What difficult have you been playing on?

[Smallville102001]

So just wondering what difficult has ever one been playing on? In the past I found any thing above pro to be way to hard. This year though I think the game is easier. On pro the CPU to often was shooting like 35%. I have now been playing on all star and getting pretty good result but I am going to try superstar.

[WTF]

Re: What difficult have you been playing on?

I've been on Superstar default, but I feel there's a lot of cheesy things that are starting to happen. I'm going to go back down to Allstar, to see if that remedies the situations. Hopefully it does.

The CPU defense on Superstar is extremely sticky as well, and every team plays so tight. On top of that, but the recovery speed of defenders to get to shooters to contest a shot is unreal. I can have 3-4 steps on a guy, yet they'll still get a "smothered" shot because they'll warp into place to contest a shot.

[tril]

Re: What difficult have you been playing on?

was on pro, but just recently switched to rookie. was loosing by 20+ every game on pro.
but does that even make a difference cause I always tweak my sliders

[K_rob11]

Re: What difficult have you been playing on?

I've been on Superstar default, but I feel there's a lot of cheesy things that are starting to happen. I'm going to go back down to Allstar, to see if that remedies the situations. Hopefully it does.

The CPU defense on Superstar is extremely sticky as well, and every team plays so tight. On top of that, but the recovery speed of defenders to get to shooters to contest a shot is unreal. I can have 3-4 steps on a guy, yet they'll still get a "smothered" shot because they'll warp into place to contest a shot.

I'm 2-13 in Sixers franchise. (Frustratingly BRUTAL) I've played every game on all-star default. There has yet to be a single game where I haven't fallen behind by at least 20. Things definitely feel a bit cheesy in the 4th quarters of my games.
It seems the CPU turns super human and my guys start to turn the ball over and go ice cold every 4th qtr. The 2 games I won were extremely close but only because I decided to go inside the paint almost every possession. I feel like if I try to shoot a jumper (especially in the 4th) I'll keep missing and the CPU pulls away. Looking at the shot chart of my last game, I was 6-15 from deep inside the paint while the CPU went 13-14. Not to mention I feel like I have to guard 4-5 Steph Currys no matter the team I'm playing.

I quoted your post because I feel the same CPU defensive stickiness and cheesiness in the 4th qtr of my games.

My pride won't let me go down to pro difficulty






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[YogiGarebear89]

Re: What difficult have you been playing on?

I play on All-Star probably could ramp it up, a little too easy at times

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[Sundown]

Re: What difficult have you been playing on?

I've been on Superstar default, but I feel there's a lot of cheesy things that are starting to happen. I'm going to go back down to Allstar, to see if that remedies the situations. Hopefully it does.

The CPU defense on Superstar is extremely sticky as well, and every team plays so tight. On top of that, but the recovery speed of defenders to get to shooters to contest a shot is unreal. I can have 3-4 steps on a guy, yet they'll still get a "smothered" shot because they'll warp into place to contest a shot.

This. It's too bad CPU AI sophistication and realism is tied to difficulty. Because Superstar still enables the shenanigans that allow the CPU to cheese you and breaks the immersion of realistic basketball:

Andre Roberson is a 50%+ percent three point shooter and the second coming of Kyle Korver. He gets left open a lot by the AI defenders or they double off him because they recognize him to be a bad shooter-- just as real NBA defenders do-- so that's good. But he shoots 50% instead of the 24% he should. That's bad.

Russell Westbrook is the second coming of Toney Allen, and is also able to recover with speeds impossible even for him in real life-- that's without mentioning the fact that he's actually a poor defender and is often either unaware or leaves shooters like Curry to fetch rebounds. In the game he is a brick wall that's much more difficult to drive past with his lateral speed and the tenacity and seeming mass of Draymond Green.

It's difficult to use Curry as effectively as he is in real life because his shot release is not as quick as it really is, and defenders will warp into his space when he shoots with with the spacing he actually needs. He's not the same on-ball threat that can pull up off the dribble or fire off ball if defenders aren't very close. If they're at all in his space by the time the shot is released, it's heavily contested, and it seems like they don't really need to be closer than 8-10 feet by the time he catches the ball.

Taking a shot when a defender is 6 feet away from you often results in heavily contested, because they recover so quickly, and even the mere presence of decent defenders by the time the shot is released results in the same, even if they're still on the ground and are only making a half-contest.

It's almost impossible to stop bigs from making rebound layups inside, even when the paint is crowded with defenders.

Opponent free throw percentages seem artificially inflated. Bigs who can't shoot FT's on CPU teams seemingly make about 65-75%.


I don't see why something as clearcut and easy to simulate as free throw percentage should be boosted on any difficulty for a simulation. And I think difficulty in a game branded as a simulation should focus on increasing difficulty realistically where possible, with hidden boosts where necessary-- not just give the CPU arbitrary advantages like more points at the free throw line that has no bearing on actual gameplay. And if 2K wants to provide users with CPU cheese difficulty modes for those that like the challenge, then they shouldn't lock the full AI behind those modes.

In the end, I believe AI should be a separate setting that can be turned up and turned down apart from artificial and realism breaking stat boosted difficulty.

When the game is knocked down to All-Star, a lot of this cheesiness goes away. A lot of the randomness and variability that you see in actual games comes back, and things like leaving bad three point shooters becomes the viable strategy it is in real life.

[Smallville102001]

Re: What difficult have you been playing on?

Just played my first game at superstar a 116-115 win where I was down like 18 early and didn't make a FG in till about 5 minutes into the game. I am going to try some more superstar but I think I am going to have to go back to all star. I know 1 game is not a lot of a sample size but CPU had like 15 steals and a lot of those didn't fell right and CPU only had 6 turnovers and that was with there passing slider down and my playing passing lanes at 55 and like steals at 60. I am worried that at superstar that CPU will just not turn the ball over enough.

