Possible fix for NBA Elite 11 (Post constructive feedback)

In a couple of Tweets, Yaw's mentioned a possible update for the retail version of NBA Elite 11 based on community feedback on the demo, similar to what happened with NBA Live 10 last year. To that end, I thought I'd create a thread where we can compile some constructive feedback to send in to the Dev Team.

Let me stress that again: constructive feedback. Please keep any bashing and insults out of this thread and any snarkiness to a minimum. If you want to rip the demo, please use the impressions thread to post your thoughts. This thread is intended to be productive, so let's not have any of that stuff here.

That said, by all means post the things you didn't like about the demo and what you think could be done to fix the game. Obviously only so much is feasible via an update, but we might as well send in all the constructive feedback we can.

if the demo sliders are what we get in the game, add the Game Speed slider


that's the best I got right now

In the demo I can stop the opposing PG with any player. Get in front of him, stop him cold, even stop Rondo with Bynum. These guys have to be able to dribble around people, especially bigs.

Too many dunks from the FT line. Even one is too many when it's people like Bynum and Garnett dunking from the FT line.

Can camera angles be enabled when player locked? Maybe not in Be a Legend, but in regular franchise games or other games it would be nice.

Using the right trigger to pass or change player is a massive pain.

I'd much rather just tap a button rather than compress a trigger.

Please add more control options.

well after playing the demo its starting to feel better control wise since im and original fan of live I will help EA seeing as how im going to the triple double event later on today anyway

address in patch

-foul animations (very ugly)
-change kobes hair color
-game speed to fast (i think they can ask themselves what's happening on the court to fast as opposed to real life)
-more fluidty
-AI was up they should recognize to try and get the ball to a good foul shooter as I was obviously going to foul
-players slide and fall to easily on a regular basis even AI controlled teams UNREALISTIC
-TOO many steals!
-ray allens defense isnt that good
-add turbo
-kobe should dog ray allen as he does in 2k
-to many blocked shots off the turn around jumpshot in the post UNREALISTIC

also since so many people dislike elite myself including (still after having a better day with demo than others) shouldn't their be a way for fans that are skeptical of buying the game to see or play the patched up game before its release?

Using the right trigger to pass or change player is a massive pain.

I'd much rather just tap a button rather than compress a trigger.

Please add more control options.

Agreed!

Also, I notice that all the players run the same speed, even big mans like Bynum and KG they run PG speed. Big mans should be a lot slower than small mans. Decrease the steals for CPU cuz they steal everytime I touch the ball kind of the same issue with NBA Live 10. Game speed slower plz. I hope this is in the full version but stamina reduce in real NBA ppl get tired and gets subs to rest up and i don't see that in the game everytime i call a timeout or AI calls timeout everyone stamina bar is full and sometimes I take them out to rest 10 secs later after a foul or out of bounds they put back the same people on the floor that i took out which is defiantly unrealistic.

I know the stamina thing might not be an issue to anyone in the forums, but i hate seeing the same ppl on the floor for the whole game hope this is fixed then i'll buy peace.

1 more thing, AI should be a lot smarter with offense, I seen Ray Allen open at 3pt line and Rondo didn't pass to him he kept the ball but when Allen got covered then he passed to Ray. Easy steal for me! This should be fixed too although, they did a great job with defense. Also the movement looks so awkward when u taking a pull up jumpshot going left or right and sometimes a fadeaway plz fix that 2.

If they don't already have it, patching for hybrid controls (combining new stick controls with old school controls rather than new Elite vs old Live controls) would be greatly received by the Elite community.

do not touch the engine it's fine
keep elite 11 controls
just add more skin texture to players
add more animations to the 1s you already have
...game storylines like live 10
add more livelyness to the players during the pre-game
add a weekly analysis show to dynasty mode that reflects on all the games played in the last week
more signature jumpshot styles
add press confrences to become legendary
also add rating boosting drills to dynasty and become legendary
please diffrentiate the good scorers from the bad 1s because bad scorers take to many shots
fine tune stealing
add more options to the crossover system
fix the fatigue not like 2ks but make it so almost every bench players get at least a few minutes
add some highlight reel dunks and alley oops
make the commentary dynamic to adjust to the time of the season,playoffs,finals,etc
add all star weekend back
add a new difficulty ELITE the most smartest a.i.
add more post move options such as a running sky hook
please make the pass button LT and turbo RT
add a shot seperation option to the size up mode where you can take a defender off a angle
make the pick system more realistic where the screener actually sets the screen
add turbo
tune down the steals and blocks
fix that ugly walk players do after a stoppage in play
fix all that ball and player clipping and get stuck in the ground glitch
tune the cpu shot success they make to many shots with d all over them
please remove that lose the ball automatically when in the post

Last edited by rizzlekayandretti on Fri Oct 01, 2010 9:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.

