NBA 2K18 News Post

What Went Right in NBA 2K17, What Needs Improving in NBA 2K18

01:55 PM - May 15, 2017 by RaychelSnr

At this point, it feels like the NBA 2K series is in a perpetual state of success. I have enough faith in the series that even if no information was publicly available prior to the release date, I would still happily plop down $59.99 on day one to get the game.

But that doesn’t mean NBA 2K17 is perfect. So what did the developers get right with 2K17 and what could they do better in 2K18? Let’s take a look.

Read More - What Went Right in NBA 2K17, What Needs Improving in NBA 2K18

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Member Comments

# 81 MoodMuzik @ 05/23/17 08:47 PM

One thing I would REALLY LOVE... please let us be able to play ON THE SAME TEAM DURING THE ONLINE MYLEAGUE WITH OUR FRIENDS.

Having a friend be able to start a franchise with you online and be Kyrie and the other Lebron (or Klay and Steph or whatever you want) and to do a franchise THAT way, would be the most amazing thing ever. Instead of both of you controlling SEPARATE teams, allow us to play on the SAME TEAM

# 82 Denzel2K @ 06/12/17 01:55 PM

The archetype system needs SERIOUS work!
Currently the archetypes we have are:
Playmaker/Point Forward
Sharpshooter/Stretch Big
Shot Creator/Post Scorer
Slasher/Athletic Finisher
Lockdown Defender/Rim Protector
Glass Cleaner

We should have a way to combine them to create more variation. Sliders during this combination part as well.
(numbers have not been given thought, but...)
Let's say that a PG had their BASE attributes in the following categories at 75, the archetype you choose should determine how much this base attribute gets boosted by. For example,

PG playmaker (Pure)
94 speed, 94 ball handle, 94 pass (+19)

a pure playmaker (like how we had the archetypes this year) would have a boost of 19 in their relevant attributes, while the irrelevant attributes remain at the base value (whatever that may be for each attribute, obviously they will not all be 75, as it wouldn't make sense for a PG to have 75 off reb)

PG Playmaker Primary – Sharpshooter Secondary
88 speed, 88 ball handle, 88 pass (+13)
81 stand 3, 81 mid range, 81 contested jumper (+6)

A primary playmaker & secondary sharpshooter will have these increases in their relevant attributes (again, assuming all of these base attributes are 75, as well as knowing these are not the only relevant attributes)
ALSO, maybe a slider that can push the playmaker side to +15 and the sharpshooter side to +4 or vice versa (but limit this option)

PG Playmaker/Sharpshooter (COMBO)
85spd, 85ball handle, 85pass (+10)
84 stand 3 84 mid range, 81 contested jumper (+9)
Self explanatory

And the same below that can allow for a realistic pure shooter or 3 and D player
SF Sharpshooter (Pure)
94 stand 3, 94 mid range, 94 contested jumper (+19)

SF Sharpshooter Primary - Lockdown Defender Secondary
88 Stand 3, 88 mid range, 88 contested jumper (+13)
81 Lat. Quickness, 81 Steal, 81 Block (+6)

SF Sharpshooter/Lockdown Defender (COMBO)
85 Stand 3, 85 mid range, 85 contested jumper (+10)
84 Lat. Quickness, 84 steal, 84 block (+9)

In my opinion, this type of overhaul in the system where you can mix and match play styles will create for more variety in player creations and more interesting pro am team builds as well as individual player builds. The numbers I used don't have to be final as they are solely for demonstrating the concept, but I honestly don't see a downside to this much depth in player creation. You can make a Steph curry type PG but won't be TOO great at playmaking or 3s, or a kyrie type playmaker/shot creator, or still remain a pure shooter like we were given this year, or a Durant type shot creator/3point shooter, or a draymond type point-forward/lockdown defender. The possibilities would be endless.

What do you guys think? I would make my own post on this but I think there's a minimum post limit before you can create your own thread.

