March Modness

We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Join me as I begin the week here at the NLSC with my opinions and commentary on basketball gaming topics, as well as tales of the fun I’ve been having on the virtual hardwood. This week, I’m tipping things off with some thoughts on how we approach credit in our modding community, as well as the importance of doing right by each other.

When the NLSC was founded in 1996 and our modding community was established, we adopted several rules that are still in place as of today. Two of the most important rules are the prohibition of charging for mods, and the requirement of giving credit whenever you’re using someone else’s work (as well as asking for permission first, whenever possible). Most of the biggest blow-ups in our modding community have come about due to an incident involving one of those rules, in particular the latter. It’s the reason why it’s gone from being an unwritten rule to a clearly specified policy.

To newcomers, the notion of giving credit and asking for permission may seem odd. After all, anything we make and release is for the benefit of our fellow gamers, and we do walk a fine line with what we do when it comes to modding in the first place. It is part of our established culture and etiquette however, and as long as we’re civil with each other and not draconian in enforcing those rules, it does work for us. At the same time, I do wonder if we can be too precious about our work, not to mention take credit when it isn’t due. There’s something to be said for being flexible, and I say that as someone who has been very particular about credit and permission in the past.

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We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Join me as I begin the week here at the NLSC with my opinions and commentary on basketball gaming topics, as well as tales of the fun I’ve been having on the virtual hardwood. This week, I’m tipping things off with my thoughts on the importance of enjoying your own mods.

While I can still have a blast playing classic basketball games in their vanilla state, it’s a lot of fun to revisit old mods at the same time. That’s something that Dee and I have been doing in several of our Parsec sessions. We’ve revisited NBA Live 98 and 99 with the Legends and Champs rosters that Lutz made more than twenty years ago. We also used some of my old mods, such as the 1996 rosters for NBA Live 2004 and later NBA Live 2001, the current roster pack that also added the Dream Team and Team USA 2012 for NBA Live 06, and a couple of work-in-progress projects.

As I said, all of those games are still fun to play in their default state. However, using those mods made them even more enjoyable, as it was an interesting change of pace from the usual retro gaming experience. Playing Lutz’s rosters for the first time in years, I was once again reminded of how impressive they were, and how the work of our founders and other early modders inspired me to get into the hobby. To that point, as egotistical as it may sound, playing with some of my own old mods led me to think “Hey, I did a pretty decent job with these!” There were also moments that I cringed and wanted to follow up with new releases, but I found enjoyment in my work.

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While I didn’t found the NLSC, I’ve been around since almost the beginning. When my family finally got the internet in 1997, I went looking for sites related to my interests, which obviously included basketball and basketball gaming. One of those Altavista searches brought me to the NLSC, where I discovered updated rosters for NBA Live 96 PC.

As I’ve said when reminiscing in various articles, this was a mind-blowing discovery! I was soon drawn into the hobby of modding – then called patching – and began making my own rosters for NBA Live 96 PC. To that end, on top of being one of my all-time favourite basketball games, NBA Live 96 PC is special to me because it brought me to this community, and introduced me to a new hobby.

I’m celebrating that love of NBA Live 96 PC and my community “origin story” with a couple of new releases for March Modness: a Draft roster, and a Jersey roster. The Draft roster places all original players on the teams that drafted them, or in a couple of cases, debuted with after going undrafted. The Jersey roster places all original players on the teams that match the jersey they’re wearing in their portrait. This has resulted in some wild fantasy lineups for retro gaming fun!

Download the Draft roster here, and the Jersey roster here. Additional details can be found below, and I’ve also created a support topic here in the NBA Live Vintage section of the Forum. For more information on getting NBA Live 96 to run using DOSBox, please see this guide. I’ll be tinkering with other projects throughout the month, but in the meantime, please enjoy this throwback as March Modness 2023 gets underway!

