NBA 2K17 Hands-On Impessions - Physics, Aiming with Shot Stick & More (PopSci)

The game also changes up shooting a bit, adding in aiming on the joystick to increase difficulty. If you use the stick to shoot (which I don’t, I find I’m better off just using the buttons), you have to try to keep the joystick straight up so that you don’t miss the hoop. You also have to be accurate in the mechanics for layups, which hasn’t been seen before, but movement also allows you to avoid defenders in your way.

The algorithms that allow you to do dribble moves were pretty good in the past, but they looked like scripted animations that were hard to escape. That made it difficult, in some situations, to capitalize and beat your defender off the dribble. Now, the algorithms are layered, which helps the gamers with better timing and stick skills to actually dice up their opponents, rewarding the better player.

The 2K team also told me that they went around to arenas with light measuring equipment so that they could measure how the light would affect colors on jerseys

To make the game more realistic, the team made sure you could no longer run or jump through an opposing player’s limbs, which was a complaint they heard repeatedly. This also means that the ball will actually ricochet off of a player’s arm or leg, making you fight for better position. The team worked on tweaking the physics of the game, allowing you to play more physically and fight for the ball like real players do.

The game also changes up shooting a bit, adding in aiming on the joystick to increase difficulty. If you use the stick to shoot (which I don’t, I find I’m better off just using the buttons), you have to try to keep the joystick straight up so that you don’t miss the hoop.

In practice, dribbling moves have gotten a lot more difficult to time up, which is good and bad. It makes the game more realistic, but it doesn’t allow you to string together a ridiculously fun sequence of moves like you could in the past. I’m sure that if I became more familiar with the game, as I have with the previous versions, it would make more sense the more I messed around with it. For now, it does seem like a hurdle that the average gamer might not be able to fully clear.

To replicate this, NBA 2K17 strayed away from a long-term energy tank and refocused on short term maximum energy use. What this means is that you can no longer sprint constantly, just like an NBA player doesn’t sprint the length of the court five times in a row. This prevents players from riding the turbo button, making you use your energy more wisely.

Improved AI is hinted at in the trailer, when a defender blocks a layup from behind. You see a vastly improved help defense system in the game, where computer players are much more aware of their surroundings. Instead of simply moving from point A to point B, or sticking with one player on defense, the 2K team told me that computer players are much better at understanding what to do on the court and why.

To make the game more realistic, the team made sure you could no longer run or jump through an opposing player’s limbs, which was a complaint they heard repeatedly. This also means that the ball will actually ricochet off of a player’s arm or leg, making you fight for better position. The team worked on tweaking the physics of the game, allowing you to play more physically and fight for the ball like real players do.