Scripting

[cooks1st100]

We have often been told that there is no form of scripting in DBC. However I am repeatedly seeing a a trend while bowling that to seems to be exactly that.

Example one: All my fielders are set to minimum for running speed and acceleration and as a result are rather slow. However every once in a while the AI batsman will hit a shot through the air and all of a sudden the fielder will run at an accelerated pace almost morphing, to take a catch completely over-riding the fielders settings.

Example 2: I have noticed that without exception, every time I bowl the AI batsman out or they edge the ball, the AI batsman will make a micro movement either left or right just after the ball is bowled. This slight movement is not noticeable other than when the end result is a wicket or wicket taking opportunity and will generally move the batsman to just slightly the wrong line of the ball.

This suggests to me that with both these examples it is the game deciding that it is time for a wicket, which to me is scripting.

 

[MattW]

This isn't something I've discussed with the dev team - so a personal opinion disclaimer applies, but I think a previous post of mine that Ross thanked covers it regardless:

Well yes - the game will be trying to show "the fielder breaks the stumps with the ball", have an internal calculation on whether the player's attributes (and user input if necessary) would result in a hit or a miss, and then chuck that over to the graphical engine to try and best show that in the split second you'd have for it to result in the right thing.

I'd say therefore I'm sure the game technically checks things like 'were the bails dislodged' - but that wouldn't be on the basis of whether the animation for that dislodged the bails, but rather on the basis of the calculation on whether the physics of the interaction between the objects would have that result.

The same probably applies to those two examples - the unscripted internal calculations result in triggering certain animations/movements that then make it look like the animation is following the result, when it is always the other way around.

 

[blockerdave]

i'd throw in the example of mine the other day: a c&b taken by moving a foot to his left despite me having provided no "catch" input on semi-auto fielding.

 

[cooks1st100]

This isn't something I've discussed with the dev team - so a personal opinion disclaimer applies, but I think a previous post of mine that Ross thanked covers it regardless:


The same probably applies to those two examples - the unscripted internal calculations result in triggering certain animations/movements that then make it look like the animation is following the result, when it is always the other way around.

Okay thanks. The second example can be seen clearly in this video I've found on youtube @1.11

This one isn't annoying but it's just something I have picked up on, but now I have it's something that I'm always aware of which is why I thought I would ask about it.

The fielder's running though on the other hand is completely annoying as contributes to the cheap wicket syndrome and as I say it's as though the game is completely over-riding the attribute settings. In some cases a fielder at mid-on can suddenly run to mid-off to take a catch and in other cases can overtake a flighted ball to take a catch.

 

[MattW]

i'd throw in the example of mine the other day: a c&b taken by moving a foot to his left despite me having provided no "catch" input on semi-auto fielding.

Again to speculate a reasonable explanation - there's likely a threshold to which certain chances are always taken - similar to how you don't need input to take some/all wicket keeper catches while bowling. So the game would decide that a particular chance with the bowler's reflexes and catching stats was a certainty, and then the animation positioning meant shifting that distance.

I suppose if it was a crazy diving catch that would be wrong, but for something spooned up to you, I think it's fair enough that just being in position, or near enough to, results in a catch.

I do think though the next version needs to have an option for more complex catching mechanics.

There's certainly a big gap between what the game is trying to show you and what it actually shows - one that will only get smaller as now there's a base to build off, rather than needing to do everything new.

 

[cooks1st100]

one that will only get smaller as now there's a base to build off, rather than needing to do everything new.

I'm glad you have said this and I hope this is what Big Ant do, as I feel that the base is definitely solid enough and the next iteration should build on this as opposed to using a different match engine which would just mean different issues which would then have to be once again smoothed out.

 

[blockerdave]

I'd disagree to the extent that I think AI batting and bowling to them (pitch physics, edge generation from increased bounce etc.) needs building from the ground up.

