a few basic questions..........

[Matt]

OK. I bought my new computer, but I get to pick it up tomorrow and I have to put XP on it, so I won’t be able to use it till Wed. Today I went to buy a Logitech Controller……I couldn’t find it in Target, Myer, David Jones, Harvey Norman and Electronics Boutique. But I bought it at Tandy….my last hope. I also bought Live 2004, tentatively however because I thought 2003 was the worst Live ever!!! I went to my sisters house to use their computer and see if Live was worth my $69.95. Happily I can report that “I LOVE THIS GAME”. It’s pretty good I must admit. Props to EA. I had fun playing it even though I was losing 59-19 by the end of the 3rd to the Wizards.

Anyways, I’d like to research the forum for what I need but my mum says I’m special……..so on that basis I think I can do what I want. Oh, and I’m a Uni student so I don’t have much personal time (that’s a lie, im doing less work than ever before, but I’ll stick to that alibi) Anyway, I’m a lil unfamiliar with PC, since the last version I owned was 2000, and playing 2003 rarely because of its crappiness. So I’d like some folks to answer a few questions for me…preferably w/in the next 24hrs if that’s possible

1. What’s with the revamped ratings? I quickly checked OVR ratings on the Pistons and saw B Wallace @75 and Z Rebraca @49. Is it from 1-99 now?

2. If so, if a players FG rating in 2000 say was 80, under this current model what would it be? Would it be 60? See I don’t generally shoot much with guys that have a FG rating of under 80. I do have a good idea of how well each NBA player shoots however I wouldn’t be able to tell when the rooks come in.

3. Are the zones effective? Haven’t used zones yet, in true Detroit style I play M2M

4. Which patches should I get, I’m only interested in gameplay patches, i.e Andrews offensive sets & rosters

5. Which what slider setting should I have for realistic gameplay, in particular, I like slow grind it out bball like the Pistons play

I think that’s it so far……I have to learn the controls damnit, I shot more halfcourt shots in my inaugural game than you will ever witness in an NBA season.

Thx in advance

[Jackal]

1. What’s with the revamped ratings? I quickly checked OVR ratings on the Pistons and saw B Wallace @75 and Z Rebraca @49. Is it from 1-99 now?

It's from 0-99 now.

2. If so, if a players FG rating in 2000 say was 80, under this current model what would it be? Would it be 60? See I don’t generally shoot much with guys that have a FG rating of under 80. I do have a good idea of how well each NBA player shoots however I wouldn’t be able to tell when the rooks come in.

I really don't know what it would be in Live 04 if it was something in Live 2000. Don't worry about it, just play a few exhibition games with a few teams and you'll get a hang of the whole thing and realise that this is a great game. A 60-70 rating for shooting is pretty decent in Live 04.

3. Are the zones effective? Haven’t used zones yet, in true Detroit style I play M2M

I have the PS2 version and if I'm not mistaken, the upper arrow button is the pre-set zone. I usually play with the Lakers or the Bulls, both decent big men, it's 2-3 zone if I'm not mistaken. I normally just use man to man also, but some games, the guards just keep penetrating and going in for easy layups which tends to get frustrating. So this is usually when I use the 2-3 Zone. It puts the Center in the middle, so that he can guard the wide open basket, thus getting a few blocks. (oh, the blocks are very realistic this year.) Anyways watch out for the 3 seconds in the Key rule...strange, you're allowed to guard the basket, but not more than 3 seconds.

Anywho, sometimes when the opposing team decides to take the ball upcourt really fast, and you've got a slow as hell big man and you're in the 2-3 Zone, one of your guards or forwards decides to go guard the basket, leaving his man open. If the open turns out to be someone like Stojacovic, you're screwed, so as soon as the possesion changes, from you to the CPU, go back to Man to Man untill you're center is back down the court on the Defensive side so that the basket isn't wide open and another player isn't forced to leave his man to guard the basket. When you're Center is back, you can go back to the Zone. That's the only zone I use.

4. Which patches should I get, I’m only interested in gameplay patches, i.e Andrews offensive sets & rosters

Sorry, can't help you here. PS2 Version.

5. Which what slider setting should I have for realistic gameplay, in particular, I like slow grind it out bball like the Pistons play

Most people say Ben's sliders are most realistic.**
So I suggest you give his a shot. If you don't like it, you can always try out Andrew's and tweak them accordingly.
**(Not a knock on you Andrew, that's what I've heard. I cannot confirm since I don't use sliders.) I usually play at 40 or 35 level of gamespeed. That's the way I like it, but alot of people think it's too slow.

I think that’s it so far……I have to learn the controls damnit, I shot more halfcourt shots in my inaugural game than you will ever witness in an NBA season.

Once you've played for awhile, you'll get a hang of it. Just try to learn all of the control's before you enter Dynasty Mode (Which is the best. (Y)), sometimes game can come down to the wire, and you don't want to shoot a floater from way outside when what you actually wanted was to just shoot a three.

Have fun with the game man, I also thought 2000 was the best live so far, 2004 has beaten it with sliders imho. Just the bumping and bouncing off of eachother tends to bother me at times, but I can live with it.

Congrats on the new PC btw.
Hope I was of any use to you.

[Matt]

thx that was helpful. Just got Andrews roster patch, good stuff. I guess i'll just play around with the sliders.

Gonna go straight into Dynasty mode, play the remaining 10 games + playoffs and start the next season........gonna use Detroit & Washington. Play 82 games, 12 min Q etc

by the way, my PC is
3.2Ghz
120GB
GeForce 4........i think that should cover the game

[Andrew]

I'd like to say that my sliders are perfect, but the same slider settings won't work for everyone. Whichever slider settings you use, you might want to consider making some tweaks based on your own observations and style of play, so that you can tailor them to your needs.

[Matt]

yeah i played around with the sliders today...i think a game speed of 40-45 suits my style of play

i think theres too many blocks in the game, but much much better than 2003

i have hard time playing 1-0n-1, the freestyle moves don't really do much to the d

and defense is tough in normal games. I can't stop opposing guys, especially guards. Is there anyway that i can get them to score realitstic FG %'s????

which plays are good for a team like the Pistons, i'd like to keep RWallace in the post instead of perimeter

[Andrew]

Switching control to your guards so that you can defend the perimeter players by raising your hands is usually fairly effective. By moving into the player with the ball while your hands are raised (or while you're down in the defensive stance), you can also bump them, which will force them out of their range and/or into a rushed shot as the shot clock winds down.

You can also double team them, though that can leave the lane wide open. If you're going to double team on the perimeter, I suggest controlling one of your big men defending the post, while your CPU teammates take care of the player out on the perimeter.

[TheNamesSuperman]

I just wanna say if you paid $70 for Live you got raped out of a lot of money. I paid 50 for PS2 and like 30 for PC

[Jackal]

I think he means Australian $'s.

[Andrew]

I just wanna say if you paid $70 for Live you got raped out of a lot of money. I paid 50 for PS2 and like 30 for PC

As Jackal said, we're talking about Australian dollars. New release PC games are often at least $70, while PS2 games are generally $99.95 when they hit the shelves.