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?
# 32
thataussieguy @ Mar 26
I would like it so you don't have to be connected online to unlock/purchase items/stats for My Player mode.
Get rid of the VC - It turned me off My Player all together. I played NBA 2K12 almost everyday and was hooked on it until I played NBA 2K13. The gameplay was better in 13 but I just hated the whole layout and the fact you needed to be connected to their server in order to unlock items/gear for your player when you everything was already in game for 12.
Get rid of the VC - It turned me off My Player all together. I played NBA 2K12 almost everyday and was hooked on it until I played NBA 2K13. The gameplay was better in 13 but I just hated the whole layout and the fact you needed to be connected to their server in order to unlock items/gear for your player when you everything was already in game for 12.
# 34
BellSKA @ Mar 26
Quick Match Team Up on-line corrections need to be made
My biggest issue is players dropping out constantly. There needs to be a better lobby system. There should be an option for you to join games already in progress much like in COD. I'm not saying in the middle of play, but pick up on-line users in between 1/4ers or at half. You should be able to join your party already in progress. It's a pain to get on-line while your friends/ party are only in the 2nd 1/4. One of two things always happens. Either you wait over 30 minutes, or they leave screwing over the entire room/ game. Your VC stats only pick up the points, rebounds, assists, etc you've already accumulated so it wouldn't affect that any. And adding users between 1/4ers will add only seconds to the current time. You could wait in a queue.
Stats can be very easily organized in Quick Match Team up and on-line. There should be better organization of stats in on-line game play. You should be able to see your stats at each position and not over all. It would be more beneficial to see your stats at PG compared to your stats at Center. Instead, they are all lumped together which seems like a very simple fix.
The Games?!? Who chooses which games are in the queue and why isn't there a better way to organize the games. I'm seeing the same games being played on a regular basis. There needs to be a voting system in place or a request match up system. I don't mind being Orlando against Miami, but more options are needed.
Rebounding, boxing out should give you more of an advantage than it does. I feel like I miss more rebounds due to boxing out than I do just crashing the boards. My player sits down for way to long and his hands aren't up to grab the easy rebound. I enjoy the points for a successful box out, but I'd much rather GET the actual rebound.
There isn't a good fix for this, but on-line users who either 'pass out', don't pass, or call continuous time outs. There is no good way of policing this, and I could see any type of voting system becoming abused. But stop being an A-hole!
Lastly, are any of our ideas going to get to any of the right people? I'd love to see any of our numerous great ideas at least get responded to. Reading through, there are a ton of great ideas! Thanks to all.
My biggest issue is players dropping out constantly. There needs to be a better lobby system. There should be an option for you to join games already in progress much like in COD. I'm not saying in the middle of play, but pick up on-line users in between 1/4ers or at half. You should be able to join your party already in progress. It's a pain to get on-line while your friends/ party are only in the 2nd 1/4. One of two things always happens. Either you wait over 30 minutes, or they leave screwing over the entire room/ game. Your VC stats only pick up the points, rebounds, assists, etc you've already accumulated so it wouldn't affect that any. And adding users between 1/4ers will add only seconds to the current time. You could wait in a queue.
Stats can be very easily organized in Quick Match Team up and on-line. There should be better organization of stats in on-line game play. You should be able to see your stats at each position and not over all. It would be more beneficial to see your stats at PG compared to your stats at Center. Instead, they are all lumped together which seems like a very simple fix.
The Games?!? Who chooses which games are in the queue and why isn't there a better way to organize the games. I'm seeing the same games being played on a regular basis. There needs to be a voting system in place or a request match up system. I don't mind being Orlando against Miami, but more options are needed.
Rebounding, boxing out should give you more of an advantage than it does. I feel like I miss more rebounds due to boxing out than I do just crashing the boards. My player sits down for way to long and his hands aren't up to grab the easy rebound. I enjoy the points for a successful box out, but I'd much rather GET the actual rebound.
There isn't a good fix for this, but on-line users who either 'pass out', don't pass, or call continuous time outs. There is no good way of policing this, and I could see any type of voting system becoming abused. But stop being an A-hole!
Lastly, are any of our ideas going to get to any of the right people? I'd love to see any of our numerous great ideas at least get responded to. Reading through, there are a ton of great ideas! Thanks to all.
# 36
d23x @ Mar 26
Socks, shoes, headbands, ect should all be editable for different colorways. For example the Heat wear black accessories with their home jerseys sometimes on away games, so do other teams. The whole editing of shoes needs to change as well. All the shoes they give us and most only have 3 editing options.
