Monday Tip-Off: Matchmaking & Microtransactions

[Andrew]

Monday Tip-Off

Monday Tip-Off is a weekly feature that comes out - as the name would imply - every Monday. Tip off your week with a column dedicated to opinions, commentary, and other fun stuff related to basketball video games! This is a central discussion thread for the feature, in which I invite you to post any feedback along with your responses to each column's topic. A link to the latest article can always be found here in the first post, along with a link to the complete archive.

• Complete Archive

Latest Feature

June 18th, 2018: Matchmaking & Microtransactions

I've mentioned matchmaking and microtransactions in previous articles discussing what I feel must be done in future NBA 2K games, and with the preview season more or less underway, it's time to revisit these issues. Both are aspects that the NBA 2K development team must handle carefully, to ensure that the experience provided by NBA 2K19 is as accessible and as enjoyable as it can be. If the wrong approach is taken, then this year's game is going to suffer from the same problems as NBA 2K18, with similar backlash. 2K is overdue to show its fanbase some genuine goodwill.

I originally planned to discuss matchmaking and microtransactions separately, but the more I thought about it, the clearer it became that the two issues are closely linked. Their respective shortcomings in last year's game combined to make its most popular online modes far less inviting and enjoyable than they should've been. The lack of in-depth matchmaking made the pay-to-win aspect of microtransactions a much larger issue. Likewise, the impact of microtransactions in NBA 2K18 made the lack of proper matchmaking all the more apparent and problematic. If handled better, they needn't cause as many problems with the competitive balance in NBA 2K19.

[Andrew]

Debut article!

September 21st, 2015: How Much Does It Cost To Get Michael Jordan In A Video Game?

If you’re a basketball fan, you know who Michael Jordan is, even if you weren’t around in the 80s and 90s. Likewise, even if you were around in the 80s and 90s but weren’t a fan of basketball, you still knew of him, and at least a couple of noteworthy facts about His Airness. Such was his impact upon popular culture.

I was around during that era, and a basketball fan to boot. As many of you may already be aware, I was also a big fan of Michael Jordan, and he remains my all-time favourite player. I was therefore very excited when it was announced that MJ would grace the cover of NBA 2K11, a game which also included a celebration of his career in the form of the Jordan Challenge. Visual Concepts and 2K Sports were probably pretty happy about the arrangement too, as NBA 2K11 sold over five million copies, and was very well received by critics and the basketball gaming community alike.

Michael Jordan is still featured in NBA 2K, and indeed graces the cover of the Special Edition of NBA 2K16. 2K’s partnership with MJ has obviously been very beneficial to the visibility, sales, and reception of their game, but how much does that partnership cost them? While we don’t have any specific figures, some recent reports have given us fodder to speculate.

[Dommy73]

Link goes to Friday Five.

[Andrew]

Now fixed, thanks!

[Andrew]

September 28th, 2015: Lost Forever – The Missing Trophies & Achievements

For some gamers, Trophies and Achievements in video games are of great importance. For the gamer who strives for 100% completion, there are few things as satisfying as the sight and sound of a notification informing them that a Trophy or Achievement has just been unlocked. It’s a concise representation that yes, you did indeed do just about everything you could with a game, and then some. And, if you’re the kind of gamer who likes to brag about such things, it’s right there in your public profile, for everyone to see.

For other gamers, Trophies and Achievements are nothing but a nuisance, a meaningless aspect of modern games that are only useful to people who want to brag about ultimately useless accomplishments. You play the games because you’re interested in them, not to get some virtual pat on the back for performing some mundane task. Simply put, Trophies and Achievements aren’t something that everyone is interested in, or obsesses over.

Personally, I find myself somewhere in the middle. I’m not obsessed with collecting every single Trophy or Achievement in every game I play, but I also find them to be fun goals to shoot for, when I’m looking to extend my gaming experience. Basketball video games have had some fun and interesting challenges in the form of their Trophies and Achievements, but in some cases, shooting for 100% completion becomes impossible sooner than you might expect. Servers are inevitably shut down at some point, at which point Achievements involving online play or timed content become lost forever.

[Andrew]

October 5th, 2015: Fanboys, Haters, and the Basketball Gaming Community

In last week’s Friday Five, I talked about aspects of online culture that I dislike. While I’d rather not spend too much time dwelling on the negative – incidentally, that would be another pet peeve of mine when it comes to online culture – I did touch on something that I’d like to talk a little bit more about today for Monday Tip-Off: fanboys and haters within the basketball gaming community.

I don’t want to make a sweeping, generalised, melodramatic statement such as “Fanboys and haters are ruining the basketball gaming community”, because that’s not exactly true. Unfortunately, such a statement isn’t completely without merit, either. At the very least, it’s reaching some incredibly silly levels, with severe tunnel vision and an almost complete lack of perspective. Granted, this is often the case in any fandom, but since this is our community we’re talking about, I’d like to see us do better.

[Andrew]

October 12th, 2015: Head in the Cloud – Basketball Video Games & Always-On

Always-on remains a controversial issue in video gaming, right up there with downloadable content, microtransactions, and third party developers producing platform exclusives. So strong is the backlash against it, Microsoft even had to change its approach with the Xbox One, and is arguably still feeling the effects of its initial stance as the console continues to be out-sold by the PlayStation 4. The message is clear: gamers do not like always-on.

As the online component of basketball video games has become a bigger part of the experience, our community has started to feel the sting of always-on and cloud saves. Key game modes require a constant connection to the Internet, and while a couple of them can also be played offline, issues can arise when there are temporary connection or server issues. But what happens when the server is shut down for good?

