So much to do and so little time...

[33]

I'm anxious...that's the word. Can't wait to see NBA LIVE 2004 but I'm affraid to get the same frustration that I felt when the 2003 went out.

A lot of things have to be fixed. I think, with the 2003, they took us for some children, ready to laugh at some good jokes ("hey coach can I take your seat...?"), who didn't care about real basketball, real tough D, blocks and so on.

EA, please don't try to improve the 2003...it can't be done, there's more to do that can ever be done.
Change it ! The 2001 (the best NBA live available) was much better than the "2 years after" NBA LIVE 2003.
--Leave the "record in video the replays option" !
--Wanna see some real blocks and no so called topten blocks all time !
--Wanna see some Defense and not some double or triple team on one player jumping at every fakes leaving the offensive player behind the opportunity to do a 360 with the foul, making O'neal fall down !
--Wanna see good cut off sequences and not boring littles jokes.

I want a realistic game ! Loving it Live ! loving it real !

I had to say that !!!
Don't take us for fools EA !
Keep it the realistic way like the 2001 :
Please.

I'm playing with my friend, we're doing a season with nba live. He takes the Lakers and I take Portland. We loved our season with 2001 and we lived the lockout with the 2003. We had to stop in the middle....we used tweaked players, playing inside to get easy points.....toooo easy !
We had to stop.....bad game.

Hope the 2004 will be great, really hope.

Can you reassure me about the improvments ?

Sorry that post was long but I'm sure, like you, I had to say what my wounded heart was telling me.

[Vins15]

wait for the demo then try the demo then buy the game..if u think itz good...

[Metsis]

I believe that there are some changes that really can make the game.

When NHL series came up with the sliders, well that changed the whole game. You can control certain aspects of the game and thus making it feel more real and less easy.

Live 2004 has these sliders and I believe that you can make the game more realistic with adjusting the game speed atleast. Maybe there's a slider for shooting too from "swoosh to realistic" shooting so that you can control the scoring and fg percentages.

These sliders already make the game a whole lot better and with the improved franchise in the form of a dynasty, well it just can't get any worse.

Live 2003 is still a good basis to build on... They just have to take out the dumbness of the AI and the high shot percentages and the this ones going out of the arena blocking and it's a pretty decent game.

It will be better then Live 2003... As you already said it, there's not too many directions that the game can take.

I've said this a number of times. EA changed the production team in the middle of Live 2001 production and thus the best NBA game yet to come is 2000... They are still learning the ropes.

[nickia]

ea only let us play the demo for 4 mins

[Andrew]

I think NBA Live 2004 will be better than NBA Live 2003. The sliders are a reassuring addition for those of us who crave realism. We should be able to customise the game to play the way we want, without tweaking ratings. I'm sure the sliders will come with a default "realistic" setting that will only require minor changes depending on personal preference.

I don't think building and fixing NBA Live 2003 is a bad idea. It's a good base and the intention was good, but the finished product just didn't play a realistic enough game of basketball for most hardcore Live fans.

[33]

Yeah I guess you're right. Tweaking the players was a good thing to do.
But we've done what EA should have done. Sad for a NBA LIVE. But that was the greatest way to play this ....game ?

I hope the 2004 will be better. Deep inside I feel that too. (how could it be worst ?

Regarding the demo, when will it be released ?
thanks again for reassuring me.

[Nel]

I think live'04 would surpass live'03. The demo could be the basis on what to expect of live'04. Can somebody tell me if setting the pick for a teammate was included in the wish list you guys made?

[Andrew]

I can't recall offhand whether the Wishlist mentioned calling for a pick. You'd have to check out the Wishlist forum.

If last year is anything to go by, the demo should be released a little before the PC version is available in stores, say late September/early October.

[33]

Thanks, that's a long time before trying....
Just hope it worth the shot.

Can't wait that long !

Long life to Live !

[Jux]

what??
2001 better than 2003 ....oh boy ...u have much to learn...

with the 2003, they took us for some children, ready to laugh at some good jokes ("hey coach can I take your seat...?) --Wanna see good cut off sequences and not boring littles jokes.

- chees... when do u get it that all the cutscenes are pointless. These are just eyecandys that piss everyone off after seeing them for 5 times. And still ... with new wishlist u still want more cutscenes ... where are your brains???

[benji]

When NHL series came up with the sliders, well that changed the whole game. You can control certain aspects of the game and thus making it feel more real and less easy.

I think the GameDay series was the first to impliment sliders, and EA followed in Madden. And it just went from there.

[bishibashiboy]

I'm sure somebody probably mentioned this before..but does anyone know if they'll change it so that when you contest a shot by jumping it'll actually affect the probability of the shot going in? I hate the way in Live 2003 you have to press up on the right analog to contest a shot. Most players jump to contest shots in the NBA, and it'd be nice if I could do that to affect a shot rather than either causing a block or nothing at all. Dont' really see many guards on the perimeter contesting shots by sticking their hands straight up all the time.