# 37
Eman5805 @ Mar 26
Yes, gotta take care of wingspans and overall body types. I can't play with OKC because I don't use icon passing much and keep passing to Ibaka thinking he's Durant. There should be no reason I can't tell them apart visually at a glance. They have the exact same frame.
Players just don't look like themselves. I doubt it happens for this generation, but if 2K is working on the PS4 and 720 versions, I hope this is high up on their list.
Players just don't look like themselves. I doubt it happens for this generation, but if 2K is working on the PS4 and 720 versions, I hope this is high up on their list.
# 38
tril @ Mar 27
@LoveBasketball. your idea about gambling vc points is a good idea in theory.
You just opened up alot of possibilities with that idea.
VC points could be used as funds for some type of salary cap in an association mode. the more VC you win/earn throughout a season could be used to sign free agents. Lebron could command x amount of VC points before he would even consider signing with your team. you could implement this as some sort of precursor to entering negotiations etc. It would make it harder to sign a bunch of high priced free agents. etc
Of course VC points would be earned through wins, losses, and other milestones; and if you could wager VC points in on line competition,.. oh my goodness. Id also add a loss of all VC points if you quit out of online matches. This could effect on and off line leagues.
Now all 2k has to do is take the cheese out of on line leagues, by giving us slider options, difficulty levels
You just opened up alot of possibilities with that idea.
VC points could be used as funds for some type of salary cap in an association mode. the more VC you win/earn throughout a season could be used to sign free agents. Lebron could command x amount of VC points before he would even consider signing with your team. you could implement this as some sort of precursor to entering negotiations etc. It would make it harder to sign a bunch of high priced free agents. etc
Of course VC points would be earned through wins, losses, and other milestones; and if you could wager VC points in on line competition,.. oh my goodness. Id also add a loss of all VC points if you quit out of online matches. This could effect on and off line leagues.
Now all 2k has to do is take the cheese out of on line leagues, by giving us slider options, difficulty levels
# 39
iki319 @ Mar 27
of course the first thing that they should work on are the sleeved jerseys.
It would also be nice to have a throw in dunk signature skill for people like Javale, Blake, and Dwight.
A half time cutscene of players in the locker room, a half time show with the 3 commentators or anything like that would be nice.
Warm ups like they had in college hoops. And what you focus on warm ups gives you a little boost, like if you shoot the corner 3 alot in warm up, you get a small boost there, just like how MLB pitcher warm ups affect the confidence level of each pitch type.
It would also be nice to have a throw in dunk signature skill for people like Javale, Blake, and Dwight.
A half time cutscene of players in the locker room, a half time show with the 3 commentators or anything like that would be nice.
Warm ups like they had in college hoops. And what you focus on warm ups gives you a little boost, like if you shoot the corner 3 alot in warm up, you get a small boost there, just like how MLB pitcher warm ups affect the confidence level of each pitch type.
# 40
malky @ Mar 27
Assistant coaches should be able to be hired..... Other than that I'm good. Great game don't change too much
# 41
riichiieriich @ Mar 27
Fix the damn shot timing. No one shoots the ball at the very top of their jump. The ball is supposed to be shot on the way up.
Secondly, put back in the freakin crew mode. Best mode in the entire game gets taken out because 2K can't figure out how to stop hackers.
Secondly, put back in the freakin crew mode. Best mode in the entire game gets taken out because 2K can't figure out how to stop hackers.
# 42
headlion23 @ Mar 28
i would love to see more hairstyles im from nyc we have dark cesars over here with the thin sideburns i love the vc . real face custermization lol love that spell check lol different body types im all in with the defense
# 44
LoveBasketball @ Mar 28
Find out a way to make pace real..the way denver is non stop running or the way teams like memphis and indy slow it down and grind out games..we should be able to feel that when we play, make team tendencies instead of coach profile.
Also teams should have different defensive plays .. like the way chicago loads up on one side of the floor on a star player or how miami plays up tight so they can play the passing lanes...and how the knicks switch on almost every screen
Also teams should have different defensive plays .. like the way chicago loads up on one side of the floor on a star player or how miami plays up tight so they can play the passing lanes...and how the knicks switch on almost every screen
# 45
LoveBasketball @ Mar 28
also be able to persuade FA to come to our City to play (Weather,Other players that could possibly be coming, Movie deals, Party's, clubs, quiet place for a family etc..) In MyPlayer & Association
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i love Jay but gotta get him out the game....all he brought was flashing lights....nothing that even close to resembles a real nba broadcast or environment