NBA Live 14 News Post

NBA Live 14 Q&A with Executive Producer Sean O'Brien

04:08 PM - October 21, 2013 by Steve_OS

NBA Live 14 Executive Producer Sean O'Brien took some time to answer fan feedback today on Twitter. Below are the list of questions and answers. It's all about gameplay this week with Ultimate Team information coming next week.

Will the controls feel like NBA Live 10?

The controls are reminiscent of LIVE 10 but much deeper.

Is anyone going to buy your game after how amazing 2k14 looked?

As expected, 2K14 looked good. I'm curious to see how it translates to 5v5 gameplay.

When will we see another trailer?

You'll see a steady flow of content pulled directly from #NBALIVE14 gameplay from now until launch.

how will player tendencies effect how I play the game

In the coming weeks we'll breakdown how we're using Synergy Sports to drive player and team differentiation.

what can we expect out of nba live?

An authentic 5v5 gameplay experience that sets the foundation for the future of our basketball video games.

When are we gonna get more gameplay

Each week heading into launch.

Do you really think #NBALIVE14 has a chance over #NBA2K14 ,If so why?

Of course. To name a few - Our fresh take on 5v5 gameplay & commitment to connected consumer throughout the entire NBA season.

can we get some ultimate team info?

You'll see an Ultimate Team blog early next week!

what is it about live that makes it better than the other basketball games

Authentic player responsiveness and Signature Styles... More to come.

will we see 5v5 gameplay from the players camera angle before release?

Absolutely.

were the screenshots that you dropped a further along build than the gameplay that you guys showed?

Nope, they are all captured from the same build.

what is something NBA Live has now that it didn't have before ?? What makes it standout ?

Depth of Signature Styles, player movement, team differentiation, control and authentic responsiveness.

Can you give any specifics on how the new consoles made things possible you could not do in the past?

Memory and processing power to provide more individuality to the players in-game.

I was hoping on getting nba live 14 cuz I always played live, but ur trailer set me back

I would encourage you to not judge everything off of one trailer and form your opinion once you've played the game.

Who are the commentators for #NBALIVE14?

We'll be announcing our ESPN talent roster shortly.

Can we practice plays at all? Can you tell us more about the specific playbooks each team has?

Every team has their own authentic playbook. We'll be updating throughout the year as coaches change their schemes.

post play. How is it in Live 14? Post play has been lost in previous bball games

We think you'll be pleasantly surprised with post play in #NBALIVE14

in the future trailers, are we going to see more gameplay on the defensive side is the ball?

It's tough to showcase defense and four-man rotations in a highlight video but we'll do our best moving forward.

overall ...was the response to the trailer expected ?

We realize we have to prove ourselves & one trailer won't do that. I think the more you see, the more you'll like.

Passing and AI awareness have you guys been improving in that area

We give you more manual control with passing than we ever have.

I can't wait im glad EA is back & better than ever.

I think you guys will really enjoy using your favorite players' Signature Styles. Different moves, speeds, and reactions.

will there be different alley animations

Yes.

PF and Centers that don't shoot 3s, will they be more around the rim instead of being at the 3pt line?

Yes, player tendencies driven by advanced analytics will dictate player behavior on the court.

the in-game fans in 2K suck thats something you guys always had better will you still keep that a high level like previous yrs?

Yup, we put a great amount of focus into what our crowds look like and their behavior in each unique arena setting.

We wanted to focus this week on gameplay as it seems that's what you guys want to talk about. We'll share UT next week.

Game: NBA Live 14Reader Score: 4/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS4 / Xbox OneVotes for game: 17 - View All

NBA Live 14 Videos

Member Comments

# 61 noshun @ 10/22/13 02:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jay Jay


	Brent Neilsen back on Live? Ain't he the one responsible for the foot work in 07 I think, when the players was stuck to the ground like they had concrete shoes on?

