Batters Eye, Disabled List, Roster Moves

[tdi1985]

Okay, like everyone else, I'll apologize if these issues have been addressed specifically already. But I really have to vent about some of the specific issues I've been having with the game.

(1) Batter's Eye
Let me explain the situation... I have it set so that the Batter's Eye feature is on permanently. I am also using the classic batting style. From my experience with MLB 2k7, if you moved the cursor around, and guessed correctly where the pitch was going to be thrown, it would show the pitch location inside your Batter's Eye cursor. Even if at least half of the pitch location fell in the cursor, you would typically get the hint at the pitch location.

With 2k8, it seems VERY sporadic. The most frequent time the pitch location shows up, is when the computer tosses up a Meatball. Other times, it shows up seemingly randomly, when the Batter's Eye cursor isn't even near the pitch location. I have never had the pitch location revealed to me in my Batter's Eye cursor. Even times when I turned out to have the cursor EXACTLY ON TOP of the pitch location. Times when I took the pitch, or swing and miss, and then it turns out the pitch location is right in the cursor... it was not revealed to me.

So this begs the question: Did they change the function of the Batter's Eye? Is this only a phenomenon due to the fact that I'm using the classic batting style? What is the function of the Batter's Eye?

I know I am using it correctly, but it has been frustrating the crap out of me. The way it worked in 2k7 was a VERY important factor to batting. I would generally point it around the outside of the strike zone to see if the pitch was going to be a ball. This was the only way to avoid just hacking at everything. Thus, the opposing pitchers never get a high pitch count, and will pitch 9 innings, unless you shell them.

Anyways, can anyone else share their experience or opinions on this matter?

(2) Disabled List
Someone else already mentioned this, but it needs to be addressed more! Seriously, I want more people to start talking about this, because it makes Franchise mode unbearable!

A player gets hurt, you place him on the DL (15 or 60 day), this frees up a roster spot. You call up a player from AAA, but makes the AAA roster a man short (24). You call up a player from AA to the AAA team, but makes the AA roster a man short (24). You call up a player from A to the AA team, but this makes the A roster a man short (24). You sign a player from free agency to fill the empty roster spot.

This raises your budget, which if you're playing the GM mode, there is a goal that you're not supposed to exceed a certain budget.

When your player comes off the DL, you have to cut the player you signed, and then send everyone back down to their respective levels. Cutting that player costs you a penalty.

This whole system is incredibly stupid. As someone else suggested, the minor league level teams should have a 22 man minimum, so that you can actually leave some roster spots open. This REALLY needs to get fixed to make the Franchise mode more playable.

(3) Roster Moves
There is a SERIOUS GLITCH HERE!!!! My specific situation that I've had a problem with is the following:
A pitcher gets hurt, even if I don't have to put him on the DL, he is removed from the Pitching Rotation screen, because he's not available. When he comes off the injury list, he is no where to be found. You can't find him to put him back into his original spot in the pitching rotation. Or, if you put a pitcher on the DL, and you call up another pitcher to replace him, the player you called up IS NO WHERE TO BE FOUND. You can't put him in the rotation where you want to. If the pitching rotation only has 4 slots filled, and you want to fill the 5th slot with the guy you called up, you have to have the computer fix the problem for you, and it MIXES UP YOUR ENTIRE ROTATION AND BULLPEN. Putting your closer as a long reliever, and your mid reliever as the 5th starter.

Another problem is that when you move players around between levels, the minor league pitching rotations get put all out of whack. Then you keep getting warnings about how a pitcher has no energy, so you have to move him around. The problem is that the computer doesn't have any intelligence when picking pitchers, and I suspect it's playing them more than once within 5 games. Because I have minor league pitchers with 0 percent energy. Which should probably never happen.

There are serious issues here that need to be addressed!

[2K Admin Ron]

1) You will have the pitch show up on three occasions: a meatball, a random guess, and when your batter's eye guesses the pitch UNLESS the pitch effectiveness is above 98. I am sure it has shown on a correct guess and pitch location, keep trying to check it out.

2) There is no minimum that's lower than 25 at the lower levels? OK I will dig into this further. As far as the signing/releasing buget penalties, that is reasonable.

