NBA 2k8 Preview Thread

[ThaLiveKing]

I played 2k8 all last year, This game already looks better. . Can't wait to get my hands on it

[BigKaboom2]

combining all the 2k8 threads. we don't need a new thread for every new screenshot release.

Why not? We barely get one new thread a day in this forum and I'd rather not search through a 90-page thread to find a picture eventually.

[shobe81]

http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2007/249/reviews/939852_20070907_screen004.jpg

http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2007/249/reviews/939852_20070907_screen012.jpg

finally some real full-court gameplay shots...

doesn't look that much better than 2k7. faces look a little better though. Live still owns in that department.

Those are far distance shots, not any in replay mode shots! Plus Live looks HORRIBLE from distance, they release great looking pics such as the Gilb pic but then in gameplay it looks like a bunch of horribly made cartoons. Although Live 08 Improved well (played demo) its graphics are not my type!

The replay zoom have far FAR better quality or Player Lock Zoom mode. You better use your life savings now cause the quality of the previous screens might not have been doctored

[[Q]]

well you're not going to replay every single play, and online 2k7 didn't have replays so i never really see the game from that close.

[BodyBump]

Exclusive: New NBA 2K8 Info
Tuesday, 11 September 2007

#1. The answers to your questions should be here this thursday, no later than friday at this point.

#2. The next batch of screens are coming out this Friday. Be on the look out for that.

#3. I will try to have something before Friday for you guys. ( Notice "TRY" )

#4. Demo should be out in about 2 weeks.

Hope this makes some of you guys calm. Remember, you can always leave a comment =]

Enjoy guys

Source: TomaGaming and 2k Forums

[Ryan]

Looking forward to the demo. I want to get Live and 2k8, but at 60 bucks a pop its kind of hard for me to get both, at least right away.

Also I read it has been confirmed that there will be 200 caps this year instead of 20 so now we will be able to finally have an accurate roster. To be honest the 20 cap limit was my biggest gripe about the game last year so I'm happy to see that it won't be a problem this year.

[keem21]

has anyone tried emulating nba 2k7 on pc using PCSX2..

is it playable??

[JaoSming]

try it out and tell us.

I tooled around with that thing and got NBA Street vol2 working....but we are talking ~5fps

[keem21]

w8 man im gonna find my 2k7 copy...

but i think its possible cause they got FFX playing on playable fps..

[BigKaboom2]

PCSX2 requires some ridiculous hardware specs, so don't even bother if you've got an old machine. (Unless you don't mind ~5 FPS)

[weltmann]

Hey. i didnt want to create a new thread for this. Is there anyone who knows how fast the 2k8 will be avaiable in eastern europe ( estonia, latvia etc). if there are any users who know that then please answer

or any other way to get the game as soon as possible.

[ThaLiveKing]

Exclusive: New NBA 2K8 Info
Tuesday, 11 September 2007

#1. The answers to your questions should be here this thursday, no later than friday at this point.

#2. The next batch of screens are coming out this Friday. Be on the look out for that.

#3. I will try to have something before Friday for you guys. ( Notice "TRY" )

#4. Demo should be out in about 2 weeks.

Hope this makes some of you guys calm. Remember, you can always leave a comment =]

Enjoy guys

Source: TomaGaming and 2k Forums

Oh I will be downloading this FA SHO

[JaoSming]

http://media.xbox360.ign.com/media/866/ ... mgs_1.html

IGN's "Ode to Oden"

[ThaLiveKing]

I'm mad cause I ain't gonna see him play this year. . .it really sucks!!!

[Scotty]

New Gameplay footage:
http://www.gamespot.com/video/0/6178776 ... ride=12656
(watch from 10:05)

Looks sick

[nba_baller]

NEW ASSOCIATION MODE

http://au.xbox360.ign.com/articles/818/818513p1.html

This is the new NBA 2K8 Association Mode. Looks pretty nice.

[BodyBump]

For those that care about OTFC...
Posted by: Beluba, NBA 2k Designer

you may appreciate some of these changes:

- Subs: you can now use the bumpers to quickly cycle between your pre-set lineups (3PT, bench, starters, quick, etc.) we display foul count now too.

