The graphic downgrade cycle starts here

I glad i'm not the only one who feels this way. 2K15 did take a step back graphically.

Game looks washed out and flat for a lack of a better description. I dunno, maybe i'm trippin.

Honestly the only thing that's really changed is they toned down the crazy amount of reflection on courts(which didn't look good at all unless courts are glass now), and tweaked the shaders on the players. They added a wrinkle texture to the jerseys and player faces are actually look less rubbery(yet for some reason people liked it more because it had more shine I guess). The arenas are only marginally darker but overall the game still looks damn near the same. I think the "newness" of the graphics has just worn off and people are expecting more. Toning down reflections makes it "look worse" because most games now overdue the lighting to enhance the effect but also 2k's courts aren't that much different from last gen. The lighting and slightly higher res masked it last year.

honestly i thought 2k14 next gen was too shiny and had way too much reflection and "bling bling"

i like 2k15 better!!

a middle ground of the 2 would be best for 2k16

The court textures are terrible on next-gen. It's like all the courts are the same resolution as last gen. Can't wait for modding to start so we can get some HD parquets going.

2K14 graphics are way better and it ain't even close.

so worse many wow.

Sorry but 2k14's graphics were way better last year. 2k15 is so dull and eerie

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I prefer the way the players look in 2k15.

Sometimes too much sharpness can be unrealistic. Better to have it looking smooth and life-like, like actual flesh.

Some of you people need to learn to read more than the title.

I don't know how many times I have to keep replying to your worthless posts of Harden, but it is not the current players in question.

But, it is good to know that you've let the 2K marketing of close-up faces get to you.

There has been a noticeable downgrade in court visuals, stadium lighting and the general look has left the game dull, too dark in areas (many bench players on the end can barely be seen) and basically lacking the soul that made 14 look so amazing.

There has been a noticeable downgrade in court visuals, stadium lighting and the general look has left the game dull, too dark in areas (many bench players on the end can barely be seen) and basically lacking the soul that made 14 look so amazing.

There's nothing objective about this, though. It's completely subjective. You're choosing to ignore others who have a contrary, yet also subjective, opinion, that 2K14 was too glossy and 'wet', and that the toned down, less reflected, muted, 'dull' as you put it, tones, make the game appear more true to life, and less fake and cartoonish. What you're calling a 'downgrade' appears to be an upgrade for many others.

At the very least, I think it's a little outlandish (although I've been wrong before) to think that 2K15 took a purposeful, concerted step down in graphics from 2K14. There is certainly less vibrancy and shine on the courts; that's for sure. However, if their goal was to accomplish that, after many criticisms about 2K14 being over-saturated and the courts looking like swimming pools, then they absolutely hit their mark. It shouldn't be 2K14 we're comparing 2K15 to, but a television broadcast. Are we closer to reality now than we were?

I'd like to think so. But again, this is all subjective and preferential, and thus, that's how we should be discussing it. Not as if there's some absolute be all end all answer -- cause there isn't.

Are we closer to reality now than we were?

Good post and I see your point of view for sure.

To me and many others though, the game simply doesn't look as visually pleasing.

And 2K of all developers know that in many cases, graphical effects that don't imitate real life can often give a better look in videogame form.

Things like exaggerated jersey physics, sweat, camera flashes in the crowd (something that I hate in 2K15, the huge flashlights every few seconds are distracting and look nothing like you see during a real broadcast), even the new under arm hair is exaggerated (most players shave/wax) and it's certainly not visible like the game suggests.

I think the 2K14 court lighting and reflections should have remained in the game at the very least as an option. I also hope it is patched back into this game and not left as a 'new feature' for 2K16.

However, if their goal was to accomplish that, after many criticisms about 2K14 being over-saturated and the courts looking like swimming pools, then they absolutely hit their mark. It shouldn't be 2K14 we're comparing 2K15 to, but a television broadcast. Are we closer to reality now than we were?

I'm afraid we aren't. Check some real life pictures to see how players reflections show in courts:









Yes I am aware that in some courts, through certain camera angles and lighting reflections and according to other factors (floor waxing etc) are not that visible, but in the vast majority of the nba courts players reflections are rather visible, especially in certain areas like the paint.

I don't have the game yet but the footage I've seen shows only some low-quality shadows and no reflection at all. I do agree that 2k14 had over the top reflections and shine, but going from over the top to none at all was excessive and I'm affraid we're not closer to reality at all.

Here's a video also...check out how the ceiling lights and the players reflect on the court:

phpBB [video]

Especially inside the paint it's super-visible. NBA2k15 looks nothing like that.

Yes, and for every video or screen you grab where it is prevalent, someone can grab one where they are not, and say, "see, 2K15 looks a lot more like this than 2K14 did". In that video you posted, the only reflection you really see is the strip across the entire court from the adboard lights between the seating levels. In the broadcast, you don't see a reflection of the players, or really anything else in the floor itself. Again, this is very subjective, and a lot of it has to do with camera angle, zoom, etc.

