It’s time for the installment of my hands-on experience with NBA 2K17. More information is on u4nba.com which is a professional
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This time we’ll focus on MyCareer, MyCourt, MyPark, Shoes and an area of the game that isn’t getting a lot of attention, the visual and audio presentation.
Let’s start with MyCareer, because there’s a lot to discuss.
Sports RPGThe thought of a sports role-playing game is one of the most exciting concepts in sports gaming. Being able to carve your path throughout a career in a way that will be unique for every gamer is the ideal experience.
In NBA 2K16, 2K contracted Spike Lee to direct the cinematic aspect of the MyCareer journey, and the result was Livin’ Da Dream.
Unfortunately, the mode felt chained to Lee’s vision and that level of direction just wasn’t a good fit for a sports game. In NBA 2K17, you will have more control over the things that happen to and around you.
Before any of the story begins, you have to create your player.
MyNBA 2K Creation AppIt all starts with the creation of your character. Face scanning will be in full effect on September 8 via the MyNBA 2K application. For those who haven’t heard, the process is moving to mobile devices.
We didn’t get a chance to test this process, nor have we seen any results, but one can only hope the tech is in proper working order. This part of the creation process is only for the facial appearance, a few cosmetic options and customizing equipment.
Sculpting your body happens in the next phase.
The PreludeOn the following day, The Prelude releases for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. It’s a totally free to play game that will launch your MyCareer. You’ll pick the height, weight, wingspan and shoulder width of your player.
There’s nothing new there, but what is new is the selection of your archetype. This will determine the type of player you create. Your MyPlayer plays the one; but is he a pass-first or scoring point guard?
You have a center, but is he a traditional back-to-the-basket scorer, or a stretch big? There are several classifications to choose from and your archetype will set the ceiling for your 10 attribute categories.
A big man won’t be able to reach certain speed and agility levels, while a smaller player may be limited in areas where bigs traditionally have success.
Once your MyPlayer is created, you’ll begin your college career. In NBA 2K16, your career started in high school and then went to college, but this year’s game is condensing the experience.
You’ll play a total of four college games and the experience will come complete with cinema screens and branching story angles. The objective of The Prelude is to give you an opportunity to become familiar with the game, while also beginning your MyCareer journey early.
Secondly, you’re attempting to improve your draft stock as you prepare for the release of the full game on September 16. That progress will carry over and it will determine your initial rookie ratings in MyCareer in NBA 2K17.
You can choose from one of 10 schools, but you only get to play the experience one time. Some may not like this, but I believe it creates a productive and fun sense of urgency.
If you want a good start to your MyCareer, you’d better play well.
The Prelude might also wind up being the precursor for a return to the College Hoops 2K series. This marks the second year in a row 2K has used the licenses of major colleges.
The interest is there from the community. If the legal issues can be ironed out, I’d say 2K is a good bet to get back into the virtual college hoops world shortly after the smoke clears.
That’s purely speculation that isn’t based on any inside information. It’s just my educated guess based on my read of the publisher and my recognition of the community’s desire for a college hoops game of some sort.
Maybe we see an expanded Prelude for NBA 2K18 first, but it would be a shock if more moves weren’t being made.
Making the ChoicesThe story in NBA 2K17 is obviously about your MyPlayer, but it’s also about the other characters. Piggybacking on the dynamic duo concept in MyTeam, your MyPlayer will have his own running mate.
Justice Young, who is played by actor Michael B. Jordan, will be adjoined to you, but not necessarily in the intrusive way Vic Van Lier was in Livin’ Da Dream.
He’s a complementary piece in the cast whose performance and experiences are affected by what you do on and off the court.