[Andrew]

October 19th, 2015: How MyCAREER Could Truly Let Us Be The Story

If you’ve tuned in to Episode #130 of the NLSC Podcast, you’ll know that I’m not the biggest fan of the story in this year’s MyCAREER. If you’ve been listening to the NLSC Podcast for a while now, you’ll know that that’s been a recurring complaint of mine since MyCAREER adopted the story-driven approach beginning with the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One version of NBA 2K14. Reading some of the posts that have been made about MyCAREER since the release of NBA 2K16, it seems I’m not alone in my criticism.

Specific criticisms of the writing aside, my discontent with MyCAREER can be summed up as such: a story that’s too linear without branching options, choices that are largely cosmetic and inconsequential, and in NBA 2K16 in particular, a protagonist that’s intended to have very specific characteristics, which conflict with the RPG elements and “put yourself in the game” aspect of the mode. To that end, the tagline of “Be The Story” becomes a little ironic.

However, since I’m often advocating for constructive criticism – fans not fanboys, critics not haters, and all that – it seems only appropriate that I put my money where my mouth is, and offer up some suggestions as to how the mode could be improved. The story-driven approach to MyCAREER probably isn’t going anywhere, so how do I think Visual Concepts can best put it to use? Well, let’s take a look at how I feel that we can better “Be The Story” in NBA 2K17 and beyond.

[Andrew]

October 26th, 2015: Limited Locker Codes & Time Zones, An Odd Combination

The 2016 NBA season tips off in just a couple of days, so I’m expecting to see the official social media accounts for NBA 2K start dropping some goodies in the form of Locker Codes for NBA 2K16 very soon. While the random rewards aren’t always particularly generous, they do provide a good opportunity to stock up on Virtual Currency or MyTEAM points, snag a great MyTEAM card, or unlock an animation for your MyPLAYER. If you’ve got the game fired up when Locker Codes drop, it’s well worth punching them in.

However, there’s the rub: it’s very easy to miss out on redeeming a code, especially if you’re on the other side of the world. And even if you are in the same time zone as Visual Concepts, you have to be fast – sometimes, ridiculously so – in getting into the game, and punching in the codes. Otherwise, you’re not getting any freebies.

On one hand, this is fair enough. There’s only so much stuff that 2K can freely hand out, when grinding and microtransactions are both part of the game. However, with the size of the NBA 2K user base, and its distribution throughout the world, I do feel that 2K could stand to be a little more generous with the Locker Codes; both in giving gamers world-wide a chance to redeem them, and in the rewards that they yield.

[Andrew]

November 2nd, 2015: My Basketball Video Game Collection

So, for the first few weeks of Monday Tip-Off, I’ve been posting my opinions on a variety of subjects. There’ll be plenty more opinion pieces coming your way in the Mondays ahead, but for this week, I wanted to do something a little different. This week, I wanted to talk a little about my basketball video game collection.

When it comes to the hobby of game collecting, I can’t imagine a lot of people are stocking up on basketball titles; after all, basketball gaming is a niche demographic to begin with. Also, as I understand it, when it comes to sports games, a lot of people trade in the previous season’s release when they pick up the current title. For the most part, however, I’ve kept my older basketball games – at least on one platform, when I’ve double-dipped – and more recently, I’ve been expanding my collection with a few bargains on eBay.

As I’ve mentioned a few times on the NLSC Podcast, I’m intending to put them to use for features here on the NLSC in the coming weeks and months. Obviously, we’ve tipped off our 20th Anniversary of NBA Live content – incidentally, more of that stuff is on the way – but there have been quite a few basketball games over the years, good, bad, and just plain interesting. I’m looking forward to talking about them a little more, revealing a few old gems, as well as some not-so-fantastic releases you may have forgotten about.

For now, though, I wanted to give you all a current catalogue of my collection. I’ve been meaning to take a photo with all the boxes, discs, and cartridges, but for the moment, a simple list will have to suffice.

[[Q]]

My collection included:
Live 15 PS4
Live 10 PS3
NBA Jam OFE PS3
Live 09 PS3
Live 08 PS3
NBA 2K7 PS3
NBA 2K7 PS2
Live 06 PC
Live 06 PS2
Live 2005 PC
NBA Street Vol. 2!!! PS2
Live 2001 PC
Live 2000 PS1
Live 99 PS1
Live 98 PC
Live 95 PC
NBA Hangtime SNES
NBA Jam TE SNES
NBA All-Star Challenge SNES
Double Dribble NES

[Andrew]

How many do you still own?

[[Q]]

Not sure where a lot of thtem went or if I still actually have them. Pretty sure I have the NES & SNES ones in a box at my mom's somewhere. I think I still have the Street2 on PS2 and I know I got 2005 & 10 here. JAM OFE was digital so I got that, and I wound up selling Live 15 for $5 to Best Buy, anticipating getting 16 a couple months ago

[Andrew]

November 9th, 2015: Ego & The Modding Community

As you’re no doubt aware from our regular file additions bulletins, we have a very talented and enthusiastic modding community here at the NLSC. We’ve been able to do some great things throughout the years, not only keeping games up to date, but creating new experiences, and even fixing some annoying problems. We can be proud of what we’ve accomplished in our community in terms of modding, and I’m sure we can look forward to many more fantastic releases in the future.

However, while I’ll gladly sing the praises of our community, and I truly believe that we have a good thing going here, there is a darker, more unpleasant side to modding culture. There’s a lot of talent and creativity in our community, which is great, but unfortunately where there’s talent and creativity, there’s often ego. While there’s nothing wrong with having a healthy ego, there are some people who take it too far. That’s when it becomes a problem, and people become difficult to deal with.

Sometimes, the problem simply lies with the individual. Some people are arrogant, rude, and difficult. There’s not a whole lot that you can do about that. However, there are also ingrained aspects of the modding culture we’ve cultivated which contribute to the problem. Difficult individuals are unlikely to change their ways, but as a community, we can work together to develop new attitudes and fresh approaches that benefit the modding community. That’s what I’d like to talk about today.