3) Auto-adjust your line-up and rotation. He might also be sent to the minors. Then rescramble your rotation.

[WilloMan]

1) You will have the pitch show up on three occasions: a meatball, a random guess, and when your batter's eye guesses the pitch UNLESS the pitch effectiveness is above 98. I am sure it has shown on a correct guess and pitch location, keep trying to check it out.


So even if i guess the pitch correctly it wont show up when the pitcher's effectiveness is over 98? If so it's pointless to use batter's eye this year.:eek:

I knew something wasnt right cause i had inside edge on and was guessing correctly but nothing would show up. I've played 10+ games now and it doesnt show the guessed pitches but it shows the meatballs and when i just leave the batters eye in the middle.

It's very frustrating, because this worked wonders last year and now it doesnt just because.

[2K Admin Ron]

It's not pointless. Against a human and a computer when they wear out, the pitch is very unlikely to be over 98 effectiveness. It should show up pretty frequently still. Your batter eye is set to be permanently on for sure right?

[tdi1985]

1) You will have the pitch show up on three occasions: a meatball, a random guess, and when your batter's eye guesses the pitch UNLESS the pitch effectiveness is above 98. I am sure it has shown on a correct guess and pitch location, keep trying to check it out.

2) There is no minimum that's lower than 25 at the lower levels? OK I will dig into this further. As far as the signing/releasing buget penalties, that is reasonable.

3) Auto-adjust your line-up and rotation. He might also be sent to the minors. Then rescramble your rotation.

I really can't say how much I appreciate the response. I sort of got off on a rant there, but those were just a few things that were really disheartening me.

(1) Do you recommend tweaking the CPU Pitching Effectiveness to try and get a more reasonable frequency of pitch location tip offs? It honestly hasn't happened that much when I have seemed to guess correctly.

(2) Yeah, the fact that the minor league teams have to be full is sort of counter-productive. I really appreciate you looking into that. If you can get an answer about whether or not that will be addressed or if they're going to leave that alone, would you please email me at: tdi1985@hotmail.com?

Did you mean that the releasing budget penalties is a reasonable aspect of the game? If so, I agree because that is realistic. But under the current circumstances, it is unreasonable that you will get penalized for putting someone on the DL. Otherwise I completely 100% agree about that feature being appropriate.

(3) As far as this one goes, it just seems a little like a bug in the game to me. I moved a player up (to replace someone put on the DL) and I couldn't find him in the Pitching Rotation screen to place him in the role I wanted to. And I know he was on the roster, because I could go to the roster screen and see him there. Also, he was available in a game to be warmed up and used, etc.

I understand your recommendation just to auto-correct the rosters, but that is sort of annoying when you spend a lot of time sorting out the rosters at all 4 levels of your organization, and then the CPU completely scrambles that work. This will be especially frustrating in the case of an offensive player, because an auto-correction there will force you to go through 4 lineup screens that are not that easy to scroll through.

I just think the whole roster/lineup/batting order/depth chart situation needs to be looked at, because there are some bugs.

Again, I appreciate your taking a look at my concerns. Hope some things can be ironed out and improved.

Thanks, please comment more if you have any thoughts.

[WilloMan]

It's not pointless. Against a human and a computer when they wear out, the pitch is very unlikely to be over 98 effectiveness. It should show up pretty frequently still. Your batter eye is set to be permanently on for sure right?

I dont believe i had it to stay permanently but i'll do that tonight and will let you know.

[2K Admin Ron]

1) Yes, most definitely.
2) I will look into that. Technically people on the DL get paid including their replacement but minor league teams don't need 25 people, though generally they do.
3) Interesting feedback. I will try to play and get people injured and see what's going on more.

Thanks!

[tdi1985]

It seems like other people have noticed another problem I'm having. There is an issue with setting up DH rosters, and I think its rooted in the Depth Chart page.

I'm using the Texas Rangers. In the lineup page for LHP with DH, it's set up like this:

2B Kinsler
CF Hamilton
SS Young
DH Saltalamacchia
3B Blalock
1B Broussard
LF Bradley
RF Cruz
C Laird

Go to the schedule, and it prompts me with the warning that I have a bad lineup against LH with DH.