Per Ben Bishop of 2K:- Probably the biggest difference from NBA 2K16 is the way this year’s story unfolds. The way you play the game and the decisions you make off-the-court will change the way you experience the narrative. If you’re a gym rat like Justice, the two of you will form a strong bond right away. If you’re more outspoken in press conferences and when talking with the media, it will have ramifications down the line. Even our new text messaging system (more on that below) plays an important role, as how and when you choose to do things, as well as the way you respond in personal conversations, will help to dictate what is going on around you over the course of the season.
The cast is pretty large this year. During our stay in Novato, California, we learned each of the actors and actresses who play a role in the NBA 2K17 MyCareer story. I included the in-story role for every cast member where that information was available.
- Troy Manning – MyPlayer voice
- Michael B. Jordan – Justice Young
- Aaron Covington (Director)
- Alisha Wainwright
- Demetrius Grosse
- Hannibal Uress – Ice
- Jak Knight
- Joe Williamson
- Johno Wilson
- Mark Derwin
- Matt Walsh
- Michael Masini
- Nafessa Williams
- Sterling Brim
- Sullivan Jones
- Todd Anthony
These characters will portray individuals from every aspect of your MyPlayer’s life. Each will have their own cinema scenes, and many of those segments will be triggered by your on-court and/or off-court actions.
The Dynamic Duo concept makes me a little nervous because I’m a little fearful of being trapped in a program with Justice, but if there’s a good variety of results within your MyPlayer and his interactions, then it should still be organic enough.
While I didn’t like Lee’s Livin’ Da Dream approach in NBA 2K16, I respected 2K’s attempt to do something different with the story. I also respect their acknowledgement that the approach wasn’t right for their community.
They wasted no time putting the gamer back in control.
Orange Juice2K is stepping out on a limb with this concept. Essentially, it amounts to a chemistry rating between two star players. Your MyPlayer and Justice will be encouraged to play together in an effort to increase the amount of Orange Juice the two of you have. If you want to
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As the Orange Juice meter fills up, you will be given more control and options as you play through games. Not only will you be able to control your MyPlayer, but you’ll also have the ability to take control of Justice as well.
That’s in addition to the normal option to direct him to set screens, cut to the basket, etc.
In-game power ups can be a tricky thing for some hardcore sports simulation guys, but this doesn’t sound as if it’ll be too much of a deviance from the type of experience a sim-player would enjoy.
If not, it can be turned off.
Off DaysMany of the decisions your MyPlayer makes will take place in-between games. Just like in NBA 2K16, you are in charge of what your MyPlayer does on his off days, but now there are a few more layers involved.
There’s a system in place to quantify the impact of the work you do to build your game, relationships and brand. Bishop wrote:
It’s up to you to decide what’s most important for your MyPLAYER. And our Off-Court AI system will be constantly evaluating your play and your relationships with players, endorsement companies, and other people around the league to determine what opportunities will become available to you next.
These opportunities will probably come to you on your virtual mobile device. The primary form of communication in the game is text messaging. Players, businesses and other acquaintances will reach out to you on this platform.
The information we’ve received says there will be a bit of a free form feel to the way you’re able to interact with others via text.
EndorsementsCompanies will reach out to you in an effort to offer endorsement deals. These deals can be triggered by events in your MyCareer story, or by accomplishments.
The companies have profiles and there are things you can do on your journey that will make you more attractive to them. Bishop broke down this concept and conveys even more depth to this part of the MyCareer mode:
As your star continues to rise, more companies will come calling. And this is completely dynamic in that it’s all based on the way you play. A company like Mountain Dew might be looking for a flashier player, while a company like Spalding is more interested in players that exhibit strong ball handling abilities. If you fit either of those criteria, expect those companies to reach out sooner rather than later. And this concept extends to players too, by the way. Steph Curry will connect with you sooner if you make a lot of deep threes (or sign with Under Armour).
There’s even more connections to be made within the home hub of MyCareer, which is still called MyCourt, only the concept has expanded.
MyCourtJust as it was in last year’s game, MyCourt is where everything begins in MyCareer. In NBA 2K17, you’ll still be able to customize your court, but you’ll now have access to three courts instead of just one.
