NBA Live Info: I was very disappointed with Live 2004. The biggest difference from 04 and 03 was that it allowed users some abilities to edit the game. The only problem was that it only allowed enough to piss us off. We can almost but never completely edit the game to our liking which is so heart breaking for most Live fans. Like some people, I spent most of my time trying to edit the game, to make it more realistic and never had the chance to play a single season.
There have been sites dedicated to make sure that changes do occur in Live 2005. You can read most of it at the Wish List created by fans and Andrew of NBA Live Series.
There are some that I would like to concentrate on and might not be included in the Wish List.
1) Too Easy to Block Shots: 2004 didn’t really have better defense, it just had better blocking which created a mess because it was too easy to block shots. You can average about 10 bpg with B. Wallace. This is so unrealistic when teams only averaged about 4 bpg. What the game didn’t account for was that in real life, most players make every attempt to adjust their shots to make sure they don’t get block even if it means throwing up air balls.
2) Jump stop (or pro hop): The jump stop was probably the most annoying thing about the game. Adding jump stop allow anyone to score at well. Players can practically do a jump stop and get away from any defended to the hoop and complete a lay-up or a dunk. You can even do a jump stop and move your defender out of your way! That is just stupid! My suggestion is to get rid of it completly, although the change made by 2005 discussed later, is intriguing. Plus, isn’t a jump stop without passing the ball or shooting the ball after the stop called traveling.
3) Poor defense and team assist: This is a result due to easy block shots and the jump stop. Good defensive teams are not good because they can block shots, although it is part of it, but they are good because they assist each other in defending players. They are also quick to a player who is taking a shot. Not necessary blocking the shots, but just having a hand in the face should decrease the % of the shot. The jump stop just made it too easy for players to break down their defenders, get to the hoop with a clear lane and complete a basket. In real life, it’s almost impossible to get to the hoop without being touch. Also computers do a poor job of helping out when defending. I mean once you get pass your defender you usually have a clear cut at the basketball.
4) Computers don’t set up plays: Computers rarely set up plays. The first player that touches the ball either shots a three or drives it to the lane. This leads to too many 3’s taken, too many easy block shots, unrealistically fast pace game and lack of mid range shots. Also computer don't give the ball to their super star enough, which is a result from not setting up plays. In real life guys like Kobe, Duncan usually touches the ball at least once before someone takes a shot.
5) No Referee interactions: Although they have refs in the game, the refs didn’t even do anything. Players didn’t have to hand the ball to the refs after a made shot, after fouls, 3 second violation which made the pace of the game way too quick. You hardly have the time to set up your defense and before you know the computer has already attempted a shot.
6) Difficulty levels: Changing the difficulty levels alters the game completely. It’s not that the computer becomes smarter and more skillful; instead it just makes your players move slower. Computer don’t play better defense, your chance of making a basketball just decreases. What they need to do is make computer more skillful such as better passes, taking better shots, giving the ball to super star players. When users play the game, we know to pass the ball when we drive down the lane and are collapsed on by other defenders. We know someone will be open. Computer needs to play smarter with increasing difficulty levels and not just decrease our chance of making a shot and increasing their's.
7) Lack of defensive styles: The games lack defending styles. For example, certain teams are very defensive minded and they always sent 3 or more players back after a miss shot to stop the other team from being able to run. When a Center has the ball on the 3 point line, the defender still goes up close to him. Why would computer even worry about a C shooting a 3, they should be worrying about the lane? Also, increasing a player’s defensive awareness increases their blocking ability. This is not true at all. B. Bowen is a very good defender who is a very poor shot blocker. Again good defense does not = shot blocking.
8) Live doesn’t handle rumble shock controllers: I bought a rumble controller and had to return it. That would be cool if it did. Make the controller shack when you grab a rebound or bump into players.
9) Computer always sub in starters at the end of game: This needs to be changed. Ginobili didn’t start but he usually finished most of them.
10) Too easy to post: In the game you can take Ostertag and post him right next to the basket, give him the ball and dunk it. They need to make it harder to regain your desire post position. It is so hard for Yao and for most C except Shaq to gain post position down low.
