MVP Baseball 2004 by Electronic Arts (EA Sports) cheats hints tips gamefaq

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

This game looks really incredible, the 2003 edition is probably my most played game ever and this one is such an improvement in depth that I'm completely freaked about it. Minor leagues, Cooperstown, incredible simulation modes, bench clearning brawls(!!!), and the best gameplay (get this: you can tune the attack on your slider/slurve while in the windup) I've ever played...

Take a look at the video on that link and tell me what you think. I'd like to post cheats and hints here too if you guys are up for that.

― gygax! (gygax!), Monday, 23 February 2004 19:07 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh and they got my favorite announcer duo (Mike Krukow and Duane Kuiper) to come back again.

here's an interview with the game's producer Brent Nielsen if you want an in-depth look at features for the game.

― gygax! (gygax!), Monday, 23 February 2004 19:10 (twenty-one years ago)

goddamn it, i passed up ea's nhl game this year and even avoided temptation several times in passing up tiger's new one (very difficult for me) but i don't think i'll be able to pass this one up.

i've been playing madden 2004 at least weekly since october. i need help.

― otto midnight (otto midnight), Monday, 23 February 2004 23:43 (twenty-one years ago)

two weeks pass...

release date was supposed to be yesterday, apparently it's been delayed until the end of the month.

poop.

― otto midnight (otto midnight), Wednesday, 10 March 2004 15:33 (twenty-one years ago)

relly? according to my order at easports.com, it shipped yesterday from their distribution center to my work addy.

― gygax! (gygax!), Wednesday, 10 March 2004 17:30 (twenty-one years ago)

perhaps it's been delayed for retail outlets. can't get it around here.

― otto midnight (otto midnight), Wednesday, 10 March 2004 17:56 (twenty-one years ago)

crap! found one at an eb games in the near western suburbs! now i only have to figure out how to get there from here.

i will be pissed if amy from eb games was fibbing.

― otto midnight (otto midnight), Wednesday, 10 March 2004 18:03 (twenty-one years ago)

i think the guy at best buy was yanking my chain when he said it was delayed until the end of the month because i just found a closer place that got them in this morning. i was inclined to believe the best buy chain-yanker because i heard the same thing from the circuit city people across the parking lot.

anyway, i'm 31 years old and really going through way too much trouble to track down a friggin video game. but i'd be lying if i said i wasn't looking forward to an evening of tanqueray and ea sports.

― otto midnight (otto midnight), Wednesday, 10 March 2004 18:18 (twenty-one years ago)

but i'd be lying if i said i wasn't looking forward to an evening of tanqueray and ea sports.

Hah! I love it. I may wander over to the Best Buy tonight and see if they've got it. How much does it retail for?

― mattbot (mattbot), Wednesday, 10 March 2004 20:13 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh wait, is this release date for PS2/Xbox type consoles only? I guess I was counting on a PC version.

― mattbot (mattbot), Wednesday, 10 March 2004 20:19 (twenty-one years ago)

otto, you and me both! how's this? one of my best friends is in town on a medical conference (he's an MD) and he's texted me about 5 times today seeing if it's shown up yet or not... haha.

― gygax! (gygax!), Wednesday, 10 March 2004 21:24 (twenty-one years ago)

cool game, i did my usual thing and played the first game without benefit of having read the manual. sox lost to cubs 19-2. controls are different from the last baseball game i played (triple play 2000 i think) so there was a lot of basestealing when there should have been bat swinging and lots of throwing home no matter where the ball was hit. oh, an no sliding, haven't figured that out yet.

overall impressions are good, i like the pitching interface it adds a nice variable to the equation. if it weren't for the 5 triples and 7 home runs (none of which left the park) i think pedro would have had a decent outing, but i think the 8 guys in the field let him down a bit.

one weird thing, no kevin millar. is he not a member of the mlbpa?

― otto midnight (otto midnight), Thursday, 11 March 2004 13:40 (twenty-one years ago)

I was under the impression that the only guy not in the PA was Bonds. Millar might be w/ the Marlins?

The one baseball game I bought was for the NES, very cutesy graphics, I loved esp. their fat pitchers who looked so rotund and cuddly, esp. the side-army guys! It was like watching a sowbug bowling!

― Leee the Lee (Leee), Friday, 12 March 2004 00:49 (twenty-one years ago)

No Millar isn't with Florida. I just created him and as for bonds theres a guy named jon dowd on san fran so i just edited him

― Homer Simpson, Saturday, 13 March 2004 21:44 (twenty-one years ago)

This game is SWEET!!! Does anyone have any tips on hitting? I'm having some problems

― drue, Saturday, 13 March 2004 22:31 (twenty-one years ago)

Keep your eye on the ball at all times, square your shoulders, and swing THROUGH the ball.

― David R. (popshots75`), Sunday, 14 March 2004 00:27 (twenty-one years ago)

Alright, I'm 38 and the Mrs. bought me a PS2 for my b-day last year. I'm working my way thru games. Somebody help the ol' man. How do you set up MVP2004 to get points to unlock all the old stadiums and uni's?

― jodave5, Sunday, 14 March 2004 03:40 (twenty-one years ago)

you unlock points via exhibition games and HR/pitching showdowns... ie, hitting .600 or hitting 2 HRs a game. there's a spot in the menu where it lays out all the points.

The free agent list is pretty long, I tried to edit my master roster to clean it up a bit but that involves dropping a lot of guys down.

― gygax! (gygax!), Sunday, 14 March 2004 15:37 (twenty-one years ago)

millar isn't in the game because he was a scab. same as daubach, not that you'd want daubach in the game.

― Chris 'The Velvet Bingo' V (Chris V), Monday, 15 March 2004 16:34 (twenty-one years ago)

same as Matt Herges (possible SF closer).

― gygax! (gygax!), Monday, 15 March 2004 16:39 (twenty-one years ago)

It would be nice to compose a list of the missing players:

Barry Bonds is John Dowd (in Roster Maintenance you can change his name, number, physical features, bat/throw lefty, etc.)

Missing due to involvement as replacement players during the 94 strike (and their current 2004 team):

Brian Daubach - BOS
Matt Herges - SF
Kevin Millar - BOS
Damian Miller - OAK
Lou Merloni - CLE
Kerry Ligtenberg - TOR
Brian Tollberg - COL
Rick Reed - PIT
Shane Spencer - NYM
Chris Latham - NYY
Frank Menechino - OAK
Jeff Tam - COL
Charles Gipson - TB
Cory Lidle - CIN
Keith Osik - BAL
Chris Truby - PIT

― gygax! (gygax!), Monday, 15 March 2004 16:58 (twenty-one years ago)

have you guys played in the new ballparks yet (philadelphia and san diego)?

― gygax! (gygax!), Monday, 15 March 2004 17:06 (twenty-one years ago)

merloni was not a replacement player in 94, of that i am certain. he probably isn't in there because he's bounced between AAA and the majors for most of his career.

― otto midnight (otto midnight), Monday, 15 March 2004 17:40 (twenty-one years ago)

hmmm... this was my source.

