Welcome to this week’s edition of The Friday Five! The Friday Five is a feature that I post every Friday in which I give my thoughts on a topic that’s related to NBA Live, NBA 2K, and other basketball video games, as well as the real NBA, and other areas of interest to our community. The feature is presented as either a list of five items, or in the form of a Top 5 countdown. This week’s Five is a list of five of the unluckiest moments that you’ll experience while modding.

With apologies once again to anyone who suffers from paraskevidekatriaphobia, it’s Friday the 13th today, which means it’s time for another Friday Five column talking about unlucky moments! I’ve been writing the Friday Five for a few years now, and in that time, we’ve had more than a couple of Friday the 13ths. In previous columns, I’ve discussed my favourite number thirteens, unlucky moments in basketball games (as well as a few of my own examples in that regard), and unlucky moments from NBA history, including one that actually took place on the date in question.

Of course, a big part of basketball gaming in our community is the hobby of modding, and it certainly has its unlucky moments as well. I’ve previously discussed one of my unluckiest moments in modding, but there are definitely more examples that I could name. I’m sure that a lot of modders have experienced at least one of these moments at one time or another, leading to them kicking themselves and cursing out their bad luck. If there’s one upside to such unfortunate moments though, it’s that they can be learning experiences, albeit very frustrating ones. Without any further ado, here are five unlucky moments in modding!

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Please be advised that our official Wishlists for NBA Live 19 and NBA 2K19 have been submitted to EA Sports and Visual Concepts respectively. Our contacts at both companies were very receptive to the feedback that we compiled, and will be taking it into consideration as both games continue to be developed. While there is no guarantee that everything on our Wishlists will be implemented or addressed, we’ve at least done our part in providing constructive feedback and letting our voices be heard.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to our Wishlists! Participation wasn’t quite as enthusiastic as it has been in previous years, but there was some great feedback in there. We’ll be looking to open the Wishlist topics a little earlier next time around, but as it stands, we were still able to submit them in time for them to have an impact.

For the moment, both Wishlist topics will remain open in the NBA Live 18 and NBA 2K18 sections of the NLSC Forum, so feel free to keep posting suggestions and discussing ideas for the upcoming games. Once the NBA Live 19 and NBA 2K19 sections are opened later this year, the topics will be locked and archived there. If you want to jump into the conversation, you can find the NBA Live 19 Wishlist topic here, while the NBA 2K19 Wishlist topic can be found here.

This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! In this feature, we dig into the archives, look back at the history of basketball gaming, and indulge in some nostalgia. Check in every Wednesday for retrospectives and other features on older versions of NBA Live, NBA 2K, and old school basketball video games in general. You’ll also find old NLSC editorials re-published with added commentary, and other flashback content. This week, I’m taking a look back at the NBA Live 96 Editor for Windows, also known as WNBA-Ed.

Although obviously far surpassed by its successors, NBA Live 96 is still one of my all-time favourite games in the NBA Live series. It was the first NBA Live title that I owned on PC, having played NBA Live 95 on the Super Nintendo (although I would later pick up the PC version of NBA Live 95 as well). It’s also the game that led me to discover the NLSC when my family finally got connected to the Internet, and in turn, the hobby of modding (usually called patching at the time). As such, in addition to the fun I had with the game, it’s a sentimental favourite because of its connection to my history in discovering and joining the online basketball gaming community.

The hard work of Tim, Lutz, and Brien had made it possible to mod NBA Live 95, but as I discussed in a previous article, the process could be quite fiddly, even with the tools that they created. When it came time to develop tools for NBA Live 96, they made some advances that greatly simplified the process, which delighted my teenage self and set me on a path to join the original NLSC trio and many others in the hobby of patching. One of the key tools that I soon became very familiar with was Tim’s NBA Live 96 Editor. Let’s take a look back…way back…

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The latest file additions for NBA 2K14 PC include player faces, and an NCAA court mod. Check them all out at the links below!

