NBA Live needs to be fixed

[joel0078]

Let me start off by saying that I am enjoying this game very much. However, I've owned the game since release day and frankly, I'm getting tired of no roster updates and more importantly, not having a patch available regarding long load times with my game. This topic started out hot and has seemed to just go away. Why, I don't know.

I am sick and tired of having to wait 5-10 minutes just to load a game. By today's standards this is unacceptable. Old generation systems loaded faster than this. How can EA not address this issue? How about roster updates? Opening day has come and gone. Rosters haven't been updated, FIBA teams haven't been updated (as was promised in many previews, way before the FIBA tournament ever started). I'm happy with the overall improvements in the game, and I can live with it how it is now. But thats not the point. EA has a responsibility to address the loading issue and they have not. It may not be an issue for everyone, but its an issue for me and one person experiencing this issue is one to many. Roster updates are nothing more than a curteousy, but having said that, they are still expected, its part of the online expectations for sports games. How many roster updates were there last year? Two or so? Unacceptable but at this rate I'm not expecting anything more.

EA has gone this far to make an enjoyable, playable game this year. Why stop now? Give the consumers what they are entitled to. Fix loading bug and fulfill your promises as far as roster updates go (I'm speaking specifically in regards to FIBA teams).

[hokupguy]

Re: NBA Live needs to be fixed

if you havent keeped uped on things recently it doesnt look like were getting a patch for live , but where getting roster updates "soon".

[SonicMage]

Re: NBA Live needs to be fixed

EA has a responsibility to address the loading issue and they have not.

I just found this statement funny for some reason. They have no responsibility to release any patches or updates of any kind. None at all.

This is what a lot of gamers don't understand about the business side of game development. You pay money for the released product, but no extra fees for maintenence and upkeep. Therefore, any patch work that gets done for a game like this is purely volunteer work for no pay from the company perspective.

Developing a patch for any piece of software is a big deal. You have to pool resources and allocate man-hours for the time needed. This includes not only to developers, but for Q/A as well, because they need to make sure the fix didn't break anything else, especially something major. With performance optimizations like what you're requesting, theres even more danger of introducing new problems such as intermittent crashes, etc. I don't think you would be too happy if a game loaded twice as fast, but there was a higher chance of your system locking up before you reach the 4th quarter. You wouldn't be willing to accept such a tradeoff, I'm sure. I haven't even mentioned the approval process for patches with the system manufacturers either, what a pain.

Complain all you want, but there are no obligations for them to fix anything here. Sometimes, its necessary to look onto the other side of the fence once in a while. Should they resolve some of these issues through a patch? Yea, of course, as long as it doesnt break the game, its the right thing to do. Is it mandatory for them to fix it? Heck no.

[joel0078]

Re: NBA Live needs to be fixed

Wow, I can't believe someone actually feels this way. As a consumer of EA products, I expect that if a faulty product (I'll use this video game as an example) is released, and the company who created the product has the means to be able to create a way to fix the problem, it is that companies responsibility to do so. Whether or not the company actually addresses the issue, is up to that company.

They do have a responsiblity to make sure their products are released without fault. I guess the only way to "get back at them" for not doing so, is to not buy their products. But being that EA controls a large part of the video game market, that is highly unlikely, for any individual who is a sports video game fan.

How can you can sit here and tell me you actually feel it is not EA's responsibility to fix certain aspects of this game when they have the technology to do so? You must work for EA.

[SonicMage]

Re: NBA Live needs to be fixed

How can you can sit here and tell me you actually feel it is not EA's responsibility to fix certain aspects of this game when they have the technology to do so? You must work for EA.

Nope, but I have worked in the game industry and software development for some time now. I don't see why it would be bad if I did work for EA in this case, because obviously they understand their situation a little better than you do. I work for a small company and these issues that come up are the same. The technology is there, but it takes man-hours, plenty of them, to fix bugs, and that can't be ignored. Its easy to be the customer and point at issue after issue screaming "Fix it! Fix it!", but often this behavior stems from unreasonable expectations.