― gygax! (gygax!), Monday, 15 March 2004 17:46 (twenty-one years ago)

also:

Brendan Donnelly - ANA
Eddie Oropesa - SD

― gygax! (gygax!), Monday, 15 March 2004 17:48 (twenty-one years ago)

ahh, i see i may have been mistaken. i *thought* i was correct because i remember the bally-hoo in boston over area local lou merloni (the pride of framingham) making his major league debut in '98.

he was nomar's roommate at trenton and pawtucket if you're ever asked.

― otto midnight (otto midnight), Monday, 15 March 2004 18:03 (twenty-one years ago)

So tell me, I've looked at ASB 2005 (which is my baseball game of choice), this game, and ESPN MLB. Espn baseball looks like it has the best graphics of them all, but no create-a-player or expansion/franchise mode. ASB has this and I've always loved it. Plus I always found ASB to be quite challenging. None of these 42 hit, 10 homerun games that I always found EA Sports games to be. So is it a slugfest?

― Chris 'The Velvet Bingo' V (Chris V), Monday, 15 March 2004 19:16 (twenty-one years ago)

There are 4 different levels (up from 3 last year). I'm playing the Giants on All Star Level (3rd most difficult of 4) and I've found that I'm a better pitcher than hitter (they've tweaked the hitting mechanics a little). So my team has like a 2.00 ERA but lacks the offense to evolve above the small ball game (which sounds like the Giants this year, as opposed to the last 2 years). The most runs I've scored was 8 due to creative hit and run/ baserunning tactics. The graphics can get a little choppy at times but otherwise I'm totally impressed.

― gygax! (gygax!), Monday, 15 March 2004 19:50 (twenty-one years ago)

MY hitting is quite realistic. my opponents is somewhat better than normal, but i suspect this is due to the fact that i don't know what the hell i'm doing. the most runs i've scored is 4 runs. i still have yet to read the manual (i think i may have lost it actually) so i tend to run myself out of rallies. i hit into a triple play on a line drive to the gap last night, it was something i'd never seen and i'm a former little league coach.

― otto midnight (otto midnight), Monday, 15 March 2004 20:08 (twenty-one years ago)

Also, Kaz Matsui is not on the Mets.

― gygax! (gygax!), Monday, 15 March 2004 20:20 (twenty-one years ago)

oo, no kaz? that sucks.

i've heard ASB has the most depth, has anyone compared it to MVP? i got WSB last year (which is ESPN this year) and found it awfully staid. graphically very sharp but unremarkable; gameplay sound but unimpressive - just a generally joyless game overall. so i'm thinking about a franchise switch this year but i'm not sure where to head - MVP seems to have fantastic gameplay and to have caught up a lot in the longetivity department (franchise, minor leaguers, goody bag); if the diff between it and ASB in that dept is minimal i'll go MVP, otherwise, ASB, as i must confess to spending inordinate amounts of time simming after the initial buzz wears off.

― John (jdahlem), Monday, 15 March 2004 20:59 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm digging MVP, but I've been reading some stories about player development being broken -- basically any players in yr minor leagues will never improve all that much, cuz EA botched the rating of those players. Something about an unviewable star rating system that controls how good a player can be...

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Tuesday, 16 March 2004 16:29 (twenty-one years ago)

that sucks major for sim nerds like me. i'll have to wait till they release an updated version i guess (i assume they do that w/ video games).

― John (jdahlem), Tuesday, 16 March 2004 18:02 (twenty-one years ago)

i've heard they'll be a roster update available for the ps2 version around opening day. the network adapter is required, natch.

― otto midnight (otto midnight), Tuesday, 16 March 2004 18:20 (twenty-one years ago)

basically any players in yr minor leagues will never improve all that much

i don't know about that, i called up two flamethowers who were unhappy because they were dominating so much on the AAA level.

another weird thing (i'm not sure if i unlocked this or not)... i have duane kuiper and mike krukow in my doubl SF giants organization... wtf? have i already unlocked some secret announcer/former player goodies?

― gygax! (gygax!), Tuesday, 16 March 2004 18:38 (twenty-one years ago)

wtf? have i already unlocked some secret announcer/former player goodies?

do you play any other ea titles? i had some stadiums/unis/players unlocked from the get-go, i *think* it's because of the saved data from other ea titles on the memory card. i have a feeling the ea sports bio has come into play here.

― otto midnight (otto midnight), Tuesday, 16 March 2004 18:59 (twenty-one years ago)

but why duane kuiper (career .271/.325/.316) or mike krukow (career 124-117, 3.90 ERA)?

is it because they are the announcers (both for the giants and the game?)

i mean, gimme orlando cepeda/willie mays/juan marichal/willie mccovey!!! shit, i'd take bobby bonds with this offense.

― gygax! (gygax!), Tuesday, 16 March 2004 19:13 (twenty-one years ago)

it's kuiper and krukow because they're the announcers, a small perk for them. it's the same reason that pat summerall was the punter on all the classic all-madden teams in the ea football game for all those years.

― otto midnight (otto midnight), Tuesday, 16 March 2004 19:15 (twenty-one years ago)

OMG, how is anyone going to play 120 seasons with this? The offseason is insane - I'm going to have to break out paper and a pen to keep track of who I've got.

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Tuesday, 16 March 2004 21:56 (twenty-one years ago)

I've decided to go with ASB again. Franchise mode as well as expansion team mode is key for me. From what I hear there is no expansion mode in MVP. So they can suck it. I like to start from the ground and work my way up.

― Chris 'The Velvet Bingo' V (Chris V), Wednesday, 17 March 2004 13:25 (twenty-one years ago)

No Joe Mauer on the Twinkies. How is the highest touted rookie in the game this year, not in the video game?

― Zach, Wednesday, 17 March 2004 18:50 (twenty-one years ago)

Who do they have at catcher then?

― gygax! (gygax!), Wednesday, 17 March 2004 20:06 (twenty-one years ago)

Hey guys, I can hit with the best of them on all but MVP level, but my pitching is terrible, no matter who I get I cant seem to stop the bleeding. Just wondering what the strategy is to keep the runs allowed down. I mean I dealt for Prior and after 6 starts he has an era in the 7's. Lemme know, thanks

― Mike Regan, Wednesday, 24 March 2004 03:50 (twenty-one years ago)

Playing or simming?

The sim leaves pitchers in too long (Grady Little as basis for manager?) - if I sim part of the way through a game, when I come in the pitcher is at 35% or less stamina, and no one's warming up.

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Wednesday, 24 March 2004 06:43 (twenty-one years ago)

my lone strategy for keeping runs down is pretty simple, i don't throw anything that isn't on the black (hopefully) and make judicious use of the mound visits. situational infield depth/alignment and outfield depth/alignment have helped out too. oh, and nomar and pokey reese can turn two like nobody's business.

unrelated to keeping runs down: manny ramirez is death to the lhp.

― otto midnight (otto midnight), Wednesday, 24 March 2004 14:03 (twenty-one years ago)

Anyone playing this on the PC? I can't play through EA but will be willing to take one of you has-beens on in a network game.