# 83 aksumite @ 06/13/17 04:23 PM

Two major things that must be fixed for 2K18:

Fix MyLeague Online off season. We do not want stupid keepers. We want the 100% genuine off season that takes place in all life.

Bring back the 2K league websites for the online MyLeagues or use DaddyLeagues like Madden and MLB do. This is the year 2017 and we don't have websites to go with our leagues?? That is a major regression that must be fixed.

I'm old enough to remember 2K online leagues each had their own highly sophisticated free websites. That was on 360 and PS3!!! What it the world are we doing going backwards like this??

Anybody who doesn't play other sports games please go to Daddy Leagues and see what im talking about. Virtually every other sports game does this. In Madden leagues the website even post all important league info in our groupme chats like trades scores etc.

Cmon 2K Devs this is a major problem that must be fixed.

# 84 Comduklakis @ 06/17/17 08:10 AM

This thread is probably too little too late as the game is heavily into the next development cycle but what the heck:

1. my first and foremost pipe dream is deemphasizing overall rating and developing a system that values individual skills such as Defense or three point shooting when it comes to playing time, contracts, trades, and free agency. Stop inflating attributes for three and D guys so their overall is boosted up enough to start. Instead place values on certain attributes that will then result in these players still being valued in playing time and free agency without artifiically boosting their speed, athleticism, etc. As of now this artifiical boosts to other attributes makes it harder to see the differences on the court between true superstars and rank and file players. I would like to see a far wider spread of overall ratings so that certain guys could be rated as low as a 40 "overall" but still have value as a shot blocker, a corner three guy, etc. As of now the spread of ratings is far too close to really see the separation of top tier talent vs. the everyday player like you do IRL.

2. court movement must be improved in all aspects. No more moving screens. No more getting sucked into animations. No more seeing the AI team being so much faster in transition than your team. Slower recovery times for defense but at the same time more scrambling on D. if you watch a NBA game you see constant rotation, constant scrambling, constant hedging and cheating towards certain players or the paint. 2k simply lacks this and instead overcompensates with defenders being too difficult to beat off the dribble and recovering too fast. It should be much easier for quality dribblers to gain separation but they should be met by rotating players.

3. shooting. make it realistic. Real NBA stats are readily available that show that even top notch shooters don't make more than 55% to 60% of "open" threes, but at the same time they also make 35% of "contested" threes. Most NBA shots are taken with a hand within 2 feet of the shooter's face. At the same time, 2k lacks the truly wide open threes where great ball movement results in a guy being open by 10 feet. More contested shots need to go in, fewer open shots need to go in and guys should be hitting no more than 60% or so at the rim (again look it up).

4. streamlined version of mycareer. Simply took too much time. Offer more options. some may want to start as a low overall and grind up, others may want to start as a highly touted lottery pick. offer a random option but most of all don't have top picks have attributes that would make them struggle in the D league.

5. work on trade logic, draft picks, etc. in myleague. having protected picks was a nice addition but it would be good to see things like trade exceptions added or protected picks that change over time to mimic real life. trade logic will never be perfect but coding so that teams having bad years look to move big contracts for picks, top teams look to add talent (especially aging vets looking for a title), etc. would be better. Need to find a way to stop the stockpiling of stars at the same position on teams.

6. This is a small thing but a major pet peeve. For the love of all that is good and decent code the rotations so that fouls take precedence over anything else. It's not rocket science. get 2 fouls, don't play again until a certain point in the 2nd quarter. get a 3rd foul, you are done in the 1st half. Period. Same thing in the 2nd half. Seeing guys get 4 fouls in the first half, fouling out 3 minutes into the 3rd quarter, it's just ridiculous. It's not hard to code a progression of how rotations should work. Start with the set rotation minutes then if fouls occur that is 1st priority. Fatigue or rotation would be second priority depending on settings. And then in blowouts set a certain point differential and time fram when the bench gets emptied.