- on offense, if you press UP on D-Pad, it'll bring up a "Heat Check" overlay. gives you a quick view of who's hot/cold and shooting stats (FGM/FGA) for your current on-court players.

- on defense, if you press UP on D-Pad, you can adjust your player matchups. Re-assign who guards who and set pressure (tight, sag, DT, etc.)

- and my personal favorite, if you press LEFT on D-Pad, the first option is Coach Mode. if you enable it, the AI will play for you while you control subs, call plays, or other OTFC tasks. handy for when you want to make some OTFC changes without having to worry about getting burned on the court, need to go to the bathroom during garbage time but don't want to pause the game, or when you just want to admire the beautiful AI play.

Source: Operation Sports

[king2k]

I was wondering if my threads were being censored.

New Gameplay footage:
http://www.gamespot.com/video/0/6178776 ... ride=12656
(watch from 10:05)

Looks sick

It is sick.

http://media.xbox360.ign.com/media/866/ ... ids_1.html

Ultimate fan trailer #2. Tons of new multiplayer animations.

[BodyBump]

EXCLUSIVE video of Jeff Thomas talking about the new things they added to NBA 2K8 from TomaGaming

Exclusive: NBA 2K8 Answers + Special Dev.

On to the Q&A.

I've divided the section of questions into Four categories - Gameplay, Animations, Presentation, and Options.

Gameplay was answered by Rob Jones, Lead Gameplay Manager

Animation was answered by Mike Wang, Lead Gameplay Designer

Presentation/Options was answered by Jeff Thomas, VP of Sports Technology

Alright guys, here they are. Enjoy and please leave comments!! =]

[ThaLiveKing]

Game looks tight. . EA needs to play like that

[Scotty]

EXCLUSIVE video of Jeff Thomas talking about the new things they added to NBA 2K8 from TomaGaming

Exclusive: NBA 2K8 Answers + Special Dev.

Those links didn't work, cause u have to be a member so here's the links

NBA 2K8 Q&A with Toma



*GAMEPLAY*


Name-KingCloudX90
Question-Since the speed is toned down,how is the game different?
--------------------------------------------------

The speed has been slowed down in the half court setting to replicate
real life basketball more, but it's actually been sped up in transition
to give you that feeling of breakneck speed you'd expect on fast breaks.
It changes the game in that it makes you strategize more in the half
court situation, which opens up a more varied style of game. It pays to
use your post players in the half court set, which is something we
definitely wanted to emphasize this year.



Name - GoldenPurple24
Question - Do teams play more like their real life counterparts?
--------------------------------------------------

Yes, the team styles are based on their real life counterparts would do.
Additionally, changes way we handle player tendencies have resulted in
an even more faithful representation of team style.



Name - Bornindamecca
Question - What changes, if any, have you made to the passing game?
--------------------------------------------------

The biggest challenge in passing for us was to try to improve simple
directional passing. We felt that we were often getting the wrong
player based on where we thought we were pointing the stick. We've
added new logic to try to help identify the player the user was actually
aiming for. We're quite happy with those changes.

Additionally, we've improved the type of animations you will see out of
players in all types of situations and contexts, as well as the
locations to which players are being led.



Name - DC All American
Question - In NBA 2K7, if a user CHOSE to he could take ANY player that
was capable of dunking and proceed to dunk at will at any given moment.
How has this been fixed in NBA 2K8? And what steps did you take to
ensure that "cheesing" has slowed down?
--------------------------------------------------

Dunks overall have been toned down. It's harder to get to the basket
and there is way more contact preventing you from just going up and
dunking every shot. That said, some players have the uncanny ability to
get some dunks off in traffic and justifiably so. We're big fans of
pacing the number of dunks in a game so that when they occur they mean
something more, but we tend to err towards the more fun side here
because we know that many fans enjoy the highlights.



Name - Stumbleweed85
Question - Will we finally see technical fouls (and flagrant fouls) in
the game this year? Maybe a tendency/rating that indicates the player's
penchant for arguing calls?
--------------------------------------------------

Those are hard, especially because they tend to dwell on the negative
side of the sports and we definitely want to emphasize the positives.
We've talked about trying to implement a good way of replicating
technical and flagrant fouls and we have some ideas that we may try in
the future.