― Shaun (shaun), Thursday, 25 March 2004 04:02 (twenty-one years ago)

Hey Shaun, how's the game on the PC? I've considered getting that version but... I dunno, I guess I'm wondering if the game console people are getting a better experience? I don't have a PS2 but I've considered springing for one with tax rebate money (like a good American).

― mattbot (mattbot), Thursday, 25 March 2004 14:40 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm really digging the PC version- biggest gripe is that it only supports 5 different controllers and you HAVE to have a dual analog controller which cost $20. I'm expecting to encounter some kind of player development bug but I'm only in my first season- if you want more realism I'd go with one of the Hight Heat versions, but that's only if your a total stat geek like me. There's also this graphic glitch I keep getting where the game freezes for about 5 seconds and resumes, but I think this is because I'm running it at the highest grafix levels on an older 800 Mhz machine.

The graphics are beautiful, the physics are realistic, the gameplay is smooth and intuitive once you get in tune with the controls and it's just plain fun. The AI is competitive and there are sliders for various aspects of the game (pitch speed, batter contact and power, pitcher accuracy, etc) so you tune it specifically for your individual playing style so you get realistic games. Highly recommended.

― Shaun (shaun), Friday, 26 March 2004 06:23 (twenty-one years ago)

have you hit any home runs with a left handed hitter? i've heard the pc version has a bug where the lefty's are at a distinct power disadvantage. not so with the console, as evidenced by trot nixon and david ortiz taking kevin brown deep in the 5th two nights ago.

― otto midnight (otto midnight), Friday, 26 March 2004 14:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Thanks for the review -- I think I'll see if I can find a copy over lunch. Any recommendations for a game controller? I've been strictly a mouse 'n keyboard gamer all my life.

I've got a 1.4Ghz processor, 512 MB of RAM and a year-or-so old 64 MB ATI card, so hopefully that should be enough to prevent the lags you're getting.

― mattbot (mattbot), Friday, 26 March 2004 17:08 (twenty-one years ago)

I hit homers with lefties but more with righties. Bernie and Posada both crush the ball from the left side. Giambi had around 40 HR my first season. I always struggle with good lefties, but that's realistic because the Yanks usually do.

mattbot- I got the Saitek p880 for $20. I normally prefer the mouse and keyboard too but this game just wasn't the same without the joystick.
The game's readme file says these are the ONLY supported controllers:
Dual USB Feedback Joypad
Gravis Eliminator AfterShock
Logitech Dual Action USB
Logitech Dual Action
Logitech WingMan Cordless
Logitech WingMan RumblePad
Saitek P880

― Shaun (shaun), Friday, 26 March 2004 17:44 (twenty-one years ago)

I've only hit 2 HRs* (Grissom and Aramis Ramirez)... What level are you guys playing at?

Except in the all star game, Sosa hit 2 HRs and a 3B.

I'm not simming much though. Maybe I should play an easier level (although the Giants are like 64-31!!!)

― gygax! (gygax!), Friday, 26 March 2004 17:47 (twenty-one years ago)

i dropped down to pro level because i could not field, i've played about 11 games in my dynasty (7-4 pedro has been SHELLED by the O's twice) but i think i've solved my fielding woes and am going to go back up to all-star. i've hit way more homers with righties but that may be because i've got manny and nomar providing most of my punch. manny is hell on lefties. i'm not simming anything but minor league games.

― otto midnight (otto midnight), Friday, 26 March 2004 18:05 (twenty-one years ago)

i've been playing with the a's. a few homers so far (dye and kielty -- no chavez of yet), but yes, the fielding is absurdly lame and difficult in this game. my pitching has been fantastic though. in my first 15 games i've had two no-hitters (harden and mulder).

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Friday, 26 March 2004 18:48 (twenty-one years ago)

nice! i noticed that my pitching is pretty solid too. i get hit when i make a mistake (punished really). mound visits are a nice way to settle the guy down in the early innings.

have you guys noticed that the home/visitors dugouts are mixed up? that's a pretty huge error (albeit a superficial one).

how long do you keep guys warmed up for? any strategies on sitting a pitcher once warmed up (or as mike krukow said live on-air "dry humping him")?

one thing i wish the game had would be an option for a 4 man rotation (with an option to go to 5man when need be). with the giants, i do a lot of pitching rotation management, timing it around days off to give schmidt, rueter, williams and tomko (who is suprisingly good!). then i fill in foppert (out this year with injuries) but he's a couple years away from developing into a #3 pitcher.

are you guys stealing bases too? i'm playing "the slowest team in baseball" but i am sending some guys 1st to the 3rd on some hit and runs.

― gygax! (gygax!), Friday, 26 March 2004 19:02 (twenty-one years ago)

i'm attempting to steal with damon and pokey reese but with very little success. damon stole 3rd once but only because the throw from posada was high. throw-out rates are abnormally high. the biggest error i've noticed is the park announcer (not krukow or kuiper) announces "Bill Mueller" (as in Ferris Bueller). QA on this game must have been non-existant. i generally don't let a pitcher warm up for more than 1 full inning, once i forgot and brought in scott williamson and he was at 86% stamina after warming up for 1 and 2/3's. i'll sit the guy if i think my starter can still give me some effective innings and then warm him back up again, i haven't seen it affect the reliever in any way.

notes if you're playing as the red sox:

manny DESTROYS left handed hitting.
ortiz can not hit the lefty.
pokey reese is and insanely effective hitter as long as you don't try to pull the ball. he slaps the ball past 2nd with alarming regularity.
bunting reese to second with damon at the plate will result in both being safe more often than not.
doug mirabelli is clutch off the bench.
pedro's two seemer is all but unhitable down and in to rhb's/down and away to lhb's.

― otto midnight (otto midnight), Friday, 26 March 2004 19:28 (twenty-one years ago)

neifi perez is hitting .283!!!!!!!!!!! (off the bench). little bloops to the gaps in left-center/right-center.

― gygax! (gygax!), Friday, 26 March 2004 19:31 (twenty-one years ago)

Cork!

― David R. (popshots75`), Friday, 26 March 2004 19:59 (twenty-one years ago)

Ha! The Cubs keep trying to deal Sosa for "unspecified reasons"... I don't want that cancer in my dugout!

― gygax! (gygax!), Friday, 26 March 2004 20:04 (twenty-one years ago)

Protein supplements!

― David R. (popshots75`), Friday, 26 March 2004 20:26 (twenty-one years ago)

Whats up guys, do you guys know how to drag bunt in MVP 2004?

― Dan B., Friday, 26 March 2004 20:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Good question Dan. Ichiro tried to do that off of me in the All Star game but he popped out. Any ideas?

― gygax! (gygax!), Friday, 26 March 2004 20:32 (twenty-one years ago)

i think it's just hitting the bunt button after the pitch has been released

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Friday, 26 March 2004 20:34 (twenty-one years ago)

on ps2 it's the same way you pull a ball to right field. you move the right analog stick to the right (down and to the right if possible) and you can see the head of the bat move. i tried it once with damon but popped out. plus i've found he's really effective at putting it just to the right and in front of the mound so there's no reason for me to try until i get bored.

