Thinking the AI substitution logic still needs work

[Markus Heinsohn]

Originally Posted by beorn

Latest example:

Leading 8-1 in the 8th inning. AI sends up a pinch hitter to bat for my good field no hit second baseman. Then puts the pinch hitter at 3B and moves my weak gloved 3B to 2B.

The relevant strategy setting: pinch hit for position players for innings 7&8 leading by 4+ runs: slider all the way to never.

To be clear, this is a double error on the AI, using a pinch hitter with that strategy setting, and moving the weak 3B to 2B.

I realize this only matters to people who don't play out their games, but in online play, it really makes a difference.

OK, I fixed the first issue for the next patch. Regarding the second issue, the question is if there was a better player for 2B on the field or on the bench.

[Cryomaniac]

Originally Posted by Markus Heinsohn

Regarding the second issue, the question is if there was a better player for 2B on the field or on the bench.

Take the following example:

2B on the field is rated 18 at 2B, and 14 at SS (which is the best rating at SS apart from the starter). Backup 2B is rated solely 13 at 2B. If the SS is removed will the AI move the 2B to SS or will it insert the backup 2B at SS even though he's not rated there? What if he was rated there but only at 1 or 2? It should move the starting 2B to SS as long as his defence at SS is higher than the backup 2B's and insert the backup at 2B, but in the past it didn't.

[Buane]

The substitution AI has done wacky things for a long time. In my online league, we decided to implement the DH in both leagues in order to cut down the number of pinch-hit/double-switch opportunities the AI would get. It's helped the situation somewhat, but there is still a weird blind spot that's pretty prevalent when substituting in defensively here and there. Nothing ruins the drama of a good live-sim like watching the AI move your left fielder to shortstop in the 8th inning.


Here's a good example from just a few days ago: RSL Box Scores, New York Cosmos at Philadelphia Spectres, 04/03/2033

Down 3-2 in the bottom of the ninth, backup catcher Bill Gaston pinch-hits for all-glove no-bat centerfielder Kimi Kouki and hits a game-tying solo home run. To replace Kouki, the CF, in the 10th, the AI brings in Maynard Callaghan, who's rated 8/7/6 in the OF with a 6 overall rating in CF.

Except the game puts him in RF. And it moves the current RF Gary Summers to CF. Summers' OF ratings are 6/5/8, and he has a 3 overall rating in CF.

It's almost like the game scanned the field before making the final substitution to figure out who would make the best CF right then and decided on Summers - and THEN it moved on and decided to replace the pinch-hitter Gaston as the right fielder with Callaghan. Obviously it could and should have just made a straight substitution of Callaghan into CF.

[beorn]

Originally Posted by Markus Heinsohn

OK, I fixed the first issue for the next patch. Regarding the second issue, the question is if there was a better player for 2B on the field or on the bench.

Thank you very much. It is the first issue I feel strongly about.

To answer your question, though, the ideal lineup would have been pinch hitter to shortstop, shortstop to 2b, 3B stays put. Anything else was going to be somewhat problematic. But really, I only got worked up over that because of the original decision to pinch hit for the good glove. I really wanted to Steinbrenner my manager for that call.

[Buane]

Originally Posted by Buane

The substitution AI has done wacky things for a long time. In my online league, we decided to implement the DH in both leagues in order to cut down the number of pinch-hit/double-switch opportunities the AI would get. It's helped the situation somewhat, but there is still a weird blind spot that's pretty prevalent when substituting in defensively here and there. Nothing ruins the drama of a good live-sim like watching the AI move your left fielder to shortstop in the 8th inning.


Here's a good example from just a few days ago: RSL Box Scores, New York Cosmos at Philadelphia Spectres, 04/03/2033

Down 3-2 in the bottom of the ninth, backup catcher Bill Gaston pinch-hits for all-glove no-bat centerfielder Kimi Kouki and hits a game-tying solo home run. To replace Kouki, the CF, in the 10th, the AI brings in Maynard Callaghan, who's rated 8/7/6 in the OF with a 6 overall rating in CF.

Except the game puts him in RF. And it moves the current RF Gary Summers to CF. Summers' OF ratings are 6/5/8, and he has a 3 overall rating in CF.

It's almost like the game scanned the field before making the final substitution to figure out who would make the best CF right then and decided on Summers - and THEN it moved on and decided to replace the pinch-hitter Gaston as the right fielder with Callaghan. Obviously it could and should have just made a straight substitution of Callaghan into CF.

Last night I installed the new patch 14.5.28 and simmed another week in my online league. The EXACT same thing happened yet again, so I'm not sure the latest patch addressed this substitution logic:

RSL Box Scores, New York Cosmos at Philadelphia Spectres, 05/18/2033

Maybe this manager just loses his mind when New York and Philly play each other? But you can once again see the AI pinch-hit for Philadelphia's CF in the 10th inning, and when Philly didn't win the game in that inning, they brought in a new outfielder in the 11th. Except that new outfielder (10/6/10 OF ratings, 10 rating in CF) was put in RIGHTFIELD and they moved the previous rightfielder (6/5/8 OF ratings, 2 rating in CF) into CENTERFIELD.

Literally the exact same thing I posted about in my last post. It really seems like the AI makes its defensive decisions BEFORE subbing out the player who was the pinch hitter, and then after it decides that the RF will make a better CF than the guy who pinch hit (he would) it brings in the great defensive OFer to replace the pinch hitter it wants to put in RF.

So this is still very wrong and still happening often enough where I don't even have to look very hard to find it.

[beorn]

I'm seeing related problems again, although this is more a case of ignoring strategy settings.

8th inning, up by 5, the manager pinch hits for my first baseman, then puts the pinch hitter in left field where he is sub par and moves the left fielder to 1B where he is terrible.

But my strategy settings said to never pinch hit for a position player at any time in the game, when leading by 4+.

I can understand why the AI cannot always make the perfect defensive switches, but I wish the strategy settings -- particularly the extreme ones -- would be followed... I really, really mean: when I have a big lead, NEVER pinch hit.