Hehe, I was QA for Live 07/08... wanted to gnaw my hands off at the wrist during those dreadful times. didnt disclose i was QA at the time the CEO of EA Canada and 3 Lives devs got my email, wouldve been singled out easy.

Look at that clips in the Live 14 trailer when Nash curls around the pick.. see how slow he's moving.. now go watch some Live 07 movement clips... notice any similarities? Was like controlling senior citizen version of the players..

Yep same Brent Neilsen...

# 62 yungflo @ 10/22/13 02:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tril


	2 many 2k questions. You should have focused on EA without mentioning 2k. that's like someone asking Kevin Durant questions about Lebron James. Id be annoyed.

I agree about that. At this point, they are not in competition with them. They are in competition with themselves. They are right about 2k crowds though. artificial sounds, very generic looking crowds. No response other than cheering to shots, no groans, etc. Live has that aspect locked down. You can feel every big shot in the last 3-4 mins of the 4th quarter

# 63 King_B_Mack @ 10/22/13 03:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iTz GoRiLlAz


	Yo anybody who's bashing on Live, really have the rights to. But has anyone noticed why 2K stepped up there game? It's because competition is back, and what did it do? It made 2K react, and say wow Live is making a comeback, and we must come with our total 100%. If the game fails 2K oh well, but why do people want 2K or Live to fail. Competition is healthy, and it brings the best in companies, like it did to 2K. To say Live sucks, also is to say the work of over 70 staff members suck, who spend time in a studio working passionately, for the release of a game that hasn't been released in a long time. Folks who probably sacrificed some time away from there family, to meet standards, and expectations set by Ea Sports which Nba Live 13 failed to do so . Honestly I don't think any of us likes it when people say our hard work sucks/trash, when they never took in consideration of our hard work, and dedication. Not being biased, but realist.. xD

This makes no sense. 2K has had next gen dev kits for two years, a year and a half at the least. Not to mention the point of competition driving others to be better is by the other company being a threat to them. It's not competition just because the other dude actually showed up. Boxcar Lou showing up to a fight against Prime Mike Tyson doesn't automatically make him competition for Tyson.

# 64 Gosens6 @ 10/22/13 10:09 AM

Realistically, this has NOTHING to do with Live Vs. 2K; This is all due to the fact that the guys at EA just don't know how to make a quality basketball game, at least not with the staff they have employed right now.

They have all these 3 year visions that never amount to anything, all these buzzwords that amount to nothing, and all this improved "tech" that amounts to nothing.

Yes Live 10 was good, but guess who was heading that game? Mike Wang. I don't trust anything the guys at EA can do without a guy like Wang at the helm. They just don't get how to make a sim basketball experience and it shows.

It's like they''re trying so hard to make a sim game, but no matter what they do, they can't get out of that casual/arcade mindset. I don't know if it's because they can't, won't, or just don't care, but I have absolutely NO hope for this series when it comes to the next gen consoles.

They're going to have to prove to me that they can make a sim game, but right now, it looks absolutely hopeless.

# 65 Artur @ 10/22/13 01:51 PM

My only hope that EA do some authentic "Streetball" game with lot of locations, street legends signature skills etc... Something like Fifa street. I would be happy if 2k do that kind of stuff but it's unlikely.

# 66 ItsOrangeBaby @ 10/22/13 02:28 PM

Guess we will hear more about the other modes in the game next week as well, but i don't know why it took this long to announce a online dynasty when the ultimate team confirmation drop a few weeks ago..

# 67 headsteez @ 10/22/13 03:19 PM

I can't wait to see more. I know it won't look better than the other game, but don't act like it won't do anything better than the other game. It may have a strong foundation to build off of. Everyone always says they'll take gameplay over graphics, but we write Live off cause of graphics based off a trailer. No one can say how the game will play. I don't want to hear about herky jerky movements because that don't make it bad, maybe less immersive, but not bad. I can bust out my GameCube and have tons of fun even though the games looks like trash. Stop killing Live for the sins of the the previous versions 5 and 6 years ago. Let's just wait and see.

