[Nick] Fictional Draft Class 2.1 (with faces!)

[coolguy968]

Don't worry he'll be there. Especially after his performance so far in NCAA tourney

Hi Nick .I'm looking forward on your V2!! And I am about to start my association, when you mentioned that you'll be coming up with a new Draft class 12 ...i decided to wait for it instead.I'm now excited and hope you'll release it in just a few days time.

Thanks and keep it up Master Nick!!

Haha, I don't think it will be finished in a few days. Like i said i want to wait until Vlad releases an updated REDitor that can edit DraftClass files.
But i can send you what i have so far if you want... since you're so enthusiastic... (what you would get is most 1st round picks finished but without edited bodytypes, ambitions, hotzones, etc.. some players without their tendencies edited yet)

i've read your ideas in creating a draft class, its detailed, impressive & interesting.. i want to try it, but is it possible if you open the draft file for us, i mean, so we can put random faces (cf, iff files) to your draft class, in this way we can use retro cf's or 2k team cf's.. if its too much, at least the 1st round only.. png9000-9030 is available

I don't know much about that side of things. But when i'm finished, if somebody wants to make CF's for it then go ahead... (not sure if it's possible or not?)

Nah Master Nick....I guess , I'll just have to wait for the final finish product. "patience is a virtue".

[Nick]

i think its possible if you have paid version of reditor..

I have a paid version and it's not possible. I asked vlad and he said you can't edit draft class files until a new version gets released...

[MacBryce]

Great work, Nick, thanks.

I'm doing some quick textured cyberfaces since I hated the procedural ones, and I'm probably using them with your draft when I get 30 of them. (see here: viewtopic.php?f=143&t=85611&p=1494812#p1494812)

If you're interested, you could package them into your draft when REditor II allows you to. (Just don't expect me to alter them all that much. I'll probably use the 7002 one for Mario, the 7000 for Taribo and the 7003 for Bill Daily. I'm not too happy about 7001 because he looks a bit too old-school. Maybe you've got a suggestion for that one?)

Oh and btw, "my demand" for your work is very high. I hate how NBA 2K12 uses such cheap procedurally generated CFs for draft classes. They could just as well have scanned around 3000 20 to 24 year old amateur basketball players and use their faces for the first 25 years of association drafts (they already use the tech), and let a guy like yourself work full-time on coming up with interesting backstories for the top picks in the fictional drafts.

[Nick]

Oh dude, good stuff. I used to make fictional cyberfaces for like NBA Live 2003 myself haha, but that was before you could create fictional draft classes. But i certainly love the idea of creating fictional cyberfaces for these classes. I'm keen!

I totally agree that the default CAP faces are worth improving. 2k don't really give you enough tools to make the players look unique, unless you really go out of your way, like i did with Bill Daily and Cedric Archibald. Fictional cyberfaces adds a whole new dynamic to created players!

As long as you're making cyberfaces that look good and realistic, i'm happy to work with you on this one. Just remember not to make the players look too old. And I might even make a few cyberfaces myself if you (or someone) teach me how the process of how to do it (don't need tips on the graphical side, just the tools/editors/methodology side). And maybe we can get a few more people on board to help with faces, so we can make a boatload.

I don't know if we really need to do the entire top 30. Maybe just the top 15-20.

And as for the faces you've already made... I think 7003 is more suitable for someone like Percy Hansen. I actually like the default face/appearance i made for Bill Daily. Also funnily enough 7001 is actually my favourite, haha. He has the look of a star; could be suitable for Wade Gooding. Nothing wrong with looking old school. As for Taribo Ikedia, well i actually like the face i made for him on CAP too. I gave gim really big facial features that suit his 7'4" body which i think is cool. But 7000 could certainly be suitable. As for 7002, i don't really like it because of the forehead. But i'm sure that's easily fixable. I'd prefer to use him for someone other than Salvaderi though since he already has quite a unique look. We should target players who don't have that unique of a look already.

Here are the players that i feel DON'T need their faces replaced with a fictional cyberface:
Cedric Archibald
Bill Daily
Mario Salvaderi
Taribo Ikedia
Isaac Izzo

(funny that you targetted 3 of those guys haha)

[coolguy968]

Oh dude, good stuff. I used to make fictional cyberfaces for like NBA Live 2003 myself haha, but that was before you could create fictional draft classes. But i certainly love the idea of creating fictional cyberfaces for these classes. I'm keen!

I totally agree that the default CAP faces are worth improving. 2k don't really give you enough tools to make the players look unique, unless you really go out of your way, like i did with Bill Daily and Cedric Archibald. Fictional cyberfaces adds a whole new dynamic to created players!

As long as you're making cyberfaces that look good and realistic, i'm happy to work with you on this one. Just remember not to make the players look too old. And I might even make a few cyberfaces myself if you (or someone) teach me how the process of how to do it (don't need tips on the graphical side, just the tools/editors/methodology side). And maybe we can get a few more people on board to help with faces, so we can make a boatload.

