Batting in career mode is a serious issue

[IzzyCricketing]

I also feel that batting has become immensely difficult with the new patch. I previously was able to easily get to 30 - 40, then push on past 50 and onto the 100s (and big hundreds, my HS was 270)... I could previously dominate my way to thirty through milking the leg side off the front foot, then defend resolutely and cut off the backfoot (gotta build up the back foot too LOL ) while reverse-sweeping and charging the spinners into oblivion. This worked well in career mode and I was a leading run scorer in the shield when the patch came in. Previously, I didnt suck at the game, but now... I sure do!

Now every shot into the legside is suicide, as is the cut shot. I serisously think my ps3 may explode if i even THINK about trying to play a cut off the front foot, which was previously a productive run-getter for me...

i feel the patch has turned batting into a downright hostile activity. There is ZERO fun now, its like i imagine dark souls to be like from what ive heard about it.

Of course, i (now) only play maybe an hour or so a week, so i would probably be classed as a casual player of this game, but i feel completely alienated by the seemingly immense increase in dfficulty... or is it realism?

 

[Deleted member 9102]

Not quite how it worked: the basic ethos was to have the player setting up their shot in stages. Pre delivery you were looking where you wanted to hit it, moving feet during the run-up and then the timing on the shot + position + footwork = how close the ball went to where you wanted it to go.

The added layer with IC10 was that each ball was executed differently: the better the ball the smaller the timing window a batsman would have. This allowed the player a brief window in order to change their shot to something less risky or to a slog if a poor ball.

This made it essentially a game of risk management: apart from basic tutorials for footwork there was little we needed to teach the audience in order for them to feel skillful when winning, and the HUD made it clear what the user had done wrong if they failed (IE wrong footwork/timing). So it made it very cohesive and easy to play: essentially the difficulty levels (and the skills) just changed the shape of the timing window: again, the player could see the size of the window (and the accuracy of the "wedge" on the fielding radar) and instantly know how good the batsman was. They just then had to keep an eye on the score to know how much risk to take (in fact, if they were playing the Wii version, the game actually suggested how much risk to take). Cricket is a game all about resources: very complex mathematics - It's very hard to explain that to a casual player...

I appreciate your effort to explain this to me, however I never really got the impression of much depth or complexity in the batting system of AC09.

It's been years since I played it, but from what I remember the 'footwork' consisted of a simple front foot or back foot option, which hardly seemed necessary anyway as if you didn't use it then the game would usually pick the suitable one for you automatically.

After a few hours play, you got to learn the shots in terms of 'if ball pitches at X, play shot Y to aim towards Z' which meant the only gameplay element left to test you was timing (unless one of the 'special deliveries' were executed). I never got much sense of having my cricket ability/strategy tested, and if I wanted a simple test of timing I might as well play Bit Trip Runner, Flappy Bird or similar.

I never played IC10 (had no intention of purchasing an AC09 sequel) but that good ball/bad ball mechanism just sounds like another artificial and simplistic measure to shoehorn in more variables rather than building a deep and immersive batting system from the ground up like the one seen in DBC.

As a casual game to play while in the mood for cricket (because of Ashes being on) I guess AC09 was fun for a few hours, but it was a pretty poor game and didn't have enough innovation, depth or nuance to give it much longevity. There were also horrible AI pacing issues which made Test matches a complete joke, not great for a game based on a Test series...

 

[SpitfiresKent]

Every single leg glance Flys directly to a fielder

Not for me it doesn't. It's a lot easier playing that shot after patch 2 IMO. It's the pull and cut shots which are of a concern.

 

[Gamer Pradosh]

Not for me it doesn't. It's a lot easier playing that shot after patch 2 IMO. It's the pull and cut shots which are of a concern.

Ball does go more in the air than before patch but yeah pull and cut are bit of a concern but even more serious thing that I am facing is too many balls going through the bat which is very frustrating and sometimes the ball goes half way through the bat and comes as a very slow shot in the air and the chances of getting caught is very easy ....For me this needs tweaking for sure....

 

[StinkyBoHoon]

I also feel that batting has become immensely difficult with the new patch. I previously was able to easily get to 30 - 40, then push on past 50 and onto the 100s (and big hundreds, my HS was 270)... I could previously dominate my way to thirty through milking the leg side off the front foot, then defend resolutely and cut off the backfoot (gotta build up the back foot too LOL ) while reverse-sweeping and charging the spinners into oblivion. This worked well in career mode and I was a leading run scorer in the shield when the patch came in. Previously, I didnt suck at the game, but now... I sure do!

I feel after the patch big ant can rightly claim batting is more realistic, getting out edging and playing pulls and cuts is much more realistic than chipping to long on all the time.