# 68 RipCityAndy @ 10/22/13 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by headsteez


	I can't wait to see more. I know it won't look better than the other game, but don't act like it won't do anything better than the other game. It may have a strong foundation to build off of. Everyone always says they'll take gameplay over graphics, but we write Live off cause of graphics based off a trailer. No one can say how the game will play. I don't want to hear about herky jerky movements because that don't make it bad, maybe less immersive, but not bad. I can bust out my GameCube and have tons of fun even though the games looks like trash. Stop killing Live for the sins of the the previous versions 5 and 6 years ago. Let's just wait and see.

Right there with you.

# 69 Sundown @ 10/22/13 04:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by headsteez


	I don't want to hear about herky jerky movements because that don't make it bad, maybe less immersive, but not bad. I can bust out my GameCube and have tons of fun even though the games looks like trash.

Movement and immersion contribute hugely to the gameplay experience. Look and feel is what makes many games fun and ties into how controls "feel" as part of the interactive illusion.

If you're okay with bad looking, jerky games, then by all means, play your GameCube. Don't expect people to appreciate spending 60$ on a next-gen console game for current gen visuals and seemingly rougher-than-current-gen gameplay. That's just not "fun" for many.

There are plenty of bad looking, bad moving games people can play now. Live should rightfully be torched for destroying their franchise, hyping expectations, failing to deliver, just to make another bad looking, unpolished game while charging full price for it.

# 70 a walrus @ 10/22/13 04:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sundown


	Movement and immersion contribute hugely to the gameplay experience. Look and feel is what makes many games fun and ties into how controls "feel" as part of the interactive illusion. If you're okay with bad looking, jerky games, then by all means, play your GameCube. Don't expect people to appreciate spending 60$ on a next-gen console game for current gen visuals and seemingly rougher-than-current-gen gameplay. That's just not "fun" for many. There are plenty of bad looking, bad moving games people can play now. Live should rightfully be torched for destroying their franchise, hyping expectations, failing to deliver, just to make another bad looking, unpolished game while charging full price for it.

100% agree with this. They have spewed BS for a long long time with regard to madden and live. They deserve to be torched. Hopefully the decline in sales leads to a completely new approach to developing sports games. You never want a company to fail if has decent intentions. EA does not have good intentions. Profit comes first , quality is somewhere much further down the line. This model works in food producttion , the clothing industry , automobile manufacturing. It does not work in software. The finished product has to run as advertised. Their overall reluctance to release info. The way the vid looked. Bounce tek? It looks like this is another year where expectations with the consumer and internally at EA will not be met. I'm sure they'll turn a profit though.

# 71 ataman5 @ 10/22/13 05:20 PM

I wonder if there will be any good based Online League or Online Associations or whatever as for the game modes features.

If there is and Live supplies a good solid base basketball, i really may jump to Ea side instantly. I do buy Bball games to be able to run my leagues so. Hopefully there will be a good one.

# 72 headsteez @ 10/22/13 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sundown


	Movement and immersion contribute hugely to the gameplay experience. Look and feel is what makes many games fun and ties into how controls "feel" as part of the interactive illusion. If you're okay with bad looking, jerky games, then by all means, play your GameCube. Don't expect people to appreciate spending 60$ on a next-gen console game for current gen visuals and seemingly rougher-than-current-gen gameplay. That's just not "fun" for many. There are plenty of bad looking, bad moving games people can play now. Live should rightfully be torched for destroying their franchise, hyping expectations, failing to deliver, just to make another bad looking, unpolished game while charging full price for it.

I think your debating something different than I am. There are plenty of games that look great but are so boring. Feel and Look are different. Live may not look great, but it can still feel like a good basketball game in spite of some funky animations. I remember playing Madden 99( psx version) and players had no hands. Did it stop me from enjoying the rest of the game? No. I loved that it had franchise mode.