7. Progression/Regression: This needs an overhaul. IRL some attributes rarely move up. Guys get to the NBA with speed, vertical, quickness, etc. largely at peak. It's the other things that should be progressing. Same with regression. Why in the world is a 30 year old losing basketball IQ? It should be the opposite actually. Most players continue to get smarter and craftier as they age to compensate for losses in some physical attributes. Having a blanket regression or progression in almost every category simply isn't realistic. Regression should start later for most players and IQ areas should not regress. Shooting should also stay high until late. Speed, quickness, vertical, those types of categories should take the hit.

I'd also suggest offering the option of making progression/regresson random. Make it a setting that can turned on/off for those that wouldn't care for this. But allowing your lottery pick to be a bust or your 2nd rounder to turn into Draymond Green would be a nice idea IMO rather than the straight potential system we have now. Same thing with existing players. Again make it optional but IRL sometimes guys suddenly tank at 29, while others play great until 36 or 37. No reason to make progression/regresson so uniform

Finally allow me to refuse a retirement if I want. I can say yes or no to all the retiring players.

8. D-league. Doesn't have to be playable. Just a text D-league where I can see stats and keep tabs on guys I put down there and then grab a high performing player when I need a body.

What they got right:

1. Rotation options. Loved the ability to set my rotations by minutes. Now expand that and allow me to set when to empty the bench in a blowout for both my team and in settings for the AI teams. The other improvement is implementing a foul priority where foul trouble takes precedence over the minute allotments

2. Custom courts, expansion, franchise movement. Loved being able to download my own ads, court logos, etc. Expansion mode was fun to dabble in as well.

3. Game looked great. We can quibble over Kevin Durant being too skinny but overall game looked great.

4. thought in some ways the AI got smarter this year in gameplay. Always good to see.

# 85 keshunleon @ 06/17/17 11:47 AM

What went wrong in NBA 2K17, gameplay issues only!

1. Defense - Players stand, ball watch, run the wrong way, stop, back up, leave their man, not attempt steals in passing lanes, get stuck behind screens or other players.

1.5 Transition Defense - Players run to the middle of the lane allowing open 3s and jumpers, switch in transition for no reason or not guard their man or anybody at times.

2. Speed - User players run slow, CPU is faster than attributes, speed animation is unrealistic and takes two dribbles before it takes effect. CPU gets speed burst the user doesn't have, fighting different speed animations.

3. Passing - passing is too slow, lobs into the paint are too high and slow, passes are toward the defenders, can't control the velocity of passes, alley oops are often off, long passes not close to players, short passes are floaty, passes take player out of good position or away from the goal.

4. Unnecessary Animations - dribble animations; unwanted cross overs, unwarranted post ups, speed animations slow the user, movements that slow players or detour players, animations that take players out of bounds or back court. MOST OF THE ANIMATIONS ARE TOO SLOW AND TOO LONG.

5. Physics - sliding, foot planting, unrealistic CPU speed recovery, and CPU force fields.

6. Morphing - the ball morphs through players, hands, and the back board giving the CPU advantages, CPU gets majority of the lose balls because of this.

7. Legacy Issues - still missing too many open layups,
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news...d-in-Real-Life

8. Plays - Plays are too slow, players don't sprint but jog to their spots, plays are 10-15 secs instead of 5-7 secs.

9. Psychic Defenders - CPU reacts to user buttons before controlled player does, always know where the user is going, runs to the spot the user is going.

# 86 Bigmikelakers @ 06/24/17 06:21 PM

With the edition of expansion teams and easy changing of uniforms/logos for existing teams, all I ask is for 2k18 to allow carry over saves from MyLeague. I hate having to restart MyLeague every year.

Another thing I wish 2k18 would approve upon is scheduling. For example, if two teams met in the NBA Finals the previous season, they should be scheduled to face each other on Christmas. Big games should be on Thursday evenings, Saturday evenings, and Sunday afternoon to follow the TNT/ABC scheduling of games.

# 87 edubbs @ 07/01/17 05:59 PM

(Offline vs. the AI) i don't play any of the online modes park etc....

