Operation Sports Forums

I have been reading a lot of post where people think that playing smart is better then cheesing but that is absolutely not the case. The best way to win consistently is using smart cheese.
I am a coach and a basketball purist who also happens to share an intense passion for competitive gaming. With that said I am amazed at the lack of basketball IQ I find when playing this game online as the gameplay does not force an individual to play realistically/intelligently to be successful. Example I played someone yesterday that had a very good record and played beautifully (not something I see often) using the screen and roll game and making quick and excellent reads to the open players. However I still won that game very handily. Next up I played a player that played with seemingly no understanding of how to be successful in a team sport but the game would allow him to dribble force field his way to the basket and draw ridiculous fouls or just score over good defense, also allowing him to score on a ridiculously high amount of contested 3s and jumpers. On the other end I was working the ball using spacing/pickandroll/and ball movement and getting a layup/dunk or wide open shot nearly every possession yet the score continued to go back and forth. I am convinced that scripting exist in this game as that seems to be the trend in sports games lately to keep casual numbers high.

To combat this, many players who possibly could be decent sim players instead turn to exploits as it is the best way to dictate the outcome of the game, I.E. forcing a high number of turnovers by exploiting the animation and AI system, scoring extra points from 3 or understanding which type of players are overpowered in the game and maining them. Next after they successfully use these tactics other players who may not be able to play a successful sim style or just want to be able to win easily begin to adopt these exploits and use them to nauseating effect. This creates a community of cheesers online and makes the game a lot less fun for individuals who truly understand the game of basketball. Now some of the cheesers are one dimensional and can be beaten consistently when finding a work around if the game is not handicapping you. However some understand the game of basketball to some extent but even moreso understand the game engine and use what I call smart cheese or multiple layered cheese while also making an appropriate read occasionally-often. By far the most effective style for winning.

This is why the onus must be put on the developers to create a game that rewards IQ and does not cater to casuals as much. I believe that creating a game that favors casuals opens up the necessity and more opportunity for exploits. The elite will get there either way, it would be nice to see it be done by playing basketball rather then cheesing.