I don't know if we really need to do the entire top 30. Maybe just the top 15-20.

And as for the faces you've already made... I think 7003 is more suitable for someone like Percy Hansen. I actually like the default face/appearance i made for Bill Daily. Also funnily enough 7001 is actually my favourite, haha. He has the look of a star; could be suitable for Wade Gooding. Nothing wrong with looking old school. As for Taribo Ikedia, well i actually like the face i made for him on CAP too. I gave gim really big facial features that suit his 7'4" body which i think is cool. But 7000 could certainly be suitable. As for 7002, i don't really like it because of the forehead. But i'm sure that's easily fixable. I'd prefer to use him for someone other than Salvaderi though since he already has quite a unique look. We should target players who don't have that unique of a look already.

Here are the players that i feel DON'T need their faces replaced with a fictional cyberface:
Cedric Archibald
Bill Daily
Mario Salvaderi
Taribo Ikedia
Isaac Izzo

(funny that you targetted 3 of those guys haha)

Dude I hope you'll make all the 30 players and also un-drafted ones who can be a surprise all star (ala Tony Parker & Michael Redd).

[MacBryce]

Well, I'll probably make as many as I feel necessary. I'm currently doing my first association (been stuck at My Player for a long time this year and I was waiting for the patch/REditor to play association) with the Suns. I'm hoping that this year I can keep going for 10 seasons or something like that, but for me that means that I'll have to rely on people like you (Nick) to make great fictional drafts. I've got RapBoys 2012 which is great (and for which people are making proper CFs) but I doubt that the 2013 draft will get CFs any time soon. So I'll be looking out for CFs that I can use to improve fictional drafts. If every year I inject 15 proper CFs on fictional players, I'm betting that the longevity of my Association will be much longer. The point where I stop playing has always been very much related to having to rely on players with CAP faces after a season or 3-5.

For people who take this stuff as serious as I do, I'd recommend buying REditor so you can decide which player gets a custom CF. (1 minute of work if you already have the CF in your 2K application folder.) In the end, I guess you'd want to make sure that even that 52 reasonable rebounding and post defending benchwarmer big bodied center on your roster has a CF instead of a CAP, since you'll see him a lot of the court. Same goes for starters and sixth men on CPU-controlled teams (but that's something we can arrange through the draft).

For anyone who wants to make their own custom CFs, you can see how I learned to do it in the following thread (which is quick & dirty but works well enough for me): viewtopic.php?f=142&t=82807

I'll provide you with a brief tutorial...

• First, you need to be able to extract/import the textures. That can be done using NBA 2K12 Cyberface Textures Exporter/Importer.
• Using this application, you can extract the .dds files from a pngxxxx.iff files you can find in NBA 2K12 application folder. Here you can find which ID is which player: viewtopic.php?f=144&t=82626
• After extracting the .dds files from a .iff file, you'll see a map called pngxxxx that contains 6 .dds files. The one I edit is texture 3.dds.
• The next step requires Photoshop. You can probably do this with Gimp as well, but since my company bought my Photoshop, I'm using that. It requires a plugin though: http://developer.nvidia.com/nvidia-text ... -photoshop
• I then open up texture 3.dds of a few players whose facial textures I want to use to make a new one. Using feather, Hue/Saturation, Brightness/Contrast and clone stamp I create a new, unique texture in the right skin color.
• Then I drop the new texture 3.dds in the folder of the pngxxxx whose mesh I want to use. I also replace the texture 5.dds in that folder with my own texture 3.dds. (This is probably not optimal, but it works for me.)
• Finally I open the .iff in the folder with the cyberface extractor/importer application and click on import. If it gives you an error then don't worry. You'll see that a backup file has appeared in the pngxxxx folder which means that the pngxxxx file within the folder has been updated. Use that file with REditor on a player in the game for a preview.

As you can see my method is very amateuristic but also fast. Hope it's of some use to anyone. Again, I might look into editing the mesh with Blender and changing the hair later on, but I'm not sure if it's worth to put the time into all that. A tip for people wanting to make their own retextured CFs... pick a skin color that's different from the original mesh and use different facial hair.

[Nick]

Thanks for the tips. You've filled me with renewed interest/motivation for this (it's nice to know people actually use them), so i should be whipping up plenty of fictional draft classes over the coming months, especially once the new REDitor is able to edit draftclass files. I'll give you a heads up before i release NDC2 though and we'll see what we can create. It'll be worth re-releasing NDC1 too once we have a nice stockpile of your CF's. We could make some really sweet draft class packages.

And judging by how fast you're generating faces, i'll probably just stick to the draft class creating side of things.

