Realistic Sliders Set for 2K14 - All-Star Difficulty 12min

[brump]

I have been watching NBA for 14 years now (15 if you count this season). I watched NBA games as a fan, and read the articles/blogs by NBA.com writers (David Aldridge, Steve Aschburner, etc.) regularly. In some sense I am still an amateur but I do consider myself knowing enough (or just enough, to show some humility:D) about the NBA and the way professional basketball is played in general. Needless to say, I play basketball too (though not professionally).
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So when I adjust the sliders in NBA2K, trust me I know what I am doing. More or less.


The major problems with default sliders are that

1. The jumpshot success in general is higher than usual,
2. FG% of contested shots is MUCH lower than usual, FG% of open shots is higher than usual
3. The foul frequency is MUCH lower than usual.

2K developers have set it this way because:

1. Gamers will start complaining how hard it is to hit shots when they hit only 40-45% (real-life perimeter players %; a bit higher for big men). Hitting 60-65% in a good game, 50% in bad ones, people feel better, more in control.

2. From a game perspective, the developers have no choice but to reward open shots which you need to put in effort to work for, and punish contested shots. If the game is like reality where open shots don't always go down, and moderately/heavily contested shots sometimes go down, the game would become less predictable and gamers are bound to feel frustrated (it's one thing to feel frustrated while getting paid millions of dollars in real life, it's another thing to feel frustrated in a video game, where you're supposed to have fun).

3. A high foul frequency (like in actual NBA game) would only make gamers complain about getting called for foul too often and having their game flow disrupted (Again, it's one thing to get called for foul for the slightest of contact while getting paid millions, another thing to get called for fouls like that in a video game).

2K developers won't do anything that frustrates gamers and hurts the sale.

But the resulting problem is: In NBA2K it is better to settle for spot-up jumpshots than to attack the basket, which is the complete opposite of the reality.

The motto for basketball games at the professional level is always "take it to the rim, don't settle for jumpshots". It is eternally true because shots in the paint, particularly in the restricted area (right below the basket), has the highest point efficiency all things considered. Attacking the basket/taking shots in restricted area also has a good chance of leading to another type of efficient scoring which is shooting free throws. But in NBA2K, a low foul frequency and high jumpshot success are only encouraging people to "settle for jumpshots, don't take it to the rim".
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That's where this slider set comes in.

Features:
1. Open shots will not go down as often; mildly/moderately contested shots will sometimes go down

Simply because it's the truth. NBA players don't hit 80% of the open shots like NBA2K. Other times when given enough space to follow through the shooting motion, the shot sometimes actually go down even if the shooter has a hand in the face with the defender breathing right under. With this slider set, taking every available jumpshot is no longer the best approach offensively. Coupled with the increased foul likelihood, not settling for jumpshots and attacking the basket will once again be a viable option like it should in real life.

2. Dribbling and passing are more erratic, less mechanically precise

One of the first thing I realized is the game has much less human-like turnovers, and passing is much more accurate than usual. Often times it results in a lot less turnovers than there should be. Reduction in Ball Handle, Passing and Hand seem to follow reality more closely.

3. AI will shoot or drive more decisively

With increased shooting tendencies, AI seem to be crispier in their decision to attack in offense. They will shoot/waste(*) shots or drive more quickly instead of waiting and passing off to someone else to do something else. Shooting/wasting (the word waste here is debatable) a quick shot that is mildly open is also one of the features about a NBA basketball game. As a former ice hockey player Wayne Gretzky once said, "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take", taking first shot opportunity, shooting a quick mildly open shot is just how it works in NBA. In NBA2K, however, AI players are programmed to take only wide open shots, often only leads to poor forced shots at the end of 24 second shot clock.

4. Sliders are for ALL-STAR difficulty

I was told that at Superstar or HOF difficulty, you or your team are merely given a reduction in ratings while the opponents are given a boost. The game feels more difficult at higher difficulties only because you're put at a disadvantage, not because the AI logic is better. The reverse is true for Pro and Rookie. This slider set is based on All-star difficulty, where both teams start on equal ground.