[Andrew]

I don't remember reading anything specific, but it may be part of the improved defense in NBA Live 2004.

[33]

To dive into the game, to be on the court, to feel what players feel, those cut sequence are very important. Good cut sequences that cannot bother anybody, like some 2001 cut sequence (like freethrows) are a part of the game.
That's a reason why the 2001 was better than the 2003 (talking about real life baskettball....not nba jam.... )

To affect the chance that a shot goes in, realistic blocks are the right choice, again like in the 2001.
When you missed your block, the player was alone and had a good chance to score. If you had the right timing, whatever you blocked it or not, the chance decreases a lot !
That was realistic....2001...again ?

[Jux]

To get the real feeling .. its not the candy-ass movieclips ... but the realistic gameplay.
Those "cut animations" are enaugh (like celebrating or beeing piss off) - don't need specially to see that in zoomed version ...

Ohh chees .. 2001 realistic .... ofcorse. How about ball dynamics... ball never touched the rim when it went inside. Behind the rim u just throwed a fadaeway shot when didn't dunk or layup..
Defence was like attached against u ... unhuman reaction. All the gamplay was bullcrap... other players just stayd there. When u ran against other player u bounced back like didnt give any physical contact...2001 was the worst game ever ... i played then insidedrive 2000 - it had even better gameplay than 2003, but poor graphics.. so i sticked to 2003. .And i have big hopes for 2004... So far only this has been annoyng that all five players ask pass .... maybe the offence is not so smart afterall...

[Metsis]

The best Live game is 2000. 2001 is the most realistic of the bunch. 2001 gives realistic scores with 12 minute quarters.

The glued on defense was a huge drag, but 2003 with no defense was even more worse.

Ball dynamics are just trivial in the longer scheme of things... It really doesn't matter that much. I really don't see why this would be a big problem for anyone. It was propably even more unrealistic in 2003... When have you seen a three point shot that hit the rim and then slowly dripped into the hoop or off of it... It is just horrifying! They need to make some long rebounds so that even Kobe or T-Mac or Kidd can get realistic rebound figures in the game...

Slamming a hand on the face of your opponent is the most effective shot disrupters. I don't know why the blocking doesn't effect the shooting percentage cause it has done so in each of the earlier Live games. And basically with this Live 2003 would be quite good... No more shooting percentage 80% games.

So a couple of changes that would make Live 2003 a very good game:
-Slowing it down a little
-Blocking would reduce shooting percentage
-Less Blocks
-Longer rebounds and more realistic ball dynamics to enable long rebounds.

[33]

Defence was like attached against u ... unhuman reaction

Well, I didn't see it this way...
I'm playing against a human player.
We do a season with two differents teams.
So that's why for us the 2001 was realistic.

Way much more than the 2003 !!!!! that's for sure....sorry, can't bear this game anymore....

[Jux]

Well i actually haven't been a loyal live fan since 2000, when microsoft came out with ID so i really just played a game or two with live 2000 and 2001 ... then started to puke. Live 2003 made some major improvements so i have plaied it so far

This is good point that longer rebounds should be in game...

speaking of basketball and "Finland rocks... " .. then imo u could say it in basketball allso, because your national team is quite strong. Möttölä and othre guis from all over the europe - only 2 guys u have from finnish leaguea.

In estonia thow... basketball is nr1 sport and we have like 2-3 guys in national team who are not from estonian league:)

On wednesday there will be one pre-season games in finland between EST FIN GER RUS(i think) and maybe some more .... I'm looking forward to it to find out what are our level of basketball. Becuse germany is strong and russia too....


ok .... sry about the offtopic talk here

[NGL45]

Well in case it matters, NBA Live 2003 sucks hard man, sucks deep. We have no surprises anymore, like a block at the end of the clock, like 3pter at the buzzer.
This game is too easy, it's for beginners who discover basketball...
It's not for loyal fans, who live the game emotionally. I was in love with 2001, he left me and then i met this ugly 2003.

Someone please do something quick !

[33]

You know the difference between NBA LIVE 2003 and you, ngl45 ?
None, both sucks !

If you are really pissed off that bad, post something on your own topic !
C'mon man !
Spread your wing and fly away !

But I agree with you about one thing, live2003 didn't make my heart beat as the clock goes by...

"So sad, her eyes, as it began..."

[Andrew]

You know the difference between NBA LIVE 2003 and you, ngl45 ?
None, both sucks !

If you are really pissed off that bad, post something on your own topic !
C'mon man !
Spread your wing and fly away !

Sorry, but that's not appropriate. Please do not attack other members in this way again.

[33]

Sorry, andrew, that was just for fun.
We know each other, won't happen again, sorry...

[Andrew]

Well, if you know each other and it was just ribbing then it's a little different. I apologise if I rushed to judgment, but you have to make sure that it's clear you're just ribbing each other, else it looks like you're breaking the forum rules.