MyGM Screenshots & Details

[Andrew]

Couple of new screens with some snippets of info have been posted today.

Coming to NBA 2K14 on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One: MyGM. MyGM is a complete re-imagination of what a franchise mode should be. Everything you say and do shapes the world around you as you oversee an entire organization, right down to the details of staffing, managing player expectations, game pricing, team facilities, and much, much more.

Driving NBA 2K14’s MyGM mode is the new Conversation Engine. All interactions with your players, staff, owner, and press take place through conversation, and afford you the opportunity to make decisions that will have ripple effects throughout the organization, both on and off the court. Be careful, the engine will remember things you've said in the past…

[volsey]

Whoa Steve Nash playing the blame game? Very cool concept. Won't be for everyone, but I think it might build more of a connection with your team and players than just an OVR rating, and some arbitrary team chemistry concept as developed in the past.

Definitely interesting and innovative to say the least.

[Leodaman.7]

Building Your My GM

mygm.jpg

[Andrew]

I'm looking forward to it, it's going to add a lot of depth to the experience. My main concern, oddly enough, is that it might be too much depth. Owner Mode is something that a lot of people want but I've personally never been that interested in the non-basketball stuff, so I'm hoping that we can either automate or largely ignore ticket and concession stand prices and the like.

I'm guessing this will also cut down on the possibilities for doing some really crazy stuff with your team, which on one hand is a nice change of pace but sometimes, it was fun to do that. If doing so runs too big a risk of getting fired, that more or less eliminates an approach that a lot of people probably had fun with and one that I found fun to try out from time to time.

[koberulz]

My main concern, oddly enough, is that it might be too much depth. Owner Mode is something that a lot of people want but I've personally never been that interested in the non-basketball stuff, so I'm hoping that we can either automate or largely ignore ticket and concession stand prices and the like.

I'm guessing this will also cut down on the possibilities for doing some really crazy stuff with your team, which on one hand is a nice change of pace but sometimes, it was fun to do that. If doing so runs too big a risk of getting fired, that more or less eliminates an approach that a lot of people probably had fun with and one that I found fun to try out from time to time.

Pretty much. As an additional mode, it's a cool idea and I might have given it a go (assuming I got the game; I currently have no plans to get a next-gen console until at least next year) just to try it out, while sticking with Association for most of my team-based play. As its own mode, I don't know that I'll ever use it unless you can set up a lot of automation, and even then I'm not sure about it.

It's not even about "crazy stuff". Looking at that first screen, the owner apparently dictates the direction he wants the club to go and you have to execute. So it's not even Owner Mode. They've given you a lot more stuff to handle, placed silly restrictions on it (upgradeable abilities), and given you less freedom to decide what you want to do.

I just want to play basketball. Is there a mode for that?

[shadowgrin]

I just want to play basketball. Is there a mode for that?

It's not easy.

[koberulz]

Apparently owners can override your decisions.

Have the people designing this mode ever actually played Association?

[shadowgrin]

That's asking too much from them when they haven't even fixed some of the things in Association that have been present for years.

[Leftos]

Apparently owners can override your decisions.

No. The tweet says "Will your GM override your decisions?", so replace the second your with his, meaning the owner's decisions. The owner won't override your decisions. As shown in the other screenshot, he'll have demands that he'll come to you with, but he won't be overturning any moves you make.

It's not even about "crazy stuff". Looking at that first screen, the owner apparently dictates the direction he wants the club to go and you have to execute.

Emphasis mine in the above quote. You don't have to respect his demands, as long as your performance proves you're making the right thing in defying him.

A MyGM development diary should be coming soon.

[Andrew]

Apparently owners can override your decisions.

No. The tweet says "Will your GM override your decisions?", so replace the second your with his, meaning the owner's decisions. The owner won't override your decisions. As shown in the other screenshot, he'll have demands that he'll come to you with, but he won't be overturning any moves you make.

It's not even about "crazy stuff". Looking at that first screen, the owner apparently dictates the direction he wants the club to go and you have to execute.

Emphasis mine in the above quote. You don't have to respect his demands, as long as your performance proves you're making the right thing in defying him.

A MyGM development diary should be coming soon.

