Player Advanced Skills

Player Advanced Skills
Pitchers

You will have a box that allows you to choose advanced pitches. Advanced pitches are ones you can learn in addition to the basic three pitches that everyone knows (Fastball, Curveball, Changeup). Once you choose to learn an Advanced Pitch, you can never un-learn it (although you can choose to not use it), and you can only ever pick up to three Advanced Pitches.

Advanced pitches fall into three categories: Fastballs, Breaking Balls and Off-Speed. Each pitch has three different skill requirements you must attain before you can learn it, and one of these will be a certain number of points in its respective pitching Special Skill. Not that because of this, the soonest it is even possible to learn an Advanced Pitch is Level 3.

The pitch names and requirements are listed below.

Fastballs:
 * Fastball: Known by default.
 * Cutter: 5 points in Fastball. Variance and Control at 30 points.
 * Splitter: 5 points in Fastball. Variance and Movement at 30 points.
 * Sinker: 8 points in Fastball. Variance and Movement at 50 points.
 * Gyroball: 10 points in Fastball. Velocity and Movement at 75 points.

Breaking Balls:
 * Curveball: Known by default.
 * Slider: 5 points in Breaking Ball. Velocity and Movement at 30 points.
 * 12-6 Curve: 5 points in Breaking Ball. Movement at 50 points.
 * Screwball: 8 points in Breaking Ball. Movement and Variance at 50 points.
 * Knuckle-curve: 10 points in Breaking Ball. Movement at 90 points.

Off-Speed:*Changeup: Known by default.
 * Eephus: 5 points in Off-Speed. Movement and Variance at 30 points.
 * Forkball: 5 points in Off-Speed. Movement and Variance at 30 points.
 * Palmball: 8 points in Off-Speed. Movement and Variance at 50 points.
 * Circle Change: 10 points in Off-Speed. Movement and Variance at 70 points.

Note that every Advanced Pitch has its benefits and drawbacks. The ones that are harder to get have larger potential benefits and larger potential drawbacks. All advanced pitches require more energy to throw than one of the three default pitches. For more details, Play And Find Out (PAFO).

Important Note! When you choose an Advanced Pitch, it is NOT added to your pitching tactics by default! Visit your player Tactics page to add them in.

Hitters (PHOTO UPLOAD NEEDED)

Hitters are presented with a box where they can choose their Advanced Swings. You can only choose a maximum of three advanced swings, and any choice is permanent. Each swing is listed with a strike zone grid, in 3x3 form. If you choose an Advanced Swing for a certain strike zone location, and you see a pitch in that location, there is a chance you will attempt the advanced swing (a tactic giving you more control of this is forthcoming).

Attempting an advanced swing gives you a good chance to achieve a certain result based on what type of swing it is. It does however increase your chance of totally missing the pitch, especially if the pitch was not what you were expecting when you started the swing (picture a hitter taking a massive swing at a changeup they thought was a fastball, swinging right over and in front of the ball). As with Advanced Pitches, it is a pro-and-con scenario and you should choose Advanced Swings which work well with your player build.

You can have up to three Advanced Swings, and only one per location in the strike zone. So if you choose Superior Bunt down the middle of the zone, you can't put any other Advanced Swing there.

Each Advanced Swing has a required skill. For the first Advanced Swing of that type, you need 50 points in that skill. For the second, you need 75 points, and for the third you need 95 points. So you could choose three different Advanced Swings with only 50s in each skill, but to get three of the same Advanced Swing you would need a 95 in that skill.

Advanced Swings are currently enabled by default but this will change when the new frequency tactic is added.

The Advanced Swings:
 * Home-Run Cut: Your player has a massive uppercut swing designed to drive the ball as far as possible. Requires Hit Power.
 * Smash Down the Lines: Your player can drop a ball right on the foul line on either side. Requires Batting Speed.
 * Drive to the Gaps: Your player can find the gaps in the outfield and get the ball past the defenders. Requires Hit Control.
 * Superior Bunt: Your player has bunting down to an art form and can find the weaknesses in the infield. Requires Eye Coordination.

Important note: Advanced swings override batting style/aim tactics! So Drive to the Gaps will work even if you aren't aiming for the gaps, and Home Run Cut will work even if you are aiming to hit on the ground. If your player decides to use the advanced swing their tactics adjust accordingly for that swing only.