NBA Live 14 News Post

Sean O'Brien Issues Apology for NBA Live's Quality, Promises Improvements

05:28 PM - November 22, 2013 by The 24th Letter

Let's face it, it's not often you see a gaming company not only apologize for a lackluster release but also vow to make tangible improvements to the product before the next version releases.

NBA Live 14 Executive Producer Sean O'Brien is doing just that, commenting on the rough week the folks at EA have had with the largely hugely negative feedback on NBA Live 14 and vowing to improve the title.

"We hear loud and clear that some of you are disappointed in various aspects of NBA LIVE 14, and I�m sorry if the game doesn�t live up to your expectations," O'Brien said. "Looking at your feedback, we have laid out a plan to make NBA LIVE 14 a better game as quickly as we can."

The plan to improve NBA Live 14 will involve Twitch Live streams to teach the skills that will help make the experience with Live 14 a better one by teaching about the gameplay mechanics within the game as well as blogs on the EA website. Currently there are three new posts on the Live website: a controller guide, perfecting your style, and levels of dribble.

O'Brien is also promising tangible improvements to the game. Graphics and animations will see "drastic and immediate" improvements in the coming weeks and months within the game.

With such a negative reaction thus far to Live 14, it is definitely a good sign that EA is ramping up to improve the product post-launch with so much support. This bodes well for the series' future, but this also puts EA behind the 8-ball to truly improve the Live experience sooner rather than later.

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Member Comments

# 121 Rhouston @ 11/26/13 12:03 PM

Man, I'm just having a hard time with this "apology." Let's disect a bit, shall we?

"I�m sorry if the game doesn�t live up to your expectations."

This makes me mad. He's not apologizing for releasing a subpar game. He's apologizing that we think it's a subpar game. With this statement, it's as if he still thinks it's a good game.

"First, you�ve told us that the game is too hard to learn, and that the only way to figure it out is through frustrating trial-and-error. ... We realize that every single one of you is a new user and know we need to make the game easier to understand and simpler to pick up and play."

Wasn't this one of the main complaints after the Elite demo? Don't you think they would try to make it a little easier BEFORE releasing it? I don't think it needs to be dumbed-down but rather more intuitive. I fear, however, that the former will be the end result.

"In order to get gameplay up and running this year we had to prioritize. We felt authentic gameplay, control and the connected experience would provide the best foundation for the future. As a result, game visuals and animation polish suffered."

Someone said it already, but I will repeat it -- YOU CAN'T HAVE GOOD GAMEPLAY IF YOU DON'T HAVE GOOD ANIMATIONS! Even if the pace, spacing, physics and strategy of basketball WAS in the game, if the movement of it all LOOKS terrible, it's not going to be authentic gameplay.

Long story short, I would encourage you all to not take pity on Sean O'Brien, because in my eyes, he knew what he was releasing and isn't REALLY apologizing for it.

# 122 lynkraid @ 11/26/13 12:37 PM

So the graphics can improve with the same game?

# 123 westview33 @ 11/26/13 01:27 PM

How many of you guys find it mind boggling that this series has never excelled from an animation standpoint since the PS2 days?

I think Live 10 was the highest peak they could reach in terms of animations and even then it was average at best.

The thing that bothers me about EA is that they have this vision every year of taking the game to another level which is fine. But in order to fix the future you need to start with the present.

If this game had top notch animations dating back to Live 07 this series would have still survived and kept a solid fan base.

I don't care if the animations had to be canned even that would have been better than the junk we have seen on the floor over the last 5-6 years with this series.

How hard is it to make things believable on the floor when watching the players animate/move?

They could have put a lot of their resources into just adding hundreds of new animations to this game and ported NBA Live 10 over with improved synergy and this game would have rocked right out of the box.

But instead they went back to the drawing boards for the like 3rd time since the PS2 days and for the 3rd time they FAILED miserably.