What Needs Improving:

Arenas and atmosphere - This has been an ongoing thorn in this franchise's side for as long as i can remember now. Was hoping the switch to the new consoles and the addition of new hardware a few years back would have resolved this. Unfortunately this area of the game is still below average.

Poor crowd audio and too many lapses in crowd awareness continues to kill any immersion when playing the game.

Misrepresentation of arena lighting in classic venues like Staples and MSG. Not to mention the new Nets arena being off in this regard.

Player Models - I have no idea what happened this year. Fingers crossed that this will be resolved in 2k18.

ACE - Not very informative and a little confusing in-game, in regards to it's functionality. Hoping for more consistent in-game indicators in NBA2K18.

Also, hopefully once the issues with basic double team principles are resolved that were in 2k17, the devs can continue to expand on help defense in general moving forward.

When double teaming in the defensive settings menu is set to AUTO, for perimeter and post players, it would be nice to see not only more varying double teams of hot players and mismatches, but also trapping of bad passers and the trapping of ball handlers in the corners by the AI (team specific).

What went right:

Customization - This game is 2nd to none in regards customizing it offline vs. the CPU. The ability to edit the game in all phases is probably at the top of the list of why i purchase it every year. And 2k17 took it to another level. So much you can do to tweak the game to your liking.

The new rotation feature is probably my favorite addition this year. It allows a level of detail to users who control all 30 teams in season mode or Myleague that is greatly appreciated. Hopefully they find a way to incorporate foul trouble into the system for 2k18.

Presentation - In studio updates for pregame, halftime, and postgame are well done. The upcoming game advertisements/commercial during the playoff game breaks, are also really cool. Player interviews pregame, after the 1st qtr break and post game just adds to the overall presentation.

The exterior arena shots/city land marks are nice also. I'm still seeing a couple of new ones every now and then.

CPU Play execution and playbooks - The AI continues to improve in executing in the half court. My only issue with this is, to maximize the improved AI the individual tendencies need to be tweaked a bit.

Minus a few broken plays, there were noticeable improved differences to how teams played as Czar made changes to the authentic sets throughout the year, which was definately a good thing.

Shoe Game - The shoe updates throughout the year were great. The best this series has ever seen. They even had a ton of PE's. The quality of some of the shoe scans varied but the support throughout the year by hawktastic was a first for the franchise.

# 88 youngfaze01 @ 07/02/17 05:07 AM

I hope 2k18 is a major leap from '17. Needs to be more skill-based than CPU-controlled. To be able to win in '17, is really having the least amount turnovers & unnecessary mishappenings, you have no control of.

*Thread should be 'What went WRONG in '17, What needs improving FOR '18.

# 89 de_jesus @ 07/02/17 02:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by keshunleon


	What went wrong in NBA 2K17, gameplay issues only! 1. Defense - Players stand, ball watch, run the wrong way, stop, back up, leave their man, not attempt steals in passing lanes, get stuck behind screens or other players. 1.5 Transition Defense - Players run to the middle of the lane allowing open 3s and jumpers, switch in transition for no reason or not guard their man or anybody at times. 2. Speed - User players run slow, CPU is faster than attributes, speed animation is unrealistic and takes two dribbles before it takes effect. CPU gets speed burst the user doesn't have, fighting different speed animations. 3. Passing - passing is too slow, lobs into the paint are too high and slow, passes are toward the defenders, can't control the velocity of passes, alley oops are often off, long passes not close to players, short passes are floaty, passes take player out of good position or away from the goal. 4. Unnecessary Animations - dribble animations; unwanted cross overs, unwarranted post ups, speed animations slow the user, movements that slow players or detour players, animations that take players out of bounds or back court. MOST OF THE ANIMATIONS ARE TOO SLOW AND TOO LONG. 5. Physics - sliding, foot planting, unrealistic CPU speed recovery, and CPU force fields. 6. Morphing - the ball morphs through players, hands, and the back board giving the CPU advantages, CPU gets majority of the lose balls because of this. 7. Legacy Issues - still missing too many open layups, http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news...d-in-Real-Life 8. Plays - Plays are too slow, players don't sprint but jog to their spots, plays are 10-15 secs instead of 5-7 secs. 9. Psychic Defenders - CPU reacts to user buttons before controlled player does, always know where the user is going, runs to the spot the user is going.

