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View Full Version : NBA LIVE 18 - General Discussion & Impressions



cdj
09-07-2017, 03:57 PM
Now that the game is available on EA Access and on retail next Friday, feel free to use this thread to discuss the game.

cdj
09-07-2017, 07:23 PM
From reading impressions from EA Access members, here seems to be some of the prevailing takeaways:

- Gameplay vastly improved from previous LIVEs
- Presentation and visuals are great
- Franchise improved, but no online or connected component
- No roster or player editing is a big L, but there's some speculation it could be patched in.
- While some Madden fans get frustrated that too many resources may be going into MUT, some LIVE fans wish LUT would get more. No Draft Champions or Salary Cap mode added, also no sets/collections. Appears the same as 16.


Also, one has to wonder if Irma changed some marketing plans or if EA's marketing mailed it in down the stretch. Little to no effort from them since the demo release, including - to date - no official blogs or info on Franchise Mode or Ultimate Team. People are having to play EA Access (or read impressions from those who have it) to learn what is new or exists in these modes.

Rudy
09-08-2017, 07:45 AM
I pre-ordered this game with a nice promotion at EB Games. They are doing double trade value dollars for September. So I got $50 for Horizon Zero Dawn and Live 18 is $53.59 over here that that paid for it. Will have impressions next weekend.

I find it a lot harder to drive past players in Live 18 All-Star than Live 16. My dribble moves need work though. And I have no clue on how to do moves in the post. The demo did not have any good tutorials in these areas.

Disappointed in lack of roster edits. For me it's not a big deal until the offseason where control and edits are huge.

Rudy
09-09-2017, 12:31 PM
Some detailed controls including quick coach calls.

http://www.gosunoob.com/nba-live-18/controls-list/

cdj
09-10-2017, 09:15 PM
I will have a retail copy tomorrow and have been told there is no embargo.

Any requests for screens, info, videos, impressions, etc. are more than welcome.

Rudy
09-11-2017, 04:25 AM
Chris, I have hot geeen on the shot meter pretty easily in the demo lately. Kind of hoping that 100% make is toned down. The mid range game could be a little better but I've had a lot of fun with the demo.

cdj
09-11-2017, 07:15 AM
What difficulty do you play on, Rudy? I wouldn't say I have green mastered on LIVE, but do hit it way more on LIVE than on 2K18 Prelude. I've played quite a bit online and in my experience, the lag is just enough I don't think I have hit a green yet in LIVE Run.

Rudy
09-11-2017, 08:27 AM
All star. Last two games of demo I must have hit green ten times each.

Rudy
09-13-2017, 06:39 PM
I am pretty annoyed with the green meter. That does not incorporate ratings at all and makes it too easy and feast/famine. I hope it's not as easy in the retail version. Going to try Superstar to see if it's harder.

Edit - just hit green 5 times in the first quarter on superstar. I like seeing the green but who decided making it 100% was a good idea? It's not.

cdj
09-13-2017, 08:03 PM
I am pretty annoyed with the green meter. That does not incorporate ratings at all and makes it too easy and feast/famine. I hope it's not as easy in the retail version. Going to try Superstar to see if it's harder.

Edit - just hit green 5 times in the first quarter on superstar. I like seeing the green but who decided making it 100% was a good idea? It's not.

I haven't been able to master the green timing yet, but most of my playing so far has been with my created player who isn't a very good shooter.


From what I gather, the '100% green' was a response to those who played 16 and would see a very high percentage, but the shot not go in. They didn't understand why that was, so LIVE is copying 2K where you can hit a perfect release and it will always go in.

I'm not a huge fan of it either as 1) basketball players never know 100% a shot is going in when it leaves their hands and 2) even a perfect shot IRL (perfect form & release) isn't 100% going in.

cdj
09-14-2017, 05:25 PM
JB currently with some copies of the game to give away:

908453740558069761

Rudy
09-14-2017, 06:36 PM
Nice!

Rudy
09-15-2017, 12:24 PM
I have played two games of the retail version on 6 minute quarters. Got beat by 25 using Pistons against Raptors. Then I lost by over ten with Rockets against Cavs as I wanted to see more clearly the difference between the demo and retail.