# 124 blackceasar @ 11/26/13 04:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kingpnp3


	i believe they may have the know how to some degree. but i dont think EA is giving the live team the resources(not just devs but MONEY for bringing in more people to capture more animations and apply that to a game where the animations are not canned animations that have you stuck not actually controlling the game play but watching. usually when your basic animations are lacking its because you dont have the time or the money to get enough hours in with guys playing real basketball with the suits on so you can record all of that and then apply it to the game. that stuff costs a ton of money as well as a ton of man hours. and the fact they keep giving the live team only a normal dev cycle tells me all i need to know when it comes to how live is treated by EA. i believe EA is like "hurry up and put something out there." they are not in lockstep with the live team. which is a huge issue. the live team and EA need to be on the same page with this game. if they actually want a game to not just surpass the competition but actually hit the mark as the most realistic bball game ever. EA will have to give the live team more then 9 months each cycle. that means they have to allow dedicated devs to the live team with extra help. that wont leave to help with other games. to do this they need to hire more devs(MORE MONEY they dont want to spend.) the live team needs an open budget and open resources. to the point where yes they will blow a ton of cash. and no EA may not recoup on the first installment. but once the people realize "oh my this nba live is the best simulated hoop game by far." you will get people to jump on it like clock work the next year. but EA isnt willing to take a big loss early to win big later. thats what happens when you're publicly traded on the stock market and you have to answer to shareholders barking about profits.so i think it will always be a super uphill battle for the live team to ever produce a proper game thats worth $60.00

What they are probably secretly doing is saving their money. This is why they don't put time and man hours and money behind live. They probably have this big chart in this big board room with projections showing how much money they will have saved up by a certain year...and that year is probably marked with a big "BUY NBA LICENSE!!!!" sticker on it... just think, if they ever pull that one off.. live 22 will pretty much be live 14 with a different cover athlete.

Okay so I'm PARTIALLY kidding with my conspiracy theory but the Live Franchise is just another story in the repeat sage of what happens when a parent company gets TOO BIG. When you get as big as EA is now.. you have investors, and 55 VP titles created and filled by people with MBA's... It goes from being a place where though, effort, caring, drive, creativity and passion for making great games (and profiting from them) to a place where Harvard MBA's with their finance and marketing backgrounds use shortsightedness to see how big of a bonus they can get this quarter.

Look at Apple... Apple has went downhill some since Jobs passed away. They are still a mighty entity, but they are no longer putting distance between themselves and the competition.

Look at other companies that at one time had a heart and soul and it showed in their product only to be bought out or turned out for bigger profits and infested with tons of new hires that really know nothing about the product their company is making..they are just bottom line experts.

# 125 The 24th Letter @ 11/26/13 05:00 PM

'Role playing' is leaving your man completely wide open and there AI essentially breaking down and not passing to that open man because your not where it wants you to be....THATS role playing....

and Live '14 has PLENTY of canned animations....let's not confuse a severe lack of animations with realism...

# 126 NvME @ 11/26/13 10:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by venga


	They made a HUGE mistake by not releasing NBA Live 14 on current-gen. Those EA ppl who suggested it could compete with NBA 2K on next-gen systems should be fired.

Quite the opposite, really. The battle on the current gen consoles was LOST. There was no money to be made, only to be lost. In that regard, EA cutting their losses and focusing on the next gen was a smart business decision. The problem is that EA's NG title appears as if it was developed for a console two generations ago. It's repulsive and inexcusable, but the right call was made in focusing money and resources on the NG platforms. Anyone with any sort of business acumen will tell you the same.

# 127 magicman32 @ 11/26/13 11:53 PM

All I know is playing NBA Live has allowed me to APPRECIATE the other game even more. It really puts into perspective how hard it is to make a realistic looking basketball sim.

