Honest question about online associations and different 2k modes

[lvnba]

That is great that in Germany you have that. We have that as well in Spain, we have been 6 years now in the 2k franchise, we started back in 2k8 and we have been living a parallel NBA since then.

For every SIM head (and we are extremely SIM even in our gameplay) that is the dream, and it is very difficult to value the offline modes after that. When you are 2-3 hours discussing a trade, or 2 months evaluating a rookie, you select it in the draft and then you start playing 82 games with it, with extremely realistic and respectful gameplay...try to go back to the CPU.

It is a shame that not enough of us requests work to be done on OAs, however, I just wanted to find out more about other people interests, not to complaint. There will be time for that if 2k15 does not deliver.

[KyotoCarl]

An online league needs you to meet schedules and play at specific times. I want to be able to play when I want and pause when I want. If I don't want to play for two weeks I don't need to if I play online.

[stillfeelme]

Quote: Originally Posted by lvnba

This is not a post asking the devs for news or information about the Online Associations, as I know that they are not going to release any information about the existence of this mode. I would like to discuss with you guys, as an honest question out of curiosity, why is this mode not one of the most anticipated and played modes in the 2k discussion. I see a lot of you very excited and looking forward for modes like MyGM, MyCareer, MyLeague, and I would like to know why do you find these modes more attractive than to have an online league with human players, playing SIM games, trading players, etc. I have been part of an on-going online league for the last 6 years and it has been one of the best experiences of my gaming life and I am always wondering if it is a cultural difference, a thing that is not that easy to mantain or orchestrate and for that reason not anticipated as much as other individual or online but more casual like ranked games. What's your take?

MyCareer is just more popular there is a lot of people that prefer living out their NBA dream rather than playing a real SIM league. There has also been problems with 2K's servers that have messed up a few online leagues. Online leagues requires a little bit of coordination of schedule/time that some people don't really have or want to conform to.

I actually think 2K15 will be the first game to have gameplay elements video recording capability and some actual server improvements to bring it all together that they can use this as competitive gaming quality.

[InRodWeTrust]

I dont have enough time to do an Online league. Between work, the gym, and my fiancee I gotta squeeze in time for my PS4

[amedawg00]

I knew you online league hoopers were out there. Seriously, as the OP noted, all the battle cries against the AI is rendered moot when you are apart of a sim online league community. What Madden has done with their online connected franchise is now the measuring stick by which 2k should strive to emulate or exceed.

The devs came close to giving us the experience of a true online franchise mode with 30 humans matching wits in teambuilding, but alas the mode was glitched, with issues relating to playoff advance glitches and FA glitches that spawned this long thread on the last gen forums below; which by the way went ignored by the devs, ld2k, and 2k reps in general.

Question About Online Associations

Fast forward to current gen 2k14, and the online league mode was stripped of admin and customization options that rendered the mode unplayable for most of online league hoopers. To the extent that most of us who exclusively play this mode bit our upper lips and stayed with the last gen version of the game which atleast allowed us to complete seasons with tedious work arounds.

Now with the confirmation of 2k regressing back to online leagues in 2k15 at the expense of bringing the vaunted myleague online, we are left with one-off seasons that give no incentive for our members to take on low rated teams, in attempting to build a contender over multiple seasons. Ahhhh, but 2k has confirmed the use of custom rosters in online leagues for 2k15, so our community, with ingenuity and dedication can recreate an OA experience by uploading custom rosters that account for rating increases and decreases each season. Morever, with spreadsheets and sites like league daddy, we could theoretically replicate the salary cap in making these online leagues as realistic as possible. But why must 2k continue to put these uneccessary burdens on this community, who only want basic functions that have been in the game before.

Remember the incredible 2k league sites pre 2k12? Yeah, the ones that allowed for real time game and stat tracking. Not to mention the customization options that allowed an admin to control the league settings through the aforementioned websites. Every time, I have posed questions to the devs on this forum about online leagues, the standard rebuttal has been that they cannot talk about it since information has not been released. Which is baffling, because Rob Jones (2k Senior Producer) mentioned online leagues pertaining to 2k15 in the latest OS Press Row Podcasts. To date, that podcast is the only bit of news that the online league community has gotten about his mode.

I get it, 2k cannot make money from us because the mode is bereft of VC. But like several posters in this thread has stated, there are league communities that date back to the dreamcast, ps2, xbox, 360, and ps3 days. We are loyal customers who purchase the game if the online league mode is present and somewhat functional (this does not apply to current 2k14obviously). I just wish this community was as vocal as the offline franchise and or online crew heads who screamed and hollered until 2k addressed their concerns. If you can find the members and the time to schedule games, this mode is truly addicting. Once you find a viable online league with dedicated admins and good sport members, you will NEVER go back to offline gaming. The devs can never replicate human behavior in the form of a competent AI. Dems' the facts. The future is now 2k; has #ourtimecome ????

[UniversalNoob]

Quote: Originally Posted by KyotoCarl

An online league needs you to meet schedules and play at specific times. I want to be able to play when I want and pause when I want. If I don't want to play for two weeks I don't need to if I play online.

Depends on the league rules. In my leagues, you have a certain time stretch (3 months) for your 29 season games. When you play them depends on you (and of course your opponents). But yeah I understand what you're saying. You not that flexible when playing online.

[alabamarob]

Only reason I even buy 2k is to play 12 min hof online games. The online leagues from 2k11 were perfect to me. I dont enjoy offline play at all, but I think 2ks online server issues are why they dont put alot of emphasis on these types of modes. I even went back to the old pen and pad this year for next gen leagues. Ha

[reptilexcq]

Quote: Originally Posted by lvnba

I would like to discuss with you guys, as an honest question out of curiosity, why is this mode not one of the most anticipated and played modes in the 2k discussion.

I suspect that not many are hardcore competitive gamers. I would even go as far as to say the developers THEMSELVES are not competitive gamers. The reason i say this? It's because the online game mode of last year seems like a throw in...it's like the last thing on their mind with so many bugs and glitches. If you truly care about online gaming and play it a lot, i would think you would be annoyed by the many things that you see online as you play it and would try to do everything to fix them, unless you don't really play that mode that much personally. Another reason I say the developers are not competitive gamers is that the game is heavily focus on computer assist and not human based skills. I do not feel like I am using my true skills as a gamer while playing 2k14...sorry. I hope that change in 2k15 as i heard they're now giving users more control of the game.