[nip83]

Is there a possibility to release your v2 draft class as an earlier version without the reditor edits(hotzones etc).You got me addicted with the first one i must say that.It's one of the most carefully created classes i've seen thanks to your edits to signatures and tendencies.Can't wait for your v2.

I was trying to create my own one ,based on real and past players and include a lot of euros( i know, i love softies ) with unique abilites ,like big men who are shooters ,strictly defensive guards,only 3pt shooter-pass first pg's etc. ,but is there a way or tool to replicate known players attributes,sigs and tendencies without having to write all that stuff down on paper?I mean i have run out of notebooks while covering the top 5 .Have you found a quicker way?

[Nick]

Thanks for the kind words! I suppose i could probably release a version early, since Vlad didn't include editing draft class editing in the latest REDitor release. However i'm currently focusing more on a 2012 draft class (non fictional) more than i am v2 of the fictional class. It's taking aaaaages though. I really need REDitor.

As for your question, well, i don't really use a notebook or try to replicate past players so i can't really help you there. I just create players freestyle.

[flywithme]

Great idea!!
Awesome work!!
Looking forward for you next release.

[nip83]

Ok Nick looking forward for your release.Reason i'm taking notes is because i find it hard with the tendency system not so much the abilities-ratings.So you wanna say that bill daily doesnt resemble rondo or leslie richmond a shorter nowitzki on your class? .Let's not forget about Wade Gooding who's a kobe type stud.Tank nation all the way!
My raptors are chasing with the 8-9 spot richmond,nichols or haywood(i love him but i have talented pgs on the team) but if Ikedia gets sleeped on i'd gladly have him.

Love your players dude they got personalities!!

[Nick]

My raptors are chasing with the 8-9 spot richmond,nichols or haywood(i love him but i have talented pgs on the team) but if Ikedia gets sleeped on i'd gladly have him.

Love your players dude they got personalities!!

Thanks man. It really makes it worth making these things to hear that they're actually being used and enjoyed!

And very perceptive on Daily, Richmond and Gooding.
However i didn't really base them off 1 player specifically. Perhaps if you increase your knowledge on what the tendencies actually do then you wont need to look at notes/a player as a guide.

[ThaKidMac]

I really want to thank you for starting this thread. The work you've done here is what motivated me to start creating draft classes. I'm seriously sick of all those generated classes with these giant 19 year olds rated in the mid 80s with weird tendencies. Since I first read about how you made your classes I've made a few of my own so far and I'm loving the results. I'm taking the game back to the 90s with some legit Big men and real role players and I ain't gonna lie, its fun as hell. For real though good work bruh, keep doing these draft classes because you're a pro.

[Nick]

NEW RELEASE

I decided to stop waiting for REDitor to release a version that can edit draft class files and just release Nictional Draft Class 2 anyway. It would have been nice to edit body types, ambitions, hot zones, and stuff like that... but it's not that big a deal and people were getting antsy so alas...

Download: Nictional Draft Class 2

Enjoy

[Darth_Jor-El]

thnx.. i'm a huge fan..

[dare]

Going to try this when I have the chance, got my own draft class too. Got a PF who I modeled to Anthony Davis (pretty good imo) also a European shooter who with the right team can turn to an allstar. A couple of good PG's and players who scores big time but in a low percentage. I think I got about 20 detailed prospects (too lazy to do a whole class )

[Nick]

thnx.. i'm a huge fan..

Thank you! stay tuned for a very detailed 2012 draft class (non-fictional)

[CAN_JE]

what a beautiful work you doing, Nick!

[Leftos]

thnx.. i'm a huge fan..

Thank you! stay tuned for a very detailed 2012 draft class (non-fictional)

When you get around to that, make sure you check out Albys' pack of draft cyberfaces so that you try to set their CF IDs right.

[Culture Games]

What is CAP face enhancer and how can we download?

[Nick]

What is CAP face enhancer and how can we download?

Enhanced Generic Cyberfaces

[ThaKidMac]

Hey Nick could ya help me out? I'm creating some draft classes in my spare time and right now I'm creating this dude whose a once in a generation type guy (SG). Tendencies are really starting to piss me off because I'm not quite getting what I'm looking for. When I imagine how the boy plays I'm thinking prime T-Mac with Vince Carter explosiveness. Thinking at his absolute peak he could put up around 30-7-7. Any chance you could give me your thoughts or some advice?

[Nick]

Ummm, any questions?

If you want him to be a 30 pt scorer then first of all you need his shooting tendency in the 90's... you'll also want his "touches" in the 90's... attributes-wise, you'll want to look at consistency and offensive awareness being high too... it's probably worth giving him a high potential aswell.

Apart from that i don't really know what to tell you. My advice would be to study the tendencies of other superstar players.

[flywithme]

Awesome updates with the 2nd Draft!

[123rockstar]

I just added you to the list bro (so sorry for the delay). Thank you so much for the Draft Class my man...this is really nice