Retail is harder on all star imo. It also seems more centered around points in the paint. Derozan and Lebron were beasts getting to the hole. Drives to the basket seem too easily rewarded if not blocked. Will be tweaking some sliders. I felt there were more steals and maybe more alley oops tried by the CPU. Offensive rebounding seemed a bit strong but it's only two games. I hate seeing offensive boards on free throws too. Especially since most NBA players don't even try on them.

Overall I'm happy. Using EA Sideline camera now which I like better than the other zoomed out version because you can see easier on fast breaks with how the camera rotates out.

I've complained about the green shot meter although that is tied a bit too strongly to the shot contest (and shot off dribble) sliders. Drop them too much and the green gets too easy. I still think wide open vs contested is too wide a gap.

Rudy
09-15-2017, 03:51 PM
Had a lot of fun. With TWolves vs Charlotte. Lots of points in the paint. Frank K didn't do much for them except get dunked on.

908788196271624193

Rudy
09-15-2017, 09:33 PM
The cpu is too quick to sub out starters. At one point I had 4 on the bench. At least leave one of my top scorers on the floor please! Or if I have auto subs I would like to see the menu pop up at whistles so I can over ride and not have to call a timeout.

Rudy
09-16-2017, 06:28 AM
It feels like the user (demo too) is better at shooting 3s than the CPU but the CPU is better inside, particularly in the post. I think I am 1-5 on all star in retail now. Definitely harder than the demo.

Edit: just played Pistons against Pistons and I kept I close to about 20-20 and ended up losing 75-50. Reggie Jackson on their team scored 43 on 19-21 shooting and hit all 4 shots from downtown. Just had his way with my team.

cdj
09-16-2017, 08:40 AM
The cpu is too quick to sub out starters. At one point I had 4 on the bench. At least leave one of my top scorers on the floor please! Or if I have auto subs I would like to see the menu pop up at whistles so I can over ride and not have to call a timeout.

I'm not a fan of the CPU sub patterns either. Even in the demo, LeBron would get pulled at the start of the second quarter and typically only return very late, just before halftime.

Rudy
09-16-2017, 10:25 AM
I need to start using the "pack the paint" defence (double tap up in dpad) as I get shredded sometimes.

Rudy
09-16-2017, 11:49 AM
Here are what the badges mean. Personally I find the badges too small and similar to pay attention to them too much.

https://www.easports.com/nba-live/the-one/playstyles

cdj
09-16-2017, 02:07 PM
I just thought that the other day, Rudy. Too small and no clue what they mean.

Rudy
09-16-2017, 07:03 PM
From OS: I didn't realize you could use the quick plays for specific players. EA needs to educate the people that have the game more. I'm still lost on the post moves too.


You can call quick plays for a specific player by double tapping one of the directional buttons, then the icon button of the player.

up,up + ___ player icon = isolates the player
left,left + ___ player icon = makes player cut
right,right + ___ player icon = makes player do a screen
down,down + ___ player icon = makes player post up

I was just goofing around in practice mode when I found out about this.

x5starhustla
09-17-2017, 12:02 PM
First off I'd like to thank the gaming tailgate for the copy I won. The game is OK I guess. I try not to compare it to 2k but its so hard. You can tell that they are trying tho. They just have to get the mechanics right. Also would like to see more spacing on the floor. Seemed a little clustered for me playing the online park mode.

CLW
09-19-2017, 07:18 PM
From what I have read from reviews the game just isn't up to snuff again compared with their competition. At this point, the suits have to 100% be considering cancelling the series and laying the Live employees off as its just a better business decision than to continue to put out an inferior product that does not sell.

Rudy
09-20-2017, 04:15 AM
I think most reviews of the gameplay have been positive. The general thinking has been surprisingly good but not as deep as 2K. The franchise mode and lack of roster editing has been hammered though. I think some people just want a change. With the ore order sales I am curious to see sales numbers for the game.

My daughter likes basketball and actually asked to play a game with me last night. So we played a WNBA all star game and she had fun. First time I used the WNBA teams. No dunks is the main difference and I don't think there is a half time show either. I didn't hit a button to skip and it didn't show up.

Rudy
09-20-2017, 04:23 AM
From OS, this poster has continues to find good things in the controls. It looks like you can choose your P&R partner when nobody thought it was possible. Same with the quick plays and being able to choose who they are for. The one thing EA has really screwed up is not having a good social media member that can explain more things. WTF is a game changer and he does almost all the heavy lifting.


