SteveM's Blog
I freely admit it: when it comes to video game basketball, I love the little things. I don't mean getting the sneakers and accessories right—although when I see people who do obsess about such stuff, I have no problem with it, just because my own concerns are so specific and micro-tuned.
As someone who writes about the real-life NBA a fair amount, what I'm most interested in are the ways that NBA 2K can bring the game closer to that real life sport. I'm fine with having the ability to tweak the game to allow for a more fun, fast-paced game, and I don't need it to be super-realistic out of the box, but I think there's room for 2K Sports to fix some very specific things.
Defensive schemes
It's natural that the defensive part of NBA 2K lags behind the offensive part—dunks and 3-pointers are where the glory is and they're fun. But as the saying goes, defense wins championships, and there's so much more NBA 2K could do on the defensive side of the ball. They've improved your ability to set defensive schemes for individual players in terms of how your players double or hedge, but that's based on individual players, whereas a large part of NBA defense is reacting to the situation.
It would be great to be able to replicate a defensive scheme like Tom Thibodeau's for the Bulls where pick and rolls near the sidelines are always forced to the baseline. Or Miami's strategy of trapping the ballhandler if they cross halfcourt near the sidelines. As it is, doubles and traps in 2K start animations that are barely useful, especially when bringing down a guard to double in the post. Some guys are good at that and some guys are bad, but in NBA 2K, all the guards are universally terrible at it.
If 2K could make defense both rewarding and important in the game, you just might see more people picking teams like Indiana or Memphis, and that would be pretty cool.
Chemistry
The way chemistry works right now in Association mode and My Player mode seems to be either completely predictable or completely unpredictable: if guys don't play, they get angry and play worse, or else they go through ups and downs that seem unattached to their circumstances. It would be great to see chemistry that's based on real factors like playing time (including when in the game guys are played), amount of plays called, and other things, but that's harder to fix. You can't just throw time at guys to make them happier. Some guys are happier coming off the bench. Some guys will not get better no matter how much time you throw at them. In essence, chemistry is not hard to perceive, but the challenge is not fixing it, it's working around it.
And in My Player, it's relatively easy to keep pushing your chemistry with your teammates in the right direction by answering the press conference questions with the obvious correct answer. Those press conferences need to matter more or be done away with. It would be nice, also, to not have them at a table with a room full of reporters after every game. Having them happen where they really do—in the locker room—would be more realistic, plus create more drama for when they move to something more formal in the playoffs.
Player models
I've said it before but first and foremost: For Pete's sake can we get some new hairstyles for created players? Just do it.
Secondly, it's high time that 2K introduced a separate wingspan measurement for players. That's a simple thing that can create more variance across created players and make drafting rookies in Association more interesting. To go along with that, there should be more impact for a player's physical size in the game. A slim rookie is going to get banged around, but I want the ability to make a truly slender guy like Larry Sanders or Alexey Shved or make a tank like Nikola Pekovic.
My Player/My Career
My Career is the mode I play the most, and it has some significant problems. In NBA 2K13, the way Virtual Currency is set up leads to a real problem: you earn so little VC for playing the actual mode—even though that's where you spend your VC—that it's actually easier to develop your player through playing any mode EXCEPT My Career. But at the same time, it's still possible to dominate the mode with a player who's only ranked 65 or so. The result is a mode where it's difficult to improve your created player by playing, yet there's also little incentive to improve him.
You can see this most starkly in the drills, which have reached a whole new level of meaninglessness in NBA 2K13. In 2K12, I only ever ran the Dribble Course because it was the only one I knew for sure I could pass, plus it helped boost Speed, the most expensive stat to raise. But in 2K14, the paltry VC reward for passing a drill is outweighed by the boredom and frustration of doing the drill.
Maybe the essential problem is that practice is boring, and not something anyone wants to spend time doing in a video game. But I think this could be fixed by drills that reward you even when you don't fulfill their requirements. After all, it isn't just success that teaches you, but failure. Maybe you don't get a boost to Ballhandling or Speed if you fail the Dribble Course, but you should get a boost to your Stamina just for running up and down the court. Right now, if you can't do them perfectly, the drills are a waste of time. Is this really what we should be teaching our children? If you elect to work on training, it should always benefit your player in some way, even if it's small.
These are just a few suggestions, and admittedly from someone who doesn't spend much time playing online. So I want to know, what else needs to be fixed going forward in NBA 2K14?
