Mike Lowe of Operation Sports recently met with developers and executives at 2K Games headquarters in San Francisco. The NBA 2K17 development team shared a lot of information about the upcoming title. Here is a summation of Lowe’s notes from his visit:
Graphics
- Uniforms will be brighter
- Reddish skin tones have been adjusted to look more realistic
- Player hair has been improved
- Shoe accuracy and other accessories will now update as NBA players change their look throughout the year
Audio
- Every court now has unique audio for a ball being dribbled
- Arena horns are unique for each arena as well
- Commentary has been expanded upon
- NBA 2K17 now has 11 commentators: Kevin Harlan, Greg Anthony, Shaquille O’Neal, Ernie Johnson Jr, Brent Berry, Steve Smith, Doris Burke, Chris Webber, and David Aldridge
NBA Blacktop & Play Now Online
- A crowd has been added to added to NBA Blacktop, and they will react to the game as it unfolds
- Blacktop allows users to select rules such as half court, wind strength, points to play up to, and introduction animations
- A new tier has been added to Play Now Online to prevent people from being too grouped together.
- A strong focus on matchmaking and finding similar opponents has been added.
- Players can also customize their tier and the kinds of teams they play against
- You’ll also receive more points for playing tougher games
MyTeam
- Cards have been redesigned
- Cards and challenges will be updated daily
- Duos of certain players offer unique bonuses for MyTeam
- Every MyTeam will get their pick of 1 of 5 top NBA stars–these cards cannot have contracts added to them, and they act as trials for new players
- MyTeam Blacktop replaces Gauntlet–this mode includes multiplayer 3v3, and a new draft wheel
- After each game there is a prize board to choose rewards from–this can include point cards to unlock new boards with better prizes.
MyLeague & MyGM
- The following options exist when choosing your mode: MyGM, MyLeague, MyLeague Online, Start Today, Season, Playoffs
- Start today is a brand new MyLeague option, taking real world stats and standings on the date when you start it
- League expansion allows players to start with 30-36 teams
- Players can design expansion teams, use pre-built teams, or download team designs online
- Leagues will dynamically expand in future years
- Players have control over expansion and contraction of leagues
- Each team can protect up to eight players in expansion drafts
- Expansion can be turned off entirely
- Players can start their franchise experience in the offseason before the 2016 draft and free agency,
- Dynamic rule changes: changes to the rules of a player’s league can occur during the offseason.
- League CBAs eventually expire, which will impact finances and contracts
- Trades can include draft pick protections
- Jerseys can be retired
- Dynamic uniform updates
- Offseason trading that takes into account free agency plans and who the team plans to draft
- Easier roster/draft class editing
- Playoffs totally customizable
Gameplay, New Features, & Controls
- All shots now have a timing component to them
- Dribbling now breaks up canned sequences into combos players have control over
- Custom jump shots are back for 2K17
- Players won’t be penalized for not using new control mechanics on lower levels
- 2KU tutorial games are played as an inter-squad scrimmages using Team USA.
- The interior post game has been revamped this year
- New off-ball collision system gives post players tools with 700 animations between deny and off-ball posts. “Battle before the battle is now here.” Can grab, pull, chuck, and fouls will even be called during these times at the proper time.
- Adaptive Coaching Engine (ACE) will adapt to players differently depending on player type, playoffs, season, behavior, efficiency, and other factors
- On the fly team individual ACE packages
- There will be a continued point per game reduction by players online
- Smart Coach: assistant coaches will provide knowledge about specific players and instruction on how to run offense and defense–these are different for every team
- New team schemes
- New freelance offenses (30 unique in 2K17)
- New transition offenses and defenses
- Improved defensive AI
- Positional mismatches and formation recognition will be handled differently by various coaches
- New dynamic plays and quick plays
- Coaching intangibles
- Switching on-the-fly for Pro AM
Pro Am
- Ability to go from Park directly into ProAM.
- Players can earn Park revenue by playing ProAM
- Now includes rosters–no more free-for-alls.
- Players can warmup and shoot around while waiting for opponent.
- Players can view stats on all athletes
- Players can level their athletes up as a team, from amateur to pro to elite
- Elite teams get invite to the 2K All Star Tournament around ASG which includes a $250k grand prize, tickets to the All Star Game in New Orleans and more prizes
So that covers it for what Lowe gleaned from his time in San Fran. Our thanks to him and the team at Operation Sports.
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