For all you 2K nerds out there, a DEV recently went through changes and introductions to this years MyGM, and I'm extremely excited. You can read his lengthy blog post here. This year it'll be a story mode, where you'll have to "navigate backroom scenarios while dealing with expectations from your owner, your staff, the press, other GMs, and of course, your players." Sounds different than the typical rigid, uninteresting progression thats taken place in previous my GM games One of the biggest things for me is how closely their trying to replicate the CBA. In previous games, there was no cap holds for players with bird rights, which made it easy to make a good team by signing players up to the cap then going over for bird rights. This year, they're introducing cap holds as well as: Draft & Stashes (as well as the ability to trade draft rights to a player) G-League (including two-way contracts) Free Agent Moratorium Hardship Exception Stepien Rule Early Termination Options Other small changes or introductions("Super Max Contracts, Exception Amounts, Rookie Scale Contracts, Minimum Annual Salary, Annual Increases, Maximum Salaries, Over-38 Rule, Stretch Provision, Roster Minimums, and more") I've always loved playing 2K MyGM/MyLeague, but I've had to make it harder on myself by keeping track of how much cap holds would be for players with bird rights, and other CBA factors (it sucked knowing more about the CBA than 2k). However, it seems like 2K is making an effort to catch up. Some other factors I find interesting: All-Star Location Selection Process Alternate Uniforms for Created/Relocated Teams Rebranding in Existing Arena It seems like 2K is taking the first step to making a pure and true GM simulation for a sports game. Before, it was missing to much to replicate the process of building an NBA team. With all the knew implementations the 2K has come up, it's close to mirroring the rules of the NBA (if not accurately, I mean, they're going as far as adding a hardship exception. The only things 2K will need to work on to make it a completely pure-and-true simulation is to: Make player ratings more volatile and unpredictable. The ratings in 2K always improve or decline in a very rigid way, and it's not realistic. I think they should implement these factors in determining a players ratings: Boom Potential, Bust Potential, Work Ethic, Career Longevity, Separate Offensive and Defensive Potential (Ceiling), as well as situation oriented factors such as Overall Happiness, Player Preferences (ex. Big Market, Starter Minutes, etc.), recent injury history, and more. These factors, as well as a monthly randomization (essentially a dice roll) multiplied with these factors would make ratings volatile and realistic. You would have storylines with unexpected breakout players and situational decline from others. Players overall should suggest what the league thinks of them, so if a player is rated 68, and is playing at a 75 overall level, his rating will catch up. Noticing this before the rest of the league could result in a buy-low opportunity (think Moe Harkless or Robin Lopez). This would also make the G-League more important, because identifying these players early while their playing down a level would make the G-League implementation worthwhile. Make the draft harder to predict. With all these new factors, it would make scouting a lot harder, and make prospects more diverse. Do you take the lesser talented player with a higher ceiling, a big chance of being a bust, and a good work ethic? Or do you take the more talented player with a low ceiling, and a mediocre work ethic? You would have 2nd round gems and top 5 busts. Fix trade logic. 2Ks trade system is broken, and it'll be hard to fix. They need to implement situational preferences for teams, such as not trading someone like C.J. McCollum unless they get a top 5 player back, or having a player on the market because he demanded a trade. If they made trading tougher (especially for high draft picks), as well as created different situations for each team and player as the sim plays out, it would be great. Hopefully 2K implements some of my ideas, because they're taking a big step this year with their new features. If they did these 3 things above. I think it'd be a true sim. What do you think of the new features and what else do you think they could add to make it 100% realistic?
I haven't played an NBA game since 2K12, so maybe someone can tell me... can you simulate a season and watch the games as they are played?
This is relevant to my interests. Let me go a bit further. Can I create a team I want using trades, FA signings, and custom players... then watch them play season after season on auto-everything? I know it sounds like I'm trying to use the game against its intended purpose, but this has always been my ideal fantasy use case for a super-realistic NBA game.
I don't know if you mean actually watch the gameplay of each game, or simulate a game (which quickly gives a result). You could do either. If you mean simulate the games (without watching the gameplay), then yes you could go through seasons quickly. This is what I like to do. I've been running simulations where I've controlled all teams and make trades and signings that I think are good for each team, then simulating the season and playoffs. If I only control the Blazers, usually I simulate everything and only play Game 7s in the Playoffs.
I'd probably simulate ahead a bunch until the NBA has all new players everywhere, then watch games, and play Game 7's. In college, my best friend was 100 miles away, but he'd send me "news articles" on how our team was doing. We had a version of the Blazers we'd played every games of for like eight or nine seasons. So we knew all these fake fantasy players like they were real. He played like five more seasons on it during my senior year. I always thought it was so cool that the game was essentially 100% fantasy at that point.
The franchise mode added expansion teams in last year's game where you can start up a team and draft non protected players on rosters and sign current free agents. That's pretty fun and I've done that with the Sonics several times. People upload their designs too so you can get the exact old Sonic jerseys, arena, and logo.
What's cool now is people develop good draft classes for the up to 3 or 4 years ahead. Some have gotten real good at making the players look like themselves. I have fantasy draft classes that I make every year (it's mostly just changing names, positions, height, and the way they play). I do this so that I'm familiar with the names and their style of play. For the top players I try to come up with unique names. So I definitely know what you're talking about when you say you knew all these fake fantasy players like they were real haha. Here's a list that I've had for a few years. I disperse these names across 5 or 6 different fantasy draft classes (Top players at top) Treyvon Woodson - SF Jamison Rodgers - SG Benji Zacuri - SF (Brazil) Rutherford Jacobson - SF Ackquille Ledger - C Azaveus James - SG Mairis Vecvieta - SF (Latvia) Kronkan Bondar - PF (Ukraine) Akine Naoki - SF Cre'Monte Davis - SG Marquese Jeffrey - PF Kai Likoidey - PG Tharindu Vilupillai - C Lloyd Mercado - PG Safire Chevry - PG Lachlan Layanage - C (England) Augustine Marchant - SF (France) LeKambrick Mathieu - PF Kyle Jasperson - SG Ryan Jasperson - SF Eric Jasperson - SG Tijani Bullock - PG Qwantez Woodard - PF Izzy Stevens - PG
In 2k17 there's a create roster option in the options that has the draft classes and custom rosters people make, some of which are accurate as of today. To make expansion teams I think you have to do that in franchise mode.
First look at Damian Lillard in 2K18: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianm...trail-blazers-uniforms-revealed/#5d86cb3eabeb