Question - What has been done to make challenging shots more
effective/easier? In 2K7, you can use the R-stick "hands up" position,
but it never seems to affect the shot. And if you try to actually jump
(using Y) and challenge the shot, it usually results in a foul and makes
playing on-ball defense frustrating. Will the new defensive lock-down
control system remedy this problem, or have other changes been made to
address it?
--------------------------------------------------

I think you will definitely like the tuning of defense affectings shots.
Y without RT yields a block attempt that doesn't get penalized
severely.. The lock-on D mechanic puts you in better position, but
contesting the shots is more based on your block attempt/positioning.

Question - How has offense and defense A.I. been improved? Will we see
more star players utilizing an arsenal of moves to free themselves from
the defender and scoring, star big men pounding it in the paint, star
finesse big men like marcus camby staying around the inside of the 3
point line looking for open jumpshots, etc?
--------------------------------------------------

The player perceptions have been totally rewritten this year, so players
are a lot smarter at driving to the hoop, passing and posting up. The
AI is very consistent at punishing you with their superstars, but will
also take advantage of any time you try to cheat off a lesser player.
Some of the high points from our development year have been watching
superstars string together combinations of moves in the same way you
expect them to in real life.



Name - reptilexcq
Question: How is VC address online exploitation issues such as catching
the ball while running out of bound or backcourt violation, football
passes from one end of the court to another where AIs are not smart
enough to keep up with human control player, 3pt pump faking glitches
and allowing people to pause and unpause at the FREE THROW line or hurry
up the subs.
--------------------------------------------------

We followed the threads on many sites to see what exploits people were
using, and tried, as best we could, to minimize or eliminate cheesing
from the online game.



Name: Pinoy Dynasty
Question: I am happy to hear that you improved the defensive game this
year with the Lock-on D system. Can you explain more further how the
system works?
--------------------------------------------------

The Lock-On D mechanic is in place to help the user stay with the ball
handler. It essentially works like this. Depending on the ability of
the player you're defending with, the Lock-On D icon appears. At that
point, you need to press LT to activate it. Once active, the AI will
assist you in staying with the ballhandler as long as you are still
attempting to stay in front of him (if you move away from the
ballhandler, your positioning will break lock) or don't attempt a
defensive move (steal, block, take charge, etc). The idea is to help
you play the ballhandler and not necessitate sagging off and playing
with an offball defender for fear of being beat too easily.

While engaged in Lock-On D, you can also push into the ballhandler with
LS and initiate a "ride". If you can maintain ride towards the
sideline, you can sometimes force the ballhandler to pick up his
dribble. However, the ballhandler can, with a spin or turbo dribble,
escape the ride leaving you in the dust. The ability to escape the
ride, or even to engage in one is all determined by the ballhandler's
DRIBBLE rating and the defender's DEFENSE (onball defense) rating.



Name - LeonLegends~1~
Question - Whatever happened to mid-air dunks and layup adjustment? Why
was it discarded? If it is not back in 2k8, is there any plans on
bringing it back in future version?

Question - Is the dunking mechanics been altered? I don't think the
dunks should be categorized in turns of power, flashy, reverse, or
basic. Rather, I think it's much dept if we can choose to dunk with our
right hand, left hand, both hands, or specific flashy dunks. How's that
sound? 2k9 maybe?
--------------------------------------------------

The dev team felt that the way we were blending to new shots from other
layups/dunks didn't generate the quality of motion that we've come to
expect in our games, so we decided that until we could focus intently on
improving that aspect we would not allow that move. We have altered the
configuration of the dunk mechanic, as we went to a more stylized way of
categorizing dunks, so that the dunks you see Lebron James perform will
be unique to him as opposed to those you see on Ben Wallace. That said,
we still maintained mechanics for getting Signature Dunks, reverses and
360's.
Name - wildman2007
Question - How has the isomotion improved and does each player have
their own distint way of crossovers ex: kobe, tracy, lebron, wade, agent
0?

