View Full Version : Nba 2k12
Yes, I know there's information in the NBA 2K11 thread, but I feel this game deserves its own thread. It's going to be too special of a game, in my opinion, to simply be relegated as a continuation of a previous game's thread :D. With that being said, here is the latest Developer Insight, which talks about the new playcalling system:
Hey guys,
Rob Jones here, bringing you an in-depth look at NBA 2K12’s new strategy features and play system.
NBA 2K11 marked a year of many successful implementations by our development team. From the inclusion of Michael Jordan, with his challenges and rivals, to marked improvements in gameplay, AI and controls, one of the factors we wanted to really step up was the authenticity of playcalling and strategy. Let’s say just it. NBA 2K11 boasted the most authentic and varied playbooks for each team to grace any basketball game. That said, there is always room for improvement. At 2K, improvement is generally not our target, though. We aim to create new experiences and, to do that, you have to be willing to sacrifice all that came before.
With that in mind, we set up to do the following things:
- Dramatically improve the play system.
- Make Playcalling more accessible to the user, so that more players will understand the value of strategic basketball.
- Add On the Fly Strategic Adjustments to allow users to change their team’s approach to the game without having to go to the Coaching menu.
PLAYSYSTEM AND PLAYCALLING
Play distribution became a major area of focus for the team this year. First, there were a few major hurdles we needed to overcome to take our system to the next level.
Our fans had voiced their desire for having plays assigned to players, not positions. As a response, in 2K11, we allowed users to assign four plays to each of their starters. In addition to the four plays for each starter, we had the ability to share four plays between your bench players who played the same position.
As an intermediate solution, this answered some of the community’s requests, but also introduced a few unintended obstacles.
One of those obstacles was play management. Because the playbooks were hardcoded into our game last year, anytime a player moved from a starter to the bench or changed teams, plays had to be manually tracked and updated, even for the smallest roster move. This resulted in many players having plays assigned to them that did not make the best use of their own abilities.
Another long lamented issue for fans of our game was the four play limitation for plays assigned to each player. This may not seem like a big of an issue if you play the game sparingly. However, over time, the lack of offensive play variety for specific players became a major limitation to the strategic element of the game.
So when reviewing this internally, we sought out the best solution to this issue. All of our gameplay team and a member of the SIM gaming community (the man behind some of the great playcall videos put together last year – Da Czar) locked themselves in a meeting room for six hours until they came up with an equitable solution. Yes, we do bring in our most dedicated community members for their opinions - as you’ve seen with Da Czar’s involvement and with our Momentous videos from over the years.
From that meeting we decided that play types distribute themselves into eight key groups:
Pick and Roll Ballhandler
The man who dribbles the ball around the screen in Pick and Roll situations
Pick and Roll Screener
Man who sets a screen on the ballhandler’s man
Isolation
Space created for one-on-one opportunities
Low Post
Post plays where you receive on or near the low block.
High Post
Post plays where you receive the ball at the high post extended
Cutter
Plays where a man comes off a screen or receives a hand off headed towards the basket
Screen Mid
Plays where a player comes off a screen looking to get open for a Jumpshot from Midrange
Screen 3PT
Plays where a player comes off a screen looking to get open for a Jumpshot from 3PT range.
Developer Insight #4 Continued:
http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/301957_10150787458805305_221292025304_20287455_300 7495_n.jpg
In NBA 2K12, any player in the game can be assigned as many as four different play types. These four playtypes are ranked 1-4 and weighted accordingly, so those who choose auto playcalling can influence which types of plays are called more often.
This allows a team’s playbook to be created dynamically which means that no manual intervention is needed when a player is moved into or out of the starting lineup and/or is traded. As in the real NBA, if a player is traded, he will keep his play type assignment and simply inherit all the plays of that type in his new team’s playbook.
http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/s720x720/308633_10150787459170305_221292025304_20287460_269 1717_n.jpg
We, of course, made sure to have a few plays of each type in every current team’s playbook to account for trades that may happen during the course of the year.
One benefit of this new system is that now, once a player is assigned a play type, he has access to every play of that type in his team’s playbook. So if you have Carmelo Anthony assigned as an Isolation player and you have 10 Iso plays in your playbook, he has access to all 10 of those plays in addition to any other plays in the other three slots.
The only drawback to this system is that the playbooks are created dynamically based on which play types you select for each player; therefore, you cannot choose the order in which the plays show up in the play call screen. The order the plays appear will remain static until you choose to change the play types assigned to a particular player. Then, the play call list is dynamically recreated again and remains the same until changed.
The Regular Playcalling interface remains virtually unchanged.
Bring up the Playcalling interface by tapping LB (R1 on PS3). Then select the icon of the player you wish to run a play for. Once you get here, the plays display for that player.
This menu has changed a bit from 2K11. Last year you had four plays to choose from. This year you have five. You can call a play by selecting either A, B, X, Y, or LT on the 360. However, if a player has more than five plays assigned to his selected play type, then at the bottom of the menu you will see a RT followed by current page / Total number of pages. Advanced users can use the RT to page through all available plays for this particular player.
http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/319306_10150787459895305_221292025304_20287474_674 9297_n.jpg
Now users are freed from the four play limitation and can get as creative as they desire (as all current teams play-books are fully editable). You are free to stack your playbook with plays that only apply to the play types of your stars or spread the playtypes evenly between the different types of player personnel on your team.
You can choose to look for players that fit within your current play scheme or expand your horizons as your front office increases your talent pool.
A second and quicker way of calling a play is to touch D-Pad Right and select RUN BEST PLAY. The AI will select the best play at the time and set it up for you to run. This feature can turn even the most casual player into a veritable Phil Jackson.
http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/311237_10150787460300305_221292025304_20287479_102 2795_n.jpg
Now that the interface and play selection part is done, let’s get to what I consider the most exciting part about the play system changes that are implemented in NBA 2K12.
Developer Insight #4 Continued:
Living Branches
We went back to the well as a team, along with Da Czar, to provide additional feedback to help us design a system that surpasses any before it in play execution and implementation. It quickly became apparent that our current play system would need to be refactored in order to do the job. One of our top engineers was tasked to redesign our play system to accommodate the massive overhaul to both play logic and play execution. We believe NBA 2K12 offers the most up-to-date and authentic NBA play calling experience available today.
One of the main critiques was that our plays were too static and lacked the ability to branch into other scoring opportunities. In addition, some plays just took too long to get started while others were just plain ineffective.
While past branching systems relied heavily on the pass or no pass option to initiate a branch, NBA 2k12's Living branch system is the first to allow branching based on a pass / no pass option, as well as branches initiated by movement including off the dribble or dribble entry branches. We also have off-ball movement options where the play can branch depending on which way the offensive player decides to run off of available screens
We are also excited to be the first to offer you plays with nested branching. Traditional play branch options usually only provide the option to branch on the initial pass / no pass opportunity. Nested branching is the key to some of the more advanced offensive options we will discuss as we continue.
Persistent Offense
In most basketball games, it has been relatively easy for a savvy defender to take away your best offensive option by simply fronting or denying your star offensive player the basketball. This leads to the offense being forced to freelance at the end of games when they really should be going with an established play. The limited number of plays and the lack of intelligent teammates has given the defense a decided advantage in key moments.
This year, we developed what we call Persistent Offensive technology. These are key plays that some teams have available for their stars. These plays are identified in your team playbooks with a capital P in the name of the play.
These are highly advanced and resilient plays that anticipate a defender attempting to take your star out of the play. As an example, we will review a play for the Knicks called NYK P 3 Ice High. In this play, Carmelo Anthony posts up on high post extended. If open, the pass is made from the top of the key and Melo has the ball 17 feet from the basket and can either post or face up.
After you run this play a few times, the defense will more than likely adjust. If they front him or play off the passer, you have the option to run a dribble entry. Once the dribble entry option is initiated the PG (Chauncey Billups) runs a Pick and Post with Carmelo. Now you have Chauncey and Carmelo isolated on one side of the floor with Melo having great post position. If the defense is somehow able to deny the post entry pass to Carmelo or if you see a bigger stronger post defender guarding Melo you can initiate another dribble branch towards the top of the key that will make Carmelo give up the post up opportunity and cut to the Wing for the isolation.
Some of the more advanced Persistent Offensive plays can offer you as many as six opportunities to score the basketball within the same play.
Before NBA 2K12, it was only necessary to know the play that was being run to be able to fully shut it down. In NBA2K12 and beyond, knowing is only half the battle. Multiple offensive decision points means a greater interactive experience, be it User vs. Computer or User vs. User. There have been some epic battles going on during this development cycle. User vs. User games have an added strategic layer that makes NBA2K12 a blast to play.
Not every play in the game is as complex as the one mentioned above. There are plenty of simple and effective plays that allow everyone from beginners to seasoned experts an opportunity to channel their inner Phil Jackson.
Another area that benefits greatly from nested branches are alley oop plays. In the past, alley oops were a hit or miss proposition. If the play was well defended, there was rarely any time left on the clock to run another play. With the introduction of nested branching, if the defense takes away the lob, you have another option that flows naturally. Many times the defense’s overreaction to stopping the embarrassing alley oop sets them up perfectly for the counter.
Out of Bounds Plays
It's been awhile since a videogame has treated out of bounds plays with the proper respect. In the NBA, out of bounds plays are a crucial part of either winning or losing a game. In most basketball videogames up to this point, they have been more of an afterthought.
With all of the new options mentioned above, NBA 2K12 looks to change that in a big way. All of the inbounds plays from NBA 2K11 have been destroyed. Some plays have retained the same name but have all-new designs. For the first time in the NBA 2K series, we have authentic NBA out of bounds plays for your gaming enjoyment.
The out of bounds plays range from simple and effective to layered and lethal. The plays for this year’s game were created to fit within the following categories for Baseline and Sideline out of bounds.
Inbound protect / secure ball plays
These are plays were the goal is to get the ball to a specific player if possible usually your best free throw shooter.
Quick 2 plays
These are plays were you need a quick 2 point field goal.
3PT plays
We have plays for when you need a 3 for the tie or win
Post
These are plays were you want to get a post up opportunity
Alley
Some plays give you two alley opportunities. One from the inbounder and another once the ball has been inbounded.
You can call inbound plays from the Quick Play menu (D-Pad Right), or for finite control of play type and targets, choose the Inbounding Play Selection Tab in the Time Out overlay.
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QUICK STRATEGY OPTIONS
NBA 2K12 also offers brand new quick strategy options to the user. These options, both on offense and on defense, allow the user to quickly adjust their style of play based on their preference and/or game situation.
Offense
These offensive options are tied to individual tendencies and behavior and affect the directives of each player on the team to achieve the approach dictated by the User.
