We are going to be looking into this over the next couple of weeks, I have spoken to the programmer in charge of this aspect of the game and he can't think of any reason why there'd have been a change.
But I am fine with seeing if there's something there that is causing issue. We'll weigh it all up and see if there's changes needed.
Hey man, just thought I'd chime in.
I decided to delete the patch (I'm on PS3, so version 1.02 was the version I was using) and check to see that things were as I remembered prior to the patch 2 batting tweaks. I'm playing a career as a pure batsman for Surrey, with downloaded teams (ones uploaded by a user here)
Post patch 2 I couldn't play a pull shot on the ground (invariably went past the circle in the air). Without any patch, my front foot pull landed about halfway between the pitch and the circle.
Post patch 2 any drive I played in the V was in the air for at least the length of the pitch. Without the patch, the only uppish drive was one I was early on. The rest bounced relatively close to my boy.
I've only played a short while without the patch so it's a small sample size - but my memory of playing both before the patch and after suggests that whatever the "making batting slightly easier at pro difficulty" tweak was, it's very definitely affects the way the ball travels off the bat (at least for my batting)
I'll play some more without the patch to see if things hold this way, but my thought is that the tweak to batting in patch 2 has had an unexpected effect.
*edit* I also saw something I definitely haven't seen after patch 2 - got a thick outside edge that went to gully :O
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I understand BA's problem though. Normally after delivery of the ball the bowler wouldn't, and wouldn't be allowed to run straight down the pitch. Naturally, a right handed bowler falls away to his left after the delivery, and isn't really in a position to take many wickets caught and bowled, being, as quite often in the case with a fast bowler, off balance. Quite often the bowler is so off balance the only way he can stop a straight drive is by sticking his size 11 boot out.
Because, at the moment with the game, it's too easy to hit the ball straight back towards the other stumps, the bowler has to be super human and stop many of the return deliveries, otherwise your score would be top heavy with straight shots for 4.
So I say the answer is to make it harder to hit straight shots, as in real life, and this will allow the bowler to make a more realistic exit off the pitch rather than ending in a face off with the batsman.
This. Although I'd suggest a slightly different approach - take some of the weight/force out of the bat so it doesn't race away for four unless you're hitting a modified shot.
That way you don't get an easy 4 straight - in fact, you may not get an easy single if mid-on or mid-off are in, because they might be able to get round to the delivery.
It also might fix some of the weirder results I've been getting while bowling (guys hitting my off-breaks for 6, and one-bounce-for-4, through very, very fine leg)