This captures a lot of my issues with 2K17

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

# 90 FixEverything2k @ 07/02/17 05:15 PM

Fix the **** Fastbreaks man.
I don't see how one of the Oldest concepts of basketball is as broken as it is.
What possible scenario would cause Deandre Jordan, On a Fastbreak!, to slow down, turn around, and post up while trailing a passer?

He's getting ready for the **** Oop in real life

# 91 fakeassc @ 07/04/17 05:16 AM

You know what's something else that needs fixing in 2K18? Contact.

I've had so many dribbles lost where the ball goes off the opponent, but then it counts as out-of-bounds by me.

I've had so many scenarios where the ball came off me but it counts as out-of-bounds by the opponent.

2K needs to get these possessions right.

# 92 Hustle Westbrook @ 07/04/17 04:58 PM

Gameplay went right? Huh? That was the worst damn thing about this game.

# 93 Bdubb @ 07/05/17 04:19 PM

How theyre going to address positionless basketball. I don't want to see AI start very bad SGs starting over two SFs just cause they're a two and the SFs are a three. Better lineup awareness I'd like to call it? Just looking at GSW and how it's a copycat league they'll run out that small lineup of like all wing players. I mean my Celtics have heavy SFs but I definitely envision Brad rolling Brown, Hayward and Tatum together out.

# 94 snugglethug @ 09/25/17 04:52 PM

Would be nice to have a more in depth college aspect of the MyCareer choice where you can play full seasons for up to 4 years. Declare for the draft whenever and experience college as it's a huge part of a career. It also makes no sense to me how after all these years of MyCareer they make it impossible to be a top draft pick. If they want it to be so real, that takes away a lot. These top high school kids who play a year of college get picked first so why won't 2K give us the option to really build your player and attributes before the NBA draft so you can be a highly touted pick who goes #1 overall and is looked at as a player who will change an organization and start from the get go? That would make the game a lot more fun. Throw in the 3 point shootout, h-o-r-s-e, dunk contest, maybe knockout and some other fun gave for all-star weekend and such. the reality of having to go to the gym and practices and such is nice but having 5 texts after every game you have to respond to is stupid. I just want to play hoops in the most in depth way. or OR just make college hoops 2k19 and let that come out a month or so before NBA 2K so you can start in high school for a year, play, choose a college and then play out you college career which then turns into your MyCareer in the NBA. Would be great to have March Madness in a tournament form online where the top 64 players online get to play out the bracket and the winner gets a ton of VR points towards their MyPlayer.

# 95 olajuwon34 @ 09/26/17 03:47 AM

I noticed alot of the videos they posted before the game came out, showing off the help defense on pick and rolls and such, is really not that good, cpu is still boneheaded and having 3 defenders coming in to defend against 1 player slashing to the rim, leaving people wide open at the perimeter, just like last year, theres a big in the paint theres no reason to help off of a shooter in the corner, i dont know why they showed those videos, if its still clearly in the game.

# 96 Nickstank @ 09/26/17 03:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by olajuwon34


	I noticed alot of the videos they posted before the game came out, showing off the help defense on pick and rolls and such, is really not that good, cpu is still boneheaded and having 3 defenders coming in to defend against 1 player slashing to the rim, leaving people wide open at the perimeter, just like last year, theres a big in the paint theres no reason to help off of a shooter in the corner, i dont know why they showed those videos, if its still clearly in the game.

SamPham's video on defensive settings shows some ways to deal with this problem. It's a long one, but it's well worth the time. It's the single most helpful 2K18 video I've seen so far. Besides the actual defensive settings, making sure you hedge properly in the PnR so that the big doesn't get a clear lane to the rim will also mitigate the issue of defenders leaving shooters to stop the roll man.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIPD...wGnErj&t=1989s

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