Batting in career mode is a serious issue

[phil1987]

This is exactly what raises the red flag for me. You can already see from all the gameplay videos on youtube that in the tour mode or casual games against AI, the AI is bowled out cheaply on a consistent basis. Unless the user simulates the AI innings, they don't score too much. As someone who prefers Tests to shorter formats, it's a concern as I want to get games where AI is 400/3 or declares at 650/6 etc. I don't want the same old "AI bowled out for 180" consistently unless you simulate the AI innings.

Pretty much spot on. From what i have experienced so far and i have already played a sickening amount of hours.

Play the game on veteran difficulty, its the closest thing you will get to a sim experience. I am currently playing a T20 comp and getting around 130-180 runs per innings when batting and CPU usually digs in when batting and puts up a bit of a fight.

Be prepared to bowl without the bowler hud when playing on VET and batting is quite a challenge at times.

I also started on test matches the first 3 days i had the game as it's my fav but i had to give up on it for the time being to be honest, just too many things need fixing before you can enjoy the game over a 50 over + period.

 

[Biggs]

Thanks. That's a real shame because I was looking forward to manoeuvring the ball around the field. Perhaps the patch will help alleviate this problem to a certain extent.

Don't get me wrong, you can ABSOLUTELY manoeuvre the ball around the field and in many cases, exploit the regular AI field changes that happen to try and counter your tactics. It's chess. Just like real cricket. The problem is there's little to no chance for a "quick single" to get off strike, which isn't a problem in TESTS because there's always plenty of gaps, but it becomes a real issue in ODI's and T20's because the AI will always have a close-in fielder or Mid-On/Mid-Off combo throwing down the stumps EVERY ball... and it really is, every ball. Even if you don't run.

I mean, the good part about all this is you're so mindful of the field every delivery and you tend to start remembering where the fielders are "no, can't hit it there... will defend... yes, gap there... push for two" but since the difficulty level for batting is so unforgiving (good thing) it'd be nice if the AI in the field gave you at least a little chance to improve. I reckon 50% of my dismissals are run-outs or caught in the outfield, due to nothing else than the speed the AI gets to the ball and I've never seen them drop a catch or miss a chance, ever.

I made a post a few months ago regarding this issue of quick singles which is why I suggested an alternative use of the RS but it seems more like a fielding issue than a batting one.
Quick singles/rotating the strike certainly should be part of the game, especially in a test matches.

Totally agree and it's possible, just not as frequently as it is in real cricket. In T20's or ODI's it's impossible to "drop shot" a single to the other end. Ie; Block the ball dead at your feet (possible, done it plenty of times) then race down to the other end for a single. The bowler will instantly move at lightening speed to the ball and pick-up-throw down the stumps.

Many times I've had the bowler field a ball, throw down the keeper stumps and the keeper has thrown the ball to the bowlers end and hit them too.

The game just hates me in the field

 

[zombieian]

I know Ross will disagree but I don't understand how such glaring issues got past the game testers.

 

[Biggs]

Thing is I have seen the AI drop catches on "Amateur" level in the "Quick Match" mode... In PRO even when I've had a Test match just to practice my batting, it seems to be easier to get it into the gaps past fielders and although, they're still trying to run you out every ball, they seem to move slower to the ball and/or the bowler isn't fielding as much off his own bowling.

...but I've only played 2 or 3 matches because I'm just knee deep in the career mode, so it could just be a perception thing.

There's the possibility the testing guys weren't playing much of the career mode and that's why the carer mode stuff was missed?

 

[blockerdave]

I know Ross will disagree but I don't understand how such glaring issues got past the game testers.

i wonder if it was a case of ambition? there are some wonderful things here, maybe not enough time to get some of these other things sorted?

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And yet the same 16 year old is virtually unstoppable with the ball...

If one matched the other then it would be difficult but reasonable.

I still don't understand why there is sucha huge increase in batting difficulty from amateur to pro. It's only one stage higher.

the balance should be acheived making game ai batters better, not making batting easier. it should be hard to get wickets etc. as a 16 year old with no skills.

 

[zombieian]

Maybe BigAnt should have used a few of you guys to test the game prior to release?

