NBA 2K17

[Maxx]

NBA 2K17 installs for 45 minutes.  Once that is finished, Xbox decides it needs to update, and takes 30 minutes to download and install said update.  Cool, great, lets play some basketball now.

NBA 2K17 needs an update 

 

[JasonM]

Had a moment of weakness, caved and bought the game for 30 bucks on CDKeys.com (euro key only).

The download is 53.8GB, 2K is really taking the piss with these game sizes. The game industry as a whole have forsaken compression of any sort and are just chewing up 5% of my 1TB disk...

EDIT:

Jason Kidd looks like a kid(d) wearing his dad's jacket...

 

Edited September 25, 2016 by Jasonmufc

[JasonM]

Did decent with the sooners, got the title too. Did the team USA thing, that was alright too I guess.

Drafted by the Jazz, as a Shooting PF... On a team that already has Gobert and Favors as bigmen... Yay?
Actually pleased with being on the Jazz, although it'll mean eventually mean either Goby or Favors will have to be traded away once I get a good overall.

Another funny thing being that Justice Young is a point guard, on a team that already has Dante Exum at PG and Alec Burks at SG... So that's going to become interesting down the line too.

Also got the shoe deal, decided to sign with UA because the shoe in the preview was sweet as hell. And I get all UA (all 7...) shoes for free because I immediately got level 2 on the deal! So I didn't have to waste valuable VC to change from the generic 2K shoe you're saddled with at the beginning. But in hindsight I would've rather signed with the other three possible brands (Jordan, Nike, Adidas) because UA has such a tiny catalog in the game.

A small thing I like is that the game shows you the 2KTV segments during loading, so you can do the quizzes and such whilst the game is loading for some extra VC. Makes watching it every week less of a boring chore, and more of an easy aside.

I also feel its easier to draw fouls this year, or it could just be my imagination because this is the first time i'm seriously playing a big man in MyCareer... I still need to get used to layups being timing based now, flubbed some real easy ones early on because I didn't realize that.

[Monkey D. Lars]

Sooo I can start MyGM before the 2016 offseason. Hmmmm making KD stay? or Starting with what we have now....

[apsham]

I love these games so much but I hate the lack of a feeling of progression when you start out. I assume things are still heavily VC based - at least in MyCareer. Being lauded as a star player who can barely manage once you hit the court isn't all that great - the 2K16 version was like this and the WWE career mode is like this as well... but at least the stats boost for that is inexpensive compared to the NBA series.

Are the other modes still hugely impacted by VC? I remember not even being able to do proper GM stuff because it cost VC.

[Cactus Drags]

I love that they let you play around with the league structure so much (really wish the NFL would loosen their stranglehold over Madden so I could make a USA v World conference structure). I'm hesitant to buy though, last one I had was 2k14 and felt completely lost with the controls. Especially being a casual fan. 

[JasonM]

4 hours ago, apsham said:

I love these games so much but I hate the lack of a feeling of progression when you start out. I assume things are still heavily VC based - at least in MyCareer. Being lauded as a star player who can barely manage once you hit the court isn't all that great - the 2K16 version was like this and the WWE career mode is like this as well... but at least the stats boost for that is inexpensive compared to the NBA series.

Are the other modes still hugely impacted by VC? I remember not even being able to do proper GM stuff because it cost VC.

MyGM... Kinda? I mean, every GM update makes you more OP so that's purely up to you. I know that being high level in MyGM makes even the worst players into studs through all the passive skill boosts you accrue.
MyLeague is pretty VC-free from what I recall, except if you take the Grizzlies. But it lacks the more narrative stuff and the boosts and whatnot. But it's the only one of the two where you can personally start out with an expansion team (in MyGM you can expand too, but still must go with one of the 30 original teams).
MyTeam is another 'kinda' option. You can buy packs both with VC and the MT-coins. So you're always gonna find people that have spent their way to a good team, but it's at times pretty fun.
MyCareer (and MyPark by extension) is the big bad guy in terms of being an utter utter VC sink. Seeing how everything costs money from signature moves/shots/dunks, to game accesories, to MyPark crap. Practically everything you would want in MyCareer is gonna cost you VC, apart from maybe shoes once you've gotten a level 2 shoe deal with one of the four major brands. (Level 2 makes all shoes free from the brand you've chosen).

