Minimum Expectations for NBA Live 13

[Andrew]

What are your minimum expectations for NBA Live 13? That is, the base things that NBA Live 13 has to do or have to be a satisfactory experience.

[beegees]

Normal substitution at the positions (2-3 positions). And that was not as in NBA Live 08 have changed only the big man. And that was really: if you need to LeBron and center, etc. That is: the big and small staff.
Free-throw shooter in NBA Live 08, no slips in NBA Live 05.
And the real distribution of shots.

[JaoSming]

It has to come out.

Seriously, that is my minimum expectation.

[22cedric]

It has to come out.

Seriously, that is my minimum expectation.

It will come out I really think we will expect news by mid next week since the Advisory Council is headed back to EA Tiburon.

[Andrew]

Seriously, that is my minimum expectation.

Good call.

But beyond that, I would say...

• Controls similar to what we're accustomed to with Freestyle Control and its variants, with the turbo button being brought back.
  
  
• Good looking animations and a variety of slick looking moves. A good amount of signature animations, too.
  
  
• Intelligent, realistic AI that uses Synergy data to represent the NBA game, with true to life abilities and performances. Real strategy, with a minimum of cheese from the CPU.
  
  
• Token improvements to Dynasty Mode; improved simulated stats with decent league leaders, trade, free agent and award selection logic, etc. Development drills for all skills in the Academy/training area. The traditional re-order roster menu.
  
  
• Great atmosphere with all the work they've done with the ESPN crew. Hopefully, the variable atmosphere settings are back too.
  
  
• A single player career mode in some form, as it was set to debut in the cancelled NBA Elite 11.
  
  
• Solid online support and game modes, including the official launch of the EASBA that was supposed to happen in Elite.

It's not necessarily ambitious, but I think that'd make for a strong comeback.

[Ermolli]

When you said Minimum Expectation, do you mean what I think Live 13's going to be or what it has to be at least to be a decent game?

[Andrew]

That is, the base things that NBA Live 13 has to do or have to be a satisfactory experience.

[fjccommish]

CPU controlled superstars play like superstars. I'm tired of D Rose, controlled by the CPU, having no impact on games.

[Phil89]

If it's the same as Live 10 but with some added animations, more unique player faces and updated jerseys/arenas I'll be content.

[Ermolli]

- Fluid and responsive controls
- Good looking and fluid animations with correct transitions
- Not excessively fast gameplay and players
- Deep arsenal of moves (specially the post game) but not so difficult to use them
- Balanced offense/defense, as many options on defense as possible to counterattack offense
- Lots of player movement and intelligent moves and actions by off ball players
- Rewards players with high offensive/defensive awareness
- More diferenciation from star players from the rest (ratings, animations, abilities, gameplay, etc)
. Variety of animations with signature animations, not just shooting
- No hunched back players
- Smart and adjustable AI during gameplay
- Players and team play true to themselves
- Not exploitable moves, gameplay
- As glitch free as possible
- Correct implementation of real time physics
- Better and different bodytypes
- Nice commentary with variety of lines
- Lots of slider options
- Good implementation of ESPN presentation with variety in it
- Smart logic in Dynasty Mode (signings, trades, objectives from different franchises, awards)
- Realistic stats in Dynasty Mode
- Entretaining single player mode
- Solid online that punishes cheaters, cheese and quitters

Maybe these are a lot things but after all, one shouldn't have to buy a mediocre game when there are better options available.

[Patr1ck]

Maybe these are a lot things but after all, one shouldn't have to buy a mediocre game when there are better options available.

Very good point. It seems that the bar for each area of a basketball game has been set, and it's unacceptable for the developers to overlook certain aspects.

I would say your first two are the most important with regards to gameplay for me. I believe when people have stated NBA Live has generic or robotic animations, the transitions/blending of animations and the control of those animations are the main cause of that description. Branching them seamlessly while making sure that the laws of physics appear to be followed can give the game that "smooth" look and if they can keep the controls responsive as well, the gameplay will be cake.

They will need icing on it with differentiation and signature style, because that bar has been set. Having every player with the same shooting and dribbling animations is unacceptable. I will be fine with it if the rebounding, blocking, stealing, passing, and running animations are the same between players, but the variety of dribbling and shooting animations has the bar set high by 2K's offerings.

EA has always been good with their presentation aspects, so I expect it to be solid.

I still want consistency when it comes to graphics. They spent 100 hours on each player's head, but based on the screenshots with the player models and jerseys, they didn't get that much amount of time. The players have a very straight shape to them. Check out Boozer and Bosh in the screenshot of NBA Live 13.

Now look at Boozer in real life in the image below. The shorts are not that long. People have hips. In Live 13, it appears that they do not. There should be more of an indentation from the waistline of the shorts. Also, there is a slight V shape to the torso, and people's shoulders in general have a slight arc upwards toward the neck, not flat like what we are seeing in Live 13 screens. Should we even compare the jersey number location to the length of the jersey itself? Those are the most obvious things.


In short, make the shoulders wider, slightly lowered to give them an arc up to the neck and make the jersey look less like a dress that has been tucked in, waistline decreased, creating a V shape and possible appearance of hips. Jersey name and number enlarged, remapped and something needs to be done with the shorts length, though. I think it may have something to do with the actual height they put the waistline at. You can see this by comparing the distance between the small line on the back of the shorts and the waistline. It's huge in the Live 13 pics but appears to be about 2 inches in the real life image. The shorts are too low and baggy in the crotch area, and the legs are too short. Raise the waistline a small bit and increase the leg length.

I know I spent a lot on that small area, but Live 13 is going to need some solid strategic gameplay for me to ignore it. Their claims of smart spectacular gameplay and basketball IQ better be more than just marketing words.

[Andrew]

I probably find some of that stuff easier to overlook than most, especially if the gameplay experience is enjoyable, but having said that I'm all for getting the small details right as they do add up.

[Rukawa_11]

Putback dunks, alley oops without slow motions, signature moves (jumpers, dunks, free throws...) and substitutions by positions and not by overalls

[dfish]

NBA Live 11. That's my expectation. An upgrade from Live 10, building on it. That's my minimum expectation.

[Andrew]

NBA Live 11. That's my expectation. An upgrade from Live 10, building on it. That's my minimum expectation.

Not a bad way of putting it.