[Andrew]

November 16th, 2015: The Gaming Rotation

As a gamer, I tend to stick with the genres and video game series that I'm interested in, and familiar with. I don't buy a lot of brand new releases every year, so my gaming rotation is usually comprised of the latest version of NBA Live and NBA 2K, the latest WWE game, a favourite that may be at least a few years old, and the occasional big release if it's one that I'm interested in (such as Grand Theft Auto V, a couple of years back). If I happen to pick up something cheap in a Steam/Green Man Gaming/GOG sale, it'll probably work its way into the rotation at some point, too.

To that end, 2015 has actually been a bigger year than normal for me, in terms of gaming purchases. In addition to NBA Live 16, NBA 2K16, and WWE 2K16 - the series I pick up annually - there's also been Mortal Kombat X and Fallout 4. On top of that, I picked up the PC version of Grand Theft Auto V, to give me something else to play on my new gaming rig. While MK X came out earlier this year, everything else was released (or in the case of GTA V PC, picked up) around the same time. The result is a handful of AAA games that you can potentially spend a lot of time with, all vying for time in my gaming rotation.

First world problems, right? I'm not complaining about it though, just stating a fact: I'm spoiled for choice at the moment. I'm obviously going to be spending time with the basketball games, given that I'm running a website dedicated to basketball gaming and am passionate about them, but beyond that, how do I fit everything in alongside producing content for the NLSC, working a day job, and socialising? Well, I do have a system...sort of...

[Kevin]

Fallout 4...if only my laptop could handle it.....

I'd recommend you to buy and try out State of Decay. Really really fun game and it gives me that "just one more mission" feeling every time I play it.

By the way, Fallout 3 or Fallout New Vegas?

[Andrew]

I don't think State of Decay is a game for me.

It's a tough choice between Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas. It depends on the day really, but the multiple paths in New Vegas probably does give it a slight edge.

[Andrew]

November 23rd, 2015: Moderation in Moderating

August 26th marked my fourteenth year running the NLSC; you may have seen my post celebrating the occasion in the Forum, or on our social media pages. I’d like to think that I’ve done a good job over the years – I’ve certainly tried my best – and improved in the role along the way. Creating content for the NLSC can be time consuming and at times arduous, but it’s something I do enjoy. I also enjoy taking part in the Forum, but that also involves a task that can be even tougher: moderating.

That is to stay, it’s the approach and philosophy of moderating that can be tough. Performing the actual functions of moderating is certainly straightforward enough. However, there’s a delicate balance to maintain, when the aim is to foster a welcoming and friendly community that is as drama-free as possible, while also allowing everyone to speak freely and not feel bullied by the moderators. So, to tip things off this week, I wanted to give everyone a bit of an insight into how we try to maintain that balance.

[Kevin]

Moderating a website this big can really be a handful. As someone who had his fair share of boneheaded moments here in this forums, I'm actually quite surprised I still am not banned. Appreciate the efforts you've put through to make the newbies feel welcome and for being one of the best moderators I've ever seen.

Also, is Larry Nance giving me the finger there? kidding.

[Andrew]

Thanks Kevin, appreciate the kind words! As I said, I like to think that overall I've done a good job, and gotten better over the years. As times change and new members sign up, I hope I can continue to get better. I certainly don't do it alone either, so credit to the rest of the guys for helping to keep things running smoothly.

[Andrew]

November 30th, 2015: My Greatest Basketball Gaming Weakness

“You run a basketball video game website. You must be pretty good at them!” I’ve heard that once or twice over the years, usually when people have invited me to play online. Uh, yeah, sure…I’m, like, the best at them. All those years playing basketball games, watching basketball, playing in the local league as a teenager…yeah, I’m amazing, definitely the best. Absolutely, no question at all…

Just in case my intended tone has been lost in writing…no, of course I don’t actually believe that. I do love basketball, and I’d like to think that I have a fairly good knowledge of the sport. I believe I have at least a basic understanding of all the ins and outs, and in turn, that makes me a little more than competent when it comes to playing basketball video games. I’m a lot better when it comes to playing against the CPU, as that’s mostly what I do. I’ve had some record-breaking seasons playing on harder difficulty levels, but when it comes to playing online, I’m probably just a little better than OK. As I’ve said many times before, online is not my mode of choice, so that shouldn’t come as a surprise.

Still, I’ve won online games before, and I’ve definitely won a lot of games offline. I am, at the very least, competent, capable, and have knowledge of what I’m doing on the virtual hardwood. However, there’s one area in particular where I’ve often struggled in basketball video games. One weakness, one Achilles Heel, one aspect of the game where I’ve never really excelled…

[Andrew]

December 7th, 2015: My Ultimate Fantasy Team for NBA Live & NBA 2K

As I’ve mentioned in previous editions of The Friday Five and on the NLSC Podcast, I’ve become a fan of Ultimate Team since it finally made its debut in the NBA Live series in NBA Live 14. With Dynasty Mode and Rising Star still needing to be fleshed out into deeper experiences, Ultimate Team has pretty much been my mode of choice in NBA Live these past few years. I’ve also taken an interest in MyTEAM in NBA 2K, but I do prefer EA’s approach to the concept, and 2K has a lot more to offer in its other modes. Of course, MyTEAM does have one distinct advantage over Ultimate Team, for me at least: Michael Jordan.

Needless to say, when I drew a Michael Jordan card in NBA 2K14’s MyTEAM, I was pretty happy. With my nostalgia for the players of the 1990s – the era I grew up watching – I also had a lot of fun putting together a 90s squad for my Ultimate Team in NBA Live 15. However, I’ve yet to construct my ultimate fantasy team in either game, though it would currently only be feasible in NBA 2K. I thought I’d tip things off this week by sharing that lineup with you all.

