The Friday Five: 5 Limitations With A Sensible Explanation

Talk about the NLSC Podcast, Monday Tip-Off, Wayback Wednesday, The Friday Five, Top 10 Plays of the Week, and our Parsec Tournaments! This is also a section for NLSC and community announcements, and other site-related topics.

Re: The Friday Five: 5 Basketball Games I'd Like to See

Postby Andrew on Fri Apr 15, 2016 10:13 pm

April 15th, 2016: 5 Basketball Games I'd Like to See

As it stands, basketball gamers don't have a lot of choice year-to-year. You can either buy NBA Live, NBA 2K, or both, or stick with an older release. Alternatively, you could not play basketball video games at all, but if that's the case, you're not exactly relevant to this discussion; no offense. While I wouldn't be against another developer throwing their hat into the ring with a sim-oriented NBA game, I'm not sure that we necessarily need that to happen. I think that we basketball gamers will be alright as long as NBA 2K continues to do its thing, and NBA Live makes some big strides this year.

Of course, there's always room in the market for other types of basketball video games. This includes full-blown arcade basketball titles, or perhaps sim-oriented games that focus on different leagues. Cheaper digital releases that focus on mini-games and the like. Resurrections of popular old properties, as controversial as that practice can sometimes be. As you can probably guess, I have a few possibilities in mind; without any further ado, here are five basketball video games that I'd like to see developed.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Insulting Player Ratings in Basketball Games

Postby Andrew on Sat Apr 23, 2016 2:31 am

April 22nd, 2016: 5 Insulting Player Ratings in Basketball Games

Every year, we basketball gamers tend to argue about ratings. Most of the time, the arguments concern overall ratings, and as we saw during this past offseason, even NBA players are getting in on the act these days. While the importance of overall ratings is often exaggerated, they are still significant, and when an overall rating seems really wrong, it usually means that there are a few issues with a player's individual ratings.

It's funny to see players like Brandon Jennings publicly take exception to player ratings though, as I'm sure that a lot of players have taken a look at some of their ratings over the years, and felt quite insulted. "Seriously, you think I'm that hopeless at scoring/passing/defense?" I'd say that it's definitely led to some grumbling to the developers at EA Sports and 2K Sports. With that in mind, for this week's Friday Five, I'm taking a look at five ratings that have very likely led to some wounded pride.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Insulting Player Ratings in Basketball Games

Postby Tha2KProphet on Tue Apr 26, 2016 5:49 am

The new "2K Rating System" is just plain TRASH! :turrible:
Try MY 2016/17 Roster For NBA 2K14

Here >>>: 2KShiftLeader's (Tha2KProphet) 2017 Roster | BHM

My Thread: viewtopic.php?f=153&t=98403
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I'm dEaD :twisted:
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Ways to End a Basketball Gaming Rut

Postby Andrew on Fri Apr 29, 2016 11:38 pm

April 29th, 2016: 5 Ways to End a Basketball Gaming Rut

As I’ve mentioned a few times in recent episodes of the NLSC Podcast, I’ve been finding myself in a bit of a basketball gaming rut as of late. As much as I like NBA Live 16 and NBA 2K16 for what each title brings to the table, I haven’t been spending as much time with them as I’d like. This is partly due to the fact that I’ve been playing older versions of NBA Live to create content for our 20th Anniversary of NBA Live features, but on top of that, I’ve also found myself a little unsure of what I actually want to do with the most recent releases from EA Sports and Visual Concepts.