5. Being more realistic means the game could be more difficult, and less video-game-friendly

With this slider set, you can't be happy-go-lucky with low 70s shooting abilities and still take 25 shots or so and score 30-sth points a game, hitting 50%+ of your shots. In fact real NBA players with average shooting (at this 2K scale 70-75), and not weapon-grade shooting (80-85, or higher), do not go around and take 15-20 shots a game (maybe except Brandon Jennings). In other word, know your place.

6. Both CPU and Human slider values are the same

I disagree with most slider changes posted on forums in the past, where values set for CPU are different from Human's (usually favoring Human). CPU may be thought to be more mechanically precise and was thus given a bit of a nerf, but that violates something on a wholly different dimension and that is the principle of fairness. Could you go around telling people you had 34-12-9 and hit the buzzer-beating game winner, "but yeah I set the human sliders 4-5 units higher than CPU"? Could you go to sleep at night knowing that you have owned CPU with a slider set that favors human? Could you? Could you? I mean, well... oh, nevermind.

7. Charging, blocking, loose ball fouls basically not functional in 2K14; No meaningful change made

There is basically no working mechanics in the way charging and blocking fouls are called in 2K14. You might find a charge or two called on aggressive backing-down, but mostly it is non-existent. Even so that's totally not how a charge is supposed to be like. Blocking foul is a bit better, but not by a lot. You might find blocking foul called on someone defending a standing layup, which is just not how it works. Any change made here is merely in response to the frequency of their occurance. No change in number here could make it any meaningfully more realistic. Ironic how the two most common fouls called in NBA are not functional in 2K14.

Minor notes:

Sliders are adjusted many times, after many hours of playing time and observation.

Custom sliders only reflect in "played" games, not simulated games

By "played", I mean games that are actually playing, either by Human or by AI vs AI. Simulated games do not follow custom sliders; they only follow the default "simulation" sliders. It's how the game works. See this link for more details.

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Custom Slider for ALLSTAR difficulty, 12 min quarter, User shot timing (same for CPU/Human; not mentioned, no change)
*Start with "Default" sliders (all at 50), then proceed to change sliders.
Updated on 29/Nov/2013 - Red below means updated (Final)


GAMEPLAY:
Game speed: 49 (Lowered to reduce a certain mechanical feeling about the game, but if lowered too much, the shooting motion slows down by a lot, relatively speaking, and it only allows for easier release point timing; 49 is probably the optimum value all things considered, after increase in speed attribute)
Free throw difficulty: 60 (Preferably 58, attainable only through the use of a save editor/trainer like this one here viewtopic.php?f=153&t=92987)

CONTROLLER SETTING:
Defensive assist strength: 85

GAME SLIDERS:
OFFENSE
Inside shot: 40
Close shot: 44
Mid range: 43
3PT: 44 (Reducing shot success and jumpshot defense has the combined effect of reducing open shot FG% and increasing contested shot FG%; delicate balance struck as to not ruin gameplay, ie. still have to work for open shot)
Layup success: 49
Dunk in traffic frequency: 45
Pass accuracy: 44
Alley-oop success: 45
Contact shot success: 45

DEFENSE
Layup D (release): 54 (layup is more successful than usual once gotten past first defender; late contest of layup on release is relatively ineffective)
Jumpshot D (gather): 41 (See note 1 above)
Jumpshot D (release): 37
Help defense: 73 (AI seemed inherently inept in escaping/passing ball off in double team situation, but defenders are otherwise too "civilized" in help defense at default. Again, no change in number could make it meaningfully more realistic)

ATTRIBUTE
Speed: 54 (Real player speed is faster than in game; this should be an increase as opposed to a decrease. In fact I'm afraid the increase isn't quite enough, but I also have to take video game viability into account)
Ball handling: 48 (See note 2 above)
Hands: 42
Blocking: 53 (Blocks are less than that in real life, but if this number is rammed up, players get a lot better in blocking jumpshots(!) rather than layups or inside shots. There is no foolproof way to do it; the problem lies in the game mechanics itself)
Offensive awareness: 56
Defensive awareness: 38 (AI is too smart and precise in 5-men defense network, as if everyone has got 360 degree vision and a telepathic connection; defense is never THIS precise; defensive let-ups that are common in real games are impossible at default value)
Offensive rebounding: 44
Consistency: 37 (Consistency lowered to increase general shot difficulty; meshes with altered shot success in each area to mimic reality)
Fatigue rate: 47 (At this 2K scale no one is able to play 38-40 minutes, or above, and still remain functional on court, something not uncommon in real games; a drop in fatigue rate is in order)