 

[grkrama]

AI batting certainly needs more roles, different type of batsman thingy. More shots according to delivery and kind of batsman.

batsman confidence should also vary a lot more up and down and should also play a active role in the match.

pitch im good with most except spin mainly. also bounce while we bowl is kind of dodgy to the extent good length almost alwasy goes over stumps on most pitches except soft.

 

[cooks1st100]

I'd disagree to the extent that I think AI batting and bowling to them (pitch physics, edge generation from increased bounce etc.) needs building from the ground up.

My point is that I feel that what they have currently feels to me like it can be built upon. The pitch physics definitely need improving, the short balls from spin dying and also bouncers from the pace bowlers seem to die. Add to that making them dynamic so that they change as the day progress and for each day. For me though even if it was programmed so that there was just a subtle change from session to session, that would be good enough for the moment.

As far as the AI is concerned I just think that shot selection needs tweaking and personally I would like to see the double trigger shots completely removed and replaced with dabs and guided shots. Get these things right and make the batsmen types play as their description suggests and the gameplay would be pretty tight. Big Ant have already improved on the AI pacing in the one day games by all accounts so hopefully the same also applies to the longer formats. There also needs to be some distinction between the different formats and how the AI approaches them.

With regards to edges, again something need tweaking as there are plenty of edges when you play on amateur so pro and above just need to be set up in a similar fashion.

So I honestly think that all of these things can be achieved with the current match engine. The same goes for AI bowling it just needs to be set up in a way that the AI will choose a particular field and actually bowl to it and then either move individual fielders to cover scoring areas or change to another field and plan.

 

[blockerdave]

It's more than that it needs redesigning. No point adding more roles when roles have so little impact on how they play.

Basics of the sport are plain wrong: aggressive shots should be more risky than normal shots, not less; hard bouncy pitches should create more edges not less, keeper to slips should provide the majority of FC dismissals not a tiny proportion.

Regarding pitches, cracks are just about right in terms of producing exaggerated effects but everything else is wrong: worn pitches don't give variable bounce, hard pitches remove every possible dismissal except for AI holing out, green pitches don't seam enough.

The game gets a lot right, but what's wrong is way way wrong on a fundamental level, not basically right but needing tweaking: it needs re designing completely.

 

[Gamer Pradosh]

I think pocket cricket shows the options for a shot in a certain region like push, Drive, slog....The options available and the field settings in that can be really taken for implementing it better into the game...

Another thing which I would like is not able to play short balls onto the body straight which literally hits on the gloves or handle of the bat and goes for even sixes...Front foot pull short are good...

 

[grkrama]

It's more than that it needs redesigning. No point adding more roles when roles have so little impact on how they play.

there are no roles of now in a functional sense like conservative or aggressive to batting apart form maybe in terms of runrate certainly not in terms of shots they use. that's the kind of roles i was mentioning.

 

[blockerdave]

there are no roles of now in a functional sense like conservative or aggressive to batting apart form maybe in terms of runrate certainly not in terms of shots they use. that's the kind of roles i was mentioning.

I agree but my point is it's not a question of "building on" what's there currently since what's there doesn't work: it needs a fundamental redesign encompassing roles, shot selection, risk percentage of shots, physics of pitch conditions etc.

 

[Gamer Pradosh]

I agree but my point is it's not a question of "building on" what's there currently since what's there doesn't work: it needs a fundamental redesign encompassing roles, shot selection, risk percentage of shots, physics of pitch conditions etc.

Meaning the percentage of risk involved in a certain shot to a certain delivery or the risk percentage shots the batsman plays based on the role??

 

[blockerdave]

Meaning the percentage of risk involved in a certain shot to a certain delivery or the risk percentage shots the batsman plays based on the role??

I mean the whole idea that double trigger shots have much less risk than non-trigger shots.

You can't "build on" something so fundamentally wrong: you need to redesign starting with an AI that doesn't need that crutch to be competitive. You can't "build on" a system that thinks aggressive drives on a bouncy wicket don't risk edges: you need to rebuild from that starting point that that's a risky shot.

Etc.