ALDUB_livmore
2018 UW Milwaukee Panther Arena Court (MECCA)

Blang
2 Prospect Faces (April 2018)
Donte DiVincenzo Face
Elie Okobo Face

IceCr
Karl Malone Face

Thanks to everyone who continues to contribute to our Downloads database! If you need help uploading files, be sure to check out this video tutorial. For more information about downloads, the modding community, and File Additions bulletins, please see this FAQ in our Wiki.

We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Start your week here at the NLSC with a feature that’s dedicated to opinions, commentary, and other fun stuff related to NBA Live, NBA 2K, and other basketball video games. This week, I’m tipping things off with a few thoughts on the drawbacks of the PC versions of basketball video games being digital-only releases.

It’s not fashionable to admit it, but I’m still a fan of physical media. Part of that comes down to where I live, of course. Australian Internet speeds don’t always make digital releases for PC games desirable, and certain streaming services are either unavailable, or don’t carry the same selection as their US counterparts. A DVD, Blu Ray, or game disc not only alleviates any issues with Internet speed and data limits, but also offers a physical collectable that I can put on a shelf. Be it TV series, movies, or video games, I enjoy seeing them all lined up in my collection.

Of course, I also enjoy the benefits of digital releases. They obviously provide a lot of convenience, and save on shelf space. There’s no need to drive to the store, or wait for copies to arrive in the mail. Physical media can be lost or damaged, while a digital release can just be downloaded again. When they’re tied to a platform such as Steam, there are no issues with lost or invalid serial numbers, and patches will come through automatically. These days, we don’t actually have a choice in terms of the only PC sim basketball video game, as NBA 2K is only released via Steam. It’s preferable to having no PC version at all, but there are some perils to digital-only PC releases.

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Episode #243 of the NLSC Podcast is out now! Arcane and I are back after our break for Easter last week, ready to catch up on a fortnight worth of basketball gaming news, our own exploits on the virtual hardwood, and recent goings on in the real NBA.

On this week’s show…

• We open Episode #243 of the NLSC Podcast with an amusing bit of trivia, as it seems we’re bigger fans of The Playground than Ronnie 2K!
• March Modness has concluded, and the winner of the giveaway will be drawn soon. More mods are in the pipeline, of course.
• The inaugural NBA 2K League Draft was held on April 4th. We discuss the Draft and the forthcoming League tip-off, and once again consider the future direction of the NBA 2K series.
• In Our Week in Basketball Gaming, we catch up on a fortnight of action on the virtual hardwood. Brighter days could be ahead for NLSC GrindTime, an Ultimate Team collection continues to expand, and a new squad forms in NBA Live 18.
• We wrap up Episode #243 of the NLSC Podcast with some NBA discussion. The 2018 Playoffs are looming and there are a lot of interesting subplots to consider, especially with several seeds yet to be determined. We also talk about MVP candidates, and some untimely injuries.

Click Play to listen to the show!

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:15:05 — 51.6MB)

Subscribe: Android | RSS

Have some thoughts on the latest episode? Got a mailbag question or topic suggestion for the next show? Sound off in the comments section below, or join in the discussion here in the Forum! For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki.

We’ve got a second batch of file additions for NBA 2K18 PC this week, as our modding community has released several new and updated mods. The latest releases include faces, jerseys, courts, body models, and more. Check them all out at the links below!

Gideon Prime
Anthony Mason Custom Body Model

PickmansModel
Milwaukee Bucks Fictional Purple Jersey
Houston Rockets Texans Inspired Jersey

Torogi
Charlotte Hornets HD Stadium Effects
Bigger Basketball
Kevin Love Face
Stephen Curry Face & Body Model (Updated to v2.0)
Cleveland Cavaliers Court with HD Effects (Updated to v2.0)
Golden States Warriors Court with HD Effects (Updated to v2.0)

Manni Live
Detroit Pistons Little Caesars Arena

TGsoGood
CFID List for 2K18 (Updated to v3.0)

Thanks to everyone who continues to contribute to our Downloads database! If you need help uploading files, be sure to check out this video tutorial. For more information about downloads, the modding community, and File Additions bulletins, please see this FAQ in our Wiki.

