ESPN NBA 2K5 Season Discussion

[Rendclaw 0]

After playing one game of Live 2005 on the Xbox and not liking it at all, I decided to plunge back in ESPN NBA 2K5

 

I've gone full-bore into season mode, and just before the trading deadline.

 

I'm running my Orlando Magic, and my roster is radically changed. I have my two CAPs at the 2 and the 5, and I am looking to deal Steve Francis, or just not re-sign him at years end. Running a team is a bit more involved, which is a good aspect of the game though sometimes I wish I did not have to deal with the damn salary cap.

 

Also, I need any tips about good training management. Of course with two CAPs and Stevie, we're over the cap and I cannot hire trainers. I am considering restarting the season, but I'm also over the trading deadline and close to the All-Star break, so I will just soldier through.

 

I remember seeing in another thread that someone was having trouble blocking and defending shots. You have to "turbo jump", and your timing has to be good, even anticipatory sometimes to get blocks. Just stay with it, and you'll learn how to do so.

[Matt Young 0]

Damn you... I was just about to post a thread asking about people's tendencies in season and franchise modes, including this game. I guess I can still do that though since this only focuses on one game.

 

I'm just now preparing to start a season, actually. I bought NBA 2K5 when I got my Xbox in early November. It was the first NBA game I had played since 2K1 on the Dreamcast. I didn't like it much at first and spent most of my sports gaming time with NFL 2K5, but I picked this game back up last night after voting for All-Star game starters online and I found myself wondering, "Why did I not like this game?"

 

I've played 4 games since last night- equal to the total amount I had played altogether before that- and I'm decent at it, although I still struggle on pro.

 

I'm not sure whether I'm going to start a season with my favorite team, the T'Wolves, or go with my #2, the Bulls, for more of a challenge.

 

The training seems like an awesome feature, but i always seemed to lose points with it in NFL so I may skip it. I'll probably keep the rosters the same unless I can find a halfway decent free agent or two out there.

 

How many games are you playing in your season? It seems like all the options offer too few games or too many. Well, 56 games may not be too many, but I can easily see myself getting bored halfway through.

[Rendclaw 0]

Damn you... I was just about to post a thread asking about people's tendencies in season and franchise modes, including this game. I guess I can still do that though since this only focuses on one game.

 

I'm just now preparing to start a season, actually. I bought NBA 2K5 when I got my Xbox in early November. It was the first NBA game I had played since 2K1 on the Dreamcast. I didn't like it much at first and spent most of my sports gaming time with NFL 2K5, but I picked this game back up last night after voting for All-Star game starters online and I found myself wondering, "Why did I not like this game?"

 

I've played 4 games since last night- equal to the total amount I had played altogether before that- and I'm decent at it, although I still struggle on pro.

 

I'm not sure whether I'm going to start a season with my favorite team, the T'Wolves, or go with my #2, the Bulls, for more of a challenge.

 

The training seems like an awesome feature, but i always seemed to lose points with it in NFL so I may skip it. I'll probably keep the rosters the same unless I can find a halfway decent free agent or two out there.

 

How many games are you playing in your season? It seems like all the options offer too few games or too many. Well, 56 games may not be too many, but I can easily see myself getting bored halfway through.

If you want more of a challenge, go with the Bulls. I had a season on 2K4 with the Twolves, and after putting in my two obligatory CAPs, it was absurdly easy. KG is just a sick, sick player.

 

I looked over my roaster, and Stevie is locked in for five freaking years.... My CAP center is signed for just one, and my namesake CAP is in for four... this coming off season is going to be a MESS.

 

And I need a few hints on building team chemistry with players at the beginning of each week, as in giving advice and when you give the right answers your team chemistry goes up by a little or a lot..... and it shows on the court... on one play my CAP SG had the ball at the top of the key and without calling for it, my CAP center came up and set a pick which allowed me to go in for a swooping dunk. I had to rewind it a couple of times.

[Ripper 0]

Player personality 1 - answer number 3.

 

Player personality 2 - answer number one

 

Player Personality 3 - Answer number two

 

Thats it for the answers. It took me like a entire season to even notice.

 

I never play a real season, I always do the fantasy draft, as it can give you a great team under the cap or a horrible team that is way over the cap. After making what seemed like a thousand trades, I ended up with Jason Williams, Lebron James, Shawn Marion, Amare Stodimire and Theo Ratliff as my starters until I lost Ratliff for the year. I moved Piakoski into the SF spot and shifted everyone else down. We are on our way to the finals.

