We are proud to present our interview with ESPN College Hoops Project Manager, Rob Jones.

Operation Sports: What have you done to increase the difficulty of the game against the AI? For example, if I was playing with Prarie View, I should be manhandled by Duke. What have you done to fix the lack of fouls?

Rob Jones: All the new mechanics in the game have helped increase the number of foul types that we can call. There will be more ‘Reach In’ and ‘Blocking calls,’ as well as a better definition of ‘Shooting vs Blocking ‘calls. We wanted to ensure that we captured the fact that in college basketball the 1-and-1 situation is a major component of the game.

Operation Sports: Are there more offensive plays in the game? Will we see more players running off screens for open passes?

Rob Jones: We have added a number of additional plays, with some of them calling for off ball screens to free up players for passes. This year you’re gonna love the offensive game.

Operation Sports: Has the defense been improved? Will we see guys doubling the hot player?

Rob Jones: The defenses have improved in many ways. We have made it harder to just pass the ball into the post. The man in the middle of the zone will no longer leave his post so that easy layups can be had all day. We have worked hard at improving double-teaming. In addition, we have made the CPU smarter at playing defense on the ball itself. We have improved blocking and rebounding altogether.

I think that with all the AI improvements and the additional arsenal of moves the defense now has, it will be more of a challenge to win.

Operation Sports: Please tell us how the low post game been improved.

Rob Jones: The low post game has been improved dramatically, as far as we are concerned. We rewrote the conditions for winning or losing the backdown battle. We also added moves out of the post position that allow you to pivot and create space between you and the defender. Players will feel the difference immediately.

Operation Sports: How have you improved the fast break in 2K4?

Rob Jones: We totally rewrote the fast break logic so that we would get more exciting fast breaks and a more up-tempo game overall. I think that everyone will be pleased by the number of breaks that occur.

Operation Sports: In 2K3, if the computer was down by three with ten seconds left, often it would settle for a shot inside the arc or merely dribble out the clock, having no apparent knowledge of the game-situation. Will the AI be more realistic and react appropriately in these types of situations?

Rob Jones: We realized that there were situations that the CPU just really didn’t do what it was expected to do. Realizing that they could get a two-for-one was one of these, as well as their inability to try to get off shots to tie or win the game. We definitely addressed that this year. We’ve already had our testers complain about being beat by a last second shot by the CPU.

Operation Sports: Can you tell us more about Legacy Mode?

Rob Jones: Sure. Last year, we attempted to create a Legacy mode that was a deep as we had seen in any other collegiate video game. While we had all of the bells and whistles, there were issues that went out with the game that we would have liked to address. This year, our first priority was to improve the mode altogether by fixing those problems. We improved the navigation and added a number of new features that we’re sure you’ll like. Secondly, we are introducing Assistant Coaches, who will help both in player recruiting and in progression. Then we’ve added more achievable awards, all of which can be viewed in our brand new Trophy Room that stores all achievements throughout your career. Finally, we took the biggest step forward by implementing the one feature that no other college game has dared to do as we are implementing Year Round Recruiting. This totally changes the dynamic of your season as you can no longer blindly simulate through a season and then recruit after the season is over. This avoids the fact that a number of good recruits will have already signed with other teams. We feel that this is really going to enhance the experience.

Operation Sports: Will there be more college emotion?

Rob Jones: Yes, we dialed the emotion aspect of the game up big time. Using the ESPN NFL Football and ESPN NHL Hockey technology, we now have 3D crowd scenes, as well as Mascots and Cheerleader scenes that are incorporated in such a way that really brings to life the college atmosphere. ESPN’s Mike Patrick and Jay Bilas also comment on those happenings as part of the game, with very funny commentary.

Operation Sports: The CPU seemed to have an extra boost to get back on defense after a turnover last year, has this been addressed?

Rob Jones: We addressed this by looking at real life. More often than not, there are always some laggards on defense. Our issue was that whenever there was a turnover, everyone took off at Turbo speed to try to catch up. Now, you will see a couple of guys take their time, if, they don’t feel they can make the play. This should open things up a bit.

Operation Sports: Will the CPU AI adjust to my defense? Let's say if I press, will the CPU try to beat it and make me go to a different defensive strategy?