The Facebook post might need to be re-worded then (emphasis mine):

In NBA 2K14’s MyGM mode, every team has a unique owner that you must work to satisfy. Some owners will want to focus on turning a profit, while others will spare no expense to get a ring. There are even owners that will meddle in your affairs and try to override your decisions, depending on their Involvement level.

I still like the concept, seeing as how it's a lot of stuff that some of us have talked about having over the years, but I would like to see the ability to automate certain tasks or disable certain features for an experience more similar to Association if desired.

[Leftos]

Yeah, I guess the developer insight will clarify a lot of things that have been touched upon in passing up to now. There is a level of involvement for each owner, which then in turn affects how much influence they expect to have in the decision making and how much leeway you're going to get, how judging they're going to be of your decisions.

I just wanted to clarify that if a trade is agreed upon, as involved as an owner may be, he won't flat-out reject it and not let you do it. Every action you do will have a consequence, and the owner will always be watching, and his priorities as well as the team's success are going to determine what he thinks of you. The freedom to act is still there, there's no vetos, but there's a lot more consequences, which is what makes MyGM so much more engaging and exciting as you try to juggle all these relationships. Having the owner, all the rest of your staff as well as your players pleased all at the same time is the most difficult feat, and that's what the new conversation engine as well as the Owner feature is trying to bring to the table.

There are scenarios, however, during which you might be planning on going in a certain direction with a certain move or player, while the owner might have different plans for them. That's when it really gets interesting. Can you prove the owner wrong, or do you go with his plan?

[Andrew]

Cool, appreciate the clarification.

[koberulz]

The freedom to act is still there, there's no vetos, but there's a lot more consequences, which is what makes MyGM so much more engaging

'Tedious' is a better word, IMO.

I can't see it not becoming a massive chore. Again, it's a nice idea for the people who are into that sort of thing, but it shouldn't have come at the expense of Association.

Having the owner, all the rest of your staff as well as your players pleased all at the same time is the most difficult feat, and that's what the new conversation engine as well as the Owner feature is trying to bring to the table.

What about having to score more points than your opponents? Am I the only one who finds it strange that the actual basketball is being shoved thoroughly to the side here?

[Leftos]

How is it being shoved thoroughly to the side? You still get to play or simulate the games, winning still matters as much as it did, hell, it even matters more now, and we haven't explained half the ways it matters yet.

[koberulz]

The off-court stuff sounds thoroughly time-consuming. Sure, you still get to play the games, and the results matter, and so on, but you've got so much other shit to do that you can't play as many.

I just want to play the games. Make some signings or some trades occasionally. I could do that in Association, and I didn't have to spend countless hours doing things I didn't care about.

If this had been in addition to Association, I'd be excited about it and keen to give it a go (again, assuming I got the game, though if I didn't I'd be likely to get it next year). Essentially, my complaints aren't with the mode or the additions, they're with what is essentially the removal of Association mode as it existed in prior games.

[shadowgrin]

Having the owner, all the rest of your staff as well as your players pleased all at the same time is the most difficult feat, and that's what the new conversation engine as well as the Owner feature is trying to bring to the table.

I'd imagine it will be difficult indeed considering it's already hard to please a 60+ ovr rated bench/role player from demanding more minutes and a sixth man role in Association mode, what more with the addition of the owner and staff.

[Leftos]

The off-court stuff sounds thoroughly time-consuming. Sstillure, you still get to play the games, and the results matter, and so on, but you've got so much other shit to do that you can't play as many.

I trytryjust want to play the games. Make some signings or some trades occasionally. I could do that in Association, and I didn't have to spend countless hours doing things I didn't care about.

If this had been in addition to Association, I'd be excited about it and keen to give it a go (again, assuming I got the game, though if I didn't I'd be likely to get it next year). Essentially, my complaints aren't with the mode or the additions, they're with what is essentially the removal of Association mode as it existed in prior games.

I hear you. Some people will always want just the games, and in part that's what season mode is there for, but believe me when I say that's a demographic we still have in mind moving forward. I still wish you'd give MyGM a try because I'm really looking forward to everyone's feedback here after they've played it.

Having the owner, all the rest of your staff as well as your players pleased all at the same time is the most difficult feat, and that's what the new conversation engine as well as the Owner feature is trying to bring to the table.

I'd imagine it will be difficult indeed considering it's already hard to please a 60+ ovr rated bench/role player from demanding more minutes and a sixth man role in Association mode, what more with the addition of the owner and staff.