Space the Floor – Better spacing from the ballhandler; less running around / no onball screens
Screen for Shooters – set up shooters on team to get open using Offball screens
Leak Out – Outside player leaks out on shots to get a break going
Collapse and Rebound – team attacks the basket for offensive boards
Coach Default – resets current active strategy
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Defense
This gives the user a quick access to setting up the Defensive Settings on the fly:
Pressure Shooters – for opposing players good at med/long range shots; tight onball, deny ball, go over screens, hedge on screens
Lock Down Paint – double down in the post for all players, go under screens
Focus on Stars – for opposing star players; always double, tight onball, deny ball
Constant Pressure – double team on drive for guards, double team in post for bigs, play tight on stars, go over screens, hard hedge
Coach Default - resets current active strategy
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That about wraps it up - as you can see, a ton of effort has been put into improving the strategic elements of NBA 2K12. We’ve always longed for a time where an older user can compete against his gaming wiz child and be successful due to his understanding of the game. NBA 2K12 takes a giant leap forward in achieving that goal.
Also, I hope you caught me on Spike TV this past Thursday night with Geoff Keighley of Game Trailers showing off the first gameplay of NBA 2K12. Hope you enjoy!
- Rob Jones
Gameplay Director
Next NBA 2K12 Developer Insight: "Training Camp" by Jerson Sapida - TBD
Gifted
09-02-2011, 10:22 PM
I hate when you playing somebody and they take 6 seconds to scroll the the menu to pick a play...I don't like having to call plays on the fly...
The playcalling looks dope....but i don't like when its too much into a "coach" mode for the game.....this NBA basketball...it's isos...crossovers..jumpers...lobs...
I hate when you playing somebody and they take 6 seconds to scroll the the menu to pick a play...I don't like having to call plays on the fly...
The playcalling looks dope....but i don't like when its too much into a "coach" mode for the game.....this NBA basketball...it's isos...crossovers..jumpers...lobs...
Yeah, I rarely called plays in any of the previous 2Ks. They just didn't execute they way I wanted them to. But playcalling is a vital part of the NBA. Us being fans watching the game on TV, we don't get to see the strategic side of it that often. I was watching a Youtube video showing the very first Rookie All-Star Game. Coaches were talking strategy and drawing up plays during timeouts like it was a playoff game LOL.
Not sure if I'm going to get Lockout 2k12 or will I wait until next season and get NBA 2k13. Last I got was 2k10 so its getting close to upgrade time.
Not sure if I'm going to get Lockout 2k12 or will I wait until next season and get NBA 2k13. Last I got was 2k10 so its getting close to upgrade time.
You didn't cop 2K11? Blasphemy!
has there been any talk about improving online play issues?
despite being one of my favorite games, 2k is a game i least like to play online. the timing between playing locally vs online was always way off (shooting jumpers, FTs, etc). there is always random disconnects, or you cant find a game at all.
obviously anytime you play online, things arent going to work 100 percent. host will have advantage etc. but im on a beast ass fios connection, and 2k has always been problematic.
has there been any talk about improving online play issues?
despite being one of my favorite games, 2k is a game i least like to play online. the timing between playing locally vs online was always way off (shooting jumpers, FTs, etc). there is always random disconnects, or you cant find a game at all.
obviously anytime you play online, things arent going to work 100 percent. host will have advantage etc. but im on a beast ass fios connection, and 2k has always been problematic.
That's been the thing I've disliked the most too. They haven't mentioned anything about the online portion yet, but I expect that news to come in the coming weeks. They typically follow a pattern when releasing information, choosing to release bits a week at a time until they cover every aspect of the game.
Mercury
09-03-2011, 03:59 PM
my boy runs offensive sets EVERYTIME down the court. He REFUSES to iso and play on the fly whatsoever. He starts off the first few months of the game UNBEATABLE. Like from whenever the game drops until about January, he is impossible to beat. Then eventually we all memorize the plays and then he starts taking L's left and right. same story EVERY year LOL
Me on the other hand, I'm either jacking the 3 or driving to the paint. EVERYTIME lol.
You didn't cop 2K11? Blasphemy!
lol, I'm cheap I buy video games every 3 years when it comes to sports. only reason I got 2k10 was because of Maynor lol
Da Czar, who has been a big contributor in the NBA 2K community for the past several years, now has his own website. He posted some of his thoughts about a gameplay change that has yet been touched on by other media outlets.
DISCLAIMER: I took the liberty of editing this because Da Czar is not the greatest of writers from a mechanical standpoint, but the information presented was on point.
The link to his original piece is here (http://daczar.blogspot.com/2011/09/between-lines.html?spref=tw).
Between the Lines
What's good, Family ?
I hope you're all enjoying a safe and festive Labor Day weekend if you're in the States. To the rest of the Nation around the world, I hope your weekend is enjoyable as well.
To the untrained eye, NBA 2K12 may not have that one single gameplay advancement that is overwhelmingly impressive. However, the strength of this years title could lie in the combined effectiveness of the numerous smaller changes. This polish and fine tuning that is usually only accomplished with matured code can add up to a great gameplay experience.
One of those changes that many may have overlooked is the removal of the force field that kept the offense from going out of bounds.
At first glance, this may not appear to be all that significant. I am of the opinion that it adds a critical and much needed dynamic to the series.
When most gamers speak about control in a digital hoop game, they are generally talking about dribbling the ball and the responsiveness that goes along with it. But there is another type of control that must find its way into simulation gaming: Self control!
Not being able to go out of bounds creates a fearless offensive player. It gives the offense an advantage when he should be at a disadvantage. If the user is aware that running out of bounds is not a possibility, they can gamble without consequence and apply pressure to the defense without retribution. This creates an imbalance that can lead to more fouls, clipping, and the possibility of baseline exploits.
In these situations, the ball-handlers attempt aggressive drives where they would normally exercise caution. This can also negate the effectiveness of having the defender shade towards the middle of the floor in an attempt to force his man baseline.
The unintended effect of this design decision creates a virtual no-win scenario for the defender. The defense is in danger of having a foul called as well as getting beat, and with no help from the sideline, the best course of action is to retreat and try to protect the paint.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vkfSaEhtLLo/TmLjEd2hOWI/AAAAAAAAABo/R9Vo8Chesb0/s400/Sideline+no+defender.png
When the sideline witness protection is turned off, you have a completely different dynamic on baseline and sideline drives to the basket.
Now that an offensive player can step out of bounds, he must re-evaluate his decision making process when considering a drive in the corner or near the sidelines. The defenders shading towards the middle of the floor can increase pressure on the offense and encourage him to drive baseline despite the limited spacing available.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8DijCfrTuuU/TmLl1tFtpkI/AAAAAAAAABs/udYMuLgwlZk/s400/Sideline+a+defender.png
Now, depending on the matchup, the defender is holding all the cards. All he has to do is maintain his spacing and cutoff angle and guide the offensive player into the second defender... the baseline. An aggressive defender can also choose to risk a foul and body up as the offense begins his drive. On the body up, he adjusts his cutoff to a more aggressive angle forcing the offense into the hot box. ( This is real basketball theory. Not a definition of what is or is not possible in NBA 2K12)
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gb4ic35T09Y/TmN37TlKYwI/AAAAAAAAAB4/o9XU9jMqFYE/s400/Angle+adjust.png
As the offense enters the hot box or the hot corner, traps and rotations start to look very inviting. The more aggressive the trap, the better because the offense can only retreat so far.
So, while it does not create much chatter in an insight and can easily be overlooked, you can clearly see that the lack of an Obi-Wan forcefield can make all the difference between the lines.
Your President,
Da_Czar
Another post from the Da Czar (once again edited by yours truly):
Original content can be found here: http://daczar.blogspot.com/2011/09/roll-and-fade-relieve-pressure.html
Roll and Fade Relieve Pressure
What's happening, Family ?
Besides the many large scale improvement's to the play-system in NBA 2K12, there were a number of minor improvements recommended to help with the overall flow of the game on the offensive side of the basketball.
Some of these improvements will provide much needed relief against high pressure defenses, as well as create secondary scoring opportunities off of primary action.
When talking about screen and roll/fade opportunities, most people are only concerned with the on ball pick and roll/ pick pop situations. This simplified view of the screen can lead to a powerful advantage for the defense in video game basketball.
Let's look at a basic double screen on the tail end of a floppy play for the 2 man (Shooting Guard). When you don't have the threat of any roll / fade action on your off-ball screens, the defense holds an advantage, especially once they become familiar with the play!
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NqTgAhZCVP4/TmVshoA7JZI/AAAAAAAAACA/1Gi6RPaLbV4/s400/Floppy+base+defense.png
A savvy defender will switch to the 4 ( the red 4 is on defense) and have him jump the passing lane.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BXnkvCpIx_o/TmVs09UNXpI/AAAAAAAAACE/HaQi9eVPvXA/s400/Floppy+steal.png
With no roll/ fade from the 4 and 5 on offense, the defense has the advantage. They have their 2 trailing the offensive 2 to keep him from fading to the corner. They also have the 5 defender able to cover both the 5 and 4 on defense because of their close proximity.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Nj9YVgci5JI/TmVtFXLRwxI/AAAAAAAAACI/xIv6KIWiwf8/s400/Floppy+1+cover+2.png
This has been a standing issue in most video game attempts to replicate the sport we love. Almost all games have suffered from a mild to severe case of CSS syndrome. ( Czarism... chronic statue screen syndrome). Here is a video of NBA 2K11 demonstrating classic CSS.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=RjnRJ1I568g
Had to break it into two posts because of the number of pictures...
A similar play diagram in NBA 2K12 might look like this
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QRHG5hiAoD8/TmWTEAPQGYI/AAAAAAAAACM/sr3zFyPKX6M/s400/Screen+W+Roll.png
As you can see, immediately after his screen, the 5 offensive player is cutting to the basket. This will serve to hold the 5 defender and keep him from hedging or helping on the screen. The 3 on offense set's his screen and then fades a bit to create separation.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0_kDZhMuW5Q/TmWTj8LugYI/AAAAAAAAACQ/R3-IL_cimC4/s400/Screen+W+Roll+2.png
Now if the 3 defender attempts to shoot the gap, the point guard has the alley to the 5, the dump off to the 3, or the pass to the 4 if the defense wants to rotate.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oJ2oq20-qKE/TmWTzkTIoJI/AAAAAAAAACU/mPRuID0TR0I/s400/Screen+W+Roll+3.png
All of these options naturally come about by simply adding intelligent fade or roll's within the context of the play design. If it works correctly, it gives the user a basketball solution to fix a basketball problem ( In the words of the wise and talented @nelsonblake2 ).
So while not every screen in every play will provide you the protection of the Roll and Fade, the threat alone, combined with a successful execution of it early in the ball game, are enough to relieve some of the pressure.
Hoopcerely Yours,
President Da_Czar
P.S.