Welcome to this week’s edition of The Friday Five! The Friday Five is a feature that I post every Friday in which I give my thoughts on a topic that’s related to NBA Live, NBA 2K, and other basketball video games, as well as the real NBA, and other areas of interest to our community. The feature is presented as either a list of five items, or in the form of a Top 5 countdown. This week’s Five is a list of five players who I feel could and arguably should be appearing on multiple All-Time teams in NBA 2K.

Despite a couple of omissions, the All-Time squads were a very welcome addition in NBA 2K18. I’m hoping that those teams will remain in the game moving forward, as they provide an opportunity to play with a variety of retro players who don’t have their own historical squads. I also hope that players such as Charles Barkley, Moses Malone, and Reggie Miller can be included at some point. Their omission has led to the inclusion of some less than ideal players on the All-Time teams, including a few active players who are certainly good, but lack the same historical significance.

It’s not just the absence of a few big names that makes some of the active players on the All-Time teams stick out like a sore thumb, however. There are historical players already in the game that could feasibly appear on a couple of other All-Time squads, replacing active players who aren’t stars of the same magnitude. While it could be argued that they didn’t have as big of an impact with those teams, or that their stints were too short, some All-Time teams do include players who had a very short tenure with them. With that in mind, here are five players who are not currently on multiple All-Time teams, but I believe could and should be.

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March is over – almost a week ago, in fact – and as such, our inaugural March Modness event has also drawn to a close. A huge thank you to all of our modders who participated in the giveaway, as well as those who simply continued to release their work last month. We’ll be drawing the winner of the contest soon, and delivering the prize of their choice once NBA Live 19 and NBA 2K19 are available to pre-order and are subsequently released later this year.

As I mentioned in my original bulletin, we’ll certainly consider making this an annual event here at the NLSC, to celebrate our modding community. We might also consider other community-driven events, and I’d like to offer some more giveaways that are open to everyone later on this year as well. As I noted here in the NLSC Forum, while March Modness may be over for this year, I’ve felt inspired to get back into the hobby a little more, and expect to be releasing some more work throughout this month. We won’t be running another giveaway alongside it, but as far as my own efforts are concerned, I’m hoping to make it Add-On April. I’ll post further details, and releases, as soon as possible.

Thank you as always to everyone in our modding community who contributes to our Downloads section, as well as our resources. I encourage everyone to make use of our hosting facilities whenever possible, to ensure that files don’t get lost over time. If you need help using the upload facilities in our Downloads database, be sure to check out this video tutorial. For modding resources, please see the Tutorials & FAQs subsections in the Forum, as well as the guides in our Wiki. Stay tuned for more great mods for a variety of basketball video games!

It’s been a while, but BAYAG is back with a new version of his SUPERSTAR ’08 AIACT update for NBA Live 08 PC. Check it out at the link below!

BAYAG
SUPERSTAR ’08 AIACT (Updated to v6.5)

Thanks to everyone who continues to contribute to our Downloads database! If you need help uploading files, be sure to check out this video tutorial. For more information about downloads, the modding community, and File Additions bulletins, please see this FAQ in our Wiki.

This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! In this feature, we dig into the archives, look back at the history of basketball gaming, and indulge in some nostalgia. Check in every Wednesday for retrospectives and other features on older versions of NBA Live, NBA 2K, and old school basketball video games in general. You’ll also find old NLSC editorials re-published with added commentary, and other flashback content. This week, I’m taking a look back at another topic related to NBA Live 2003, namely its step-back three-point exploit.

Ensuring that a basketball video game is completely free of cheesy moves and other exploits is much easier said than done. As such, even today gamers will find tricks that aren’t realistic basketball strategy, but certainly effective against the CPU and other users alike. In older basketball video games, with their far more primitive AI and mechanics, simple strategies and reliable exploits tended to be the most effective means of picking up win after win. From the corner three in Double Dribble to the Outside Scorer moves in NBA Live 06, most games had at least one exploitable tactic.