 

One thing I LOVE about this game is that they player stats change EVERY game. So at the beganning of the game, I go in and check and see who is hot from where. Like some nights, Jason williams will be ranked at about 80, but then one night I looked and he was at 96. I usually wouldn't have noticed and would have not used him that much shooting the ball. I think that is a great lil addition to the game.

 

I found shotblocking and rebounding to be difficult at first, but now that Igot the hang of it, I will routinely get triple doubles with Amare with him getin 20+ rebounds and 10 + blocks. They do take timing though.

[Black Lushus 0]

i believe that even happens during exhibition play (quick games), Rip, but don't quote me on that...

[Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly]

I'm doing a season where I've tried to recreate the 72-10 Chicago Bulls. I've got Jordan and Pippen leading the All-Star votes but I've found it too easy to get turnovers from double teaming with a full court press. Anybody know a way I can make the game a little more realistic?

[Ripper 0]

I'm doing a season where I've tried to recreate the 72-10 Chicago Bulls. I've got Jordan and Pippen leading the All-Star votes but I've found it too easy to get turnovers from double teaming with a full court press. Anybody know a way I can make the game a little more realistic?

Stop double teaming.

 

 

Honestly, I just stopped. It slowwed the game down and work way too often.

 

 

And if you turn up the difficulty, they will avoid it alot more often. Slide up the computers offensive AI or offensive awareness (i think that is what the slider is called) and you won't get as many double teams either. But I just basically don't use the double team button any more.

[Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly]

The only thing I hate about turning up the difficulty in most games is the fact that the CPU doesn't miss any shots. It's fine if they're getting good shots, but they hit alot of contested shots. I'm going to try your advice though.

[Ripper 0]

The only thing I hate about turning up the difficulty in most games is the fact that the CPU doesn't miss any shots. It's fine if they're getting good shots, but they hit alot of contested shots. I'm going to try your advice though.

Yeah, its all about turning down sliders and turning up the difficulty. I have it now where the game shoots a realistic field goal percentage and such. Its a much more enjoyable game than my 500 ally oop, 100 point blow outs I used to have.

[Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly]

What are your FG percentages looking like? Mine are usually VERY high and the majority of my points come in the paint. How long are your quarters and what kind of stats do you usually have?

[Black Lushus 0]

i'm on Pro difficulty and my quarters are 9 minutes which produces pretty normal scores and stats...the only problem with that, though, is that your players don't tire too much so you don't tend to make substitutions too often, which takes away the realism (if that's your sort of thing)...since I play as the Knicks, games often times actually come down to the wire, even on Pro difficulty...now if I was the Wolves who have ungodly team stats, I'd have to bump up the difficulty, but the Knicks are mediocre so it makes for entertaining games against the comp.

[Ripper 0]

What are your FG percentages looking like? Mine are usually VERY high and the majority of my points come in the paint. How long are your quarters and what kind of stats do you usually have?

My team usually is around 52-53 percent, mostly because I have a fast break team. In the games my fast break offense gets shut down I am about 42-45 percent from the field.

 

I play 8-10 minute quarters, as I only play once a day so the short games kinda just bore me. My stats are possibly realistic with the players involved (Amare averages about 28, Lebron 26 and Shawn Marion 25, after that Jason Williams is at about 11) Amare is a beast on the boards and at blocks, mostly because I take control of him on defense (16 rebs, 8 blocks) and Jason williams has unrealistic assist numbers ( 21 per game) but besides that it is pretty realistic.

[Guest Flyboy]

I would type more, but I'm too lazy -- I'll just give my starting lineup in my Houston Rockets' Association:

 

PG: Chris Paul (draft)

SG: Tracy McGrady

SF: Gerald Wallace

PF: Tyson Chandler

C: Yao Ming

[Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly]

I messed around with the sliders so that the numbers would be more realistic, but it messed up the shot blocking. I made it harder to double team and I turned up offensive and defensive awareness so that I couldn't get a high number of easy steals and assists. I made the layups harder so that every shot in the paint wasn't a gimme, but everybody's shit started geting blocked alot. I play with 5 minute quarters because it would take forever to play a season if I couldn't play more than one game per sitting.

[Rendclaw 0]

How about posting actual settings? I am blowing teams out by a good 50 points at least.... I played the All Star game and my CAP 2 still ended up being player of the game, even though my CAP 5 had a statistically better game, and I was rotating all the roster in and out. The Twin Towers 2k5 (Shaq and my CAP Center) were destroying people in the post and on the boards.