If you haven't already (don't tell me you don't have a dollar), be certain to support the Nation's own @sageinfinite
New NBA 2K12 Insight. Original Link:http://www.operationsports.com/features/1329/nba-2k12-developer-insight-5-my-player/
NBA 2K12 Developer Insight #5 - My Player
Rookie Showcase + Pre-Draft Interviews
The road to the NBA is a lot different than what you encountered in 2K11. Gone are the monotonous Draft Combine and Summer League games. This year, you are immediately thrust into the Rookie Showcase upon creating your player. Taking place in the historic Madison Square Garden, the Rookie Showcase is an exhibition featuring all of the top prospects in the draft competing against each other. The Rookie Showcase is a big event; every scout and GM in the league will be on-hand to assess your performance. Your play in this game plays a significant role in where you get drafted in the NBA Draft.
While your performance does indeed play a significant role in where you get drafted, it doesn’t play the ONLY role. Our first new feature this year, and one of my favorites, is Pre-Draft Interviews. After the Rookie Showcase game is over, a number of GMs will come visit you in the locker room for a sequence of interviews.
Each GM will ask you a couple of unique questions. Their questions are going to be very specific to the current makeup of their team with respect to your chosen position. For example, if you are a point guard and the Bulls choose to interview you, they are likely going to tell you that Derrick Rose is their guy and they are only looking for some energy off the bench. Are you comfortable with that role? If you’re not, be honest and tell them. Or don’t. The choice is ultimately yours. How you answer these questions definitely plays a big role in where you end up getting drafted. If your answers are music to the ears of the GMs, word will spread that you are an easy going personality who would gel with just about any team. On the other hand, if you answer negatively or arrogantly to all of the questions, teams will start to develop character concerns that could cause you to plummet in the draft. The important thing is to be honest and let them know how you really feel.
2011 NBA Draft
So you played your heart out in the Rookie Showcase and answered every Pre-Draft Interview question to the best of your ability. Your hard work is about to pay off, it’s draft day! Upon entering the draft room, you’ll be met by another new feature this year, the Mock Draft.
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The Mock Draft is dynamically created for you based on the type of player you created, how you performed in the Rookie Showcase, and how you chose to answer your Pre-Draft Interview questions. Every player in the draft has a full scouting report available so, should you be so inclined, you can read up on all the other prospects who are vying to be a top pick. The important thing to note is the Mock Draft is NOT how the draft is going to play out, it’s merely a prognostication by a draft pundit who has done his homework!
Once you continue past the Mock Draft, the NBA Draft will finally commence. Herein lies the first surprise that I’ve been dying to tell everyone about for a long time. Through our great partnership with the NBA, I’m extremely proud to announce that were able to get Mr. David Stern into the studio to record all necessary audio required to have him announce the entire 1st round of the draft (Association Spoiler: Our great partnership also allowed us to secure Deputy Commissioner of the NBA, Adam Silver. When the 2nd Round of the draft rolls around, Mr. Silver will walk onto the stage and call out the remainder of the draft. Now seriously, how many other sports games out there would go to this level of detail to bring you what you truly want? Answer: None).
http://media.operationsports.com/shots/400/17895.jpg
Once your player is finally drafted (Ronnie fell to #20, where the Timberwolves nabbed him), you will pose with Mr. Stern for a picture before being whisked away to our next new feature in My Player this year…
Contract Negotiations + Spending
In NBA 2K12’s My Player, you’ll be negotiating for every last penny when it comes time to sign a contract. Now, it’s important to note that rookie contracts in the NBA are more or less slotted, so you won’t be doing any real negotiating immediately after getting drafted. Once your rookie contract is up, you’ll be on your own to negotiate the best deal possible. When this time comes, a number of teams interested in your talents will approach you with an opening offer. From there, you can choose to do a number of things including accepting the offer, negotiating a better deal, or simply ignoring the offer altogether. One important note on negotiating is that you have to know your limits. If you press your luck at the negotiating table, teams will start to become frustrated, and will eventually walk away if you push too hard. It’s a game of give and take. Like any negotiation, you’re going to have to make concessions on something they want in order to get something you want.
Every 14 days during the season, your team is going to drop that next paycheck on you. Using the new ‘My Purchases’ menu, you’ll be able to spend your hard earned money on a number of things including: Purchasing skill points, increasing your attribute caps, purchasing signature animations (Kobe’s jumper, Jordan’s dunk package, etc.), hosting Youth Basketball Clinics (that raise your Local Fan Support), and much more. These items can give you a distinct advantage in your career, so you’ll definitely want to squeeze every dollar from a team when contract time rolls around.
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Hall of Fame
For two years now, people have constantly been asking me, ‘What is the goal of My Player?’ I always felt it was an open book. We gave you the tools to do what you wanted with your career. You could play one season and achieve gratification. Or you could play multiple seasons and become the best player in the NBA. With NBA 2K12, I’m pleased to say that we have implemented a new addition that provides a definitive answer to this question. Your goal in My Player is now very simple, make the Hall of Fame!
Based on your position and play style, we give you 15 goals at the outset of your career. In order to make the Hall of Fame, you will need to accomplish 10 of those goals before you retire. The goals range from ‘Win the MVP award’ to ‘Score 20,000 career points’ to ‘Get 50 A+ teammate grades’ (this one is much harder this year!). Throughout your career, you’re constantly going to be striving for that next goal that gets you one step closer to your induction ceremony.
That’s right, making the Hall of Fame in 2K12 isn’t a simple pat on the back with a ‘Congratulations’ dialog. When you make the Hall of Fame, you’ll be constructing your very own hall of fame speech.
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The Hall of Fame speeches are tailored to your My Player based on how his career played out. If you never managed to get that elusive NBA championship, you can lament about that during your speech. You can thank your teammates and the fans for getting you where you are. You can pat yourself on the back and talk about how everyone tried to hold you back from achieving your goals. The choices are entirely yours. This is all about your career; go out however you want…
Play Next Key Game
At this point, you’re probably telling yourself, ‘I don’t have the time to play through an entire career and make the Hall of Fame.’ I hear you, loud and clear. New to NBA 2K12’s My Player is the ability to play only the ‘Key Games’ in your schedule. We’ve taken the liberty of highlighting the most important games during the season (these may be Rival games, or Key Player matchups, or games that have playoff implications). With this option, you’ll be able to play through an entire season in a fraction of the time it took you to play through a season in previous years. Don’t worry though, your simulated stats for the games you choose to not play will still count towards your Hall of Fame goals!
For those of you who want to control every single step of your career, we still offer you the ability to play every game on the schedule. You can even do a little of both. As always with this mode, the choice is yours.
Insight # 5 Continued...
Endorsements
NBA 2K11 introduced the concept of endorsements to My Player mode. I’m proud to announce that we have significantly increased the quantity and improved the quality of endorsements this year. In total, we have five times as many endorsements this year over last. Endorsements are earned by being the best player you can be on the court. If you dominate on the floor and carry yourself well in the press conferences, good things will come.
If it sounds like I’m being a little vague here, that is intentional. While I understand you are here to learn about everything we’ve done with My Player this year, I also don’t want to spoil everything. The element of surprise holds a lot of value in my opinion. I’ll give you one little tidbit that should grab your attention; you’ll be starring in your own commercials this year…
Here are a few examples of what we have cooking this year:
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Player Abilities
No folks, we’re not done yet. Not even close. With 2K12, we’re giving you a whole new way to upgrade your My Player. Your player now has a number of skill ‘Abilities’, in addition to his existing attributes, that you will be able to upgrade throughout his career. These Abilities are broken down into the following categories: Shooting, Layups/Dunks, Dribbling, and Post Moves. Within each category is a set of specific skills/moves. For example, in the Dribbling section you will find Sizeup, Hesitation, Crossover, In and Out, Spin, Behind Back, and Stepback. Each skill is rated on four skill levels: Poor, Average, Good, and Great.
Continuing with the dribbling example above, in previous years, your player did not have a proficiency level with each individual skill. As he crossed certain rating thresholds, he would simply gain access to new animations and ultimately, his success rates for the moves would increase as well. With 2K12, you will need to upgrade the skills individually for your player. It’s entirely possible for your player to have an incredible Crossover skill only to have a poor Spin move or Stepback. To play the way you want, you are going to need to upgrade specific skills and develop go-to moves. No longer will you be able to be a master of every move unless you invest the skill points required to develop these. And trust me, that won’t be easy. These cost a LOT of skill points to upgrade!
Things You Need To Know
I realize I’m starting to run a little long here, so I’d like to take this opportunity to combine some other features I wanted to discuss into a more condensed section.
Dynamic Goals
New to My Player 2K12 is the concept of Dynamic Goals. These are in-game objectives that contextually trigger, with respect to what is currently happening in the game. For example, if the man you are guarding runs down the court and drains two buckets in your face, you might get a Dynamic Goal telling you to shut down said player the next time down the court on defense.
Dynamic Goals are designed to help your My Player achieve success. There is no penalty for failing a Dynamic Goal, but should you complete one, a handsome Skill Point reward awaits. To help give you a better idea of what other types of goals you can expect to see during the course of a game, here are a few examples:
Starting Out Strong: Make 3 of your first 4 shots.
Finish Strong: Raise your FG% to 50% before the end of the game.
Foul Trouble: Don’t pick up another foul for the remainder of the quarter.
The Essence of Clutch: Score the go-ahead points and win the game.
Drills
Drills in My Player have been completely revamped . This year features a more diverse set of drills that will offer you a greater challenge, while ultimately making you a better player at the same time. Here are the drills you will be playing this year:
Shooting
Dribble Course (re-done!)
Knockout
Around the World
2 Man Rebound & Post-Up
Screen and Read
Sign Out
Fastbreak
Full Court Pressure
Wondering what many of these are and how they work? Don’t worry, once you get the controller in your hands, the game will walk you through it. I must say, these are a lot of fun this year!
Press Conferences
NBA 2K11 saw the introduction of our Press Conference feature. Due to the extremely positive feedback we received on this, we decided to blow it out this year. In total, we ended up with over four times as many questions as we had in the game last year. What this means for you is a LOT more categories and specific events that the reporters will be asking you about. You will be seeing a lot fewer generic questions and a lot more specific questions about the game that was just played, the current state of the team, and your thoughts on…just about everything.
Another change to the Press Conference system is that you will no longer be answering with a direct personality-type answer. Last year you would select an option like, “Answer with Arrogance.” This year, we have created 3-6 word mini-answers that give you the gist of what the long answer is. We don’t want you to pick a personality-type and just answer that every game for the desired results. Instead, this year, we’re trying to get you to answer with how you really feel. The end result is a much more organic press conference where there isn’t a ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answer…most of the time…
Player Buzz
In My Player 2K12, you will be able to easily track the current state of your League-Wide Popularity, Teammate Chemistry, and Local Fan Support in our easy-to-read My Buzz menu. Your values are simply shown on a 0 to 100 scale. If you have treated your teammates poorly in the press conferences and you feel like they are shutting you out on the court, drop by this menu and take a closer look to see what they think about you.
