down and keep holding it down until it crosses
the plate. This will cause the pitch to drop and usually the computer will
swing and miss at it since it still BARELY in the strike zone. You'll have
to practice the timing on this one as well, but usually, you'll get a strike
and now it's a 3-2 count.
For a 3-2 count, just do what I described earlier and try to throw one
of those BAD pitches out of the strike zone. Usually, you will get the 3rd
strike.
Hope this helps. I know how frustrating it was for me before I found
this pattern of pitching. Keep in mind though, I am at PRO level with all
the defaults including AFTERTOUCH. I don't know how well it'll work in
other modes, or with aftertouch off. Actually, with aftertouch off, this
won't work. In other modes, since the game speed is different, the strategy
and pattern to pitching will work. The only thing you would have to adjust
of play around with is when to pull that d-pad at the end since the timing
will be slightly different.
Good luck...
Jack B
All this aftertouch stuff is fine.......but how realistic is it?
I have found the strikeouts in HB6 to be amazingly lifelike compared
to TP99. Depending on the pitcher, I am averaging 6-13 K's per game.
and this is without any "aftertouch" stuff. You just have to mix up your
pitches well and hit the right spots (like real pitching). Sorry, but IMO,
HB6 does a much better job of this than TP99.
LishSux (Alicia Bledsoe) wrote in message <6n43r3$7...@nntp1.erinet.com>...
LishSux (Alicia Bledsoe)
Jack B wrote in message <6n5lgq$aes$1...@news.gate.net>...
>All this aftertouch stuff is fine.......but how realistic is it?
>I have found the strikeouts in HB6 to be amazingly lifelike compared
>to TP99. Depending on the pitcher, I am averaging 6-13 K's per game.
>and this is without any "aftertouch" stuff. You just have to mix up your
>pitches well and hit the right spots (like real pitching). Sorry, but IMO,
>HB6 does a much better job of this than TP99.
I never said the aftertouch was realistic. In fact, if you re-read my post,
I clearly stated in the beginning that this is NOT very realistic in real
life baseball. I was merely showing the original poster how he could get
Ks in the game since the 2 to 3 Ks per game he was averaging was NOT very
realistic either (statisticswise).
Of course, you are posting under the assumption that I am looking for TOTAL
reality or a simulation in a baseball game. To me, it's just a game. I do
want realistic results, and somewhat realistic gameplay, but total reality
or a sim, no thanks. I just don't think that will ever be possible until
someone invents a really way out VR system like those Trekkie holodecks.
For now, if I want total realism, I'll go outside, strap on by mit and hurl
some balls at my shed :)
I will agree with you though that Hardball 6 does do a better job at
representing Ks and how to get them (realitywise). I've played HB6, HHB
(which I returned BTW Jack -- I agree with a lot of your posts about the
game), and TP99. They all seem to have their own unique way of representing
a pitching interface. To me, the aftertouch in TP99 is not really an
attempt at NON-REALITY, it's just EA's alternative way (albeit, a strange
way) to do what Accolade and 3DO do in their games. If all the games had
the same pitching interface, we'd have lawsuits galore. Since EA did not
put in a crosshair and strike zone interface like in HB6 (yes, I know TP99
does have a moving box that resembles a crosshair, but still no visible
strike zone), I've just come to accept the aftertouch as the alternative way
of doing things in that particular game. Although, I do put a little bit of
reality into by mixing up the last pitch that gets the batter to K :) Come
to think off it, I've actually seen a lot of real MLB pitchers (usually
closers) that will throw a "FB-FB-something else" pitch sequence, so what I
am doing with the aftertouch idea is not TOO far off. Well, maybe the
slider that breaks in and then AWAY from the batter is a little weird :)
But back to Hardball, I could counter and say that even its pitching
interface and way to get Ks is not very realistic either. I mean, how many
real-life pitchers see a crosshair and strike zone box when they throw to
the catcher? How many real-life pitchers can try to confuse the batter by
moving their intended target up and down in the zone before they pitch?