― otto midnight (otto midnight), Friday, 26 March 2004 20:37 (twenty-one years ago)

Hey guys iu really need some help. no matter where i pitch or what pitches i pitch i cant seem to get it passed the batters... I usually give up a couple runs in the first few innings, get frustrated, sim or manage the rest and eventually lose... i need some pitching hints... also, I'm on PC and i can't figure out how to use the sixth pitch, which for clemens would be his splitter which is a nasty pitch if i could use it

and is there a way to control where you are hitting? cuz i cant figure any of this shit out, i dont have the manual or anythig

― neeed help, Sunday, 28 March 2004 16:49 (twenty-one years ago)

Pitch like a good pitcher- mix shit up; hit corners, nibble a bit off the plate to get them to chase (setting CPU contact ability to -10 or so dramatically increses realism). Change speeds and altitudes, throw your best pitch more than your worst pitch. Set a batter up with a chest high 4 seamer in tight, and K him with a slurve or change up low and away. Make sure you hold the button down until the meter fills up, and make sure you tap it again when the slider is in the middle of the green. Don't ever leave anything in the middle of the plate.

And you control directional hitting with the left analog stick.

― Shaun (shaun), Monday, 29 March 2004 18:08 (twenty-one years ago)

Hey, thanks a lot for the bunting tip, I really appreciate it. One more thing though. How do u knock the ball loose from the catcher. In the manual, it says tap the right-analog stick up, but whenever i do that i do a headfirst slide. What do i do?

― Dan Butler, Monday, 29 March 2004 22:33 (twenty-one years ago)

I found Kaz Matsui... he's in the Mets farm system as "Hideki Inoue".

It still has Reyes at short but they call up Inoue early in the season to play 2B. I just edited his name and added a 2nd position as SS using "edit rosters".

― gygax! (gygax!), Monday, 29 March 2004 22:52 (twenty-one years ago)

For about a week my AA team was getting in a ton of fights. At least 8 HBPs a game, a few suspensions, a few retaliations... it has passed though... the Norwich Navigators are back to business as usual.

So are you guys simming or playing? Or both?

I used to try to pull or inside-out pitches. These days I'm not even using the right analog stick any more (unless hit and run, power hitter at bat).

Are you taking a lot of pitches? I have the plate discipline of Rob Deer most of the time.

― gygax! (gygax!), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 15:16 (twenty-one years ago)

i'm playing all my mlb games. simming almost all of the minors. i no longer try to pull any pitches except with nomar. i have yet to draw an unintentional walk. you know how sometimes if a pitch is out of the zone it will come up with that little yellow circle showing exactly where the pitch will come in and how far out of the zone it will be? yeah, well as soon as i see that thing i swing. i can't stop myself. i'm like gorman thomas on benzedrine or something, just impulse and action. no thought.

― otto midnight (otto midnight), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 15:22 (twenty-one years ago)

my plate discipline has gotten really good. and it helps A LOT. unless yr facing a top pitcher (and even then) yr gonna get roughly one of those in-the-strike-zone-but-misses pitches every other batter. those are almost sure-thing hits. i'm averaging about three walks a game. it's fucking tough, but very gratifying.

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 15:31 (twenty-one years ago)

i've been trying to wear down the opposing pitchers stamina and then sit on the fastball. roy halladay (i think) has a palmball that makes me look stupid and his stamina is like a 99 so he makes me look stupid for long stretches. mussina's knuckle-curve is impossible to hit as well.

― otto midnight (otto midnight), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 15:46 (twenty-one years ago)

well i broke down and bought this because i couldn't wait any longer for ASB. This game is alright, the graphics are somewhat cartoonish at times. And whats the deal with the blimp floating around inside Fenway park. Hitting is easy, as well as pitching. Again, very frustrated with the non-expansion team mode. Not worth $52. I like it, but like I said I'm an ASB guy all the way. I'll be trading this in on 4-9.

― Chris 'The Velvet Bingo' V (Chris V), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 17:34 (twenty-one years ago)

refresh my memory wrt: "non-expansion team mode"

― gygax! (gygax!), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 17:45 (twenty-one years ago)

He wants to start from the bottom up - an expansion draft and building minor leagues and so on. You could fake it with a real franchise - trade off the big names or just make them free agents.

I think my next franchise will be the (ugh) Rangers. A nice balance of good hitting and terrible pitching - fun but some work to make them decent.

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 22:02 (twenty-one years ago)

i think you can do this... on the dynasty mode, choose "fantasy draft"... NB: I haven't tried this yet, but that's what it looks like.

― gygax! (gygax!), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 22:21 (twenty-one years ago)

Finally picked up my copy tonight, I'm really enjoying it even though I'm playing with the keyboard which is more than awkward (PS2 clone controller was out of stock).

First things first, though...

http://www.asstastic.org/images/beanball.jpg

― mattbot (mattbot), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 03:58 (twenty-one years ago)

Nice! I bean Manny Ramirez in the face every time he digs in.

― Shaun (shaun), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 14:50 (twenty-one years ago)

haha I hit Clemens in the face in the 3rd and the crotch in the 6th.

― gygax! (gygax!), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 15:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, I beaned Clemens in the nads, too. There was Added Drama, too, 'cause it was Kerry Wood beaning his Childhood Hero and Fellow Texan.

― mattbot (mattbot), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 15:37 (twenty-one years ago)

Beaning Clemens in the Nads: C or D?

― Shaun (shaun), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 15:41 (twenty-one years ago)

1000% Classic. Karma is a bitch, you get what you give, code of hammurabi &c. &c. &c. &c. &c. &c. &c. &c. &c. &c.

― gygax! (gygax!), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 16:34 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm glad he's gone so I can commence hating on him.

― Shaun (shaun), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 19:11 (twenty-one years ago)

So, someone fill me in. I've never played any of these games, so do you play all the games? for every team or just one team? do you simulate some, do you watch the simulations, or just run them for the results?

― Jeff-PTTL (Jeff), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 20:52 (twenty-one years ago)

all of the above.

if you are unemployed, catheter-ready, and moderately depressed... you can basically kiss a few months of your life goodbye.

― gygax! (gygax!), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 21:09 (twenty-one years ago)

a question: how do you get trades/free agent moves to carry into the dynasty? my roster file is up to date, but it never loads into dynasty mode. is this not possible?

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Thursday, 1 April 2004 00:16 (twenty-one years ago)

I had to figure this out too.

Turn on game. Go to ROSTER MANAGEMENT. Load your updated roster. Verify that it contains all the changes you've made. Select NEW DYNASTY. While setting up the options on dynasty mode, click "NO" on the DEFAULT ROSTERS option.

That should do the trick. Let me know if it doesn't.

― gygax! (gygax!), Thursday, 1 April 2004 01:01 (twenty-one years ago)

OOH! awesome. time to restart the franchise. i can't decide who i'd rather be: toronto, oakland (fun w/ pitching but lame w/ hitting), cubs, or rangers. vote plz.

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Thursday, 1 April 2004 15:55 (twenty-one years ago)

i'm thinking about restarting the franchise again as well. i think i may drop the $40 for the ps2 network adapter so i can dl the updated rosters from ea.

