I think the biggest problem with edges in AC09 is due to the logic used for inducing edges. In the game edges are a function of timing alone and don't take seam & swing movement into account. Thus, you get inside edges when you are early playing a shot and get an outside edge (or edge to slips/keeper) when you are late. However in real life this is seldom the case as in real cricket edges are generally induced due to batsman not accounting for seam & swing movement. The timing for an edged shot and a perfectly hit shot generally remains the same but batsman edge the ball when they play away from the body or in case ball is seaming/swinging and batsman goes with the shot not accounting for the movement. The next iteration of the game should incorporate dependency of edges on seam & swing movement and you should generally get more edges in conditions conducive to swing (e.g., overcast condition in NZ or Eng) and seam (e.g. SA or Eng).
The edge system should be similar to EA's Cricket 07 where you can edge behind while playing perfectly timed shots and the edges in that game looked quite realistic. The only problem with Cricket 07 was that the edges were randomly induced as similar shot & timing could result in a 4 or an edge. Maybe next iteration of AC09 should use the EA Cricket 07's edge system and work on it. Thus instead of getting an edge randomly, edge could be induced in case batsman plays too far away from the body (delivery too far away from off stump), or in case batsman drives to a good length ball instead of waiting for a full-pitched/over-pitched delivery. And more edges should be induced in seaming & swinging conditions (green pitch, overcast & humid condition etc.), especially when the ball is new. This system would also address the balance between bat and ball as you would need to wait for the right ball to hit else you may get away with a few shots but will eventually get out in 30s or 40s. This would force batsmen to play carefully for building a big score and batting would be more difficult in tough conditions. Currently you can bat as easily in Headingly as you can in Karachi which should not be the case. Similar logic should also be implemented for spinners, i.e. players should be more careful playing spinners in spin friendly conditions (sub-continent especially SL or 4th & 5th day of the tests) and thus more edges in case batsman plays shots away from the body or to good length balls.
Another problem with edges that needs to be addressed is that currently there are no edges while playing defensive shots. In real life you see the batsman come forward to a good length ball, misjudge the line a bit or the ball seam/swings away and the batsman edges behind the wicket to keeper or slips, especially when the ball is new or the conditions are favorable to bowlers. In case of spinners, the defensive prods should also result in edges hitting the pads and the ball popping up to silly point or fwd short leg.
Similarly inside and outside edges can also be changed to occasionally carry to close-in fielders. For example batsman misjudges a shot or gets an inside edge and the ball pops up to short leg & leg slip for fast bowlers or to silly point, fwd short leg etc. for spinners. This will also encourage ppl to put in a close in fielder to get wickets. Right now use of close-in fielders to get wickets is non existent in AC09. Imaging batting on a 4th day pitch in sub-continent against a spinner with close in fielders all around the bat. If you play too far away from the body or don't account for the spin correctly you risk an edge to slip/keeper or into the pads for the ball to pop up and in case you get the timing wrong or play a wrong shot you risk edges carrying to close-in fielders.
One other thing that can and should be modified is the ball physics and gameplay based on pitch conditions. For example ball seaming a lot on a green pitch, swinging a lot when it's overcast and ball occasionally staying low when it's a 4th or 5th day pitch. Think of a batsman going for a pull to a short of length delivery from a fast bowler, the ball staying low and hitting the batsman on the pads right in front for a LBW, or the ball rising up from a good length delivery, hitting the gloves of the batsman and an easy catch for a close-in fielder, or the ball hitting a crack and scooting along the ground and bowling a batsman. This would make batting against both spinners and fast bowlers extremely difficult on the 4th & 5th day and that's how it should be. Conditions for 5th day should obviously be more challenging than on the 4th day.