Before we get going…just in case it isn’t clear, this isn’t a squad of the players that I believe to be the greatest of all-time (though there certainly is some overlap with that list). This is simply a fantasy lineup that I’d love to be able to put together to play with in Ultimate Team or MyTEAM, assuming that every player was available in both games. Having said that, let’s begin with my starting five…

[Andrew]

December 14th, 2015: Cheating in Basketball Games

“If you cheat, you’re only cheating yourself.” It may sound like a trite and corny saying these days, but it still holds merit. There are times when it’s fun to use cheat codes or hack a game, and a lot of old school games all but require hint books and walkthroughs, but playing “legit” tends to be the more rewarding experience. Still, if you really want to cheat or cut corners in a single player experience, and you’re having fun doing so, so be it. Even if you do find that it gets boring after a while, you’ve only spoiled your own experience. No harm done, and you can just start all over again.

Of course, it’s a different story once you bring a second player into the mix. The connected experience is a big part of basketball games these days, and something that a lot of gamers really enjoy. However, more and more often, I’m seeing complaints from basketball gamers whose experience has been affected by people cheating online, generally through the use of hacked players in MyPARK. In turn, gamers with hacked players have defended the practice, and dismissed the complaints as petty whining. It’s a controversial practice and a divisive subject, so I thought it was definitely worth taking a look at.

[Andrew]

December 21st, 2015: My Ultimate NBA Video Game

‘Tis the season to make Wishlists…both in the sense that development is well under way for both NBA Live 17 and NBA 2K17, and the fact that for those who celebrate it, Christmas is almost upon us. For some of you, one or both of this year’s games might be in your stocking, but at this point, you probably know what to expect when you get a hold of them. The visions of the NBA video games that dance in our heads – not unlike the sugar-plums that Clement Clarke Moore wrote about – likely won’t be coming to fruition just yet.

In interviews with us and other websites, NBA Live Executive Producer Sean O’Brien has talked about wishing he could take the game he sees in his mind, and immediately give it to us. At the same time, I have to imagine that for Leftos and the rest of the guys at Visual Concepts, the gears in their heads are always turning, as they think of ways to make NBA 2K even bigger and better. And of course, we basketball gamers can come up with some creative ideas as well.

To that end, for this week’s Monday Tip-Off, I wanted to talk about my vision of the ultimate NBA video game. I want to keep things as practical as possible, but for the sake of fantasy and what-ifs, I’m also going to assume that the available technology can handle all of the concepts competently, and that licensing, likeness rights and so on would not be an issue. With that said, what would my ultimate NBA video game be like?

[Andrew]

January 4th, 2016: Why Modders Stop Modding

In my first Friday Five of 2016, I mentioned that one of the things I wanted to do this year was get back into modding (or patching, to use the term that was originally popular in our community). While I’ve shifted towards creating other types of content in recent years, the lure of modding as a creative outlet can be relatively strong at times. As I said in the Five, I don’t think I’ll ever be as prolific as I once was, or sometimes wish that I could be, but I’d like to try and get a little more involved with modding once again.

Of course, there are several reasons that I’ve stepped away from modding in recent years. They’re the same reasons that most modders come and go as the years pass in our community, though since I’m running the NLSC and have found other content that I enjoy producing, I’m obviously still around. With my intention of getting back into modding every now and again, I wanted to talk a little about some of those reasons why modders stop modding. Aside from answering a few questions about why I’m not making roster updates anymore, I’m hoping that it can facilitate a little more understanding in the community, and make the modding scene a friendlier place.

So…why do modders call it quits?

[Kevin]

Probably one of the best articles you've written so far.

It does get to a point where modding isn’t fun anymore, because it feels more like an obligation and a chore than an enjoyable creative outlet. If you’ve been active in the modding community for a few years, chances are you’ll want to take a break – or call it a day – once you’re a bit over the hobby.

I took a break because people were acting like they own me and it sort of pushed me away from modding games anymore. They don't care that we spend hours or days working on a cyberface or roster for free, they just want it to be done so they can use it already.

You should always be modding because you enjoy doing it, not because you feel you must. For people who are downloading mods, please keep in mind that modders are people with their own lives, and that modding is something they do free of charge in their spare time. Nothing accelerates burnout like being pestered about releasing work, so a bit of patience and consideration goes a long way.

Too many times, this is the case. They actually think WE (modders) work for them and treat us like we're factory workers.

They’ll often publicly quit and return several times, for the ego boost of being missed and then welcomed back enthusiastically. This isn’t the way to treat the community, and a poor way for a modder to hang it up.

The number of people who do this is too damn high. I remember this attitude happening in the 2k14 releases section where a modder goes "AFK" for 2 weeks or a month and comes back only when there's a certain number of people saying that "his work is going to be missed" or "where did he go? I thought he was going to do *insert cf request*"

[Andrew]

Thanks, as I said in my reply to TGsoGood's comment, I felt it was an important matter to discuss.

There definitely is a sense of entitlement at times, which is problematic on both sides. Unfortunately, some people do need to be reminded a little bluntly that "hurry up!" does not make mods get made any quicker, and isn't particularly encouraging. On the modding side of things, I'd really like to be able to curb the egotistical stuff, especially the public quitting and returning in order to feel wanted and receive acclaim. It all comes down to modding for the right reasons, and all of us treating each other fairly and with respect.

[Andrew]

January 11th, 2016: A Look at Basketball Video Game Story Threads

If you’ve browsed the NLSC Forum, chances are you’ve noticed our Basketball Video Game Stories section. It’s a place where you can entertain your fellow basketball gamers with ongoing coverage of your exploits in NBA Live and NBA 2K, whether you’re playing through the franchise or single player career modes. Over the years, we’ve had some very creative and popular story threads, many of which are now enshrined in our two Story Hall of Fame subsections, so that we can easily go back and enjoy them all over again.