New Milestones
Things are a little more expensive this year. Attributes cost a little more to upgrade, and the above-mentioned Abilities are VERY expensive to upgrade. To compensate for this, we tripled the amount of milestones in the game this year. Milestones are the stepping stones on your path to the Hall of Fame. Every time you achieve a milestone, you will be rewarded with skill points. Plus, who doesn’t like receiving more awards?
Starting Rating
One major change to the mode this year based on the overwhelming feedback from our great community is the starting rating of the My Player. Last year, your player started out in the 37-41rating range. This was definitely very low, but left you a lot of room for improvement. Unfortunately, it also meant you were quite inept at many fundamental basketball skills. This year, your player is coming out of the gate in the low 60s.
Upgrading your player isn’t going to come any easier this year with the rating change. Attribute upgrades have become a little more costly across the board to keep things balanced. I believe this change is a very positive one for the mode. Thanks for all the great feedback on this folks.
Run Plays
I trust at this point that you’ve all read Rob’s great insight on playcalling and the playcall system. If you haven’t, I recommend you give that a read. I’m pleased to say that you’ll be able to take advantage of these advancements in My Player mode this year. Users who are interested in running plays / having plays ran will be able turn this option ON at any time in-game or in the menus. For those users who enjoy freelancing in the game and don’t want to follow set plays, you can simply keep this option turned OFF and play however you want. I highly recommend everyone give Run Plays a shot this year. I think you’ll find the gameplay team here has put together something pretty special in My Player mode.
Wrapping Things Up
My Player has seen a lot of changes this year, obviously. There are still many more system level changes that I didn’t get into as they didn’t really fit into any of the above categories. For example, our gameplay team spent a considerable amount of time ensuring that your teammates play true to their tendencies. The days of Dwight Howard stepping back for a 3 are long over. I think you’ll find the AI within this experience to be greatly improved over last year.
For the first time, I can take a step back and look at all that we have accomplished with My Player in 2K12, and I can honestly say that I’m amazed at just how far this mode has come this year. There have been so many improvements across the board. I would like to thank everyone in the community who continues to provide us with the comments, ideas, and inspiration to continue developing this mode into what it has become. This one is for you…
- Erick Boenisch
a.k.a. SimBaller
Gifted
09-10-2011, 10:40 AM
That screen - fade improvement is great improvement..e I exploited the fuck out of that on 2k11 against the pc...lmao.
I'm still concerned about Myplayer mode....last year I can say I played that mode substantially more than the regular 5 on 5 gameplay...I probably did 3 seasons in myplayer before I completed one season in association. From that last post, seems like the focus has been more on the side-aspects....questions, drafts...I wish 2k would implement that same idea into the actual gameplay though. Post-games questions are cool but don't really affect much...I wish they had in-game questions...where you can argue a call or ask the coach during timeouts to let you play/rest/get the ball more. You should be able to answer pre-game interview questions to either talk trash to the competitors (which could make the other team more aggressive, physically). I mean, I don't work for 2k but I sent in lot of feedback...I just think that would be dope. Maybe 2k13...
That screen - fade improvement is great improvement..e I exploited the fuck out of that on 2k11 against the pc...lmao.
I'm still concerned about Myplayer mode....last year I can say I played that mode substantially more than the regular 5 on 5 gameplay...I probably did 3 seasons in myplayer before I completed one season in association. From that last post, seems like the focus has been more on the side-aspects....questions, drafts...I wish 2k would implement that same idea into the actual gameplay though. Post-games questions are cool but don't really affect much...I wish they had in-game questions...where you can argue a call or ask the coach during timeouts to let you play/rest/get the ball more. You should be able to answer pre-game interview questions to either talk trash to the competitors (which could make the other team more aggressive, physically). I mean, I don't work for 2k but I sent in lot of feedback...I just think that would be dope. Maybe 2k13...
That would tight! But yeah, they gotta hold something back to get you to come back for 2K13 LOL
NBA 2K12 Developer Insight #6: Training Camp
Jerson Sapida, Gameplay Producer, here with my first Developer Insight for NBA 2K12. I want to introduce our new Training Camp mode for NBA 2K12. Before I get into the details of the feature, let me first take this time to thank you, our fans, for the overall success of last year’s NBA 2K11. It’s been a hectic and fun dev cycle for 2K12 (yes, both can co-exist) and I’m excited to share with you what we’ve put in for this year’s game. Now on to the Insight!
During the development of NBA 2K12, one of our main goals was to create a mode where the user can learn both the basic and advanced moves that the game has to offer. This should be a mode where someone new to 2K basketball can just jump in and master the controls with ease. At the same time, it should also offer veterans of the series something deeper to give them that extra winning edge. But we didn’t want to stop there. To make learning the moves fun and easy, we implemented a Feedback System. This system works in 2 ways: first, you will see the move performed by the AI, showing you the buttons needed to be pressed and/or stick input. Second, the Feedback System precisely detects when and where you made a mistake when you are attempting to do a particular move.
And with that, Training Camp is born.
Lessons
Training Camp takes you through all the facets of NBA 2K12’s gameplay. The moves are categorically broken down by Lessons. There are a total of 9 lessons in all:
Jump Shots – Shots such as the fadeaway, escape dribble pull-up, stepback jumper, spin jumper, etc.
Layups and Dunks – Master the Shotstick with moves such as hop step layup, reverse dunks, change shot, etc.
Triple Threat – Learn the moves at your disposal pre-dribble; jab step, protect, and dribble launches.
Dribble Moves - Moves with a live dribble; crossover, in-and-out, behind the back, etc.
Post Offense – Learn the all new post system; spin fake, aggressive drive, shimmy shots, etc.
Post Defense – How to counter and defend post moves.
Off-Ball Offense - Moving without the ball; moves such as screens, jukes, spin cuts, and stutter cuts.
On-Ball Defense – Learn how to shut down the ballhandler.
Passing and Offense – Advanced passing such as give-and-go and alley-oop.
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Mentors
Before I go any deeper, let me first talk about the Mentors in the mode (as you probably noticed in the image above). For each lessons in Training Camp, a Mentor awaits. His role is to teach you all the moves from that lesson and provide you with tips on how to master them.
For instance, in the Jump Shots lesson, Kobe Bryant will be training with Michael Jordan. You will be in control of Kobe during training. As you progress through Training Camp, new Player/Mentor pairings awaits you. Dwight Howard and Hakeem Olajuwon is another one.
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The Mentor’s role in Training Camp is the following:
Show you how to do each particular move
Provide you with additional tips that can be applied in competitive play
Challenge you to a test after each lesson
Learning Moves
As soon as you begin training and practicing a specific move, the Mentor will first show you how the move is performed. During this, you will notice a controller graphic on the screen. While the Mentor is demonstrating, the controller will actually mimic his movements. Think of it as watching someone who has mastered the game showing you the commands. The on-screen controller displays the following:
Buttons/Stick required to do the move are highlighted to show you the gesture
A step-by-step description of the command
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The controller graphic is really helpful since it will give you visual feedback on how the move is actually performed. If a particular move requires a half-circle gesture with the Left Stick, you will notice the Mentor move his stick in that direction. This is very helpful since it will also show you where it needs to start and end from. There is no more guesswork required.
If you run into a move that comes off as particularly difficult, the Mentor will be there to give you some pointers. For instance, when you fail a move, the Mentor might give you a tip to steer you in the right direction. You may be pushing your stick too soon or too early, not holding a particular trigger, or flat out just not listening to a word he says. Either way, he’ll be sure to let you know.
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At any point during training, you can ask your Mentor to show you the move again. Use the Mentor Assist when you are having any trouble performing a move.
Moves Challenge
At the end of each Lesson, the Mentor will want to make sure that you remembered everything he taught you. Let’s say you finished going through all of the Post Offense moves with Hakeem. After doing so, he will challenge you to a game. In order to pass the challenge, you must use the moves you learned during the lesson. There is a required score that you must meet in order to pass. Once you accumulate enough points, you can then move on to the next Lesson. Don’t worry, he’ll take it easy on you. Or will he?
To those new to the NBA 2K series definitely check this mode out when you get the game. Even if you are a longtime 2K gamer, I still recommend jumping into Training Camp. There are new controls and mechanics in NBA 2K12 that you will want to know about. New post moves, dribble moves, Shotstick controls, and defensive controls, just to name a few. Future gameplay insights will delve into these mechanics in detail, but for now I will say that there will be much to learn in NBA 2K12.
At any point in Training Camp, you can quit out and resume it again at a later time. The game will save your progress to your Profile save file.
Oh, one more thing before I sign off: as an added incentive, there is a special reward to those who complete Training Camp.
Until next time...
NBA 2K12 Developer Insight # 8: The Post Game (I skipped Insight #7 because it was pretty brief and insignificant)
Zach Timmerman here, Gameplay Producer on NBA 2K12. I’m here to break down changes we’ve made to one of my favorite aspects of basketball: post play. One of our main goals this year was to improve the post game from top to bottom. While we were satisfied with what we gave you last year, we wanted to make post play more accessible and better balanced from offense to defense.
There were numerous changes and upgrades that were made, but I’ll save you from some of the super small details and get into some of the most impactful changes we made to the post mechanics, movement, moves, shots and defense below.
Mechanical Changes
When we went to the drawing board this year, it was apparent we needed to reshuffle the mechanics to make the post game more accessible. The first change was to move the post engage mechanic to a toggle on the Y button. This essentially means you can press Y to put your player into a post backdown position and press Y to get back out again. Movement in the post remains on the LSTICK. Basic post moves are now on the Y button and R-Trigger. Shots still use the Shot Stick or Shot Button, but can now be combined with the L-Trigger to get shots off of moves. I am sure many of you saw this work so seamlessly in the recent Momentus Trailer. The L-Trigger is also used as a modifier to create stand-still fakes and clear space moves, or what we call, “Clutch Moves”. We nailed our goal of making post play more inviting with these mechanical changes.
360 Degree Movement
One of the bigger limitations for post play in 2K11 was the general movement. When backing down an opponent, you were left with just one direction to go and that was straight towards the basket. We felt this really limited the freedom of movement that players have in real life. In 2K12, we made a significant change that allows you to move around the court in a back-to-the-basket stance in any direction you wish, either with a defender on you or not. The difference is quite amazing when you’re not forced into moving along a singular path. You can now get yourself into an advantageous position without ever having to leave your post stance.