So it asks you if you want the computer to fix it. Obviously I have the lineup set up sufficiently in the lineup page. So looking around, when I go to the Depth Chart page, for LH with DH, the DH position is blank. So I click on the DH position, The left hand panel is blank, and the right hand panel shows my bench players (including the guy that is supposed to be DH for this lineup). I click on Salty and it says "What order in the batting rotation would you like to assign to this player?" And the only option is Cancel. I think that's because in the lineup, he's already in there, and its taking up all 9 batting order spots, so this prompt doesn't have anything to offer me. So I can't fix the depth chart, and get someone in there.

The quick fix is obviously having the CPU adjust the roster and screw up all of my work.

WHAT I THINK CAUSED THE PROBLEM:
I sent the guy that was in my DH slot for that line up down to AAA, he just wasn't doing any good. I obviously called another player up to take his spot on the roster. This left the DH position open for that lineup, and when I filled it with someone, it didn't fill it on the depth chart, but took up the spot on the batting order.

Very strange, again, kind of buggy.

I'm going to test this with another team, and I'll report back if the same circumstances cause the problem.

[tdi1985]

I'm going to test this with another team, and I'll report back if the same circumstances cause the problem.

Okay, here is step by step what I did to recreate this problem:

(1) Enter Franchise Mode, starting a new franchise
(2) Accept Default Settings
(3) Pick any name for GM (A.J. Aaron)
(4) Use the trigger buttons to choose the LA Angels of Anaheim as your team.
(5) Check email later
(6) Go to the Manage tab, and the Lineup page.
(7) Press X once to go to the LHP with DH lineup.
Here, you can see that Juan Rivera is the DH for this lineup. If you look around, he is in no other lineup. (incidentally, the same circumstances as when I sent my DH down with the Rangers).
(8) Go to the GM tab, and the Call-Up/Send Down page.
(9) On the left side panel, scroll down and select Juan Rivera.
(10) On the right side panel, select Brandon Wood (3B).
(11) Confirm that you want to make the swap.
(12) Back out, and DON'T LET THE COMPUTER FIX YOUR LINEUPS.
(13) Go to the Manage tab, and the Lineup page.
(14) Press X once to go to the LHP with DH lineup.
(15) There is now a free slot. Select the free slot, and move to the right side panel, to select Brandon Wood (3B).
<<<<<FIRST BUG>>>>>
It will ask you to select which position, but will not give you any options. DH is the open position, but does not appear on the list. The only option is to cancel. Press Cancel, and Brandon Wood is dropped in as DH, by default apparently.
(16) Press the start button to confirm the change
(17) Go to the Schedule tab, to try and play a game.
<<<<<PROBLEM>>>>>
Here, you should be warned that you have a bad lineup against LHP with DH.
(18) DON'T LET THE COMPUTER FIX YOUR LINEUPS.
(19) Go to the Manage tab, and the Depth Chart menu, and select the Depth Chart page.
(20) Press the Y button once, to go to the depth chart for LHP with DH.
(21) The DH position is the one at the bottom right corner, that is blank. But you filled it with Brandon Wood earlier!
(22) Select the open DH position
Here, the left side panel should be blank, but show that the top line gets 100% of the play time.
(23) Select the top position, that is open.
(24) This will take you to the right side panel, select Brandon Wood (3B)
<<<<<BUG>>>>>
It will ask you to select the place in the batting rotation that you want to place the player. But the system is querying from the lineup page (or something) which does not have any open batting order slots, so the only option is to Cancel. This time, the system does not put Brandon Wood in by default. And there is nothing you can do about the depth chart having an open position.

The obvious quick fix is to have the computer adjust your rosters, but if this is a consistent problem, there is no incentive to get deep into the game and consistently adjust your rosters.

I'm going to test around a few other ways of doing this, and see if there is an answer (like going to the Depth Chart page first). But this serves as a way to duplicate the bug, so 2K people can see what I'm seeing.

[tdi1985]

I'm going to test around a few other ways of doing this, and see if there is an answer (like going to the Depth Chart page first).

My suspicion was correct.

After you do a call-up/send-down go right to the depth chart, to fill the new vacant positions on all rosters.

I tested the problem with RHP with DH lineups (Garret Anderson, with the LAA). And following the same above methods, causes the same problem.