Maybe we were watching a different video. Did you watch it in HD? In the paint the reflections are crystal clear, while in the rest of the parquet there are reflections as well.

Reflections
Right at the beginning: Irving and his defender
00:04: Maccabi's center in weak side
00:06: Lebron when he lands from his jump shot you can see his reflection on the parquet
ok you know where this is going...the whole video! I could freeze the video and take screenshots if you want.

Here is another video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3F3YIyMLzM

I can keep the videos coming all day long. I challenge you to find HD high quality videos showing TV-broadcast with no reflections on the court. If you do find any it will probably be low-quality very low brightness video. All HD high quality videos will have reflections.

All HD high quality videos will have reflections.

So does 2K15.

Again, nobody said anything about 'no reflections on the court' (my post was indicating the level of shine and its prevalence, not the existence at all) -- that isn't the case in 2K15, either. I have reflections on my courts in 2K15. So does everyone else who has posted a screen or video that I've seen. What I don't have is a glossy, unrealistic sheen that was present in 2K14 but not present in real life. If you think that those videos look like 2K14, God bless you, but I whole heartedly disagree. These videos appear to exist between the shine levels of 2K14 and 2K15, which is why I will continue to reiterate that it is a matter of preference between the two, and not that there was some graphic downgrade -- there wasn't. I get it. You prefer the shine from 2K14. I prefer my players to not look like they're running around in puddles. Nobody's mind is being changed here. That's what I'm trying to point out.

I await you to post three more videos that show shine in the floor, and completely ignore the rest of the context of my post.

I await you to post three more videos that show shine in the floor, and completely ignore the rest of the context of my post.

I do agree that 2k14 had over the top reflections and shine, but going from over the top to none at all was excessive and I'm affraid we're not closer to reality at all.

You prefer the shine from 2K14.

Hopefully, once we are able to mod the game, this is something we can increase, for users who prefer that, as has been the case in previous versions of 2K. I would like there to be slightly more, as well, but certainly not to where it was in 2K14. I think the shine and reflection from the arena lights is good, as well as the reflections in the painted areas from players; but I could live with some more small shine from the players in non-painted areas.

I hope we can turn down the blur as well(although I doubt it).

NBA Live does it best. They have the right *type* of reflection and the right amount to make it look realistic because obviously you can't simulate real time reflections and still have 60fps. I wish 2K would take a page out of their book when it comes to their stadiums and courts.

NBA Live does it best. They have the right *type* of reflection and the right amount to make it look realistic because obviously you can't simulate real time reflections and still have 60fps. I wish 2K would take a page out of their book when it comes to their stadiums and courts.

Agreed. I don't know if Live just has the magic touch when it comes to courts or 2K art people aren't as good replicating courts, but live clearly demonstrates that it's possible to make courts look more realistic, I guess is the word. The courts in NBA Live 10 still look great.

Main issue here for us who care about this, is that not many others really care about this. I don't think I've seen many, if any threads or tweets anywhere talking about this.

In terms of overall graphics, the game doesn't look "life like" at all. It's a combination of many things. I think textures would be a good start. Start scanning more things. Courts play a big part too. I'm sure they can scan the parquet textures, and get their own pictures for reference, if it's so hard for them to get courts right. Fifa 15's grass improvement is a good example of how much better the game can look with improvement in playing surface visuals.

nba 2k15 too fat legs

Anyone with a good memory of the series will also remember at one stage (forget which year) they actually implemented gradual sweat spots on the jerseys. This hasn't been seen again.

NBA 2K9 is the one with the sweat spots on the jerseys.

I also wondered why they removed it. For a second I thought because sweat spots are barely visible on real jerseys (except for the satin ones) but I don't think that's their main reason.

I also agree that 2K10 got the best graphics from the last gen. It's still good at 2K11 and 2K12 but during the 2K13 it seems like they toned it down even more. I thought it's just me, that the graphics are starting to tone down year by year because I'm getting used to it, but it seems like it's really on the developers' side.

todo el mundo se dio cuanta de las rebaja de las iluminación pero nadie habla del cambio de textura en la piel y aparte el cambio en la forma de l tono muscular y el cambio en los músculos en nba 2k15 ya no se notan las venas de los jugadores al flexionar el brazo con lo era en nba 2k14 si nos ponemos a ve rebajaron las textura de los músculos ya que no son personalizados !

http://i.ytimg.com/vi/j14H6nOahvA/maxresdefault.jpg

http://chrissmoove.com/wp-content/uploa ... iffin4.jpg

http://media.operationsports.com/shots/ ... -media.jpg

detallen en las marca de heridas en las brazos de los jugadores como los son wade, duran

everyone how much of the reduction of the lighting gave but nobody talks of change in skin texture and separate the change in L-shaped muscle tone and change in nba 2k15 muscles and veins not noticeable players to flex the arm with nba 2k14 was to see if we have lowered the texture of the muscles as they are not custom!

http://www.hardcoregamer.com/wp-content ... bryant.jpg

details in the wound marks on arms players and are wade, kevin nba 2k14 muscles are much more realistic and detailed than nba 2k15

English only.