What Are the Best Video Game Pitching Controls?

[RaychelSnr]

Right-analog stick control was first devised in baseball games with the release of MVP 06 NCAA Baseball from EA Sports. In the game, both "Load" and "Fire" batting and Precision Throw Control were introduced, allowing you to bat and throw, respectively, using only the right-analog stick. EA Sports continued the trend with its next baseball title, MVP 07 NCAA Baseball, which reinvented its old button-based pitching system with a new "Rock" and "Fire" pitching system, again mapped to the right-analog stick. This system allowed users to simulate the back-and-forth motion a pitcher would make during his windup, and influenced where the ball would be pitched. Now, a year after Rock and Fire Pitching, which baseball game -- 2K8 or The Show –- has constructed the most fun and intuitive pitching system?

Read More: Trying to Create the Perfect Video Game Pitching Controls

[Trevytrev11]

There are a few things 2K could do to make their system more realistic:

1st) Get rid of the whole idea of a meatball. The outcome of a pitch should be based soley on the results of the motions and not randomness that decides that when you miss big, you miss down the middle. If you miss early with a release, the pitch should be higher than anticipated and if you miss late, it should be lower...just like release points. Also, if they make the stop point a very fine point, missing left (counter clockwise) or right (Clockwise) on thecontroller should make the pitch miss in the same direction.

2nd) It's far too easy to locate a pitchwith everyone. It's as easy with Barry Zito as it is with Greg Maddux. They need to take a few steps to change this.
a) the location icon that you move around to your location should be different for each pitcther and each pitch. A fastball should have a smaller circle than a curveball and a Maddux fastball should be much Smaller than a Zito fastball. The result of a successful pitch would then land anywhere in this circle. So maybe a maddux fastball is slightly bigger than a baseball and a Zito fastball is the size of a volley ball. A Zito curve, maybe the size of a beach ball. (Currenly every pitcher has the ability to pinpoint every pitch which is not realistic at all).
-this would lead to more walks and mistakes would happen naturally. If you try and nibble with Zito (his volleyball sized circle would be half in and half out of the zone), you'll probably throw a lot of balls and will be forced to move more to the center of the zone. Then your at a higher risk for some pitches out over the middle of the plate. Pitching with Zito should be a challenge. Every pitch should require total focus or else you get hammered.
b) The speed of the meter could also change from pitch to pitch as well as pitcher to pitcher. Using Maddux and Zito again, Maddux would have mostly a smooth and steady speed. You should usually be able to get into a pretty good rhythem. With Zito, on every pitch the meter should/could move at a different speed, requiring a lot of attention to throw successful pitches. One fastball may move at medium speed, the next at super slow speed. (Think of what happens when you bring in a fresh pitcher after one that is dead tired in 2K8). You couldn't just mindlessly throw a pitch or you'd get punished.

In both of these systems, early success would lead to your pitcher getting in a groove and in a) the icon getting smaller over the course of the game and b) the meter having more stability in its speed. And early trouble would make things just get worse and worse. When a pitcher is in a groove, things come easy, there isn't a lot of thinking going on and when you struggle, every pitch is a battle. This needs to be reflected.

Also, the game should force you to call/choose your pitch before starting any motion so that it can properly react to a miss. It would know you were at least trying to throw a curveball and throw a flat curve when you miss big instead of a 92MPH fastball down the middle.

Finally, the game needs to do a better job with pitch physics. Pitches down in the zone tend to have more life to them (bigger, sharper breaks, more sink, more movement, bite, whatever) and pitches up in the zone tend to flatten out. A pitch up in the zone is a risky pitch, but in this game, it's a deadly pitch because it is unrealistic.

[Trevytrev11]

After playing 2K8, I don't think I could go back to button pressing for pitching. Even though some of the motions might not perfectly represent the pitchers throwing motion, the required motions on the analog stick all kind of make sense to me and in a way mimick the pitchers arm angle or wrist motion of throwing the pitch. Plus it makes every pitch a bit of a challenge and makes throwing a curevball or slider harder than throwing a fastball, which is the way it should be.

I know others prefer button pressing or just a back and forth motion, but I feel the current system adds a bit of realism in the fact that every pitch is thrown slightly different, whether it be a different speed, arm angle/slot, grip, release point, wrist motion, etc.

[ehh]

I like the idea behind 2K8's system because it's more fun and I really don't think it was difficult at all after a few games. The meatball definitely needs to go as mentioned above.

The meter has become old, I prefer the one-button classic pitching in The Show over the meter. Granted it's as simple as can be it does provide the best realism because the game calculates ratings + fatigue to give you a realistic pitch location. My only problem is that it's almost 2009, we need something besides "aim and push X" for a pitching system.

[wsu_gb23]

I think 2K8's pitching is overrated and pointless....It just makes it more complex to throw a pitch, and it doesn't even come close to feeling like I am actually throwing a certain pitch......Oh yeah, 2K8 was a terrible game anyway.....

[Trevytrev11]

Quote: Originally Posted by wsu_gb23

I think 2K8's pitching is overrated and pointless....It just makes it more complex to throw a pitch, and it doesn't even come close to feeling like I am actually throwing a certain pitch......Oh yeah, 2K8 was a terrible game anyway.....

No offense, but nothing in the game, running (pressing a direction), throwing (pressing a direction with the other stick), catching (doing nothing at all), hitting, which may be the closest (back and forth motion) feels like your doing any of those things in real life.

Pitching is a very tough thing to do in real life and should probably be somewhat complex, at least IMO. If it were easy, there'd a be a lot more great pitchers out there. If you want pressing a button, it's already out there as an option.

[lilrosati56]

As a 360 owner, unfortunately I never got to play The Show. The lone thing about 2k8 that I liked was the pitching, but I agree with the article about the meatball part. A mistake pitch shouldn't necessarily be a meatball, but more often than not, a ball. This would add more walks to the game, something somebody like myself, who like realistic, sim style games, would really enjoy. However, if the only thing 2K addresses is the pitching, I still won't be buying this game next year after the disaster that was 2k8.

[Laettner32]

I know what the funnest style of pitching controls are. The old SNK Baseball way! Easy to pick up and learn for anyone, in the hands of a pro...very difficult to hit. The top-down view, and using the d-pad to control the ball from pitcher to catcher. Slowball, Fastballs, Curves, Sliders, Offspeed...I remember playing in high school and having to adjust to each player. You could play a game in around 30 minutes.