 

Thanks for the advice on the player personalities.

 

One thing I love as well is actually improving your players. I was able to trade most of the roster because I was able to consistently improve their stats. I forgot to save one time when I traded for Doug Christie two weeks before the actual trade went down.

 

I am thinking of starting over because my team is so horribly over the salary cap, and because of that, I cannot train aside from the shooting drills. Even with just doing that, I am training everyone to be decent at the mid-range J, because that opens things up for my CAPs, who get the lions share of the points, though Hedo Turkoglu is fast becoming the second coming of Larry Bird.

[Black Lushus 0]

that salary cap is very irritating, though I know it is needed for realism...because of Isiah Thomas's poor choices in the real world, I was fucked by the time I was done with my season because I was so horribly over the salary cap...couldn't resign my decent players, couldn't resign my training staff and had to sign trainers/assistant coaches with average and poor ratings, couldn't sign top free agents, no other teams wanted to touch my horrible contracts through trades...man what a mess!

[Rendclaw 0]

When you're starting a season you *do* have the option of turning off the salary cap.... which would allow you to field a dream team (now there is a decent idea, put the dream team 1992 in as a full team and have them compete in an NBA season, but sheesh, putting in accurate stats?) of who you would want and not worry about the cap. I am looking at losing my CAP center which sucks because he is about 40% of my offense... I really want to just waive Steve Francis, but that will count against the cap... ::sighs::

[Brett Favre 0]

When you're starting a season you *do* have the option of turning off the salary cap.... which would allow you to field a dream team (now there is a decent idea, put the dream team 1992 in as a full team and have them compete in an NBA season, but sheesh, putting in accurate stats?) of who you would want and not worry about the cap. I am looking at losing my CAP center which sucks because he is about 40% of my offense... I really want to just waive Steve Francis, but that will count against the cap... ::sighs::

Trade him to a team with a shitload of cap room for a young player that you know will improve and a first rounder.

[Black Lushus 0]

well the thing is, Rendclaw, I'm tryin to keep it real man, im keepin it real!

[Rendclaw 0]

so am I, but I am trying to get rid of the headaches that go along with the cap.

 

And I would do that, Cena, but the trade deadline has come and gone. I might be screwed.

[Black Lushus 0]

I might have a bugged game, not sure, but turning salary cap rules off prior to starting the season doesn't seem to work right for me...I can't sign anyone because I'm over the cap limit...

[Ripper 0]

When you're starting a season you *do* have the option of turning off the salary cap.... which would allow you to field a dream team (now there is a decent idea, put the dream team 1992 in as a full team and have them compete in an NBA season, but sheesh, putting in accurate stats?) of who you would want and not worry about the cap. I am looking at losing my CAP center which sucks because he is about 40% of my offense... I really want to just waive Steve Francis, but that will count against the cap... ::sighs::

The "no salary cap" thing really doesn't help that much. even with no cap, you still can't sign anyone. I can't remember what exactly its called, but you still have this "sorta" limit, and honestly, it doesn't really change that much from the cap limit.

[Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly]

Can somebody toss out some names for a team that I should try a season with? Who would be a team to have an interesting season with and why?

[Rendclaw 0]

The Bulls are a good team because they;re up and coming, young, and full of fresh legs... with the right training, that team could be a serious contender in a season or two.

 

The Suns are also good, because if that team is puitting up Sega numbers in the real life game, then they must absolutely sick in the game.

[Black Lushus 0]

that right there is my main problem with sports games...they never allow for those Cindarella teams such as the Suns or Sonics...in my seasons that I've gone through, both teams have been mediocre at best, Sonics never making the playoffs, Suns getting in as a 7th seed at best...but somehow the Hornets are always doing well...they need to figure out a way to factor that kind of stuff in so these games would be more realistic...

[Ripper 0]

I just won the championship and went into the offseason. I find the draft scouting to be terribly annoying and pretty pointless. I mean, you have a hundred names....thats it. Not heights, no initial description of skills like before, you just have a list of names.

 

So then you randomly go and pick them and they tell you who or what they are like, but you have to luck up to find a good one. It is ridiculous. i like the previous years method better.

[Brett Favre 0]

Don't remember which button, but it's probably select, and you find out their height, comparison, etcs. Once you scout them you find out their strengths and weaknesses. Last year's was better though, the navigation for this year is horrible in the scouting department.

[Rendclaw 0]

I'm glad I kept 2k4 for that reason, although I am willing to put up with the bad scouting in the offseason.