NBA 2K13: How Signature Skills Have Changed the Game

[BRxSKINSx]

Re: NBA 2K13: How Signature Skills Have Changed the Game

If you're only playing Online though, sure it will help how players play. [no sarcasm]

Yea, I only play online.... Usually OA, when I'm bored I'll play a quick match....and when all else fails.... Teamup... But there's so many quitters there...

[Barncore]

"Exacerbating this issue was the inconsistent shot feedback in practice mode, where “excellent” timing would often still send the ball careening of the rim."

We must be playing different 2k12's. That has never happened to me.

[Po Pimp]

Re: NBA 2K13: How Signature Skills Have Changed the Game

Again, false conclusion reached. Signature Skills are the ABILITY to perform in a certain way, not the LIKELIHOOD or TENDENCY to perform in that way.

A select few of the Skills have animations associated with them that will change how the player plays (Chase Down Block for example) but most of them are not going to change how that player plays but instead how well they perform or their teammates perform in a few situations.

I thought with a sig skill, such as a chase down block, it triggers a certain boost (in the right situation) to the players who have that skill? For example, in theory, Dwight Howard COULD chase down block, but he may be too slow to catch up to someone on the break. Derrick Rose COULD be capable, but his block rating isn't high enough to block shots at such a high clip. A player like LeBron would see a slight increase to his speed (and he's already fast) plus a slight increase to his block rating, enabling his ability to chase down.

Of course, I could be wrong.

P.S. Ironically, I believe Derrick Rose actually averaged about as many blocks as LeBron last season, if not, the season before.

[RyanFitzmagic]

Re: NBA 2K13: How Signature Skills Have Changed the Game

Again, false conclusion reached. Signature Skills are the ABILITY to perform in a certain way, not the LIKELIHOOD or TENDENCY to perform in that way.

A select few of the Skills have animations associated with them that will change how the player plays (Chase Down Block for example) but most of them are not going to change how that player plays but instead how well they perform or their teammates perform in a few situations.

But yet 2K is advertising Signature Skills as "REALISM REALISM MORE REALISM!"

[da ThRONe]

Re: NBA 2K13: How Signature Skills Have Changed the Game

I think it's pretty simple and make sense. For example ratings tell the game a player is a good shooter. Tendencies tell the game a player should look to shoot from the corner more than any where else. And now Sig Skills tell the game that said player with this skill is more accurate (when all criteria is met) shooting from the corner than players with out the skill. So you see how all three work together(are is suppose to) to get more accurate gameplay.

So if James Jones is a better shooter than Kawhi Leonard and both have the sig skill of corner specialist. Jones would be more accurate than Leonard because his ratings say he's better. Just like I'm sure all erasers aren't created equal etc.

[RyanFitzmagic]

Re: NBA 2K13: How Signature Skills Have Changed the Game

I think it's pretty simple and make sense. For example ratings tell the game a player is a good shooter. Tendencies tell the game a player should look to shoot from the corner more than any where else. And now Sig Skills tell the game that said player with this skill is more accurate (when all criteria is met) shooting from the corner than players with out the skill. So you see how all three work together(are is suppose to) to get more accurate gameplay.

So if James Jones is a better shooter than Kawhi Leonard and both have the sig skill of corner specialist. Jones would be more accurate than Leonard because his ratings say he's better. Just like I'm sure all erasers aren't created equal etc.

I'm pretty sure you just described 2K12's hotspots.

[da ThRONe]

Re: NBA 2K13: How Signature Skills Have Changed the Game

I'm pretty sure you just described 2K12's hotspots.

Ok even if that's true(I have to admit I wasn't even aware of hotspots in 2K) are there hotspots for steals, blocks, iso-moves, loose balls, outlet passing, clutch baskets, etc?

[RyanFitzmagic]

Re: NBA 2K13: How Signature Skills Have Changed the Game

Ok even if that's true(I have to admit I wasn't even aware of hotspots in 2K) are there hotspots for steals, blocks, iso-moves, loose balls, outlet passing, clutch baskets, etc?

"Hotspots" wouldn't apply to those things at all. Ratings, however, would, and do for all of those things except outlet passing (and only because 2K hadn't yet introduced an "Outlet Pass" rating).

[da ThRONe]

Re: NBA 2K13: How Signature Skills Have Changed the Game

"Hotspots" wouldn't apply to those things at all. Ratings, however, would, and do for all of those things except outlet passing (and only because 2K hadn't yet introduced an "Outlet Pass" rating).

Clearly it's easier for them to add boost to ratings in certain situations than creating and fine tuning 20+ new ratings. When if done right it can have pretty much the same impact. These games only have so much space per disc, man power, and resources from one year to the next. If they can create a "shortcut" that works well I support it 100%(just not the 5 per player limit).