If you still experience that in 2K14 next-gen, I'll be happy to take note and work on that for future iterations. But unless we're talking about every player that fulfills those criteria, I expect some players' personalities to lead them to unrealistic demands or even unpredictable behavior in general.

On a more personal note, shadow, do you really have to act like that when I'm still around trying to provide information and listen to what you guys think of the mode? How is using a passive-aggressive or even ironic tone towards me going to help?

[koberulz]

Some people will always want just the games, and in part that's what season mode is there for, but believe me when I say that's a demographic we still have in mind moving forward.

Season mode is only a season, though.

I still wish you'd give MyGM a try because I'm really looking forward to everyone's feedback here after they've played it.

I'm not sure which next-gen console to get yet, or whether it's worth picking one up any time soon given the amount of gaming I do, but when I do get one I'm likely to get the NBA 2k game (which may be 2k15 by then) and try out MyGM. This is equally true with or without Association. It sounds somewhat interesting and I'd like to try it out, but I'd be more enthused about it if I knew I had Association to fall back on if I don't enjoy it. My Player, or My Career, or whatever it's called (I'm still playing 2k12) is still there, so it won't be a complete waste, but I'd much prefer having Association for team play.

[shadowgrin]

Why do you think it's about you, Leftos, when the issues encountered in Association mode has long been present even before you became a lazy developer for the game? My tone is based on the way year in year out various issues remain in Association mode or some get removed only to come back in a future iteration. My 'passive-aggressive' and 'ironic' tone is about the game entirely and not made to target to any particular person or even a lazy developer.

To make my point clear and what I'm getting at from my recent posts is that like I said there have been persistent issues in Association mode and now it's replaced by MyGM which I assume is going to be more complex than Association mode.
Even if it's a new engine it's still reasonable to doubt and be critical of MyGM since the mode it replaced has its own unresolved issues and quite possible that MyGM's foundation will display the same cracks judging by how Association mode was treated as we see it now.


On a personal note, Leftos, you can add me to your Foe list to hide my posts so you don't have to read it if you feel that my 'passive-aggressive' and 'ironic' posts are affecting you and may hinder the way you provide information and valuable developer feedback (no sarcasm there, seriously).

[Leftos]

I wanted to believe your tone wasn't directed to me, but you directly quoted me and emphasized a point I was making in order to spin it. In any case, I'll just assume from now on you're not directing this to me, for a while.

MyGM, if anything, shows a renewed, heightened interest for Association and the experience it offers. It shows that VC is willing to devote people and resources into it for years to come. And expanding the scope and experience isn't mutually exclusive to fixing issues or improving the underlying AI. I know, for one, we've been working on both, and we'll keep doing so. There's plenty of people around here that are as passionate about it as I am, even more so, and they're not just all about adding more stuff, nor do they believe what we've had is perfect. I really believe that with MyGM being a focal point, there's a lot of opportunity on making this a great Franchise mode all around. From handling relationships with players and staff, to how GMs negotiate trade offers with you and between themselves, to players' demands as far as minutes and roles, to pretty much everything.

MyGM has had quite a bit of work go into it. That's why I want people to give it a chance, and that's why I'll be around to take notes based on all of your feedback, as well as do my best to get on working out the kinks, old and new. I'm extremely passionate about this mode, and it's what is going to consume most of my free time for another year, with the difference being, anything I see and don't like, I can go in the next day and try to figure it out and fix it. I know we have a passionate Association community around here, people have been writing stories that span years and years; and that's why I value your feedback, and I want you to look at MyGM with as little prejudice as possible and let me know what you think.

P.S. Shadow, I'm not adding you to my foe list. We've been interacting around these forums for long enough for me to have gotten used to your style; hell, half the time I enjoy reading your posts. Some things I'm going to take more personal than others, I haven't grown that thick a skin yet. I want your feedback as much as I want anyone else's. I'll just know to put the tone aside and focus on the meat of the post.

[shadowgrin]

I quoted you and that part specifically to separate my queries/opinion about the mode from koberulz's own as not to confuse you on which and what to answer.
I emphasized those words because it can indeed be difficult to please a player in Association mode, as shown by Mr. Griffin even way back in 2K10, more so when you add more variables to that like pleasing the staff and owner.