One thing that kinda makes it less bad is that nearly (MyTeam is the odd one out) everything you do is gonna net you VC one way or the other. So if you're annoyed about being the worst draft superstar in history, go into MyLeague, MyGM, Blacktop, Online, etc. and start playing games.

But I do agree that the VC creep has become pretty obnoxious in the past years, with stuff costing more, and actions earning less. They REALLY want people to waste even more money buying VC. But that's really the nature of the beast with 2K Sports nowadays, they've seen the easy way and they're gonna try to fuck you as hard as possible.

4 hours ago, Cactus Drags said:

I love that they let you play around with the league structure so much (really wish the NFL would loosen their stranglehold over Madden so I could make a USA v World conference structure). I'm hesitant to buy though, last one I had was 2k14 and felt completely lost with the controls. Especially being a casual fan. 

It's a hard sell for anyone who isn't a basketball fan. As a whole the game has become more and more focused on fundamentals rather than just rushing up and down the court, and this years game is no different in that regard. The (teammate) AI is smarter, so you don't have to do everything, but especially 2k16 and 2k17 have been focusing on needing you to run plays, either set ones or at least screen-plays that get people open.

I don't know how that goes on lower difficulties, but yeah, I can imagine a casual fan needing time to get used to it all.

Edited September 26, 2016 by Jasonmufc

[apsham]

I imagine most people (if they know about the possibility) could slip it onto the Casual sliders as I've done in years past. Which.. doesn't really make the game easier, in some ways it makes defense harder but it gives them a more arcadey style of game.

I picked the game up and dabbled in MyTeam for a bit - I'm happy that single player stuff is an option. I love the concept but I'm pretty bad at the game - they mentioned in the tutorial phase that Allstars played with your team until their contract ran out - does that mean that regular players are on your team indefinitely?

[michgcs]

On 9/24/2016 at 16:15, Lars Mulder said:

I was drafted to the Raptors as a SG with the 9th pick we are currently 26-4. ORANGE JUICE!

Me, too, but as a PG. How are you doing playing behind DeRozan? 

 

Has anyone tried playing other game modes (MyGM, exhibition) and accumulating enough VC to properly power up their MyCareer player so that the attributes aren't that far away from the other top rookies?

[Chris2K]

My sim MyLeague involves watching the games being played by the AI (I find it entertaining, so sue me) and I get the same amount of VC from watching as I would from playing so I have 20k+ without even starting MyCareer yet. If you want to get extra VC my advice would be to set up a meaningless MyLeague and just put a CPU v CPU game on while you're doing something else.

[apsham]

You can just simulate your own games and get VC, right? That's one of the tips I see every year. Another thing is the MyNBA2K17 app which allows you to get 500 VC a day from playing quick matches, a free daily pick for VC and some other options. Guess the philosophy here is to be patient and everything adds up.

Either way.. I am loving the game. I don't know what it is about this year that just gels with me, but something does. In the past I was always terrible on defence and out of position but this year is a total turn around in that aspect. I can somewhat properly cover the man that I'm defending and move about the court in a way that makes me look like I know what the hell I'm doing.

Edited September 27, 2016 by apsham

[JasonM]

I agree about the defense bit. It just feels more 'fair', although it's hard to explain. The ballhandler can't just fly through your defense whenever they want to anymore, and in general people need to get shots instead of being able to get in close every time.

I have decided to start a bland MyGM with no extra teams. Started from the start of the season, because it's weird working with 'old' rosters from before the post-season. But that naturally depends on what team you're going with, and whom you're a fan of. (See. Lars)

Personally had to pick between the Jazz and the Nuggets, but since i'm already on the former in MyCareer, I've gone with the Nuggets instead. Who all things considered have a pretty good team, although there's no real stars in there. Two talented centers in Nurkic and Jokic, Manimal and Arthur at PF, Gallo and Chandler at SF, Barton/Harris at SG, Mudiay/Murray at PG... The entire future is practically set up already, and they only need to get better over time.

I also must attest my utter love for the rotation timeline feature, which is something that I always wanted. And finally allows me to finetune my rotations, an absolute revelation when it comes to really building a proper rotation.