Moves
There are numerous moves that a player can perform while in the post, and we believe we’ve nailed the most effective moves seen in the NBA today. Some were carried over from 2K11 and others are new for this year. I’ll break some of the moves down below:
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1.) Drives – Last year, you first had to face the basket in order drive towards the hoop from a post position. In 2K12, you can now start drives with your back to the basket. We have three different drive moves depending on the button you press and the direction you have your LSTICK. The Drive to Basket move (seen above) will take your player directly to the hoop, good for finishing strong at the rim. The Aggressive Drive to Key and regular Drive to Key moves will take your player into the key area and can be combined with running floaters/hooks/fades to score while on the move. Drives are most effective when you’ve got clear space in the direction you’re driving and when you’ve got a quickness advantage on the post defender.
2.) Spins – You were able to spin out of the post in 2K11 but we added a new one called the Drive to Spin move. This move quickly fakes an inside drive before spinning towards the basket. As with the Drive move, you should only spin when you’ve got a clear area over your back and when you feel you’ve got a quickness advantage on the defender guarding you.
3.) Faceups – Like last year, you’ll be able to pull your player out of the post to face the basket without using a dribble. This is a great move for players who are at a weight or strength disadvantage in the post, or for players who have nice mid-range shots or quick drives. New this year: you’ll be able to choose whether you want what we call an ‘Inside Faceup’ or an ‘Outside Faceup’, based on the direction you have your LSTICK when pressing the Faceup button. The Inside Faceup will have your post player turn his body into the defender to face the basket (think Kevin Garnett). The Outside Faceup will turn his body away from the defender. Both are equally effective and should be mostly used to change up your moves to keep the defenders guessing.
4.) Dribble Disengages –Similar to the Faceup moves where you face the basket following the move, the Dribble Disengage moves do the same, except you’re performing them from a dribble. The first move is the simple Dribble Disengage, which essentially turns your player 180 degrees to face the basket while maintaining his dribble. The second move is the Stepback, where the player jabs his inside foot into the defender and follows it up with a hop back to create space. Both moves are a quick way to create potential space to get off a jumper or drive by a slower defender. You can even queue the shots or drives during the moves for quicker results.
5.) Aggressive Backdown – Sometimes, you may want to drop your shoulder and shove the defender back to get you closer to the basket. In 2K12 we’ve introduced the Aggressive Backdown mechanic (seen below) that allows you to control this by holding or pressing the R-Trigger with the LSTICK pointed towards the on-ball defender. You can loop one after another to get deeper position for that potential Shaq-esque throwdown directly under the basket.
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Clutch Moves – Clutch moves are essentially “fakes”, sizeups and clear space moves that can be performed by holding LT and moving your LSTICK in various directions. The moves under the Clutch Move umbrella are the Drive, Spin and Shoulder Fakes as well as the Lean Back and Create Space moves. The Drive and Spin Fakes are fairly self-explanatory. They basically start the Drive or Spin move but come right back to the normal post stance. The Shoulder Fake is a quick twitch of the shoulder while maintaining the dribble. While holding the ball, the Lean Back move (seen below with Dirk) leans the ball-handler’s upper body into the defender and the Create Space move pushes the ball-handler’s rear-end into the defender. All clutch moves are best used to change up the post game and possibly force the defender into relaxing or pushing their stick in a bad direction (something we’ll get into in the Defense section). The beauty of the clutch moves are that you can combo them into other moves or shots. For example, you can fake a drive into the key and then queue a spin towards the baseline or you can fake a spin towards the baseline and follow it up with a queued fade away. Definitely one of my favorite parts of the post game in 2K12.
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Something to note: If you don’t like the result of the move you’re in the middle of performing (maybe a defender is locking you up), you can press the post engage button again to queue up an engagement that keeps you in the post once the move ends. This can allow you to quickly attempt another post move.
Developer Insight #8 Continued
Post Shots
After watching some footage from some of the all-time great post players, including Hakeem Olajuwon and Kevin McHale, one of the areas, that lacked versatility, was the types of shots you can do out of the post. We retained all the shots you could do in 2K11, changed the mechanics for them to be more user-friendly and then added some new shots to take it to the next level. We’re even allowing you to do everything you see below from the protect-ball stance on the perimeter. I’ll talk about the post shots from 2K11 that changed as well as discuss the new shots we added.
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1.) Hooks and Fades – Two of the types of shots that changed from last year were the hooks and fades. The main difference is that we’re now allowing you to decide which one you want, rather than relying solely on the distance to the basket and tendencies of the player shooting. One of the main reasons for this change was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Here’s a guy who was willing to pull out a hook shot as far as 15-18 feet, something you couldn’t do in 2K11. Now, you can perform a hook from this far so long as you’re aiming your Shot Stick towards the basket. To the right of the hoop would be a right hook and to the left would be a left hook. You can also perform a fadeaway extremely close to the hoop if you wish, unlike 2K11, so you can now be more Nowitzki-like when attempting a post shot from close to the basket.
2.) Hop Shots – If you really want to create some space on your post shot, a Hop Shot is a great way to do so. By holding the L-Trigger and your Shot Stick to the left or right and away from the hoop, your player will hop step away from the defender and basket before turning to shoot. It’s a beautiful move-to-shot that only the more skilled post players can knock down regularly.
3.) Stepback Shot – A combination of the Stepback Move and Hop Shot, the Stepback Shot lets a player jab step into the defender before hopping back to shoot. It is the same mechanic as the hop shot except you’re pulling the Shot Stick directly away from the hoop.
4.) Dropstep Layup / Dunk – This was a move we had last year that is now grouped in with the shots, as it is a dropstep to shot move, rather than just a dropstep. To perform, you’ll hold L-Trigger and then move the Shot Stick towards the basket either left or right. Your player will put the ball down and either hop into the lane or step towards the baseline for the shot, depending on which way you’re holding your Shot Stick relative to the rim.
5.) Up-and-Under – The mechanic to pull this off last year was far too difficult even for our experienced players. Now it’s as simple as moving your Shot Stick one way and then the opposite direction. In 2K12, we added the ability to break out of any of the post shots listed above (as well as the Shimmy Shots we brought back from 2K11) simply by letting go of the Shot Stick before the player starts the shot portion of the move. You can then turn that post move into an up-and-under by moving the Shot Stick the opposite way. For example, you start a fade away on the block by moving your Shot Stick towards the baseline. Before the player shoots, you can then move the Shot Stick the opposite way towards the key to fake the fade away and step into the key for the up-and-under shot.
Defense
By now you might be wondering, “how do I defend all this?” With all the new additions to the offensive post game, we had to show just as much love to the defensive end. The best way to do so was to allow users to counter moves or stop them before they even start.
There are three ways to defend post moves in 2K12: anticipate, counter and steal.
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1.) Anticipate – Let’s say you’re playing against your buddy and you recognize that he continually spins baseline with Robert Parish. ‘Kevin Willis isn’t that bad of a post defender, right?’ You may have been able to force a few neutral results but for the most part he’s getting where he wants to go. Luckily for you, you’ve now got the ability to anticipate the move before he performs it. In 2K12, you can press your LSTICK in the direction you believe he’s going to go and it will force a ‘defensive win’ that will make your buddy rethink his go-to move. Essentially, his spin won’t gain any ground and you’ve rendered it basically useless. Spins, Drives, Aggressive Backdowns and Dribble Disengage moves all have the ability to be stopped before they’re started, forcing your opponent into expanding their post game. Be careful, however, as a wrong anticipation will result in a clear offensive win. It’s a major risk/reward type of decision. If you’re playing against a well-versed post player you might be best waiting until the move starts and then countering it.
2.) Counter – In 2K11 you may have found yourself defending a post move by pressing your LSTICK in a direction that you felt might be shoving the ball-handler out of where he was trying to go. It felt like the right thing to do, right? Unfortunately, the result of the move was already chosen so your reactionary pushing and shoving meant nothing. Thankfully, you can now counter the same moves that have already begun by pressing your LSTICK into the ball-handler. This means you can turn a potentially bad result into a more desirable one simply by reacting to the move you’re defending. Let’s take the Aggressive Backdown move, for example. Shaq is feeling Alonzo Mourning’s strength so he starts to aggressively back him down. Leaving your stick neutral, you’re recognizing Shaq is treating Mourning like a rag doll. The next time Shaq tries this, you can counter and immediately notice Shaq gain less ground. You’ve now countered the move and turned what would have been a “win” for Shaq into more of a “neutral” result. Against someone with less strength and weight than Shaq, Mourning could turn a neutral result into a defensive win, where the offensive player gains zero ground. The Aggressive Backdown also has two other counters, where pulling your stick away during the move will either “pull the chair” on the ball-handler (seen above) or will have your defender flop. Every move you see listed in the Anticipate section can also be countered. There’s a bit of a learning curve here, as you only have a certain amount of time to counter a move once is starts, so be on your toes.
3.) Steal – As with 2K11, you’re also given the ability to potentially strip the offensive player of the ball during a post move. We look at your timing as well as some ability checks to determine the result. In 2K11, there were no negative consequences to users spamming the steal button. New to 2K12 are what we call ‘steal fails’. Each post move gives you a small window during which a steal attempt can be successful. That same window is available for failing. Steal fails are chosen based on ability checks, so if you’ve got a guy who is not good at stealing from the post, steer clear from that strategy. Otherwise, you risk giving your opponent a clear lane to the basket.
There you have it. Like I said at the very beginning, this Insight does not get into everything we did to improve the post game. There were significant changes made to the post game logic and improvements to the AI behaviors. There are hundreds of new animations, including ball losses for scrubby players doing moves outside their ability. The protect-ball mechanic has been expanded to allow you to shoot and pull off moves. Ratings and tendencies have been expanded to accommodate the new moves. There is no doubt that this is the most versatile, accessible and well-balanced post game to date. I’m excited for you to try it out and make it part of your NBA 2K12 repertoire. Also, look for a Controls trailer early next week that breaks down some of the Post Game info you’ve read above.
- Zach Timmerman
Gameplay Producer
NBA 2K12 Developer Insight #9: Defense
Hello fans!
Jerson Sapida here back for another insight. If you missed my last Insight about Training Camp earlier this week, you can read it here. This time I’ll be going over NBA 2K12’s gameplay features and improvements on Defense. Just to note, as announced in yesterday’s Post Game Insight, there will be a video that chronicles all controls I reference below early next week.
With that being said, let’s go over what we’ve added:
Movement and Controls
With NBA 2K11, we made marked improvements on defense with regards to control, responsiveness, and game AI. The entire movement system was also re-written last year, giving us a solid base to build on for 2K12. Getting defensive movement as responsive and tight as possible is always a top priority, and the same philosophy holds true for this year’s title. On top of that, we wanted to give the user more control over the defensive player’s movement and actions. With NBA 2K12, we give you more commands on the defensive end. Here’s the breakdown of what they are.
Shuffle Speed
Let’s start off with controlling your defender’s speed. When guarding the ball handler in NBA 2K12, you have complete control over how fast your defender moves in order to keep up with your matchup. Speed throttling, as we call this internally, gives you three levels of control as a defender.
