The first and most obvious is that, in what feels like the culmination of years of baby steps, NBA 2K18 has largely stripped away the linear starting path of M圜areer and combined it with MyPark and Pro-Am to create The Neighborhood. I imagine it will be patched because something similar has happened before in an NBA 2K game and was quickly patched then, but as of now, it remains my biggest issue with online play.Playing online has seen a number of structural changes, some better than others. You can play through it, but it is noticeable, especially when stat overlays come up on the screen during the action. If neither team ever calls a timeout, this issue never occurs. The biggest downside right now to the head-to-head games online is that timeouts are causing a minor frame rate issue for many folks (including myself) after returning to action. You have to adjust and strategize while not worrying about subs or any other extra elements – and then if you get bored, you just go and draft again. So you end up seeing opponents who clearly tried to build a team to play a certain style, and then others who just picked the best players they could regardless of fit. My favorite new MyTeam addition is Pack and Playoffs, which simplifies your team down to selecting five random players from packs, and then uses that group to go against other users. I generally play NBA 2K more online than against the AI, and so seeing all these improvements across the board has truly breathed new life into the series for me.MyTeam is the biggest beneficiary of these improvements. All of this put together means I’m having the best time I’ve ever had playing online in head-to-head games. There are still some cases where I don’t understand how a guard got in to get a rebound around three other players, but much like the signature style mentioned previously, players like Andre Drummond are true threats on the glass. Rebounding has been diversified this year with some fantastic loose-ball animations and tip rebounds. It’s very common to see seven or eight players end up in the paint on the break when they really should be finding more spots at the three-point line to provide better spacing and passing lanes. That being said, players still don’t run lanes or hold their spacing enough on the break. Defenders can’t just make up an absurd amount of space and get to you when they have no right to get there. Fast breaks have improved this year in that you’re no longer constantly being chased down and blocked from behind on plays that should obviously end in dunks. “There are a couple other improvements to long-term mechanical issues in NBA 2K that should be mentioned: fast breaks and rebounding. Unique big men like Nikola Jokic aren’t featured enough for my tastes, but overall, teams play like their real-life counterparts more than they ever have before. Guys like Devin Booker run off screen to catch the ball on the move to immediately pressure your defense. However, the AI does do a much better job this year of playing into the signature styles of teams and players on offense. In addition, they have a hard time figuring out body placement on post-entry passes, playing on the wrong hip, or even fronting their man when it doesn’t really make sense. The downside is that AI players still sometimes struggle with things like losing their man for no reason on defense. Defenders will leave suspect shooters like Ben Simmons and Josh Jackson alone in the corner from three-point land and help out on drives instead, daring them to take and make three-point shots and prove they should be covered. Kyrie Irving and Isaiah Thomas are unbelievably dangerous on offense, but Patrick Beverley is way more useful on defense than either of those superstars could ever be.Even something as nuanced as the help defense has really been diversified this year based on personnel. Someone like Kelly Olynyk can spread the floor from the center position, but don’t expect him to be able to handle Karl-Anthony Towns on defense. Enes Kanter is a wonderful player to have on offense, but he’s a complete liability when it comes to protecting the paint. “Playing to the strengths and weaknesses of your players comes through all over the court.
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