I just don't really get the decision making process that went on here, everyone said batting was already far, far too hard. Yet when making alterations, they took out how often you chip it forward, made fielders a bit less brilliant and then thought, "you know what, lets make it instead of hitting it in the air on the drive you now always hit it in the air square of the wicket or on the pull." they also decided to ramp the edges up so that you can't even block overs out. the turned the speed of the bowlers down a bit, but made it so they bowl full pelt all the time.

these are surely things you do if the game was balanced right but not working like you wanted? instead they've actually gone on to make it harder.

I just point blank don't enjoy it now, my girlfriend was getting up at 2am to do a weird shift at her work, so instead of disturbing her I thought I'd stay up. switched this on, played 5 innings in about 30 minutes, got fed up and ended up having to watch TV for 2 hours. I've played games for 6 hour stretches in the past, this I can barely tolerate for an hour.

I think PC users will get the best of it, someone will figure out a mod to make it playable, but if you're a console user the game is a busted flush.

 

[cricket_online]

Not for me it doesn't. It's a lot easier playing that shot after patch 2 IMO. It's the pull and cut shots which are of a concern.

Ball does go more in the air than before patch but yeah pull and cut are bit of a concern but even more serious thing that I am facing is too many balls going through the bat which is very frustrating and sometimes the ball goes half way through the bat and comes as a very slow shot in the air and the chances of getting caught is very easy ....For me this needs tweaking for sure....

I feel after the patch big ant can rightly claim batting is more realistic, getting out edging and playing pulls and cuts is much more realistic than chipping to long on all the time.

I just don't really get the decision making process that went on here, everyone said batting was already far, far too hard. Yet when making alterations, they took out how often you chip it forward, made fielders a bit less brilliant and then thought, "you know what, lets make it instead of hitting it in the air on the drive you now always hit it in the air square of the wicket or on the pull." they also decided to ramp the edges up so that you can't even block overs out. the turned the speed of the bowlers down a bit, but made it so they bowl full pelt all the time.

these are surely things you do if the game was balanced right but not working like you wanted? instead they've actually gone on to make it harder.

I just point blank don't enjoy it now, my girlfriend was getting up at 2am to do a weird shift at her work, so instead of disturbing her I thought I'd stay up. switched this on, played 5 innings in about 30 minutes, got fed up and ended up having to watch TV for 2 hours. I've played games for 6 hour stretches in the past, this I can barely tolerate for an hour.

I think PC users will get the best of it, someone will figure out a mod to make it playable, but if you're a console user the game is a busted flush.

IMO if Big Ant can allow the pull & cut shots to be hit along the ground, like we could prior to the 2nd patch, everything should be fine. Maybe one thing after that would be adding more variety to edges, i.e. not all edges go to wkt keeper. If a few edges go wide of the wkt keeper, through slips or gully or fine leg, it would lead to not all edges leading to dismissals which would be more realistic and also make batting a better experience.

 

[Chief]

that good ball/bad ball mechanism just sounds like another artificial and simplistic measure to shoehorn in more variables rather than building a deep and immersive batting system from the ground up like the one seen in DBC.

Yep: exactly right.

Our focus with AC09 was to create a game that was solid, fun and casual enough to sell enough units to justify another one. Then layer on top of that version by version, constantly improving and adding to it as optional extras. A complicated control scheme just scares off the more casual player: if you're playing with someone else's money (which I was) then the only way to sell enough units to justify another is getting it to go mainstream. Which it did.

You're right that the batting in DBC is deep and immersive, but for some that will be in the same way that a huge expanse of water is: Without the knowledge, skill and a lot of practise they are unlikely to survive long.
I think with the right hand-holding (and I do think that means HUD elements currently not in the game) it could be made a lot more accessible, but I'm not sure that's really Ross's goal. He's always described it as a labour of love, a pet project, and I think that's the only way you'd ever have got this game. It's probably smart: you have to go one way or the other or you end up in the middle and NO-ONE is satisfied!

 

[Gamer Pradosh]

IMO if Big Ant can allow the pull & cut shots to be hit along the ground, like we could prior to the 2nd patch, everything should be fine. Maybe one thing after that would be adding more variety to edges, i.e. not all edges go to wkt keeper. If a few edges go wide of the wkt keeper, through slips or gully or fine leg, it would lead to not all edges leading to dismissals which would be more realistic and also make batting a better experience.

I have bowled 90+ overs till now in career mode after the patch and had only one edge till now....Having slips no sense to me as on offie in career..Atleast the types of edges that we face while batting should be there for AI as well because the amount of edges I have given is no where close to the number I have got with AI....Sometimes it feel like the batsman is deliberately made to miss the ball rather than edge it in legend difficulty as I have beaten AI too many times but nowhere close to edging....

 

[StinkyBoHoon]

IMO if Big Ant can allow the pull & cut shots to be hit along the ground, like we could prior to the 2nd patch, everything should be fine. Maybe one thing after that would be adding more variety to edges, i.e. not all edges go to wkt keeper. If a few edges go wide of the wkt keeper, through slips or gully or fine leg, it would lead to not all edges leading to dismissals which would be more realistic and also make batting a better experience.

