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Old 12-04-2016, 07:43 PM   #7
mcdowell31
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Join Date: Dec 2007
Blog Entries: 56
NBA 2K presentation: Story-telling and killing momentum

I've just re-fired-up a game between Orlando (me) and Miami: Great intra-state rivalry interrupted by life (happens sometimes) :-D

I'm back; I'm rabid with hunger for some intense game-play and animations. I'm thirsting for the fastbreak; the jockey for low-block position.

Let's do this!

I'm only up by six in the first quarter; my new defensive plan is looking good early. Whitesides puts down a physical basket on Vucevic and a foul is called; insult to injury.

Whitesides (predictably) misses, and we're off to the races. Vucevic rebounds/outlets to the SG: I almost always do this on a free-throw because the SF is boxing-out the shooter.

The SF breaks away from Whiteside and gets lost in the shuffle of transition: I am hopeful for a good finish.

Sure enough, he outruns his opponent along the left and catches the ball at the FT-line extended where he is picked-up by a slow-footed PF. Sizing-up the situation on the run, he takes the baseline and flushes a semi-nice tomahawk.

Too easy.

We harass and get another bad shot: Run and score. The AI begs mercy as time-out is called. Satisfaction for those (me) who like to compete.

THEN IMMERSION BREAKS as presentation goes off into some tiresome tirade about something I've heard before.

MOMENTUM IS BROKEN. Possibly for my team (smart move by the AI). Great! Beautiful! This concept is part of every basketball story.

STORY-TELLING MOMENTUM IS BROKEN AS WELL. Not so cool.

See the difference?

I should be past the TO and continuing the battle. Instead I'm here typing because this idea is fresh in my mind: It is OK to kill players momentum within the game (on-screen). That is fun and funny. It is not so fun for the end-user (behind the controller) to have story-telling momentum killed.

There has to be a way to disengage timeouts: College Hoops 2K8 comes to my mind immediately. That would help story-telling. On-screen players might still be susceptible to TO penalties and positives (like rest), but a real-time is not necessary for digital players.

And, of course, while I'm on TO's: Throw the TO timeclock out. Timeouts are not a mini-game; they are a pause screen.

Save the TO timeclock for truly virtual basketball, already by 2K, that I've seen on YouTube. It will be even better when the AI assistant coach is truly sentient and will speak to me before, during, and after the timeout.

Coaches (joystick jockeys) are interested in what players (NBA 2K staff) are doing. We want to keep this going.

Thanks!
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