First world problems, I know. In any event, I’ve been thinking of what I can do to get out of this rut, and spend some more quality time with the latest basketball games. I’m sure that I’m not the only one who experiences occasional lulls in my basketball gaming habits, so I thought that I’d discuss the topic openly in this week’s Friday Five, and perhaps start a conversation that will help anyone else who feels like they’re in a bit of basketball gaming rut. With that said, here are five suggestions to tip things off.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Problems Basketball Gamers No Longer Deal With

Postby Andrew on Fri May 06, 2016 10:49 pm

May 6th, 2016: 5 Problems Basketball Gamers No Longer Deal With

I’ve been playing basketball games for a long time – over twenty years, at least – and as I’ve said quite a few times before, I’m impressed when I reflect upon how far they’ve come. While it’s easy to get frustrated when we don’t see some of the most desired improvements year-to-year, when you start going back a generation or two, you can really see the leaps that basketball games have made. I’ve actually been spending a decent amount of time with older basketball titles as of late, as I continue to produce content for our ongoing 20th Anniversary of NBA Live celebrations.

Playing those older basketball games has been a fun trip down memory lane, but it’s also reminded me of some of the problems that were often present, even in the best titles from yesteryear. Needless to say, with basketball games progressing as much as they have, a few of those issues are even more glaring now. While today’s hoops games are still facing some of the same challenges, such as implementing a maximum difficulty setting that plays smarter instead of cheaper, there are some noteworthy problems that we no longer have to deal with. Let’s consider ourselves lucky that we’re not still battling the following five issues.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Suggestions for MyCAREER in NBA 2K17

Postby Andrew on Sat May 14, 2016 2:10 am

May 13th, 2016: 5 Suggestions for MyCAREER in NBA 2K17

As we look ahead to NBA 2K17 – the only basketball game that will be hitting consoles and PC in Fall 2016 – our Wishlist discussions are in full swing. While franchise modes have traditionally been my bag, and I’ve taken a greater interest in the card collecting modes in recent years, I would like to get more involved in MyCAREER again. I had a lot of fun playing MyCAREER in NBA 2K13, so much so that I ended up maintaining a story thread about it. As I’ve discussed in previous articles and on the NLSC Podcast, however, I’ve lost interest in the mode following the new approach that was adopted in NBA 2K14.

While many of us have taken smirking shots at the story-driven approach of MyCAREER, snark does become overdone, tired, and useless after a while. I believe in the philosophy of fans, not fanboys; critics, not haters. As such, at a certain point we need to drop the snark, identify problems, and put together useful, constructive feedback. To that end, here are five suggestions for MyCAREER in NBA 2K17.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Trades You Make in Franchise Modes

Postby Andrew on Sat May 21, 2016 12:17 am

May 20th, 2016: 5 Trades You Make in Franchise Modes

One of the most appealing aspects of the franchise modes in NBA Live and NBA 2K is the ability to make the trades that you’d love to see happen in real life. Frustrated that your favourite team can never seem to pull off a blockbuster deal that lands them a superstar? In franchise modes, you can make it happen, and live out a few fantasy scenarios. Of course, just as in real life, you’ll need to deal with the restrictions of the salary cap, as well as convince other teams to agree to the trades that you offer. I’d suggest that a few of us have found out that building a great roster isn’t always easy.

When we don our virtual GM suits and start wheeling and dealing, there are some common types of trades that we end up making. Sometimes, we try to be realistic, while other times we’ll make unthinkable deals. Some trades are very good, some trades are very bad, and some trades work out very differently than how they looked on paper. Sometimes, they can make or break the franchise mode experience. In this week’s Friday Five, I’m looking at five types of trades we’ll make when we play through a franchise game in NBA Live or NBA 2K.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Trades You Make in Franchise Modes

Postby Hg8Harrier on Mon May 23, 2016 5:43 am

Andrew: I think a few that are missing from this Five, and not all of these apply to later versions of NBA Live / NBA 2K are:

1) The "I Need the Roster Space" trades : In NBA Live, at least up until 2008, you could not draft a player if you had a full roster, and you could not release a player in the off-season. In order to get something in return for my investment, I would try to create roster space before the trade deadline by packaging two for one or by trying to take on a crappy, but expiring contract. For Live 07, this often meant taking on Adonal Foyle, Jerome James, or DeSagana Diop. If memory serves me correctly, I think that Calvin Booth also had a bad contract, but that may have been an earlier iteration of Live.

