College Hoops 2k7

[fsquid]

I'm in my second season with the Citadel and I beat Duke by 1. I stormed out to a 20-8 lead and went into a slowdown offense. If it wasn't for some bad fouls on Duke's part they would have beat me.

[XXXIV]

I'm in my second season with the Citadel and I beat Duke by 1. I stormed out to a 20-8 lead and went into a slowdown offense. If it wasn't for some bad fouls on Duke's part they would have beat me.

Coach K is losing it.

[fsquid]

I'm in my second season with the Citadel and I beat Duke by 1. I stormed out to a 20-8 lead and went into a slowdown offense. If it wasn't for some bad fouls on Duke's part they would have beat me.

Coach K is losing it.

need to can him!

[ddtrane]

My question is how hard/easy is this game to get into? I play NHL, NCAA, TW alot, and I've never been crazy about cyber bball. The last title I remotely remember playing was Live 05. I liked live better because the men off the ball was always moving as opposed to the 2K series where they just stood around and watched just like in the real NBA.

Since Best Buy will be selling this game for $30 starting Thurs, Fri, and Sat. is it worth the risk?

[sportdan30]

My question is how hard/easy is this game to get into? I play NHL, NCAA, TW alot, and I've never been crazy about cyber bball. The last title I remotely remember playing was Live 05. I liked live better because the men off the ball was always moving as opposed to the 2K series where they just stood around and watched just like in the real NBA.

Since Best Buy will be selling this game for $30 starting Thurs, Fri, and Sat. is it worth the risk?

Heck yeah it's worth $30. That's a fantastic deal. Are you sure it's for the 360? I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at how well the players move without the ball.

[XXXIV]

My question is how hard/easy is this game to get into? I play NHL, NCAA, TW alot, and I've never been crazy about cyber bball. The last title I remotely remember playing was Live 05. I liked live better because the men off the ball was always moving as opposed to the 2K series where they just stood around and watched just like in the real NBA.

Since Best Buy will be selling this game for $30 starting Thurs, Fri, and Sat. is it worth the risk?

Heck yeah it's worth $30. That's a fantastic deal. Are you sure it's for the 360? I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at how well the players move without the ball.

Its a great game. If you are scared rent it.

If Live is your game. You can get a used copy pretty cheap at EB/GS. Though that would be like taking a gun to your head .

[Blublub]

Since Best Buy will be selling this game for $30 starting Thurs, Fri, and Sat. is it worth the risk?

Wow, where did you find that info? Great deal if true.

[Zeppo]

Since Best Buy will be selling this game for $30 starting Thurs, Fri, and Sat. is it worth the risk?

Definitely. I have major issues with cyber-hoops, but I am loving CH2K7. I get wildly frustrated from time to time, but the more I play the better a handle I get on what is going on, and it's a great game. The controls are a bit esoteric and combo-heavy, the mechanics stilted a bit, but it's become clear to me now that this 2K hoops engine is approching WE standards in terms of user control, random insanity, and endless variety, even though at first blush, due to the non-existant ball physics (when the ball is under control of a player, at least) the game would give you the opposite impression.

I prefer the College Hoops control scheme to the NBA control scheme (if I can switch it in NBA I will be very happy) and it's helped me come to terms with the difficulty of understanding the rhythm and timing of the game. And make no mistake, since the very first 2K hoops, this game is all about rhythm and timing, and once you start to get a feel for the game's rhythm, some of the offensive plays, and the basic mechanics of stuff like post play, things start falling into place.

The biggest bonus of the CH2K7 over NBA, besides the breadth of teams, is the functional practice mode, where you can actually practice against defenders (unlike the NBA game where it's just free play), and do specific drills which for me are proving invaluable as I ramp up my understanding of the game.

At first the game may seem entirely random, and you'll be smashing buttons not knowing what will come next, and occasionally will do some crazy stuff with the button mashing. The player movement will seem random at best, unpredictable and confusing at first, but after a while things will start to fall into place. And don't get me started on the insane interface setup, which can make everything unbearably frustrating until you start to make enough sense of it to keep from killing yourself.

But for $30, if you get the named rosters, I don't think you can go wrong. Use the drills, look for 'precise40' at youtube and his Czar of the Telestrator videos for NBA and CH2K7, and get with the rhythm of that shot stick, and I bet you'll be loving it in no time. Like I said, I have major problems with cyber hoops, mostly related to ball physics and the shooting mechanic, but this game has got me by the balls. It's making me pop NBA2K7 back in once in a while, and if I can get that control scheme the way I want (or more likely, graduate to the point where I prefer the default NBA scheme and not the CH scheme), I can really see how great a game that could be as well. If only it had the drills and the practice with defense. . . . But it has Gilbert Arenas, which the CH game doesn't!

