The NBA 2K15 Online Experience Has Been An Avoidable Mess

Feature Article

Submitted on: 10/19/2014 by Chris Sanner, Matthew Coe

Poll Results from this morning of users still having server related issues in NBA 2K15.

With the release of NBA 2K15, the team at 2K Sports and Visual Concepts promised a much improved experience when connecting online. After NBA 2K14 suffered with connectivity issues throughout most of the game's life cycle, we were told that 2K's top engineers had spent the entire NBA 2K15 development cycle working on network infrastructure. What has been delivered, at least so far, is nothing short of a disaster.

Attempts to connect to the 2K servers and to other users have been met with nothing but frustration through the first two weeks of the game's release. While the experience has been fraught with frustration, it has slowly began to improve over the last week.

However, major issues still persist.

Head-to-Head

Whether you want to play a ranked game or just play with a friend, connecting for a head-to-head game in NBA 2K15 was initially quite difficult. I tried many times to connect with a friend who lives within five miles from my house to play a quick game. I've been successful once, and that game kicked me back to the PlayStation 4 dashboard in the 3rd quarter. I tried on the night of October 7th, I tried again on the 8th, and again on the 9th. When I was able to connect, the experience was decent. Mostly lag free up until we were kicked from out game back to the dashboard. On the night of the 10th I attempted to connect for some ranked games and was unable to connect. I'm sorry to report that on the night of October 11th, I was also unable to connect to a ranked game.

This kind of frustration has already driven me to the OS message boards seeking out information about other user experiences and advice on how to connect and stay connected. I've read the frustration of the community and it mirrored my own.

As time has progressed, the connectivity has continued to improve -- but you can't help but feel a disconnect could come at any moment thanks to the early miscues. Many of the issues now are likely locally driven as 2K's servers have seemed capable of handling head-to-head games over the last few days with little issue.

MyCareer and MyTeam

I first want to point out that MyCareer can be played without an online connection. However, in my opinion, and the menus in NBA 2K15 admit this; it is a limited experience. So with that in mind one of the first things I tried to do with the game was start a MyCareer. On the night of October 7th I couldn't connect to 2K at all, and was therefore relegated to single player quick games. On the 8th I finally got connected, but the connection was far from stable. I scanned in my face using the new face scanning technology in NBA 2K15. If you've done this, you know how frustrating it is to get this right. After a few attempts I was able to get a decent cyberface and went to start MyCareer.

As soon as I did this however, my upload failed and I was taken back to the screen to start my player over again. This happened multiple times on the nights of October 8th and 9th during my initial play testing. I lost between nearly 10 face scans either because the upload would fail or because I attempted to increase my attributes or check the MyCareer store and the game would simply lose the connection and reset my information. Needless to say, this whole experience left me very aggravated with MyCareer early on.

MyTeam is 2K's version of Ultimate Team and the idea works well with basketball. Unfortunately in NBA 2K15, the mode is barely working even today. I initially attempted to start MyTeam and was immediately met with endless loading that eventually kicked me back to the NBA 2K15 start up screen. The next night I was able to connect long enough to play two solo challenges and collect my rewards. Since then in my initial playtime testing period, I haven't been able to finish and get credit for one MyTeam game, either in the solo challenges or the online challenges. Typically the game will connect, let me play one or two quarters, and then boot me back to the dashboard. This has been beyond frustrating.

Fast forward to today, and while both modes should be working according 2K's 'fix', many users are having issues accessing their MyTeam and MyPlayer files on the 2K servers. Some have gone so far as to say that they've had VC disappear from their profiles as well. Some people can't even access their MyTeam, others can but with frustrating results.

For now, both MyTeam and MyPlayer seem to be broken for one reason or another for NBA 2K15 players. If the modes are working now, we cannot guarantee you'll see them continue working in the future. Our best advice is to make sure you document (with pics) your VC and progress so that if you run into save file issues many others are, you will have a compelling case to give 2K's support team.

The Park

One mode I want to touch on here, but can't, is MyPark. My frustrations connecting online are now documented, but MyPark takes this to another level. I've had instances on both October 10th and 11th where my player would lag out and then disappear altogether. I've gotten the CE-34878-0 error numerous times. I've also had my player stand around waiting to play, then suddenly be warped onto mid-court and have the game freeze. No single mode has tested my patience quite like MyPark in NBA 2K15 did early on.

A patch has been submitted for the issues in The Park, but until it arrives issues still remain for many gamers in the Park. Many of those issues revolve around the broken MyPlayer mode -- as many players want a customized avatar in the Park with them. Others are simply having issues getting games started, although those specific issues have waned quite a bit in the last week.