 

[Biggs]

I just dunno from a testing perspective, how you wouldn't catch the AI throwing down the stumps constantly... You get used to it after a while and it just becomes a sound-effect every ball? I'd love to hear from HBK whether he was able to drop-shot a single, because the bowler runs you out every time. Physically, it's impossible for a bowler to move at that kinda speed and accuracy after bowling a ball, otherwise it wouldn't be the rarity it is in cricket. When you're facing the really fast bowlers, their follow-through is right down the middle of the pitch, up to your player then they...

...throw down the stumps.

That should really not be in the game.

 

[blockerdave]

I just dunno from a testing perspective, how you wouldn't catch the AI throwing down the stumps constantly... You get used to it after a while and it just becomes a sound-effect every ball? I'd love to hear from HBK whether he was able to drop-shot a single, because the bowler runs you out every time. Physically, it's impossible for a bowler to move at that kinda speed and accuracy after bowling a ball, otherwise it wouldn't be the rarity it is in cricket. When you're facing the really fast bowlers, their follow-through is right down the middle of the pitch, up to your player then they...

...throw down the stumps.

That should really not be in the game.

funny thing... remember the sneak peak video of pro-mode? a few people quibbled about how quickly the bowler got in to field the ball and my oh my how we shot them down

 

[Biggs]

Haha, I know, right? Problem is the bowlers follow-through isn't correct. It's right down the middle of the pitch when in reality, it's off the pitch. He shouldn't be anywhere near the ball at your feet. I don't think it's the SPEED the bowler comes down it's that he's able to change direction, which would be physically impossible and he's also able to have perfect aim...

...when he throws down the stumps.

 

[blockerdave]

but yeah... there are' a few things here that you can easily say "testers shouldn't have been missed that", but, and of course i haven't played yet, but what i would say is:

1)we saw at the play test, there was an old, very buggy build of the game that did contain some game breaking issues (a "middle" becoming an edge, a bowler not getting to bowl in career mode)... the released build has no game breaking issues - that was all stuff caught by testers and fixed
2)as said above, there's nothing game-breaking here* so it's a question of priorities in resourcing - what do you fix when you won't have time to fix everything? you fix the game breaking bugs.
3)finally, re super fielding... well i'd push the question a bit higher than the testers... they maybe reported it but who said "it's fine"... i think it was a play session video where someone smashed a shot off the middle of the bat and a short leg or sill mid-off plucked it out the air like it was dandelion floating in the breeze, a few people queried it at the time, but @Ross was rather resistant to the idea anything was wrong with that


*(super-fielding and bowling/batting are close though... saved by the qualities of the rest of the game - place those two errors in an otherwise crappy game and you'd be fuming)

 

[zombieian]

We were told that the game was ready at Christmas. Is three months not enough time to fix the main issues that have been raised?

 

[blockerdave]

Huge difference between ready, as in playable, "complete" and without game breaking bugs, and polished to the nth degree.

Also with so many moving parts happening in real time a fix isn't so easy... a "fix" in one area can lead to issues in others. At what point do you say "this is complete"? Especially when they are commited to polish/ patch etc. essentially it's never complete but that doesn't mean it's not ready.

I'm bring too nice and reasonable about @Ross so I'll just quickly edit and say #shitbloke

 

[zombieian]

Huge difference between ready, as in playable, "complete" and without game breaking bugs, and polished to the nth degree.

Also with so many moving parts happening in real time a fix isn't so easy... a "fix" in one area can lead to issues in others. At what point do you say "this is complete"? Especially when they are commited to polish/ patch etc. essentially it's never complete but that doesn't mean it's not ready.

I'm bring too nice and reasonable about @Ross so I'll just quickly edit and say #shitbloke

 

[Biggs]

Thing is, everything else in the game just works so well, bowling is fun and perhaps a little too easy, but a hell of a lot of fun. Batting is note perfect save being incredibly steep learning curve it's hella rewarding... So when we're talking about the fielding issues, in context, it's a pretty minor complaint. That's not to say it shouldn't be fixed just that, in context, the game is really tweaking good for a cricket title!

 

[79cricket]

If they up the speed of the ball in the air by 20% do you think that will fix the problem Biggs/Blocker/Zombie or just make everything unbalanced.