NBA Live 16 News Post

NBA Live 16 Features Over 8,000 New Animations

11:34 AM - July 7, 2015 by Steve_OS

EA has posted a new blog detailing four key gameplay upgrades to NBA Live 16. The article talks a lot about animations, in fact NBA Live 16 will feature over 8,000 new ones.

Smoother Dribbling

Fans will notice many small changes to gameplay in NBA LIVE 16 that improve ball handling – including dribble handoffs. “It’s a huge part of the NBA and it’s a new mechanic that’s going to open up so many different opportunities on the court,” says producer Connor Dougan.

There are also new driving animations with a smoother and more responsive dribble system in NBA LIVE 16. “We’ve been building tech for over two years now that serves as the foundation for what we will deliver in NBA LIVE 16,” says executive producer Sean O’Brien.

Sharper Passing

That technology allows for better ball movement, which is vital for success on the court. Swing the ball around the perimeter and find the open man for a corner-three with Touch Passing. “You’ll have the ability to square up on the catch for a catch-and-shot with no delay, and smooth animation,” says Dougan.

Animations have also been polished across the board. “We’ve run more mo-cap shoots this year than any other basketball game I’ve ever worked on,” says senior designer Ryan Santos.

However it’s not just more mo-cap that matters, but the type of mo-cap. “We’re playing a lot of 5-on-5 and just letting the talent play hoops. We then grab the motion we need from that to get a much more natural look.”

Off-Ball Movement and Live Motion

The focus on improving animations in NBA LIVE 16 went well beyond sharper passing.

“We’ve added thousands of new animations with LIVE Motion,” says Dougan. In total, there are over 8,000 new animations in NBA LIVE 16, which add up to make off-ball movement more realistic.

“Players are physical and aware of each other,” adds Dougan. “You can bump cutters, swim around players and deny the ball. There’s a lot more physicality.”

Building with Community Feedback

“This team listens to player feedback religiously,” says O’Brien. “We pride ourselves on it.”

Everything starts with what fans tell the team about their game, and the group at Tiburon is focused on delivering the most realistic basketball experience to those who love NBA LIVE.

“This game isn’t being built for us,” says O’Brien. “It’s being built for our fans.”

Source - EA

Game: NBA Live 16Reader Score: 5.5/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS4 / Xbox OneVotes for game: 4 - View All

NBA Live 16 Videos

Member Comments

# 1 HoosierDaddy @ 07/07/15 12:00 PM

I like it, but still think the whole game needs to be slowed down from an animation perspective. That, in combination with turbo, really makes the game look and feel unnatural.

# 2 JODYE @ 07/07/15 12:53 PM

I have a feeling that with sliders now in play, that we will be able to tweak that to our liking. If I remember correctly Live 10 allowed us to do this.

Love to hear that they are actually mo-capping 5 on 5 action as well. Off the ball movement has noticeably improved because of this already.

# 3 mlp111 @ 07/07/15 02:48 PM

All this sounds great, and looks good on paper. But for me, i have to see it in motion. That's when i'll believe it. Intrigued though.

# 4 The 24th Letter @ 07/07/15 02:52 PM

Building with community feedback is the most important point of them all, and is what has been sorely missing from the last couple of games....looking forward to it

# 5 JKSportsGamer1984 @ 07/07/15 04:19 PM

I hope they improved the net physics also. There needs to be more of a variation in the way the ball goes through the net. In Live almost every shot is a swish smh. This is a major issue for me.

# 6 JODYE @ 07/07/15 04:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JKSportsGamer1984


	I hope they improved the net physics also. There needs to be more of a variation in the way the ball goes through the net. In Live almost every shot is a swish smh. This is a major issue for me.

If you have watched any of the videos you can tell that this has been improved upon greatly.

# 7 Jay Jay @ 07/07/15 04:36 PM

The animations they speak of in this article to me sound like they are only speaking of the physical part of the game. What about new signature animations like freethrows, signature jumpshots, dunks, layups, etc.

# 8 JKSportsGamer1984 @ 07/07/15 05:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThaLiveKing


	When was the last time you played this game? A lot of the net interactions happens depending on the release of the jump shot. I've had back iron shot, swishes, off the front rim. I've seen a ton of variations

There's not nearly enough of a variation in Live 15. Not only that, the net physics in Live are not smooth at all similar to their animations. I'm not saying EVERY shot is a swish but most are (not enough back rim shots, etc..) That said, I did notice improvement from the Live 16 vids I've seen but still not fluid enough. I hope this is improved upon before release.