TENDENCY
Inside shot: 68 (It's an unspoken rule to not give up an inside shot opportunity easily, especially when you have deep position in the paint, for an inside shot has the highest point efficiency than any other shot all things considered)
Close range: 53
Mid range: 81 (Increase in great magnitude in shots tendency is in order given how AI gives up mildly open shots often and ends up throwing up poor shots at the end of 24 seconds, while in NBA taking/wasting a slightly open shot is common, see detail in note 3 above)
3PT: 80
Post shot: 64
Attack basket: 84 (Attacking the basket is always the top priority, to the extent one should give up open jumpshot for open lane drive; value increased relative to increase in shot tendency)
Look for post player: 62
Throw alley-oop: 38
Attempt dunks: 57 (Players attacking the basket is attempting dunks less frequently than usual; big men attempting dunks after offensive rebound (N.B. not flying putback dunk in mid-air) more than usual. Again it's the game mechanics, can't perfect one without whacking another)
Attempt putback: 55
Contest shots: 45 (Meshes with lowered defensive intensity to match reality)

FOULS
Over the back: 42
Charging: 75 (neither charge nor blocking foul is functional in the game, no particularly meaningful change here; see note 7 above)
Blocking: 65
Reach-in: 55
Shooting: 82
Loose ball: 100

I must admit I hold a "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mentality when I adjust the sliders. I did not overhaul everything, just the ones that are obviously off. I feel that an adjustment in unnecessarily large magnitude would only upset a certain balance in game that is hard to achieve. A problem may arise out of it and in turn another change of great magnitude is needed to counterbalance that. It's like doing face implant to make yourself look pretty, but at the end too much change makes it look worse, cosmetic.

If there are changes that you do not quite understand and that I have not explained above, please pardon me for not being too wordy on every single change I have made. If I changed them, I did it for a reason. But then I am a human being, I definitely have room for error.

But bear in mind that some of the discrepancies between a video game simulation and a real NBA game does not merely lie in the difference in difficulty slider; often times it lies in the game mechanics itself. There is simply no way to mimic a realistic James Harden or Tony Parker or Tyreke Evans simply by numbers and a limited rotation of animations.

Finally, these changes are only made with the purpose of making the video game 2K14 as close to real life basketball as possible. If you do not agree with some of the changes here, you can still make your own final adjustment. After all isn't that the meaning of allowing users to adjust difficulty sliders?

May I wish the odds be always in your favor.

[Bassman58]

These sliders look good. I'll give them a try.

[KOBE23]

Will this work in MyCareer ?

[brump]

Not now, because 2K doesn't allow changes in MyCareer sliders. But you definitely can if you have a trainer, and I heard one is already in place (though in another language). Need time for translation. Wait one more week I guess.

[menten]

Sounds awesome, i will try it out today

[blizzcoe]

tried it and to me, I can't feel any changes except lesser blocks..the shooting is still way high...but still thanks though..keep improving

[denas]

my 3 pointer success is at 42. And its very realistic. you get like between 7-11 from 26-30 3 pointers per game in average. sometimes less. at 45 or more its almost impossible to miss from 3

[JeiStopper]

Slider fan here bro.. ur slider are very detailed.. i'll definitely try this slider.

Can you post ur game stat result.

[Kieran]

For those interested, here's a link to the settings file with those sliders

They seem pretty good, and I like your rationale behind the changes. I'm glad they were done by such a close follower of NBA basketball.

[Uncle Drew]

For those interested, here's a link to the settings file with those sliders

They seem pretty good, and I like your rationale behind the changes. I'm glad they were done by such a close follower of NBA basketball.

These sliders freeze my game when I try to load them. Are they for the PC version or consoles?

[Kieran]

For those interested, here's a link to the settings file with those sliders

They seem pretty good, and I like your rationale behind the changes. I'm glad they were done by such a close follower of NBA basketball.