Take the chance, you won't regret it.

[ddtrane]

Since Best Buy will be selling this game for $30 starting Thurs, Fri, and Sat. is it worth the risk?

Wow, where did you find that info? Great deal if true.

I was reading posts over at OS. Someone at OS claims they found it at the forums at CAG. I go over to CAG and can't find a link, then I read posts that it may only be discounted in the Midwest, so who knows for sure.

I've made my mind up, I can spend $30 to see if I like it or not. Hopefully its on sale here in Baltimore.

[Blublub]

Since Best Buy will be selling this game for $30 starting Thurs, Fri, and Sat. is it worth the risk?

Wow, where did you find that info? Great deal if true.

I was reading posts over at OS. Someone at OS claims they found it at the forums at CAG. I go over to CAG and can't find a link, then I read posts that it may only be discounted in the Midwest, so who knows for sure.

I've made my mind up, I can spend $30 to see if I like it or not. Hopefully its on sale here in Baltimore.

Wow, I was waiting for the special benefit of living in the midwest. If anyone finds out more please let me know.

[RobVarak]

What are you seeing with the CPU's free throw shooting? In all the games I've played, I don't think I've seen the CPU miss more than 4 in a game (out of at least 16). In general, they shoot > 80%. Has anyone seen the CPU miss more free throws than I have?

I've been replaying a game in my legacy to balance the sliders. In one game (my Illinois vs CPU Ariz.) the CPU made 19 out of 19 FT's! That's the worst I've seen, but they almost always shoot at least 80%. I've taken to putting down the controller and stretching my legs while they shoot

The only thing that is really irritating me is the effectiveness of the CPU press. It seems that the pressure causes some wacky results. I'll pass the ball in to my PG who will draw the pressure, then pass the ball back 4 feet to the dude who made the pass (and is completely unguarded) and the PG will throw it 25 feet past the guy! I've seen variations on that a couple times, and it's really aggravating. I can understand if I'm making bad decisions, but these are virtually unchallenged hand-offs!

[sportdan30]

Without a doubt, the CPU free throw shooting needs to be addressed by the developers. They shoot too high of a percentage. Is there a slider for this besides changing to "realistic shooting results" which doesn't seem to make a difference.

I haven't noticed an issue with the full court press as you had mentioned Rob, but every so often I do have problems with trying to pass to my intended teamate, and it goes to another player within the viscinity. When that occurs, I will occasionally use the right bumper to pick exactly who I want to pass to. Maybe that would help with the full court press issues you're having.

I'd also like to see the animation that occurs when you have a poor dribbler be addressed. It's frusturating to have your player fall down two to three times a game when he tries and pull off a one on one move. I'd rather see him get stripped of the ball instead of falling to floor as if he pulled a hamstring.

I'm sure you guys have made the change, but it took me over a week in to my legacy to adjust the recruiting/game preparation balance. It was maxed out to recruiting, thus leaving little to no game preparation. I don't know how much of a difference it makes regarding how well your team plays, but I'll be testing it out this evening. What I'm hoping to see is more balanced offensive and defensive game from my players.

[fsquid]

yea, I suck at scheduling my time, I need to improve that.

[vader29]

Wow, where did you find that info? Great deal if true.

I was reading posts over at OS. Someone at OS claims they found it at the forums at CAG. I go over to CAG and can't find a link, then I read posts that it may only be discounted in the Midwest, so who knows for sure.

I've made my mind up, I can spend $30 to see if I like it or not. Hopefully its on sale here in Baltimore.

Wow, I was waiting for the special benefit of living in the midwest. If anyone finds out more please let me know.

Dealrush.com has posted that the sale will be on bestbuy.com, doesn't say anything about brick and mortar stores but you can just purchase it through their site and choose to pick it up at your local store.
http://www.dealrush.com/article2530.html

[Blublub]

Thanks Vader. Wow, MTW2 for $25 is a steal also.

[sportdan30]

As I also posted at OS:

I'm so incredibly frusturated. I started my legacy with Kansas a few nights ago. I start with an easy win against Northern Arizona. I follow that up with a tough loss to Oral Roberts. I can stomach the loss because the Jayhawks actually did lose to ORU this year. I spank Towson in my next game.