Rob Jones: Yes. We became aware of the fact that the CPU made itself too predictable, especially on the press. We are addressing that by giving the CPU multiple strategies, which will be chosen based on the situation.

Operation Sports: It seemed like the 2 foot jumpers would clank off the rim over 50% of the time, how have you addressed this problem?

Rob Jones: There were two issues with this, which we addressed separately. First of all, there were too many two-foot jumpers in the game from the get-go. We addressed that by finding a ton of new animations to play in those areas. Secondly, the players shooting them were being affected too much by players in their vicinity who weren’t even in the path of the shot, which isn’t realistic, so we took that into consideration for determining whether a shot would be made or not.

Operation Sports: Has the mid range game been improved?

Rob Jones: Most Definitely! When we added the IsoMotion feature to the game, it started opening up lanes and jump shots that were not easily achievable last year. There is definitely a reason to shoot that open shot from around 12~15ft this year.

Operation Sports: Did you eliminate some of the NBA aspects left in 2K3, like the continuation rule, the arc under the basket = no charge?

Rob Jones: Yes. The arc under the basket yielding a no charge call was fixed even for last year, although our determination of what was a charge or not had too many grey areas… However, the continuation stuff really bugged me. Using the feedback we received, it was one of our main priorities for this year, so you should be happy with the results. Calls made on the floor will result in blocking calls, with no continuation.

Operation Sports: Do teams play more like their real life counterpart. i.e. Duke playing man to man, Syracuse playing zone?

Rob Jones: Yes. We scouted the major conferences and made sure that each team will play based on their real life counterpart in most situations. We got some really good feedback from some hardcore fans, including people on the Operation Sports boards.

Operation Sports: Will the invisible force field around players with higher defense ratings be fixed?

Rob Jones: Yes. We are going to use a soft collision model for players colliding with the hands and forearms of the other players. They might slow you down, if they are good, but they won’t stop you dead in your tracks as they did last year.

Operation Sports: Can you edit players' appearance, height, weight, #, position, and class?

Rob Jones: Yes. Everything about all players is editable this year.

Operation Sports: How are the free throws implemented this year?

Rob Jones: The system is similar in concept to last year’s game. However, we have added a long/short mechanic. Basically, you attempt to center your shot, and then release when the ball will travel the correct distance.

Operation Sports: Can you create players other than freshmen?

Rob Jones: Yes, a Created Player can be any year.

Operation Sports: Are conference tournaments at neutral sites?

Rob Jones: The conference tournaments were at neutral sites for those Conferences that we had the arena rights to last year. In cases where we didn’t, we used seeding to determine which team would host the games or hosted them at the closest sites that we felt would be neutral for that tournament.

Operation Sports: How has the recruiting process changed?

Rob Jones: This is a big question. The main aspect of recruiting is very similar to last year. However, there are more dynamics involved this year with recruiting. Your coaching profile will have a lot more to do with the type of players you get. It will also be important to be diligent about doing your homework and really wooing the recruits. We feel that we provided a different experience in recruiting last year, although we had some issues, and we plan to maintain our edge when it comes to this particular aspect of the game.

Operation Sports: If you have an abundance of players at 1 position, will it be harder to recruit more players at that position?

Rob Jones: Yes. Players sign up for playing time, so they take into consideration how many people are in front of them at that particular position.

Operation Sports: Will names appear on the backs of uniforms for appropriate schools?

Rob Jones: Yes, this worked last year, and we are going to keep it.

Operation Sports: How many more animation’s have been added?

Rob Jones: I can’t speak numbers. All I know is that there are so many new animations in the game; it doesn’t resemble anything you’ve seen.

Operation Sports: What has been done to improve the atmosphere?

Rob Jones: For starters, we went out and recorded individual school chants for all the major schools. Some schools have specific chants that we can’t actually use, like the Cameron Crazies. However, for some of the schools that have major basketball programs, you will hear school specific chants to go along with the generic ones. Additionally, we studied the cadences that the crowds use, added cheerleader voices, mascots, bands and other touches, to make the game feel a lot more collegiate than it did.

Operation Sports: Will it be harder to get recruits at smaller schools?

