by Andrew on Sat Apr 14, 2007 4:36 pm
I don't disagree that Freestyle Superstars has its problems but I don't think the concept should be scrapped entirely. One of the staples of the Wishlist has been asking for more control over the players and the ability to perform certain moves on demand and that's what FSS is meant to achieve. Unfortunately, it hasn't been perfect in execution as can be overpowering at times.
I really like the idea of players having their own moveset so that even benchwarmers would be able to perform a few basic fakes or force an up-and-under layup. The success of these moves would still depend on a player's abilities, so a player like Kobe Bryant would be able to convert on a difficult up-and-under move more often than someone like Trenton Hassell, as well as having a more diverse range of offensive moves.
One important factor that would greatly improve FSS would be toning down the success of offensive FSS moves especially when they are defended effectively. The layups in the Outside Scorer moveset are higher percentage shots than they should be, especially in the hands of the CPU. While athletic swingmen like Kobe and T-Mac are known for making their share of difficult up-and-under reverse layups, they aren't guaranteed buckets especially if the defense has forced them under the backboard or they are a little out of control.
A couple of people have brought up the idea of FSS moves having a bigger effect on Fatigue or their effectiveness being greatly reduced when a player is tired and I think that would be a great way of controlling the power of offensive FSS. It will cut down on the abuse in both user vs user and user vs CPU games forcing both sides to be a little more conservative with FSS use and pick their spots rather than trading FSS baskets at both ends.
I'd also set a certain range and condition for the FSS moves so that they are more successful when executed in the appropriate range from the basket and cannot be attempted if they are out of range or the situation doesn't allow for it. This is particularly true for High Flyer FSS since there's no way a player would gather for a showtime stuff from a standing start at the three point line which is very easy to do by accident. Beyond accounting for human error however, the restriction would also mean that a player can't attempt a move like a high flying dunk when there's no way a player in real life would (or could) given the current situation with their position on the court and the presence of the defense.
Basically, I think it's important we have a great amount of control over what the players do on the court so the concept of FSS is solid. Unfortunately the current execution of the idea lends itself to moves that tend to be too powerful resulting in gameplay that can at times feel arcade-like.