if you ask yourself am I a cheeser the answers are in here
Everybody talks about sim play; just about every league out there boasts that it’s geared toward sim style. People accuse other players of “cheese” all the time. Rarely, though, is sim play defined. I’m going to take a little bit of time to give my interpretation of what “All-Sim” means to me, then explain why it’s a style of play that gives you the most enjoyment out of this game. Again, this is obviously just my opinion, but I think the majority of people would agree with me on most points.
What is Sim Gameplay?
Simply enough, it means playing the videogame like the real sport that it represents. It means not taking advantage of obvious flaws in the AI. It means controlling the game yourself, and not allowing the computer to play the other player. Probably most importantly, it means playing with variety.
The Ideal Perfect Sim Player
I’m going to describe what the ideal “All Sim” player would play. I’m not going to get into particular strategies, because there’s an unlimited number of ways you can play, and still be considered “All Sim”.
Defense
* Controls the defender on the ball
A sim style player almost always is controlling the defender on the ball. Why? Because you’re playing head to head against another person, how you do on defense should depend on how well YOU play defense, not how well the CPU can guard the other player. The ball is where the action is….that’s where you, the gamer, should want to be playing. If you’re playing away from the ball, that just leads to dirty gameplay habits (which I’ll discuss later) anyhow. Besides, anyone who actually D’s up on the ball will tell you that a steal or a charge that YOU actually control is so much more gratifying than anything you can watch the CPU do for you.
* Plays at least some man-to-man
All legit players play at least a portion of the game in man-to-man defense. Why? Well, have you ever seen an actual NBA game where the team didn’t play at least half the game in man-to-man? It just doesn’t happen, even “zone” teams in the NBA still play the majority of the game straight up man defense. There’s another reason for this as well. For some reason, the plays in NBA 2K5 just don’t work against zones. I don’t mean they’re not effective….I mean there’s an error with the AI, and most of the times the players won’t behave like they’re supposed to according to the play called. In fact, most of the time, they’ll just sit there. I’m not saying it’s necessary to play the whole game in man to man, but if you’re truly a sim player, man to man should be part of your repertoire.
* Doesn’t abuse double teaming
A straight up sim player will almost never double team anybody ALWAYS. Double teams are obviously part of basketball, but there’s a limit to how much they can be used. It’s pretty obvious when somebody is abusing double teams. Honestly, double teams aren’t inherently bad, what makes them dirty is when the defense allows the CPU defenders to handle the ball, while the human controlled player roams for the steal (Again, something I’ll bring up again later).
* Pressuring inbounds
This isn’t that big of a deal, but it’s definitely something that bothers me. Playing a sim style game means that you’re not going to inbound the ball directly under the hoop (another thing I’ll touch on in a bit), so I get a little upset when someone pressures the inbound and attempt a steal (I’m speaking of inbounds from half court, after a foul or out of bounds). Essentially, they are pressuring you to inbound toward the hoop….which they really don’t want, and I can guarantee they would accuse you of cheesy gameplay if you did. As a side note, all cheese can be beaten, it just requires that you stretch your gameplay a little to the cheesy side yourself. That’s why I consider this poor gameplay, it punishes you for playing straight up, and forces you to inbound toward the hoop, which is a huge no-no. A legit player would recognize he is playing a sim player and allow the inbound to the pg in the backcourt without denying him the ball. Like I said, this is kind of being picky, but after all, I am describing the ideal sim player.
Offense
* Passes the ball and runs an offense
All sim players out there actually run an offense that either involves exploiting mismatches or relies on using ball movement to get the defense out of position. Why? Because that’s what basketball is all about. It shows that you not only have skill at pushing the buttons, but also have at least some knowledge of what makes for “good” basketball.
* Spreads the ball around
A true sim gamer doesn’t just go to one or two players all game long. That just doesn’t happen in real life. In a real game, almost every player on the court gets a chance to be part of the offense at some time. I realize that there are dominant performances by superstars from time to time, but there is nothing even close to what most “No Sim” gamers out there play like. Take for example, just last night, Lebron went off for 56 pts, while the Cavs only put up 98 points for the game. Lebron had 36 shot attempts in that game and while that seems like quite a bit, the team had 81 attempts total. So, even on a completely dominant game by Lebron, he still took well under 50% of the shots. A true sim player remembers who his superstars are and gives them the most looks, but still remembers that this is a five player game.
* Variety in shots
The shot chart is the true gauge of an “All Sim” baler (at least on the offensive end). A legit player takes shots from a variety of locations….including a mix of 3’s, shots in the paint, and the oh-so-rare midrange game. A sim player doesn’t just jack up 3’s, nor does he just pound it to his bigs on the inside….a decent player does both, but a truly sim player will shoot with a decent player wherever they can get an open shot, including some shots that are neither 3’s or dunks (midrange).
* Inbounds to the pg in a realistic location
Sim players never inbound the ball all the way down court. It takes advantage of an AI flaw that apparently doesn’t let you steal inbound passes. A straight up player will actually move his pg back toward the inbounder and receive the ball below the free throw line the majority of the time. I shouldn’t even have to talk about inbounding the ball directly under the hoop after a foul, timeout, or any dead ball past half court…..anyone caught pulling this is immediately known as a dirty player.
Team Selection
It isn’t always the case, but normally, the truly “All Sim” players will play with lesser teams. Why? Because they play enough to get sick of the same powerhouse teams over and over, and they also realize that the team’s rankings aren’t as important as how you use them. Like I said, this isn’t always the case….sometimes you’ll find a sim baller who just happens to be from Minnesota, but a truly sim player will, at minimum, match up teams if he is the challenger.
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