11) Lastly, the game needs to be more realistic: Realistic scoring in 12 min. games, realistic fg %. It’s just too easy to score in the game. You can take Kobe and make shots just about anywhere and at any time. Come on Kobe shots 43%, that means he misses more shots than he makes them.
Additional changes:
1) Make changes in season or dynasty mood also occur in main mood so that when you start a new season or dynasty your rosters has already been changed.
2) Make it harder for certain players to score. Eg. Ostertag, Cato. Not just worse Fg rating but also worse dunking, lay-ups %, etc.
3) Make it so that better defensive teams move quicker defensively and not make the offensive team move slower. Make them send more guys back after miss shots.
4) Have injuries off the court.
5) Fragrant fouls, fights, players and coaches throw out of games, coaches interactions
6) Make it harder to beat teams when they’re playing at home.
7) Distinguish ratings between 3 pt % and 3 pt attempts. Eg. B. Davis takes a lot of attempts at poor %, eg. 500+ at 32%, where D. Marshall, 300 at .40%
8) Instead of having global, users, computer settings. Get rid of global and just place those criteria in both users and computer settings. Eg. Changing ft difficulty is a global setting. So if you found that making a ft is really easy, you might increase it to make it harder. Doing so makes it way too hard for computer and they miss way too many free-throws. This way you can edit it to match the user and the computer.
9) Like all Live series, it’s still too easy to grab an offensive rebound after a miss free-throw
10) Allow users to choose who they want to jump C. at beginning of games. Eg. Yao plays C, but Cato jumps C at the beginning of games.
Errors in the game
1) Computer only substitute when calling a time out. They don’t even sub in at free-throws. They wait and if a free-throw shot is missed then they rebound, call time out and sub.
2) No offensive basketball interference. Defensive basketball interferences are counted as a block.
3) Computers don’t call time-out to move the ball when time is expiring!
Changes included in NBA Live 2005
1) All-Star weekend, this includes slam dunk, 3 point shooting contest, Rookie Challenge, All-star game at mid-season.
2) Adding defense against the jump stop. Thank God! I will buy Live 05 just because of this single feature. But still I hope they just get rid of it completely.
3) Tip in Rebounds (free style air)
There have been sites dedicated to make sure that changes do occur in Live 2005. You can read most of it at the Wish List created by fans and Andrew of NBA Live Series.
There are some that I would like to concentrate on and might not be included in the Wish List.
1) Too Easy to Block Shots: 2004 didn’t really have better defense, it just had better blocking which created a mess because it was too easy to block shots. You can average about 10 bpg with B. Wallace. This is so unrealistic when teams only averaged about 4 bpg. What the game didn’t account for was that in real life, most players make every attempt to adjust their shots to make sure they don’t get block even if it means throwing up air balls.
2) Jump stop (or pro hop): The jump stop was probably the most annoying thing about the game. Adding jump stop allow anyone to score at well. Players can practically do a jump stop and get away from any defended to the hoop and complete a lay-up or a dunk. You can even do a jump stop and move your defender out of your way! That is just stupid! My suggestion is to get rid of it completly, although the change made by 2005 discussed later, is intriguing. Plus, isn’t a jump stop without passing the ball or shooting the ball after the stop called traveling.
3) Poor defense and team assist: This is a result due to easy block shots and the jump stop. Good defensive teams are not good because they can block shots, although it is part of it, but they are good because they assist each other in defending players. They are also quick to a player who is taking a shot. Not necessary blocking the shots, but just having a hand in the face should decrease the % of the shot. The jump stop just made it too easy for players to break down their defenders, get to the hoop with a clear lane and complete a basket. In real life, it’s almost impossible to get to the hoop without being touch. Also computers do a poor job of helping out when defending. I mean once you get pass your defender you usually have a clear cut at the basketball.
4) Computers don’t set up plays: Computers rarely set up plays. The first player that touches the ball either shots a three or drives it to the lane. This leads to too many 3’s taken, too many easy block shots, unrealistically fast pace game and lack of mid range shots. Also computer don't give the ball to their super star enough, which is a result from not setting up plays. In real life guys like Kobe, Duncan usually touches the ball at least once before someone takes a shot.