Final Thoughts

At this point, the best thing I can say about NBA 2K15's online modes is that it probably can't get any worse than it has been the last two weeks. It has to get better from here, doesn't it? The connectivity issues are unacceptable. I've read the community's frustration and experienced more than enough of my own. The team at 2K is working on the issues for sure, and things have steadily improved. However, the list of issues gamers are still having is rather long.

After last year's debacle, one has to wonder why the same approach was attempted once again -- this time with relatively similar results as last year?

The root of NBA 2K15's problems lie in the fact that with so many modes either directly or indirectly tied to a connection to the 2K servers, when they aren't functional, it cripples what should seemingly be single player experiences because of online connectivity issues. One would think a better approach would be to store VC progress locally and only update that progress to the 2K servers when a gamer wants to purchase an item using VC that requires online access, otherwise you are left with users unable to give their single player experiences a go because online servers are down. By reducing the amount of people simultaneously hitting the servers, you may even improve the online experience for those wanting to actually play online.

However, due to the current approach, many paying customers are left with a game that they cannot play or can only play in a very limited fashion for significant chunks of time. NBA 2K15 is once again, similar to NBA 2K14, off to a rough start in the online area. Let's hope that the issues are resolved and that we can all enjoy the full game we payed for sooner rather than later.

Member Comments

# 21 nry20 @ 10/20/14 03:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DEEBOFIOUS


	As an offline fan exclusively, I feel too much attention has been given to myplayer modes. NBA2K has gotten away from the NBA game & its' players. In their attempt to continuously rape the pockets of consumers with VC currency, 2K has minimalized the role of the NBA superstar gameplay and have replaced it with the quick-to-spend pockets of myplayer mode lovers. 2K would not be in this mess if its' focus were mainly on versus play on & offline but greed ruins everything it touches as it should. 4 to $500.00 consoles plus $70 games is more than enough from your fans. Pay raises to Mr. Rob Jones and the like each year on the backs of the consumer is big business in the gaming world. I am a fan of the NBA, graphics, & gameplay as it should be. Making the game more about fans buying their way to 99 overall ratings is laughable and 2k is laughing all the way to the bank with all of you cheesers' money.

2k makes significantly more money from myteam than mycareer. Once you've maxed a mycareer player out, he's maxed. Takes less than 20 bucks. Takes a few hundred to buy all the packs if you want all the players right now.

I get that's not your point, sort of, but you're really targeting the wrong mode as 2k's money maker. I'm sure as I read the rest of this thread I'll discover I'm not the first person to tell you this, but it really bothered me that you think a mode that they barely changes year to year (this year they've even removed sections of the mode and reworked them into incredibly simplistic fashions) is 2k's focus.

# 22 TheRealMrRager_ @ 10/20/14 04:01 AM

Me personally, I'd NEVER buy VC.I just can't fathom the fact that people do.. Anyway, here are my issues..
-- DEFENSE SUCKS
-- Shot Meter SUCKS
-- Shooting SUCKS period
-- Sometimes after I grab a rebound or something I try to push the ball up court and my player just won't move or he either stops on a dime and just dribbles.
-- My player moves the opposite direction sometimes if I'm just running up the court. I made vines.. Don't know if its against rules to post, if so sorry..
( https://vine.co/v/OqwtYQB3QL1 ) ( https://vine.co/v/OAt2BmQe17q )
-- The Rec Center is a joke. Wait times are ridiculous. You can't even see the time remaining or quarter..
-- I've waited at the Rec for about 30 minutes and when its finally my time to play it kicks us all off the spot.
-- Total chaos when in a game. Its just random clothed people running wild not passing.
-- The game play is just way too slow.
-- Shots are very slow, almost impossible to get one off cleanly.
-- The Kerr thing is just weird, he's coaching and commentating.
-- Almost impossible to get a fast break.
-- Too many dunks/layups missed.
-- Did I say defense sucks? You're almost never rewarded for playing good defense because they still make the shot.
-- The CPU NEVER misses. They'll go games shooting 60%+ from the field. How can you win?
-- Too many animations.
-- I've used VC on my player and it'll take the VC but not give the attributes.
-- Just give us matchmaking for REC Games, too much to ask?
-- My Player story is corny.
-- Should've had just one big park instead of 3 different ones.. I'm a Flyer and its almost 500xs more Ballers than us. Same for Rivet City I assume.
-- Can only play with a friend in the same park as you? Even in the rec? Stupid.
-- After championship matches everyone leaves to be a Baller.
-- Passing sucks.
--THE GAME SUCKS

THE END. I'll be avoiding 2K next year.