Yes I'll be okay paying $60 for a game with less visuals if it does something that 2k doesn't do. Lets be honest, 2k hasn't raised the bar for franchise mode and online modes. If Live plays like 10 did but smoother, more animations, fixed some nuances here and there, and add bounce tek , better post play(offense and defense), throw in Synergy, I'll be okay with that because we now have a solid foundation.

Lets all be open minded about this. We're only talking about Live 14. Not any other version. Lets put down the pitch forks, and shovels and what ever other tool we've grabbed. Mob mentality is real around here I see. Live 14 should not rightfully be torched as you want to do. Nobody here has played the game or experienced any of the game modes. If Live sucks, I'll just go buy 2k. Its that simple. No burning necessary.

I Feel everyone's passion for sports video games, that's why we all come to OS in the first place, BUT we got to do better as a community about being OPEN MINDED!!!

# 73 Sundown @ 10/22/13 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sirs


	That game you speak of isn't live though. They have great feel, responsiveness and control. What they don't have is smooth looking animations. Give me control over looks as far as immersion any day. When I'm playing all I care about is if the inputs I execute do what I want and create the space I want. With that comes the feeling and satisfaction of pulling off moves, making the extra pass etc. I never got that from the other game. Simply why Mario bros is one of the best game of all time. They got the controls of simply running, moving and jumping tied into the feel and control so good. Makes any graphical deficiencies nothing more than cosmetic. I want to play a game and be amazed. Not watch it and be amazed in replay mode.

I can understand that to some extent. But I'm no longer amazed by Mario Brothers and I'm not amazed by sports games that don't look like the real thing. I am amazed when I do pull off plays that look authentically like broadcast basketball, which I do regularly with 2K. I'm amazed by immersion.

I also don't get much satisfaction from jittery and unrealistic movement models. What feels like "control" to some feels like arcade cheese to me, and there's little reward in breaking down defenses with twitchy moves.

Bad animations are usually a sign of bad movement modeling and what you feel is "unresponsive" is actually what I appreciate in realistic games where momentum is fully modeled. Having movements play out AND look realistic as the play develops is what amazes me.

# 74 Sundown @ 10/22/13 06:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by royounggoku


	I always thought that if you want the game to play well and look like actual humans there has to be times where you're not in control. That's how it is in real life, if you're going in one direction at max speed most of us can't just stop on a dime and go in a different direction because we want control, that's not how it works. If the game is to be a true simulation of real life NBA basketball then there has to be times where control is out of your hands.

This. Precisely. We can't move our bodies as fast as we can move a tiny thumb stick. Games attempting to simulate real life movement should not allow that either-- and I would say real life movement is more important to realistic sports gaming than possibly any other genre.

The thing is, you need to model loss of control in an intuitive way and allow a chance to break out of movement in a realistic manner. If the loss of control is severe enough, you also need to give player some feedback that his input is being received but his player or avatar needs to fight physics first. Transitional animations are key for that feedback, and certain parts of the animation can be immediate-- like heads turning or weight shifting in the desired drection before the body has time to come around.

Some people grew up playing arcade games with twitchy controls and feel like that's what a video game should play like. Others of us grew up with the same but "outgrew" that and now want interactive, simulated reality and all its nuances.

This same dichotomy is what has held First Person Shooters back for more than a decade. The last really realistic tactical shooter was Rogue Spear and it still had a ton of flaws in its movement modelling. Unfortunately, Halo caught on and consoles took over that genre-- and most every game since has featured unrealistic but "responsive" and "fast paced" action, which means unrealistic movement and unrealistic tactics and gameplay. Mainstream games are starting to move back in the former direction mainly because as they look more and more realistic, it's harder to get away visually with unrealistic movement.