Overall, batting should be difficult early on, pitch should ease up after some time and batting should get progressively tougher on 4th & 5th day. And of course this logic should be coupled with the type of pitch and conditions. On a green and seaming pitch, the early difficult period should remain for most of the 1st day and in the early morning sessions for days 2 and 3 but should ease out for the remainder of 2nd and 3rd days. On batting pitches, early movement for bowlers should be there only for a couple of hours on the 1st day and then the pitch should be ideal for batting till day 3 and spinners coming in to play on days 4 and 5. On spinning pitches, a little bit of help for fast bowlers initially on day 1 and help for spinners starting end of day 2 and by day 5 the ball should be spinning and spitting square.
The edge system should be similar to EA's Cricket 07 where you can edge behind while playing perfectly timed shots and the edges in that game looked quite realistic. The only problem with Cricket 07 was that the edges were randomly induced as similar shot & timing could result in a 4 or an edge. Maybe next iteration of AC09 should use the EA Cricket 07's edge system and work on it. Thus instead of getting an edge randomly, edge could be induced in case batsman plays too far away from the body (delivery too far away from off stump), or in case batsman drives to a good length ball instead of waiting for a full-pitched/over-pitched delivery. And more edges should be induced in seaming & swinging conditions (green pitch, overcast & humid condition etc.), especially when the ball is new. This system would also address the balance between bat and ball as you would need to wait for the right ball to hit else you may get away with a few shots but will eventually get out in 30s or 40s. This would force batsmen to play carefully for building a big score and batting would be more difficult in tough conditions. Currently you can bat as easily in Headingly as you can in Karachi which should not be the case. Similar logic should also be implemented for spinners, i.e. players should be more careful playing spinners in spin friendly conditions (sub-continent especially SL or 4th & 5th day of the tests) and thus more edges in case batsman plays shots away from the body or to good length balls.
Another problem with edges that needs to be addressed is that currently there are no edges while playing defensive shots. In real life you see the batsman come forward to a good length ball, misjudge the line a bit or the ball seam/swings away and the batsman edges behind the wicket to keeper or slips, especially when the ball is new or the conditions are favorable to bowlers. In case of spinners, the defensive prods should also result in edges hitting the pads and the ball popping up to silly point or fwd short leg.
Similarly inside and outside edges can also be changed to occasionally carry to close-in fielders. For example batsman misjudges a shot or gets an inside edge and the ball pops up to short leg & leg slip for fast bowlers or to silly point, fwd short leg etc. for spinners. This will also encourage ppl to put in a close in fielder to get wickets. Right now use of close-in fielders to get wickets is non existent in AC09. Imaging batting on a 4th day pitch in sub-continent against a spinner with close in fielders all around the bat. If you play too far away from the body or don't account for the spin correctly you risk an edge to slip/keeper or into the pads for the ball to pop up and in case you get the timing wrong or play a wrong shot you risk edges carrying to close-in fielders.
One other thing that can and should be modified is the ball physics and gameplay based on pitch conditions. For example ball seaming a lot on a green pitch, swinging a lot when it's overcast and ball occasionally staying low when it's a 4th or 5th day pitch. Think of a batsman going for a pull to a short of length delivery from a fast bowler, the ball staying low and hitting the batsman on the pads right in front for a LBW, or the ball rising up from a good length delivery, hitting the gloves of the batsman and an easy catch for a close-in fielder, or the ball hitting a crack and scooting along the ground and bowling a batsman. This would make batting against both spinners and fast bowlers extremely difficult on the 4th & 5th day and that's how it should be. Conditions for 5th day should obviously be more challenging than on the 4th day.
Overall, batting should be difficult early on, pitch should ease up after some time and batting should get progressively tougher on 4th & 5th day. And of course this logic should be coupled with the type of pitch and conditions. On a green and seaming pitch, the early difficult period should remain for most of the 1st day and in the early morning sessions for days 2 and 3 but should ease out for the remainder of 2nd and 3rd days. On batting pitches, early movement for bowlers should be there only for a couple of hours on the 1st day and then the pitch should be ideal for batting till day 3 and spinners coming in to play on days 4 and 5. On spinning pitches, a little bit of help for fast bowlers initially on day 1 and help for spinners starting end of day 2 and by day 5 the ball should be spinning and spitting square.
