NBA Live 14: It's Time to Leave a Man Behind

[WTF]

I agree with some of what the article says, but not on a bit of it as well.

Quote:

The gameplay suffers from a clunkiness which makes finishing a game feel like a job rather than a game. Passes look like they’re being lofted, regardless if it’s cross court or into the post. Jump shots still look like it’s a step-by-step process: catch, plant your feet, square up, shoot instead of being one full motion.

This is one of the biggest pieces that I disagree with. The gameplay is what makes me want to play the game. It makes me want to continue playing even when I know I should be shutting down the PS4 for the night. The jump shots, once you are fluid with the controls are slick. They are about as seamless as you can get. I love going in with a crossover, or rocking someone to sleep, to rise up fluidly for the jumper. I'll spend quite a bit of time just doing that each game, looking at how fluid it is in the replays. As long as your body is in the right position, and you aren't trying to shoot a jumpshot without your body squared, then it's a really nice animation, really fluid.

Quote:

The “Ratings Only” option is still your best bet for an enjoyable game, but then the argument of scripted basketball comes into play and nobody wants that. It’s more of a work around when I’d prefer a game that works out of the box.

I know a lot of the guys are having issues shooting, so I'm assuming that's along those same lines. I've not went to ratings only, nor felt the need to. I guess the "practice" gym would come in handy in these cases, to help guys learn. I go by "feel" on shooting. I love the shooting/timing. Normally if I miss, I'll know that I should have held a little longer, or released a little sooner. Sometimes directly after I release shoot, I'll know if it's going in or not based on realizing if my timing "felt" off.

Quote:

EA SPORTS NBA ‏@EASPORTSNBA 2h @MrEddieDiaz We are full speed ahead on 15 as well as improving 14 Eddie!

There is their latest from Twitter. I'm fully optimistic for Live 15, and for the "update/patch" for Live 14.

Good read altogether though. I'm just on board for the update, just because I want more people to see what's under the hood. A shiny coat of graphics and a practice mode will hopefully get more people to see what's "in" the game.

I know that Synergy COULD play a bigger role in where the game is right now. The negative big man dribbling that's been brought up recently, the good of the kickout game that I experienced the other day, the good of the defensive rotation from Poopador... Hopefully we'll all get that in each game we play soon.

[loosey101]

Quote: Originally Posted by WTF

I agree with some of what the article says, but not on a bit of it as well. This is one of the biggest pieces that I disagree with. The gameplay is what makes me want to play the game. It makes me want to continue playing even when I know I should be shutting down the PS4 for the night. The jump shots, once you are fluid with the controls are slick. They are about as seamless as you can get. I love going in with a crossover, or rocking someone to sleep, to rise up fluidly for the jumper. I'll spend quite a bit of time just doing that each game, looking at how fluid it is in the replays. As long as your body is in the right position, and you aren't trying to shoot a jumpshot without your body squared, then it's a really nice animation, really fluid. I know a lot of the guys are having issues shooting, so I'm assuming that's along those same lines. I've not went to ratings only, nor felt the need to. I guess the "practice" gym would come in handy in these cases, to help guys learn. I go by "feel" on shooting. I love the shooting/timing. Normally if I miss, I'll know that I should have held a little longer, or released a little sooner. Sometimes directly after I release shoot, I'll know if it's going in or not based on realizing if my timing "felt" off. There is their latest from Twitter. I'm fully optimistic for Live 15, and for the "update/patch" for Live 14. Good read altogether though. I'm just on board for the update, just because I want more people to see what's under the hood. A shiny coat of graphics and a practice mode will hopefully get more people to see what's "in" the game. I know that Synergy COULD play a bigger role in where the game is right now. The negative big man dribbling that's been brought up recently, the good of the kickout game that I experienced the other day, the good of the defensive rotation from Poopador... Hopefully we'll all get that in each game we play soon.

Great read WTF,

I have to agree with your points. Also, it sounds like you have played a lot, as have I. I've probably played 50 games with my UT and I've never once switched to ratings only. It's a feel thing, I had a buddy over last weekend and had to explain it to him. You just get used to the release point and it feels so smooth. I absolutely love shooting with Curry, Allen, Kobe and others that have that slick stroke. This game may not be the prettiest but I would give it a 7.5/10 right now.

[Jadakiss88]

I will first start by saying that I have yet to play anything Next Gen so don't expect a ton of Fan boy one sided arguments.

I don't think it's time to scrap Live. I think they should work on upgrading Live 14 as they promised and use roster updates to keep things fresh. Live 14 tanked but from what I have heard, read, and seen it seems Live is making small improvements to make the game more enjoyable. If they were to scrap Live 14 do you really think they would make any money on Live 15....sure some fan boys and 2k haters would buy it but EA would stand to make more money with what they have now.

The expectations for Live are low, nobody expects a mind blowing experience most people just want a different experience than 2k offers and with 2k being riddled with game breaking issues this is the perfect opportunity for EA to stay the course with Live and build on what they have now.