― otto midnight (otto midnight), Thursday, 1 April 2004 16:02 (twenty-one years ago)

The Rangers are a fucking mess. If you do the A-Rod/Soriano switch, your bankroll is down to $23k-ish, and everyone in your infield wants a pay raise, everyone on your ridiculously-bad pitching staff wants a pay-raise (esp. relievers), you can't afford to buy any more pitching, and there's no way to free up cash because it's tied into Chan-Ho's contract.

Argh Argh Argh.

Which franchise has the best farm system? I want to try to build that way.

Has anyone tried ASB05? How's the franchise system in comparison?

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Thursday, 1 April 2004 16:17 (twenty-one years ago)

Are updated rosters available now? I noticed quite a few discrepencies in the Cubs roster when I was fooling around with it last night, too many to bother messing with. I DID take the time to make Barry black again, though.

― mattbot (mattbot), Thursday, 1 April 2004 16:24 (twenty-one years ago)

you also gotta make him lefty and old. If you change his name to Bonds, Kuiper and Krukow will call him Bonds.

― gygax! (gygax!), Thursday, 1 April 2004 16:38 (twenty-one years ago)

I forgot to make him old but I did update that other stuff (even got rid of the knee high socks). I couldn't remember his number off the top of my head so I just gave him 72.

― mattbot (mattbot), Thursday, 1 April 2004 16:42 (twenty-one years ago)

#25!

http://gate34.hp.infoseek.co.jp/baseball/bbillust/bonds25.jpg

― gygax! (gygax!), Thursday, 1 April 2004 16:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Goddamn his head is HUGE! No more HGH, B, please!

― David R. (popshots75`), Thursday, 1 April 2004 17:03 (twenty-one years ago)

mattbot- not sure if the update is available for pc, i know of several updates/mods/tweaks have been created outside of ea for the pc.

gygax!- i think they've built some sort of phonetics into the game because if you create kevin millar they say his name too (though pronounced "miller"). did anyone else do the a-rod trade and wind up with the yankees 2nd baseman as "dick smallsberg"? he wears #7 for crissakes. FOR THE YANKEES!

also, i'm kind of embarrassed to admit this but i giggle everytime the announcers say "johnson sprays it to right field!". so immature.

― otto midnight (otto midnight), Thursday, 1 April 2004 17:38 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah I got dick smallsberg and shipped his ass out of New York; I worked out a trade because I created myself as The Greatest Pitcher The Game Has Ever Known, so I traded Smallsberg and Lieber who was constantly whining because I put him in the bullpen for Luis Rivas, who led the league in hitting up until the all star break and finsihed with an impressive .315 average.

― Shaun (shaun), Friday, 2 April 2004 01:46 (twenty-one years ago)

"ea sports - it's in the game. and i'm the sausage guy!"

i can pitch but i can't hit. i don't think i like the dynasty mode. the gameplay does rock though; i'll probably have to tune it to make up for my horrible hand-eye coordination but that's ok.

― John (jdahlem), Friday, 2 April 2004 02:12 (twenty-one years ago)

so has anyone heard about a supposed "lefty glitch" wherein all left-handed hitters have the roughly the power of cesar crespo? i checked out an mvp baseball forum today to see what was up and people are going nuts about it. i may have somehow escaped the problem because, although i can't yet hit home runs with ANYONE, trot nixon hit a fucking BOMB off me just today (it's said to effect cpu and human hitters equally)...i hate that guy, by the way. he's on steroids, you know - i'm not kidding.

― John (jdahlem), Saturday, 3 April 2004 00:58 (twenty-one years ago)

I take back what I said about the Rangers. If you don't care about reality, leave the original rosters - you can pay a little more and limit A-Rod and Chan Ho's contracts to one year apiece within the original budget. Cut them both, and you've got about 6k in the bank to buy a decent shortstop (Rey Ordonez is cheap), a couple of starters and stock up in the minors. You'll suffer through a rough season, but you've got $12k the next year for rebuilding.

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Saturday, 3 April 2004 02:48 (twenty-one years ago)

so has anyone heard about a supposed "lefty glitch" wherein all left-handed hitters have the roughly the power of cesar crespo?

yes and i'm not buying it. if anything there's a "righty glitch" wherein the right handers have more power than they should. the number of opposite field dingers is suspect.

― otto midnight (otto midnight), Saturday, 3 April 2004 23:24 (twenty-one years ago)

My lefties (Bonds, Tucker, Pierzynski) are all pretty powerful, but possibly because I have unlocked the BALCO module (Level 17).

― gygax! (gygax!), Sunday, 4 April 2004 08:34 (twenty-one years ago)

Hank Blalock has 15 HRs the week of the All-Star Game for me.

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Sunday, 4 April 2004 16:03 (twenty-one years ago)

Here's a fix for the player progression bug.

http://forums.simcentral.net/showthread.php?s=7044769beddcf2f0689b5bf51b1dc6a5&t=45464

I haven't finished my first season since installing, so I don't know how it works yet.

― Shaun (shaun), Sunday, 4 April 2004 20:00 (twenty-one years ago)

Dammit, I didn't know that player progression was screwed. That makes dynasty-mode pointless, unless I spend the money to mod my X-box and hope I can get it right.

I don't like the gameplay in ASB05, or I'd just trade in for it.

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Sunday, 4 April 2004 20:43 (twenty-one years ago)

Can you have retired stadiums -- ex -- polo grounds --- used for dynasty mode???

― , Sunday, 4 April 2004 21:47 (twenty-one years ago)

i lied i like this game a lot. but still want ASB for expansion mode.

― Chris 'The Velvet Bingo' V (Chris V), Tuesday, 6 April 2004 16:36 (twenty-one years ago)

HGH = Huge Gxdxmn Head

It is a scientific term.

― earlnash, Tuesday, 6 April 2004 17:09 (twenty-one years ago)

i like how when you miss on a breaking pitch (a little early inside or late away) it's like a guaranteed swinging strike.

― gygax! (gygax!), Tuesday, 6 April 2004 17:36 (twenty-one years ago)

Im 38-10 so far. I've got Pedro on the block, he's 7-2 with a 2.15 era.

― Chris 'The Velvet Bingo' V (Chris V), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 10:09 (twenty-one years ago)

williamson (who is about to be sent to pawtucket in favor of robert preston) and embree are killing my starters. wake is 3-1 with 2 cg shutouts. keith foulke is bitching about lack of pt but that's due to williamson and embree making like cal schiraldi and way-back wasdin. the programers nailed derek lowe down. in his previous start he took a no-hitter into the 7th, in his last start he didn't make it out of the 2nd against the d-rays. pedro struck out 10 rangers in 6 innings two nights ago.

― otto midnight (otto midnight), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 12:49 (twenty-one years ago)

I can't strike anyone out with Pedro. Im playing on All-Star level, does it need to be higher? Williamson does nothing but bitch about his contract in my game. I've got him on the block as well. I like pitching with Wake but I hate that the pitching meter moves so slow. I also thre BK Kim in for a few starts and he's pretty nasty. Granted he gets tired in about 4 innings.

