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Basketball Reasons
OVR: 23
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: SB Nation
Posts: 3,784
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MyGM, a deep yet deceptively-shallow simming experience
MyGM has been significantly improved and in NBA 2K15. Dropping the majority of VC requirements and relying on a progressive XP-based system makes for a much better user experience.
There are high and low points with the new mode, though, that are glaring after simming through multiple seasons. Here are a few observations.
+ Loving the new scouting system
The new scouting system makes for a breath of fresh air in MyGM. Integrating DraftExpress, college stats, big boards and multiple mock drafts makes for an interesting season each year.
Communicating with your team's scout on a routine basis, and singling out either specifically-picked prospects, or by position and projected draft range, makes for a simple process with easily-scannable reports once complete.
It's possible to pick through a draft to find the right players, or dodge the wrong players, if you're diligent enough. There's also a risk-reward system, which I'll give an example of:
Frank Fletcher was a top-projected center in the 2015 NBA Draft. My head trainer urged me not to draft with, outright calling him "undraftable" because of back issues. My team desperately needed a big man, though, and I decided to roll the dice because he scouted out (100% scout completion) incredible and fell to my spot at No. 6. Five years down the road, and he's rated at a 93 and has helped lead my team to back-to-back championships. No serious back injuries to date.
Another example of how handy proper scouting and information can be:
There were two high-ranked shooting guards in a draft and I picked them both. One (Henry Adkins) measured out to be a phenomenal perimeter threat that had good ratings across the board, but was projected a mid-first pick. The other (I can't even remember his name anymore) was projected to be the No. 2 pick in the draft and my entire staff told me to draft him. Ultimately I stuck with Adkins and traded Other Guy, despite how highly-touted Other Guy was. Adkins has been a part of my back-to-back championships team as starting shooting guard and one of the league's top three-point threats.
Scouting and drafting is very engaging and keeps me coming back for more. You can tell when a draft is strong, or weak, if you dig through all of the reports made available from the scouting reports. It's arguably the best new aspect of NBA 2K15. Bravo.
+ Training and player progression
The new training and player progression system is wonderful. Being able to pick focuses in three different categories (physical, tactical, fundamental) really helps you shape player development. It's very easy to do through the menu, and the results are tangible.
The visualization of monthly player development in the charts 2K Sports has included show you the direct results of the training program you've put players on. This is especially handy with young players you're trying to mold for your franchise.
The new injury/fatigue chart that breaks down injury risks for each player by body part is also a very interesting tool.
There are some problems with it which will be discussed later in this, but overall this system is a huge step in the right direction.
+ Simcast
Simcast brings simming a step further by providing a real-time watch of how your team is performing in a game. It allows you control to change Points of Emphasis, or even jump in at any point should you feel the need to take the wheel.
It's fun to play the fourth quarter, or second half, of games without having to play all of it if you'd rather sit back and let your coach/team do things as a general manager. It's also pretty fun just watching the score bounce around, especially in close game or in the playoffs.
This mode has room for opportunity with more features and control while watching, but it's definitely a welcomed addition and fun way to handle simming.
+ XP, development and perks
As mentioned in the intro, VC has been (mostly) taken out of this mode in favor of an XP-based system. This allows natural progression of your GM over time, opening up the same kind of perks that were introduced in NBA 2K14.
Each level you gain there are options to pick for your next badge, or other perks (usually situational conversation engine perks), allowing you to guide what kind of things your GM brings to the table.
There really isn't much more to it than that, but it's nice being able to sim and gain experience as opposed to having another VC dump. This feels like 2K got it right this year.
- A boring, repetitive, tedious conversation engine
Having an conversation aspect to partner with all of the great RPG sim features of MyGM is great, in theory, but is still executed incredibly poorly. The conversations are limited, the events are repetitive, and ultimately going through the same cut scenes and conversations gets in the way of playing the game.
Players are constantly pining for more playing time, an increased role in the organization, and even more frustrating higher/lower training intensity. All season. The training intensity is especially frustrating as it goes back and forth on what feels like a weekly basis, and usually comes from every player repeatedly.
This dramatically reduces the level of enjoyment of MyGM. It's also very buggy, especially when you're simming through weeks at a time. I've repeatedly suffered from players' morale dropping from near-100 to 0 because of a "broken promise" that I delivered on, but for some reason it didn't register. I've even had a player accuse me of breaking a promise by signing a player (earlier in the season I promised said player I wouldn't make any roster changes) when I never did, dropping his morale to 0 and nearly costing me a chance to retain him (aforementioned Frank Fletcher).
Having to speak with each player about the same issues over, and over, is very annoying. While some could argue this is what a "real" GM goes through, it shouldn't be the only available depth.
There's simply not enough variety, and not enough consequence/reward, for the amount of time wasted going through these loading screens and tabs. It shouldn't feel like a chore going through those motions, but it does. It's why I'm writing this instead of playing right now, truthfully.
Good ideas, flawed execution and by far the worst part about this mode. This is a huge area of opportunity next year.
- Scout "advice"
The 2K team decided to add "scout" advice into the Simcast engine, but there's really not much to it. Rarely does it say anything at all, and if it does it's usually "give X player more/less minutes."
There's not enough depth for this to be a feature in this game, though the idea of it is a good one. I've counted two instances of my scout telling me to change my team's point of emphasis set up in five seasons of simming.
This seems like an unnecessary addition in 2K15 that could be worthwhile if built upon going forward.
Final impression
MyGM has some serious flaws, particularly with the repetitive, buggy conversation engine and promise system, but overall the positives outweigh the negatives. This is a great mode that has easily become my time sink in this game (especially on the stutter-heavy PC version of the game), but it's a great experience.
2K has the right foundation for MyGM after the atrocity that was NBA 2K14's mode. Hopefully they can expand on the positive and work on some of the kinks that detract from the mode.
What are your impressions of MyGM?
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10-19-2014, 07:21 PM
