Questions that need answers for ROSTER MAKERS (XBOX NEW GEN)

[zten11]

I'm sure a lot of people have also felt somewhat overwhelmed by all of the content on OS sports gaming forums due to the thrill of the new generation. Of course, that's a good thing but it's the same reason I've been reading things here and there but have ultimately held myself back from posting anything, and that even includes simple questions or thread responses...just because there is so much going on and I have simply been sitting back and continuing my roster work on last gen Xbox. That being said, I plan on starting my roster here on the new gen within the next week. I have just been working on my signature shots. That's for another conversation though. The thread I'm creating now is meant to be useful for roster makers like myself who haven't touched the new gen yet and haven't spent a crazy amount of time researching things (because of the reasons I stated above). Without further ado, here are the questions I present:

1. I have asked this before and I don't believe I'll have the ability to do this based on assumptions I've heard from others before. However, will my progress all save from the roster I'm working on for last gen Xbox (NBA 2K21) or will I have to start anew?

2. How is the player contract situation looking? I know free agency obviously is just ending about now. Does anyone have any suggestions for what base roster would be good to use for accurate new contracts? Or does 2K update that on its own? Also, the previous 2K games haven't built in salaries that go high enough. I'm assuming that finally changed for new gen 2K21?

3. I remember there being some cool new feature on the 2K roster share. What exactly is that again and what will that allow me to do better in my roster making process? If I recall correctly, it might be sharing your league/franchise/or whatever they call it now?

4. What's going on in regards to all the new uniforms that have been released? Is 2K taking care of that or is there another roster I should know about that does an even better job of creating that stuff?

5. I know that in 2K20 on last gen Xbox, a lot of the simulation sliders needed to be maxed out in order to witness higher scoring and better stats. For example, I would need to set tempo/pace/shots and all that all the way up at 100. Many players still wouldn't score enough points. For instance, Harden would never even come close to 30 PPG regardless of all these sliders. Has that been fixed at all?

6. This is kind of a broad question: but I know there are always things that prove to be a pain in the *** when playing against the CPU. For example, I have been reading that pick and roll defense is still extremely hard to navigate. Is there anything I need to know in working on my player tendencies (like all-around higher IQs) or anything that will help prevent any of these glaring issues?

That's about all I can think of for now. Thanks everyone for reading!

[zten11]

Any help here for the roster makers????

[Real2KInsider]

Quote: Originally Posted by zten11

1. I have asked this before and I don't believe I'll have the ability to do this based on assumptions I've heard from others before. However, will my progress all save from the roster I'm working on for last gen Xbox (NBA 2K21) or will I have to start anew?

You would have to start over. This is because w/ features added/removed, the files wouldn't translate w/o corrupting data.

The most obvious example I am aware of would be the badges. 2K added and removed a lot of them between current & next-gen. Any added/removed signatures etc would likewise throw a roster out of wack. You'd have to spend an exorbitant amount of time cycling through each player to restore them anyway.

Quote:

2. How is the player contract situation looking? I know free agency obviously is just ending about now. Does anyone have any suggestions for what base roster would be good to use for accurate new contracts? Or does 2K update that on its own?

2K updates contracts as the info becomes available. In 2K21 they (finally) fixed a multitude of errors to put them more in line w/ accessible cap sheets, which would indicate they will probably update as the official data becomes available.

Quote:

Also, the previous 2K games haven't built in salaries that go high enough. I'm assuming that finally changed for new gen 2K21?

As far as I can tell, the salary restrictions are built into the individual players. I believe they do this because IRL the NBA limits player earnings based on professional seasons the player has played (i.e. the max for a 4-year pro is different than the max for a 10-year pro).

My assumption for why they do it this way is to prevent 4-year players from getting salaries in the 50M range in MyLeague. In effect, it's a workaround for coding that would otherwise need to be much more intensive to make work properly.

The problem is 2K's salary limits haven't scaled WITH the escalation of the cap. Most of the developers are not well-versed in the technical minutia of the NBA, and probably don't even realize this is an issue.

Quote:

5. I know that in 2K20 on last gen Xbox, a lot of the simulation sliders needed to be maxed out in order to witness higher scoring and better stats. For example, I would need to set tempo/pace/shots and all that all the way up at 100. Many players still wouldn't score enough points. For instance, Harden would never even come close to 30 PPG regardless of all these sliders. Has that been fixed at all?

This is primarily because 2K caps their Ratings and Tendencies at 100. Harden (and most other great players) break the scale in quite a few areas. Harden in particular should have a Shot Tendency of 110 and a 3PT Tendency of 120. (This also doesn't factor the sim engine doesn't generate enough FTs for volume scorers; Harden averages 12 per game).

It's important to remember the core of 2K was developed and programmed in the late 90s. Principles in the NBA are obviously very different now. Teams had broader usage back then and the engine likely wasn't equipped for the game to become so intensely star-centric (or for the mid-range / post game to be completely abandoned).

The jump to next-gen has no bearing on these areas. Technology isn't the limiting factor in how the game is programmed at a base level.

[vetmin]

Quote: Originally Posted by Real2KInsider

It's important to remember the core of 2K was developed and programmed in the late 90s. Principles in the NBA are obviously very different now. Teams had broader usage back then and the engine likely wasn't equipped for the game to become so intensely star-centric (or for the mid-range / post game to be completely abandoned). The jump to next-gen has no bearing on these areas. Technology isn't the limiting factor in how the game is programmed at a base level.