2) The "Let Me Resign My Player" trades : Similar to what was mentioned above, this was often a matter of taking on expiring contracts in order to make sure that you can resign the players that you want to keep on your team that do not have Bird Rights (for whatever bizarre reason). This may include rookies that were acquired in off-season trades, or players that had long standing with your team, but bizarrely no longer had Bird Rights. It would often be the case that I would find two players that I absolutely wanted in the draft, or miss out on the one player I wanted by a pick or two; however, if I acquired them in a trade, I wouldn't be able to retain Bird Rights by the end of their contract. :x

3) The "He's a Real Player, I Need More of Those" trades : These trades would often come down to being ten seasons into the league, and suddenly lacking real players. I remember a Franchise Mode where I took on Andrew Bynum and Andray Blatche and tried to turn them into the next Twin Towers. However, in trying to improve them, I focused a bit too much on trading for players to complement them. I forget how, but I ended up losing either one or both of them, and I was stuck with one season of created players in whom I had no training or emotional investment. Pretty soon, I was trying to get some of those players that linger around forever. such as Nikoloz Tskitishvili or Julius Hodge, just to make it interesting for me again.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Trades You Make in Franchise Modes

Postby Andrew on Mon May 23, 2016 9:21 am

Well, it's impossible to include everything in five points. My hope is that the Five will spark some discussion and that alternatives will be suggested to the five things that came to my mind. :)

I recall being able to release players during the offseason, but from memory the functionality wasn't made very clear (and may indeed have been missing in a couple of games). I don't remember players not having Bird Rights when they should have, but I do remember occasions where players conversely did have Bird Rights when they shouldn't have, given that some of the salary cap rules were simplified. I'd have to go back and double-check though, my memory may just be letting me down there.

The third point is certainly an interesting one, and a definite downside to generated rookies. On one hand, it's great for the fantasy element of franchise modes. On the other hand, there's that detachment from reality, and as you said, a lack of emotional investment/interest in the fictional players.

I'd add another one that's exclusive to NBA Live 2004: "I'm Fixing the League" Trades. In NBA Live 2004, players often wouldn't re-sign with their teams, nor sign elsewhere, so prominent players would be stuck as Free Agents. I remember signing a few of those players for the minimum and then trading them back to their previous teams, just to make sure they didn't sit out the whole season.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Ways We Mess Up Franchise Mode Games

Postby Andrew on Fri May 27, 2016 10:20 pm

May 27th, 2016: 5 Ways We Mess Up Franchise Mode Games

As I’ve mentioned in recent episodes of the NLSC Podcast, I’ve just started Dynasty and MyLEAGUE games with the Charlotte Hornets in NBA Live 16 and NBA 2K16 respectively. I’d like to have some fun with at least one of the franchise modes while I’m waiting for the release of next season’s games, and since I haven’t been able to get my previous attempts with the Chicago Bulls off the ground, I thought I’d try again with the Hornets. With any luck, one of these new attempts will pan out.

Of course, the success of a franchise game doesn’t just come down to luck. Good fortune is a factor to some extent, but I would suggest that we create our own luck, and there are ways that we shoot ourselves in the foot when it comes to franchise gaming. I figure that if I discuss some of the ways that we mess up in those modes, I might just be able to avoid a few of those pitfalls. Without any further ado, here are five mistakes that can quickly ruin franchise games in NBA Live and NBA 2K.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Frustrating Design Choices in Basketball Games

Postby Andrew on Fri Jun 03, 2016 10:47 pm

June 3rd, 2016: 5 Frustrating Design Choices in Basketball Games

It's stating the obvious, but we're pretty fond of our basketball video games around these parts. We may get frustrated and grumble when we encounter a bug or some other quirk in a game, but I'd like to think that for the most part, a majority of us are enjoying our time on the virtual hardwood. No game is ever going to be perfect or completely bug-free, and new gaming tech is always being developed and refined. All the same, we generally find a way to enjoy basketball games, especially if they receive official patches that are able to stamp out some of the most troubling issues.

