Tips for starting a MyGm? (starting/Running/Continuing one.)

[CRex8]

Hello O.S. Im looking forward to starting a MyGm in NBA 2k. But I do not know where to start. Feeling a little overwhelmed about it.

I'm looking for some tips. How do you go about picking a team to run with?
Do you set the coaching to "auto"? Let the coach run the plays and you play on the court?

Set the substitutions? Or let it auto coach that as well?
Play every other game? or every game, rivalry games, etc?

Just looking for some tips. I love 2k. It seems like every year I start a MyGm/Franchise mode and never really dig deep into it like I want to. I think its because I really don't know whats the best way to go about it.

SO, any tips from you vets out there? friendly advice. Thanks yall!

[Wolfwood989]

I'm not really a board vet, but Franchise mode is my primary mode for every sports game. I got through 7-8 seasons in my last 2k run.

For team selection i would go with whoever you have some allegiance to, whether it be a team, player or even just a region or style of play. The best way to play franchise IMO is to have some emotional investment in your team. For instance, i grew up in Memphis and the Grizzlies happen to play a style i like, being tough defensively and strong in the post, so it's a no-brainer for me. If you have no particular allegiance or draw towards a team, maybe do a Fantasy Draft, so you're responsible for the entire roster from the start and are invested that way. The only thing i would avoid is choosing one of the best teams just because they're good. This always seemed like the most boring way to do Franchise to me. But If you happen to be an Oakland native or Steph Curry is your cousin, by all means go with the Warriors.

Basically any GM responsibilities i set to manual, and all coaching settings i put on auto to start with. I do edit lineups/rotations regularly though. As i learn the game and become more familiar with the menus/adjustments, i'll take over the coaching settings as well. I'm just now starting to transition into this at the start of my second season.

For playcalling specifically, i turn coach plays off. I like to mostly run a freeflow offense though it's quite difficult this year. I would like the coach to call a certain number of plays, but that slider seems broken this year and he either calls plays 100% or 0% of the time when i'd like it to be ~50%. I compensate by just running "Quick Play" every few possessions and using the Freelance system, since i find the full play calling system a little convoluted to use.

Personally my favorite part of any Franchise mode is the off-season stuff, and seeing the teams change over time, so i like to get through seasons relatively quick. I try to play around half of the games so my direct input is at least half of the determining factor in my team's fate. I usually play the majority of games early in a season (maybe 2/3 or more), then start simming about half of them towards the middle, and usually start simming more at the end once everyone is pretty much locked into their seeding. I'll try to play any important games with teams near me in the standings just so i don't feel like i simmed a cheap win to move up or keep another team from improving their chances. The game used to keep track of how many games you played with a counter on the calendar screen, but that seems to have been removed for some reason this year, so i try to break it down into 2-week sections and decide which games i want to play or sim based on where the season is and the situation.

The most general advice i can give is just do whatever you think is fun. Simple enjoyment and being invested in your team is what will keep you playing it and progressing through multiple seasons, which is the whole point of the game mode. And also make sure it's challenging. If you're winning the Championship every year it will get old quick.