So yesterday, 2K Sports was nice enough to invite Aeropause to a developer call for their upcoming baseball title, MLB 2K10.  On the call were:

• Ben Bishop – Producer at 2K Sports
• Jonathan Rivera – Gameplay Designer at 2K Sports
• Sean Bailey – Gameplay Designer at 2K Sports
• Chase, our Moderator from Access Communications

Check out the jump for the skinny on MLB 2K10, and the surprising candor regarding last year’s title and its flaws.

Obstacles to Overcome

With MLB 2K10, 2K Sports looked to improve on the version of the game that was released in 2009.  Ben Bishop and the rest of the team were very honest that MLB 2K9 was not a great title for Visual Concepts.  They felt that the biggest obstacle for the team coming back to the title was overcoming the impressions that were left with MLB 2K9.  Visual Concepts said that they came into the title on a short cycle (three months behind the normal timeframe) and it hurt the development of features in MLB 2K9.  Ben stated that with the full cycle they had for MLB 2K10, they have created the definitive baseball title not only on the Xbox 360, but on all platforms.

New to this year’s release are MLB Today and My Player modes to add to the normal franchise, exhibition and online modes of play.  MLB Today is very similar to the NBA Today mode that was implemented in NBA 2K10 last year.  It seems that MLB Today will allow you to play through games that are on the MLB schedule for that day.  As you play through the season, you will get little notes and quips that are related to the real season.  Also, you will get a ticker that shows scores and other pertinent news related to the current MLB season.  My Player mode is similar to most other games now, in that you create a player and work him up from Double A baseball to the Majors.  Once at the Major Leagues, your goal is to make it into the Hall of Fame.

Back to Basics

Visual Concepts went back to the drawing board, and completely re-wrote the game engine for MLB 2K10.  There is no code left over from last year’s lackluster attempt, making for a completely new game.  The developers looked to reviews, gamers and message boards for input on design decisions.  This input was said to be immensely valuable to the development team for creating a standout baseball title that would outshine all competitors.  No one on the team at Visual Concepts wanted to have another MLB 2K9 on their hands, so they felt that they needed to look at all the critical feedback for the design of MLB 2K10.

The development also benefited from having the development brought into the same house where the resources from NBA 2K and NHL 2K series were at.  This allowed for consulting and sharing knowledge that would allow features from those titles to bleed over into MLB 2K10, like the MLB Today mode of gameplay.  The collaboration can also be seen with the new dynamic commentary system that pulls from NBA 2K10, but with more statistical draw.  Now commentators will have quips that will pull from an almost endless library of stats to mention during the game.  Now you will know what the On Base Percentage for a hitter when facing a certain pitcher due to the commentary.  It is something for geeks, but adds another layer of immersion for the gamer.

Players Love to Jab at Designers

When it came to choosing a cover athlete for MLB 2K10, or any 2K Sports game title, there is criteria that comes into play.  Obviously, the developers want to get an athlete that is a breakout star in their sport, but that is not the only thing to look for in a cover athlete.  2K Sports likes to get athletes that are great players, but also play video games.  This led to Evan Longoria being chosen for the cover of MLB 2K10, as he fit both of these criteria.  He is a breakout star for the Rays, as well as MLB, and he is a huge gamer.  Evan came into the studios and played through builds of the game, and added some input that helped design some elements of MLB 2K10.

We also found out that there is a lot of ribbing from players who find out where they are ranked in the game, and call to ask why.  They said that many players will plead their case to be put at a higher ranking because they feel they have been rated far too low by the developers.  It was also said that a fair amount of players do feel that the developers hit their skill level right on the nose.  When asked about who is the highest ranked player in MLB 2K10 this year, I was surprised to hear it was not the cover athlete, which is what I always think when playing a sports title.  Instead, we were told that Albert Pujoles was the top ranked player in the game.

When asked about how the rankings are put together, it uses a weighed scale that looks back at the last three years of a player, with weight put on the last season played.  This can cause issues with a breakout rookie that might not have the stats from three years built up, so some discussion is put into the rankings for those players.

Dropping You in the Season

When you play through a franchise season, several new features were added to give you the feel of running a franchise.  Now, each team will have a full 40 man roster for the run to the playoffs.  If you lose a star player in free agency, you will be awarded compensatory picks in the amateur draft, allowing you to rebuild via your farm teams.  There is also a mid-year draft allowing you to supplement your initial draft, just like in the Major Leagues. 