Here's where the aggravation begins. I cannot freakin' stop Tennessee State. Not Tennessee..... but State! They're hitting threes, pressing the heck out of me, getting steals, getting easy baskets underneath, etc. I on the other hand can't hit the broadside of the barn. I look like a high school team going up against a NBA team. I reluctantly start over, something I've rarely ever done in the past. Guess what happens? Same darn thing! This isn't borderline realistic. Not even close. In reality, KU beat them by 35.

What the heck is going on? Yes, there are upsets, and then there are unimaginable upsets. Ones that never occur. I shouldn't be fighting to stay within 15 points at HOME of all places to TSU. I don't know. My excitement for this game that I've had for the past week has now diminished. I realize teams are streaky, but it just might be way over the top in this game.

Anyone else experience this frusturation?

DSP fellas....does this same thing happen with NBA 2K7? In the time I owned the NBA game, I don't recall there being this kind of issue.

[dbdynsty25]

I've been running into the same crap in my NCAA legacy. I've basically went back to the NBA game because it simulates real life a little better. I play NCAA just for sh*ts and giggles now.

[warnerwlf98]

As I also posted at OS:

I'm so incredibly frusturated. I started my legacy with Kansas a few nights ago. I start with an easy win against Northern Arizona. I follow that up with a tough loss to Oral Roberts. I can stomach the loss because the Jayhawks actually did lose to ORU this year. I spank Towson in my next game.

Here's where the aggravation begins. I cannot freakin' stop Tennessee State. Not Tennessee..... but State! They're hitting threes, pressing the heck out of me, getting steals, getting easy baskets underneath, etc. I on the other hand can't hit the broadside of the barn. I look like a high school team going up against a NBA team. I reluctantly start over, something I've ever really done in the past. Guess what happens? Same darn thing! This isn't borderline realistic. Not even close. In reality, KU beat them by 35.

What the heck is going on? Yes, there are upsets, and then there are unimaginable upsets. Ones that never occur. I shouldn't be fighting to stay within 15 points at HOME of all places to TSU. I don't know. My excitement for this game that I've had for the past week has now diminished. I realize teams are streaky, but it just might be way over the top in this game.

Anyone else experience this frusturation?

DSP fellas....does this same thing happen with NBA 2K7? In the time I owned the NBA game, I don't recall there being this kind of issue.

What's your unity slider set at? You may have to lower it to zero if it isn't already.

I also noticed that the CPU defense recovers too quickly so I lowered the CPU help defense slider to 10 to get more open shots. For one game it worked too well - I got a ton of open 3s after calling the "Dual Wing Guard" play, so I raised it back to 30 or so. I think that's a pretty good setting.

I've also lowered the CPU's Offensive and Defensive awarenesses to 45 a piece. I'm not sure how much that helps, but I remember this is a college game and sometimes college players don't play too smart - I've seen this a ton of times this year in real games (where there's less than 35 seconds in the game and the team that's down doesn't foul immediately).

I had a game yesterday between 2 evenly matched teams - my opposition's unity was slightly higher than mine. They came out on fire, hitting 3s and connected on their first 7 shots, taking a 17-3 lead. I didn't feel like shutting it off, and I played some more solid bball - dishing the ball down low to my best players on the team, my PF and C. I worked some baskets, got fouled, and got some and 1s. All of a sudden I notice that they go completely cold and I take a 4 pt lead at half. The rest of the game was a nail biter and actually pretty fun.

Your problems could be related to not playing to your strengths and not taking away theirs, but I've also seen runs like I've described in other games I've played where I'm able to get back in it. It could be about the unity or it could be just about taking your time, using the whole shot clock, and using timeouts. I felt the same as you last week, but my games just got more competitive lately after making some slider changes and being more patient. I'm not sure if either change alone, or a combination of both has helped me out.

[MUTTS]

Warner....please post your sliders as I'm curiuos to see where things stand for you.

Thanks in advance,

Tony

[warnerwlf98]

Warner....please post your sliders as I'm curiuos to see where things stand for you.

Thanks in advance,

Tony

Here are my sliders for the All-conference difficulty. Keep in mind I'm playing with Northern Colorado, a 70 rated team.