However, story threads have somewhat fallen out of fashion. While we still have gamers posting in the Basketball Video Game Stories section – and we certainly encourage everyone to make use of it, if they feel so inclined – it sadly seems that we’re past the heyday of the story thread. There are a few reasons for this, which I thought I’d explore in today’s Monday Tip-Off, in addition to shining a spotlight on the section and the practice of maintaining story threads in general.

So, what are story threads all about, what was so enthralling about them, and why are they kind of becoming a thing of the past?

[Andrew]

January 18th, 2016: Playing Old Basketball Video Games

Based on past polls, mod releases, and general discussion, a majority of basketball gamers move on to the latest game in the series they play, usually within a couple of months of its release, if not immediately. While retro gaming is a popular hobby, sports games generally aren’t an ideal genre for it. After all, most fans prefer to play with the latest rosters, and take advantage of the improvements and additions that are made year-to-year. As a result, sports games don’t move well in the second hand market, with lower trade-in prices owing to the annual releases, and less interest in playing them once they’re outdated.

Of course, sometimes we do go back and play older basketball games. I’m sure we all have some old favourites that we can dust off and nostalgically enjoy despite their age, and certain titles do become classics. Arcade-oriented basketball games such as NBA Jam and NBA Street also tend to age a little better, since they’re adopting a more casual and less realistic approach to the sport in the first place. However, some of the best sim-oriented titles in the past decade or so also hold up respectably well. As such, if you have a new roster patch or an old season save game, an older title might still hold a lot of appeal.

But then you’ve got basketball gamers who aren’t going back to older games; they haven’t stopped playing them in the first place. Whether it’s because they’re unable to upgrade, or don’t wish to upgrade, they shun the latest releases in favour of an older game. So, for this week’s Monday Tip-Off, I wanted to take a look at some of the reasons why we play old basketball video games.

[Andrew]

January 25th, 2016: How Ratings Got Better in NBA Live 16

The official roster updates for NBA Live 16 haven't exactly received universal acclaim so far. In addition to a couple of players still lacking proper faces, there have been lingering issues with missing players, incorrect jersey numbers, and other anomalies with player bio data, though subsequent updates have included several fixes on all those fronts. I do suspect that there may still be some issues with the update system that's in place, and the lack of in-game roster editing functionality is sorely missed as a result. However, except for a couple of weeks over the holiday break, the weekly updates have been coming through consistently, and on time.

Each week, the official NBA Live website spotlights the biggest movers and shakers in the latest roster update, and there have been some significant ratings changes since NBA Live 16's launch. Generally speaking, I feel that some really good work has been done with the ratings in the NBA Live 16 roster updates, as the season has progressed. Having made unofficial roster updates for NBA Live for many years, I appreciate the constant balancing act of not getting too carried away boosting and decreasing ratings, and the pain of getting overall ratings to look "correct", without skewering the individual ratings to make it happen.

So, what stands out to me the most when it comes to the improved ratings in NBA Live 16?

[Andrew]

February 1st, 2016: The Hall of Fame Ratings Scale in NBA 2K16

In last week’s Monday Tip-Off, I discussed how ratings have improved in NBA Live 16, with each week’s roster update. I mentioned that I hoped to see that trend continue, and made note of NBA 2K16’s Hall of Fame ratings scale as a concept that EA Sports should also consider adopting. This week, I’d like to talk a little bit more about that revised approach to player ratings in NBA 2K16, as it’s also something that 2K Sports should definitely stick with.

From the moment that the Hall of Fame ratings scale was mentioned during the preview season for NBA 2K16, it struck me as an excellent idea. There will never be universal agreement about player ratings, and supposedly “perfect” ratings won’t overcome gameplay quirks, but we obviously want ratings to be as accurate as possible. In devising the Hall of Fame concept, I believe that 2K has enhanced their ratings system with a fair and logical approach.

So, what is the Hall of Fame ratings scale, and why was I so pleased to see it adopted in NBA 2K16?

[Andrew]

February 8th, 2016: Sportsmanship & Online Basketball Gaming

If you caught Episode #144 of the NLSC Podcast, you’ll know that I went on a bit of a rant about a recent experience I had while playing NBA Live 16 online. In a nutshell, I had an opponent who was losing quit with a couple of seconds left in the fourth quarter, to avoid the loss and rob me of the win. Needless to say, I wasn’t exactly pleased by that turn of events. The word I used on the Podcast was “scumbag”, and I stand by that description. It was not the sporting thing to do, plain and simple.

The matter of sportsmanship in online basketball gaming is an important one, and since podcasts aren’t everyone’s favourite medium, I’ve decided to write about it in this week’s Monday Tip-Off. Of course, the issue isn’t exclusive to basketball games, but when it comes to both major hoops titles, unfortunately there aren’t really any measures in place to prevent or at least discourage it. Don’t like the way things are going? Want to avoid picking up a loss? Then just quit, or cause a disconnection. Or preferably, don’t. To put it bluntly, it’s incredibly poor form, and shouldn’t be allowed.

You may feel that it isn’t a big deal, that it’s just the way it goes with online play. I would strongly disagree with that assertion, however. This is something that both EA Sports and 2K Sports need to find a way to address, and behaviour that certain basketball gamers need to cut out.

[Andrew]

February 15th, 2016: A Tale of Two Franchise Games

In the last couple of episodes of the NLSC Podcast, Arcane and I have gotten back to discussing what we’re doing with basketball video games each week, be it NBA Live 16, NBA 2K16, or both. If you’ve listened to Episode #145, you may recall that I mentioned that I’ve started both a Dynasty game in NBA Live 16, and a MyLEAGUE game in NBA 2K16. In each game’s franchise mode, I’ve elected to take control of the Chicago Bulls, and make one offseason move: signing Ben Gordon.

