Pros and cons of 2k's rise to basketball dominance

[qnzballa5]

I'm proud of how far 2k has gone from the early dreamcast days until now. The game is worldwide known and a must have for any basketball fan but there still are major issues that used to not be present in previous titles.

Maybe its that the game got too big for itself but the online simply can not stay the same. Back on ps2 an xbox the nba 2k online lobbies were perfect, your rank would be known and the top players would go against the top players and we would battle to be the best rank. Being in the top 100 meant you were a great player and you only wanted to play against the likes of top ranked players yourself. Now that there is random match making it makes the experience so much more random and unlikeable. To go against 5 newbie players in a row and then see a competitive player throws my game off a bit. I'd like to choose who I'm playing again and I dont know why 2k downgraded their online gameplay choices and such instead of enhancing them. Anyone else agree or have their own opinion?

[ClevelandinDistress]

Re: Pros and cons of 2k's rise to basketball dominance

I'm proud of how far 2k has gone from the early dreamcast days until now. The game is worldwide known and a must have for any basketball fan but there still are major issues that used to not be present in previous titles.

Maybe its that the game got too big for itself but the online simply can not stay the same. Back on ps2 an xbox the nba 2k online lobbies were perfect, your rank would be known and the top players would go against the top players and we would battle to be the best rank. Being in the top 100 meant you were a great player and you only wanted to play against the likes of top ranked players yourself. Now that there is random match making it makes the experience so much more random and unlikeable. To go against 5 newbie players in a row and then see a competitive player throws my game off a bit. I'd like to choose who I'm playing again and I dont know why 2k downgraded their online gameplay choices and such instead of enhancing them. Anyone else agree or have their own opinion?

One pro is that NBA 2k now has the money to hire people from OS to represent the SIM NATION. A con would definitely be how big the brand is getting and we don't see the same level of grassroots marketing like we once did.

Everything is shut off, controlled, locked down tight over in Novato California. I miss the developer diaries and behind the scenes videos when we could put faces to names and feel as if we were somehow part of the development process.

And while I appreciate Mike and the gang coming around to OS to tease us every now and again, I miss the wealth of information we used to get in relation to improvements and upgrades.

Perhaps this is because NBA 2k is a world leader in sports video games, and now that they've reached that level, they no longer have to try so hard to win us over.

I just miss the good old days of a 300 word written article. I'd choose that over a sizzle trailer any day of the week.

****..maybe I'm just getting the old and feeling nostalgic.


Oh and bring back the Draft Combine and D league. That was tight.

[ffaacc03]

Re: Pros and cons of 2k's rise to basketball dominance

Be it an indie, a niche, a pretender or a leading videogame genre company, there are pros and cons ... I concur with cleveland approach ... evolution comes with a price, w will just have to kep voicing and hope for some change, but mostly, we will just have to live with it ... then again, given the attention 2K has seem to put on our wantings and needs for 15, there is hope !

Now, in regards of the cons of lobbies, I always believed that having such fragmentation placed too much burden on their known weak servers ... specially since more and more online modes and features have been added (I know, I know, many more have been taken away) and more users seem to be exponentially brought in on yearly bases. I also remember how with such model it wasnt the norm to see 2 "well ranked teams" matchup, but rather them play against noobs to increase their Ws ... back then, rankings were far from the best model ... I remember how, after a while, hof & sps were virtual deserts ... I believe the current model is the one that more closely mimicks the NBA league, were all teams face off, power houses and weak ... we have player matchs to selectively face off againts friends, community guys and users within the leaderboards ...

Then again, I am not against restricting users but rather giving more options to us, so see no harm in having them back (obviously tweaked), thus hopefully we get the stability and online performance up to top notch standards (be it new servers or whatever) before taking such step ... not so long ago, I wouldnt have think as near possibility, but given their reencourse to apparently please our needs and wants, I think its doable, maybe for 16 !

[Mrleaderboards]

Re: Pros and cons of 2k's rise to basketball dominance

i dont wanna throw bs numbers around, but put it this way, Im sure out of everyone whose ever played 2k games, that a huge percentage of the gamers arent that good. The huge majority of folks come online and "play for fun". I dont knock these folks. They're kinda like civilians. They are in their own little world and dont see the war thats going on outside. They play mostly offline with their friends. They don't know about being elite. they dont care for leaderboards. They don't care because they're comfortable being AVERAGE.
If you're like me Being average is not an option.

The fact of the matter is 2k wouldnt let us get away with ranked lobbies because it invites people to hunt on the average....NOOB Hunting so to speak.