[OrlandoTill]

Re: What difficult have you been playing on?

I play on Superstar on all modes. I'm too prideful to start on All-Star even when the games came out since I'm a veteran of the franchise.

I've heard from the devs in the past say that the game is tuned to Superstar Simulation. Game type is gone now(Setting between Casual, Custom, Default and Simulation) so now I just play on Superstar.

I like that HOF offers a challenge(boosts) but I haven't played the game enough to go there yet and if I get good enough reps on that difficulty then the game does not challenge me anymore to come back.

For MyCareer

Without the VC incentive to play on harder difficulties why wouldn't people try to grind on lower difficulties? I actually think the VC structure(in past games) of giving a multiplier for higher difficulties was a neat way in discouraging playing on Rookie or Pro or finding exploits to downgrade to those levels.

[BenBobOmb]

Re: What difficult have you been playing on?

I play on All-Star. I switched to Superstar during some games when I felt like it was too easy to score and defend but a lot of times the AI cheesed its way back into the game in the second half/4th quarter so I will use All-Star which feels the most realistic to me.

[The 24th Letter]

Re: What difficult have you been playing on?

Superstar, thinking about switching to HOF...dont really have issues against the CPU...

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[Insight23]

What difficult have you been playing on?

Superstar. I personally think it's a must you turn off ACE & input your own defensive settings, though, I haven't played with ACE on since I've gotten better. I feel like I reasonably win & lose games.

When defending shots you have to really get up into the shooters face...I think it's what? L2 & right analog for shot contest? Really extend with the analog, light contest doesn't seem to be effective.

[CX1329]

Re: What difficult have you been playing on?

I'm trying All-Star. I was using a HOF slider set, but on HOF the game is just a ridiculous, endless string of runs by both me and the CPU, with no consistency or any rhyme or reason, and whoever goes on a run last wins the game. Not fun. All-Star is providing a better, less streaky flow so far, but now I'm being driven mad by all the CPU offensive rebound cheese. I think I'll be sticking with default All-Star and just tune the sliders to dial out the rebounding cheese.

[Roger_Black]

Re: What difficult have you been playing on?

Whatever the Devs did to adjust the game today has seriously affected All-star Difficulty in MyCareeer mode.

Over the past 2-3 weeks, I played my whole 82 game rookie season (plus the Playoffs + Finals) in MyCareer mode... then this morning I get the little black box notification to 'return to the main menu' in order for the recent 'remote settings adjustment' to get applied.

That update has ruined everything for me.

Suddenly, the gameplay is not fun anymore. At all.

Every single game I have played all day long feels like a REAL CHORE.... because the CPU now sticks to me like a magnet all over the court. No matter what dribble moves I use... the CPU is right there.... And I cannot create any space unless I try to perform a step-back & chuck up shots from almost halfcourt.

Now every single play I have to 'push past' a defender attached to my hipbone, in order to attack the rim... where the defense will collapse & CONSTANTLY foul me.... or the CPU will randomly give me the worst 'layup animation' possible.

Everytime I drive.... I can feel the fouls shaking up my controller.

Sometimes they ACTUALLY get called a foul... but most times... they do not.

The BIGGEST reason I dislike this... is because I don't tend to jack up tons of 3 pointers every single game. I usually shoot 5 or less. And some games I don't even shoot ANY at all.

I prefer to play a mid-range game with lots of pick-n pop plays, or Work the ball around until I get some catch-n shoot plays. Or I operate in the post, using back downs, fall away jumpers & drop step moves.

Now suddenly..... it just feels like the whole game caters (or was 'tweaked') toward very deep 3-point shooting... and 'dribble drives' to the bucket.

There's MORE to basketball than just Ankle breakers & Half-court shots.... but it seems like the other stuff is being ignored.

Especially when 'all-white' releases on mid-range jumpshots taken anywhere inside the arc, or at the elbow.... are pretty much guaranteed to be instant BRICKS.

The game is just giving us 2 options on offense...

1 - Either shoot recklessly from deep 3-point range....
2 - or just put your head down... and drive hard to the bucket.

C'mon 2k. This is ridiculous.

And the worst part is... I see some folks posting videos on YouTube that are meant to help other players.... but if you look at their (endgame) stats in the videos... these guys are shooting like over 30+, 40+ or 50+ plus 3-pointers ALONE per game. Every single game.

One single player shooting THAT MANY 3-pointers makes it hard to 'balance' the game for the masses.

So its no wonder the game gets 'tuned' (behind the scenes) by the Devs the way it does.

Because the Devs are probably seeing these videos and thinking EVERYONE is jacking up well over 40+ three-pointers every game... .so they are probably adjusting the sliders to compensate for it.

[Davon_A_Brown]

What difficult have you been playing on?

I play on default Hall of Fame because I want the AI to use full ACE and I'm scared to adjust sliders because it seems to break the game. What irritates me most is ball tangibility and CPU 3PT Tendency/Success. Elfrid Payton and Aaron Gordon just went a combined 11-18 from deep.

[nuttyrich]

Re: What difficult have you been playing on?

was on pro, but just recently switched to rookie. was loosing by 20+ every game on pro.
but does that even make a difference cause I always tweak my sliders

Same thing here, even though I haven't called in over a week. On do default CPU shot amazing at 3s... Regardless of who was shooting and they magically for open too.
I switched to rookie and I blew them out now, but CPU still gets wide open
.. Just they miss more. Which feels scripted and cheesy.

Again I don't use sliders, not going use them until the game is patched correctly or they say.. No new patches.. And play as is.
Should have never been released in this state.

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