More signature shots. Alot of players have unknowen shot forms
Players can still warp through other players
Change the lighting. Live 10 looks better then Elite IMO.
Give more fakeout discipline. I can through a nice fake and then can't go by the guy.
I have played this demo for about 3 hours and only went passed someone once. It took a crazy unrealistic amount of dribble moves.
All I got for now. I know I can think of a lot more.

As a very loyal EA Sports bball game follower I was extremely excited to see the Elite 11 demo on launch day. However, my first impression did not live up to my expectations. Some areas have taken a good step forward while others are pretty good ideas that need serious editing. Specifically, the control scheme seems to be at the user testing phase and not ready for release. The level of negative feedback is way to high at this stage of the game. In the past, most of the negative comments that I heard about the NBA Live games came from NBA 2K fans and were mostly irrational and inaccurate. However, in this case the negative feedback is coming from both sides of the community and is very consistent. While increased complexity can equal greater control, it does not always equal more fun. It's a balancing act that EA did not pull off in this case. You won't be able to sell the majority on the "improvements" if these "improvements" are too difficult and unnatural to use. I've been dying for more control over my players without canned animations. This game delivers that but the cost of this "improvement" is too high. I have never had such a hard time with game controls. I'm disappointed that these controls will almost definitely be the ones we see in the final product. I'll most likely use the "alternate" controls which are the old controls but I'll miss the improved shooting mechanic. It's a sad thing to have to sacrifice this greatly improved shooting mechanic because almost everything else that goes with it doesn't fit naturally.

Now for my GOOD and BAD:

The GOOD
- Shooting is a definite improvement
- Graphics were pretty good. Slightly improved IMO over previous game. I didn't expect to see the final products graphics in the demo. I'm sure it'll be even better on release.
- Presentation was improved. Commentary was better. One of my favorite features of last year's game was the crowd yelling MVP for my player when we played on the road, especially Staple Center lol. Not sure if this year's game continues that but I hope so.
- Advertised physics improvement seems to be working well with some minor kinks, but much better than previous game. I did not get sucked in to the 2-player animations that frustrated me to no end in the last game.
- The responsiveness of the controls was a good. My players do basically what I tell them to do a lot better than in the previous game. This comment applies mostly to defense.
- Directional passing is improved
- Become Legendary mode looks interesting and enjoyable. I actually wanted to continue my progression after the one game. I would definitely spend time in this mode.
- There was a hint that the dynasty mode will be improved but it flashed so quickly that I couldn't read the details. If this means more realistic simulations (stats, game outcomes, trades, and fantasy drafts), better rookie classes, better player playing time allocation, and more trade options (multi-team, draft picks beyond next year, cash ...) then it will be a definite and much needed improvement.

The BAD (all related to controls)
- Dribble control was better in previous game. There are some improvement in this area but improvements are supposed to build what's already good not dismiss it.
- The button mapping is not natural to me. It just seems really awkward. Some of the repositioning doesn't seem necessary to go with the new functionality. It's like some buttons were moved not to make things easier but just for the sake of change.
- Others in this forum suggested mappable buttons. This is a great idea. I would definitely map some of the new functionality like the shooting mechanic but keep a lot of the controls from last year's game. This is the one thing that I would focus on doing by Oct 5 to reduce gamers reluctance to buy the game.
- Turbo on the right trigger is gone. It's like moving the flush lever on the toilet or putting the shifter in the car on the left hand side - just wrong. I keep pulling the trigger and well ... the result is not good. Honestly, it's a habit I don't want to be forced to break.
- Icon pass player control doesn't work nearly as well and easily as the previous game. I could get it to work "at times" but not consistently. What seemed so natural and made last year's game more bearable wasn't maintained well or improved in this year's game. This should definitely be fixed before Oct 5.
- I don't like the dunk and layup mechanic. Why not just hit the x button and then use the left stick to continue/customize the dunking or layup motion if desired? It makes no sense to me that you didn't do this but made something simple more difficult.