Of course, bugs aren't the only issues that cause us to become frustrated with basketball video games. Sometimes, our complaints are with the design choices that are made when developing hoops titles; the approach to certain features. While there may be a rhyme and reason to some of those choices, that doesn't mean that they aren't annoying, or problematic. In this week's Friday Five, I'm taking a look at five design choices that cause their fair share of frustration for basketball gamers.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Frustrating Design Choices in Basketball Games

Postby Nick on Sun Jun 05, 2016 4:03 pm

Andrew wrote:June 3rd, 2016: 5 Frustrating Design Choices in Basketball Games

It's stating the obvious, but we're pretty fond of our basketball video games around these parts. We may get frustrated and grumble when we encounter a bug or some other quirk in a game, but I'd like to think that for the most part, a majority of us are enjoying our time on the virtual hardwood. No game is ever going to be perfect or completely bug-free, and new gaming tech is always being developed and refined. All the same, we generally find a way to enjoy basketball games, especially if they receive official patches that are able to stamp out some of the most troubling issues.

Of course, bugs aren't the only issues that cause us to become frustrated with basketball video games. Sometimes, our complaints are with the design choices that are made when developing hoops titles; the approach to certain features. While there may be a rhyme and reason to some of those choices, that doesn't mean that they aren't annoying, or problematic. In this week's Friday Five, I'm taking a look at five design choices that cause their fair share of frustration for basketball gamers.

I think the biggest frustration, at least for me, is that the developers are going in the “online” direction for gameplay. Which means they have to tweak the gameplay in ways that prevent online users from exploiting the gameplay, which makes the gameplay for offline users play worse. There’s little tweaks in there that just make the game frustrating, less smooth and just less fun in general
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Re: The Friday Five: Final Results of My 5 2016 Season Predictions

Postby Andrew on Fri Jun 10, 2016 9:28 pm

June 10th, 2016: Final Results of My 5 2016 Season Predictions

The 2016 season is close to being in the books, and could be over in two more games. I'll be honest: it hasn't been my favourite NBA season. The fact that the Chicago Bulls had a disappointing year definitely doesn't help, but apart from the Golden State Warriors' impressive, record breaking performance, I didn't find it to be especially noteworthy. I found myself tuning out during the year, and there were a couple of months where my subscription to NBA League Pass Broadband was definitely going to waste. While there have been some good games, and a couple of exciting moments in the 2016 Playoffs, I've mostly been underwhelmed by this season.

Having said that, I made five predictions before the season began, which I later revisited as the year progressed. Now that the 2016 campaign has almost wrapped up, I thought I'd look back at those predictions one last time, and tally up the final results. So, how did I do? Did I manage to at least do a little better than my record in the Bold Predictions segments of the NLSC Podcast? Well, let's take one last look at my five predictions for the 2016 NBA season.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Issues with MyCAREER/Pro-Am's Grading Logic

Postby Andrew on Fri Jun 17, 2016 8:31 pm

June 17th, 2016: 5 Issues with MyCAREER/Pro-Am's Grading Logic

I'm on a real 2K Pro-Am kick lately, as I've really been enjoying getting together with Arcane, Kenny, and other members of our community to play a few games each week. However, while we do have a lot of fun at the Joel Anthony Arena - whenever we're lucky enough to play there - we also have our fair share of frustrating moments. As I mentioned in Monday Tip-Off, some of our problems are self-inflicted, but there are a few issues that I would say do stem from gameplay imbalance and quirky logic. Obviously, these problems also affect the MyCAREER experience as well.