Turns out you can pick your screener. Hold the screen button(LB on xbox one) + hold the left stick towards the player you want to set the screen.

cdj
09-20-2017, 07:24 AM
That feature is correct/true, but is bugged - at least on PS4.

The pass icon will be under one player, but when you hold down L1 for the screen someone else will come up and set it. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I haven't quite figured out the logic behind it yet (if there is any).

skipwondah33
09-20-2017, 07:46 AM
I keep having trouble going into The One Career. I can play Live Run, but if I go into the career mode it gives me an error and closes the game out. I forget the error but will check later on tonight.

CDJ, I played a little lastnight but wasn't able to get on until much later after 10. Game still had to finish downloading.

cdj
09-20-2017, 08:18 AM
I keep having trouble going into The One Career. I can play Live Run, but if I go into the career mode it gives me an error and closes the game out. I forget the error but will check later on tonight.

CDJ, I played a little lastnight but wasn't able to get on until much later after 10. Game still had to finish downloading.

I don't think Shop got free until after 9:30 and I missed his invite by a minute, so I just finished the Pro-Am Tour Events last night. My player is now up to an 88 OVR and I am currently #54 on the leaderboards (311K).

Let me know if that error keeps up. I know XB1 users have an issue with The League, but haven't heard anything on the PS4 side. If it keeps up, I'll pass it on to see what can be figured out.

skipwondah33
09-20-2017, 09:56 AM
Yeah one issue I think may have caused it is that I deleted the Demo before downloading/installing the retail copy. All of my stuff transferred over fine but if I try to do any other stuff related to The One with my player that errors seems to occur. At first I thought it was because I didn't have the game fully installed yet. Then I tried it again after game was installed.

Will do other tests but may have to delete my guy and start from scratch.

steelerfan
09-20-2017, 12:11 PM
Yeah one issue I think may have caused it is that I deleted the Demo before downloading/installing the retail copy. All of my stuff transferred over fine but if I try to do any other stuff related to The One with my player that errors seems to occur. At first I thought it was because I didn't have the game fully installed yet. Then I tried it again after game was installed.

Will do other tests but may have to delete my guy and start from scratch. You may want to try re-downloading the demo, trying your guy there, then trying him in the retail version before deleting the demo.

Rudy
09-22-2017, 08:41 PM
I like the new uniforms they added. I really hope they patch in roster editing but I doubt it.

Just played a game and I still see a lot of driving to the lane but I think there can be fixes on EAs end as well as our own end.

1. CPU will drive to the hoop whenever they think they can. So you have to play good defence on the ball. If you manually defend the PG you better have good defensive skills or switch off and let the CPU play defence for you.

2. Jostle vs Blow by slider is too ineffective. If you play with this slider there isn't a big difference between 0 and 100 imo. EA needs to be clear on what you need to do to improve on ball defence and help defenders stop people from driving too easily. At the same time, there has to be some randomness to this as we don't want people to never be able to drive the lane. Maybe we need to reduce dribble move effectiveness. Either way a slider maxed out should act as a brick wall for getting into the lane. Make it more powerful!

3. Coaching settings make a difference. I played against Westbrook on the Thunder. My default settings were playing over on all screens and auto on pressure which usually means tight. He drove all the time. I then set the defence to Loose and Under on screens and he stopped driving and started firing threes. Didn't really help the mid range game but did cause them to shoot more threes. Maybe EA needs to randomize how loose defenders play and back off more if the points in the paint start piling up.

Rudy
09-24-2017, 05:46 AM
Just played against Houston and 36 of their 60 points were in the paint. This is one of the highest volume 3 point shooting teams with a lower paint percentage. The average team is just over 40% so they shouldn't be around 60%. EA has to tweak the drive percentages as teams aren't playing to their style and the mid range game is non existent.

Also, CPU at end of games needs to be smarter and more realistic. Houston beat me by 12 so why is a player heaving a full length shot as time expires? No NBA player would do that when they would just hold on to the ball.