The problem does not occur with other positions, such as 1B, 2B because when you go to the empty spot on the lineup, and select the player to fill the open position, it appears on the screen for you to select the position, and then the player is filled in the depth chart.

At any rate, this is sort of a big problem, because I think like most people... I go straight to the lineup page to adjust my rosters when I do call ups, not the depth chart.

Let me know if anyone has any feedback, advice, similar problems.

[Mater]

I had this problem as well. What I did and I think it worked but can't remember, after I clicked cancel, I removed my player from the line up and then put him right back in and it must've worked because I wasn't prompted again. Don't know if it was dumb luck or what.

I have the same problem with the line ups too, I hate getting my rotations screwed up because of it. It's happened to me more than a couple times, while it's not a big deal, it's annoying after while.

The batter's eye, I thought it didn't work either but the main thing about it is, you HAVE to hold it in place til he pitches the ball. I've guessed quite a few pitches right in a game because of it, as soon as he releases the ball you're locked in, with that though it makes it a little harder to hit cause it's a split second reaction to swing once the location is revealed.

I'm curious to know about the injury bug and the call up send down stuff, I currently have a AAA guy on the 60 day DL and had to sign someone else, would hate to have to cut someone cause of it.

[tdi1985]

after I clicked cancel, I removed my player from the line up and then put him right back in and it must've worked because I wasn't prompted again. Don't know if it was dumb luck or what.


I haven't tested what you said, but I know that if you hit cancel (apparently putting the guy into the lineup), and then back up out of the lineup screen, the "free spot" on the bench is no longer there, to take the guy out of the line up.


you HAVE to hold it in place til he pitches the ball.

I know this is a problem for a lot of people, but I do this. I was a big fan of using the batter's eye in last year's game, and so I have been using it just the same this year, but with about 90% less success.

[Jpitt005]

I know this is a problem for a lot of people, but I do this. I was a big fan of using the batter's eye in last year's game, and so I have been using it just the same this year, but with about 90% less success.


With the batters eye............ I'm getting it to show up every time I guess correctly.........

I'm using the swingstick 2.0 I have the batters eye always turned on, and I hold the batters eye wherever I am guessing all the way through my swing. I never let it go.

I was making the mistake of letting go when it disappeared and it would show that I guessed correctly but wouldn't work............. Now I hold it in that location throughout the pitch and it works fine

HOpe that helps

[tdi1985]

I was making the mistake of letting go when it disappeared and it would show that I guessed correctly but wouldn't work............. Now I hold it in that location throughout the pitch and it works fine

HOpe that helps

You know, this might actually be a problem! I use the classic batting system. I have the batters eye set to be always on, and I hold it until it fades. Under these circumstances, there are a lot of times that the pitch location does not come up, but it turns out that I did guess correctly. I let go after the batters eye fades, because with the classic batting style, you (at least I do) use the left stick to influence the swing. UP and PULL is the best way to hit home runs.

Before you said something, and I thought about it more... I never saw this as a problem, because after the pitch, the batters eye would be where I left it.

NOW THAT I DO THINK ABOUT IT.... Whenever a pitch location does come up randomly, it's usually on the top of the strike zone, leading me to believe, that when I push the swing influence up to hit the ball, it is moving the batters eye up as well. I almost ALWAYS aim the batters eye, low and at the corners, to check for balls.

This is a pretty big bug if you ask me, because if the game shows your batters eye at the end of a pitch in the same location you left it, but it moves during the pitch, that renders it pretty much useless when you're batting with the classic batting system.

I'm going to use the classing batting system, because I'm better with it, and I enjoy it more... and I'm going to keep using the left stick to influence the batting stroke, because there is nothing anyone can do to convince me that it does not influence the way the ball will move off the bat.

FRUSTRATING!

[Smitty730]

You DO NOT have to sign a free agent to full the 25-man roster requirements if an MLB player is injured.

All you need to do is send the injured player to the minors and call someone up.

Sorry if this simple solution has been posted.

[Mater]

Which would be an easy fix, as for me I made the mistake of putting my guy on the DL first, not knowing this would be the end result.

[Jpitt005]

I used to like the classic style......... but I was trying to get that Advanced mind Advanced pleasure achievement and I got hooked on the swingstick 2.0 Once you get used to it you can really influence where you hit the ball its awesome...

