NBA 2K12 Developer Insight #9 - Defense

[fatleg3]

Re: NBA 2K12 Developer Insight #9- Defense

fatleg, it's not that we consider playing offball D an invalid playing style. the decision to tune user-controlled onball defenders differently than AI-controlled defenders was a result of a longstanding balancing issue. The fact is, most humans can't react to shooters the same way our AI defenders can. That's amplified online. We simply wanted to give users who prefer to play onball defense an aid to level the playing field with the AI. You'll just have to trust me for now... but I spent a lot of time tuning the shot penalties so as not to sway the balance in the other direction. IMO, 2K12 strikes a good balance for both camps (offball and onball D users.)

But just for the record... I do think it's more manly to play onball D.

Thanks im glad you can come in and clarify this. As long as there is a good balance then there should be no problem. My problem and i think so was some others on here is that basically we were taking from this is that you would have better chances playing onball d. But i will take your word for it because you guys (2k) track record has earned it.

BTW I feel pretty manly when i send you ball into the first row with d12 lol

[AllStarDaDon]

Re: NBA 2K12 Developer Insight #9- Defense

Wow this insight just tells me I'm going to have as much fun on defense as I do on offense this year.

[wrestlinggod1]

Re: NBA 2K12 Developer Insight #9- Defense

Hopefully, I can recreate the Miami Heat's defensive system with all of the new options that we have. Especially the pick and roll defense. Now the question is, will we be able to save these settings to teams? Or do we have to do them for each game?

[clipperfan811]

Re: NBA 2K12 Developer Insight #9- Defense

I see what you mean. There were times when I was playing on ball against a player like Nowitzki or Derron Williams and it seemed like no matter what I was going to be late contesting so the only solution was to reach or double to throw off their rhythm. I can live with Dirk hitting some shots in a defender's face but what messed things up was the feeling that you couldnt even contest without pump fake fouling because you were a step slow and you couldnt time the pump fake with the steal (one of the few or only areas where 2k10 was better than 11).

A lot of players felt the same way with Dirk last year in the playoffs

[Pims33]

Re: NBA 2K12 Developer Insight #9- Defense

Great news here. Got to see how that whole off-ball, on-ball defense thing plays out though. Almost all the time I play on-ball D but I also like to play some off-ball, with players that are great team defenders, from time to time.

Also want to know if they did something to the turbo blocking, last year it was too easy and felt unreal.

[DisapoinnT]

Re: NBA 2K12 Developer Insight #9- Defense

Well, I can shoot 70% on both Offball and Onball D. There is no difference to me. You should a strategy to play against both on ball and off ball. In 2k11 if you played Off Ball, I would throw it to the center to make you guard me eventually. There is no avoiding me .

[qpc123]

Re: NBA 2K12 Developer Insight #9- Defense

Hopefully, I can recreate the Miami Heat's defensive system with all of the new options that we have. Especially the pick and roll defense. Now the question is, will we be able to save these settings to teams? Or do we have to do them for each game?

Won't you want to adjust the settings for every game anyway? What I mean is you would want hedge harder on a pick and roll involving D. Rose than say someone like Derek Fisher.

[iLLosophy]

Re: NBA 2K12 Developer Insight #9- Defense

I think this might be the best Developer Insight ever.

[MrBallaBoy21]

Re: NBA 2K12 Developer Insight #9- Defense

I liked most of the Insight but this is what I have a problem with, it's probably been mentioned before but I don't want to read the entire thread.

I know off-ball D is a major gripe with some people, but I don't feel that making shot percentages less affected when being contested by a computer player is good for the balance of the game.

I don't play 100% off ball D, but I also don't immediately switch to the player that gets the ball because it puts me at a disadvantage. I like to see what they're going to do with the ball before I switch so I don't get beat off the dribble or get Jd on because I couldn't react to a quick jumpshot.

I also felt it was like this in previous 2k games. Imo if a shot is being contested, whether it be a human or computer player, it should equally affect the shot based on how good the contest is.

My other problem was that the dunking controls are still the same as last year. I loved the dunking controls on 2k10(Basic, flashy, power, reverse). This year I just couldn't do the dunk I wanted to do and I didn't like it.

I want to do a reverse but do a spin dunk, I want to do a basic dunk but do a windmill(with players like KD and WJ), etc. I was really hoping they'd be changed back.

Other than that I liked the Insight.

[infam0us]

Re: NBA 2K12 Developer Insight #9- Defense

MrBallaBoy21, you might of missed Beluba post on that subject:

fatleg, it's not that we consider playing offball D an invalid playing style. the decision to tune user-controlled onball defenders differently than AI-controlled defenders was a result of a longstanding balancing issue. The fact is, most humans can't react to shooters the same way our AI defenders can. That's amplified online. We simply wanted to give users who prefer to play onball defense an aid to level the playing field with the AI. You'll just have to trust me for now... but I spent a lot of time tuning the shot penalties so as not to sway the balance in the other direction. IMO, 2K12 strikes a good balance for both camps (offball and onball D users.)

But just for the record... I do think it's more manly to play onball D.

It sound like it wont be a really big difference but it seems like its giving the user who plays on ball defense a bit more help because its more challenging playing on-ball.

[BroMontana82]

Re: NBA 2K12 Developer Insight #9- Defense

shot blocking will be interesting. in the full quarter video there was some very suspect animations and ball physics tracing back to all previous years. what i want to see, is dynamic player movement that will adjust to tracking the ball in the air. and also hard bounces instead of that annoying floating ball and the animation where you swipe the ball straight down from the players hands onto their head.

[Boilerbuzz]

Re: NBA 2K12 Developer Insight #9- Defense

I guess because it was what I was looking forward to specifically - Like I said, it's been over 2 years in the making for this feature.

If I recall, you asked for a way to make it on demand. As Czar pointed out, you now have the tools to make it happen or not.

[CX1329]

Re: NBA 2K12 Developer Insight #9- Defense

I don't play 100% off ball D, but I also don't immediately switch to the player that gets the ball because it puts me at a disadvantage. I like to see what they're going to do with the ball before I switch so I don't get beat off the dribble or get Jd on because I couldn't react to a quick jumpshot.

I think what Beluba explained to us is that this advantage won't do much other than offset the reflex disadvantage that a human has compared to the CPU. That means a human will receive more leniency when contesting a shot than a CPU controlled defender, and we won't exactly need to smother a shooter and develop inhuman twitch reflexes to get a "perfect contest" rating.

[EarvGotti]

Re: NBA 2K12 Developer Insight #9- Defense

LOL at all the off-ballers. This is just like real life man. Everybody wants to play offense but NOBODY wants to play defense.

[Boilerbuzz]

Re: NBA 2K12 Developer Insight #9- Defense

MrBallaBoy21, you might of missed Beluba post on that subject:

It sound like it wont be a really big difference but it seems like its giving the user who plays on ball defense a bit more help because its more challenging playing on-ball.

It's a balance of risk versus reward.