For example, I got Jamal Murray starting the game at SG, but Will Barton will play crunchtime in Q4. Or sitting the other starters in the first 2 minutes of Q4 so they can play the final ten minutes non-stop. And more, it's really robust and easy to work which can allow you to make those custom rotations instead of either doing manual subs or hoping the AI doesn't fudge up (which it did a lot in the past, like subbing out Dirk in Q4 for a bench guy...)

[Chris2K]

There are some strange decisions made by the computer when you ask it to automatically decide the rotations, for example the San Diego Surf picked Manu Ginobili as the very first pick in the expansion draft but he's been made second string SG behind Lance Stephenson.

In the end I had to go an manually amend that and move Stephenson to SF, but as soon as the CPU does the rotations again that will change again.

[apsham]

I know one thing that is different for sure - stealing is now viable for me instead of just being an instant foul. I saw that pointed out in a review actually.

[Maxx]

4 hours ago, Chris2K said:

There are some strange decisions made by the computer when you ask it to automatically decide the rotations, for example the San Diego Surf picked Manu Ginobili as the very first pick in the expansion draft but he's been made second string SG behind Lance Stephenson.

In the end I had to go an manually amend that and move Stephenson to SF, but as soon as the CPU does the rotations again that will change again.

Sometimes you have to draft your sixth man of the year first overall.

I couldn't help myself, expanded with 6 teams.  Sonics, Kentucky Colonels, Spirts of St. Louis, Las Vegas Aces, Montreal Expos and Pittsburgh Phantoms as I couldn't find/think of another good city in the East to give a team to.

[apsham]

Haha I totally named MyTeam the Expos after finding this online while searching for names for a Montreal basketball team.

 

I need to edit it to get the other sizes for the arena though.. and get around to making some uniforms.

[Maxx]

There are ready made user created ones up already if you want to save some time.  I would create them entirely from scratch last season, but its nice not having to do that this time around.  Only gripe is that their home uniforms are white, I was using the shade of pale blue the baseball team used to wear.

[JasonM]

Playing on default Superstar, one thing that does annoy me greatly is that you're gonna brick a lot of wide open threes with guys like Gallo or W. Chandler, whilst the AI on the other hand is draining crazy step-back threes with Kyle Lowry and Dame Lillard. 

Another thing i've noticed is that the AI gets a lot of wide open players on the transition because your team's players aren't running back too much, or they run back too far and they give guys like Terrence Ross and DeRozan wide open threes to just jack up at will.

Examples, two blow-outs I suffered.
Blazers 115-74 Nuggets
Raptors 114-96 Nuggets

Granted that Raptors game would've been much closer if I hadn't turned the ball over 19 times, but it was still very frustrating to kick the ball to the open guy on the wings and then see him clank it off the rim. But I guess i'll get used to it... Another player I absolutely suck at is Wilson Chandler, whose release is a skip quicker than other players so I often shoot much too late.

But despite those gripes, I am having much more fun than I was last year. I feel driving the lane and drawing fouls is much more profitable when you got a good P&R going, and also layups just feel much less arbitrary now that those have shot timing too. So I feel confident trying floaters, hooks, and all kinds of non-jumper/dunk type moves.

 

[JasonM]

I feel like saying that Darrell Arthur is pure filth from mid range. Good rating, good height, and one of the sweetest releases in the game. He racks up crazy amounts of points whenever he's on the floor, especially with a guy like Nurkic/Jokic/Manimal at center to gobble up on the times he does miss.

Just blew out the Grizz (on All-Star) 111-94, and DA had 19 points in 19 minutes because every time I gave him the ball in the mid range he just scored. It almost feels like cheating.

On the flipside, I still utter suck at getting Wilson Chandler to score points at consistent percentages, so he'll probably be traded away as the season progresses...

Also Will Barton, the skinny stick at 175lbs managed to break Brandan Wright's ribs on a weak drive...

The shove (of doom), and Jokic with the spike for extra salt.

Just 2k17 things

Edited September 29, 2016 by Jasonmufc

[Cactus Drags]

I'm familiar with concepts like the pick and roll, I just don't watch often enough to even tell you who all the playoff teams last year. Just felt like compared with Live (again, this is from playing 2k14), I needed to read a massive goddamned book to know all the controls. 

 

I used to like Live before it went to shit, probably never was as realistic, but I could jsut pick up and play and get some good looking stuff going.

Edited September 29, 2016 by Cactus Drags