LSTICK = regular movement
LT + LSTICK (L2 + Left Analog Stick on PS3)= Intense Defense and tighter movement
LT + RT + LSTICK (L2 + R2 + Left Analog Stick on PS3) = Fast Shuffle movement
When guarding the ball, you now have three options over how fast or how slow you want to go. Without any modifiers, LSTICK (Left Analog Stick) will give you the default movement speed. This is what you’ll be using the most, such as when the dribbler is roaming the court or setting up a play. You can still tap the stick to take a step, or feather it lightly to walk.
Moving on to the next level, when you hold down LT (or L2 on PS3), you enter Intense Defense which will give you a tighter set of controls. You won’t be moving as fast as the default movement speed when holding down LT (L2). Your defender will make small adjustments while in this mode. Even with the stick fully pressed, Intense Defense limits you to a slower shuffle speed for that tighter control. Use Intense Defense when you are playing the dribbler really close and only need to take a step or two to get in better position.
Lastly, and this is my favorite, when LT + RT (L2 + R2) are held, the defender will be in Fast Shuffle mode. Think of this as moving laterally but with Turbo applied. This is especially helpful when you feel that you are getting beat by a step or two but do not want to sprint to catch up. It is essentially the fastest speed your player can go without turning to run. You can also use this to defend a fastbreak. By getting into the Fast Shuffle, you can now face up the dribbler and backpedal towards the basket (be it as early as the half court line) as he is attacking for a score. You can even hold down LT (L2) and periodically tap/hold RT (R2) to get that extra level of control over your speed. A word of caution: this will drain your energy much faster than normal movement, so use it only when necessary.
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RSTICK Defense
The RSTICK (Right Analog Stick on PS3) now has two functions on defense this year: Hands Up and Deny Ball.
In 2K11, you could perform the Hands Up move but doing so restricted your movement. You couldn’t shuffle or adjust your position once you put your hands up. The move basically locked you in a standstill, putting you at an even more disadvantageous position. In NBA 2K12, you can now get your hands up and move at the same time. By simply holding the RSTICK in any direction, your defender will raise both hands when close to the ball handler. As long as the RSTICK is held, you will keep your hands up. Mix in LSTICK for movement to keep up with your opponent. You want to use this move to (a) defend a shot or (b) force a more difficult pass. Playing hands up defense on a shooter will have an effect on the overall shot percentage. The closer you are to the shooter, the higher the impact you have on the shot. Another added benefit is that you have less chance of fouling when simply raising your hands. The AI also makes full use of the Hands Up move, especially when the ball gets close to the basket. With this move as part of their defensive arsenal, the inside game feels more balanced now as well.
One thing I would like to mention is how shot contests work with hands up now. In 2K11, shot contests triggered automatically for both users and CPU. This is no longer the case for the user. We want to give you complete control over your actions on the court. Getting some random animation that you specifically did not call for, without any input, is something we wanted to move away from. This same viewpoint was shared and passionately voiced by one of our community members, Da Czar, during development. Conversely, there were those who liked the auto-contest in 2K11. Among them was one of our gameplay interns who has been a longtime fan of the series. After days of debating, we came up with the solution that should satisfy both camps: Auto Contests will play as long as you are performing hands up defense or holding LT (or L2 on PS3) in Intense Defense mode. This means you need to perform one of the two, meaning intentionally feeding an input, to get the contest. As a side note: auto contest animations will not make your player jump. If you want to leave the ground to contest a shot, you must press the Block button (Y on Xbox, Triangle on PS3).
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Now when you are guarding an opponent without the ball (offball), the RSTICK will put your defender in a Deny Ball stance. While in Deny Ball, the defender will face his matchup and one arm is extended to defend the pass. Similar to hands up, you can move around while denying the ball. If your matchup moves, you can stay in Deny Ball and keep up with your man using the LSTICK. You do move slower while in this stance, so be aware of that and know when to get out of it, especially if your man gets too far away from you. When denying the ball on your matchup, you affect their openness for a pass. Another benefit in using deny, you can easily steal passes when they are forced to the man you are closely guarding. Deny Ball gives you access to the auto-steals to knock down incoming passes.
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Steals
In 2K12, we have incorporated part of the steal moves into the actual motion model itself. As I’ve said previously in this Insight, giving total control to the user is part of our goal. We want you to be in full control of your movement. In 2K11, when you pressed the steal button your player occasionally ends up shooting off in a random direction that takes you out of position. This is no longer the case in 2K12. We keep your movement independent from the steal gesture. This means that if you hit steal while you are backpedaling, you will keep backpedaling as you swipe at the ball. The system is also aware of ball location with relation to your player. For instance, when you press steal when the ball is to your right side, the player will reach in that direction.
Boxing Out
When boxing out (by holding down LT on 360, L2 on PS3), you will now get into an actual box out stance. Going back to movement controls once again, you can shuffle around and make adjustments to your position while in this stance. Simply move with your LSTICK while keeping the triggers held down. Getting into the box out puts your player into a wider stance, making it easier to seal out an opposing player trying to get the rock.
Defensive Setting and Strategy
With NBA 2K12, we have also added a new feature that allows you to set strategies on how to defend the pick and roll. Fans of the series have been asking for this and I am happy to share that it is now in the game. When you pause the game and access the Defensive Settings screen (Pause -> Coaching), you will notice two new columns: Screen Defense and Hedge Defense.
Defense Insight continued
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For each opposing player, you can select how your teammates on defense will react when that player gets a screen set for him. This can be set individually. For instance, how you defend the screen when Derrick Rose has the ball might be different compared to Luol Deng. You can be very specific in your defensive strategy. Let me go over in detail what each setting does:
Screen Defense
This setting controls how the onball defender will react to the screen. You can set it to any of the following:
Auto – Let the game logic decide.
Go Over – Onball defender will always attempt to go over the screener. This is a good strategy to use against good outside shooters.
Go Under – Onball defender will go under and around the screener. Use this strategy for opponents that can drive to the basket but is not a very good outside shooter.
Switch – Onball defender will always switch so that he is now guarding the screener (offball defender picks up the ball handler).
Hedge Defense
This setting controls how the offball defender (defender matched up to the screener) will react to the screen. Hedging is a way to slow down the dribbler during the screen by stepping out to defend him briefly and then getting back to the original matchup. Below are the settings available:
Auto – Let the game logic decide.
No Hedge – The offball defender stays close to the screener.
Soft Hedge – The offball defender steps out to briefly impede/disrupt the dribbler’s path
Hard Hedge – The offball defender steps further out to force the dribbler to take a longer route around the screen
Double – The offball defender stays on the dribbler for the double team
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Both Screen and Hedge strategies also tie into the quick Defense Strategy in our playcall system. You can quickly change these settings on-the-fly (DPAD Left) while on defense. If you have not yet read the Playcall System insight by Rob Jones, I recommend doing so to get more information on Defensive Strategies.
User-Controlled Defender
In competitive play, be it online or offline, there is always that never ending dispute over opponents never wanting to guard the ball. Many users just don’t want (or are afraid) to be tasked with keeping in front of the ball handler and preventing penetration. They end up controlling and offball defender and simply camp out down low to defend the inside shot. Even during our friendly office tournaments, the majority of the participants played this way. We wanted to address this for 2K12. Playing onball should not be something that’s feared.
Now, we give you an added incentive to play the ball on defense. For one, user-controlled defenders will impact the shot percentages more than an AI-controlled one. When you control the defender and perform hands up defense or jump up to contest, your shot release defense will be higher than just leaving it to your AI teammates.
Shooter Vulnerability and Strips
Further balancing the game, we also ensured that all shots could be countered on the defensive end. As an example, the spin dunk and hop steps from 2K11 was nearly unstoppable once the animation has started. This ended up being a cheeser’s favorite go-to move. To those not familiar with gaming memes, a cheeser is a user who performs the same move over and over because of a game balance issue. In NBA 2K12, we have addressed this by creating vulnerability windows during all shots.
During the gather, from the moment the shooter starts the shot and before he leaves the ground, he is vulnerable. During that window, a defender can strip the ball away by timing the steal command properly. This applies to hop step layups, euro layups, spin layups, spin dunks, etc. These moves are no longer overpowering once you learn and detect their vulnerable windows. Player skill also factors in as well. Erick Boenisch touched upon the moves proficiency new to 2K12 in the My Player Insight, which plays a big role in the type of shots taken by the player. For example, a user trying to perform a spin layup with a player that’s not good at it will end up either getting stripped or just lose the ball outright and have it slip out of his hands.
Another counter to these shots would simply be getting a body in front of the shooter before he takes off. This year, shots can be disrupted mid-gather and branch out to a contested one if a defender impedes his path. Whereas last year the shooter was always guaranteed to complete his shot animation (until a midair collision prevents it from finishing), this time around shooters can be forced to a much tougher shots during the gather. This added branch point makes you work harder to get quality shots on inside penetration and taking advantage of open lanes.
Speaking of mid-air collision shots, we have also made some additions and changes to this system. The way it worked last year, players needed to match up body positions in order to trigger them. Since we have limited collision animations, sometimes we will fail to find a match and the shooter gets a free pass by letting their shots finish. In 2K12 this is solved by blending the shooter into another shot mid-air if a defender gets in the way while he is airborne. You should no longer see mid-air shoving as if the defender wasn’t even there. Shooters will now be forced into a tougher shot if contact is detected.
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Blocks
The game’s blocking system has been vastly improved for 2K12. One of the major complaints from last year was that hands would sometimes go through the ball when it clearly should have been a block. We now have a better physics detection for body-ball collisions. Balls that hit body parts (as part of the live ball physics) should now be knocked loose out of the shooter’s hands.
Further improvements to blocking include implementation of an IK system and better predictive logic for determining the shooter’s shot release point. To put it simply, IK allows us to adjust the aim points and direction of a player’s arm. Before IK, we were limited to the animation data and players would be stuck with whatever block animation they got. But now we can tweak that same animation so that the hand actually aims at hitting the ball.
With the shot prediction logic, our block selection is now much better with regards to playing an animation that fits the context. What does this mean for you as a user? When you send a block command, the defender should now play a block animation that puts him in an advantageous position to contest the shot. As an example, we don’t want to swat straight up when we see the shooter performing a scoop layup on the right side. He should jump to contest with his arms actually aiming at the ball.
All of these improvements mean that when you get your block timing right, we can ensure that you are rewarded by stopping that shot.
On the flip side, we also addressed game balance issue. That is, being able to recover too quickly from a block attempt. There’s nothing more frustrating on the offensive side when you get the defender to bite on a pump fake only to see him right in front of you again a split second later. Now, when a defender goes up for an aggressive block, there will be a recovery period where he can’t immediately launch and run to get back. This change really balances out the game now.
