NBA LIVE Post Launch Support

[blackflash83]

Re: NBA LIVE Post Launch Support

I agree. I guess I didn't say what I really mean because I didn't want to ruffle any feathers... It's laziness and I don't want to get into making statements about why I feel this way. Guys like Tomba lay out word for word why he's making the change, what affect the change has and how it works...and he always makes the game more playable...But not one person at EA can read and apply this stuff, after its been proven to work....It's irritating.

Just being content with the quality (or lack of) of this game year after year, isn't good enough anymore. The mantra the last few years seems to be "next year this, next year that"....Next year has come and gone several times now. I like what this years game had to offer and it was an improvement in some aspects, but it wasn't enough to keep me interested after the updates and flaws were revealed.

In terms of the topic at hand, it still hasn't been made clear by backflash what his thoughts and ideas are..I'm not even sure I understand what can be done in terms of post launch support? All I can hope for is less problems to deal with at release, which would require less post launch support.

With regards to post launch support, here are some of the things I was looking at doing (again as I mentioned in the beginning of this thread, I would like to do as much as possible but I recognize that there will be things that we can't do):

- Online tournaments with something to play for
- More involvement with community regarding player ratings and actually having those ratings go into the game
- More post launch interaction with the development team
- Executing on ideas that all of you have regarding support for the game after launch.

As Pared said in his post, the same initiatives that are driven pre-launch have to be the same for post-launch. That is my goal and I really look to you guys for your ideas and what we can do to improve on that. I've only come up with basic ideas but I really want to hear what you would like to see.

[blackflash83]

Re: NBA LIVE Post Launch Support

You and Pared are hitting the nail on the head everytime. And you're right, they don't get it. Like I said in my first post, the fact they are asking for ideas to help with post launch support, has me concerned from the get go. They are missing the point. Everything Pared said is what is needed. Nothing less and not really much of anything else.

I recognize the points being made by both Pared and 23, however I don't agree about us not getting it. There are plans in place PRE-LAUNCH to get community feedback on the game and those initiatives are going to be happening VERY soon. Both Pared and 23 are absolutely correct that there has to be an opportunity for people in the community to see what the development team are planning and to be able to provide important feedback BEFORE the game is launched. That is paramount and there are definite plans of that happening at a time where feedback that is provided to us CAN go into the game. This isn't being ignored at all and there is a lot of plan about this going on here at EA.

I also don't think it's a case of us not getting it for reaching out to you guys regarding ideas for post launch initiatives for the game. I know for myself when I play a game I want to have a reason to go back to playing a game. In this case with NBA LIVE, it's important that the game is really solid and it has features that I want to see in a title. This is where Pared's point regarding PRE-LAUNCH feedback is important and as I mentioned in the above paragraph, there are events tied to this where the community will have the opportunity to provide feedback for the game with the goal of being able to implement whatever suggestions are made by people playing it. I believe that by giving people what they want is what will drive people to want to continue playing the game and I do recognize that has to occur pre-launch rather than post launch.

[ehh]

Re: NBA LIVE Post Launch Support

^ If anything y'all should implement what you did in NCAA 10 with the option for only accepting parts of the dynamic updates.

Make it so we can get updated lineups and rosters that do not overwrite our rating changes and appearance edits. Tomba did all that work but it rendered the updates useless because we couldn't merge them with Tomba's base file. It was one or the other, Tomba's massive edits or EA's dynamic updates. That sucks because regardless of the road you chose you'd be missing out in one way or another.

So just like NCAA '10, when we're prompted to download a dynamic update, instead of just clicking 'yes' or 'no' there are three lines that we can check/uncheck. If you still want to get the full DU with all three updates then just check all three boxes, like in NCAA '10.

- Roster/Lineup update
- Appearance update
- Ratings update

This worked in NCAA '10 so I don't see why it can't be implemented in '11. At least this gives the user WAY more control. Tomba or any user can make some initial rating edits (no matter what you guys change in the ratings some OS guys will always make massive edits) and then we can use them throughout the season while still getting your updates.