Rob Jones: It will be harder to get prized recruits. We implemented a prestige rating for the schools and conferences that will help determine whether or not certain recruits would even sign with you. Of course that prestige rating changes as your schools get better or worse (based on how you play them).

Operation Sports: Will there be pre-season tourneys?

Rob Jones: Yes, we have pre-season tournament support in the game. You get invited to the tournament, and you can schedule tournaments at your leisure, if they fit into your schedule.

Operation Sports: How has player progression been improved?

Rob Jones: Player progression is now affected by multiple factors, including playing time and the ability of your assistant coaches to help in different areas.

Operation Sports: Will there be a 14 man roster?

Rob Jones: Not exactly. You will be able to have more than 14 players on your roster, but you will only carry 12 for game purposes. The other players will either have to be cut or redshirted as part of your offseason recruiting tasks.

Operation Sports: Will big name schools like Duke/Kansas/Kentucky, fall off after a few years in legacy mode?

Rob Jones: No, big time programs will not fall after a few years. These schools have a tradition and prestige that would be impossible to erase, even with a 10-year probation period. We have definitely addressed that issue from last year’s game.

Operation Sports: Will it be harder for smaller schools to build powerhouse programs? Also will there be some kind of prestige rating?

Rob Jones: It will be much harder for smaller schools to build powerhouse programs. The prestige rating is incorporated into the schools and conferences, which determines how good a team can actually get.

Operation Sports: Will players add weight/muscle definition as they get older?

Rob Jones: Yes. This will be subtle, as no player will gain more than 30 lbs over their four-year stint (if they stay four years). However, we have added physical maturation to the mix.

Operation Sports: Will there be a section for player accomplishments? For example, say I win the Naismith award, get voted as an all-American, and make all-conference. Will I be able to view these accomplishments after that player is gone or while he is still with the team?

Rob Jones: Yes. We have implemented a player card that will track accomplishments for the player while he is on the team. We also have added an area where your accomplishments as a user are stored.

Operation Sports: Has the pregame been improved?

Rob Jones: We have changed the majority of the pre-game presentation, but I really don’t want to give away the surprise quite yet.

Operation Sports: Will there be a fake pass?

Rob Jones: No. Fake passes don’t really occur that much in real basketball. The only time you may fake a pass is during a fast break, to throw someone off. You may also fake the pass one way to freeze the zone defense sometimes, but even that is rare. We concentrated our efforts on making passing better and defending the pass harder. I think in the end, you’ll agree with the decisions we made.

Operation Sports: Will there be more accurate recruiting notes and or high school stats?

Rob Jones: We don’t have high school stats, but you will be able to play any recruit’s HS games this year (not just limited to the all stars). Your assistant coaches will also report on his stats based on the games they attend for you.

Operation Sports: Will the ball have a more realistic arc when shooting from long distance?

Rob Jones: I can’t say that I thought the arc was unrealistic last year, to be honest. However, we have made some changes to the ball flight. There will be multiple trajectories on shots, based on who is in front of you.

Operation Sports: Is the UNC half court artwork correct in 2K4?

Rob Jones: Yes, I can’t believe that it was incorrect last year. We have a bunch of checks and balances in place to ensure that those things don’t happen. We even submit to the school itself for approval. It was inexcusable, but we addressed it this year.

Operation Sports: Will a players undershirt match the main color of their jersey, i.e. home white jersey = white undershirt, blue jersey blue undershirt, etc.

Rob Jones: Yes. Although we considered removing those totally, since players now wear tanks under their jerseys.

Operation Sports: We would like to thank you for your time with this interview, is there anything else you would like to add?

Rob Jones: With last year’s college basketball game, we built a very good foundation of what we envisioned as solid representation of collegiate hoops. This year, with the strength of the ESPN presentation, the additions we’ve made to gameplay, and the improved college atmosphere, we’ve made a game that anyone, whether they keep-up with college hoops or not, can really enjoy. ESPN College Hoops is a fundamentally sound and extremely entertaining game of basketball and I truly believe that if a fan of basketball gives this game a try, they’ll be hooked. Lastly, I want to thank all the Operation Sports members out there for the vast amounts of feedback. We really go through the forums, find all the gripes and try our best to address as many as we can; I think when you guys pick up the game in November, you’ll be very pleased.