Huge Chunks of NBA 2K15 Aren't Working Properly Thanks to Lackluster Servers

[abuC]

Quote: Originally Posted by Number999

I feel like everyone keeps expecting some sort of server magician to just come into 2k and fix everything. EVERY server goes down and has issues. I can't think of a single sports game that doesn't, whether it be EA Servers, 2k Servers or whatever you'd like. I seriously doubt some revolutionary technology is gonna come around and fix that. They should allow you to keep MyPlayer, MyLeague, MyGM, etc.. all offline though. Whether it be cause people have crappy internet or the severs suck.

EA seems to handle it pretty well with Fifa, and some of the mods in that game are tied to online play only.

[Stickman777]

I also had bought the game today, but i had to play madden instead because of the servers.

[morningstar777]

Quote: Originally Posted by HypoLuxa13

As someone who DOES work in IT, I would almost guarantee that the majority of issues are software related. Sure, there may be some capacity issues with the hardware. But that would be a case of just throwing some money at the situation and it would be resolved. After all, there are only a few hardware manufacturers out there that make enterprise wide solutions like a game hosting server farm. The reason they can't get it working, like much of the time for NBA 2k14 and still no better for NBA 2k15, is because their proprietary, in-house software is poorly written, poorly tested, poorly de-bugged.

After reading this, and if this IS the case, then NBA2K is gonna be in trouble. Their development cycle is only a year, although I do not have a software background I think I can assume that 2K uses a main coding base for their games, and then add/alter on top of it every year. What happens is that it spirals into a bigger issue where finding the root of the problem gets harder and harder every year, unless the whole game is written itself from scratch from top to bottom, I foresee this being a long term problem. And for them to tell us that they have hired 2 top engineers to work on their servers without giving out their names is either 1. An outright lie or 2. They don't even know what the problem is. They're never gonna come out and say "It's not the servers, it's actually our game."

I do not own any other 2K games, WWE, Tennis, etc, if someone can chime in on how the online portion of those games are, it can validate my guess. If those servers and fine and good, then the problem IS NBA2K's software. This sounds like a really difficult issue to get out of. Again, that is providing if HypoLuxa13 is correct, which makes a ton of sense.

[lvnba]

I really cannot understand why they do not put BIG money into this. They sold what, 5-6 million copies last year?

How can they even there spend money on 2kTV, face scan, Pharrell, etc when the game does not work properly?

This is amazing to me.

[Number999]

Quote: Originally Posted by lvnba

I really cannot understand why they do not put BIG money into this. They sold what, 5-6 million copies last year? How can they even there spend money on 2kTV, face scan, Pharrell, etc when the game does not work properly? This is amazing to me.

You do understand what people would say right?

"It's basically NBA2k14 but servers that most of the time work, great work 2k."

[MFDOOMBOT]

I am the lead network architect for a medium sized web hosting company. I actually design the data center infrastructure and have a wealth of knowledge in the matter of server management.

I'm going to create a thread tomorrow to give my two cents on what seems to be the real issue with 2k's history of fail with their online components in their games, but to give a quick overview, they need to completely overhaul their data centers & do not have the budget to do so. This is causing their architecture team to put band-aids on the problem instead of truly fixing their issues.

All a symptom of higher management not understanding that their games have outgrown their current setup. You have to remember that 2K started as a division of cash strapped SEGA at the tail end of their being a hardware company.

In order to truly have an infrastructure to handle the amount of traffic a game like NBA2k produces, they'd need to have their own data center (ala Micro$oft, Apple & Google) They'd have to replace all of the outdated servers, network hardware they currently have (while still maintaining servers for current games)

It's basically a cost issue & the 1 year turnaround for 2k16 doesn't really allow them to do this. Along with a marketing department that would rather have back of the box features (where we get Pharrell being paid to "curate" the soundtrack) than an actual data center that can handle the load.

It's a bad situation for any Sysadmin/Netadmin team, one that won't be fixed as long as millions of people buy the game and the Top Men are turning a profit.

I'll go a bit more in depth when I have a chance to write my thread, but really it comes down to, no real competition to force major changes. Myself & millions of others still pay $60 for have *** products.

[ChiliPalmer]

Quote: Originally Posted by BlackOut32

I am the lead network architect for a medium sized web hosting company. I actually design the data center infrastructure and have a wealth of knowledge in the matter of server management. I'm going to create a thread tomorrow to give my two cents on what seems to be the real issue with 2k's history of fail with their online components in their games, but to give a quick overview, they need to completely overhaul their data centers & do not have the budget to do so. This is causing their architecture team to put band-aids on the problem instead of truly fixing their issues. All a symptom of higher management not understanding that their games have outgrown their current setup. You have to remember that 2K started as a division of cash strapped SEGA at the tail end of their being a hardware company. In order to truly have an infrastructure to handle the amount of traffic a game like NBA2k produces, they'd need to have their own data center (ala Micro$oft, Apple & Google) They'd have to replace all of the outdated servers, network hardware they currently have (while still maintaining servers for current games) It's basically a cost issue & the 1 year turnaround for 2k16 doesn't really allow them to do this. Along with a marketing department that would rather have back of the box features (where we get Pharrell being paid to "curate" the soundtrack) than an actual data center that can handle the load. It's a bad situation for any Sysadmin/Netadmin team, one that won't be fixed as long as millions of people buy the game and the Top Men are turning a profit. I'll go a bit more in depth when I have a chance to write my thread, but really it comes down to, no real competition to force major changes. Myself & millions of others still pay $60 for have *** products.

Nah. Thats not a cost issue. Take two had a net income of almost one billion $ in just the third quarter 2014 with 40% increasing digital sales year by year. 2k along with GTA is their best selling product. they have tons of free cash as well. They could build wathever server structure they want. If any, its a logistical problem.

[NastyGT]

Well, I am PC player and play NBA 2K since 2K9 when it`s ported to PC for the first time. So, practically, PC version never had any/good server connections so this thing is something normal for guys who played PC version before. I loved Association mode before and MyLeague is awesome in 2K15. I`ll surely try for the first time MyCareer mode, looks great, but I`m patient and believe they will fix things soon. Untill then, enjoyment in MyLeague is great.
And I guess I am one of the few lucky players of 2K15. No glitches, no stuttering, no halos around players heads, no rainbow colors on player, entered code for preordered stuff, get it all as it should be, sound is little lower, but not much and no fuss about that, online will be, I hope, available soon.
And most important thing of all - gameplay is UNBELIEVABLY good if you know a little about basketball. And that gameplay bought me...