Winning (and losing) in Dynasty Mode

[Andrew]

I always prefer to play at least one full 82 game season in Dynasty Mode on 12 minute quarters then start simulating in year two, at least during the regular season. I've never lost the championship series, so I'm interested if anyone has ever played through an entire season and lost. I guess it would still be a fun experience in a way but personally I'd feel like I'd wasted my time (by video game standards, that is).

Does anyone frequently go undefeated as well? I once played a 28 game Franchise in NBA Live 2000 and went undefeated through the regular season and Playoffs but I've never gone undefeated in an 82 game season, even winning fewer than 50 games in my NBA Live 06 Bulls Dynasty where Ben Gordon was injured for 20 games (though I stormed through the Playoffs and won the championship).

I could probably go undefeated if I really tried but I find that sometimes I get careless and other times my desire to try and play a realistic game causes me to lose, especially when the comeback logic gets vicious. I don't think it's a bad thing as such, I enjoy the challenge, the losses are sometimes refreshing and it also yields a better draft pick, though I still go into every game with the intention to win.

[deihatein]

In my last 2 Live(07 to 08). I have never played a one full 82 game season. All I do is play a few games then simulating until the next year. But in 06 I managed to get a good record(playing every game I think) with GSW then get to the finals and I didn't have the chance to finish because of the damn computer problems I was having back then. It was the last dynasty that I have enjoyed playing with.

Now I think my boringness in 08 is stopping me from making a good dynasty but if only I have a time, I would be able to make a dynasty story that has been in my head for a while now.

[puttincomputers]

i just played an 82 game season in dynasty mode with the atlanta hawks, though i did a fantasy draft, i went 72-10 and lost only one or 2 games in the playoffs, and i did play every game. oh and i am on all-star.

[Andrew]

I haven't been able to get into Dynasty Mode the last couple of years on the PC, mostly because of my disappointment with various gameplay elements but with NBA Live 08 in particular, Dynasty Mode's shortcomings.

[deihatein]

The only dissapointment in 08 dynasty mode is the simengine. But I would take 07 dynasty over 08 though

[Andrew]

It was a disappointment compared to the "push" Dynasty in the 360 version, but the sim engine alone was a huge turnoff. Not being able to get into the gameplay certainly didn't help.

[Chabalaba]

Ive done three 82 game seasons and lost in the 1st round or 2nd round I always find the playoffs boring when doing 82 games because im so eager to get to the offseason

[Andrew]

Doesn't that come as a bit of a disappointment? I'm not making fun of you but it's a lot of games to play to come up short, which is obviously what happens to 29 teams every year but one tends to have greater control over their destiny in a video game.

[Chabalaba]

Ya but i would rather come short after playing 82 games with usually takes me about 6+ months to beat, than play a season with less games.I dont know why but making it less games just makes it less fun for me.

Also the regular season seems more fun to me than the playoffs.After all those games i just want to get the season over with and i just lose interest in the playoffs.

[Andrew]

Absolutely, I've always preferred to attempt to play all 82 games whenever possible. The Playoffs tend to rekindle my interest though once I get there.

[mitch820]

I play most games, usually sim about ten a season.
I've had the best record every season I've played in my dynasty, except one season, when I simulated half the season because Amare was injured and I wanted to get to the offseason.

I have won the championship every year.

[Andrew]

How many losses do you average per season?

[Patr1ck]

I usually get tired of it once I believe I will be in the playoffs. Then I simulate, and play the playoffs.

Imagine a game 7, down by 1, and hitting a shot with about 5 seconds left. Premature celebration......

I let it be.

[joejam999]

I have played a few full seasons with 28 or 29 games. I had a good one last year when playing Live 2000. I played all 28 games and had a 3-5-5-5 playoff format with like 3 min quarters. I was the jazz. I did a trade mid season with Stockton and Malone to land Allan Houston and Ray Allen. I already had one made up guy that was good at 3's. This was when the Warriors were playing the Mavs in the playoffs so I thought it might be fun to go for a GS type play. I think I got the 2 seed and was playing the Lakers (1 seed) in the WCF and it went to game 5 in LA. It went into 6 OT's (lol) all were 1:30 long. I ended up hitting a 3 with 1 sec left to go up 3 and win the game on a laker miss. I think I beat the Cavs 3-1 in the finals.

After playing all those games it got really intense. It never gets that intense when you don't play all those games. So everyone should try it. I will never forget that series. When game 5 was tied in the 6th OT and I was inbounding the ball I think I heard Marv Albert say "And it has all come down to this".

[Fcuk Orlando]

I just sim then intervene in the 4th quarter in most of the games in the season then i play full games in the playoffs

[Andrew]

After playing all those games it got really intense. It never gets that intense when you don't play all those games. So everyone should try it. I will never forget that series. When game 5 was tied in the 6th OT and I was inbounding the ball I think I heard Marv Albert say "And it has all come down to this".

I've noticed little things like that in certain situations too, it definitely adds to the atmosphere.

[shadowgrin]

I always play the first game of the season in every franchise/dynasty I play and always 82 games, 12 minute quarters.

For the first few months of the season I only play against teams that have a good lineup and sim the others that I don't want to play against.

Mid-season I only play against teams that have decent records and sim against the bottom dwellers.

March-April, I still play the teams with with winning records and teams that are in the playoff hunt just to ruin their chances or improve my record for home advantage or my playoff chances if my team is one of the losing ones.
I also make sure that I play against a particular team at least once during the season.

Come playoffs, my format is play-sim-play-and so on, so that it's at least realistic with the losses and the some series lasting to a game 7.

I have my fair share of playoff misses and championship losses. I'm not that ballistic with winning all the time, it usually happens in a season where my lineup is weak or boring and I couldn't pry away the players I want or no suitable players for my team.

[Andrew]

That sounds like a pretty good approach. I might try that when I next start simming games.

[shadowgrin]

I also tried the home-play, away-sim format for the playoffs, but it's really hard to follow such format when game 7 is going to be played away.

[Andrew]

I'd prefer to play the entire playoffs which isn't too time consuming if I've simulated a good portion of the regular season.