― Chris 'The Velvet Bingo' V (Chris V), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 12:59 (twenty-one years ago)

my out pitches with pedro are usually the change and the curve. once i have 2 strikes i stay just out of the zone and hope they either make contact (which rarely results in a hit on pitches out of the zone) or if i screw up the pitch it means it'll catch the black. when i try to nibble the corners and screw up a pitch it's a fat one in the heart of the zone and i'm always always always punished.

the other thing with pedro is that the ai keeps track of the pitch sequences so i try to change the out pitch every few batters. i make extensive use of the pitch history so that in the event that i have to use a four seamer to the same batter in consecutive at bats i won't throw it in the same location.

― otto midnight (otto midnight), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 13:32 (twenty-one years ago)

oh, and i can't strike anyone out with schilling. should i be throwing his splitter as a hard splitter or not? i've recently began slowing down the splitter and it's crossing the plate at about 85 mph but it's falling off the table. i'm not sure if that's how i SHOULD be throwing it or if the ai hasn't adjusted to it yet. the other thing is d-lowe's sinker, it's getting creamed to the outfield by almost every batter. no one is hitting it on the ground, wtf???

― otto midnight (otto midnight), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 13:37 (twenty-one years ago)

Do you keep it low in the strike zone? I've had a lot of success with Kevin Brown throwing those hard sinkers.

― Shaun (shaun), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 14:11 (twenty-one years ago)

the other thing is d-lowe's sinker, it's getting creamed to the outfield by almost every batter. no one is hitting it on the ground, wtf???

I'm having the same problem with Carlos Zambrano. Hell, he doesn't even have a true sinker programmed in as a pitch -- and it's like the only goddamned pitch he throws!! But yeah, tons of fly balls from a guy with a career 2.18 groundball/fly ball ratio.

― mattbot (mattbot), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 14:33 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah, i'm keeping everything low(e) in the zone but it's still getting crushed. timlin has the same problem. i have not mastered the sinker.

― otto midnight (otto midnight), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 14:54 (twenty-one years ago)

I always throw the sinker high in the strike zone and let it drop down. Works.

― Chris 'The Velvet Bingo' V (Chris V), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 15:00 (twenty-one years ago)

i'll give it a shot, d-rays chumped him up good last time out. b-h kim exacted sweet revenge the next day (well, for 5 1/2 innings anyway).

― otto midnight (otto midnight), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 15:07 (twenty-one years ago)

i kinda talked about this upthread, here's my advice:

throw the sinker as hard as possible, low in the zone, and tap out a as early in the green zone as you can manage.

― gygax! (gygax!), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 15:27 (twenty-one years ago)

tap out early, check. schillings split finger seems most effective when you tap out late, but beware, if you miss it's a mid-80's meatball in the heart of the plate.

― otto midnight (otto midnight), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 15:32 (twenty-one years ago)

i tested lowe out (at pro level): 7 innings, 2 Ks, 1BB, 14 hits, 3 runs (lots of double plays). i had maybe a 2.5/1 G/F ratio, with no particular strategy except to throw it as low in the strikezone as possible. the computer is pretty good about laying off if it drops an inch out of the zone, which is unfortunate. i threw nothing but sinkers; not sure if the computer punishes you for that or not.

btw since no one has said it yet i'm going to: the outfielders are WAY too slow in this game. i have to adjust the sliders something fierce to make it tolerable.

― John (jdahlem), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 15:34 (twenty-one years ago)

haha, who are your outfielders? there's a guy in the giants minor leagues who can cover a lot of ground.

do you guys override the infield and outfield options (esp. if you're pitching in or away)?

― gygax! (gygax!), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 16:32 (twenty-one years ago)

i boosted the outfielders slider up 5 for cpu and user, lowered throw speed for both by 5, increased runner agression for both by 10, increased baserunner speed (5 for user, 10 for cpu), and increased cpu steal rate to 35. they've still only attempted 1 stolen base on varitek this year (successfully by jerry hairston jr).

― otto midnight (otto midnight), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 17:35 (twenty-one years ago)

i override the options depending on where/what i'm throwing. and whenever tejada is up i put the of deep. have injuries been hitting anyone else? pokey reese has been out for a total of 8 games so far, nomar has been out 4 (leaving me with an infield of millar at 1st, mueller at 2nd, bellhorn at short, and backup backstop doug mirrabelli at 3rd), ortiz and nixon have both missed 3.

20something games into the season gabe kapler has 4 sb, same as johnny damon.

― otto midnight (otto midnight), Wednesday, 7 April 2004 17:52 (twenty-one years ago)

The Embree curse hit me last night. Im up 3-0 in the 9th and I panicked and threw a cutter right down the middle. Pinch hitter Dave Berg crushed it. Tie game. Timlin comes in to relieve and gives up game winner in the 11th to Vernon Wells.

― Chris 'The Velvet Bingo' V (Chris V), Thursday, 8 April 2004 10:15 (twenty-one years ago)

pedro pitched 7 1/3 scoreless last night, gave up a "triple" (i accidentally hit the button for home plate on a bleeder through the middle, damon's throw came to a dead halt around the pitching mound) before timlin came in to open the doors for the royals. what had been a 3-0 lead quickly became 3-3. then williamson's slider didn't slide and juan gonzalez put it so far out of the park that it may have landed in a corner pocket at jillians. ortiz and nixon went back to back in the bottom of the 10th to give williamson the vulture victory.

― otto midnight (otto midnight), Thursday, 8 April 2004 12:10 (twenty-one years ago)

otto are you in Boston?

― Chris 'The Velvet Bingo' V (Chris V), Thursday, 8 April 2004 13:43 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh and last night I got this gem from the announcers "he gets fisted!"

― Chris 'The Velvet Bingo' V (Chris V), Thursday, 8 April 2004 13:48 (twenty-one years ago)

And that's another thing, I give up more triples by accidentally throwing home or just by having slow ass outfielders (Corey Patterson excepted). Eddie Perez tripled off me last night, and that is a very humbling experience.

What level are you guys playing at? I'm at the next to hardest one (forget the name) and I can't hit for shit. My pitching's gotten better so that I'm able to hang around in every game, but I get lots of 2-1, 3-2 type scores. Or I just get shut out.

― mattbot (mattbot), Thursday, 8 April 2004 13:49 (twenty-one years ago)

no, in chicago. grew up in massachusetts. lived on comm ave in allston for a bit (in the days of rent control). my younger sister still lives in slummerville (davis sq. i think). miss it this time of year (esp. patriots day).

― otto midnight (otto midnight), Thursday, 8 April 2004 13:50 (twenty-one years ago)

I lived on Comm Ave in Boston too for 6 years. 1450 to be exact. I play on that level too Matt. The level below it was getting too easy and now its just right, with a little tweaking of the gameplay settings. Making the games just hard enough that Im not throwing 0-1 hitters every game. Now its at least a challenge.

― Chris 'The Velvet Bingo' V (Chris V), Thursday, 8 April 2004 13:55 (twenty-one years ago)

wow, that was only a few blocks down from where i was. i lived on the 1200 block, a little past bunratty's. i miss getting loaded on brigton ave.