I think Live messed up by listening to all the Live fans who were screaming... "we hate canned animations". After that we got Elite where they tried to pitch Real time Physics and 1 to 1 gameplay. They messed up the source code and haven't been able to recover ever since. It's sad really, because NBA Live 14 is a hot mess. Elite was terrible. Live 12 didn't even come out. And Live 13 was worse than Elite with all those herky jerky animations.

The bottom line is basketball needs animations to play out to look real. The key is the most of the animations should be "breakable". I think this is where 2k has focused on gameplay wise and has gotten better with over the years. While Live really don't know how to implement their vision. I'm convinced they don't have the tech or the talent to make a great basketball game. It's been too many years and too many duds. Live 10 was their best effort on last gen and how long did it take them to get there?

I wasn't a huge fan of Live 10, but looking back at it now and seeing what EA has been doing with Live for 4 years, Live 10 wasn't half bad.

EA should be ashamed. And IMO, the Live series won't survive. I don't think the suits like wasting money.

# 128 GisherJohn24 @ 11/27/13 12:08 AM

Anyone think this is NBA elite ?? Some guy on youtube posted a video of live 14 and the canceled Elite gameplay from m 360 and the similarity in graphics, player movement and dribbling was uncannily similar!

# 129 swac07 @ 11/27/13 12:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GisherJohn24


	Anyone think this is NBA elite ?? Some guy on youtube posted a video of live 14 and the canceled Elite gameplay from m 360 and the similarity in graphics, player movement and dribbling was uncannily similar!

Honestly...I've been thinking the same thing..On Shakedown's recent video he posted game play of nba live 13 which was supposed to be released as a xbla game ..and live 14..they look VERY similar with some minor touch ups in 14...and seeing that 13 was cancelled...I wouldn't be surprised if it is "13" re-wrapped as 14....Not saying it is...but it is something that makes you raise an eyebrow when you actually think about it

# 130 King_B_Mack @ 11/27/13 02:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by magicman32


	All I know is playing NBA Live has allowed me to APPRECIATE the other game even more. It really puts into perspective how hard it is to make a realistic looking basketball sim. I think Live messed up by listening to all the Live fans who were screaming... "we hate canned animations". After that we got Elite where they tried to pitch Real time Physics and 1 to 1 gameplay. They messed up the source code and haven't been able to recover ever since. It's sad really, because NBA Live 14 is a hot mess. Elite was terrible. Live 12 didn't even come out. And Live 13 was worse than Elite with all those herky jerky animations. The bottom line is basketball needs animations to play out to look real. The key is the most of the animations should be "breakable". I think this is where 2k has focused on gameplay wise and has gotten better with over the years. While Live really don't know how to implement their vision. I'm convinced they don't have the tech or the talent to make a great basketball game. It's been too many years and too many duds. Live 10 was their best effort on last gen and how long did it take them to get there? I wasn't a huge fan of Live 10, but looking back at it now and seeing what EA has been doing with Live for 4 years, Live 10 wasn't half bad. EA should be ashamed. And IMO, the Live series won't survive. I don't think the suits like wasting money.

Except Live fans weren't screaming about animations until "canned animations" became apart of EA's latest buzzwords during the Elite hype train. Live 10 was the greatest basketball game ever made, much better (and of course more fun, gotta throw that in) than 2K10 at the time. Once the Elite ball was rolling and hyping up real time physics and the war on animations, that's when the screams started. It's pretty much how the pattern works. Every current Live is the greatest, most FUN thing ever with no game breaking flaws until the hype train starts for the next one and the devs start dissing whatever they "fixed" from the previous version.

# 131 Jano @ 11/27/13 03:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by King_B_Mack


	Except Live fans weren't screaming about animations until "canned animations" became apart of EA's latest buzzwords during the Elite hype train. Live 10 was the greatest basketball game ever made, much better (and of course more fun, gotta throw that in) than 2K10 at the time. Once the Elite ball was rolling and hyping up real time physics and the war on animations, that's when the screams started. It's pretty much how the pattern works. Every current Live is the greatest, most FUN thing ever with no game breaking flaws until the hype train starts for the next one and the devs start dissing whatever they "fixed" from the previous version.