Bugs are a natural part of any software system. They're expected to show up every once in a while, and even in some cases they can be beneficial because they shield potentially worse problems. In an ideal world, all software would be beautiful, clean, and perfect, but in reality, good code takes time, LOTS of time. Working on patching these issues requires using resources that have to come from somewhere. In this case, most likely, developers would need to be pulled from the Live 2009 project to work on a patch that would probably yield no significant benefit for the company financially. What's worse is that the 3 weeks that those developers were pulled for a Live 2008 patch could have been used to prevent a potential disaster in Live 2009, you never know. If it was my decision, I would choose to keep everyone on the Live 2009 project, and forget doing any major patches for 2008.

Do I wish for as few issues as possible in these games so I can get more enjoyment out of them? Of course. I just don't want to see Live 2009 have any chance of being jeopardized because of focus on a few relatively trivial problems with an already released product.

I don't want to invade your little thread here any further. I just wanted to point out that EA, or any other game developer, is not obligated at all to make any changes or release any patches for their products, post-release, for issues at the level you describe.

[DC]

Re: NBA Live needs to be fixed

Good points Sonic, I never looked at it like that honestly. Makes a lot of sense though.

[dmm0816]

Re: NBA Live needs to be fixed

Nope, but I have worked in the game industry and software development for some time now. I don't see why it would be bad if I did work for EA in this case, because obviously they understand their situation a little better than you do. I work for a small company and these issues that come up are the same. The technology is there, but it takes man-hours, plenty of them, to fix bugs, and that can't be ignored. Its easy to be the customer and point at issue after issue screaming "Fix it! Fix it!", but often this behavior stems from unreasonable expectations.

Bugs are a natural part of any software system. They're expected to show up every once in a while, and even in some cases they can be beneficial because they shield potentially worse problems. In an ideal world, all software would be beautiful, clean, and perfect, but in reality, good code takes time, LOTS of time. Working on patching these issues requires using resources that have to come from somewhere. In this case, most likely, developers would need to be pulled from the Live 2009 project to work on a patch that would probably yield no significant benefit for the company financially. What's worse is that the 3 weeks that those developers were pulled for a Live 2008 patch could have been used to prevent a potential disaster in Live 2009, you never know. If it was my decision, I would choose to keep everyone on the Live 2009 project, and forget doing any major patches for 2008.

Do I wish for as few issues as possible in these games so I can get more enjoyment out of them? Of course. I just don't want to see Live 2009 have any chance of being jeopardized because of focus on a few relatively trivial problems with an already released product.

I don't want to invade your little thread here any further. I just wanted to point out that EA, or any other game developer, is not obligated at all to make any changes or release any patches for their products, post-release, for issues at the level you describe.

Man this boy is a geniuos...GREAT POST

[Gary Armida]

Re: NBA Live needs to be fixed

Best post I've read in a long time sonic. Nicely done.

[joel0078]

Re: NBA Live needs to be fixed

It is a good post, he is obviously knowledgable in regards to this issue. However, I still feel it is EA's responsibility to fix this specific problem. Nothing you say will make me feel differently about that. Don't get me wrong, I'm not expecting they will actually take the time to go through all the procedures you speak of, because it seems like so much work, and god knows, EA doesn't want to apply any post release work into any other game besides Madden football.

I still love the game the way it is, I'm just venting my frustrations with the little things. You make it seem like a ton of work has to be put fourth to get a patch through, and you may be right. But having said that, NBA Live is yet to see 1 patch, when Madden football has seen several. I believe 2K7 put through a couple patches last year as well. EA pays little attention to any game besides its bread winner, Madden. They can do that because EA is EA and EA has millions of customers who buy anything with the logo "EA" attached.

