H2H Balance needs Work [Part 2]

H2H gameplay in hoops can be a great experience when its done right, and although NBA 2K is the best sports franchise in gaming, its not without its flaws. While we're matching up against the other users there are four AI teammates playing with us at all times. Thats a tricky thing to balance. How do we make sure the games are still decided by the users instead of AI? Thats easy, like I mentioned in Part 1, As long as gameplay is Risk/Reward and allows countering the other user, as long as it avoids Single and Neutral Outcomes and there's a benefit to Good Timing while at the same time punishing Spam? The best player will always, always prevail. They may not win every instance--and with good gameplay variety that shouldn't happen anyway, but over the course of a game they wont have any issue coming out on top.



So how do we make sure the AI teammates aren't deciding the game? TRICK QUESTION. The devs can't concern themselves with stuff like this. Until the AI teammates can shoot and call plays, games will always be decided by the actual users. Unless you're playing a mirror match (its lame, stop doing these 2K) teams will never be even. Using the strengths of your team while taking advantage of the opponents weakness is skill. Seeing Gobert block shots, Drummond grab rebounds or Kawhi lock guys up isnt something we should look down on, we should celebrate the fact that we have a developer willing to give us gameplay that accurately represents the various skill-sets in the league. If you're the guy trying to dunk on AD with CP3 mad because the AI blocked you? I dont know what to tell you. Thats whats SUPPPOSED to happen, and we should be happy it does.

Relatedly, there were many complaints about defense being too good and while there should be some tweaks (more blocking fouls from bad defenders, more blow-bys in mismatches) NBA defenses were pretty well done because the game represented Elite and Good defenders accurately. Very few players in the NBA can get to the basket at will and you see that in NBA 2K19. Although more defenders redirecting dribblers is definitely preferred to the stone walling. Here's a few instances:

A crucial part of H2H are the flaws inherent in every game. But obviously true PVP play means you win by beating the other user--not because you take advantage of the loopholes in gameplay. "Are you playing against the other user or the flaws of the AI?" Is a core question that can be the determination between good play and simply trying to manipulate the game's blemishes, case in point: Transition Defenders. In 2K9 we could still pass through defenders, I had no problem getting the ball to my good finishers in the paint for easy scores. I could pass the ball right AT a defender in the half-court without any worry the pass wouldnt go where I intended. For years bad rotating defenders meant open corner shooters via the Pick and Roll. For far too long transition defense has been the worst part of NBA 2K and its time that stopped being the case. Why's that important in H2H? Because as long as users can depend on transition defenders being incompetent, defense is broken overall and the core game will be imbalanced. Defense will never work if the ball can go from being inbounded to scoring position BEHIND the defense in a split-second like this:

The issues with the long ball really get exposed at end-of-quarter and end-of-game situations when cheesers can get the ball to shot-makers in an instant. Its breaks the defense when offenses can laser the ball to shooters in a blink. We all know this is a great shot for Curry:

That my friends is flat-out taking advantage of bad AI and it cripples H2H play. Its like a football game where none of the DBs can defend the deep ball--the user cant be everywhere. No competent passer throws the ball at a defender hoping he won't notice it or react. The problem has four major issues. 1) The long pass moves too fast--it should slow over distance 2) Defenders dont get back facing the ball like they do in reality. 3) They show no awareness and dont react to the ball--they will literally turn their backs on a pass headed towards them 4) Long passes are too accurate. NBA defenses are active and full of long, explosive athletes, and no defense struggles to get back after a score. In reality, you cant even pass the ball from the inbounds to quarter court with defenders nearby. That users can pass the ball to half-court and beyond is a farce and it has to end. Especially with good defenders,we should see them attack the ball and while steals aren't a given, deflections out of bounds should be--so should long pass turnovers from bad passes or when the ball is mishandled.

2K19 H2H gameplay has also been ruined by steal spam. The culprit? another of the PVP Ten Commandments: Failure to demand the same level of skill from each user. While dribblers must Protect Ball and passers have to have passing acumen, anticipation and vision to move the ball around the court, defenders have an all-encompassing square button that gets them steals at will. Its gotten so bad we see on-ball steals in the open court, 7-footers are ripping guards straight up and users spam steal blind after the rebound rather than get back on defense--because it works.

Not only is this a poor representation of the NBA game. It violates another of the PVP staples: Know Your Personnel. User Agency is nice, but should always be secondary to ratings if players aren't doing their part by educating themselves on player skill-sets. We dont want to see this kind of steal spam be effective the same way we don't want to see Dwight Howard turn into Steph Curry or JJ Redick dunking on guys. We have ratings for a reason, when bigs are stealing the ball at will it tells us the ratings expressions are being poorly implemented and the steal system is in need of some serious tuning.

On the last SimNation radio show Nelson Blake also mentioned how a ball colliding anywhere on the body of players will instantly transform into a steal rather than the deflections out of bounds we never see. Steals have to be based on skill and timing, right now they're easy mode. Let defenders show some anticipation if they want to pilfer the ball. Square should only be for deflecting the ball out of bounds. Stealing a bounce pass should require good timing and down with the Right Stick, a lob pass? Pressing up. Normal passes should require right or left with the R-Stick relative to the defender's position. A steal by Embiid from the vantage below would mean not only good position, but good timing with a smaller window of success (his steal rating is 37) and pointing the stick to the left for a pass to Bledsoe and to the right for a pass to Brogdon:

This would add some strategy to inbounds plays (especially late in games) but would also require some skill to steal the ball--and some risk. NO MORE NEUTRAL OUTCOMES, if Embiid misses its a foul or he lunges out of position like you see from Horford, McGee and Westbrook below (although we dont see a lunge animation from Westbrook) Missed steals should also have a fatigue penalty and success has to be timing based, NOT SPAM. Meaning repeatedly pressing steal has to result in a foul almost always.

PNO and Pro-Am also have to scale the foul penalties for 5 min quarters. As it stands defenders can spam away with steal but rarely face the downside of being in the penalty early. The penalty situation should occur on the 3rd foul online. 

I was also considering other aspects of PVP and wondered about some of the many "tells" gameplay has. We already have the God-mode view, do we really need to know which player another user is controlling? Or should we just play basketball? I was defending an out of bounds play the other day and saw the other player take Harden and curl towards the corner. Naturally I took the guy covering the inbounds and shaded in that direction. Then I thought to myself: Isn't too much information? I shouldnt know where the user is, I should watch the play develop, make a read and then react accordingly. If its that important we know who we're playing, display their name in the upper right corner. Just my two cents.

Well that concludes Part 2--hope you enjoyed it. Until next time gang, Part 3 will be here at the end of the week.