Welcome to 'Pitchers Duel'

Pitchers Duel is a computer simulation of the sport of Baseball for recreational purposes. (ie: a game)

Goals

Simple, Visceral, and Deep

..these qualities will make the game fun and popular

Simple

When playing defense, choose a pitch and point-and-click where in the strike zone to throw it. When playing offense, position the bat 'targeter' where you expect the ball to enter the strike zone, and click the swing button/trigger in time to hit the ball.

Visceral

From the first pitch, we want you to feel some anxiety from the inrushing ball. More anxiety may develop later from the weight of the game bearing on the outcome of each at-bat.

Deep

Steals, hit-and-run, fatigue issues, player substitutions... its all there. The simulation will be about as deep as the game it simulates.

Sourceforge Pitchers Duel Page

The Milestones page here is as close as we have to a schedule.

Find an OverView here, and the project weblog here.

A couple of screenshots are on the ScreenShots page. Keep in mind that the artists have not yet started work. ;)

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Progress ?

The complete game, with networked human and computer AI options, wont be complete for another year or so, but we are releasing work as we progress, in the form of demos. So far, there are a pitcher demo, which is 'just show' with minimal interaction, and a batter demo, which is interactive and can be viewed as a batting-practice simulation.

I have had other demands on my time seriously limiting the time I put into PD, but I am back working on it now (April 2007), and hope to have both updated batter demos and an interactive pitcher demo available by 1 July 2007. By the end of the year, 2007, I hope to have an interplayer networked 'Home Run Derby' type game released. A HRD will not require AI, nor fielding and baserunning code, and can be completed as a transition product to the full-fledged game.

The weblog has more timely info on progress.

Breadth vs Depth

We expect the game to be deep, competitive in that way with commercial games. In breadth, on the other hand, we cannot hope to match EA. There will be no reference to any proper names from MLB, for licensing reasons, and there won't be any out-of-the-box databases of player data, nor extensive photo galleries of baseball scenarios. The only team history in your Pitcher's Duel team is the history you build into the team. ;) The only player statistics for your Pitcher's Duel players are the accomplishments and failures you experience with each player.

We don't even give you the whole sport, leaving fielding and base-running minimally implemented. If a fielding or baserunning phenomenon does not bear significantly on batting or pitching decision-making, that phenomenon goes unimplemented. Base stealing is there, but fielding errors are not. Intentional walks are there, but base path run-downs are not. Double plays are there, runner interference is not.

If you have comments or questions, email me at dkeeney@travelbyroad.net

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