Apart from the story-driven approach, issues with the grading logic are one of my biggest complaints when it comes to MyCAREER (and now Pro-Am as well). Having recently gone back and played a few games of my memorable MyCAREER in NBA 2K13, I was frustrated to realise that I'm still experiencing some of the same problems in NBA 2K16. In order to enhance the MyCAREER and Pro-Am experience in NBA 2K17, I believe that the following five issues need to be addressed.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Strange Basketball Gaming Habits

Postby Andrew on Fri Jun 24, 2016 10:13 pm

June 24th, 2016: 5 Strange Basketball Gaming Habits

As I've said many times before, we take our basketball gaming seriously around these parts. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but as with any gaming community, it can lead to some attitudes that aren't very constructive or open-minded. There are many strong opinions in the basketball gaming community, but the most important thing at the end of the day is that we're enjoying playing these games that we're so passionate about. We shouldn't get caught up telling each other how to have fun, or lecture each other about the supposed "correct" way to play. There are many different ways to enjoy NBA Live and NBA 2K, after all.

At the same time, there are some strange habits and attitudes in the basketball gaming community. Again, everyone is entitled to their opinion and preferences, but some habits are puzzling, and certain attitudes myopic. In this week's Friday Five, I'm taking a look at a range of basketball gaming habits that are peculiar for one reason or another. I'm not saying they're all wrong, but some are definitely a little odd. Without any further ado, let's tip things off!
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Things You Learn During a Server Move

Postby Andrew on Sun Jul 03, 2016 10:37 pm

July 1st, 2016: 5 Things You Learn During a Server Move

If you're tried to visit the NLSC throughout this week, you'll have found that we've been out of service for much of it. If you're reading this now, however, chances are everything is back to normal and our big server move is finally complete. I was hoping to avoid having this much downtime, but we ran into a few complications along the way. As I'm writing this week's column, we're fortunately in the home stretch of the server move, and it won't be long before it'll be business as usual. As you can probably imagine, I'm quite relieved!

I've mentioned before that in running the NLSC for all these years, I've learned a thing or two. I've gained fascinating insights into the development of basketball video games, and through my duties in the NLSC Forum, I've learned about dealing with different types of personalities. Through developing content and implementing new features for the NLSC, I've also gained some useful technical skills and knowledge. Undertaking our most recent server move has certainly been a learning experience too, so I thought I'd reflect upon that in this week's Five. Without any further ado, here are five things that I learned moving the NLSC to a new server.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Reasons My MyPLAYER is a Point Guard

Postby Andrew on Fri Jul 08, 2016 10:25 pm

July 8th, 2016: 5 Reasons My MyPLAYER is a Point Guard

One of the reasons I've always loved the franchise modes in basketball video games is the fact that there's so much to do. You're in control of everything, as you play so many roles: coach, GM, and every player on the team. Not having full control is an interesting change of pace however, which is why I've also taken an interest in MyCAREER, and more recently, 2K Pro-Am. When I create my MyPLAYER with an eye towards playing those modes, point guard has become my position of choice.

It wasn't always that way, though. When I was a teenager playing basketball in my local league, I was one of the taller kids, so I played centre and power forward. As a result, I do have an appreciation for (and bias towards) post play, and mixing it up in the paint. I also enjoyed taking the occasional three-pointer once I got better at knocking them down, and Michael Jordan is my all-time favourite player, so my early attempts at MyCAREER were with a MyPLAYER who was a shooting guard. So, what changed, and why do I now prefer to run the point instead?
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Ideas for 2K Pro-Am

Postby Andrew on Fri Jul 15, 2016 10:10 pm

July 15th, 2016: 5 Ideas for 2K Pro-Am

As you might know if you've caught any recent episodes of the NLSC Podcast, I've been playing a lot of 2K Pro-Am lately. In fact, I haven't played much besides 2K Pro-Am in recent weeks, which is unusual as I'm not normally an online gamer. However, as I explained in Monday Tip-Off a few weeks back, I'm really enjoying the social aspect of the mode, and it's been a fun change of pace from the modes that I usually play. It's one of the reasons that I'm considering pre-ordering the Legend Edition of NBA 2K17, in order to immediately level up my MyPLAYER.