It's the best of both worlds. It will fix issues with new players signed mid-season having generic appearances and horrible ratings, it will fix some rookies and break-out players from taking too long to update and so on and so forth. It gives the user more control, we can fix things instantly if we want to and not have it erased the next day when the new DU comes out.

[ScoobySnax]

Re: NBA LIVE Post Launch Support

@ blackflash, I to applaud you for sitting in here and taking the heat. Live 10 was the best game for me this year, but as others have stated, it has to improve. Specifically, dynasty mode (this will always be EA's bread and butter for bball games imo). Good luck this year. We're expecting a great basketball game. With the improvements made in 10, there's no turning back.

[joel0078]

Re: NBA LIVE Post Launch Support

With regards to post launch support, here are some of the things I was looking at doing (again as I mentioned in the beginning of this thread, I would like to do as much as possible but I recognize that there will be things that we can't do):

- Online tournaments with something to play for
- More involvement with community regarding player ratings and actually having those ratings go into the game
- More post launch interaction with the development team
- Executing on ideas that all of you have regarding support for the game after launch.

As Pared said in his post, the same initiatives that are driven pre-launch have to be the same for post-launch. That is my goal and I really look to you guys for your ideas and what we can do to improve on that. I've only come up with basic ideas but I really want to hear what you would like to see.

I like the sounds of this. Those are good ideas and I hope they are implemented and followed through with. I also applaud you for taking the heat, but you can understand some people (if not the majority) will take what you say with a grain of salt. I for one am one of them, simply based on Lives track record of talking the talk, but failing to back it at times. I like your ideas though.

[jaosming]

Re: NBA LIVE Post Launch Support

with contests and such for prizes....instead of giving away the game you are playing to win the contest (which never made sense to me), why not give away NBA Live 12? Or 60 bucks to the EA store, maybe even tickets to a game?

[blackflash83]

Re: NBA LIVE Post Launch Support

I like the sounds of this. Those are good ideas and I hope they are implemented and followed through with. I also applaud you for taking the heat, but you can understand some people (if not the majority) will take what you say with a grain of salt. I for one am one of them, simply based on Lives track record of talking the talk, but failing to back it at times. I like your ideas though.

As all of you have said, ideas are just ideas until those thoughts are turned into something. That's what my goal is and I want to see it through for both pre-launch as well as post-launch.

[blackflash83]

Re: NBA LIVE Post Launch Support

with contests and such for prizes....instead of giving away the game you are playing to win the contest (which never made sense to me), why not give away NBA Live 12? Or 60 bucks to the EA store, maybe even tickets to a game?

These are great ideas. Again, the I'm definitely looking at all feedback like this and I want to execute a good plan on getting action done on various suggestions that you all provide.

Thanks for your feedback.

[jrose57]

Re: NBA LIVE Post Launch Support

K, I want to shoot this list for so long, now is the chance.

1. Respect pro-hop and backd-down, they both need their own button, like put Triangle for pro-hop, and R1 for back down, that would be awesome...

2. Fast break, live 05 had good fast break, 06 wasn't too good, too much, but this year is none, the players stop themselves, dont make sense, piss me off man, let user decide whether they want the players to run fast break or set up a half court offence, please!

3. Foul calls, not enough this year, and even if they are called, the animations are extremely horrible, you can kind of predict if you will get fouled out not, I really hate the foul calls this year, need a complete change!

4. Post up moves, we need a lot more post up moves, back down, spin, hook shot, fadeaway (let use decide which direction we want to fade, this year, it seems like computer decide, i hate it!), etc....

5. Strength (in post up motions), I remember back in live 05, boozer and shaq are the only ones that can back down two steps, others are one step, weak guys cant back down at all, it seems mechanical with the number of steps you can back down, but is still better than this year, I can use bosh and back down shaq ALL DAY!

