this game has become much more fun and challenging for me once i used these configurations and settings. i'm not really sure if each one has a significant effect, but i still use them anyways
my roster: nlsc tweaked
options: arcade mode with simulation settings
- turn on offensive rebounding
- use player lock
- set difficulty to rookie( steals are reduced )
- set an offensive play for each team( i usually just put inside triangle for both teams...players actually post up and make cuts to the basket )
- to stop a fastbreak ally-oop, run into the player you think will receive the ball( undercutting the player usually makes him miss )
- if your teammate has the ball on the baseline, press the pick & roll play button( the ballhandler will make a successfull drop pass to the screener most of the time )
- if need a basket, give the ball to your scorer and press the isolation play button( he'll try to drive in first then try to post up if he's a forward...this attracts the defense and the computer usually passes it out again if he can't score )
- give your teammates the ball( of course this requires player lock...along with the inside triangle play, passing the ball to a player on the wing will usually make that player attempt to post up a big guy and you can position yourself for the shot as well )
- use zone defense( i think its more challenging and adds variety to each defensive play )
- turn off lighting( ok this has nothing to do with gameplay but aside from making the game run smoother, for me it makes the graphics more photo-realistic...btw i'm on 1600x1200 resolution )
- don't take every available fastbreak( this is kind of handicapping the player, but i guess we gotta do it until they improve the ai )
- while your computer teammate is backing down in the post, force him to shoot once he's near enough( if you wait, the ball sometimes gets stolen, he takes a fadeaway, or he's too deep to get a good shot )
- play realistically! you don't have to win every game. one of the things that i always keep in mind while playing is the stats. trying to match a player's actual stats is part of the fun for me
that's it...hope this works for you