― otto midnight (otto midnight), Thursday, 8 April 2004 14:37 (twenty-one years ago)

I miss getting loaded there as well. around 20 bars to stumble in and out of and then walk home. god i miss that place. not the rent mind you.....

― Chris 'The Velvet Bingo' V (Chris V), Thursday, 8 April 2004 14:42 (twenty-one years ago)

i can remember going to the kells one night and parking in a parking lot (osco?) that had a sign saying all others would be towed. since it was 11:00 pm and the store was closed we didn't think anything of it, especially since the lot was filled with other cars obviously headed to the bars. my buddy kevin o pointed out the sign to my buddy jon (the driver) and he said "hey, if they tow us they have to tow EVERYBODY!". 3 hours later we come staggering out of the kells and see that jon's car is on the tow truck. we had to bribe the guy to take it off the lift. "it's 50 dollars now or 110 at the yard, your choice." between the four of us we had 36 dollars and change. the guy took it, even the change.

ride that d-train to allston
gotta get the fuck out of boston...

*sniff* good times.

― otto midnight (otto midnight), Thursday, 8 April 2004 14:49 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh man, the Kells. Talk about a meat market. I loved that place.

― Chris 'The Velvet Bingo' V (Chris V), Thursday, 8 April 2004 14:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Hideki Inoue (Kazou Matsui) was awesome in the 1st half of the year but terrible in the 2nd half for 2 years in a row. Why is that?

2004
avg after 1st half: about .265
avg at the end of the season: about .235

2005
avg after 1st half: about .290
avg at the end of the season: about .245

― Curtis Martin (Izzy), Sunday, 11 April 2004 16:16 (twenty-one years ago)

I traded Sosa for Sheffield...best move I ever made

― Curtis Martin (Izzy), Sunday, 11 April 2004 16:20 (twenty-one years ago)

Curtis, what position to have Inoue playing vs. Reyes? Maybe edit Inoue to have a 2nd position (@ 2nd) which may be affecting his happiness and gameplay?

― gygax! (gygax!), Sunday, 11 April 2004 16:33 (twenty-one years ago)

i've been taking "batting practice" (home run derby) prior to playing some games. it's helped quite a bit.

― gygax! (gygax!), Sunday, 11 April 2004 16:59 (twenty-one years ago)

which reminds me - the lefty glitch is REAL, and you can test it out yourself by doing a HR derby with one lefty and one righty, and then reversing: the lefty tops out at about 405 feet, the righty at 505, and it's much harder to hit home runs with lefties. maybe it doesn't apply to actual games? ppl who've got lots of home runs by lefties - are you hitting them yourselves our are you simming?

― John (jdahlem), Sunday, 11 April 2004 17:37 (twenty-one years ago)

i'm hitting them myself. i hit a 522 footer with Bonds. he's #2 in HRs in the 2004 season.

― gygax! (gygax!), Sunday, 11 April 2004 17:45 (twenty-one years ago)

have you tried this in the home run derby? i tried about 3 diff lefties and 3 different righties and got exactly the same results each time.

― John (jdahlem), Sunday, 11 April 2004 17:46 (twenty-one years ago)

It may have something to do with what system you're playing on. I've got it for the XBox and haven't noticed any kind of lefty glitch.

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Sunday, 11 April 2004 19:04 (twenty-one years ago)

i'm on the xbox too. have you tried doing a hr derby?

― John (jdahlem), Sunday, 11 April 2004 21:21 (twenty-one years ago)

also for curtis, there is a kaz matsui in the Mets AA but I think Inoue is the real deal.

― gygax! (gygax!), Sunday, 11 April 2004 21:42 (twenty-one years ago)

OK. How come Barry Bonds isn't in the game. I guess theres some LF for San Franciso, but why isnt he named Barry Bonds?

― Patrick Gill, Sunday, 11 April 2004 23:39 (twenty-one years ago)

Barry is not part of the MLBPA as of this year. If you read above, there's lots of discussion about who is and isn't in the game and how you can rectify it.

― gygax! (gygax!), Sunday, 11 April 2004 23:43 (twenty-one years ago)

I've thrown some wicked HBPs, but no one gets injured!

Olerud slid hard into second breaking up a double-play (and knocking down Michael Young), so I threw a fastball at his head the next time he was up.

The animation showed it hitting him square in the face but he just shrugged it off and went on to first. WTF? I wanted a broken nose or something.

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Monday, 12 April 2004 01:53 (twenty-one years ago)

I have gotten injured on HBP, but the opposite way. I was Randy Johnson, and i figured it would be fun to bean somebody, cause im Randy Johnson. Turned out that both the batter and I got ejected, plus Randy fractured his finger and was out for a month. Talk about backfiring...

― Dan B., Monday, 12 April 2004 02:04 (twenty-one years ago)

This game would be a lot more evil if I was a programmer - "Three batters were killed today in the War of the Beanballs."

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Monday, 12 April 2004 03:19 (twenty-one years ago)

An answer for the guy wanting to know about warming up pitchers. If you hit the button (5) to pull up the managers and bulpens you can see their readiness meter. That will you tell you when they are ready. Once it is full then their stamina starts to go down. unless you sit them down.

Also They refer to barry bonds all the time in my games as being the key to the game for SF.

― Jack Anders, Wednesday, 14 April 2004 03:40 (twenty-one years ago)

Ok, I want to say that ASB 2005 was complete shit. I took MVP and traded it in last Friday and got ASB. I got home and played it for 15 minutes. I got back in my car and returned it for MVP. It looked like something from the Sega Genesis days. Of course this was after I had deleted my 60 or so games from my memory card of MVP. So I had to start all over. I made the necessary roster moves and trades and set the rosters properly but A-Rod is still on Texas and Soriano still on the Spankees. I take it there is no way to do it mid season if I'm not controlling either of those teams.

― Chris 'The Velvet Bingo' V (Chris V), Wednesday, 14 April 2004 11:12 (twenty-one years ago)

Kaz Matsui is in MVP but his name is Hideki Inoui something like that in the AA team

― Lalo Fabian, Thursday, 15 April 2004 14:19 (twenty-one years ago)

I am going to vouch for the left-handed power glitch. I'm playing as the Phillies, and after 15 games, Pat the Bat has 20 HRs, Thome 3, Abreau 2, and Hank Blalock (acquired via trade) 1. Routinely Pat knocks anything low and over the plate outta the park despite a 72 power rating, while the three lefties, when faced with a hanging curve or a fastball down the pike, can only manage doubles. It's frustrating as fuck, to the point that I'm considering trading them all for righty counterparts.

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Thursday, 15 April 2004 15:57 (twenty-one years ago)

can i ask what platform you're experiencing this on? As stated above I've got Tucker/Pierzynski/Bonds/Durham (Neifi hit the wall!!!) getting their due in a park supposedly down on lefties on PS2.