On the surface, the more logical course of action would seem to be opting for completely different experiences in each game’s franchise mode. However, I thought that it would be interesting to see how the same approach would play out in each game, and how the results of each franchise game would ultimately compare to one another. Aside from differences in gameplay, MyLEAGUE is also a much deeper mode than Dynasty, which is likely to be a big factor in changing up the experience.

So, as I look to tip off both franchise games, what are my expectations?

[Andrew]

February 22nd, 2016: Support for Basketball Games, Then & Now

When you’ve been playing video games for a long time, you can’t help but marvel when you look back at the games you used to play, and realise just how far gaming has come since then. This is particularly noticeable when it comes to genres that tend to see annual releases, as is the case with basketball games and other spots titles. Sometimes, it’s difficult to notice the changes and truly appreciate the improvements that basketball games make, until you go back and play an old release, or make side by side comparisons. While there’s still room for improvement and innovation, basketball games have undoubtedly come a long way.

Most of the improvements are obvious once you make a comparison, and they have been frequently spotlighted and discussed over the years. However, one improvement that arguably remains a little underappreciated is post-release support, specifically bug fix updates and new content. That’s not to say that there aren’t still problems and controversial practices, and I will touch on them as well. But looking back, you can see a steady improvement in this aspect of basketball games, which is encouraging as we look ahead to future releases.

So, what has the support for basketball video games been like, then and now?

[Andrew]

February 29th, 2016: NBA Live 15 Ultimate Team Reel

As you may have seen, in the past few months I’ve been making some videos for Wayback Wednesday. I’ve really enjoyed creating some video content for the NLSC, and I’ve been working on sharpening my video editing skills as I’d like to keep making them. To that end, I’ve made use of some NBA Live 15 clips that I’ve had saved, and put together a highlight reel of my exploits in Ultimate Team.

Since my NBA Live 15 Ultimate Team – the Breeze, named after Chicago’s team in World League Basketball – featured a healthy amount of NBA Legends from the 90s, I’ve used songs from the NBA Live 99 soundtrack as the score. Despite the fact I’m traditionally more interested in the franchise modes, I’ve become quite fond of Ultimate Team these past few years. I had a lot of fun assembling and playing with my 90s squad, but sadly, I wasn’t able to acquire Scottie Pippen. Perhaps I’ll have better luck in NBA Live 16. In any event, check out the reel below, or watch it here on YouTube if you can’t see the embedded video.

phpBB [video]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=po6wf0-5HFw

[Andrew]

March 7th, 2016: Modding Old Basketball Video Games

A couple of months ago, I talked about why we enjoy going back and playing old basketball video games. Dusting off an old favourite is almost always an enjoyably nostalgic experience; however, the further back you go, the more aware you’ll be of how much basketball games have improved over the years. Some games are fun to revisit, but you can’t always spend too much time with them as they’re just too outdated, too primitive compared to what we’re used to now. While that may mean a simpler experience with an appealing “pick up and play” factor, it can also feel a bit shallow after a while.

Of course, there are some gamers who still prefer playing older titles to newer ones, for various reasons. Whether you’re still actively playing an older basketball game, or you’re going back and playing an old favourite for a change of pace, the experience can be greatly enhanced by mods and patches. We still have quite a few people making updates for older titles, as we even had some uploads for NBA Live 2000 as recently as August last year. In terms of newer games, there’s still a thriving modding community for NBA 2K14 PC, even though a lot of gamers moved on to NBA 2K15, and subsequently NBA 2K16.

So, why do we still enjoy modding older basketball games, long after their popularity has started to fade?

[Andrew]

March 14th, 2016: What Is Constructive Feedback?

In case you’re unaware, we’re currently in the midst of compiling our Wishlists for NBA Live 17 and NBA 2K17. As always, our goal is to put together comprehensive lists of constructive feedback for the development teams at EA Tiburon and Visual Concepts, spotlighting the additions we want to see, issues that need to be addressed, and improvements that would make the things we like even better. If you take a look at the two threads, you’ll see that some great suggestions and feedback have already been posted.

The fact that we’re aiming to be constructive in our feedback is something that I make a point of mentioning whenever we tip-off our annual Wishlist threads. It’s also a reminder that I like to put out there for everyone involved our modding community. After all, whether you’re talking about the people developing basketball video games, or the people who are making unofficial add-ons and modifications for them, it’s important to give them the kind of feedback that they can put to good use.

So, what do we really mean when we say “constructive feedback”?

[Andrew]

March 21st, 2016: No Such Thing as Too Much Content

Ask most basketball gamers, and they’ll likely agree that there’s no way that you can have too many options, or too much content, in the games they play. However, there is a vocal contingent of fans who seem to grumble about being presented with too much customisation, or game modes that they aren’t interested in. Words like “overkill” may be used, as well as more self-centred declarations like “I don’t care about that”, and its even more presumptuous cousin, “Nobody cares about that”.

The fact of the matter is, when it comes to basketball games like NBA Live and NBA 2K, you really can’t have too many options. There’s really no such thing as having too much content. After all, if you’re happy with the default settings, there’s no need to worry about changing them. Likewise, if you’re satisfied with one or two of the modes that a game offers, you can simply ignore the ones that you have no interest in playing.

So why do some basketball gamers get up in arms about having too many options made available to them, or content that they’re not interested in?

[Andrew]

March 28th, 2016: NBA 2K Locker Codes Disappoint Again

Last week, the official NBA 2K Twitter account topped one million followers. To celebrate, a new Locker Code was redeemable for 48 hours, providing gamers with a random prize for punching it in. Judging by some of the Re-Tweets by Ronnie 2K, a decent amount of people did receive worthwhile prizes, including Diamond and Amethyst cards for MyTEAM. As is the case with anything that’s luck of the draw, some people do appear to have been very lucky.