And if you use the swingstick 2.0 u can use the batters eye more often to increase contact quality and all that good stuff.

I suggest playing a few games with the swingstick, It will take some getting used to but its def worth it once you get it. (I still step late but I hit the ball pretty good now)

I was having the same problem as you with the classic.

[tdi1985]

You DO NOT have to sign a free agent to full the 25-man roster requirements if an MLB player is injured.

All you need to do is send the injured player to the minors and call someone up.

Sorry if this simple solution has been posted.


Fair enough, thanks for the advice on this one. Kind of an oversight that they would restrict the use of the DL so much. And very frustrating.

[thekodinator]

I've had the same questions/frustrations with the batter's eye that you've described. I also had 2k7 and LOVED the way it worked, and have been disappointed with 2k8's. While playing the game earlier today, before reading your post, I discovered the fact that yes, it is necessary to hold the batter's eye the whole time through the pitcher's motion. And yet, if you don't while you might see the pitch elsewhere (in the middle for example if you just let go of the left analog stick), your batter's eye will still appear where you had it when it faded out at the beginning of the pitcher's motion. In my humble opinion, 2K needs to make a patch to make the batter's eye work like it did in 2k7.... that rocked, this new one sucks.

[tdi1985]

In my humble opinion, 2K needs to make a patch to make the batter's eye work like it did in 2k7.... that rocked, this new one sucks.

I agree with you 100% on this one!

The whole problem with this year's version is one of timing...
In 2k7 the pitch location would show up as soon as the batters eye went away (if you guessed right).
I think with this year's version they tried to make it more difficult on purpose... the later it shows up the quicker you have to react. But having to react quickly is one of the inherit difficulties with baseball games like this... If it were easy to react to where the pitch was going, you wouldn't need the batters eye in the first place. Instead, you basically have to hack at everything because for the most part, its coming too quick to notice if it's in or out of the zone.

The other problem with slowing down the time on showing the pitch location, is that you have to switch over to the swing influence almost flawlessly to still bat right.

Anyways, more of a rant from me, but I think this is something that needs to be addressed.

[dojadoug]

I have played 10+ games. I play with Classic Controls and with Batters Eye on Permanently, with No Batter Eye Feedback. Thirty or more times I have guessed the correct location, and none of those times has it shown the pitch before it arrives.

I have now turned Batter's Eye off, as it seems pointless and is frustrating to even make a guess, since it NEVER shows. Could this be my disk? I have a feeling it has something to do with people who play with Classic settings.

[Bl00d h0und Gang]

I have played 10+ games. I play with Classic Controls and with Batters Eye on Permanently, with No Batter Eye Feedback. Thirty or more times I have guessed the correct location, and none of those times has it shown the pitch before it arrives.

I have now turned Batter's Eye off, as it seems pointless and is frustrating to even make a guess, since it NEVER shows. Could this be my disk? I have a feeling it has something to do with people who play with Classic settings.

Do you remember how difficult it was to read a pitch on MLB 2k7? But the batters eye compensated for that because it would show the pitch location if you guessed right as soon as the pitcher began his windup, which was quite ridiculous.

In MLB 2k8 the ability to read the pitch has improved. However, to compensate, the batters eye doesn't reveal pitch location as early as it did in 2k7.

For the pitch to reveal in your batters eye, when you guess right, you have to hold the left stick in position throughout the pitcher's delivery. When the pitcher releases the ball that is when the pitch will reveal. If the pitch is thrown with max effectiveness it will reveal late, and a pitch thrown with little effectiveness will reveal early. Pitch rating factors into this as well. Josh Beckett's fastball thrown with max effectiveness won't reveal until late, while Brandon Backe's fastball thrown with max effectiveness will reveal early. Again you have to hold the LS in position, don't let it go.

To get an understanding of just how the batters eye works in 2k8, you want to look under settings. Go to SETTINGS then PRESENTATION. Under presentation look at the sub- heading for the BATTERS EYE. The sub- heading states "Turn this option off and the pitch won't reveal, but you still receive a contact and power boost."

What this means is that letting go of the LS when your guess gets locked in (pitcher begins windup) will give your batter a contact and power boost, but the pitch won't reveal.