Monday Tip-Off: Year One Complete in NBA 2K19's MyCAREER

[Andrew]

January 7th, 2019: Hitting 90 Overall in NBA 2K19's MyCAREER

The Road to 99 in MyCAREER is a journey that can be incredibly tedious. It's hardly a stunning revelation that this is by design, a method of encouraging gamers to pay for VC in order to skip the long grind. As much as I dislike the practice, my desire to play online with my friends in the NLSC's 2K Pro-Am squad has seen me resort to buying VC in previous games in order to sufficiently boost my attributes on Day 1. I decided that after last year's unashamed money grab, I would avoid buying any VC in NBA 2K19. Instead, I'd try to grind up my player the long way.

Between Christmas and New Year's, I finally hit 90 Overall. Although it felt like a long road with a lot of grinding, it did actually happen a little quicker than I had first anticipated. Nevertheless, it was tremendously satisfying, and proof that it can be done within the first few months of owning the game (albeit with some good luck). As I consider how much further I'll travel down the Road to 99, I thought that I'd reflect on the journey so far, as well as some of the strategies that I found useful along the way. If you're still striving to hit 90 Overall or better and are determined not to spend any money on VC, hopefully I can offer up some encouragement and helpful pointers.

[Andrew]

January 14th, 2019: The Future of Our Modding Community

2019 could be a great year for our modding community. Late last year, Vlad delivered a wonderful gift in the form of new versions of RED MC and REDitor II that are fully functional and completely free. The availability of these modding tools should allow for some great new releases for old favourites that are still being tinkered with. The community is also very active as far as updating NBA 2K19, with our most intuitive modders developing new techniques and resources. As far as the site is concerned, we anticipate being around for some time yet.

However, there are some disappointing trends and growing concerns. I've discussed a few of them before, but unfortunately, they persist (and in some cases, are just getting worse). In some respects, we're at the mercy of current trends and culture, and some issues are difficult to curb without setting inflexible rules that ultimately run the risk of driving people away from the hobby. Nevertheless, I'd like to take the opportunity to weigh in on those matters once again, and try to steer our modding community onto a better path. To be as productive and friendly as possible, we must avoid the pitfalls and toxicity that have sunk other modding websites and communities.

[Andrew]

January 21st, 2019: What Actually Ruins Basketball Video Games?

Having been a part of the online basketball gaming community for over twenty years and admin of the NLSC for going on eighteen, I've both seen and taken part in some spirited discussions about the hobby. Our conversations about basketball video games have run the gamut from excitedly positive to furiously negative, depending on the issue and the quality of any given title. Given that we all have different tastes and expectations of basketball video games, our opinions will differ when it comes what will ruin our experience on the virtual hardwood. That's fine, and to be encouraged!

Of course, it's easy to exaggerate, especially when a pet peeve is involved. I recall one Forum member fuming over the use of the word "City" on the team statistics menu in NBA Live 2001. As they correctly pointed out, teams such as the Warriors, Jazz, and Pacers all take their names from their state rather than their city, making that label inaccurate. It's a valid point, but a minor detail that was correct for most of the teams, and a criticism that paled in comparison with other issues in NBA Live 2001. Such issues are worth pointing out, but as we compile our Wishlists, it's important that we prioritise problems that can ruin basketball video games, ahead of minor annoyances.

[Andrew]

January 28th, 2019: NBA Live's Identity & Longevity

There seems to be somewhat of a divide and a notable amount of unrest among NBA Live gamers at the moment. At a time when we should be consolidating out feedback - obligatory cheap plug for our NBA Live 20 Wishlist - there's a lot of argument about the future of the series. Many gamers are expressing concerns and frustration, while others are arguing that we must all be supportive and, to borrow a slogan, trust the process. Both sides have a point and are coming from a good place, though I do find myself agreeing more with the former group.

That's probably because the group that's most frustrated tend to be gamers my age. We remember a time when NBA Live was the dominant brand in 5v5 sim-oriented NBA games, and all the things that made it successful. Needless to say, that's led to a bit of sneering at us allegedly out of touch "old heads"; a term that's quickly come to highlight the toxicity in today's basketball gaming community. At the same time, it is certainly easy to get caught up in the past, and we do need to have some patience, but it's getting tougher for a lot of NBA Live loyalists to remain patient. Ultimately, NBA Live needs to forge an appealing identity that results in longevity and a deeper game.

[Andrew]

February 4th, 2019: Online vs. Offline in Basketball Gaming

By definition, fanatics are not always logical, with measured, reasonable opinions. It's a rare fanbase that doesn't have some sort of schism, if not a multitude of factions that hold differing opinions. I touched on one such example in last week's feature, noting that there's often dissonance when it comes to younger gamers, and those who have been playing basketball games for a long time (in some cases, more than a couple of decades). There are a lot of things that most basketball gamers want and can agree on, but also some very different ideas about features, identity, and overall direction.

The most noticeable schism within the basketball gaming community would have to be between online and offline gamers. The rise of online gaming in general, and the expansion of multiplayer modes in basketball games specifically, has led to a faction of hoops gamers who play exclusively online, with little interest in the offline modes. At the same time, there are a lot of gamers who prefer the single player experience. In the middle of the Venn diagram are gamers who play both online and offline to some extent, sitting in the crossfire of two passionate factions who are not only taking shots at developers, but also each other. Unfortunately, it makes us a hard group to please.

[Andrew]

February 11th, 2019: How We React When Developers Deliver

The number of patches required by modern video games is a sore point, especially when it comes to the matter of day one title updates. Even if you're fine with the prospect of multiple patches post-release, there's the possibility that the updates will end up doing more harm than good; a phenomenon we've seen on more than one occasion. However, there have also been times when patches have greatly enhanced basketball video games, fulfilling long-standing requests, addressing persistent legacy issues, or just adding something really cool. It's better to have them than not.

Over the past couple of years, we've received such updates for both NBA Live 18 and NBA Live 19. For NBA Live 18, it was the addition of roster editing in a patch. This past week, NBA Live 19 received a significant update that added the City Edition courts, and - quite unexpectedly - in-game injuries. You would expect most gamers to react positively to the news, and indeed, most did. At the same time, there are people within the community that have reacted more cynically, suggesting that we shouldn't offer up too much praise to the developers for what are overdue additions. This is an understandable view, but I'd like to examine the differing reactions in greater detail.

[Andrew]

February 18th, 2019: Year One Complete in NBA 2K19's MyCAREER

A couple of weeks ago, I completed my first season in NBA 2K19's MyCAREER. It's the third time I've finished a season in MyCAREER playing every game on twelve minutes quarters, joining my NBA 2K13 and NBA 2K17 games. With that in mind, I've have to say that it ranks up there as one of my all-time favourite experiences on the virtual hardwood, considering how it's kept me hooked and ahead of the real NBA season. As I've mentioned before, I was all ready to skip the career modes entirely this year, so it's not a bad effort at all.

NBA 2K19's MyCAREER was a refreshing change of pace after the approach that 2K took with the mode last year. The story has been less intrusive, the characters far less annoying (for the most part), and the Badges have been easier to grind. A few changes to the shooting mechanics and other aspects of gameplay have also meant that I'm enjoying NBA 2K19 far more than I did NBA 2K18. My first NBA season - or really my second, as the commentary observes at one point - turned out to be quite a ride, and a very successful campaign. As my sophomore season gets underway, I'd like to reflect on what has turned out to be an enjoyable MyCAREER experience so far.