Hard / Wrap Foul
A new defensive move added this year now allows you to wrap up your man to prevent an easy bucket. By clicking the RSTICK, your defender will go into a wrap foul animation. If the shooter is in vicinity for the foul, he will get wrapped up and be sent to the line. You can use this new mechanic in times where you find yourself mismatched in the post and got beat to the basket. As an example, you can send Dwight Howard to the line instead of giving up an easy dunk by wrapping him up during the shot.
Defender Reactions
Another improvement on our defender is on overall reactions to game situations. With the inclusion of fake passes in 2K11, we allowed our defender to react to them. For 2K12, we didn’t want to stop there. Why not react on jab steps and shot fakes as well? A simple twitch or hand reaction is enough to sell that realism that players are actually aware of what’s going on around them. It’s a minor and cosmetic change, but it drastically gives the game that organic and realistic feel.
Conclusion
Well, that’s it for now 2K fans. We’re very proud of what we’ve accomplished this year with giving you, the user, more controls and arsenals to use on the defensive end. The game balance is something we’re really happy with. I’d like to wrap up this Insight by saying thank you once again. A reminder about the controls video early next week along with the fact that the demo should be dropping soon, as you read this, so definitely check that out once it releases. And remember, defense wins championships!
**VIDEO COMING SOON**
- Jerson Sapida
a.k.a. Da Curse
korleon
09-18-2011, 08:00 AM
heard the rookies will not be on the game initially
heard the rookies will not be on the game initially
Yeah, until the lockout is over, they are technically not NBA players yet and cannot be in any NBA licensed games or products. If and when the lockout ends, 2K will send a roster update that includes them all. All of their data is already built into the game, though, so it will be a seamless transition.
NBA 2K12 Developer Insight #10: Controls
Hello, NBA2K fans.
It’s Mike Wang, Sr. Game Designer, with you today to talk about some of the new features and improvements made to the offensive end of the floor in NBA2K12 – primarily in the areas of Ball Handling and Shooting.
Ball Handling
Let’s start off talking about dribbling. Last year, one of our top AI engineers completely re-worked the dribbling system and it was immediately recognized as one of the biggest improvements in the jump between 2K10 and 2K11. We were really happy with how far it came last year, but there were certain things that we didn’t have time to get in… which is typically the case when undergoing huge code re-writes such as this. In a nutshell, the two main goals we wanted to achieve with the dribbler in NBA2K12 were to:
- Refine the movement, in terms of look and feel
- Make good ball handlers feel more “explosive”
The first area that needed to be addressed was speed. Feedback came through loud and clear from the forums that people wanted a proper walk dribble instead of the “hunchback” dribble that we had last year.
To be honest, I didn’t think it was that big a deal in the scope of things, but decided to spend some time refining it and capturing new walk dribble animations to appease the fans. After playing with the changes, I was amazed at how much I actually missed being able to walk up and down the court. It’s a small change, but goes a long way towards making the overall dribble model feel more complete.
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On the other side of the spectrum, we felt that it was important to convey a better sense of speed, especially during fast breaks. This is where the blowout dribble comes in. Many of you have already seen this feature in various trailers and videos that we’ve released. Basically, if you press and hold Turbo while in the backcourt, the dribbler will throw the ball out ahead and sprint to catch up to it. It’s a great tool for gaining an advantage in transition and also makes our fast breaks feel more alive. The ball is essentially loose during the blowout though, so make sure you have space in front of you before trying it or you’ll end up throwing the ball off someone’s foot.
Size ups were another area that saw a nice improvement this year. In NBA2K11, size up dribbles were, essentially, short in-place dribble sequences that the ball handler could use to size up his check, in an effort to get him to shift one way or the other. Unfortunately, once the user kicked off the sequence, they pretty much had to sit there and watch a movie play out with little control over the outcome.
In NBA2K12, we wanted the user to feel more connected to the system so we broke the size ups up into much shorter sequences, and in most cases just one dribble. So you can now manually rock the ball from side to side by holding the Dribble/Shot modifier and moving the left thumbstick left, right, left, right, etc. Moving the left stick away from the hoop will cause your guy to quickly retreat, toward the ball hand will have him do a quick inside out dribble, toward the offhand will perform a crossover, and toward the hoop will be a more aggressive attacking type dribble. It’s a bit difficult to describe but when you get your hands on it, the difference is night and day. Instead of watching a sequence play out by itself, the user now has the ability to chain together ankle-breaking combos however he wants.
We tightened up a number of other aspects of dribbling: cuts, stops, etc. Collectively, these changes have made a significant improvement to the overall feel that we think you guys will appreciate. But the last thing I want to mention about the dribbler is this idea of explosiveness. The dribbler in NBA2K11 was smooth… almost too smooth. One of the things that separate a great ball handler from a poor one in the NBA, is the ability to change speeds on a dime. So when a Derrick Rose or Chris Paul takes you off the dribble with their first step, they don’t slowly accelerate… they explode off the bounce with a blur. In NBA2K12, we added a number of new dribble moves and launches that bring this aspect of real life dribbling into our game. For example, if you perform a size up, hesitation, or stepback move, you can quickly move the left stick in one of four directions to queue up an explosive first step:
- Toward the ball hand = Go move launch
- Toward the off hand, but more toward the basket = Crossover launch
- Toward the off hand, directly across the body = Behind the Back launch
- Toward the off hand, but more away from the basket = Spin launch
The stop and go game is deadly and can easily leave a flat-footed defender in the dust. One of my favorite things to do is to set up my defender with a few size up moves, explode to the basket with a behind the back or spin launch, follow that up with a stepback move to freeze the retreating defender, then throw another launch at him or pull up for a jumper depending on how much space I’ve created.
Shooting
As many of you know, one of the things I’m most passionate about when it comes to my virtual hoops is having a strong shot arsenal. Last year, we took some good steps with the addition of new shot types such as stepback and spin jumpers as well as my personal favorite, the “flick flick.” But we really wanted to make huge strides in taking shooting to the next level in NBA2K12.
To accomplish that, we added a new, extremely talented engineer to our AI team. He hit the ground running the day he started and the two of us spent a better part of the dev cycle iterating on new ideas and building the most robust shooting system to date. I could probably write a novel on all of the upgrades that we made this year, but I’ll try to just hit the highlights in this Insight.
The first thing we set out to do was add some new tech. I’ve long been a believer that in order to continue to grow Signature Style, which is one of the cornerstones of our game, we needed to explore a more dynamic shot engine. Otherwise, we’re going to hit a ceiling, run out of animation memory, and not be able to offer new shot content.
Enter Shot Compositing. The idea behind this technology is to blend multiple shot animations together in order to “build” a cohesive signature shot. Think of it as a flip book, remember the ones you read as a kid where you’d mix and match the head, torso, and legs of different characters to build your own? Shot Compositing works in a similar way. So if you go into Create a Player, you can assign a specific shooting form (upper body) to a player, and then mix and match different shot bases (lower body) to create the shot you want.
I am sure many of you saw the screen of Ronnie's My Player last week with his extremely funky created shot. This is what I am referring to in terms of Shot Compositing.
Shot compositing gave us the ability to essentially create a limitless number of sig shots, while still allowing for tons of new shot types without bloating our memory footprint. The tech is very cool and I think users will love having the ability to create unique jumpers. Plus, it yields consistency when you see a guy like Shawn Marion shooting all his shots with his trademark flick or Dirk always releasing with his high patented follow through.
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The next big undertaking was the Change Shot code. Frankly, this feature was a mess and hadn’t been touched for several years. This year, the code was completely re-written and I’m proud to say that it’s a feature that’s finally worth talking about. You can now change your shot from any layup or dunk without it looking robotic, and the variation in shot finishes is at least 30 times more than it was last year. Now when you switch hands in mid-air or change from a dunk to a layup, it’s difficult to tell if it’s raw mocap or two animations blending together.
The system can also predict where the ball will release, whereas before it just played an animation blindly which led to a lot of shots going into/behind the backboard. Now you can use the feature with confidence that you’re not putting yourself into a worse shot than the one you started with. In fact, the feature is so strong that we started using it as one of our primary shot collision resolution tools. What does that mean? Well, in the past we relied heavily on two player animations to show contact between a shooter and a defender. Those animations looked nice but they felt horrible. You would get pulled into directions you didn’t want and defenders would get put into block animations without ever hitting a button. Not to mention you’d see the same outcomes over and over again.
For NBA2K12, we create these collisions on the fly using the physics of the two players. So if a shooter takes off and ends up hitting a defender in the air, we send him into the Change Shot system and play a shot that matches the shooter’s in air physics but shows him taking a hit in the process. It feels right, teaches the user not to force shots, and also provides a wide variety of outcomes that can play out when you drive into traffic. A lot of people have said that it’s the most impactful difference between last year and this year in making the user feel more in control on both offense and defense. And I’d probably agree.
Another major improvement is in the transitional blends going into various shots. This was something we attempted to improve last year but we really didn’t get as far as I’d hoped.
NBA 2K12 Developer Insight #10 Continued
Shot gathers into pull-up jumpers are so seamless this year that it’s difficult to tell where the dribble animations end and where the shots begin. It’s one of my favorite upgrades and really makes shooting look and feel fantastic.
Of course, we’ve added a number of new shots to the user’s arsenal, but one that I want to call out is the escape dribble pull-up. From triple threat or stand dribble, if you hold LT on 360 (L2 on PS3) and move the Shot Stick in any direction, you can pull off an explosive escape dribble that directly transitions into a pull-up jumper. The nice thing about these shots is that you can break out of them. So after kicking one off, if the defense reads you properly and jumps in your way, you can retreat out or change directions while maintaining your dribble. There’s a risk/reward to it though because you can end up losing the ball if you collide with a defender. So be careful when and where you choose to use these shots.
Last year, we introduced something that I called the “flick flick” shot. Basically, these are up and under type shots in which you start a shot, pump fake, and then pivot out for a step through jumper or layup. This feature makes its return in NBA2K12 but in a much broader capacity. Now, you can flick flick out of any fake-able shot with no modifiers required. For example, in the post, quickly move the Shot Stick from side to side to start a shimmy shot, quickly center the stick while the player’s doing his shimmy before he goes into his shooting motion, then just as he starts his pump fake, move the Shot Stick again and you’ll end up with a shimmy fake to step through layup.
It might sound a bit complex but it quickly becomes second nature once you get used to the system. You can even chain several flick flicks together like Hakeem’s Dream Shake, although excessive faking will often lead to a traveling violation. One way I like to use the flick flicks is to drive in, start a hop step layup by holding LT and moving the Shot Stick left or right, then faking into an up and under layup if the defense commits on my initial hop. The shots you can invent with the flick flicks are really impressive and I’m excited to see the highlights people put together using the feature.
I think that’s one of the amazing things about basketball. No two scores are ever alike in real life and I think with NBA2K12, we’re starting to get to that point where the user can read and react to the defense and pull off amazing moves/shots on the fly by chaining from one offensive system to another. All the great scorers can create something out of nothing and now you can do that in our game as well.