Rudy
09-26-2017, 07:37 AM
The commentary wasn't updated very much at all. I hear a lot of similar lines from Live 16. It's not bad. Some lines make me laugh but most are recycled.

cdj
09-26-2017, 01:54 PM
Just played against Houston and 36 of their 60 points were in the paint. This is one of the highest volume 3 point shooting teams with a lower paint percentage. The average team is just over 40% so they shouldn't be around 60%. EA has to tweak the drive percentages as teams aren't playing to their style and the mid range game is non existent.

Also, CPU at end of games needs to be smarter and more realistic. Houston beat me by 12 so why is a player heaving a full length shot as time expires? No NBA player would do that when they would just hold on to the ball.

There's no mid-range game and late-game/comeback AI is definitely still an issue.

As you mentioned with Houston, play a game against them and look at the shot chart afterwards. IRL, the vast majority of their shots are beyond the arc with most of the remainder inside. In the game, they are not shooting much from outside.

Trailing in games, it seems the CPU doesn't make adjustments fast enough for a potential comeback. For example, they should go full-court to try and get some steals, but they stay in the same D until very late in games, usually when it is all but over.


The commentary wasn't updated very much at all. I hear a lot of similar lines from Live 16. It's not bad. Some lines make me laugh but most are recycled.

I hope in the future they get a new commentary team. Breen and Van Gundy are good in real life, but in the game it came make for some very dry moments.

SmoothPancakes
10-04-2017, 04:42 PM
While it's a very small sample size, Live definitely is looked favorably upon when it comes to faces, skin textures and lighting. Now they just have to somehow break down the mentality that the gameplay is still shit, that so many people still think of the game.

https://www.facebook.com/pastapadre/posts/10155881613669073

If they can start to win over people in the gameplay department, and keep further shoring up and refining the gameplay in the game, they could slowly turn back into a true challenger to NBA 2K. They already are given a leg up in the looks department by some of the gaming public, now they just need to win them over on the court.

Rudy
10-04-2017, 05:29 PM
They have to reduce the driving to the hole and points in paint imo. More screens and pick and roll/pop. The games feel too similar right now and the patch did nothing in this department from what I’m reading. I preferred Live 10 and Live 16 over the 2K versions but the cpu offences are bugging me. Will be taking a break for Shadow of War soon so I can be patient. If they are still doing Synergy maybe that will fix it when the season gets going.

cdj
10-26-2017, 08:59 PM
923622058256367616

Kind of a cool reward (finally) with the Wilkins throwback, but personally the rare tattoos are not enticing. Whenever they make up 2/5+ of the reward crate, I find myself not wanting to play it.

Rudy
11-10-2017, 04:20 PM
NBA Live is only C$30 over here right now. Sales are probably horrible and I expect that EA will pull the plug on this series after Christmas. With no roster editing it won’t even keep a niche following. Hope I’m wrong but I can’t see this series surviving any longer on consoles.

bdoughty
11-10-2017, 06:14 PM
Always take Vgchartz with a grain of salt but if their numbers are correct for the first two weeks.

http://www.vgchartz.com/game/195579/nba-live-18/Global/

PS4 - 39,000

http://www.vgchartz.com/game/195580/nba-live-18/Global/

Xbox One - 28,000


Same time frame (two weeks) for NBA 2K18

http://www.vgchartz.com/game/174555/nba-2k18/Global/

PS4 - 792,000

http://www.vgchartz.com/game/174554/nba-2k18/Global/

Xbox One - 431.000

http://www.vgchartz.com/game/174556/nba-2k18/Global/

Switch - 17,000


And this is with Live being discounted at $39.99 for pre-orders.


Can't find any PR from EA but 2K seems happy with sales, up to November.

https://venturebeat.com/2017/11/07/nba-2k-microtransaction-and-dlc-spending-jumped-57-from-2016/

Publisher 2K Games, a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive, revealed that it has sold more than 6 million copies of NBA 2K18 into retail. It notes that sell-in as well as sell-through to consumers have both grown over 20 percent compared to NBA 2K17.

spending on microtransactions, downloadable content, and season passes jumping 57 percent year-over-year for the NBA 2K series.

Rudy
11-11-2017, 05:34 AM
I see no future for this series. The sales are just too bad.