You can still invite friends over for games, but you’ll also get visits from real NBA players within your storyline. For example, Derrick Rose might visit you and challenge you to a game of one-on-one.
Try not to injure my boy.
If you beat him, you’ll get a VC bonus and perhaps earn your way toward another badge. You will also strengthen your relationship with him while potentially building skills within the game.
Back when MyCourt was announced to us in 2015, this is more of what I had in mind for the mode. It feels much more free and organic than it did in NBA 2K16.
Doin’ WorkAs I mentioned, your MyPlayer always has an option to go to live practice, but there are other tasks and mini-games that can be completed to improve your skills.
It’s called Doin’ Work and it is my favorite new aspect of MyCareer. Back before the single-player concept had its name changed from 24/7 to MyCareer, grinding in practice and pick-up games was a part of improving your guys’ stats.
It felt like that aspect of the player development and skill sustenance was being ignored. Doin’ Work encompasses live practices, drills like weight lifting, squats, vertical leap drills and more.
It’s basically all of the things real players have to do to stay on top of their game. The best part of the new feature is the meter. Gamers always pay attention to meters because it serves as a constant barometer for success, and it defines your goals.
When the Doin’ Work meter fills up, you’ll then be able to obtain the upgrades and attribute points to raise your game. Tracking progress is the key to engagement in any endeavor.
Gaming is no different.
I predict the MyCareer mode will be much better received this year. One potential downfall could be a malfunctioning face-scanning application. If that doesn’t work properly, it’s going to kill the vibe.
We’ll know soon enough.
MyParkThis is still the mode we know the least about, but expect to see more information on Monday. That said, Matt Bertz of Game Informer was able to uncover a few tidbits of information on the mode, and Operation Sports’ Steve Noah gave us even more goodies.
MyPark matchmaking has been revamped to keep new players from being taken advantage of by veterans. I’m not sure how this will work, but it appears novices who are looking to play with other newbies might have a longer wait time if they wait too long to get acquainted with the game.
There will also be Park-specific badges this year. We haven’t heard details on the badges yet, but that info should be coming soon.
Last but most definitely not least, Noah tweeted this treasure trove of information on MyPark:
NBA 2K17 MyPARK features dunk contests, 3 pt. competitions, park specific badges & more (via @gameinformer) pic.twitter.com/dM0ysTS7vK
— Steve Noah (@Steve_OS) September 2, 2016
MyPArk After Dark might become the hottest virtual hangout spot among basketball fans. I made reference to something like this in my wishlist, and it’s great to see more personality added to the mode.
Giving idle players something to do while they wait for games is a winning concept. The 3X Tournament concept is equally intriguing. Sounds like a King of the Hill theme that could potentially spawn another eSports division for NBA 2K.
ShoesAs I mentioned in the second part of this series, there are over 300 digitally scanned shoes in this year’s game. We were shown the trailer below while we were in Novato and it impressed just about everyone in the room.
I overheard someone behind me–whom I know wasn’t a hardcore sports gamer–say: “That is amazing.”
I agree.
Presentation ElementsAn aspect of sports games that I think often goes under appreciated is audio and visual presentation.
I had a great conversation with audio director Joel Simmons in California, and we talked about some of the new elements in NBA 2K17, and I even made a few suggestions for the future of the series.
In this year’s game, NBA 2K17 is still delivering a three-man booth, but Clark Kellogg is being replaced. Apparently CK has left some big shoes to fill, because his duties are being picked up by (in my LeBron James voice) not one, not two, not three, but four analysts.
Chris Webber, Steve Smith, Brent Barry and Doris Burke will join Greg Anthony and Kevin Harlan as the voices of NBA 2K17.
Webber, Barry, Smith and Burke won’t all be on the same broadcast, a different person will be on the mic to join Anthony and Harlan each game.