These sliders freeze my game when I try to load them. Are they for the PC version or consoles?

PC. Not sure why it freezes. I just copied my settings file and posted it online so I'm not sure what the problem would be.

[brump]

I thought this page was dead so I wasn't updating it. I was updating the ones on other forums instead. Glad to see you find a use for it.

[truefaith0826]

this is the best sliders i have tried so far...i liked the way AI plays..almost realistic when to attack or use a jumpshot..have to decrease 3pt tendency though and increase fouling tendency..i have been playing pc vs pc btw..stats are awesome..room for improvement is in fb points..it's kinda low compared to actual..bottomline OUTSTANDING job..thanks!!!

[koyote97]

Hi guys, I'm going to set this up and play a game... I'll be back after that with screens on the results.

[koyote97]

Ok, Q1 down, and I can show some stats. My impressions, high scoring rate and high shooting %. I miss more fouls (both teams in bonus remaining 58.3 secs) and some more blocks (Shawn Livingston converts the layup through Kaman and Hill)

It seems I cannot take an in-game screen capture with my keyboard (¬¬) so if anyone can recommend a tool, would be much appreciated.

Stats look like this:

LAL 34-30 BKN
14/21 - 13/24 FG
1/2 - 3/5 3P
5/9 - 1/2 FT
3 - 5 Fouls
11 - 7 Assists
11 - 9 Rebs
4 - 4 Steals
5 - 5 TO

Once again, some more TOs, Steals, less Shooting % (this means more rebounding) and more fouls.

[brump]

Thank you, but let's not hit the panic button on 1 single quarter of plays. I was ready to tune down consistency to 38 though, contest shots to 45, and shooting foul to 82. You may try that before I change the post.

Hitting tough layups are not uncommon. Shawn Livingston is known to have some nifty Shawn Marion-ish floaters runners layups etc., very crafty hitting shots around the basket.

[koyote97]

I know, should have posted Q2... Things were a bit more down to earth, with FG% down to 51, 3P to 33 (In fact I only shoot one three in the whole quarter, i'm more an attack the basket and post player).

Anyway, I liked what I saw, and maybe with a couple of tweaks, we will hit the key. Great work!

[hot_wyre21]

The tendencies from this slider set really help make the ai(teammates and opponents) more aggressive in HOF difficulty. Already had a modified HOF slider set from 2k13, but with this set, teammates will actually take open shots instead of waiting for the defense to catch up... really nice work here

[Smokratez]

Trying out these sliders. Weird that I got unbanned.

Overall basketball feel is improved. Players feel less like drones and more human. Three pointers are still easy to hit. Liking these sliders so far.
Getting destroyed for dicking around and lazy passes. However the cpu ignores my interior defense too much still like in vanilla. Even doubled teamed the ai will hit their shot which hurts the realistic feel.

[dmx_133]

What is the result for a game in 48 ' games ?
I prefer to play with real shot % not user timing
The slider work in real shot % ?

[Fornicras]

Sliders are very good at quick games but I can't understand why it's not good in playoff, in playoffs every game i had scores like 130-125 or 140-130.

[NBA2k-dealer]

yea i was able to get custom game sliders to work on mycarrer on ps3

[Prev]

Need some advice from OP what to do to reduce shots taken for both cpu and player per game and to have fewer rebounds also for both sides ?
No matter what teams i use and how i try to play me and cpu takes 90~ shots every game which is too many for an usual nba game and we have 50+ rebounds which is also too many as most rebounds per game is 47 atm in the nba. The scores somehow are not high, not a shootouts so im not even sure if i should try to change something as the gameplay and other stats are great

[Nazar]

Good sliders, but why 80 for 3pt shots in Tendency? I think it's too much.

[Jim488]

i don't understand how anyone, especially those with experience playing this game, play on any difficulty lower than HOF. these sliders are for all-star AND you've made shooting easier? what? can't stand losing? EVER? LOL. i play HOF AND i make every shot anywhere from 43 to 47, and i bump the defensive awareness up... and of course i stay consistent with my sliders for both user and cpu. i get realistic stats, and i usually take a worse team, not the best teams. just sayin'. all-star? seriously? and i'm almost 44 years old. my reflexes aren't what they used to be.