Question - Is the ps3 version goin to be superior to the 360 becuase VC
has said they will be trying to take advantage of each systems
strenghts.
--------------------------------------------------

We decided to improve isomotion by simplifying it. The use of the
double trigger moves was cumbersome to most normal users, and we wanted
it to be more accessible to everyone, so now the basic layer of
Isomotion is achieved by just moving the stick in the fashion that you
would have with RT held down last year. Holding RT will give you access
to the second layer of moves (LT needed to be pressed for that).

I won't say that every player has his own signature package of dribble
moves, but the guys you would expect to have them definitely do.
Additionally, signature dribble move packages can be customized and
assigned, so if you feel we didn't give one player or the other the
correct moves, you can make that change to your own game. (Ed's note:
Chris Paul has some SICK dribble animations this year)

Question - Have new playsets been added to see other players initiate
the offense, not just PG's? Lebron, Tmac, Kobe etc. often dominate the
ball 'especially' late in the game and at the end of qtrs.
--------------------------------------------------

We have all new playsets this year, as we revamped the way the CPU and
teammates run plays. And yes, you'll see T-mac, Lebron and Lamar Odom
(to name a few) bring the ball up.



Name: Edubb
Question - The CPU AI was lacking in it's ability to get the premiere
post players involved in 2k7. Will we finally see the likes of Duncan,
Yao, Shaq, Boozer etc. have an recognizable impact on games like they do
IRL?
--------------------------------------------------

Premiere post players do a lot of damage this year! I will say that for
the first time since I have been at 2K, I will use the post game as part
of my arsenal. In previous iterations I found the post game to be slow
and cumbersome. It's no longer that way.

*ANIMATION*


Name - Sonicsfan
Question - How many new signature shots/moves/styles have been added?

In terms of jumpshots, there are a little over 30 brand new animations
for 2k8, bringing the overall total to over 200. In addition to that,
several of the "ugly" jumpers from 2k7 were removed while many others
were tweaked. Users will immediately notice a significant improvement
in the sig jumpers this year, both from a standpoint of matching up
better with the real life athletes as well as the quality of the
animations.

In NBA 2k8, users can also customize the post packages, dribble moves,
free throws, and dunk packages for all NBA and created players. There
are 19 post packages, 14 Iso packages, 33 free throw shots, and 14 dunk
packages. The purpose of the packages was to ensure that we captured
the most common (and unique) archetypes represented in the NBA so that
every player could be accurately depicted in the game.

I think we've really taken signature style to the next level in NBA 2k8
and it really makes the game look and play better than ever.

--------------------------------------------------



Name - Tyreik
Question - has the sliding been fixed for the gameplay?

We have a brand new motion model in place for both offense and defense
this year. The new movement engine really focused on footplanting,
momentum, and realistic cuts/plants. That being said, movement looks
and feels significantly better this year and sliding has been improved
dramatically. We did our best to ensure that players move around the
court in a more realistic manner without sacrificing responsive control,
which is so vital to gameplay.

--------------------------------------------------



Name: Made Capo
Question - Will the players have facial expressions when dunking the
ball?

Yes, we have facial animations that hook into the AI for just about
every game situation. You should see players look more intense during
aggressive moves, such as dunks, blocks, etc.

------------------------------------------------



Name - eyeguy
Question - Will in-air isomotion ever be added to the game?

This is something that we've implemented the framework for as part of
our dunk contest work. We definitely have plans to leverage this system
and extend it to other parts of the game in the future.

------------------------------------------------



Name - Maximum69
Question - Have you added anymore facial dunks into the game?

Yes. We brought in several incredible dunkers in order to collect data
for our dunk contest mode. The benefit of having these guys in house
was that we were also able to use them to capture all kinds of in-game
dunks as well. Naturally, we captured a huge number of poster-type
dunks for NBA 2k8. Stuff that I've never seen in a video game before.
Of course, these types of dunks will only be performed by high level
dunkers and only under the proper circumstances. But when you see them,
you'll be jumping out of your seat.

