NBA Live 18

[Andrew]

They do have signature animations, but the amount pales in comparison to NBA 2K. I agree that it does contribute significantly to the authenticity and aesthetic appeal.

[StyxTx]

Funny. All the games I've played and I never noticed shot animations, or shoes, or clothes, or jewelry, or ..........

[Andrew]

I wouldn't put signature moves and animations in the same category as player clothes and jewellery.

[StyxTx]

I wouldn't put signature moves and animations in the same category as player clothes and jewellery.

I threw those in there because those are the most common complaints, by so many people, about what needs to be improved.

[Andrew]

Either way, signature moves and animations are all part of authenticity, so it's not an unreasonable expectation.

[Crunky]

It's the stiff animations that kill the gameplay I know they want to add the feeling of weight to the players but it's simply overdone where it feels like where controlling an 18Wheeler Truck.

[Dee4Three]

It's the stiff animations that kill the gameplay I know they want to add the feeling of weight to the players but it's simply overdone where it feels like where controlling an 18Wheeler Truck.

Yes, it's the stiff, herky jerky robotic animations that truly kill the gameplay.

[StyxTx]

It's the stiff animations that kill the gameplay I know they want to add the feeling of weight to the players but it's simply overdone where it feels like where controlling an 18Wheeler Truck.

I definitely agree. I will go to play 2k after playing a game or two of The Show, and the 2k animations tend to cause me to quit the game in a matter of minutes. The comparison between the animations in the two games is like night and day. And before anyone says baseball animations are easier to do, 2k's baseball game was awful with the animations also, herky jerky and whatnot.

Of course, 2k's baseball game is dead now but that's what real good competition did to it. Now, if we can just get real good competition to 2k's basketball game....

[[Q]]

But it's always been a question of Live's quick responsive animations vs 2K's long pretty animations that you get stuck in. One isn't better than the other but you need a good balance between the two

[Andrew]

Responsiveness has also been a problem with NBA Live since the reboot with NBA Live 14. The game needs to look and feel better.

[[Q]]

True, I meant more historically than currently. responsiveness wasn't too bad in 15 but it got worse and was a reason why I didn't get 16. I remember the spin move loading screen and attempting it but could never find the exact time where you would need to input that half circle. Could never get it doing random stick waggling either.

[Andrew]

Absolutely. Actually, the funny thing is, back in the PS2 era I'd say NBA Live had better looking animations as well. There were some weird dunk and layup animations in the PS2 era NBA 2K games that don't hold up as well as some of NBA Live's animations from the same generation, and weird rim interactions. Weirdly, NBA Live's rim interactions are still a bit better than NBA 2K's as far as players gripping them on dunks, and when something looks good in NBA Live it does look quite good. Of course, there's a lot that currently does not look good, and the stuff that looks bad tends to look really bad.

[Patr1ck]

Somebody posted years ago about a theory they had regarding why NBA Live characters appeared stiff and robotic. They said it was due to the amount of motion capture balls on the performers back. They showed that 2K had 5 or 6 and covered the left and right part of the back and shoulder blades. NBA Live only had 3 or 4 motion capture balls going up the spine, iirc.

When you look at Live gameplay, focus on the player's torso. Doesn't it seem to remain straight most of the time? Could that be the reason Live animations appear stiff or robotic?

[Andrew]

Definitely an interesting theory, I hadn't noticed that in various behind the scenes features. Seems plausible.

[Dee4Three]

After watching the 4 part series with the NBA 2K crew, I wonder where the EA Sports Live people are? I know the obvious, they are working on the game, but maybe a more personalized approach? Maybe a LIVE panel?

[Andrew]

Perhaps it's something they'll look to do in the future, once the game is in better standing with the fanbase.

[Dee4Three]

Perhaps it's something they'll look to do in the future, once the game is in better standing with the fanbase.

That would help it be in better standing... it would prove they are listening to us..

[Andrew]

Possibly. I could also see a lot of people saying "talk is cheap", though. After all, not everyone received the chat with the 2K guys warmly, and their games have been more successful.

[Dee4Three]

True.

[Andrew]

I think EA are going to be careful with promotion and things like that, at least until they can get a game out that's well-received and they've won back a bigger portion of the userbase. They probably realise that at this point they need to show, not tell, and that gamers are going to be less interested in hearing from them unless it's delivering good news about a game. That being said, I could see it being something they'd be open to down the road, if all goes well.

[mp3]

I'd actually like it if EA didn't over hype this years game because it only leads to disappointing results.

Just tell us what the game modes are, confirm roster management, upload screenshots and then just release the game.

The real people who can judge the game for what it is will be silenced so don't overhype just release and let the people judge for themselves

[Andrew]

I'd like them to go into detail with developer blogs, so we know some of the specifics, but other than that I agree. The game needs to speak for itself, to some extent at any rate.

[StyxTx]

I'd actually like it if EA didn't over hype this years game because it only leads to disappointing results.

Just tell us what the game modes are, confirm roster management, upload screenshots and then just release the game.

The real people who can judge the game for what it is will be silenced so don't overhype just release and let the people judge for themselves

This is an excellent point. The way game companies hype the games, they are setting users up for a letdown. Almost always. I'd prefer them to just tell us what's in the game, as you say, and tell us what is new without talking like it's the 2nd coming of Christ.

[StyxTx]

Possibly. I could also see a lot of people saying "talk is cheap", though. After all, not everyone received the chat with the 2K guys warmly, and their games have been more successful.

Could be cuz the 2k people took the coward way out and wouldn't talk about what people want them to talk about. I guess they didn't have any logical reasons for the stuff they've done to the game.

But yes, talk is cheap.

People can say anything but putting words into action is much harder. I never pay attention to what people say, IRL. I watch what they do.

[Patr1ck]

So, tickets to EA Play are free, and all you have to do is register.

https://www.ea.com/en-us/news/ea-play-2 ... -available