At the same time, it seems that a lot of people were not. Upon entering the code in both the PC and PlayStation 4 versions of NBA 2K16, I received 500 VC in each. Of course, I’m not really in a position to complain, as several people (including Arcane, as he mentioned on last week’s Podcast) received as little as 200 VC. This led to several NBA 2K gamers voicing their displeasure, and the official Twitter account even dipped back below one million followers after a short-lived hashtag campaign, though it did recover and its follower count is now at 1.01 million.

Simply put, there is an issue with Locker Codes in NBA 2K, and things don’t seem to be any better than when I broached the topic in one of my first Monday Tip-Off columns last year. This isn’t the first time that the value of random Locker Code rewards has been criticised, so what needs to change?

[Andrew]

April 4th, 2016: Should Basketball Video Games Have DLC?

We're at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up...it's Monday Tip-Off! Start your week here at the NLSC with a feature that's dedicated to opinions, commentary, and other fun stuff related to NBA Live, NBA 2K, and other basketball video games.

Let's broach a controversial topic today: downloadable content. Downloadable content is a polarising aspect of modern gaming to say the least, as many gamers despise it, and believe that it's ruining the hobby. At the same time, there are plenty of gamers who will enthusiastically tell developers to shut up and take their money when appealing DLC is announced. In my view, there are valid arguments on both sides.

DLC isn't something we've had to deal with much when it comes to basketball video games. These days, sports games are expected to receive updates throughout the season, and those updates are included in the price of the game. While they do have bonus content that could feasibly be expanded with DLC, sports games generally don't lend themselves to the concept as much as games that can receive new maps, weapons, missions, characters, and so on.

It would be feasible for EA Sports and 2K Sports to offer that kind of content for NBA Live and NBA 2K though, so I ask the question: should basketball video games have DLC?

[Andrew]

April 11th, 2016: No Conspiracy with NBA 2K Modding

In many respects, our modding community for NBA 2K is still going strong. We have modders developing updates for NBA 2K16 PC, as well as some of the other recent releases, chiefly NBA 2K14. Thanks to the talents, intuition, and perseverance of some of our most dedicated members, we've been able to make some in-roads into modding NBA 2K16, despite the challenges posed by the new file containers that were introduced in NBA 2K15, the first time the PC version was ported from the PlayStation 4/Xbox One release.

Of course, the last two PC releases aren't as moddable as their predecessors, which has understandably led to some grumbling. However, it's also given rise to conspiracy theories that 2K Sports are trying to shut down the modding community, especially in light of a couple of former NLSC team members being hired by Visual Concepts. It's a frustrated declaration that I often see whenever the difficulty in modding the latest NBA 2K releases is discussed, and I can appreciate the sentiment. We've been able to do some great things through modding, and it's a shame that the hobby has suffered a few setbacks due to technical limitations these past couple of years.

However, it's a misguided suggestion, and also a little insulting to a couple of people who have done some outstanding work for us. To that end, I feel it's an issue I should discuss in more detail.

[Andrew]

April 18th, 2016: Tracking Down Old Patches

You may not have noticed it, seeing as how we're talking about content that appears at bottom of our Forum and Downloads section, but I recently tracked down my old pack of roster patches for NBA Live 96, which contains some of the earliest work that I released. It took a bit of detective work, including hitting up archive.org to find out the filename, and then finally locating it in my backups. While I have unfortunately lost some of my early work forever - or so it would seem, anyway - I was quite happy to discover that I still had those particular releases.

Originally, I was just trying to track down my 1997/1998 roster patch for NBA Live 96, to grab a screenshot for my Friday Five article on lost NBA Live saves. That's when I discovered I couldn't find any of my old roster patches. Originally, I used another screenshot in its place, published the article, and then spent the rest of the evening trying to find those old rosters. I was reluctant to accept that they were gone forever, and as it happens, my persistence paid off. As I said, I found an old link that revealed the filename, and from there, a search of my backups yielded the file.

Needless to say, while I was in that folder, I continued to have a look around...

[Andrew]

April 25th, 2016: An Ode to Disappointing Screenshots

Today's column has nothing to do with being disappointed in the screenshots that we see during the preview season. That does happen, of course, but it's an entirely different issue. No, I'm talking about the times when we're playing NBA Live or NBA 2K, something really exciting happens, and we immediately have to fire up Instant Replay to enjoy it again. Unfortunately, when we do, we discover that certain aspects of the play don't look quite as good as they did the first time around. That's when we end up with screenshots that can be pretty funny, but also disappointing when we're after a cool shot.

The technology that's used in basketball video games specifically (and gaming in general) has come a long way, and you can easily spotlight the improvements with side-by-side comparisons of screenshots and videos. There are still limitations of course, and while they aren't always noticeable during gameplay, they can be painfully obvious when we watch the action again from a closer angle, and in slow motion. Today's games look much more realistic than their predecessors, but you can still expect a few glitches to jump out and spoil your screenshots and videos now and again.

This week's Monday Tip-Off is all about memorable basketball gaming moments that don't end up looking so good. This is an ode to disappointing screenshots.

[Andrew]

May 2nd, 2016: Why Basketball Games Need Robust Modes

I'd like to talk a little more about something that I touched upon in last week's Friday Five. From time to time, I'll see one of my fellow basketball gamers opine that game modes don't really matter. While everyone is entitled to their own opinions and preferences, and I'll always advocate that everyone should play basketball games in a way that they enjoy rather than how someone else insists they "should", I have to be honest here: I'm definitely puzzled by that point of view.