# 1
Kentucky_Wildcat23 @ Mar 25
I would love to see 2K allow us to import our own rosters and draft classes into Online Associations. I put in a lot of work for rosters that my friends and I play with and want the ability to play them online in an association together!
# 2
KyotoCarl @ Mar 25
All good points. Even if the 2K14 isn't next gen this fall, there's still alot on the gameplay front I believe they can fix, like the things you pointed out.
# 4
TreyIM2 @ Mar 25
I haven't gotten deep into my 2K13 since my PS3 went kaput, 2K13 trapped in it and all, months ago but damn, I couldn't put it down in the short time but it was hard for me to really gather a good list of improvements. I was just wowed at how much fun I had with a NBA2K game, ever.
That being said, something comes to mind - Offensive playcalling. Still sucks. Plays do not trigger fast enough, if at all, STILL, after all these years, when my player gets to the designated spot to initiate a play.
I like the idea presented about defensive plays. That would be great. Give more individuality to teams.
Oh, just thought about another improvement - Controls. I know MW said there is a 2.0 version of the control stick coming and I hope it means to eliminate the ability to do moves with both sticks. It was annoying, awkward and interfered with moves I was trying to do based on the right stick.
Can't think of much else at the moment except improving the PS3 version's basketball nets. They look very faint.
That being said, something comes to mind - Offensive playcalling. Still sucks. Plays do not trigger fast enough, if at all, STILL, after all these years, when my player gets to the designated spot to initiate a play.
I like the idea presented about defensive plays. That would be great. Give more individuality to teams.
Oh, just thought about another improvement - Controls. I know MW said there is a 2.0 version of the control stick coming and I hope it means to eliminate the ability to do moves with both sticks. It was annoying, awkward and interfered with moves I was trying to do based on the right stick.
Can't think of much else at the moment except improving the PS3 version's basketball nets. They look very faint.
# 5
SteveM @ Mar 25
I'm definitely in favor of things like importing rosters and draft classes into online Associations. And while I think the offensive playcalling has improved, it's still markedly better for certain kinds of plays than others. Certain PNRs work much better than others, and floppy sets work better than almost anything else for getting shots. Some of the more complex ones aren't worth calling because of how slowly they unfurl.
And I thought of another one related to playcalling: A lot of sets like the triangle or Adelman's corner offense rely on read and react looks, and the CPU doesn't seem to be very good at making that happen. The plays that work best work on simple moves and sequences, but this really limits the effectiveness of a player like Kirilenko, who's at his best when he's making smart baseline cuts that rely on him seeing openings, not just going where he's supposed to be. I guess I don't know exactly what kind of dynamic AI is possible in this console generation. Maybe we have to wait for the next?
And I thought of another one related to playcalling: A lot of sets like the triangle or Adelman's corner offense rely on read and react looks, and the CPU doesn't seem to be very good at making that happen. The plays that work best work on simple moves and sequences, but this really limits the effectiveness of a player like Kirilenko, who's at his best when he's making smart baseline cuts that rely on him seeing openings, not just going where he's supposed to be. I guess I don't know exactly what kind of dynamic AI is possible in this console generation. Maybe we have to wait for the next?
# 6
wallofhate @ Mar 25
It's still not as fun or profitable to have a dominate big man like lamarcus Aldridge or Tom Duncan like played. You just can't dominate or take over the game offensively without being a matter of the controls and even then is a task not an enjoyment. Plus I like the little things like players giving up on a fatty break as well as some like lebron that will hustle down for a big time block. I want players avoiding going inside when certain centers are in the game or changing their shot dramatically not to get blocked. Players also don't always jump to block a dunk for feat of foul or posterized. As a barbie dress up shoe geek lol I want the actual shoes and real colorways and make the players feet look like feet in sneakers not army boots. Plus I want an nba live type sneaker assignment where you put a real sneaker to each Jersey separate even to the all star game teams. Add players helping each other up and carrying players of the court and I'm in hoops heaven
# 7
F0rl3fclov3r @ Mar 25
I thought you could import draft classes. I haven't checked in a while but I could be wrong. Basically, for the first time EVER, and I'm 26 and have been gaming for years, played an entire 82 game season on 9 minute quarters, no simming, nothing and I'm in the second round of the playoffs right now against the Heat down 2-1. (I'm my hometown Milwaukee Bucks). I say that about the draft classes because if I go in to scout rookies, I got Zeller and all the other real life guys there. I don't remember how I did that, but I'm pretty sure there was an option because I didn't create the draft class myself. This NBA2K13 is LEGIT, by far the best sports game I've ever played. I just need to get past the Heat so I can face off against #1 seed Brooklyn who swept me in the regular season. ...it's not looking good though, playing Miami in Miami was a struggle, I was down 0-2 and just won on my home court after a barrage of 3 pointers where I made 11 in the game shooting 55%.
