Issues with 2K e-league being on a different build of the game?

[killakrok]

I was really exited to see how the 2K e-league turned out mostly because I don't feel like the game is ready for high level competition in it's current state as far as skill gap, balance, and presence of bugs/exploits etc. I wanted to see how these things would effect the e-league and if it would force 2K to make changes that would improve the game for everyone else.

In a recent SimHangOut I heard it mentioned that the e-leauge would be on a different build that could have mechanics/tuning that is different from the game everyone else is playing. How do people feel about this? I find it pretty revealing that 2K knows that the game isn't competitive in its current state, whether that is because of connectivity issues, or more importantly because of game design, imbalance, and exploits.

To my knowledge no other competitive games create a separate version of the game to be played for competitive use. Rainbow Six Siege even recently decided to hold off on certain planned changes to the game because it would effect the game for pros too close to a big upcoming competition. In League of Legends fans watch the pros for entertainment but also look at them to figure out playstyle and what the meta is. This would be impossible if the game that the pros compete on is different from the game that the fans play.

How can fans of NBA 2K watch a competition that is on different build of the game than they play? This may end up not being a big difference, but there may be big difference in the competitive build compared to the main build and would be like watching NBA Live competitions to find out how to play 2K.

Thoughts?

[jeebs9]

You think 2k is the only game that doesn't have a different build for esports? Come on man... Wake up!

The is build we play is for general public. That game can't be the same game they play in e league. It can't be.

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[jfsolo]

To me the only problem is that they should offer a setting with the e-league build to the general public so that people who want to play the best version of the game can have the opportunity to do so. I mean sure, most of their customer base wants to play with exploits r us mechanics, but don't deprive the serious basketball heads who aren't in the league the most authentic gameplay experience.

[jeebs9]

Quote: Originally Posted by jfsolo

To me the only problem is that they should offer a setting with the e-league build to the general public so that people who want to play the best version of the game can have the opportunity to do so. I mean sure, most of their customer base wants to play with exploits r us mechanics, but don't deprive the serious basketball heads who aren't in the league the most authentic gameplay experience.

Totally agree....

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[killakrok]

Quote: Originally Posted by jeebs9

You think 2k is the only game that doesn't have a different build for esports? Come on man... Wake up! The is build we play is for general public. That game can't be the same game they play in e league. It can't be.

Which games do? Serious question.
I play games that have big competitive scenes but I don't watch them myself.

I don't mean isolated builds that just separate the tournament player base from the general game environemnt for better connectivity and view-ability, but separate builds that have different mechanics, balance, and gameplay.

Quote: Originally Posted by jfsolo

To me the only problem is that they should offer a setting with the e-league build to the general public so that people who want to play the best version of the game can have the opportunity to do so.

True, that is why I was interested to see the e-league. I was hoping that the changes they made would make the game better for everyone, but if they have separate builds that wont be the case.

There are no longer HOF Sim lobby's so my best hope was for the e-league to expose the foolishness and lead to changes for the future.

[ph33]

If this is the start of something for 2k19 I am all for it

This sounds like what we've wanted for so long!

[jeebs9]

Quote: Originally Posted by killakrok

Which games do? Serious question. I play games that have big competitive scenes but I don't watch them myself. I don't mean isolated builds that just separate the tournament player base from the general game environemnt for better connectivity and view-ability, but separate builds that have different mechanics, balance, and gameplay. True, that is why I was interested to see the e-league. I was hoping that the changes they made would make the game better for everyone, but if they have separate builds that wont be the case. There are no longer HOF Sim lobby's so my best hope was for the e-league to expose the foolishness and lead to changes for the future.

Which games? All of them. Especially if it has its own league.

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[killakrok]

Quote: Originally Posted by jeebs9

Which games? All of them. Especially if it has its own league.

Which ones?

I'm not talking separate builds for tournament lobbies and broadcasting, but builds that have separate gameplay code. To my knowledge Counterstrike, Rainbow Six Siege, Overwatch, League of Legends, Dota, Rocket League, Street Fighter, and Smash Bros don't. In many instances official tournaments are carried out on systems and public clients that make it impossible to have private gameplay code.

The gameplay of the competitive matches has to be the exact same as the core game for anyone to believe that the best competitive players are actually the best at the game. This is what allows others to watch them and know that the tactics they are seeing in competition apply to the game everyone else is playing.

If a team won a tournament in LoL using an item that was 20% better in competitive play than in the public build, or someone destroyed the competition in Street Fighter with a character that does 5% more damage in the competitive build, that competition would be seen as meaningless. Balance is the cornerstone of competitive play, if a game is balanced differently for competitions those competitions couldn't be seen as legitimate representation of the actual game.

Game build is something that competitive players take seriously. Take something like DarksydePhil being seen as a joke in the competitive Street Fighter scene because he brags about placing high in a tournament that players protested because an inferior port of the game was used for competition which other players didn't feel represented the actual game and required less skill.

Competitive games may have separate builds that make it easier for tournament setup and broadcasting, but they have the same gameplay.

What games do you know that have separate gameplay for competitive play that is separate form the gameplay that everyone else has? I actually want to know because I'd like to know how it effects competitive play and the base game audience.