6. Pick and Roll, this year, you can abuse the cpu, by making your defender hit the picked in a certain angle that leads to a wide open lay up ALL DAY, needs change please

7. Realisitc dunks, drives, this year, you can cross up a defender with lebron with as many crossovers as you need because eventually the defender will go to the other direction and he will dunk all day, this is why I think calling iso against cpu this year at a corner is cheating, I can iso lebron on anyone on the side of the court, and I will score 2 pts off a dunk EVERY SINGLE TIME, NEEDS TO LOOK INTO THIS PLEASEEEE!!!!

8. Dynasty, needs upgrade simple as that, 2k's assocation is what is needed...

9. I hope there will be an intro for starters, like the old days, just want to see starters getting some credits, I remember I purposely put players I like as starters because I like watching them walk out in dark, hope this can be added

10. I also hate the way dna works, i know you guys want players to play realistic as possible but unfortatnely it screws up a lot of other things, we can't even see the ratings now, we can't even edit the players' rating ourselves now, back in live 05, i rmemeber john salmons suck a lot in 76ers but he played better later on so i edit him by adding n subracting his rating numbers, now, we cna't do taht, i hate it, seriously!

To be honest, I still miss those times in live 04-05, a little of 06, this year is still behind 04 to 05, due to many problems and bugs, I am just surpised how those problems I listed weren't even in live 05, but is in live 10, please respond to these 8 points, I acutally tried to think and write it all out, seriously, there is a reason why live 06 was 9, 05 was 8.7, 03-04 around 8. something, live 10 was 7-8, don't look at 07-09, just look at 04-05, those were the good times seriously, I rather play those games than 10 honestly, is just the graphics are so bad, but gameplay wise, but 05 is still the beesssttt, 06 was a little too much, dunking over a guy with josh smith and vince carter is waayyyyy tooo unrealistic, I just hope 2011will be AMAZING, THUMBS UP!

[ILLSmak]

Re: NBA LIVE Post Launch Support

Other that issues that are obvious like freezing, glitches, or network related, I don't see the need to micromanage a game after it's released. I've never played a game that had an update fix that didn't create more problems.

I'd rather just have a well put together game and not some 'work in progress.'

And if you want to know how to make NBA Live a great simulation, I'll tell you in PM. But I'm not posting it in the wish list so it can drown in spam and never be read. Waste of time...

Just make the game work fundamentally and it won't need major post launch support. You guys can take a vacation instead of telling people "It's okay." "We know." over and over...

-Smak

[23]

Re: NBA LIVE Post Launch Support

How does this relate to post launch support?

Its not a wishlist thread

[donkey33]

Re: NBA LIVE Post Launch Support

I'm solely an offline game (dynasty, etc) so the only post launch support that would interest me would be is if we need a ratings fix/patch and for it not to come four months down the line.

[joel0078]

Re: NBA LIVE Post Launch Support

I'm solely an offline game (dynasty, etc) so the only post launch support that would interest me would be is if we need a ratings fix/patch and for it not to come four months down the line.

I don't recall any of last years patches being released in February, which was 4 months after release. I'm certain the first patch came shortly after release and the last patch came sometime in December. That's 2 months after release and in my opinion you can't really ask for much more than that. Let's hope patches aren't really needed at all.

[blues rocker]

Re: NBA LIVE Post Launch Support

the best advice I can give for a better post-launch is to keep a constant direct dialogue with the gamers and listen to them. Allow gamers to make suggestions for fixes and improvements that will be included in patches, etc. I assume this is already being done to a degree, but taking advice and feedback from gamers is the most important thing you can do to improve your game. Listen less to the suits and more to the people who are actually playing the game daily.

[blackflash83]

Re: NBA LIVE Post Launch Support

the best advice I can give for a better post-launch is to keep a constant direct dialogue with the gamers and listen to them. Allow gamers to make suggestions for fixes and improvements that will be included in patches, etc. I assume this is already being done to a degree, but taking advice and feedback from gamers is the most important thing you can do to improve your game. Listen less to the suits and more to the people who are actually playing the game daily.

Great points made in your post. This has been going on already but it's now about taking this to another level. Again it's all talk but I intend to follow through on this.