Off-ball control!

Hi all, i know how the offball control works,

but when is use it (keyboard) is press, x and then there are actions underneath the players, the only thing i can do with the off ball, is recieve a simple pass. How can i perform other moves with offball, wich buttons should i press ??


Another issue how can i change my defence, (if i want to use zone defence or something)

Third Question, ow do i install the Online Play, i already instlled the game itself

Read your manual.

I haven't been playing in "keyboard mode" since I've bought a usb gamepad, but let me try to answer your question.

As soon as the "offball" mode appears (an icon on the lower right side of the screen appears), you are given the chance to pick which of the four players you want to control. Actually, these players have their corresponding "offball buttons" which are the same as the direct switch buttons. Below are their corresponding buttons:

CENTER = jump step/rebound/block key (on the gamepad: triangle)
POWER FORWARD = dunk/layup/steal key (otg: square)
SHOOTING FORWARD = pass/switch key (otg: x)
SHOOTING GUARD = shoot key (otg: circle)
POINT GUARD = the same key as to which player the ball is. For example the ball is on the SG, then you press and hold the direct switch key then press the shoot key.

The concept of "offball" is for you to choose freely the player you want to control. Yes, it ends up in a pass or an assist. Sometimes, you can use it to make some screens or pick n' rolls (though I don't really know how to use it. I use plays instead). Other times, you can use offball for alley oops.

I use "quick plays" a lot to aid me in my offense and defense strategies. The plays I most often use are: pick n' roll, man-to-man, and 2-3 zone or zone defense. There are actually four quickplay keys that are readily available. This is my keyboard config, try to compare it with your config:

General Tab: Directional Keys
UP = W key
DOWN = S key
LEFT = A key
RIGHT = D key

General Tab: Quick Plays Keys (offensive/defensive plays assigned by default)
1 (2-3 or Zone defense/isolation) = Q key
2 (man-to-man defense) = E key
3 (pick n' roll) = R key
4 (basket cut) = Y key

Offense/Defense Tab:
PASS = J key
SHOOT = K key
TURBO = L key
STEAL/DUNK = comma (,) key
PRO HOP/JUMP STEP/REBOUND/BLOCK = M key
BACKDOWN/PROTECT BALL = U key
(PLAYCALLING)TIMEOUT/INTENTIONAL FOUL(forgot the name) = O key
ALLEY-OOP = period (.) key
OFF-BALL SWITCH = T key
DIRECT PASS/SWITCH = I key

I use direct switch/pass a lot so I practiced the players' corresponding keys. I also use quick plays instead of offball to screen me so that I can have greater chances of getting a three. I use the playcalling key so that I can stop the momentum of the opposing team when its players are constantly shooting the ball and playing heavy defense on me. I rarely use the alley-oop because it just wastes your chances of getting the ball in. When I play against a heavily defensive team like the Detroit Pistons (players with the block icon), I seldom use the pro hop key.

I spread my fingers over the keyboard well, but the gamepad has several advantages. I can easily use freestyle moves using the gamepad.

The EA Sports Online installer is located in DISC 1 of the game. It's under the "CommonEASO" folder. Double-click on EASOInstaller.exe to install the online components of the game. Then you can now play online by registering your game cd. Be sure to have the cd in your drive when playing online.

Hope this helps.

Thanks a lot