Rudy
11-11-2017, 07:27 AM
Just popped the game back in and the Pistons rosters are the same as opening day. Tobias still a SF and Beno Udrih still on roster. Pathetic. No roster edits and this game is going to have no support. Hopefully 2K18 is on sale for Black Friday. Don’t see the point in keeping this game without a roster edit feature to fix this crap.

cdj
11-12-2017, 08:07 PM
Can't vouch for it, but I read that somehow the latest rosters reverted back to some errors that had been previously corrected. :fp: I don't know if the Pistons were ever fixed, though.

Personally, I think it's greatly insulting to the community that while not adding in roster editing (a huge request), EA will not make it a priority to get rosters updated/current. Between rosters, lack of strategy items, etc. I feel standard 5-on-5 NBA gameplay in the game is not much fun to play.

Rudy
11-12-2017, 10:11 PM
Most sports games have roster sharing and if you don’t update them constantly someone else will. We have no avenue to good rosters right now.

bdoughty
11-14-2017, 08:38 AM
Here is a pretty good sign in regards to the future of NBA Live.

PSN store now offering a FIFA/NBA Live 18 bundle and FIFA/NHL 18 bundle. One bundle is $79.99 and the other is $99. Will let you guess which is which.

cdj
12-11-2017, 06:57 PM
Starting December 19, NBA LIVE 18 will be available on PSN for just $9.99.

No word on if Microsoft will have a similar deal.

Rudy
12-12-2017, 04:24 AM
Wow! Unbelievably cheap.

cdj
02-12-2018, 08:07 PM
I'm *assuming* tomorrow will be the All-Star Content Update. EA teased a player likeness update two months ago, so perhaps that will be included as well.

Either way, with the lack of communication and marketing by EA lately, I'm guessing this will be the final update of the year. Hopefully it is a good one. The game is still lacking in gameplay updates, player likenesses, roster updates, create-a-player clothing (no present day unis? wth?), roster editor bugs, etc. I doubt this patch will include all of the fixes it needs to keep the game alive through the second part of the season, unfortunately.

Rudy
05-29-2018, 07:44 AM
I guess Live 19 is happening and they are getting away from Frostbite. I don't understand why. They also said they want to focus on younger gamers. Probably a good decision to try to focus on kids that aren't committed to 2K or want a more arcade experience but I don't know what that means for the direction going forward.

cdj
05-31-2018, 05:23 PM
I guess Live 19 is happening and they are getting away from Frostbite. I don't understand why. They also said they want to focus on younger gamers. Probably a good decision to try to focus on kids that aren't committed to 2K or want a more arcade experience but I don't know what that means for the direction going forward.

I don't know what the decision to not integrate Frostbite means either, though I have some ideas. :smh:

That quote from Graddy was interesting. Here it is for those who missed it:

“All of the modes are getting a little bit of love at some level,” this year, he added, “We tried to address at least a couple [of criticisms] regardless. Our focus is to still do things differently; we want to build a game for a younger, new demographic.”

The first part of that quote confirms that some features did not get much in terms of additions or changes. The 'younger, new demographic' part will hinge on how they actually go about doing it. Will they avoid any meaningful depth in an attempt to not overwhelm anyone? Or does it mean streetball gets the majority of the attention and the NBA aspects (5v5 gameplay, Franchise, et al.) continue to get neglected? The game didn't exactly add a lot when it took an extra year off, so will some aspects fall even further behind 2K and other sports titles?

Rudy
05-31-2018, 09:12 PM
They are going to have to be more clear. I’m surprised they are doing another game.

cdj
06-01-2018, 07:53 PM
They are going to have to be more clear. I’m surprised they are doing another game.

My gut says that EA may keep making LIVE on these consoles but perhaps end it when new consoles come around. Unless the game starts pulling in big money or it becomes ridiculous easy (copy and paste) to get the same game onto next-gen, I question if EA makes the investment. LIVE 18 & 19 saw some Madden devs helping out with the game. I highly doubt they are not going to have Madden devs pull double-duty to get LIVE ready for a new console....instead, it'll be all hands on deck for Madden's move to PS5/XB2. That's the bellcow they are going to protect.

I agree EA needs to start being more clear with LIVE. Most (all?) of the devs who were visible/active on Twitter have removed LIVE from their bio and/or ended discussing the game openly with the community. However, it seems the only thing they care about with the title right now is getting YouTubers to talk about and make free marketing content for the title. To be fair, the new GameChangers program that spans all EA titles seems to only focus on that.