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Welcome to March here at the NLSC, and the sixth annual March Modness! In case you’re unfamiliar with the event, throughout the month of March, we’re celebrating our modding community. Needless to say, modding is a big part of what we do all year round, but March Modness is a time to reflect on the hobby, and get even more productive and creative!

As usual, this also includes a giveaway. If you upload a mod for any basketball game to our Downloads section during March, and include “March Modness” in the description, you’re automatically in the draw to win a copy of NBA 2K24 PC later this year (full terms and conditions can be found below). Congratulations once again to last year’s winner, kobedurant!

You’ll also want to keep an eye out for my regular features throughout the month. I’ll be discussing some topics related to modding in Monday Tip-Off and The Friday Five, as well as taking a look back at some classic mods and modding tools in Wayback Wednesday. I’ve also got a couple of mod releases of my own lined up, and will be spending some further time in the “workshop”.

I’m looking forward to celebrating modding, seeing what our talented community creates, and getting in on the fun myself throughout March. A big thanks as always to everyone who contributes to our modding community!

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Congratulations to kobedurant, winner of our March Modness 2022 giveaway! kobedurant contributed some great jersey updates during March, and continues to do some fantastic work for NBA 2K22. As previously noted, his prize is a copy of the standard edition of NBA 2K23 PC. Details on the game are sure to be coming within the next few months, and we’ll of course be covering the preview season here at the NLSC.

A big thanks as always to everyone who entered this year’s March Modness contest, and continues to share their mods with our community! Don’t forget that we offer free and permanent file hosting for our modding community, in order to preserve these great releases for years to come. Whether you’re modding NBA 2K22, an older favourite like NBA 2K14, or indeed a very old NBA Live game, I encourage everyone to make use of our facilities. For more information on uploading and adding files to our Downloads database, be sure to check out this tutorial.

For my first contribution to March Modness 2022, I’ve released a new version (v3.1) of my 1996 Season Mod for NBA Live 2004 PC! It’s an overdue update as the last release came in 2018 – also to tip off March Modness that year – and there have been some changes I’ve been meaning to make.

Most notably, since several people have suggested it, I’ve removed the setup file in favour of a manual installation. Installing the mod is now just a matter of extracting the included folders to the appropriate places. The installation routine was originally intended to do this automatically, but it seemed to place files in the wrong folders more often than not. Please see the readme file for detailed instructions!

I’ve also included a pre-modified xstartup.cfg file, just in case you have trouble enabling CustomArt; a necessary step to use the mod, and any other NBA Live 2004 projects that utilise custom art files. If you’ve already enabled CustomArt or are confident in editing the config file yourself, you can skip this step.

Download the 1996 Season Mod for NBA Live 2004 PC here, and check out the release/support topic here in the Forum! This probably won’t be the last time that I touch this project, as I’m sure I can find a few other enhancements to implement beyond making the installation process easier. Thank you to everyone who has still expressed interest in this mod all these years later!

It’s that time of the year again, so we’re tipping off our fifth annual March Modness! The event is a celebration of modding, and the modding community that we’ve built and maintained over the past 25 years. Naturally we support modding all year round, but we’ve nominated March as a time to get extra creative and productive!

As always, March Modness includes a giveaway. All you need to do is upload a new mod to the Downloads section with “March Modness” in the description, and you’ll go into the draw to win a copy of NBA 2K23 PC. The mod can be for any basketball game that can be modded, including retro titles. Full terms and conditions can be found below. Congratulations once again to Pep, the winner of last year’s giveaway!

Additionally, I’m taking this opportunity to announce a change to the way I post bulletins about recent uploads. For years now, I’ve been using the term “File Additions” for those bulletins, as it’s what our founders used when they first began maintaining a Downloads database back in the mid 90s. It’s something I’ve kept out of tradition, but in order to move with the times and remove any ambiguity, those posts are now going to be titled “Mod Releases”.