They have lowered the cost of the game, they have maintained the promise to continue to upgrade the game, and honestly SOOO many people are complaining about 2k right now that if Live ever finds it's stride the competition will once again ramp back up.

I honestly think if 2k Sports and EA stopped doing yearly releases and focused more on a two to three year window we wouldn't be seeing all these issues.

[RipCityAndy]

Good post, Dustin, but I strongly disagree with you.

Game improvement and development for NBA Live 14 needs to be continuous rather than released in yearly blocks. I'll give three main justifications:

First, EA promised a continuously improving product.
http://www.easports.com/nba-live/news-updates-gameplay/article/nba-live-14-open-letter

Second, any gameplay improvements made to Live 14 can be carried over to Live 15.

Last, if the game doesn't improve at all prior to Live 15, customer interest and goodwill in the product will be damaged - perhaps irreparably. If no improvement is made prior to Live 15 there is no reason why a reasonable consumer should trust that Live 15 will be any better than its predecessor. I imagine most gamers would be enraged if a game purchased in November/December was abandoned with promises that next years game will be great (especially after the cancellations of Elite 11 and Live 13). Live 14 was far from perfect at release, but has become far more satisfying as title updates are released. Live 14 is on a steady improvement curve right now. EA is currently showing us improvements rather than making empty promises. Even if you disagree that Live 14 is improving, surely you can agree that continued improvements generate goodwill that EA desperately needs.

It's strange that a sports gamer would advocate that a developer STOP making improvements to a game that was released just over two months ago. Isn't one of the main complaints among gamers that we don't see post release support? If EA did cease support for Live 14, what benefit would we see as a community? The day sports game developers throw in the towel after 60 days of support is the day I stop buying them.

[Eddie1967]

I would have to agree, I always felt that the folks enjoying the game here at OS did not represent the gaming community as a whole. In my opinion this game has been a disaster and has a long way to go to be close to the competition. Even with those feelings, I do prefer two games instead of one.

[bballshawn24]

2k is a broken game tho, you cant play mode and 2k support doesnt help, i dont think live is a lost cause because it provides an alternative for people who 2k is corrupted

[RUFFNREADY]

I agree with the post; and imo, EA needs to grab those Madden heads getting ready to unwind after the Super bowl. I believe, if they dropped the price a bit ($30-$35 range), and put it on sale for digital download before the Super bowl (forXB1 and PS4); they would create thousand(s) more game players and revenue instead of the odd recruit!
I for a fact, won't touch the game at the $60 price tag (I do play sometimes at my friends house; his game!)
Sixty dollars for less than mediocre game! I think not! I only paid $10 for NBA 2K14 next gen (trade in from current gen promotion) or I could have stayed with the current gen which still played really good and better than LIVE 14.
If EA wants gamers to see their product; get the price right NOW! Then show them what you are doing to this game, just as the next update drops!

*Food for thought!*

Note: My wifey has an M.B.A. in advertisement and Marketing
Super Bowl time is the best time early in the year to grab customers! Why do you think companies pay millions in advertising their commercials then?
note: Changing the price point would help greatly, as people are just looking at the current price!
BINGO!

cheers

[El_Poopador]

Quote: Originally Posted by RipCityAndy

Good post, Dustin, but I strongly disagree with you. Game improvement and development for NBA Live 14 needs to be continuous rather than released in yearly blocks. I'll give three main justifications: First, EA promised a continuously improving product. http://www.easports.com/nba-live/new...14-open-letter Second, any gameplay improvements made to Live 14 can be carried over to Live 15. Last, if the game doesn't improve at all prior to Live 15, customer interest and goodwill in the product will be damaged - perhaps irreparably. If no improvement is made prior to Live 15 there is no reason why a reasonable consumer should trust that Live 15 will be any better than its predecessor. I imagine most gamers would be enraged if a game purchased in November/December was abandoned with promises that next years game will be great (especially after the cancellations of Elite 11 and Live 13). Live 14 was far from perfect at release, but has become far more satisfying as title updates are released. Live 14 is on a steady improvement curve right now. EA is currently showing us improvements rather than making empty promises. Even if you disagree that Live 14 is improving, surely you can agree that continued improvements generate goodwill that EA desperately needs. It's strange that a sports gamer would advocate that a developer STOP making improvements to a game that was released just over two months ago. Isn't one of the main complaints among gamers that we don't see post release support? If EA did cease support for Live 14, what benefit would we see as a community? The day sports game developers throw in the towel after 60 days of support is the day I stop buying them.

you make some good points but it can also be viewed a different way. if they keep working on live 14 throughout the year (in terms of altering gameplay graphics etc. and not just roster updates and things were used to) then some people may feel that live 15 isnt really much of an upgrade at all. for those who didnt buy live 14 they may opt to buy it instead of 15 since it would be cheaper and close to the same.

the post release support we crave is in terms of roster updates and bug fixes. something like the cpu not calling timeouts. but major overhauls usually arent expected until the next release at the earliest.