# 9 Tonyattia @ 07/07/15 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jay Jay


	The animations they speak of in this article to me sound like they are only speaking of the physical part of the game. What about new signature animations like freethrows, signature jumpshots, dunks, layups, etc.

They can't mo cap signature stuff without that actual player doing them I think. They just have to create those using some tool most likely

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

# 10 kolanji @ 07/07/15 05:41 PM

“We’ve added thousands of new animations with LIVE Motion,” says Dougan. In total, there are over 8,000 new animations in NBA LIVE 16, which add up to make off-ball movement more realistic.

“This team listens to player feedback religiously,” says O’Brien. “We pride ourselves on it.”

These guys sure know how the say the right things...
i hope most of those new animations are in the post and in the paint area...but so far all the right things are being said so again like last year am looking forward to playing this game

# 11 BiggD @ 07/07/15 06:20 PM

I feel like a kid again, With each info tidbit or screen shot it just leaves me wanting more!!!!!

# 12 Jay Jay @ 07/07/15 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tonyattia


	They can't mo cap signature stuff without that actual player doing them I think. They just have to create those using some tool most likely Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Not true at all, they have athletes that come in to impersonate most nba players.

# 13 youvalss @ 07/07/15 06:36 PM

It's good to read this. I just hope they do A LOT (and lots and lots) of testing to see those animations play. One of my issues with Live through the years, has been that every year the game is supposed to include thousands of new animations (I believe them when they're saying it's there), but many of these animations would never play. You end up seeing the same animations again and again, then once in 10 games you see a couple of new animations - which wouldn't play for another 20 games.

So it's not only about the quantity of the animations, but actually being played. I'm sure some of the older Lives had TON of animations on the disc - that never played throughout the game.

# 14 kwas676 @ 07/07/15 06:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by youvalss


	It's good to read this. I just hope they do A LOT (and lots and lots) of testing to see those animations play. One of my issues with Live through the years, has been that every year the game is supposed to include thousands of new animations (I believe them when they're saying it's there), but many of this animations would would never play. You end up seeing the same animations again and again, then once in 10 games you see a couple of new animations - which wouldn't play for another 20 games. So it's not only about the quantity of the animations, but actually being played. I'm sure some of the older Lives had TON of animations on the disc - that never played throughout the game.

So true man! The two hand posterize dunk was probable the most repeated animation in live 15.

# 15 grodbetatted @ 07/07/15 06:54 PM

I just want to see a game that animates like the competitor but gives you the control of nba live.. I honestly hate the canned animations in the other game... I want to feel the control as well see a great looking game.

# 16 k1lo5 @ 07/07/15 07:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The 24th Letter


	Building with community feedback is the most important point of them all, and is what has been sorely missing from the last couple of games....looking forward to it

+1 the only way Live can grow from here is feedback from the gamers and yes its been lacking for a while! Looking forward to 29th sep

sent via galaxy s5 using tapatalk

# 17 scottyp180 @ 07/07/15 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mlp111


	All this sounds great, and looks good on paper. But for me, i have to see it in motion. That's when i'll believe it. Intrigued though.

100% agree. This isn't the first time a Live team, or a developer from any sports game, has come out and said all the right things to make their new game sound great. I have no doubt that a ton of work was put into this game, the little we have seen so far is already a vast improvement over last year, but that doesn't mean it will all come together and result in a great product. So far so good but I'll need to see more before I can say "Live is back!"

# 18 zrohman @ 07/07/15 07:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HoosierDaddy


	I like it, but still think the whole game needs to be slowed down from an animation perspective. That, in combination with turbo, really makes the game look and feel unnatural.

I strongly disagree. Slowing down motions has been a big problem in many games. While it might make it look more natural, it still can be really unrealistic. (Example: Slow motion dunking.. When in real life they quickly slam down)

# 19 GudStuffzz @ 07/07/15 08:08 PM

Sounds good but live always hypes up their product like this. Hopefully this one is finally able to live up to the hype. God i hope the passing is fixed.. all that passing from the latest gameplay video on here was making my eyes bleed

# 20 Playmakers @ 07/07/15 08:40 PM

8000 new animations sounds awesome especially for a game that has lacked animations badly over the past few years.

I've always stated that if EA had released Live 14 and 15 with better animations they would have had a far bigger fan base despite the generic gameplay we witnessed on the floor.

Live seems to lack a soul and improved animations IMO is the right way to go if this is true....

But as some have already pointed out we've heard these things before only to be left dissapointed come release day.

Only time will tell if they have finally put it all together this year and given us a game with some replay value for once

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