Contact Swing vs. Power Swing

[Ikari Oni]

I'm not sure why this is, but the more I play the game, the more relatively useless contact hitting feels. Power swings used to be difficult for me, but with the introduction of analog hitting, it became really natural and pleasant to hit like that (thanks, devs!)

From a purely practical standpoint, I don't see a real point to using contact ever, once you get the power swing timing down, so maybe contact swinging should be tweaked to be more rewarding regarding the results of a swing?

It's mostly my thoughts on the matter but I hope devs get to read this; if I'm missing some finer point about the advantages of contact swinging (and the contact stat) please enlighten me, as I'd like to improve my understanding of the mechanics in their entirety.

[Echo127]

Theoretically, if you have your power swing timing calibrated to get max power on a fastball you will get weak contact on a changeup. A contact swing will always get you decent power.

However, like you, I've found there's no reason to not do a power swing. My timing isn't so perfect that the above situation is a problem, and the power swing just feels more natural to me than the contact swing.

Similarly, I've found the power pitch is actually easier to aim then the regular pitch because you can let go of the pitch button as soon as you're over the target instead of needing to wait for the circle to fully close in.

[Ikari Oni]

Interesting. I've yet to try power pitching at length, but if power swinging is any indication, power pitching will also be better overall.
I hope the devs tweak contact to be more worthwhile, as I'd rather take a strike or two than swinging for contact with less than adequate power.

[BK His Dudeness]

It depends on what your current batter's and opposing pitcher's stats are like and what Ego you're playing on.

Contact swings are extremely useful when you are in a 2 strike count. You don't want to strike out with runners on base. You need to put the ball in play. You need to make contact! It can be very difficult to just hit the ball when the pitcher has high velocity/junk, especially when you're playing on a higher Ego. Even if you just hit foul balls, fouling off the ball forces the pitcher to make another pitch, driving their pitch count up and tiring them out faster. They also become more vulnerable to making a mistake over the plate, which is a cookie for you.

Look at the situation at hand. If you have a runner on 3rd with 2 outs with a great contact hitter at the plate, depending on the score of the game there's no need for a power swing here. You just need a soft line drive to the outfield for the run to score.

Now if my batter is 75 power and 25 contact, of course I'm gonna swing for the fences everytime regardless of the count. If my batter is pretty even on both power and contact, I usually go power swings in hitters' counts until I get to 2 strikes. For high contact/low power hitters, I will always use contact swing no matter what.

My point is don't take contact swings for granted. They are incredibly handy in certain situations and can drive a pitcher mad. You may even see your hit count increase if you use them right. They are made for getting hits and putting ducks on the pond. Sometimes your power swing can get out of whack due to the timing you must learn against a certain pitcher. Much easier to just flick the control stick up for a smooth swing in my opinion. Once you start hitting the ball over the fence with a contact swing, then you'll understand.

Sorry for the essay every thread. I just want to help! Haha

[Ikari Oni]

This was very helpful, thank you everyone so far for the clarifications!
Maybe I was too quick to dismiss contact swinging after all (I like playing the Wideloads and they are power centric. I admit I'm taking the ego curve really slowly too).

[BK His Dudeness]

Happy to help man. I know what you mean though. I'm a big fan of the Moose and there is almost never a time where I just need a contact swing or 2 with them. Different teams require different play. Do what works for you and learn at your own pace, but good to keep those things in mind. The higher you raise your Ego, the more useful you will find contact swings.

[View The Phenom]

Contact is more useful if you don't want to deal with the timing requirements for different types of pitches. When you charge up a power swing for a fast ball will be different compared to a change-up for example; contact swings allow you to just focus on lining up the cursor at the cost of a weaker hit.

[BK His Dudeness]

Well said Phenom. Eliminate the timing process and go back to the basics. See the ball, hit the ball.

[Ikari Oni]

I just played an exibition using the Crocodons against the Sawteeth, and I did rather well with mixed hits. Thanks for the tips guys.

[ZombieHunter]

After the patch contact swing actually means something. If you go for power all the time on all pitches there is a good chance you are going to make weak contact, pop up or strike out.

[View The Phenom]

Originally posted by ZombieHunter:

After the patch contact swing actually means something. If you go for power all the time on all pitches there is a good chance you are going to make weak contact, pop up or strike out.

This was the case before the patch as well. If you mis-time a power swing, you're likely to end up with a bad hit and an out.

[Ikari Oni]

Originally posted by View The Phenom:

This was the case before the patch as well. If you mis-time a power swing, you're likely to end up with a bad hit and an out.

That's my experience also. I guess it's highly situational. Makes sense to swing for the fences when you see a good chance, but playing it safe with contact is okay too.

[G Willikers]

I'm inching my ego towards 60 for hitting and make a lot of use of contact swings, especially with my small ball teams. Much easier to foul balls off or put it in play with two strikes.

When I was at lower ego power swings also felt overpowered, as I increased the difficulty they've become much more situational.