I would like to be able to pull and cut along the ground but I still don't think this would be fun. I don't mind facing spinners, because there is a decision making process going on, it's actually a game. When facing fast bowlers it's just freaking out and guessing which way to pull the analogue sticks in the fraction of a second.

I'd make the pitch longer actually. it just feels like the ball's on you instantly, too much coding though for that.

 

[Deleted member 9102]

I would like to be able to pull and cut along the ground but I still don't think this would be fun. I don't mind facing spinners, because there is a decision making process going on, it's actually a game. When facing fast bowlers it's just freaking out and guessing which way to pull the analogue sticks in the fraction of a second.

I'd make the pitch longer actually. it just feels like the ball's on you instantly, too much coding though for that.

Personally I quite like the challenge of facing pace bowling in the game as it is right now, but here's something that you may be interested in;

I'm "older" too - I've done game industry talks titled "Walking with Dinosaurs" - we will introduce some things in upcoming patches that will allow you to adjust the game speed, particularly the bowling.

I'll be adding some sliders that can change the pace of play. I believe this will allow a far more mental/strategic game to be played, especially online.

Source:
For the Older, slower, and more prone to ducks (OSPD) Multiplayer Matchup. :: Don Bradman Cricket 14 General Discussions

 

[Gamer Pradosh]

I would like to be able to pull and cut along the ground but I still don't think this would be fun. I don't mind facing spinners, because there is a decision making process going on, it's actually a game. When facing fast bowlers it's just freaking out and guessing which way to pull the analogue sticks in the fraction of a second.

I'd make the pitch longer actually. it just feels like the ball's on you instantly, too much coding though for that.

I think maybe they can add the speed levels like 80-120 , 80-130, 80-140, Max...Such options should be available in the options sections and user must be able to select the pace at which he wants to play...So when selected they will be to face balls only in the that range which will increase the time for hitting the ball...

 

[StinkyBoHoon]

sliders sound good, they're so essential to what gave FIFA longevity. I would have chucked that out by now had me and my mate not discovered the joys of making the keepers much better and all the players run at break neck speed.

 

[asprin]

When facing fast bowlers it's just freaking out and guessing which way to pull the analogue sticks in the fraction of a second.

I concur with this. I enjoy playing spinners as I get more time to decide the footwork and shot selection. So even I get out it's not as frustrating as it in the case of fast bowlers. At the moment I premeditate around 65% of the time against fast bowlers and that is not enjoyable. I get that there is a learning curve, but sometimes I wonder what the casual gamer might make of it. And this is while facing bowlers bowling in the range of 110-115 kmph.

I actually possess quite good reflexes and hence it's getting even more frustrating knowing that I'm not good enough even at Amateur level.

EDIT: Not to be interpreted as I'm not happy with the product. I'm a 100% satisfied customer and have become a huge fan of Big Ant. Just wanted to get that off my chest

 

[cricket_online]

I would like to be able to pull and cut along the ground but I still don't think this would be fun. I don't mind facing spinners, because there is a decision making process going on, it's actually a game. When facing fast bowlers it's just freaking out and guessing which way to pull the analogue sticks in the fraction of a second.

I'd make the pitch longer actually. it just feels like the ball's on you instantly, too much coding though for that.

Better way would be to somehow provide line & length info to users earlier. A slider based mechanism to see the info sooner or later would be ideal but even a "Very Slow", "Slow", "Average", "Fast" or "Lightening" as selectable items for a new setting called 'Reaction Time' would be great. Essentially, you know the line & length a lot sooner if you select "Very Slow" as 'Reaction Time' setting and "Llightening" would be how things are right now.

 

[grkrama]

And this is while facing bowlers bowling in the range of 110-115 kmph.

Im re quoting what someone here in PC, said"you have more time than you think"

esp 110-115kmph, im personally able to hold my own in veteran level, but do have probs with fast bowlers in 145+ im good with a anderson, but finn is trouble, SO for Fast bowlers in that 140 range what im currently doing is cut off my shots, i have my hands on DEF trigger and have 3 other scoring shots namely cover drive if its full on offside, flick on leg side, pull shot if its short and there is no mid-wicket fielder, otherwise block, this works to a good extent for me but i cant wallop them like i do medium pacers.

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Better way would be to somehow provide line & length info to users earlier.

I was also thinking along same lines batter eye etc a whole range of options it opens up, The biggest prob for that is how bowling works since the inputs are decided at the last minute, the details cant appear any quicker than that.

One way to circumvent that, obviously not in this iteration, would be to choose length of the ball when you pull the stick back and pace of the ball when you push it forward.This way Depending on batsman skill, form, EYE, confidence etc the marker or HUD for ball length appear a bit before at the same time maintain the challenge its giving.