# 8
tril @ Mar 25
1. time outs need to mean more. timouts should be specific based and each one should have a counter attack to it.
2. half time adjustments
3. association free agency needs to be revamped. a new logic needs to be implemented. I would like to see a system based on market value based on said poition for that particular year. there are years where a subpar player can demand more because there arent that many free agents at that position.
in that case this is where Maddens free agency bidding mode from MAdden12 could work wonders.
we need post defense sliders.
along with wing span a body control slider would be another attribute Id like to see. Players like Kobe have excellent body control even when there is contact.
Id like to see the commit fouls tendency attribute under the players be fleshed out to include specific fouls similar to those found in the game play settings.
bring back the foul settings. we should be able to adjust these to a lower foul out number and a lower bonus number if we play shorter minutes.
practice in association shoudld determine how well a play is executed during gameplay.
and chemistry shoudl be based on what you said plus the number of shots players get or dont get. some players just have to shoot in order to be happy.
get rid of the siganture skills. or tone it down. the execution was too gimicky
2. half time adjustments
3. association free agency needs to be revamped. a new logic needs to be implemented. I would like to see a system based on market value based on said poition for that particular year. there are years where a subpar player can demand more because there arent that many free agents at that position.
in that case this is where Maddens free agency bidding mode from MAdden12 could work wonders.
we need post defense sliders.
along with wing span a body control slider would be another attribute Id like to see. Players like Kobe have excellent body control even when there is contact.
Id like to see the commit fouls tendency attribute under the players be fleshed out to include specific fouls similar to those found in the game play settings.
bring back the foul settings. we should be able to adjust these to a lower foul out number and a lower bonus number if we play shorter minutes.
practice in association shoudld determine how well a play is executed during gameplay.
and chemistry shoudl be based on what you said plus the number of shots players get or dont get. some players just have to shoot in order to be happy.
get rid of the siganture skills. or tone it down. the execution was too gimicky
# 9
Sportzfan0290 @ Mar 25
With all these great mods coming out and roster makers like myself. Why not finally implement FIBA/Euroleague? I've been saying for years they should just have a Euroleague Playoff mode which you can only get licenses for the teams that make it each year or branch out and be FIFA for christ sake. FIFA has hundreds of leagues and teams. Why can't NBA2K do the same? I know by now Ronnie 2K and Company must know something about the Global Game?
# 10
KidHypeTellem @ Mar 25
I agree with everything in this post, and being someone who edits rosters, creates players and draft classes, I'm definitely for improved player creation. The player models do need fixing. KD's calfs for example should not be as thick as they are. I know it's somewhat a pretty thing but it does add to realism.
Also more options for facial editing and as mentioned hair/facial hair options and textures. Some look so cheap which is why most peoples my players look almost identical.
Also more options for facial editing and as mentioned hair/facial hair options and textures. Some look so cheap which is why most peoples my players look almost identical.
# 11
Barbatrucco @ Mar 25
Player's faces must not be created for me, player's faces must be photo-fixed with this method. http://www.operationsports.com/forum...real-face.html
# 12
Gstate_510 @ Mar 25
I agree with Sportzfan0290. I wouldn't mind seeing euro league being added to the 2k series that would be loads of fun
# 14
LoveBasketball @ Mar 25
1. fix the shoes, it looks like their made out of clay lmao
2. Better defence options...let us chose how we cover the P & R between positions... ex. switch on screens if the screen is set by a sf and the sg is ball handling
3. In my player mode coach should set practice dates with the team and watch gametape ..( Can simulate through if you want & you get more chemistry if you stay late and practice more)
4. Fiba in myplayer would be GREAT
5.Fix the colours of jerseys and accessories ex. Knicks jerseys look like they have been in the wash too many times lolw
2. Better defence options...let us chose how we cover the P & R between positions... ex. switch on screens if the screen is set by a sf and the sg is ball handling
3. In my player mode coach should set practice dates with the team and watch gametape ..( Can simulate through if you want & you get more chemistry if you stay late and practice more)
4. Fiba in myplayer would be GREAT
5.Fix the colours of jerseys and accessories ex. Knicks jerseys look like they have been in the wash too many times lolw
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