--------------------------------------------------

5. In 2k7, it is too easy to intercept passes as players tend to glide
or "fly", has this been fixed? Concurrently, are the passes more context
sensitive so as to minimize interceptions?

We removed the "superman steals" from NBA 2k7 and re-wrote our pass
interception code to improve this aspect of the game. In addition,
we've improved the passing logic so that players should do a better job
picking pass animations that make sense in the context of the situation.
In short, the numerous passing doinks that plagued last year's game are
no longer an issue in 2k8.

*PRESENTATION*


Name - Macka
Question - Have the camera angles been improved or are we able to have
total control of where they are, as i like playin from the broadcast or
showtime cameras but they don't show the bottom corner of the court when
ur pg is standing at the top of the 3pt line with the ball which is
annoyin as hell (i need 2 move it back a touch)

** We worked on all of the camera angles for NBA2K8, we addressed most,
if not all of these types of issues.



Name - D Money 705
Question - How have you improved the presentation and commentary
We added a whole new commentary engine this year. You will hear the
announcers get excited, talk about past performances of the players on
the court. Also crowd reaction is much better this year, so combining
the excited announcers and the hyped up crowd it really drives home the
excitement of a real NBA game!

Question - Has the glitch where the audio would drop completely from the
game been fixed? ( I would have to pause & and unpause to get audio
back; same in APF 2k8)
Yes, as far as I know this has been completely addressed.



*OPTIONS/MODES/ONLINE*


Name - OmegaSupreme2k7
Question - Hi, thanks for your time. I was wondering if you guys might
shed a little more light on black top mode. Is it going to be just like
street mode in the original? If so can we expect the loony street moves
back? Will their be options to turn these things off? Thanks for your
time.
NBA Blacktop is based upon our previous street mode, but with the
addition of the dunk contest and 3pt shootout, you will be in for a ton
of fun!



Name - Deetoman
Question-Has there been any improvements to the Create a player and
Create a Team? If not in 2k8 do you have plans in the near future to
make it more like NHL and APF?
We have done some improvements on the likenesses you can create in our
create a player feature but we have not adapted the APF level of control
yet.

Question - Please tell me that the lag for online games has been
improved, I can remember playing NBA Live 03 on ps2 and there was almost
no lag, this was 4 years ago! Also, users who quit a game should not be
able to give users any feedback.
Lag is a tough issue due to connection speeds. You will see a
difference in how the game plays this year online though. It is MUCH
smoother!


Question - the silders in my opinion cheapens the game. They seem to do
nothing but allow the gamer to "mess" with the game in the hopes of
making it "play correctly" or play how they want it to. Why not get rid
of them and make a solid game of basketball, instead of hoping that the
gamer knows how to make your game play better than you do? Isnt that a
slap in the face of the developers and their basketball knowledge?
--------------------------------------------------
Everyone has a different opinion on this. We agree we think we ship a
perfectly balanced, fun playing game. Other disagree with us and your
opinion, so we give you the option.



Name - MAJIK02
Question - Will NBA 2k8 have accurate full 15 players team rosters this
year with no missing players?
Every year we do our best to include every player SIGNED by the NBA.
Some players hold out until after the game is complete so that creates a
challenge to ensure the rosters are 100% accurate to opening day in the
NBA. We always do roster updates online, so please try to take
advantage of that feature so you can be fully up to date.



Name: Flipstahh
Question: Will you put the 3-point and slam dunk contest in all star
weekend on the association mode ?
** No this is part of our new NBA Blacktop mode.

and the video:
http://www.brightcove.tv/title.jsp?title=1184398202

Enjoy

[BodyBump]

New Screenshots 09/17/2007










Source: Operation Sports

[keem21]

kobe looks like a chinese..
look at that mascot

[dafunk]

he looks half chinese at some angles in real life imo. just the way his eyes are

[JaoSming]

SteveOS (from operationsports) says "The NBA 2K8 demo is going to hit the Marketplace at 2:00 PDT - 5:00 EST.

Confirmed from my contacts at 2K Sports. Get ready!"

PS3 is sometime next week.



Im guessing this is tomorrow and not for tonight.