When it comes down to it, basketball video games absolutely need to have robust depth modes. These days, that means a franchise mode, a single player career mode, a card collecting mode, and a mode that offers some sort of online league or squad play. I'm confident that a lot of people will agree with me here, but for those who don't feel that modes are all that important, please allow me to explain why many of us believe that they're vital to basketball games.

[Andrew]

May 9th, 2016: Why Basketball Games Need Custom Rosters

In last week's Monday Tip-Off, I talked about why basketball video games need to have robust game modes. As I explained in the article, having a variety of deep, engaging modes goes a long way in making a basketball video game feel complete, and fully featured. Combined with satisfying gameplay, appealing bonus content, and a bevy of customisation options, the end result is a well-rounded, quality release. In other words, the kind of basketball video game that we all want to see and play.

One of the customisation options that every basketball game absolutely must have is roster editing. When NBA Live and NBA 2K launched on the current generation of consoles, both games were missing the comprehensive roster editing tools that were available in previous releases. NBA 2K14 had some basic roster editing functionality, while the ability to customise rosters was completely absent in NBA Live 14. NBA 2K has since brought back roster editing, but unfortunately, it's yet to return in NBA Live.

Moving forward, it's absolutely essential that both games offer roster editing and that the functionality continues to expand and improve. Let's take a look at why this is such a vital feature in basketball video games.

[Andrew]

May 16th, 2016: When Awesome Presentation Isn’t So Great

There are a lot of ways that you can see just how much basketball video games have improved over the years. You can compare screenshots, and gameplay footage. You can read retrospectives and reviews, comparing and contrasting their critique. Best of all, you can get some firsthand impressions by playing an old favourite from many years ago; it won’t be long before you notice some outdated tech that’s come a long way since then. Not every basketball video game is better in every single way than all of the titles that came before it, but the further back you look, the more progress you will see.

Another method of seeing just how far basketball video games have come is to glance back at our old Wishlists. We have Wishlists dating back to 1997, when the community was awaiting the release of NBA Live 98. Take a look back at those articles in our content portals, and you’ll see that a lot of the things that we were asking for have since become a reality. Multi-season franchise modes, online leagues, historical teams, single player career modes, full TV-style presentation…a lot of our wishes have made their way into NBA Live and NBA 2K over the years.

When it comes to in-depth broadcast presentation, however, you may have to be careful what you wish for. Sometimes, awesome presentation isn’t so great.

[Andrew]

May 23rd, 2016: The New Game Blues of MyCAREER

In the best case scenario, the release of a new NBA Live or NBA 2K title will tip off several months of enjoyable basketball gaming. Ideally, we’ll see enhancements to the gameplay and game modes, with troublesome issues being resolved and much-desired features being added. In short order, we’ll start building our Ultimate Team or MyTEAM, meet up with friends for some Pro-Am games, choose a team for Dynasty, MyLEAGUE, or MyGM, or step into the shoes of an NBA player with a new Rising Star or MyCAREER game.

Of course, even if we’re enjoying a new basketball video game as much as its predecessor – or enjoying it more, as the case may be – it’s possible to feel at least a little bit of regret about what we’ve left behind. If we spend a lot of time with a game, sinking hours upon hours into a mode that has us hooked, it can be hard to move on. The bar will be set very high for the next game, and recapturing the magic that enchanted us for close to a year is easier said than done.

That’s how I felt when I made the jump from NBA 2K13 to NBA 2K14, and tried to follow up on a memorable MyCAREER experience.

[Andrew]

May 30th, 2016: Why Do We Care About Cover Players?

The reveal of the cover player for NBA 2K17 is just a couple of days away, set to coincide with the grand final of the Road To The Finals Pro-Am tournament in NBA 2K16. Stephen Curry seems like a good bet to appear on the cover for the second year in a row, perhaps joined by Klay Thompson, or maybe even the Golden State Warriors’ entire starting five. Paul George also seems like a distinct possibility, seeing as how he was the cover player of the MyNBA2K16 app, and appeared in the trailer announcing the Legend Edition of NBA 2K17 featuring Kobe Bryant on the cover.

Admittedly, for a lot of gamers, the player that appears on the cover of NBA Live and NBA 2K is largely unimportant. In the grand scheme of things, it has no bearing on the quality of the game, and is mostly only significant in terms of marketing. I imagine that under normal circumstances, very few people would flat out refuse to buy a game if a certain player was on the cover, and anyone who does was probably looking for an excuse not to buy it anyway. Yet, as often as it’s dismissed as an irrelevant topic of discussion, it’s something that we inevitably end up talking about every year.

So, why do basketball gamers care about who’s on the cover of NBA Live and NBA 2K?

[Andrew]

June 6th, 2016: Are You Modding For The Right Reasons?

In previous Monday Tip-Off columns, I've discussed a few issues related to our modding community: problems with ego, why modders stop modding, and why people make mods for older basketball video games. In a couple of those features, I've touched upon the right reasons and the wrong reasons to get involved in the modding scene for basketball video games. While I don't want to harp on the same topics over and over again, sometimes they do bear repeating, especially when certain issues arise time and time again.

We recently had another incident in the Forum which reminded me that although we are a talented modding community, unfortunately there are some individuals who do have a bad attitude. I suppose it's inevitable and it's always disappointing, but it's perhaps even more disappointing when I see other people defend and enable that behaviour. While everyone is entitled to their own point of view, I'd suggest that you're betting on the wrong horse if you're on the side of the person who's throwing a tantrum like a toddler.

I feel like we need a refresher here, so having said that, what are the right and wrong reasons to mod, the good and the bad attitudes to have towards the hobby?

[[Q]]

well, modding used to be a necessity back when all players/faces/courts/etc weren't in the game and needed to be put in. now that 2k's done that an then some with some gnarly bells and whistles, what is left to mod? <-Serious question