As I noted in my retrospective of NBA Live 2003, the game strayed rather noticeably from the usual sim approach in most areas, and the overpowering nature of the new Freestyle Control turned gameplay into a wild shootout. One of the most powerful exploits allowed gamers to knock down three after three following a step-back, a trick that was effective even on higher difficulty levels. Let’s take a look back…way back…

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Check out the latest file additions for NBA 2K18 PC, including faces, custom models, jerseys, and more. Download them all at the links below!

mrk326
Trevor Ariza Face

TGsoGood
Cam Reddish Face + CF ID List

Torogi
Jason Tatum Face & Model
Doug McDermott Face
Shaun Livingston Headshape
Devin Booker Face

SCX1125
NBA 2K18 SuperModifier Demo (Chinese Only)

PickmansModel
Boston Celtics Fictional Jersey
Detroit Pistons Fictional Jersey
Miami Heat Vice City Inspired Jersey
Brooklyn Nets Fictional Jersey
New York Knicks Fictional Orange Jersey

Manni Live
Indiana Pacers Bankers Life Fieldhouse

Thanks to everyone who continues to contribute to our Downloads database! If you need help uploading files, be sure to check out this video tutorial. For more information about downloads, the modding community, and File Additions bulletins, please see this FAQ in our Wiki.

We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Start your week here at the NLSC with a feature that’s dedicated to opinions, commentary, and other fun stuff related to NBA Live, NBA 2K, and other basketball video games. This week, I’m tipping things off with a few thoughts on the Absolute controls setting in NBA 2K games, and why I feel they are the best approach.

It took me a while to get used to the controls in NBA 2K. Having spent years playing NBA Live, it was difficult getting used to dribbling moves being performed with left stick movement and the Isomotion trigger. Even after the series adopted right stick dribbling controls in NBA 2K13, I wasn’t quite as proficient in pulling off slick moves and breaking ankles as I had been in NBA Live. Eventually, I discovered the root of my clumsiness on the sticks: the default Camera Relative controller setting, which makes stick movement dependant on your player’s position relative to the camera.

The Absolute setting, which standardises stick movements no matter where you are on the court and which camera angle you’re using, made NBA 2K’s controls far more accessible to me. It helps that it’s the same approach that NBA Live has always used for its right stick controls, but aside from familiarity, I’ve always felt it simply made more sense. There’s a legacy issue in NBA 2K where the Camera Relative/Absolute setting randomly resets, which means I’m always checking to make sure that it’s still set to Absolute before I start a session. After all, when it comes to dribbling controls, I strongly feel that Absolute controls are absolutely best.

Read More »

The latest file additions for NBA 2K14 PC are about the past, present, and future, featuring face updates for retro players, rookies, and upcoming Draft prospects. Check them all out at the links below!

IceCr
Kevin McHale Face
Terry Cummings Face
Patrick Ewing Face
Run TMC Face Pack (Updated to v2.0)

Blang
2018 Easter Pack by Blang

Thanks to everyone who continues to contribute to our Downloads database! If you need help uploading files, be sure to check out this video tutorial. For more information about downloads, the modding community, and File Additions bulletins, please see this FAQ in our Wiki.

Today’s file additions for NBA 2K18 PC include the latest player, court, and jersey updates. Check out all of the new and updated releases at the links below!

Torogi
Kevin Hart Referee Face
Donovan Mitchell Face & Body Model
Tracy McGrady Face & Body Model
Brad Miller Face
LeBron James Face (Updated to v3.0)

mrk326
Dwyane Wade Face & Model

PeacemanNOT
1992-1993 Hornets Jerseys – PeacemanNOT

PickmansModel
Charlotte Bobcats Court

Thanks to everyone who continues to contribute to our Downloads database! If you need help uploading files, be sure to check out this video tutorial. For more information about downloads, the modding community, and File Additions bulletins, please see this FAQ in our Wiki.