Well, okay, they could do that in their head. Of course, I am assuming you
use the crosshairs and zone box. I actually tried it without them for a
while, but got tired of not knowing how far I was choosing a pitch target to
go.
Yes, I agree with you that the need to mix up pitches to get Ks in HB6 is
VERY REALISTIC. But to me, the crosshairs and zone box are just a way to
select where you want the pitch to go. In TP99, you can't really do that
visually. You can try, but without the aftertouch, you're gonna get
creamed. Since there is no way to VISUALLY see where you select your pitch
to go, the aftertouch is the only way to make the game a little MORE
realistic -- statwise and resultwise. And you could mix up pitches in TP99
with the aftertouch and still be sucessful, if mixing up pitches is what
satisfies your reality requirements. For my requirements, that isn't TOO
big of a deal, but that's just a personal preference. Besides, I was merely
pointing out the easiest way to get Ks to the original poster. He can fine
tune his strategy later.
And yes, I know that real players don't have the luxury of a crosshair or
visible zone like HB6, but they at least have an idea in their mind where
they are throwing the ball, and an idea in their mind where their arm will
throw it -- something that a computer game can never emulate. For now, the
pitching interface in both HB6 and TP99 are just different ways to mimick
this. I just go with what works in each individual game. I've come to
accept a lot of weird reality things in TP99, so one more won't kill me.
Besides, it's just a game, and the important thing to me is to have fun
playing it. Using the aftertouch and getting Ks makes the game more fun to
me. Sure, I want realism in a game, but SOMETIMES "some" realism will
satisfy me more than "total" realism. Often when trying for "total" realism
and a pefect simulation of game, we lose the fun part, or other
semi-important parts of a game get glossed over. Do the words "High Heat
Baseball" remind you of what I am trying to say in that last sentence? :-)
Well, that's my 2 cents worth on the subject. And I'm sure what I've said
is not even worth 2 cents :)
BTW -- Which game do you prefer Jack? I know from a couple of my posts
you've replied to and some others I've seen, you at least have HB6 and
TP99 -- and HHB for "a while" like me. I'm just kind of curious what kind
of gamer you are (sim vs arcade, action vs manage).
Personally, I acutally prefer TP99 over HB6 and HHB. This actually
surprised me since I am not a huge EA fan and I went into the game with very
low expectations. I don't know why but I just find TP99 (even with all of
its non-reality quirks) to be more fun than HB6 (I won't even comment on HHB
*smile*). I don't know, maybe it's because I just got the impression that
HB6 was so incomplete. Missing stadiums, no generic uniforms for user
created teams, the inability to draw walks against the computer in action
mode, mediocre graphics, etc. There were a lot of good things and options
in the game that I loved, but it just seemed like Accolade tried to do TOO
much. Instead of concentrating on a couple of important things and doing
them really well, they seemed to concentrate on a lot of things and did them
poorly or just fairly.
Of course, I suppose the opposite can be bad too. HHB seemed to concentrate
only on a couple of things (realism and AI) and really glossed over some
other important parts -- and I'm not just referring to the player
animations. I actually didn't have TOO much of a problem with those. The
game just seemed to lack in other areas, which to 3DOs defense, some of it
couldn't be helped since they only had the player's associations approval,
and not MLB (i.e. uniforms and team mascots). Still, even with all the
realism and superior AI, the game just didn't cut it for me either.
I guess TP99 just has that balance of realism vs fun that I am looking for.
Of course, it scares me when an EA game actually satisfies me :)
Okay, maybe this rant is worth 2 cents since it's so long :-)
TSnyder751
i've found that if you are a righty and facing a righty, start off with
fastballs inside and break them down and toward the middle and when u have 2
strikes, throw a curve over the outside corner and during the pitch make it go
outside where the batter cant hit it. be careful though if you leave a fat one
over the plate it usually sux for u