What the heck are you talking about re: “the core of 2K was developed and programmed in the late 90s”? Everyone knows 2k21 was built from the ground up! (Sorry, your setup was too good; I couldn’t help myself :P )

[zten11]

Quote: Originally Posted by Real2KInsider

You would have to start over. This is because w/ features added/removed, the files wouldn't translate w/o corrupting data. The most obvious example I am aware of would be the badges. 2K added and removed a lot of them between current & next-gen. Any added/removed signatures etc would likewise throw a roster out of wack. You'd have to spend an exorbitant amount of time cycling through each player to restore them anyway. 2K updates contracts as the info becomes available. In 2K21 they (finally) fixed a multitude of errors to put them more in line w/ accessible cap sheets, which would indicate they will probably update as the official data becomes available. As far as I can tell, the salary restrictions are built into the individual players. I believe they do this because IRL the NBA limits player earnings based on professional seasons the player has played (i.e. the max for a 4-year pro is different than the max for a 10-year pro). My assumption for why they do it this way is to prevent 4-year players from getting salaries in the 50M range in MyLeague. In effect, it's a workaround for coding that would otherwise need to be much more intensive to make work properly. The problem is 2K's salary limits haven't scaled WITH the escalation of the cap. Most of the developers are not well-versed in the technical minutia of the NBA, and probably don't even realize this is an issue. This is primarily because 2K caps their Ratings and Tendencies at 100. Harden (and most other great players) break the scale in quite a few areas. Harden in particular should have a Shot Tendency of 110 and a 3PT Tendency of 120. (This also doesn't factor the sim engine doesn't generate enough FTs for volume scorers; Harden averages 12 per game). It's important to remember the core of 2K was developed and programmed in the late 90s. Principles in the NBA are obviously very different now. Teams had broader usage back then and the engine likely wasn't equipped for the game to become so intensely star-centric (or for the mid-range / post game to be completely abandoned). The jump to next-gen has no bearing on these areas. Technology isn't the limiting factor in how the game is programmed at a base level.

Thank you for putting the time in to answer all of these questions. So as far as the built in salaries, can you clarify...does that mean it'll require the official 2K roster to make these corrections, and that I still won't be able to manually go up to $40M plus, or whatever the figure is?

[Real2KInsider]

Quote: Originally Posted by zten11

Thank you for putting the time in to answer all of these questions. So as far as the built in salaries, can you clarify...does that mean it'll require the official 2K roster to make these corrections, and that I still won't be able to manually go up to $40M plus, or whatever the figure is?

Correct. You can technically Export/Import the Player DNA into your roster to get the value if it matters that much to you.

I personally just max out and don't care if the player is making 5M less annually. It doesn't matter much in the grand scheme because 2K's AI doesn't replicate the NBA anyway w/ regard to salary cap management.

A prize pig still goes to the same butcher.

[zten11]

Quote: Originally Posted by Real2KInsider

Correct. You can technically Export/Import the Player DNA into your roster to get the value if it matters that much to you. I personally just max out and don't care if the player is making 5M less annually. It doesn't matter much in the grand scheme because 2K's AI doesn't replicate the NBA anyway w/ regard to salary cap management. A prize pig still goes to the same butcher.

I mean yeah, the new generation should technically apply to gameplay for the most part, but that doesn't mean they can't do that with contracts too. Contracts are EVERYTHING in the real NBA. Players get pissed off if they don't get what their market demands. Shouldn't it be the same in video games with how much emphasis they put on MyLeague and Career modes now? I don't see why not...

Either that or just completely revamp the system. For example, options such as:

long-term (3+ yrs) or short term (1/2 yrs) and salary level (low, low medium, medium, medium high, high and MAX). That kind of validates your pig/butcher comment right???

[Real2KInsider]

Quote: Originally Posted by zten11

Players get pissed off if they don't get what their market demands. Shouldn't it be the same in video games with how much emphasis they put on MyLeague and Career modes now?

I'm talking about this more from a meta standpoint. A prominent example:

30-year old Starting Center for a Playoff Team
25.0 PER (10th in NBA)
64 TS% (10th in NBA)
13.6 ORB% (7th in NBA)
33.3 DRB% (3rd in NBA)
8.4 BLK% (1st in NBA)

This player just took the VETERAN'S MINIMUM in real life. In 2K they would be looking at a Gordon Hayward-sized contract. This is an extreme example but also hardly the only good player to settle for the minimum or close to it. Players aren't valued at an appropriate scale. CBA changes have caused the NBA's middle class to shrink exponentially, but 2K's programming doesn't account for this.

Teams IRL are now maintaining flexibility rather than giving out multi-year deals. Only stars get long deals. Lots of players took 1-2 year deals this offseason, as teams place a high focus on flexibility. These are league-wide behaviors & trends that 2K's programming simply doesn't account for.

Good players like Serge Ibaka, Montrezl Harrell, Tristan Thompson just took the MLE for 2 years. These players also settled because they realized there wasn't a lot of AVAILABLE money to begin with, compared with other off-seasons. 2K doesn't account for this and will crash it's own market.