NBA 2K13 News Post

NBA 2K13: How Signature Skills Have Changed the Game

02:55 PM - September 11, 2012 by RaychelSnr

Recently the guys at 2K revealed all 31 Signature Skills found in NBA 2K13 and their descriptions. There were some who were pessimistic about how these skills would affect gameplay, but after having learned the details, I for one am even more excited about their inclusion in 2K13 than I was prior.

The Signature Skills concept has been done before in other sports games such as All-Pro Football 2K8, but the idea lends itself so seamlessly to the basketball genre that it can be a huge evolutionary step in how we play basketball games going forward.

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# 21 return.specialist @ 09/11/12 05:57 PM

Well written article. The author explicitly articulated the pros of Signature Skills and detracted from some of the early criticisms for the new feature.

I for one am excited about Signature Skills because, for example if there are two players, say Steve Nash in his prime and another player with the exact same attributes and capabilities. However, if only Steve Nash has the appropriate Signature Skills, he will perform better, and be a more valuable asset than the other PG with the same ratings.

# 22 jersez @ 09/11/12 06:09 PM

I could be wrong but in the my player dev video, it looks like there will be different levels of signature skills. Look at the 3:50 mark. I'm not sure because I can't recall a dev saying there are different levels of signature skills, but if there are then I just fell in love with signature skills. I liked ss before but if there are levels, I'm in love with 2k13.

# 23 TreyIM2 @ 09/11/12 06:37 PM

Salivating...

# 24 lockdown50 @ 09/11/12 06:50 PM

the whole time i was thinking'' this is all fiine, but are my teammates still gonna have the IQ of javale mcGee?"
and then they addressed it, thank you 2k!, the next gen game is gonna be crazyy in a couple years if this is what they can do now

# 25 da ThRONe @ 09/11/12 07:06 PM

Reports like these only make me further question why the 5 limit. If it's subtle and situational(like I originally assumed) than why the need to hold each character to a self imposed limit. If these are truly the "intangibles" attributes and tendencies can't account for why can guys only have 5 max regardless if they legitimately qualify for more?

# 26 Belly_of_a_Whale @ 09/11/12 07:37 PM

Great write-up!

I, too, am excited about signature skills and the deeper level of gameplay and customization they could add to the game. I just hope 2K has all the bugs fixed on it so that the skills are implemented in the way they are planned and don't turn into sneaky ways to cheese.

# 27 cmebfresh @ 09/11/12 08:14 PM

Can you change Sig Skills?

# 28 stillfeelme @ 09/11/12 09:59 PM

Great writeup,

I am excited about Sig Skills. It is a very good way to separate great stars from average players and a great way to show why certain players rated nearly identical can play totally different. They even managed to give role players some needed love because it was no way to feel an impact of the hustle guys, scrappers and charge takers that do stuff that don't show up in box scores. Then to add on top of it they are giving the sig skills a three tiered system I would guess gold, silver, and bronze. So if you are a spot up shooter maybe your perk isn't as great as others.

If they implemented this right this can benefit the sim heads and the casuals across the board. If the CPU knows how to maximize the strengths of the skills then we will get some well deserved strategy in a bball game. If you are a hardcore bball fan you already know how certain players should be used and some of the sig skills they have.

# 29 CharlieBlack @ 09/11/12 10:37 PM

I am excited. 2k has put in a lot of good work this year!!!

# 30 tcnumba10 @ 09/11/12 10:55 PM

As long as the opposing CPU team recognizes their own player's signature skills i'll be happy.

It would be disappointing to see the Bulls not utilize Rose as their go-to scorer like in 2K12 when playing offline against the CPU.

# 31 Norris_Cole @ 09/11/12 10:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stillfeelme


	Great writeup, It is a very good way to separate great stars from average players and a great way to show why certain players rated nearly identical can play totally different.