I’m looking forward to this being an exciting and productive March Modness. As always, I’ll be looking to get in on the fun myself with a few releases. The modding bug does bite from time to time, and this is obviously the month to indulge it. Stay tuned for those releases, and all of the great work that I’m sure is coming this month!

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This is a very late announcement, but congratulations to Pep, winner of our March Modness 2021 giveaway! Pep continues to make great updates for NBA 2K14 to this day, and also won the giveaway back in 2019. Pep has won a copy of the Standard Edition of NBA 2K22 PC, and will also receive an NLSC t-shirt, courtesy of Arcane Team Apparel.

A big thanks as always to everyone who entered this year’s March Modness contest, and continues to share their mods with our community! Don’t forget that we offer free and permanent file hosting for our modding community, in order to preserve these great releases for years to come. With NBA 2K22 released and a new season of modding underway, I encourage everyone to make use of our facilities. For more information on uploading and adding files to our Downloads database, be sure to check out this tutorial.

My first releases for this year’s March Modness are a little different. As I mentioned in Episode #363 of the NLSC Podcast, revisiting the Xbox 360 version of NBA Live 06 to check a couple of details resulted in an extended session with the game, and the inclination to mess around with its rosters.

To that end, I’ve whipped up a couple of quick projects, both of which I’m sharing today. The first is an End of Season roster, which includes final 2006 season lineups. I’ve also added a few missing players that ended up having prominent roles, such as Smush Parker. It’s not as detailed of an update as I’d make for PC, but it’s something I put together for my own use, and have decided to share it.

The second roster adds makeshift 1998 Bulls and 1998 Lakers to the game. Again, it’s nowhere near as comprehensive as a roster I’d make for PC, but you get the idea. It’s something else I made just for fun, and am sharing in case anyone else wants to try it out. Download the End of Season rosters here, and the ’98 teams rosters here. I’ve also created a post for them in my NBA Live 06 release topic.

Please note that rosters for the Xbox 360 version of NBA Live 06 need to be rehashed and resigned before they’ll work on another console. I’ve found a video which explains the process, which I’ve posted below along with some basic installation instructions. Other than that, I’m providing these saves as-is, with no guarantees. I hope a few people will feel inclined to try them out! I’m also still working on some projects for PC games, so stay tuned.

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It’s March 1st, so that means we’re tipping off the fourth annual March Modness here at the NLSC! For those who are unaware, the event is intended to be a celebration of modding. We of course welcome mod releases all year round, but we invite modders to get extra creative and productive during this month!

In addition to our usual File Additions bulletins and spotlighting other big releases, we’ll be holding the usual giveaway. As a thank you to our talented modding community, anyone who releases work and adds it to our Downloads section will go in the draw to win a copy of the Standard Edition of NBA 2K22 PC. Congratulations once again to DaCrispy, who won the giveaway last year.

To enter the giveaway, all you need to do is release a mod and upload it to our Downloads section during the month of March 2021, with “March Modness” in the description. The mod may be for any PC version of NBA Live or NBA 2K, but it must be your own work and remain hosted in our Downloads section. Please see below for the full terms and conditions of entry, and good luck!

Once again, I’ll be looking to get into the spirit of the event myself with at least a few releases, hopefully including my long overdue rosters for NBA 2K11. As usual, I also have a few other ideas I’d like to explore, time permitting. Stay tuned for that, and the many fantastic releases I’m sure that we’ll see throughout our fourth annual March Modness!

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Please join me in congratulating the winner of the March Modness 2020 giveaway draw: DaCrispy! He joins last year’s winner Pep, and winner of our inaugural March Modness giveaway back in 2018, TGsoGood.

As it appears that there will not be an NBA Live 21 after all, DaCrispy has won a copy of NBA 2K21 by default. He’ll also receive an NLSC t-shirt, courtesy of Arcane Team Apparel.