― gygax! (gygax!), Thursday, 15 April 2004 16:01 (twenty-one years ago)

ditto, no problems with lefties on ps2. as i've stated before (and yanc3y's 200+ hr pace with burrell seems to support) the problem seems to be with right handers having TOO MUCH power. after 40+ games manny and nomar are 1/2 in the majors with over 20 homers each but ortiz and nixon (who've each missed 4 games to injury and other time to keep the bench happy vs. lefties) have 15 and 11 homers respectively.

― otto midnight (otto midnight), Thursday, 15 April 2004 16:08 (twenty-one years ago)

this is on ps2. and maybe yr right on too much on righties, not enough on lefties, as marlon byrd, placido polanco, and orlando cabrera (another trade) have more HRs than thome. i've forced myself to stop pushing up with pat the bat, and he hits it out anyway.

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Thursday, 15 April 2004 16:41 (twenty-one years ago)

I think the right-handers are just too good period. Einar Diaz was hitting .308 for me halfway through a Rangers season, Rey Ordonez (after I cut A-Rod) was almost at .300 with serious power, and the Big Cat is a STUD for 232 bucks/credits/whatever.

I'm at the All-Star Break with an Angels franchise (technically, I did a lot of moves) and Vlad is hitting .352 and leading the league in homers, RBIs and doubles.

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Thursday, 15 April 2004 20:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Is the player progression messed up on xbox too

― happykid, Monday, 19 April 2004 03:20 (twenty-one years ago)

some articles from EA Sports:

Breakout article on SF left field phenom Jon Dowd (April 1, 2004)

Kuiper and Krukow talk about MVP Baseball

New Team simulations for top players

― gygax! (gygax!), Monday, 19 April 2004 16:59 (twenty-one years ago)

Has anyone experienced slumps with players in games you've played? I did an early-Sept. Angels-Mariners series and just couldn't get Vlad to do a thing, but then he hit three homers in a 10-inning game a couple of days later.

Weirdest thing I've seen in an offseason - Garrett Anderson's power decreasing by 1 across the board, but his speed jumping by 14. Sweet.

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Monday, 19 April 2004 17:12 (twenty-one years ago)

That is very strange. I wonder if there is a reason for that.

― Curtis Martin (Izzy), Monday, 19 April 2004 17:32 (twenty-one years ago)

Same thing happened to me with Tim Wakefield. His knuckleball decreased either 1 or 2 and his fastball went up 8. Now he's practically unhittable. 57 mph knuckleball (dropped in knuckeball speed) and a 92 mph 4 seamer. Unhittable.

― Dan B., Monday, 19 April 2004 22:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Yep that happens. I created myself as the Red Sox 3rd baseman with 90 power. its now up to 99. I lead the league in HR's and Rbi. I rule. For cheap money too.

― Chris 'The Velvet Bingo' V (Chris V), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 11:47 (twenty-one years ago)

damn, i can't wait to finish this 1st season. maybe i'll sim the second half.

― otto midnight (otto midnight), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 12:36 (twenty-one years ago)

and it looks like i have a huge package when i step up to bat. Bonus! I didn't notice a sliding meter under player appearance for "crotch" when I created myself but they must have just assumed im massive.

― Chris 'The Velvet Bingo' V (Chris V), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 13:24 (twenty-one years ago)

I just rented this game for the weekend, and am having problems finding out what the controls do since no instruction manual came with it. I've played about 15 games so far and have yet to hit a homer. I've won most of the games, but I'd love to know what the different buttons do. Does anyone have any advice on where I can find an online manual?

― Jamie, Saturday, 24 April 2004 03:13 (twenty-one years ago)

Dynasty mode is kind of boring. There are never many free agents, player improvement doesn't seem to be linked to performance at all, in fact player improvement seems completely random.

I created myself as a v. good catcher (75 contact/90 power, 60 speed, decent fielding), played every day, complained constantly about PT (yo, asshole, how do you want to play more, cover two positions?) had a decent rookie season (.290/14/50 in 100 games) and immediately dropped 20 points in contact AND power after spring training.

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Saturday, 24 April 2004 04:04 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah, mvp dynasty mode is worthless. high heat baseball rooled the school on that one - you can probably get a cheap old copy of it somewhere if you're really craving some sim-kicks. i really wanted to buy last year's (apparently the very last) for xbox, but it came out really late and i could never find it anywhere.

jamie: just watch the harald raynalds mvp tips video thingy, it tells you all the basics.

― John (jdahlem), Saturday, 24 April 2004 04:36 (twenty-one years ago)

* Left-handers are definitely at a disadvantage when it comes to power hitting, Manny is hitting twice as many as my 100% created lefty player

* Pitching is the easiest part, I have Wolf, Appier and Millwood and they all have under 2 ERA after 100 games. Just keep the pitches low and on the extreme corners, I pitch almost exclusively curves, sliders and very fast 4-seamers.

**** HOW DO I STEAL WITHOUT GETTING CAUGHT??? I must suck bad because I get caught 90% of the time

― Thor, Wednesday, 28 April 2004 04:04 (twenty-one years ago)

for steals i generally get a hefty lead (pushing up on the right analog stick for ps2) and see if the pitcher is going to hold me on. if he does i wait until after he throws a fastball and go on the next pitch as i rarely see two heaters in a row. it's still a crapshoot. johnny damon is second in the league in steals for me but he leads (by far) in caught stealing. nomar has about 6 or 7 swipes after 50 games and i don't think he's been caught. varitek has two stolen bases both on hit and runs gone bad. it's not easy but it can be done. the cpu never runs on me though, even though i changed the cpu steal rate slider up to 35 or 40 or something.

― otto midnight (otto midnight), Wednesday, 28 April 2004 11:39 (twenty-one years ago)

stealing is easy as hell. i created a player who was 42 steals in 56 games. caught 9 times.

― Chris 'The Velvet Bingo' V (Chris V), Wednesday, 28 April 2004 12:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Was his name Ruben Rivera?

― David R. (popshots75`), Wednesday, 28 April 2004 13:39 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh, good one! Nope, I created most of my friends and this one was always fast in high school. Seeing as I have a bum hip and my baseball days are over, this is as close to reality as i get.

― Chris 'The Velvet Bingo' V (Chris V), Wednesday, 28 April 2004 14:33 (twenty-one years ago)

Check the speed of the guy who is running and the throwing/accuracy attributes of the catcher. If speed > 90 and catcher's throwing attributes <80-85 i say "steal!".

There is a guy in the SF minor leagues with 98 speed rating. I send him all the time. I don't think he's ever been caught.

― gygax! (gygax!), Wednesday, 28 April 2004 14:36 (twenty-one years ago)

Ichiro has 98 speed, i dont even take a lead with Ichiro (maybe one step) and i beat the throw every time. I play online, and I throw out about 50-60% of all base-stealers. Its not that difficult.

― dan b., Saturday, 1 May 2004 16:40 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.mvpmods.com/ has some cool, uh, MVP mods for those with the PC version.

― mattbot (mattbot), Saturday, 8 May 2004 14:48 (twenty-one years ago)

three weeks pass...

I got a guy as a free agent after the 2004 season and his speed is 99 but his hitting is in the 30's and 40's

― Curtis Martin (Izzy), Monday, 31 May 2004 18:01 (twenty-one years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.