Not that their online has ever been great...lol but i dont see why changing from having lobbies to no lobbies even matters. In my honest opinion, when i see the matchup screen these are what should pop up and and ultimately should be deciding factors in whether i play my opponent or not:

Record
rank
dnf %
play style(pip, 3pt% mid range)

You shouldn't have to be forced to play someone with a terrible record, a person who constantly quits their matches, or someone who abuses points in the paint or shoots a million threes a game. Then again, we don't want everyone playing the same, so i digress.

[thedream2k13]

Re: Pros and cons of 2k's rise to basketball dominance

i dont wanna throw bs numbers around, but put it this way, Im sure out of everyone whose ever played 2k games, that a huge percentage of the gamers arent that good. The huge majority of folks come online and "play for fun". I dont knock these folks. They're kinda like civilians. They are in their own little world and dont see the war thats going on outside. They play mostly offline with their friends. They don't know about being elite. they dont care for leaderboards. They don't care because they're comfortable being AVERAGE.
If you're like me Being average is not an option.

The fact of the matter is 2k wouldnt let us get away with ranked lobbies because it invites people to hunt on the average....NOOB Hunting so to speak.

Not that their online has ever been great...lol but i dont see why changing from having lobbies to no lobbies even matters. In my honest opinion, when i see the matchup screen these are what should pop up and and ultimately should be deciding factors in whether i play my opponent or not:

Record
rank
dnf %
play style(pip, 3pt% mid range)

You shouldn't have to be forced to play someone with a terrible record, a person who constantly quits their matches, or someone who abuses points in the paint or shoots a million threes a game. Then again, we don't want everyone playing the same, so i digress.

I say play for personal glory and not leaderboards. Competitive matches shouldn't involve hand picking your opponent IMO.

[Mrleaderboards]

Re: Pros and cons of 2k's rise to basketball dominance

I say play for personal glory and not leaderboards. Competitive matches shouldn't involve hand picking your opponent IMO.

That's the equivalent of telling Lebron to go play for the love of the game. I doubt anybody with a bone of competitive spirit would want to just play for personal glory. In this day and age, these players play for titles, rings, championships. Why would we be any different? I can't speak for anyone else, but if you're not playing to be recognized for your skills in the game, then what are you here for? Everyone has the right to do what they choose with their time. Me, I like most adults have a 9-5 with responsibilities so with the little time I get to play some 2k, I'm not here to play games. I'm here to take people's heads off and dominate. I'll leave that friendly play for the glory type of stuff for when my friends come over.

Teebone, whether you acknowledge this or not, most people who play online have this mindset of "me versus them". There are no friends or people who will play nice or play fair or not cheese you to death. You adjust to your opponent and learn from experience and then use those learned strategies and dominate the competition.

Its not that hard bro...come to the dark side... Hahaha

[Vni]

Re: Pros and cons of 2k's rise to basketball dominance

Funny thread.

[Kaanyr Vhok]

Re: Pros and cons of 2k's rise to basketball dominance

One pro is that NBA 2k now has the money to hire people from OS to represent the SIM NATION. A con would definitely be how big the brand is getting and we don't see the same level of grassroots marketing like we once did.

Everything is shut off, controlled, locked down tight over in Novato California. I miss the developer diaries and behind the scenes videos when we could put faces to names and feel as if we were somehow part of the development process.

And while I appreciate Mike and the gang coming around to OS to tease us every now and again, I miss the wealth of information we used to get in relation to improvements and upgrades.

Perhaps this is because NBA 2k is a world leader in sports video games, and now that they've reached that level, they no longer have to try so hard to win us over.

I just miss the good old days of a 300 word written article. I'd choose that over a sizzle trailer any day of the week.

****..maybe I'm just getting the old and feeling nostalgic.


Oh and bring back the Draft Combine and D league. That was tight.

The combine and the D League were relatively knew so you arent nostalgic. I miss them both as well.

[Mrleaderboards]

Re: Pros and cons of 2k's rise to basketball dominance

I say play for personal glory and not leaderboards. Competitive matches shouldn't involve hand picking your opponent IMO.

If you're in a ranked Lobby, how would who you choose to play come into effect? If i'm in a hall of fame lobby, everyone should be the same rank. I shouldn't be able to play noobs anyway. That is if 2k ever implemented lobbies correctly in the first place. From the way it was used back in 2k6-2k8, it was a free-for-all. People sat in the lobbies and hand picked the noobs. On that account, i agree, that isnt fair. Otherwise i dont see what the big problem is in choosing who you want to play.