That's not the point of sig skills, the point is to make sure each player (star or not) does well what he does best, not overrating even more the supposedly "stars"

The devs already said one role player could have 3 or 4 skills while a star could have only 1

I love it

# 32 stillfeelme @ 09/11/12 11:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Norris_Cole


	That's not the point of sig skills, the point is to make sure each player (star or not) does well what he does best, not overrating even more the supposedly "stars" The devs already said one role player could have 3 or 4 skills while a star could have only 1 I love it

I didn't say anything about ratings at all. No sig skill is going to overrate a star or elite player. Their individual ratings are going to push them to elite status without the sig skill. The sig skill will just enhance certain specific reasons why they are rated high or perform certain things on the court. Trust me I know what was mentioned already. This sig skill was something I actually thought was needed in this game and I put it in the wishlist thread. What they did was more than what I even asked for though. They already mentioned in 2K12 how you could turn an above average player say like a Rudy Gay and you could turn him into Kobe there was little difference. I still stand by my statement you will be able to tell the difference between the average players the good players and the great players and the role players. They finally gave attributes and value for role players that do things that don't show up in a box score.

# 33 jersez @ 09/12/12 12:26 AM

Hopefully the Cpu will run plays for their PG's. When I play against the bulls they barely run plays for Rose.

# 34 RyanFitzmagic @ 09/12/12 12:56 AM

Quote:


	Sure, the onus should be on the user to master these shooting forms, but if timing is the only factor in consideration, even Ray Allen can cease to be Ray Allen in the hands of certain users and that�s just not fun.

Ray Allen goes 0/8 from three in the NBA Finals. No problem.

Ray Allen misses more than he makes in a video game. OMG BROKEN.

Quote:


	The quality of the shot taken and how open/heavily guarded the shot taker is should have also factor into shot success, even moreso than perfecting the release when it comes to elite shooters.

I'm pretty sure both of those factors DO contribute to the success of the shot, in addition to the timing.

Come on.

Quote:


	Signature Skills may completely change the way gamers approach fantasy leagues and association. In the past, a gamer might be hesitant to pick up a player like Rajon Rondo as their first-round draft pick. In NBA 2K12 a point guard with poor scoring ability and a high overall rating rendering him virtually untradeable was probably the worst possible selection one could make in the first round of an online league. In 2K12, the impact of an elite point guard could never truly be simulated.

I'm pretty sure in 2K12, a player with a high pass rating would increase his teammates' likelihood of scoring when he passed it to them. And Rondo would NOT be a bad first round pick, because he's fast, a great rebounder for a guard, a great passer, great finisher, and he's an elite point guard defender.

# 35 BRxSKINSx @ 09/12/12 10:18 AM

Nice read.... I was worried that the SS would be "cheesy" when i first heard about em....kinda like Live was.... But I think now it'll be better for the game..... Players will be playing like they REALLY play now.... Gonna be a lot of guys gettin' scraped this year....

# 36 youALREADYknow @ 09/12/12 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BRxSKINSx


	Nice read.... I was worried that the SS would be "cheesy" when i first heard about em....kinda like Live was.... But I think now it'll be better for the game..... Players will be playing like they REALLY play now.... Gonna be a lot of guys gettin' scraped this year....

Again, false conclusion reached. Signature Skills are the ABILITY to perform in a certain way, not the LIKELIHOOD or TENDENCY to perform in that way.

A select few of the Skills have animations associated with them that will change how the player plays (Chase Down Block for example) but most of them are not going to change how that player plays but instead how well they perform or their teammates perform in a few situations.

# 37 BRxSKINSx @ 09/12/12 11:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by youALREADYknow


	Again, false conclusion reached. Signature Skills are the ABILITY to perform in a certain way, not the LIKELIHOOD or TENDENCY to perform in that way. A select few of the Skills have animations associated with them that will change how the player plays (Chase Down Block for example) but most of them are not going to change how that player plays but instead how well they perform or their teammates perform in a few situations.

Thanks for setting me straight..... (hits sarcasm button)

# 38 youALREADYknow @ 09/12/12 11:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BRxSKINSx


	Thanks for setting me straight..... (hits sarcasm button)

If you're only playing Online though, sure it will help how players play. [no sarcasm]

# 39 BRxSKINSx @ 09/12/12 12:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by youALREADYknow


	If you're only playing Online though, sure it will help how players play. [no sarcasm]

Yea, I only play online.... Usually OA, when I'm bored I'll play a quick match....and when all else fails.... Teamup... But there's so many quitters there...

# 40 Barncore @ 09/12/12 01:24 PM

"Exacerbating this issue was the inconsistent shot feedback in practice mode, where �excellent� timing would often still send the ball careening of the rim."

We must be playing different 2k12's. That has never happened to me.

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