5) No Referee interactions: Although they have refs in the game, the refs didn’t even do anything. Players didn’t have to hand the ball to the refs after a made shot, after fouls, 3 second violation which made the pace of the game way too quick. You hardly have the time to set up your defense and before you know the computer has already attempted a shot.
6) Difficulty levels: Changing the difficulty levels alters the game completely. It’s not that the computer becomes smarter and more skillful; instead it just makes your players move slower. Computer don’t play better defense, your chance of making a basketball just decreases. What they need to do is make computer more skillful such as better passes, taking better shots, giving the ball to super star players. When users play the game, we know to pass the ball when we drive down the lane and are collapsed on by other defenders. We know someone will be open. Computer needs to play smarter with increasing difficulty levels and not just decrease our chance of making a shot and increasing their's.
7) Lack of defensive styles: The games lack defending styles. For example, certain teams are very defensive minded and they always sent 3 or more players back after a miss shot to stop the other team from being able to run. When a Center has the ball on the 3 point line, the defender still goes up close to him. Why would computer even worry about a C shooting a 3, they should be worrying about the lane? Also, increasing a player’s defensive awareness increases their blocking ability. This is not true at all. B. Bowen is a very good defender who is a very poor shot blocker. Again good defense does not = shot blocking.
8) Live doesn’t handle rumble shock controllers: I bought a rumble controller and had to return it. That would be cool if it did. Make the controller shack when you grab a rebound or bump into players.
9) Computer always sub in starters at the end of game: This needs to be changed. Ginobili didn’t start but he usually finished most of them.
10) Too easy to post: In the game you can take Ostertag and post him right next to the basket, give him the ball and dunk it. They need to make it harder to regain your desire post position. It is so hard for Yao and for most C except Shaq to gain post position down low.
11) Lastly, the game needs to be more realistic: Realistic scoring in 12 min. games, realistic fg %. It’s just too easy to score in the game. You can take Kobe and make shots just about anywhere and at any time. Come on Kobe shots 43%, that means he misses more shots than he makes them.
Additional changes:
1) Make changes in season or dynasty mood also occur in main mood so that when you start a new season or dynasty your rosters has already been changed.
2) Make it harder for certain players to score. Eg. Ostertag, Cato. Not just worse Fg rating but also worse dunking, lay-ups %, etc.
3) Make it so that better defensive teams move quicker defensively and not make the offensive team move slower. Make them send more guys back after miss shots.
4) Have injuries off the court.
5) Fragrant fouls, fights, players and coaches throw out of games, coaches interactions
6) Make it harder to beat teams when they’re playing at home.
7) Distinguish ratings between 3 pt % and 3 pt attempts. Eg. B. Davis takes a lot of attempts at poor %, eg. 500+ at 32%, where D. Marshall, 300 at .40%
8) Instead of having global, users, computer settings. Get rid of global and just place those criteria in both users and computer settings. Eg. Changing ft difficulty is a global setting. So if you found that making a ft is really easy, you might increase it to make it harder. Doing so makes it way too hard for computer and they miss way too many free-throws. This way you can edit it to match the user and the computer.
9) Like all Live series, it’s still too easy to grab an offensive rebound after a miss free-throw
10) Allow users to choose who they want to jump C. at beginning of games. Eg. Yao plays C, but Cato jumps C at the beginning of games.
Errors in the game
1) Computer only substitute when calling a time out. They don’t even sub in at free-throws. They wait and if a free-throw shot is missed then they rebound, call time out and sub.
2) No offensive basketball interference. Defensive basketball interferences are counted as a block.
3) Computers don’t call time-out to move the ball when time is expiring!
Changes included in NBA Live 2005
1) All-Star weekend, this includes slam dunk, 3 point shooting contest, Rookie Challenge, All-star game at mid-season.
2) Adding defense against the jump stop. Thank God! I will buy Live 05 just because of this single feature. But still I hope they just get rid of it completely.
3) Tip in Rebounds (free style air)