# 23 yungmeaks @ 10/20/14 04:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheRealMrRager_


	Me personally, I'd NEVER buy VC.I just can't fathom the fact that people do.. Anyway, here are my issues.. -- DEFENSE SUCKS -- Shot Meter SUCKS -- Shooting SUCKS period -- Sometimes after I grab a rebound or something I try to push the ball up court and my player just won't move or he either stops on a dime and just dribbles. -- My player moves the opposite direction sometimes if I'm just running up the court. I made vines.. Don't know if its against rules to post, if so sorry.. ( https://vine.co/v/OqwtYQB3QL1 ) ( https://vine.co/v/OAt2BmQe17q ) -- The Rec Center is a joke. Wait times are ridiculous. You can't even see the time remaining or quarter.. -- I've waited at the Rec for about 30 minutes and when its finally my time to play it kicks us all off the spot. -- Total chaos when in a game. Its just random clothed people running wild not passing. -- The game play is just way too slow. -- Shots are very slow, almost impossible to get one off cleanly. -- The Kerr thing is just weird, he's coaching and commentating. -- Almost impossible to get a fast break. -- Too many dunks/layups missed. -- Did I say defense sucks? You're almost never rewarded for playing good defense because they still make the shot. -- The CPU NEVER misses. They'll go games shooting 60%+ from the field. How can you win? -- Too many animations. -- I've used VC on my player and it'll take the VC but not give the attributes. -- Just give us matchmaking for REC Games, too much to ask? -- My Player story is corny. -- Should've had just one big park instead of 3 different ones.. I'm a Flyer and its almost 500xs more Ballers than us. Same for Rivet City I assume. -- Can only play with a friend in the same park as you? Even in the rec? Stupid. -- After championship matches everyone leaves to be a Baller. -- Passing sucks. --THE GAME SUCKS THE END. I'll be avoiding 2K next year.

The game is fine. Either you need to spend more time learning it, or you're really just a terrible casual player. By the looks of your crying, it's probably the latter. Step your game up and stop being a little baby.

# 24 Snrubby @ 10/20/14 05:12 AM

Welp

They won't get rid of VC or any other serverside point system anytime soon. It gives 2k a chance to earn more money via VC purchase and it prevents hacking of the VC value.

# 25 2k10Fonzarelli @ 10/20/14 05:58 AM

Even the offliners are in trouble.

I've had custom rosters in myLeague reset themselves. I think it has something to do with the park or rec center which is the only area of online I enjoy.

For me right now, the online is a post-apocalyptic mess and the offline is completely broken for what I want to do with it. There's so much emotion going around right now because the actual gameplay is objectively the best it's ever been as a whole but the rest of the package seems like it was made by a team of rookie developers, not a team who's now made their 16th annual basketball game.

# 26 reptilexcq @ 10/20/14 09:35 AM

I would say that the last 2 or 3 days...the online experience is better than playable. It was terrible in the beginning almost like 1 or 2 seconds delay. I would rate the online experience 7.5 for now. It was a 4 or 5 before lol.

# 27 m1ke_nyc @ 10/20/14 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBadazz


	Hey how about making the fantasy crap a whole different SKU! Sad I can't play my friend in Texas cause the servers have Thousands of My Players on it.

Fantasy crap ? Dude its a video game its all fantasy. Thats not really D-Rose your playing with. My player/my career isn't the problem, the problem is 2K just seems to not be able to handle server stability. Taking away modes isn't the answer. They took crew away and my player was saved locally and the server stability was still horrible last gen.

# 28 mike24forever @ 10/20/14 10:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yungmeaks


	The game is fine. Either you need to spend more time learning it, or you're really just a terrible casual player. By the looks of your crying, it's probably the latter. Step your game up and stop being a little baby.

I love that "casual gamer" is considered an insult. Why does this posters impressions of the game upset you? Does he/she not have the right to post their own opinion? You "hardcore" gamers are very intimidating, I better go practice.

# 29 WaddupCouzin @ 10/20/14 11:04 AM

I'm not understanding the point on his thread, Online doesn't work, 2K submitted a patch, patch is being approved, and an article was written saying online doesn't work? Am I missing something? Would it work without the patch?

# 30 RipCityAndy @ 10/20/14 03:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yungmeaks


	The game is fine. Either you need to spend more time learning it, or you're really just a terrible casual player. By the looks of your crying, it's probably the latter. Step your game up and stop being a little baby.