[RyanFitzmagic]

Re: NBA 2K13: How Signature Skills Have Changed the Game

Clearly it's easier for them to add boost to ratings in certain situations than creating and fine tuning 20+ new ratings. When if done right it can have pretty much the same impact. These games only have so much space per disc, man power, and resources from one year to the next. If they can create a "shortcut" that works well I support it 100%(just not the 5 per player limit).

For instance, if a person is facing Oklahoma City and it’s a close game in the fourth quarter, it would behoove them to place a Lock-Down Defender on Durant to counter his signature Closer ability.

Explain to me how this didn't apply in every other 2K game, with the adjustment being: Place your best defender (best physical matchup + highest Defensive Awareness) on the other team's best closer (best shooter/finisher).

2K and/or its supporters acting like Signature Skills was the only way to make this necessary or imperative is just silly.

[Guard-ian]

Great read, thanks for the article... It got me a little hyped to be honest...
If everything plays out in 2k13 as described is gonna be amazing, if not... Well, we will see.

Cheers! ;-)

[da ThRONe]

Re: NBA 2K13: How Signature Skills Have Changed the Game

For instance, if a person is facing Oklahoma City and it’s a close game in the fourth quarter, it would behoove them to place a Lock-Down Defender on Durant to counter his signature Closer ability.

Explain to me how this didn't apply in every other 2K game, with the adjustment being: Place your best defender (best physical matchup + highest Defensive Awareness) on the other team's best closer (best shooter/finisher).

2K and/or its supporters acting like Signature Skills was the only way to make this necessary or imperative is just silly.

I don't make the game so I'm incapable of explaining why the developers thought this was the best course of action. However A) I never said this was the only way to represent intangibles and situational basketball merely that it has merit and B) I assume that the developer felt this was the most efficient way to represent certain intangibles and situational basketball available to them as of now.

[youALREADYknow]

Re: NBA 2K13: How Signature Skills Have Changed the Game

I don't make the game so I'm incapable of explaining why the developers thought this was the best course of action. However A) I never said this was the only way to represent intangibles and situational basketball merely that it has merit and B) I assume that the developer felt this was the most efficient way to represent certain intangibles and situational basketball available to them as of now.

Very logical and sound observations. It's far from the best way IMO as I've stated elsewhere, but it's also not the worst way to have done this and it could be used as a building block down the road as long as they don't get too full of themselves because casual gamers love the implementation.

At the end of the day, the game should end up having more depth with these Skills in than it would have been if a few of these distinct areas were left unchanged from 2K12. I can learn to ignore the few Skills that are redundant and/or completely unnecessary as long as the others add value.

[Po Pimp]

Re: NBA 2K13: How Signature Skills Have Changed the Game

I'm pretty sure you just described 2K12's hotspots.

I'm pretty sure hotspots only applied to where players liked to set up. If I have someone on my team rated 80 in 3pters, yet their hotspot suggest they like to shoot the corner 3s, I'm pretty sure they would be able to hit from the top of the key with regularity as well.

For instance, if a person is facing Oklahoma City and it’s a close game in the fourth quarter, it would behoove them to place a Lock-Down Defender on Durant to counter his signature Closer ability.

Explain to me how this didn't apply in every other 2K game, with the adjustment being: Place your best defender (best physical matchup + highest Defensive Awareness) on the other team's best closer (best shooter/finisher).

2K and/or its supporters acting like Signature Skills was the only way to make this necessary or imperative is just silly.

True YOU may think to do that, but would the AI? I'm hoping that these sig skills would actually factor into how the AI approaches the game.

[youALREADYknow]

Re: NBA 2K13: How Signature Skills Have Changed the Game

I'm pretty sure hotspots only applied to where players liked to set up. If I have someone on my team rated 80 in 3pters, yet their hotspot suggest they like to shoot the corner 3s, I'm pretty sure they would be able to hit from the top of the key with regularity as well.

Hot Spots dictated where a player shot from.
Hot Zones dictated how well the player shot (Scorching/Hot/Neutral/Cold) from that location.

The Corner Specialist Skill was the worst offender as far as useless and redundancy were concerned. This was one of the easiest to duplicate in 2K12 and we could have done it with real-world data so that a player who may have been Hot in the Right corner, but Neutral/Cold from the Left corner would have that accurately portrayed.

It's not worth scrapping the entire list of Signature Skills because a couple of them were redundant, but hopefully 2K can take an honest look at the redundancy and uselessness of a few of these Skills and remove them for 2K14 without putting their own pride first.