NBA 2K18 Questions Thread: Hands-On Gameplay Aug 3rd

[alabamarob]

Thanks for looking out Lowe.


1. How do perfect releases work this year? Is it 100 percent or a small ratings boost.

2. How are "LIGHTLY" contested jumpers treated? Is it a huge percentage drop or 1 in line with real life.


3. Does the shot block rating matter this year or is everyone over 6'11 a rim protector?


4. Can guys like Isiah Thomas finish layups around the rim?


5. Do on ball def ratings matter this year or are defenders with low on ball ratings still Kawhi like?

[Yeah...THAT Guy]

I don't have questions per se, but if you could, I'd love it if you could just keep an eye out for/bring up some of the following things and see if they appear improved from 2K17.

Ball-handlers probing in the paint
It used to be far too easy to keep your dribble inside, so at some point, 2K made the ball feel far more exposed, but it's now swung too far in the other direction IMO. Ball-handlers should try to protect the ball on their own IMO by trying to shield off defenders with their arm, butt, etc. I don't have any video clips handy, but I believe this is something that Chris Paul is pretty famous for doing, but it's something that a lot of PGs have learned to do. In 2K17, it pretty much felt like you had to either immediately get into a layup/dunk animation when you get in the paint, or you would dribble off a random body part; this is something that I'm hoping has been adjusted in 2K18.

Off-Ball Screens
Offensively, I think off-ball screens need to be triggered in a more organic fashion compared to 2K17. As one of the other posters mentioned, off-ball screeners basically run over towards the player they're trying to free up, and stop for a few seconds before going into the actual screen animation. I also think that the player coming off the screen should be able to adapt better. If the defender anticipates him coming off the screen and cheats way out in front, our player should be smart enough to cut backdoor or use the screen as a flair away from the defender instead. If the defender is trailing him, our guy should instinctively curl around the screen to create space towards the rim/free-throw area. If the defender simply gets hit with the screen, then our guy should come around the screen the usual way, opening up a 3 pointer/mid-ranger. The curl versus regular path thing can be done manually already by leading the receiver with icon passing, but stuff like the backdoor/flair options should be in the game IMO.

Defensively, 2K17 provided the ability to adjust settings for how to defend off-ball screens, but unfortunately, they appear to rarely work. Using the Bucks, I'd set it up so that my defenders would switch all screens, but unfortunately, the actual results were extremely hit or miss. Beyond switching, defenders would often go under a screen even if you set them to go over. It seemed that the only way to really defend off-ball screens in 2K17 was by switching to the defender and manually maneuvering the screens yourself.

Pick and Roll
Offensively, due to the sometimes clunky ball-handling, you couldn't set defenders up for the screens the way you see it done in real life. If the player defending the screener jumped out to hedge, it was almost impossible to split the screen without turning the ball over. I think this is more to do with the ball-handling controls rather than specifically the pick-and-roll, but I believe the pick-and-roll is where these issues commonly came up.

Defensively, the player defending the screener often times wouldn't really impede the ball handler even if he hedged. The help rotations were also generally far too aggressive.

Rebounding
It seems that pure athleticism factored into rebounding too much. For example, Thon Maker is a hilariously pathetic rebounder in real life. He's so skinny that almost all centers are easily able to push him around, so he's almost always out of position on the glass. He also has poor hands, so even when he's able to get position and elevate to get the ball, he's unable to corral it. In 2K17, he's a rebounding god because he's a 7 footer with explosive leaping ability and the game is unable to replicate live ball situations appropriately. In the NBA, you see so many instances of players just sort of tipping the ball in the air off of missed shots and then quickly grabbing it with their second effort. You see players fight for the ball. You see players bobble the ball at first. None of these scenarios really played out in 2K17.

Lonzo Ball
I think this is probably a long-shot because I don't believe a tendency existed in 2K17 that would create a player like Lonzo, but has 2K found a way to replicate the way he's constantly trying to push the ball up the floor to teammates?

He's also pretty much the antithesis of a ball-dominant PG, likely due to a combination of how much he prioritizes moving the ball as well as his relatively poor ball-handling (for a PG). I'm nervous that Lonzo will behave like a traditional PG in the game when in reality, he doesn't handle the ball much in the half-court, and when he does, he's constantly looking to give the ball up. I'm curious if 2K has found a way to accurately replicate his game.

Drawing Fouls
As irritating as it became at times, there is clearly a new trend in the NBA in terms of drawing fouls coming off of screens. Has this been made a thing in 2K18?

I'm curious about the ability to draw fouls in general, because it's always been low, but the above scenario is a very specific type that I'm interested in.

[SuperNoVa27]

How is the spacing? Do players have space to work in the post without being steps away from another man?

Can larger players closeout from insane distances like this year (ties into the spacing)

Have the bump animations by the CPU on D been toned down on higher difficulties?

Any new post moves? Is the post fake spin back? Any way to protect the ball high from players reaching?

Do Bigs have better control of the ball? You could often just turbo into them this year and get a steal.

This is more of a head to head question but can players still successfully get blocks when they completely mistimed their attempt? Especially when they are coming down when the offensive player is going up

Do players get punished more for trying to aggressively swat every shot attempt?

[killaxxbearsxxx]

How fluid is the offense? Do you notice ai teammates/cpu teams quickly getting into their actions smoothly? Or are there still long pauses in between each actions as they try to decide what to do next?

What are the physics like? Off ball and on ball? Do collisions and interactions still feel static and wall like on ball? Have they found a decent balance for off ball collisions yet?

Is movement and animations tighter?

Are things such as snaking the ball screen or putting a defender in jail (there was a thread on this) possible?

[isdatyt]

Is on-ball defense as "bump & grind" as it was late in the life cycle of 2K17.

Are passes still "floaty" and is there a way to control the speed at which you pass.

Is help defense smarter this year and defense in general including: getting back after a made/missed bucket, not randomly leaving shooters wide open.

Are canned animations still prevalent, and if so, how often do you feel they are triggered? Barely/Just enough/Too much

Are the in-game sub and play calling menus still that jumbled nonsense. No specifics really needed, just have they changed.

[Csmooove32]

Is the defense improved...see If playing defense is fun.

[Impetuous65]

After reading all these question, I wonder if the thread starter should have preface his request about what he can and can not ask about.

[isdatyt]

Quote: Originally Posted by Impetuous65

After reading all these question, I wonder if the thread starter should have preface his request about what he can and can not ask about.

It's hands-on gameplay. He doesn't have to ask anything, he's gonna play the game lol.