And I pray that it doesn't happen again.. please EA just stick to a 3 year plan for once.. smh

I'd much rather see them go in a direction I don't agree with and possibly win me over later on then to reset again.

# 132 GisherJohn24 @ 11/27/13 06:12 AM

Elites player models look very similar to the models we have on 14. And the ESPN implantation is certainly similar too. Welcome to the canceled engine of NBA Elite everyone. We've been duped!

# 133 JBulls @ 11/27/13 06:31 AM

So what was the last previous live game O'Brien produced?

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

# 134 GisherJohn24 @ 11/27/13 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JBulls


	So what was the last previous live game O'Brien produced? Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

Im not sure, didn't he do other sports games before? Just football? This is Tiburon right?

# 135 kingeo19 @ 11/27/13 12:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JBulls


	So what was the last previous live game O'Brien produced? Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

OBrien was part of the Live 10 dev team but not sure if he was producer on it.

From Live 10 wiki@ nba-live.com/nbalivewiki

Development

NBA Live 10 will be produced by a revamped development team headed up by new lead producer Sean O'Brien, formerly the lead producer on EA Sports' NCAA Basketball (formerly known as March Madness) series. Mike Wang, who previously worked for 2K Sports on the NBA 2K titles from 2005-2007, will assume the role of the new lead gameplay designer for NBA Live 10.
In an interview with IGN , both O'Brien and Wang outlined a focus on improving the product and avoiding the mistakes of the past, though suggested it might not be possible to fix all the "cracks in (the) foundation" within one production cycle. Forum and blog posts by producer Marcus Stephenson have revealed that emphasis will be placed on developing more accurate shot trajectories for specific players as well as increased backboard usage for players who like to go glass and amongst the generic layups that will be in the game.
A further blog post by producer Matt Lafreniere inviting feedback on the audio in NBA Live 09 and desired improvements in NBA Live 10 also revealed that Marv Albert and Steve Kerr will return as NBA Live's announce team, making NBA Live 10 the fifth game to feature Albert and Kerr on commentary and Albert's seventh appearance in the NBA Live series.

# 136 Boilerbuzz @ 11/27/13 01:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iseedeadpeople


	I recall a three year plan for the MLB 2K series at the start of this generation.

And then Kush imploded...

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

# 137 CMH @ 11/27/13 02:05 PM

You can look at the information being released/not being release prior to the titles release but I'm just gonna focus on them making attempts to improve.

I want to see this game succeed especially if Synergy is working as it should. I've been far too disappointed with the lack of roster updates elsewhere and Live's daily roster changes always made it a winner in that category.

I applaud the videos to help with those confused on how to play. The demo confused me for sure. I couldn't figure out how to perform some moves.

It may seem trivial to make a game complicated but if the game is actually deep, then that's bound to happen. Makes me wonder what moves are available that others couldn't figure out.

Or this could all just be nonsense and it won't even matter. We will see.

Sent from my mobile device.

# 138 The 24th Letter @ 11/27/13 02:22 PM

I was one of the main ones saying that Synergy would be the bright spot for this series...as EA is usually on point with updates....

but between players being on the wrong team, random players named "point guard", and teams playing nothing like themselves I've been disappointed...

# 139 CMH @ 11/27/13 02:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The 24th Letter


	I was one of the main ones saying that Synergy would be the bright spot for this series...as EA is usually on point with updates.... but between players being on the wrong team, random players named "point guard", and teams playing nothing like themselves I've been disappointed...

Ah that's not good then.

I guess I just don't get it.

We visit NBA.com and can see every teams roster and box score. Why is this so hard to do right in 2014?

Sent from my mobile device.

# 140 WTF @ 11/27/13 03:06 PM

Point Guard. At Shooting Guard... Number 99!

Should never have someone named Point Guard though.

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