While I'm displeased with the controls. I'm happy that the canned animations are gone. The AI still needs improvement but defense is better. I'm definitely not satisfied with this "upgrade" but I'll buy the game and give it a chance. I don't want to make this the first EA Sports bball game that I don't buy. But EA, you are trying my patience.

Please do not add turbo.

Make player weight collisions more visible, If I stop infront of a player, the players should collide and fall ->> maybe a slider for future games
Add Turbo to the Right bumper
Slow down animations, they are too fast

A few contextual things need to be added. I'm not sure if they can really fix the collision animations too much. I've been playing the demo on All Star difficulty, default sliders.

There is an image at the official site that sais "Too Much?" referring to control. This is actually correct. On that note, just to change my direction with the ball handler, I have to remember to use both sticks instead of one. A quick contextual crossover in this situation would cut down on turnovers since the ball handler should always be protecting the ball. We are exposing it enough just by using the hands on control to break our defender down.

Use turnaround/pivot jumpshots outside of fifteen feet when engaged in protect ball mode and a hook shot is initiated instead of a hookshot.

Fix adjusted layups causing the player to go higher in the air then they already are.

Alleyoop passes are floating too much. Either fix it so they are faster, or improve the AI of the receiving player and defender of tracking down the ball. Sometimes those players don't seem to care that there is a ball in air and will walk to a certain position. Alley oops are not casual they take special timing between the passer and receiver.

Improve help defense. Too many times I notice a pass to an open player only to see the potential help defender react too slowly, even if they are right next to them. Overall help defense and defensive rotations after the help comes needs to be improved.

Queue layup and shot motions earlier during pro hops. I am starting my layup or shot motion after pro hops and step backs and they get cancelled out by the time the player lands leaving me to have to perform the motion again, which is useless since the defense recovers by then.

Improve the speed at which a player moves from a stand still without the ball or after receiving a pass.

Lower the speed of regular jump shot animations, blocking animations and rebounding animations.

There are some AI issues with the cpu taking shots behind the backboard, and overall clipping through the backboard and rim on reverse layups.

It's too easy to stop the ball in the back court. When the ball handler is being defended well in the back court, have a teammate flash up to half court, otherwise they make really long bad passes. Either that or use the 45 degree dribbling animations in the backcourt when moving forward so the ballhandler can get up court.

On defense, when I play as the Lakers and I attempt to decide which hand to reach for the ball with, it uses the opposite hand, so if I push left and roll it down, it reaches with the right hand. It should be absolute like the hands on control.

Get rid of that all-black swipe screen when skipping free throw cut scenes. Just skip right to the next part.

During free throws, you can air ball by pushing the RS up at an angle and releasing really early. This is a violation on the second freethrow as the ball must hit the rim. I'm not sure if you can add the violation with a patch, so just force the ball to hit the rim.

AI players need to be more aware of going out of bounds to retrieve loose balls. It reminds me Live 09 as they step out of bounds and bend down to pick up the ball. The need to attempt a hustle play. Add manual hustle play control during loose balls by pressing the RS to the left or right.

Plays look stagnant since they play out frame by frame. Interleave or mix the frames by starting some of the frames before the next one ends. It should make the game look more fluid. Especially on plays where there are multiple cuts and passes. Increase the size of the area where a player must stand in order to initiate a play, or the next sequence.

On defense, when using the RS left or right to raise an arm to guard passing lanes, the player must have his back more towards the ball, not the defender.

Improve all the Inverse Kinematic animations so they look smoother. There is a general, snappy, jerky, or shaky look to them. Especially during blocks, rebounds, and hands up situations.

When rebounding players should continue to hold their arms out. They seem to jump with them bent, then only snatch at the ball and reverting to the bent state instead of stretching out naturally. The same for block shots. Nobody blocks shots with their arms bent, punching at the ball.

Graphics. Increase the specularity onplayers during gameplay cameras. The players look dull. Do not put as much as NBA Live 10 had, though.

I have not seen the cpu use a pump fake. Add it to their arsenal.

Do not add turbo. You could make a player sprint when there is nobody near him, or even speed up a little bit during the straight gather.