# 75 Sundown @ 10/22/13 06:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by headsteez


	Lets all be open minded about this. We're only talking about Live 14. Not any other version. Lets put down the pitch forks, and shovels and what ever other tool we've grabbed. Mob mentality is real around here I see. Live 14 should not rightfully be torched as you want to do. Nobody here has played the game or experienced any of the game modes. If Live sucks, I'll just go buy 2k. Its that simple. No burning necessary.

Some of the cyncism Live gets is rightfully deserved. The same parent company still manages it. The game's marketing and production direction still follows practices people were burned by over nad over before. The product itself looks extremely underwheming given its hype. It's one thing to be "open minded". It's another thing to be undiscerning and unwilling to acknowledge the usual troubling signs one sees (and that the product does not look like a great game).

So frankly, Live deserves its flack until it actually produces a solid next-gen product that fits the moniker in both look and play.

Anyway, I do agree that Live makes progress if they can keep what works, rework what doesn't, and improve everything in subsequent years-- even if the game's mostly bad. I just think it's ridiculous to recommend others to fund EA to do so through a full-priced purchase when they've shown no willingness or ability to commit to any long term plan in the last decade.

# 76 Jay Jay @ 10/22/13 07:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sundown


	This. Precisely. We can't move our bodies as fast as we can move a tiny thumb stick. Games attempting to simulate real life movement should not allow that either-- and I would say real life movement is more important to realistic sports gaming than possibly any other genre. The thing is, you need to model loss of control in an intuitive way and allow a chance to break out of movement in a realistic manner. If the loss of control is severe enough, you also need to give player some feedback that his input is being received but his player or avatar needs to fight physics first. Transitional animations are key for that feedback, and certain parts of the animation can be immediate-- like heads turning or weight shifting in the desired drection before the body has time to come around. Some people grew up playing arcade games with twitchy controls and feel like that's what a video game should play like. Others of us grew up with the same but "outgrew" that and now want interactive, simulated reality and all its nuances. This same dichotomy is what has held First Person Shooters back for more than a decade. The last really realistic tactical shooter was Rogue Spear and it still had a ton of flaws in its movement modelling. Unfortunately, Halo caught on and consoles took over that genre-- and most every game since has featured unrealistic but "responsive" and "fast paced" action, which means unrealistic movement and unrealistic tactics and gameplay. Mainstream games are starting to move back in the former direction mainly because as they look more and more realistic, it's harder to get away visually with unrealistic movement.

Your post explained why im interested in Live and if the good out weigh the bad I can live with it.

# 77 yungflo @ 10/22/13 08:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrBlackThumbz


	**** ea and nba live all they do is lie lie lie they said they would drop somthing today....NADA!!! Just like they said about the info later last summer so now I cant belive anything they say ill buy the game when its at gamestop for 20 bucks next year somtime since they drop no info they just want us to wait and try the game but those bastards wont get 65 dollars from me. Im officially crossing over to the 2k side

they never said today.

# 78 bigeastbumrush @ 10/22/13 08:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sundown


	Some of the cyncism Live gets is rightfully deserved. The same parent company still manages it. The game's marketing and production direction still follows practices people were burned by over nad over before. The product itself looks extremely underwheming given its hype. It's one thing to be "open minded". It's another thing to be undiscerning and unwilling to acknowledge the usual troubling signs one sees (and that the product does not look like a great game). So frankly, Live deserves its flack until it actually produces a solid next-gen product that fits the moniker in both look and play. Anyway, I do agree that Live makes progress if they can keep what works, rework what doesn't, and improve everything in subsequent years-- even if the game's mostly bad. I just think it's ridiculous to recommend others to fund EA to do so through a full-priced purchase when they've shown no willingness or ability to commit to any long term plan in the last decade.

What hype..?

# 79 yungflo @ 10/22/13 08:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrBlackThumbz


	Twitter from today

# 80 yungflo @ 10/22/13 09:38 PM

They came through,so technically, they didn't lie. it was just late as hell though

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