Needless to say, while I am enjoying the mode, it's not without its problems. A few weeks ago, I discussed some issues with the grading logic that also affect MyCAREER, which I'd definitely like to see fixed. On top of that, there are some other improvements that I'd like to see made to 2K Pro-Am, five of which I'm outlining in this week's column. So, without any further ado, here are five ideas for NBA 2K17's Pro-Am, which I feel would greatly benefit the mode.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Most Missed Modes in Basketball Games

Postby Andrew on Fri Jul 22, 2016 10:08 pm

July 22nd, 2016: 5 Most Missed Modes in Basketball Games

Earlier this week, we received some exciting news about upgrades to the franchise modes in NBA 2K17. MyGM and MyLEAGUE will include league expansion, both modes will feature all kinds of customisation options, and a standalone Playoffs mode is also being added to the game. After expressing my frustration at the prospect of a quiet preview season in this week’s Monday Tip-Off, it was definitely satisfying to see the previews for NBA 2K17 get underway with some very welcome news about the franchise modes, which I’ve traditionally been quite interested in.

While we’re still yet to learn anything about MyCAREER, 2K Pro-Am, or much else about NBA 2K17, I’m expecting another very solid release as far as game modes are concerned. Meanwhile, NBA Live has struggled to provide deep modes since its comeback with NBA Live 14. While LIVE Pro-Am was well-made with a lot of potential for further growth, generally speaking, modes remain a weakness for NBA Live. As I look ahead and hope for improvements in both titles, I can’t help but think about some of the modes that are greatly missed. I would suggest that many basketball gamers would welcome the return of these five modes.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Gripes with Current Gen Basketball Games

Postby Andrew on Fri Jul 29, 2016 9:53 pm

July 29th, 2016: 5 Gripes with Current Gen Basketball Games

In many ways, basketball video games are better than they've ever been. While there are still quirks with the AI, it's much smarter than it used to be, with players thinking for themselves and getting into position instead of just standing around. Scanning in faces, jerseys, shoes, and other details ensures that the games look a lot better than their predecessors from a couple of generations ago. We have some really fun and deep modes to play, both offline and online. In short, basketball video games have done some really cool things in recent years.

On the other hand, there is definitely still room for improvement. More to the point, while recent basketball games have delivered some really impressive modes and very enjoyable moments on the virtual hardwood, they do have some aspects that I'm not so thrilled about. I know I've discussed some of these issues before, but with new titles on the horizon, they're once again on my mind. With that being said, here are five gripes that I have with the current generation of basketball video games.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Things Modders Must Stop Doing

Postby Andrew on Sat Aug 06, 2016 12:51 am

August 5th: 5 Things Modders Must Stop Doing

Every online community has its own issues, but as I've said many times before, I truly believe that we have a good thing going here at the NLSC. While I've enjoyed expanding our content and relish the opportunity to both interview and provide feedback to developers at EA Sports and Visual Concepts, it's probably fair to say that our enduring legacy is our modding community. Over the twenty years that the NLSC has been around, the talented modders in our community have produced some truly outstanding works.

For the most part, I do believe that our modders are largely helpful, and supportive towards one another. Like I said though, every online community has its own issues, and I believe there are areas in which we can improve. There are some troubling practices in our modding community, and for some of them, it's well past time to nip them in the bud. While I may not be heavily involved in our NBA 2K modding scene at this time, I do keep tabs on it, and I've been involved in NBA Live modding for close to two decades now. As such, I do know what I'm talking about when I say that these are five things that modders should stop doing, to make our community better.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Things That Would Help Modding

Postby Andrew on Fri Aug 12, 2016 9:29 pm

August 12th: 5 Things That Would Help Modding

In last week's Friday Five, I discussed how our modding community could improve in terms of its attitude and practices. Having put that very important message out there, I wanted to cover more of a modder Wishlist in this week's Five. These are the features and resources that I believe would really help facilitate modding, allowing us to create even better mods for the current generation of basketball video games.