First of all, KUDOS to EA for trying to do something new. This was brave, and Basketball video gaming needs some innovation. Thanks again to EA for asking for feedback, and at least giving us the impression that they are going to listen to it. This is CRITICAL for your company to be successful.

Good:

I like the new controls, but they definately take getting used to.
Legendary mode is cool - I found myself wanting to play it more.
I found that I enjoyed the game a lot more when it was set to the Broadcast Camera angle (like what we see on TV). I would have that be the default (*I'm sure you did baseline because of the new controls this year).
Love that you have to earn your shot. This is a nice improvement - very nice.
Presentation was okay

Needs Improvement:

All the cool dribbling moves in the world, for as pretty as they are, don't matter if they don't create space for your player, and give you an advantage on the court. I would like to see the dribble moves result in a quick first step, or the offensive player gaining ground (blowing past) the defender.
PS3 Studder/jitter/lag issue. This is a MUST fix.
Graphics are better than last year (to Give EA credit), but they appear a little too cartoony and make the game feel like its not a simluator game.
Anti-Aliasing? The players look fuzzy / blurry around the outside edge/border of the 3D models.
Sliders. I'm sure this will come out with the game, but steals and blocks happen a bit much.
When you drive to the basket and there is contact, the controls dont feel natural for me to finish the basket (make the shot). I'm not sure what you would do here because the physics are dynamic, but something ..?
BODY SIZES - Everyone looks the same. Body sizes should be adjusted. Not all players are toothpicks. (they seem that way)
The D Pad graphics/movement was a little confusing (calling plays etc). You may want to make that more user friendly.

All in all, you have an excited fanbase that WANTs this to work. There is some work yet to be done though. Here's hoping that you improved the game since the demo build, and that you take our feedback and patch this thing!

Thanks!
Wisealma

Please do not add turbo.

why? then it will look awkward and plus nobody would ran out of stamina they'll probably keep the same starting 5 on the court if this not added

Besides the passing the controls dont bother me anymore. I actually like them a little better.

Eliminate the infamous Andrew Bynum glitch. If somebody attempts a hookshot from a ridiculous range then make them pay. Plz bring the turbo back. And plz bring back the game speed slider. Make the dunks/layups look more natural. The dunk/layup animations happen so fast that it doesnt look like the players gather off of one foot, or two feet when they jump. If you cannot tweak the Boozer dunk then get rid of the animation altogether. Make the rim and net not look so stiff. The dribbling feels good but as far as looks not so much. Whatever happened to the player hopping right when switching the ball to your right hand right or hopping left when switching the ball to the left. I was a happy camper when you all brought that animation in Live 10 and made it look even better (cant remember whether it was in 09 or not but i think it might have been). Make it easier to break the cpu player ankles. It feels as if theyre stuck to me. Make the players actually grab the the ball with two hands and bring the ball above theyre head when they go up for a layup or dunk. Make some animations where players either palm or cuff the ball before a layup or dunk. See how Ray Allen has his feet set, bends his knees, and brings the ball above his head and follows through on his jumpshot. These steps would be a good addition to every player's signature jumpshot. Same should apply for fadeway and fall away shots. I like the collisions but make them look less choppy or not choppy at all at best.



I know you guys wont be able to do this this now but maybe next year add a dna rating that affects how good a player shoots off the dribble. Also bring more movement in the shoulder and head while dribbling the ball. It's almost like dancing. Their is a ryhthm to it.

Using the right trigger to pass or change player is a massive pain.

I'd much rather just tap a button rather than compress a trigger.

Please add more control options.

Yeah thats something that really throws off your game.

add a lot more size for the players on court , cuz court player ratio is way off

give me back my shoot button. gotta admit i didnt get very far into the game, i hated the shooting enough to stop playing both this demo and the 2k one

give me back my shoot button. gotta admit i didnt get very far into the game, i hated the shooting enough to stop playing both this demo and the 2k one

You can use old school controls with shoot button. You just have to go into Settings menus.

ya this was an example of me trying something for 3 seconds and bitching about it. when you get to be my age it happens

Add another classic conrols option in the patch that separates the dunk button and shot button like in Nba live 09 and the Lives before it. Meaning you would put dunk on square/X and shooting on circle/B

You can still decide to dunk by holding the RT plus X when using the alternate control scheme.

ok soo... this game is the worst basketball game of all time.. and there is no update that can fix all the problems that this game has...