Hey, they guy is just voicing his frustration. The personal attack isn't necessary. The game isn't terrible, but the gameplay does leave a LOT to be desired (in my opinion). I think it's far from deserving the praise it has received. I actually agree with most of his listed issues.

# 31 ManiacMatt1782 @ 10/20/14 04:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hawksandrew


	So here is my list of game play issues i have come across: - CPU always steals passes that are going to an open user teammame, even when that teammate is wide open. - Jumping to block a shot for users is a slow response and at times lags or doesnt jump at all. - During a fast break with a user defender back on defense, when CPU is driving to the basket, user controlled players will always move out of the way instead of contesting the lay up/shot, giving CPU a clear lane to basket. - Almost impossible for a user to steal a pass. You can be be playing tight defense and go for a steal and just swing and miss even with ball directly next to you. - When user jumps for a rebound at the first attempt and the ball is still up for grabs, user can never re-jump again straight away. controlled player will always just stand in the paint and do nothing. - 99% of user lay ups are missed. Even after grabbing the rebound from a missed first attempt, the lay up, regardless of contested or uncontested, will miss again. - During a fast break, CPU will block 99% of the dunks, Will always have 2 on 1 and is always faster then user. - Too many illegal screens called from both CPU and user plays. Players get knocked to the ground and no calls but non contact fouls are called. - When user is bumped while dribbling, the ball handler will always pick up the ball and stop dribbling, most real NBA players will actually keep the dribble alive. - 2 time outs in a row called without fail in every game even if its a 20 point blow out. - When ball is inbounded after CPU score, User point guard will sprint up the court (even if sprint button not touched), unlike NBA2K14 where it was more controlled. - When CPU is inbounding the ball just over half court, user is at times unable to move closer to player inbounding as if he was being blocked by an invisable wall. - Crowd cheers loud but remain seated and unresponsive. - Too many player celebrations after every shot is made, even when the first basket is made. This should happen only during closer games, showing the player getting hyped to hit the lead or continue momentum run. - Players getting knocked over, never seen a charge called. - Commentators make stupid calls and wrong calls. Player takes a wide open shot, commentator says that "a rugged screen was set" .... ummm no. On a fast break (mostly for the CPU) the player hits a shot and the commentator says "how in the world did they leave him that wide open" ..... ummm it was a fast break, thats why. And steve Kerr, coaching and commentating??? fail. While the game is an improvement in parts from NBA2K14, the game play makes it frustrating to play. This is just a short list that i have come across, i am sure there is A LOT more others have found wrong.

Hyperbole makes real issues not seem that important because of how greatly exaggerated it is. No or minimal contact layup misses are a real issue especially from good post players. you do not miss 99% of them. Other things in your post happen too frequently as well, but no where near the frequency you claim. when you use these hyperboles to describe your problem, your problem doesn't get taken seriously.

The Kerr thing doesn't even matter because him and Kenny Smith have been playing and commentating for years with the classic teams.

Illegal screens get called from leaving too soon with the pg. Although the defense can kind of cheese it and draw calls by running into the screener before he sets. But it doesnt seem like an can be consistently abused.

This game has it's share of issues but a lot of this stuff is just ludicrous.

# 32 MarkcusD @ 10/20/14 04:11 PM

I rented this and it was completely unplayable. I couldn't edit rosters without getting sent to the main menu where they show that stupid movie over and over again. This game is a piece of crap.

# 33 MarkcusD @ 10/20/14 04:16 PM

Video of me trying to edit char/roster http://youtu.be/7i-FB6Wi9hA

# 34 RipCityAndy @ 10/20/14 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ManiacMatt1782


	Hyperbole makes real issues not seem that important because of how greatly exaggerated it is. No or minimal contact layup misses are a real issue especially from good post players. you do not miss 99% of them. Other things in your post happen too frequently as well, but no where near the frequency you claim. when you use these hyperboles to describe your problem, your problem doesn't get taken seriously. The Kerr thing doesn't even matter because him and Kenny Smith have been playing and commentating for years with the classic teams. Illegal screens get called from leaving too soon with the pg. Although the defense can kind of cheese it and draw calls by running into the screener before he sets. But it doesnt seem like an can be consistently abused. This game has it's share of issues but a lot of this stuff is just ludicrous.

Which of these is ludicrous? I've personally run into most of these issues. Some of these (claims of 99% occurrence or something always happening) might be exaggerated, but they are all valid. If you haven't seen it, you likely haven't played the game long enough.