As many of you are probably aware, many of the file formats have changed since the PC version of NBA 2K became a port of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One version. On top of that, NBA 2K's roster files have never been particularly modder-friendly compared to the DBF files that the PC versions of NBA Live utilised. Of course, NBA Live itself doesn't support modding right now, being a console-only release. This isn't intended to be a comprehensive list of ideas that would help out the modding community - I only have the five points to work with, after all - but they are the first that come to mind for me, and are intended to tip off the conversation.
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Re: The Friday Five: 5 Retro Teams I'd Like To See in NBA 2K

Postby Andrew on Fri Aug 19, 2016 11:28 pm

August 19th: 5 Retro Teams I'd Like To See in NBA 2K

The NBA 2K series has done some fantastic things with historical content, beginning with the Jordan Challenge in NBA 2K11. Since then, we've seen several noteworthy teams added to the game, including twelve new retro squads last year in NBA 2K16. As of writing, there's been no word about any new retro teams being added in NBA 2K17, but the league expansion blog did briefly mention the presence of historical teams, so we can rest assured that most (if not all) of the existing retro teams will be in this year's release.

Moving forward, it will be interesting to see which other historical teams will be added to NBA 2K. Needless to say, securing likeness rights for all the players - or at least the major ones - is always going to be a stumbling block that keeps certain squads out of the game. Of course, that doesn't stop us from wanting, wishing, and wondering what if. Since I've previously talked about retro teams that are highly unlikely to make the cut (and for good reason), this week I'm listing five retro teams that I would actually like to see included in a future NBA 2K game.
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Re: The Friday Five: 20th Anniversary of the NLSC

Postby Andrew on Fri Aug 26, 2016 10:08 pm

August 26th: 20th Anniversary of the NLSC

If you've connected with us on Facebook or Twitter, you might have seen that this August marks the 20th Anniversary of the NLSC. As it happens, today also marks my 15th Anniversary as the NLSC's Webmaster/Administrator. Time certainly flies; it seems like only yesterday that I was in high school, a couple of months short of turning seventeen, and being handed control of my favourite website. I'd like to think that for the most part, I've done a pretty good job in the role. While there have been some tough moments, I've certainly enjoyed running the NLSC, from creating mods and content to all of the discussions in the Forum. Well, most of the discussions!

I take pride in the work that I and the rest of the NLSC Team put into the site, as well as what our community has been able to achieve with modding and other ventures. Even though the NLSC is not my day job, my aim is to always approach it with professionalism and dedication, because I truly believe that we are a site with a great heritage. For twenty years - beginning as an NBA Live fansite, and in time expanding to cover NBA 2K and other basketball games - we've always been by basketball gamers, for basketball gamers. For this week's Friday Five, I'd like to reflect a little on that heritage, and my involvement with it.
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Re: The Friday Five: Top 5 Teams of Interest in NBA 2K17

Postby Andrew on Fri Sep 02, 2016 7:45 pm

September 2nd: Top 5 Teams of Interest in NBA 2K17

We're just a couple of weeks away from the release of NBA 2K17, at least in terms of the Early Tip-Off Weekend. I've been planning on spending more time with MyLEAGUE this year, so needless to say, I was glad to read about some of the various additions and improvements that we can expect to see in the mode. Although I'm traditionally a franchise gamer, my attention has been drawn to other modes in recent years. From the sounds of things, NBA 2K17 will be a good year to get back into the franchise experience, offline and online.

Before starting a franchise game, it's important to decide which team you're going to use. Unless you decide to control all thirty teams in MyLEAGUE, you'll need to choose carefully, as picking a team that you don't enjoy playing with is a good way of putting a quick end to a franchise game. Each year, offseason player movement results in new lineups that not only seem like they'll be fun to watch in real life, but also fun to play with in basketball video games. For this week's Friday Five, I thought I'd pick my top five teams of interest in NBA 2K17; in other words, the most interesting and appealing teams to choose for a MyLEAGUE or MyGM game.
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