All-conference
11 minute halves
Clutch factor ON

Charging, Blocking, Reaching, Shooting Fouls - 85
Loose Ball Foul - 55

User/CPU

Inside - 51/50
Mid -51/50
3Pt - 51/50
Dunk -50/50
Layup - 65/55

Tendencies for CPU - I'd most want the CPU taking midrange shots or driving so those are the highest here. Even at 30, they still jack up 3s for an 11 minute half (may have to be increased a little). All are lower than 50 to make the CPU work the shot clock. They won't take a shot early in the clock unless someone is open.

close - 35
midrange - 43
3pt - 30
drive - 40

CPU only
offensive and defensive awareness - 45
Speed - 37 (you won't be caught on fast breaks, but you can't catch them if they have a few steps on you)

User/CPU
team unity - 30/30
dunks in traffic - 36/36
screen success/strength - 50/50
Steal success - 50/44
Help defense - 50/50
help recovery -50/35

both user and cpu (for 11 minute halves)
energy fatigue rate - 57
energy recovery rate - 43

[sportdan30]

Warner,

What's your feeling of clutch factor? I have it currently set to off because I get the feeling it's more or less a determinant in keeping the games close. Not necessarily a cheat, but more of an assistance. Plus, I'm afraid a weaker team will all of a sudden shoot the lights out when they're down 10-15 points.

Thanks.

Dan

[warnerwlf98]

Warner,

What's your feeling of clutch factor? I have it currently set to off because I get the feeling it's more or less a determinant in keeping the games close. Not necessarily a cheat, but more of an assistance. Plus, I'm afraid a weaker team will all of a sudden shoot the lights out when they're down 10-15 points.

Thanks.

Dan

Hmm . . . In all the years I've been playing this game, I've always shut it off, but this year I left it on for some reason. Maybe I was messing with all the other things to change first.

Looking back on the definition of the clutch factor, I think it's supposed to mean that players with high clutch ratings have a better chance of making their shots at the end of games, but I'm not sure if it actually does that or if it acts like some kind of parity inducer. I think I may have felt that way about the clutch factor at some point too.

When I think about it more, clutch should help the computer hit its free throws at the end of a game, but the CPU always seems to hit most of them anyway. I was able to win a game at the end because the CPU missed one - that, plus the fact that my games of late have been competitive have prompted me to leave clutch on. I may shut clutch off for the next game to see if it plays any differently for me.

[sportdan30]

Warner,

I tested your sliders out against Tennessee State in my legacy. What a difference between the game I played last night and the game I played this evening. The game definitely felt more balanced, and not so chaotic from the opposition. They worked the clock well, and shot a more believeable percentage from the field.

I did make one rather significant adjustment. I went in to the TSU coach settings and changed the press frequency from "always" to "occasionally". As someone else pointed out, small schools rarely play a "40 minutes of hell" a team such as UAB used to play, and what Missouri plays now. A team such as TSU shouldn't have the depth of a larger school to be able to press all the time. To me, the game felt more believeable.

Nice sliders by the way.

[warnerwlf98]

Warner,

I tested your sliders out against Tennessee State in my legacy. What a difference between the game I played last night and the game I played this evening. The game definitely felt more balanced, and not so chaotic from the opposition. They worked the clock well, and shot a more believeable percentage from the field.

I did make one rather significant adjustment. I went in to the TSU coach settings and changed the press frequency from "always" to "occasionally". As someone else pointed out, small schools rarely play a "40 minutes of hell" a team such as UAB used to play, and what Missouri plays now. A team such as TSU shouldn't have the depth of a larger school to be able to press all the time. To me, the game felt more believeable.

Nice sliders by the way.

Glad they were able to work well. In a couple of more games today, I played very well against higher rated teams, so I bumped up the unity to 60.

The primary effect that I noticed was that any balls that I jarred loose on defense were retained by the opposition - they were basically sucked back in. This year's game, along with NBA 2K7 really has an abundance of loose balls and in real life you have to be careful passing so I'd rather there be more loose balls so the team unity goes back to 30 for good.

[jondiehl]

Thanks for the heads up on the $30 Best Buy deal. I grabbed it today after reading that, only because of the price. Frankly, after playing the demo, it didn't look next-gen at all to me. Basically a 720p Xbox game (and I've been there done that, for several years now). Certainly an improvement over their previous versions, but not nearly as next-gen looking as NBA 2k7 (at least the demo).

Anyway, I popped it in tonight and played a few full games. Alot of fun, but I can't get used to the menu system, or the shot stick. I guess that will come with time.

Thanks for the sliders too, on the default mode, like almost every other sports game, it didn't quite feel right.

Anyone up for some online hoops this weekend? Shoot me a message/invite if so (to: XBoxJon), I'll be around almost all day on Saturday.