Alright, the results are in. Four games have been played and now it's time for me to share my findings.
I'm gonna be blunt with you...these sliders together with Remdizzle's roster have pretty much SAVED the game for me (well at least after these 4 games that I played). I have literally been through every combination of roster and sliders (one combination put to the test in my dynasty viewable through my signature that failed somewhat miserably) and none have put up the game experience anywhere close to what yours have. I really like that you have made your sliders to match the roster and given the roster is hands down the best that I have seen in NG 2K14, the slider set to match will probably be just as good. Never before this have I seen four matches that have all played so well but with four completely different results. Well done to both you and Remdizzle on saving the game and my MyGM dynasty on OS with your collaboration!
Anyway, on to the results.
Game 1: IND @ OKC
I decided to take the Indiana/OKC matchup first because given the standings at the moment, this is the most likely NBA Finals matchup with OKC having home advantage. And let me say, this game felt like an NBA Finals matchup. Indiana's defense and OKC's offence were neck-and-neck for practically the whole game, it was a thrilling contest from wire to wire.
The box score I noticed at the end of the game was more or less exactly what I expected to see: a healthy number of shot attempts even with the defensive prowess that Indiana imposed on the game, brilliant individual efforts from George and Durant, decent field goal percentages, realism at the foul line. This game had it all and it wasn't until late in the fourth that the game was truly decided. I would have gone on to simulate the rest of the games as a mock Finals series just to see a repeat of this match if I didn't say I was gonna have other teams in on the act.
Final Score:
IND 91-99 OKC
Box Score (IND-OKC)
Points:
91-99
Field Goals:
36/83(43%)-39/81(48%)
3 Pointers:
6/20(30%)-7/19(37%)
Free Throws:
13/22(59%)-14/19(74%)
FBP:
6-10
PITP:
34-42
SCP:
10-6
Bench Points:
19-32
Assists:
21-22
Rebounds:
45(7/38)-48(6/42)
Steals:
5-6
Blocks:
1-3
Turnovers:
8-8
Fouls:
13-14
Game 2: HOU @ CLE
With the Rockets being my team and my MyGM dynasty team of choice, one of the big questions of my testing of this slider set was how the Rockets would react to these sliders. The answer - as anyone probably would have expected. Early on, I was a bit surprised as Cleveland went on an early 10-1 run. But the Rockets, being who they are, came back from that and made the game a true offensive contest bringing the Cavs with them. I was a bit intrigued that the Cavs continued to intentionally foul at the end of the game even though they were 7 behind with 0.4 on the clock, but that might just be a 2K thing and nothing to do with your sliders or Remdizzle's roster.
I don't know how you'll react to the box score for this game compared to the previous one, especially with the shots attempted. You may feel that the number of attempted shots was too high but I thought it was a healthy number given the nature of both the game and the sim engine in MyGM. Increasing the number of turnovers may also go a long way to lowering that number if you feel such needs to be done.
Final Score:
HOU 110-101 CLE
Box Score (HOU-CLE)
Points:
110-101
Field Goals:
43/93(46%)-40/90(44%)
3 Pointers:
9/29(31%)-12/34(35%)
Free Throws:
15/24(63%)-9/13(69%)
FBP:
14-6
PITP:
56-34
SCP:
10-14
Bench Points:
40-29
Assists:
27-24
Rebounds:
53(13/40)-51(11/40)
Steals:
5-4
Blocks:
6-2
Turnovers:
6-9
Fouls:
8-16
Game 3: CHA @ ORL
I really liked how this game played out especially. Two weak teams in the East battling it out for a crucial win to either get them closer to the playoffs or a loss to get them closer to the high lottery picks. The thing I liked most about this game is that it was a true representation of what one would expect when these two teams take the field: a true offensive scrapheap with poor shooting outclassing any signs of decent defense being played by two generally weak defensive squads. There were several times during the match where one team almost had the chance to pull away and put the match beyond doubt before their offense dried up allowing the other team to claw their way back into contention. It was exactly what I expected and wanted to see. Al Jefferson had a monster game for the Bobcats with a double-double-double.
Final Score:
CHA 85-75 ORL
Box Score (CHA-ORL)
Points:
85-75
Field Goals:
35/90(39%)-29/76(38%)
3 Pointers:
5/25(20%)-9/26(35%)
Free Throws:
10/15(67%)-8/11(73%)
FBP:
8-2
PITP:
38-20
SCP:
12-7
Bench Points:
32-31
Assists:
16-22
Rebounds:
52(14/38)-51(9/42)
Steals:
9-1
Blocks:
8-4
Turnovers:
3-13
Fouls:
8-16
Game 4: UTA @ MIA
I decided that this slider testing wouldn't be complete without bringing in the defending NBA Champions and testing their squad out with their sliders. I paired them up with Utah expecting and wanting a blowout and thankfully, as the game went deep in the fourth, that's more or less what I got. It wasn't a blowout which meant the entire bench was emptied in the fourth but many would still call a 15-point win a blowout. It was tight in the early goings with the lead going back and forth between Utah and Miami but once the Heat got going, they were never to be stopped. A very typical NBA game between the two teams at the moment and it was good to see.
Final Score:
UTA 91-106 MIA
Box Score (UTA-MIA)
Points:
91-106
Field Goals:
36/86(42%)-43/85(51%)
3 Pointers:
7/27(26%)-7/20(35%)
Free Throws:
12/14(86%)-13/14(93%)
FBP:
2-14
PITP:
38-44
SCP:
8-4
Bench Points:
19-37
Assists:
24-22
Rebounds:
43(9/34)-44(7/37)
Steals:
3-7
Blocks:
5-6
Turnovers:
10-5
Fouls:
12-12
Summary
So as you could see by the results, four very different results in the game which is exactly what I wanted to see when I was testing these sliders. Obviously they're not perfect but they are seriously good and by far the best that we have on OS especially with this roster.
If I were to make suggestions, my obvious one would be to make changes in the sliders to increase turnovers. There are a few ways that you could go about that: changing the pass accuracy slider down to below 50 (maybe 46 or something like that) or either increasing the on ball steals or passing lanes tendencies. This should help increase the number of turnovers and, in turn, lower the number of field goal attempts as the teams are making more mistake on possession.
With the fouls, there isn't all that much that you can do as the real life figures allow for a broader range of fouls and tactics surrounding fouls than are expressed within 2K. You've got a good number of fouls as they are so I wouldn't see the need to change any sliders to get more realistic figures.
So I'm probably gonna make that small change to the pass accuracy slider and then get stuck into using these for my MyGM. It'd be awesome if you guys could give me a follow once I get back up and running so we can all see what these sliders are working up. Link to the dynasty can be found in my signature below.
Hopefully this is the sort of feedback/response that you were looking for and it helps you make whatever changes you feel need to be made!