Even the way it is now, on PS4, i've killed so many people so much that at times i cant get a game because people get familiar with your gamertag and back out as soon as they see your name. Either way i just feel like its hard out here for a pimp.

[stillfeelme]

Re: Pros and cons of 2k's rise to basketball dominance

Pros:

OG, Leftos, ,Czar, Bedswardroy are now employees of 2K. This is called strategic cornering the market of the Sim community. Think of it as their profits have turned into investment into Research and Design for the future of the basketball game. I actually think competition and profits will have 2K investing more into online servers

Cons:

No competition allows certain features to be left out or ignored because of the other game wasn't up to par.

[qnzballa5]

Re: Pros and cons of 2k's rise to basketball dominance

If 2k15 continues to have the same annoying problems that 2k14 has had then I highly doubt the addition of well known community members has made such a difference. I like the potential of having people that we know know the game as a part of the development but its all good on paper until we get a demo and when the game comes out we'll get to see if they reall had their stamp put on the game.

[Mrleaderboards]

Re: Pros and cons of 2k's rise to basketball dominance

Pros:

OG, Leftos, ,Czar, Bedswardroy are now employees of 2K. This is called strategic cornering the market of the Sim community. Think of it as their profits have turned into investment into Research and Design for the future of the basketball game. I actually think competition and profits will have 2K investing more into online servers

Cons:

No competition allows certain features to be left out or ignored because of the other game wasn't up to par.

What??

OG is a gameplay designer
Leftos is a software engineer
Da Czar is Offensive AI specialist
and
BedswardsRoy's expertise is in Roster Editing

What the hell does name dropping those four guys above, have anything to do with that we were talking about?

[stillfeelme]

Re: Pros and cons of 2k's rise to basketball dominance

What??

OG is a gameplay designer
Leftos is a software engineer
Da Czar is Offensive AI specialist
and
BedswardsRoy's expertise is in Roster Editing

What the hell does name dropping those four guys above, have anything to do with that we were talking about?

Pros and cons of 2k's rise to basketball dominance

That post must have went over your head. 2K's dominance has allowed them to hire those people full time to make better games if you can't see that I don't know what to tell you. That is not name dropping just to drop a name. These are people that will make the game 2K16 17 better. You might want no you need to think before you post. The reason they can hire those people is because they have dominated the market made profit and not resting on their past sales. So that is a Pro to me as a Simnation gamer. If you can't see it then I don't know what to tell you.

[Mrleaderboards]

Re: Pros and cons of 2k's rise to basketball dominance

Just because you get "DRAFTED" by 2k, doesn't mean once you're there, you wont become a part of the machine. You could have good intentions, and could have been known for being good at say, roster building, or breaking down offensive plays, but 2K is a huge company thats in the BUSINESS of making money. At the end of the day, for 14 years straight, 2k has released quality sports titles, but have increasingly become more hollow and less grassroots than when they first started. Yeah its cool to have a few community members on board, but to think that we're gonna see major change because of them, would wishful be thinking.

Best analogy i can come up with, would be like a young up and coming pop star gets signed by a major label. When she was independent and undiscovered, she might have been singing about love, and heart break, and having the freedom to create her music however she felt.

Once you're in the big leagues, Labels tend to know what sells, and they hire you to sing songs that were written by songwriters, sing about topics that are risque and make you dress a lot raunchier than you normally would.

Big ups to OG,Czar, Bed and Leftos, but i dont feel like they will make much of a difference in the approach that 2k makes, because lets be honest, 2k was selling games before them, and they will keep making basketball games with out them. Although the hope is being that they're from OUR community, we'd like to think that they have us in mind, when the big meetings are going on as far was what adjustments can improve 2k, and let them be our voices in said meetings.

[Mrleaderboards]

Re: Pros and cons of 2k's rise to basketball dominance

Cons:No more 2k games for $19.99
Virtual Currency
They were so good at what they did, the competition just didnt show up.
No more grassroots connection with the community
The soundtrack went from underground to mainstream music(Where is Dan The Automator?)
Lobbies were removed
Crews Mode in 2K14/The Park
Operation Sports Starts closing threads and mentioning to ban people for mentioning crew mode, meanwhile, people can mention other modes like Summer league and the D-League, because they appeal to the masses.

Pro:They Hired a few vets from OS

Hopefully that one Pro will make a difference in the long run @ Stillfeelme