Don Bradman Cricket 14 General Discussion

[Deleted member 9102]

That's the breaking point for me. When I bat I want to think like a batsman, not like a bug-tester. If there is a short cover, I pretty much cannot play on the offside. Why?

1) Straight drives go to the bowler on the full
2) Cover drives go to short cover on the full
3) Cut shots are rarely able to be played because the bowlers bowl too straight (that never got fixed)

Agreed, having such artificial limits placed on your shot selection just removes my head from the game, I can't get properly immersed when I have to constantly have these quirks of the game mechanics in my mind rather than just being able to think and react as I would in reality.
That aspect is why I can't really enjoy the recent versions of FIFA as well, to win you need to work around and keep in mind some of the goofy gameplay mechanics, rather than making decisions and building attacks in a more natural way.

I also agree about the off side shot selection... Needs a lot of work.

 

[whiteninness]

Agreed, having such artificial limits placed on your shot selection just removes my head from the game, I can't get properly immersed when I have to constantly have these quirks of the game mechanics in my mind rather than just being able to think and react as I would in reality.
That aspect is why I can't really enjoy the recent versions of FIFA as well, to win you need to work around and keep in mind some of the goofy gameplay mechanics, rather than making decisions and building attacks in a more natural way.

I also agree about the off side shot selection... Needs a lot of work.

We're probably at a stage now where that level of work would only come in the next version, if they make one.

 

[blockerdave]

We're probably at a stage now where that level of work would only come in the next version, if they make one.

They should be able to fix the shots going in the air. They should even be able to sort out the AI line though I'd say it's not much of an issue, I have plenty of opportunities to cut if i want but if there's anyone between 4th slip and point it's suicide because if course the ball goes in the air.

It's probably a controversial, even unpopular opinion, but I personally think if they can't get an AI that sets reasonable fields and doesn't change them continuously, knows how to rotate bowlers and when is an appropriate time to bowl spinners, and bat in a realistic (not middle or miss) manner it's not worth making another version - they could improve everything else but the AI would kill it. The AI is a river of turd running right through the game.

 

[T.J.Hooker]

I'd deffo like to play a wider range of shots. Hitting balls into gaps is fun, and the more gaps I can target with realistic shots the better.

If they could sort out the offside long hop / cut combo like the straight long hop / pull I think I'd be pretty happy. You know the ai will give you some short ones to pull and it's a shot you know you can nail if you're watching out for it. I can pretty much guarantee that every innings against fast bowling will involve at least a couple of satisfyingly crunching pull shots.

I don't see enough short offside deliveries to wait on the cut in a similar fashion, and when they do happen I tend to pull because that's the shot I'm expecting to play.

There's actually quite an important knock on effect from ai lines, I think. When the ai bowls straight all the time, you tend to play everything, and given that defensive shots are kind of twitchy for a lot of people that means driving at a lot of deliveries. It actually makes perfect sense to be able to score quickly but not to stay in for long in a situation where you're always driving.

If the ai bowls more deliveries outside off, that changes the equation. You have a free choice whether or not to play so you can wait for an overpitched or short delivery rather than driving at good length balls, and hopefully if the batting system works properly your chances of edging overpitched deliveries are much, much less than when driving at length. From what I've seen I'm not sure length really makes much difference to edges but it's difficult to tell.

Anyway, my point is that the ai bowling straight forces you to play, and with the batting system balanced the way it is that means most people are going to attack all the time, and this works against the principle of picking the ball to hit which probably ought to be the primary vector of skill.

 

[Deleted member 9102]

I'd hope that fixing the field placings at least would be one of the things on the to-do list for Patch#3.

The off side shot selection is almost certainly something that won't see much improvement until a future iteration - the animations aren't there and nor are the controls. The off side shot selection is simply; cover drive, cut, late cut. You can't open the face to guide a drive towards or behind point, nudge the ball to third man, square drive etc...

 

[T.J.Hooker]

Yeah the run down to third man is one of my most played real life shots but it doesn't exist in DBC. A related thing that's really not right re : offside, is that in real life you literally cannot help but find the ball running behind square sometimes from defensives vs quick bowling. Just the pace of the ball pushes the face open unless you time it nicely.

And I've said it before but I really miss cuts and pulls against spinners.