I know I’ve concentrated a lot on the offensive aspects of our shot systems, but don’t worry, we didn’t neglect shot defense. Every shot you can perform in NBA2K12 can be countered by timely defense. From strips to contests to blocks, every shot has multiple windows of vulnerability that also take into account the shooter’s ability with a given shot type as well as the defender’s shot defense ability. For example, if you properly read the shooter and hit the Steal button at the right time while he’s driving toward you, you can force him to fumble the ball, go into a forced shot animation, or sometimes even get outright stripped.
From a team strategy standpoint, we went to great lengths to re-balance scoring to properly match the real NBA’s shot percentages. You’ll be amazed at how accurate your stats will turn out if you play in Simulation Game Style at 12 minutes quarters. Your box scores will look like something straight out of NBA.com. We’ve also added a new feature that I encourage everyone to turn on. If you navigate to Options >> My NBA >> Presentation and turn the option titled “Shot Quality Feedback” to “All Shots,” a letter grade will appear at the top of the screen representing the quality of the shot taken. It grades the shot based on all the factors that we use to determine the final shot percentage of that shot, things like: release timing, defensive impact, range, shooter’s skill, etc. The goal was to teach users the importance of taking high quality shots throughout the course of the game in order to be successful. It’s also a great feedback mechanism to gauge your own shot defense against your opponent.
Another area of focus for us this year was the AI’s (artificial intelligence) usage of shots. In the past, we admittedly haven’t spent enough time adequately equipping the AI with all the same weapons that are available to the user. They would often play a shot randomly, not really looking at the difference between a straight up jumper or one that would create space. This is greatly improved in NBA2K12. The AI is much better at recognizing driving opportunities and, based on the particular player’s tendencies, will now utilize the full suite of shots available in the game.
There have been a lot of instances watching different people play the AI this year in which I felt the AI played smarter, and took better shots than the human. There’s nothing better than watching an AI ball handler take me off the drive, start a spin jumper, pump fake to get me into the air, and then step through for an uncontested floater. It’s a thing of beauty and I don’t even feel bad when I get schooled.
The last thing I want to mention regarding shooting, is the new free throw mechanic. At first glance, it looks and feels largely the same as last year. Pull the Shot Stick down to begin the free throw, center the stick as the player releases the shot. Early in the year, we actually experimented with a few different free throw systems like controlling your power and arc, but decided in the end that simpler was better.
So what’s new about the free throw system? It’s been completely re-tuned to accurately model real life percentages. You still need to learn the timing of your player’s sig free throw, but the timing window and margin for error directly correlate to how good a free throw shooter you have, whereas before they were somewhat identical for all players. I know a lot of people mastered Shaq and Dwight Howard’s free throw animations because they had “tells” that cued the user when to release the stick. So there was no purpose in going to the Hack-A-Shaq strategy against certain users because Shaq would knock down 80% of his foul shots.
This year, mastering them will still yield realistic percentages because the slightest bit of error will greatly reduce your chances of making the shot. On the flip side, you almost have to go out of your way to miss free throws with great free throw shooters like Steve Nash. We also display the percentage of the free throw make/miss chance to give you feedback on how well you timed your release based on your shooter’s skill.
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/300119_10150820386775305_221292025304_20563976_212 5573114_n.jpg
Conclusion
As you can see, it was a very busy year for us on the offensive end of the floor this dev cycle… and I haven’t even touched on all the upgrades. I’m excited to read/hear the feedback from the community as we continue to push the envelope and blur the lines between real life hoops and video games. Now I gotta get back to work on NBA2K13.
- Mike Wang
Sr. Game Designer
http://media.operationsports.com/shots/400/18060.jpg
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that the demo drops tomorrow.
Anybody play the demo yet?
Jeff Sticks
09-21-2011, 03:38 PM
damn damn damn!!!! My freakin' Xbox doesn't work!!!! It's not looking like we're having a season this year :(:(:(:(
damn damn damn!!!! My freakin' Xbox doesn't work!!!! It's not looking like we're having a season this year :(:(:(:(
Did you get the "Three Rings of Death"? That's exactly the reason why I don't have an Xbox today LOL. You're missing out on something special, too. This demo improves on 2K11 in almost every aspect.
Gifted
09-24-2011, 10:36 AM
Anybody play the demo yet?
Yeah...and um....I don't know how I feel about it yet
The demo was a little sluggish for me, but I'm hearing the retail version will be greatly improved.
The game dropped today. Anybody cop?
Tully Blanchard
10-04-2011, 03:09 PM
Copping after I get off of the Amistad.
Copping after I get off of the Amistad.
This.......
I haven't copped it yet, but I played a quick game in Gamestop just now. I'm feeling it, and I'm definitely copping, but I got other financial priorities at the moment. The graphics are crisper than last year on the PS3. The gameplay isn't drastically different, and I hate the delay in passing. It's something you have to be mindful of when you want to pass the ball. I can't wait until the lockout is over so the rookies will be implemented into the game.
LOL @ BG punking kids at gamestop so he can get another game on the sticks
korleon
10-05-2011, 07:54 AM
http://www.gameinformer.com/games/nba_2k12/b/xbox360/archive/2011/10/04/review.aspx
http://media1.gameinformer.com/imagefeed/featured/2kgames/2ksports/nba2k12/DirkNovitzki610.jpg
NBA 2K12
NBA 2K12 Review: The Best Basketball Sim Ever
Review by Matt Bertz on October 04, 2011 at 11:20 AM
With the NBA heading for a long and ugly lockout, the public’s appetite for a basketball video game is tough to gauge. But if you skip NBA 2K12 this year because you’re upset about being unable to watch LeBron and Kobe in real life, you’d be doing yourself a disservice. Like a dream team on which all the right pieces fall into place, this year’s edition elevates its game to new heights.
The centerpiece of 2K12’s banner year is the revamped broadcast presentation. Steve Kerr joins previous commentators Kevin Harlan and Clark Kellogg to deliver the most convincing booth commentary in video game history. This trio breaks down team matchups, discusses roster moves, talks about player streaks, and even has several anecdotes on hand about the players and coaches. Most impressively, the audio programming is smart enough to interrupt a discussion when a noteworthy play unfolds on the court and then return to the topic at hand. Coupled with the TNT-quality stat wipes and camera angles, this is the best sports presentation I’ve ever seen.
The moment-to-moment basketball play is equally polished. Visual Concepts didn’t bring any game-changing additions, but instead tightened the already strong gameplay to make the controls more responsive. Player collisions look more natural, it’s easier to string together a sequence of impressive dribbling and shooting moves, the post game feels more organic, and the deep player-centric playcalling system ensures that teams attack the basket like they would in real life. The only issues I have with the gameplay are the boundary awareness (which is a slave to the animation system), the pick and roll system (which I found tougher to execute), and that opposing teams tend to make an inordinately high percentage of their shots. You may need to tweak the sliders to get more realistic results.
The best-in-class Association mode has no problems making its shots, either. With an informative scouting system, convincing player management that has you juggling personalities as well as talent, and a robust free agency system, you won’t find a better franchise mode in sports games. The trade logic could use reworking (so many teams tried to acquire my star players that I wish there was a way to deem them untouchable), and AI-controlled teams tend to carry imbalanced rosters filled with too many guards, but these are niggling complaints about an otherwise stellar mode. Best of all? You can play this fully featured mode online with friends, too. All of the major pieces of the offline Association make the transition, but the progression is automated to keep the league moving forward. This may peeve hardcore fans who want full control.
As good as Association is, I spent more time with the drastically improved My Player mode. Last year’s version turned me off because you started with less talent than a junior varsity bench warmer, but for 2K12 Visual Concepts ditched the Development League purgatory to start you in the pros, bumped your starting rating into the 60s, and fine-tuned the performance grader to make it less punishing. With pre-draft interviews, player endorsements, post-game press conferences, and contract negotiations, My Player is just as adept off the court as it is when you’re raining down threes. The player progression moves slightly slower, but if you’re performing well you can crack the starting lineup sooner than later. I just wish the player abilities and signature animations cost less XP so you could tailor your star to your play style earlier in his career.
If you’re less concerned with the modern-day action, head for the NBA’s Greatest mode, which replaces last year’s popular Jordan Challenge. Visual Concepts went to great lengths to honor the careers of 15 of the league’s best players, creating era-specific presentation packages and asking the commentators to wax nostalgic about the stars of NBA’s past. Not only did I have a great time controlling the likes of Magic Johnson, Dr. J, and Bill Russell, I also learned a lot of interesting facts about players I never had the chance to watch in person. The only misstep 2K made is in locking you from using these great teams online without ponying up some extra cash.
In fact, Visual Concepts’ entire approach to online (outside of the impressive Association mode) clanks off the rim. You can play one-off matches, participate in Virgin-sponsored tournaments, or team up with five other players for a scrimmage, but not including a robust team competition infrastructure like NHL 12’s EASHL is a lost opportunity for a game where individual skill matters.
Online shortcomings and the lack of including last year’s rookie class on the rosters until the lockout lifts aside (thanks for that dumb rule, NBA), you won’t find a better franchise mode, single-player mode, historical mode, or presentation package anywhere else. NBA 2K12 isn’t just the best basketball game; it’s the most complete sports sim I’ve ever played. This is the new benchmark.
LOL @ BG punking kids at gamestop so he can get another game on the sticks
LOL, they were two dudes playing right when I walked end you abruptly quit halfway through their game.
Gifted
10-05-2011, 09:31 AM
hey BG do you have any links regarding ps3 vs 360? Or just general info...don't you have both systems too?
I didn't know the game had 3D capabilities. I'm busting out my 3D glasses when I get home and picking up the sticks.
hey BG do you have any links regarding ps3 vs 360? Or just general info...don't you have both systems too?
Nah, I don't have 360 anymore, but the 360 version is typically the better version of the two each year. I just picked up my copy (PS3) a few hours ago, though.
Gifted
10-06-2011, 11:39 PM
Yeah, i was thinking of getting it for 360....i'll cop mine tomorrow.
:cool:
Tully Blanchard
10-07-2011, 11:58 AM
I copped on Tuesday. The player models have been updated thank gawd. Gameplay didn't really feel any different to me. I played the Jordan challenge versus the Hornets. Larry Johnson and Zo were in beast mode, lol.
I copped on Tuesday. The player models have been updated thank gawd. Gameplay didn't really feel any different to me. I played the Jordan challenge versus the Hornets. Larry Johnson and Zo were in beast mode, lol.
LOL, hell yeah, they are. I agree, the gameplay doesn't feel that different at all.
Tully Blanchard
10-07-2011, 02:45 PM
Another good thing is that I didn't have to change the sliders to make the Bulls any better this year. Last year I did a lot of tweeking and adjusting because they were scrambling. On this game, I just ran with them as is and got a win with the quickness!
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