Granted my post could have been more direct and clear instead of being a dick about the issues that persisted in Association mode but it's hard not to be a jerk about it when seeing cpu teams stack 3-4 85+ overall rated PGs with max or near max salaries for as long as Association mode existed (at least for the PC).

Some things I'm going to take more personal than others

Understandable and of course you should, it's like being told that you suck at your job by someone who has no idea on what you do and how to do it but like I said those issues have been around in the game before you became lazy and unfortunately your (yes I know it's your baby) mode's predecessor hasn't been well taken care of as such the doubts and criticism of Association will carry to MyGM.

[volsey]

The freedom to act is still there, there's no vetos, but there's a lot more consequences, which is what makes MyGM so much more engaging

'Tedious' is a better word, IMO.

I apologize for singling out one line. But this just really irks me. You just quoted one of the developers, and corrected him, about something you've never touched or played, nor have much information to go on. Re-reading it, it's not as bad as I initially interpreted it, as you go on to say "I can't see", however it still just bugs me. We know nothing about the added benefits of all these additions, or how avoidable/ignorable the entire concept really is. We don't know if the meetings are completely intrusive (Live PDA anyone?), or passive such as the GM sitdowns in MyCareer.

As for the "too indepth", the ticket pricing and other stuff which seems to be influenced by the Madden series, will most likely be completely avoidable. In the Madden series they were always just more of an immersion adder, or however you'd put it.

Definitely will be nice to get more clarification on the benefits to dealing with these idiot owners rather than just ignoring them though.

One possible benefit I could dream up, is allowing your team to go over the luxury tax for example. Sweet talk and brown nose your Billionaire Russian owner enough, and maybe he lets you sign 3 max contracts from free agency? Who knows, there a plenty of possibilities. Maybe some owners/markets are more enticing to players ala LA, New York, vs Milwaukee, Cleveland?

I think one of the main reasons for people being so hesitant about the new mode, is that these kind of things never worked that great in sports games (not just 2K) in the past (like Shadow said, team chemistry, demanding players, CPU GM AI with regards to trades and rotations etc.). It doesn't matter to them that the new mode is being produced by completely different people, or that it's built from the ground up, or w/e. We've all heard the "improved CPU trade AI" or w/e multiple times and continue to see blatant and immersion breaking flaws in CPU AI logic that have continued to persist. I believe this is more in line with what Shadow is talking about. We by no means are blaming this on any one person, and it's clear that improvements have slowly been made on these 'smaller' issues throughout the years, but I believe this is where the skepticism or hesitancy stems from.

Also Leftos thanks for the additional info, can't be easy coming to these boards sometimes where the posters are so critical of even a little tweet

[Andrew]

Latest info:

In NBA 2K14’s MyGM mode, you level-up your GM by upgrading from the seven different attribute categories (each attribute category has 10 upgrades). In addition to this, you can acquire GM-specific Special Abilities, that, if used properly, can give your team a leg-up on the competition.

In NBA 2K14’s MyGM mode, your owner will give you a list of Demands and Wishlists, all based on his personality, that he will want you to accomplish throughout the season and offseason. If you venture too far off course, you’ll likely find yourself unemployed. Do well enough, and you’ll be afforded the opportunity to be your own boss when your purchase your own NBA franchise.

In NBA 2K14’s MyGM mode, we’ve completely re-designed team Staff and how they interact with the game. Staff members at each position can have up to 3 Staff Badges; these are the staff equivalents of Signature Skills. Be careful though, Staff can also have negative Staff Badges that may put your team at risk. Putting together a staff that fits the makeup of your roster is critical in building a championship roster.

[shadowgrin]

I see Team Chemistry made the transition to MyGM. I'm assuming some added factors affect Team Chemistry in MyGM, alongside wins and player morale as it was in Association.


Would be interesting if in a higher business savvy upgrade level there's a 'Taco' bonus ability where you can give free tacos/burgers/food to the crowd if your team scores an x amount of points and as a result of that increasing fan support for your team. Risk would be your team running up the score on blowout wins so the losing team will be pissed next time you meet and will have a minor boosts in some of their attributes.

[futan]

I'm really liking the sound of this. Kind of makes me want to actually buy a console. But really, the sports genre, as much as I love it, isn't enough reason to actually drop $400+ on a next-gen console. Any chance of this being in the PC version next year, Leftos? It really sounds like more of a PC gamer sort of mode anyways.