I believe it is determined randomly. Long time NBA reporter David Aldridge is now the new sideline reporter. This sounds absolutely amazing.
I recently proclaimed Madden 17 as the sports game with the best commentary, and I’m sticking to that for now.
However, it’s possible NBA 2K17 could become a close second. It’s going to be hard to match a game where commentary is being added all season, and that’s what Madden is doing.
That said, the multiple announce team is an idea I’ve had for years and I included it in my official wishlist. I’m going to have to write an article revisiting my wishlist to see how many of the items were granted.
The announcers will have mode-specific lines for MyGM and MyLeague Summer League games, regular season, All-Star and postseason contests.
In addition to the new commentary, there are also more crowd reactions. Fans react accordingly to the action as it affects the home team. Expect silence when the road team is on a run and escalating reactions if the home team battles its way back into the game.
During in-game huddles, coaches have new lines added. Per Bertz, there are more than 200 new clips, there’s also an increased amount of player chatter during dead-balls and the RealVoice interviews have been expanded.
There will be more than 300 new interviews with players and coaches. That’s not all. The sound crew traveled to all 30 NBA arenas to capture the unique sounds of the shot-clock and game buzzers in each venue. They also captured the way the ball sounds bouncing off the wood or parquet in each building.
There’s 200 hours of recorded game sound. This is OCD-level stuff, but the attention to detail is admirable and appreciated.
From a visual standpoint, I was happy to see more simplified and clean menus. The plain, Vanilla-Sky look made me feel a sense of hoops serenity. I’ve always wanted to say that.
The score and individual player stat overlays were more frequent without being intrusive. I wish I could say the same thing for the play-calling menus.
Those still come up a little too large on the screen. If you’re playing locally against someone it’s a big distraction. Perhaps if it were in the lower left corner and smaller, it wouldn’t obstruct your view.
As I mentioned a little earlier, I did make a suggestion. It should come as no surprise, but this potential enhancement would be especially cool in MyGM and MyLeague.
This was partially birthed in a podcast I hosted with Brian Barnes aka Mr.Bygmz and Taylor Malone aka Mister 502. Here’s the premise:
In MyGM and MyLeague, you’re playing through multiple seasons. Those of us who actually get through six or seven campaigns, you get to a point where almost none of the players in the league are the actual players in the current NBA.
When this happens, the audio in the game gets really stale. That’s because there’s no script or commentary to enhance the presence of the players from the draft classes. But what if there were?
This is difficult because draft classes are somewhat random and also editable, so there’s no way to really know specifics. I proposed a concept that would have each new player analyzed and given a physical and personal profile.
For example, a 6’7? super-thin swingman with deep three-point range and average athleticism might cause Greg Anthony to say: “You know who this guy reminds me of? Now take it easy on me, but his frame and shooting ability makes me think of Reggie Miller.”
This comparison could be made based on his physical build, athleticism and skill set. Hundreds of these types of lines could be put into the game during the recording process, and it would make commentary relevant for your entire journey in MyGM and MyLeague.
On the personal side, each newly drafted player will have a personality type. If the player has been created or edited, you could give them any disposition.
That detail could help to shape the personal profile, which could then branch into a whole new set of commentary lines about the player’s background. The players are fictitious, so developers would be free to have fun with some of the stories.
Simmons seemed receptive to the ideas. I’m not implying we’ll see this type of feature in the game, but Simmons said it was definitely feasible. There are several stages an idea like this would have to clear before it is green lit, but I put the bid in.
Overall, Simmons and his team are a passionate and talented bunch whose work is too often underappreciated. The same could also be said for similar departments for developers of other games.
Presentation matters.
I’ve got one more segment in the hands-on impression series. It’ll be available on Saturday morning, and it’ll be much shorter. It will focus on player renders (the ones I’ve seen) and the ratings I can confirm.
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Topic: NBA 2K17 Guides: The Visual And Audio Presentation In Game (Read 6591 times)