# 35 nuckles2k2 @ 10/20/14 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WaddupCouzin


	I'm not understanding the point on his thread, Online doesn't work, 2K submitted a patch, patch is being approved, and an article was written saying online doesn't work? Am I missing something? Would it work without the patch?

Not trying to start an argument, but 2K also said they have their "top engineers" working on this issue the entire dev cycle (which is easily 6+ months) and the situation is no different.

I think that's the cause of a lot of the fervor and venom. The promise that they put skilled experts on the case months ago...and it's pretty much the same.

Now, if you want to ask ppl like myself "why the hell did you take their word for it when you know that their servers have been subpar since 2001?!?!"....then you got me.

That freelance offense vid got me.

I had originally planned to not buy the game after I got a refund from Sony last year for my files being deleted, VC lost, and connectivity issues offering me a portion of the entire package, thru no fault of my own, for weeks at a time.

# 36 WaddupCouzin @ 10/20/14 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nuckles2k2


	Not trying to start an argument, but 2K also said they have their "top engineers" working on this issue the entire dev cycle (which is easily 6+ months) and the situation is no different. I think that's the cause of a lot of the fervor and venom. The promise that they put skilled experts on the case months ago...and it's pretty much the same. Now, if you want to ask ppl like myself "why the hell did you take their word for it when you know that their servers have been subpar since 2001?!?!"....then you got me. That freelance offense vid got me. I had originally planned to not buy the game after I got a refund from Sony last year for my files being deleted, VC lost, and connectivity issues offering me a portion of the entire package, thru no fault of my own, for weeks at a time.

Nuckles:

There's already a thread addressing lack of connectivity issues. Chronologically speaking, there hasn't been a patch addressing the issues (yet) so I would think this thread would come post patch saying something like, "we've had a patch and it's still not working!"

The lack of connectivity is a bummer. I think Spank or Boiler pointed out sports games need Betas to address these online issues before the game is released.

Nuckles, you're not starting an argument, we're just conversing

# 37 nuckles2k2 @ 10/20/14 05:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WaddupCouzin


	Nuckles: There's already a thread addressing lack of connectivity issues. Chronologically speaking, there hasn't been a patch addressing the issues (yet) so I would think this thread would come post patch saying something like, "we've had a patch and it's still not working!" The lack of connectivity is a bummer. I think Spank or Boiler pointed out sports games need Betas to address these online issues before the game is released. Nuckles, you're not starting an argument, we're just conversing

Nah no argument, just pointing out that these aren't exactly new issues, so maybe that's why cooler heads aren't waiting until after a patch to say "hey a patch didn't fix it, what gives?"

We're kind of mired in a situation where people are wondering why we even need a patch for a legacy issue after 2K said this: Top Engineers Spent the Entire NBA 2K15 Dev Cycle Working on Network Infrastructure

Then we get this 10 days ago: http://www.operationsports.com/forum...s-working.html

...and now we're waiting on a patch.

Chronologically speaking, this miracle patch was needed years ago. Lol.

Just offering a different viewpoint on why things might be heading down the path they are. No muss no fuss.

# 38 WaddupCouzin @ 10/20/14 05:13 PM

Indeed Nuckles, it was needed years ago! Lol!

# 39 nuckles2k2 @ 10/20/14 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WaddupCouzin


	Indeed Nuckles, it was needed years ago! Lol!

I remember 2K back on the Sega Dreamcast in '01. Their servers were understandably bad back then...and subpar in comparison to the industry standard every single year since.

So if this patch is gonna finally fix what's plagued them for over a decade...it's welcomed.

Dunno why they can't get these servers right, but they need to stop promising things with them, and just fix it. It's getting annoying, lol.

# 40 ManiacMatt1782 @ 10/20/14 08:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RipCityAndy


	Which of these is ludicrous? I've personally run into most of these issues. Some of these (claims of 99% occurrence or something always happening) might be exaggerated, but they are all valid. If you haven't seen it, you likely haven't played the game long enough.

The extreme hyperbole of it is what is ludicrous. The things he see's 99% of the time, I see more like 10% of the time, which yes, is still too frequent, but his hyperbole makes valid points look laughable because of how greatly exaggerated they are. Changing "99% of the time" to, "far too frequently" gives much more credibility to those issues. If I am a developer, and I am skimming over his post, and see that, I like many others would write it off as he doesn't know what he's doing if he is screwing up 99% of the time. Exaggerating the issue takes away credibility of the complaint.

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