Quote:
Originally Posted by Dyzalot
I would highly disagree with this paragraph as it pertains to some of the things I posted in this thread such as leaving a pitcher in to bat in the bottom of the 8th and then replacing him to start the top of the ninth or bringing a lefty reliever to face a lefty hitter and then removing him for a righty reliever when another lefty is due up to bat. Certainly several of the examples I posted are simply "questionable" which was why I titled the thread the way I did. I didn't want to imply that there was no question that the things I posted are all examples of places where the AI differs from reality but I did think the ones I posted were at least questionable if not outright unrealistic like the two examples I just highlighted.
|
I'm glad you're bringing these AI moves to our attention. Some of them can be explained when we take into account the different variables that pertain. For example (and this is a simple one, I know), it might seem strange that the AI pinch hit with a RHB when a RHP is on the mound. But we may discover, if we probed, that the AI had no LHBs available to PH. Or that the only LHB was the lone backup catcher. So, what looks out of place from a distance may make more sense when we examine the situation up close.
That said, I do agree that some AI decisions simply do not make sense. The failure to PH for the pitcher in the previous half-inning before replacing him in the top half is one of them. As long as there was a viable PH option available, the AI should have known enough to use it. I have seen the same thing happen in the game. So, Dyzalot, your experience is not unique.
I have a running thread (and PT) in the beta forum regarding late-inning AI. It might be hard to get the AI coded right for this part of a game, but it is important. Poor AI can impair the AI's ability to win a ballgame. One example that comes to mind is when the AI uses 3 or 4 pitchers in an inning, burning through its bullpen. It really irks me when the AI replaces a RHP after one batter with another RHP for no apparent reason. Try as I might, I simply cannot find anything to explain such a move.
It helps to remember that the AI is always a work in progress. Hopefully, our input, even if we sometimes have to withdraw our complaints, will help make it better.