P.S. Sonic, while you talk a good game and made some great points, as far as I'm concerned, you shot yourself in the foot by referring to my thread as "your little thread" as if you feel my opinion is below you. You applied your input to this "Little thread" several times, on your own accord. If its below you to continue replying, than don't. It's fine by me, as its clear you have your opinion and I have mine.

[hokupguy]

Re: NBA Live needs to be fixed

i dont see any fix coming , i dont remember a patch for 06 or 07.

[joel0078]

Re: NBA Live needs to be fixed

You're probably right. Madden has always been their focus and continues to be. There have been monthy, if not bi weekly roster updates to that game, since its release. As well as at least one patch to fix issues with other things. Which I am thankful for. But its not right to ignore their other games. That is the root of my frustrations.

[Oz33]

Re: NBA Live needs to be fixed

boy do i feel bad for the guy that is worried about the $60 he has already spent on the product. If I was the company, I would be concerned about that guy not spending $60 next year.

[stephensonmc]

Re: NBA Live needs to be fixed

Let me start off by saying that I am enjoying this game very much. However, I've owned the game since release day and frankly, I'm getting tired of no roster updates and more importantly, not having a patch available regarding long load times with my game. This topic started out hot and has seemed to just go away. Why, I don't know.

I am sick and tired of having to wait 5-10 minutes just to load a game. By today's standards this is unacceptable. Old generation systems loaded faster than this. How can EA not address this issue? How about roster updates? Opening day has come and gone. Rosters haven't been updated, FIBA teams haven't been updated (as was promised in many previews, way before the FIBA tournament ever started). I'm happy with the overall improvements in the game, and I can live with it how it is now. But thats not the point. EA has a responsibility to address the loading issue and they have not. It may not be an issue for everyone, but its an issue for me and one person experiencing this issue is one to many. Roster updates are nothing more than a curteousy, but having said that, they are still expected, its part of the online expectations for sports games. How many roster updates were there last year? Two or so? Unacceptable but at this rate I'm not expecting anything more.

EA has gone this far to make an enjoyable, playable game this year. Why stop now? Give the consumers what they are entitled to. Fix loading bug and fulfill your promises as far as roster updates go (I'm speaking specifically in regards to FIBA teams).

Thanks for posting your frustrations with the game. I know some people are finding the load times to be long, but the issue on our end is that we are unable to reproduce this and not everyone is having this issue.

In order to fix something, we need to reproduce it. If you could help me out by stating what changes you've made, what mode, what difficulty, any facts you could give me would help your cause.

I am glad that you like the game this year though.

[joel0078]

Re: NBA Live needs to be fixed

Thanks for posting your frustrations with the game. I know some people are finding the load times to be long, but the issue on our end is that we are unable to reproduce this and not everyone is having this issue.

In order to fix something, we need to reproduce it. If you could help me out by stating what changes you've made, what mode, what difficulty, any facts you could give me would help your cause.

I am glad that you like the game this year though.

Thanks for showing you actually care and presenting it in an appropriate manner. My problems started day 3 into the game, when I made the following changes:

Changed team playbooks
Changed slider settings
Made changes to various player ratings
Changed the quarter length to 8 minutes and then back to 7
Changed to all star level and then back to starter

I can't really narrow it down anymore than that. I started noticing the long load times immediately after I made these changes and I made these changes all at once, so I can't put my finger on any one thing that caused the problem. It's just my opinion, but from reading other posts around here, it seems the problem starts after making suttle changes, either to the playbooks, rosters or settings.

I've tried erasing my profile, as well as all NBA Live 08 material on my hard drive and even then, the problem continues. I've lost hope that it will be fixed and have no choice to accept the fact that I have to wait a minimum 5-10 minutes of trivia questions, just to play one game. Oh, and forget about playing online, it does the same thing there. By the time my game loads, my opponent has gotten tired of waiting and left the game. How about a refund?

[joel0078]

Re: NBA Live needs to be fixed

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