 

[cooks1st100]

It is something that I very much doubt could be patched in but a "bowlers accuracy" attribute is something that would help. The lower the stat, the more loose balls bowled. I have noticed that when bowling if I push the LHS stick up every time, there is never any deviation from the line. So there is effect no difference between a good bowler and a bad one.

In the way there are different types of batsman ( brute, conservative etc.) They should have a similar thing for bowlers such as aggressive ( bowls short often), precise (aims for top of off on a good length) for example and actually bowl to fields set for these different styles.

 

[blockerdave]

It is something that I very much doubt could be patched in but a "bowlers accuracy" attribute is something that would help. The lower the stat, the more loose balls bowled. I have noticed that when bowling if I push the LHS stick up every time, there is never any deviation from the line. So there is effect no difference between a good bowler and a bad one.

In the way there are different types of batsman ( brute, conservative etc.) They should have a similar thing for bowlers such as aggressive ( bowls short often), precise (aims for top of off on a good length) for example and actually bowl to fields set for these different styles.

There's a throw accuracy stat which we're told works for fielding throws and bowling; i'm not sure how much impact it actually has though - haven't noticed a huge difference between say facing Glen McGrath and facing Alan Igglesden.

 

[ellgieff]

3) Cut shots are rarely able to be played because the bowlers bowl too straight (that never got fixed)

You can play the cut to shots closer to you than you'd think (well, closer than I'd have liked to try and play one in the meat, but you know what I mean).

Don't, because point or gully will catch you, but you can ...[DOUBLEPOST=1408532155][/DOUBLEPOST]

<snip> you just play forward defensives until they move them, or play other shots. it's annoying you have to do this, and needs fixing, but at the same time you shouldn't be getting out to them.<snip>

Just play forward defensive until you edge one to keeper, did you say? Or step past one and get LBW/Bowled? I'm not sure that's a viable strategy.

 

[blockerdave]

Just play forward defensive until you edge one to keeper, did you say? Or step past one and get LBW/Bowled? I'm not sure that's a viable strategy.

Because of the AI field changes, I highly doubt you will need to play more than 2 in a row. It sucks because you shouldn't have to do it and you're avoiding one thing wrong in the game by exploiting something totally broken in the game, but there's no real excuse for being caught by short cover since he's so easy to move.

 

[ellgieff]

Because of the AI field changes, I highly doubt you will need to play more than 2 in a row. It sucks because you shouldn't have to do it and you're avoiding one thing wrong in the game by exploiting something totally broken in the game, but there's no real excuse for being caught by short cover since he's so easy to move.

To be fair, I don't have a lot of trouble with short cover - it's quite rare they'll put one in against me. Usually the region from mid-off to point is clear when I come in, and after I've smacked them through the covers a few times they go right for a deep extra- , instead of short- .

That guy in and around point though, I tweaking hate that guy. I love the cut shot, and would really enjoy playing one - if he'd just piss off to somewhere else.

Short cover, even, he could go stand there ...

 

[T.J.Hooker]

You can play the cut to straight deliveries but I don't want to because I think it looks horrible. Likewise cover driving leg stump deliveries and lofted straight bat back foot shots to short of a length deliveries.

 

[grkrama]

To be fair, I don't have a lot of trouble with short cover - it's quite rare they'll put one in against me. Usually the region from mid-off to point is clear when I come in, and after I've smacked them through the covers a few times they go right for a deep extra- , instead of short- .

I noticed this recently if you attack the cover from the start they mostly move he fielder to deep cover, but if you defend a bit, he will be summoned back to short cover and then getting rid of him is tough, now i have made it a point to attack like hell in the first few overs.

 

[Deleted member 9102]

You can play the cut to shots closer to you than you'd think (well, closer than I'd have liked to try and play one in the meat, but you know what I mean).

I've found the opposite of that to be honest - the late cut is very forgiving and can be played to almost anything, but the regular cut (aiming towards point) is pretty dangerous and unlikely to connect if you try playing it to anything good/full and on the stumps. It means there is pretty much no shot to play into that area from most deliveries. I've played people online who just don't bother putting fielders there.

 

[blockerdave]

Pre patch 2 the cut shot was lovely, used to absolutely cream it either side of point. Now it's suicide. They really feganed it.