One thing that has been added this year, and I am sure most fans will enjoy is the ability to jump into any simulated game at any time.  Maybe you just want to play a single inning of a game, or you see that your team is losing a game that they should be able to win, you just go to the game in question and choose to jump in, and you pick up right at that point in the game.  I have occasionally been known to simulate some of my games when I am not in the mood to play, and I get mad when I see my franchise lose to a team I should have beat in a close nail-biter.  Now I will be able to jump in during the 8^th or 9^th inning of a game to try and pull out the win.

Another great feature that will make trades a lot easier, you will be able to use the new Trade Finder.  Trade Finder takes the search work out of finding something for a player that you want to unload from your team.  You just put in the player or players that you want to trade, and hit search, and you will get instant feedback from teams and what they are willing to offer.  No longer do you have to offer a trade to each team, and try to get something for a player, easing the management of your franchise.

Pitching, Hitting and Why Stealing Bases is So Difficult

There was a big focus on fixing up the pitching and hitting in MLB 2K10, adding new features and tuning up the realism on both of these aspects in the game.  First off was adding the pitch analyzer for pitchers.  After each pitch, you can look at where the pitch was located, and use that information to help with future pitch selections.  You might see a hitter have a hard time with a pitch.  You could bring up the pitch analyzer and see where that pitch was located, to put more of your pitches in that location.  Pitch count also matters in MLB 2K10, far more so than in 2K9.  With the defensive swing added to the hitter’s repertoire, you now might end up delivering eight or nine pitches to a hitter, putting stress and fatigue on your pitcher.  Mound visits have also added interactivity for the player, allowing for you to choose between a strategy visit and a fatigue visit.  The fatigue visit is very interesting, because you might use it when a pitcher is having trouble with one hitter, and you want to just give your pitcher a minute to build up stamina and refocus his pitches.

As for hitters, you now have to worry about the physics of hitting a ball with your swing.  No longer will a player just use the power meter for a power hitter to send every ball over the fences.  You now have to worry about where you make contact on the bat, the speed of the bat, and the location of the swing.  All of these factors will make up the location of where the ball goes into play.  Yes, you can still have home runs, but they will be earned, not given away as was the case at times in MLB 2K9.  I can attest that this is a fantastic thing to hear, as my first game with MLB 2K9 out of the packaging, had me sending 10 balls over the fence.  The defensive swing has been added to the hitter’s swing package, allowing a hitter to fight off pitches.  There is a low reward for these hits, but also adds low risk.  It will also allow you to fatigue a pitcher into a potential mistake.  Eye rating has been created for hitters in 2K10 as well, and it allows players to see a particular hold by a pitcher, helping the batter predict the pitch.  Batters with a higher on base percentage or a lot of walks will get a higher use of eye rating vs. sluggers that might strike out more often, or reach base less often.

One of the questions for the developers of MLB 2K10 was in regards to stealing bases, and how it was almost impossible to steal a base in MLB 2K9.  The developers again, were highly candid with their response, telling us that stealing bases is the hardest mechanic to implement into a baseball game.  You have to take in account the lead from the base, the pitchers mechanic for throwing to a base, the catcher’s arm strength, and the location of the throw from the catcher to the base being stolen.  That said, the base stealing mechanic has been refined, and you will be able to steal a few bags easier than you did in 2K9, but it is no giveaway.

Wrap Up and Errata

Towards the end of the call we did get a few extra tidbits and thoughts on MLB 2K10, including features and questions.  Players will now be able to play rehab assignments for players in Franchise modes.  They also added all the unique home run celebrations for each field except the Brewers.  The Brewers celebration could not be added, due to the mascot having to do with alcohol.  MLB 2K10 will include throwback jerseys and players, but will not have throwback or legendary stadiums, so no Polo Grounds for the hardcore fanatics of yesteryear.  Visual Concepts would love to do a 9 vs. 9 online mode for Baseball, has not implemented it at this time, because it might not be fun for some players that are not involved with every play.  There was a PC question at the end, of course from yours truly, asking how the prior year was received on the platform, and if MLB 2K10 was coming out this year, as it had not been mentioned at the beginning of the call.  Yes it is coming out for the PC, yes it is feature complete similar to the Xbox 360 version, and yes, MLB 2K9 did well on the PC.

So it looks like Visual Concepts went to the mat with this year’s release of MLB 2K10 and looked to move past the disappointment of last year to make a great baseball simulation on all platforms.  With the release coming on March 2^nd, 2010, we will see if the game plays out as well as it was described in this call.  Props to Access Communications and 2K Sports for putting together the conference call, and taking the time to talk about MLB 2K10, and for inviting Aeropause to the event.