A big thanks as always to everyone who entered this year’s contest, and continues to share their mods with our community. Don’t forget that we offer free and permanent file hosting for the modding community, in order to preserve these great releases for years to come. For more information about adding files to our Downloads database, check out this tutorial!

The month of March has drawn to a close, and that means March Modness 2020 is at an end! Thank you to everyone who helped us celebrate modding with some great releases throughout the month. For those who took part in our giveaway, we’ll be drawing the winner very soon.

Since I’ve still got projects in the works, and plenty of others are working on nifty mods of their own, I’m proposing that we extend the celebrations with Add-On April! We won’t be holding another giveaway, but I’d like to do my best to finish up the things I’m working on, and continue to discuss modding-related topics in our original content. As most of us are social distancing and spending time inside right now, it’s a great opportunity to not only hit the virtual hardwood, but mod it as well!

Thank you once again to everyone who helped us celebrate March Modness 2020! Modders, please feel free to keep making use of the hosting facilities in our Downloads database. For those who may have missed it, my last three Friday Five articles have discussed modding-related topics. Be sure to check out the 5 Most Satisfying Mods to Make, 5 Unfortunate Barriers in Modding, and 5 Unsolved Modding Mysteries (Part 2).

As March Modness continues, I have another overdue update to share. Following on from my new version of The Hangar, I’ve updated my NBA Elite 11 Practice Court for NBA Live 08. Once again, I’ve corrected the apron colour to a shade of black, having erroneously opted for a shade of brown in the original release.

You can pick up the new version of the NBA Elite 11 practice court here in our Downloads section; please see below for a handful of previews. For more information, previews, and a catalogue of my previous mods, check out my release thread here in the Forum. As I said when I released the updated Hangar, I’d like to create proper conversions for NBA Live 2005-07, so stay tuned for that.

I’m not sure if I’ll be able to release something new every day, but it’s my goal to be more active for this year’s March Modness. I’m aiming to finish up and release some big projects in celebration of the event, but I’ve got quite a few ideas for smaller mods as well, so be on the lookout for those. Don’t forget that modders can enter a draw to win a copy of NBA Live or NBA 2K by uploading their work to our Downloads section. Be sure to check out this bulletin for more details, and enjoy our celebrations of modding throughout March!

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Since March Modness is underway, I’d like to get the ball rolling with a long overdue update for one of my favourite mods that I’ve made. Back in 2011, I made a practice court for NBA Live 08 based on The Hangar in NBA Live 10. I felt it turned out quite well, especially the second version.

However, it wasn’t until I fired up NBA Live 10 on a newer TV that I realised I’d made an error with the apron colour. I’d made the apron brown, whereas it was a shade of black, slightly standing out from the black court lines. As such, I’ve gone back and updated The Hangar for NBA Live 08 to give it a black apron.

You can pick up the new version here in our Downloads database, and find my release thread here in the Forum. I’ve also captured some screenshots featuring NBA Live 10 cover player Dwight Howard, which you can check out below. I’ll also be making a similar update to my NBA Elite 11 practice court for NBA Live 08, so stay tuned for that. I’d also like to properly convert them for use with NBA Live 2005-07, so that’s something else to look out for.

I’m hoping to be far more active for this year’s March Modness. My aim is to release several smaller updates, as well as finally finish and release some big projects including 2020 season rosters for NBA 2K11, my Ultimate Jordan mod, and a couple of other ideas I’ve been tinkering with. In the meantime, enjoy V3 of The Hangar, and take a look back at the real thing in my Wayback Wednesday feature from 2017!

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It’s March 1st, so that means we’re tipping off the third annual March Modness here at the NLSC! For those who are unaware, the event is intended to be a celebration of modding. We of course welcome mod releases all year round, but we invite modders to get extra creative and productive during this month!

In addition to our usual File Additions bulletins and spotlighting other big releases, we’ll be holding another giveaway. As a thank you to our talented modding community, anyone who releases work and adds it to our Downloads section will go in the draw to win a copy of either NBA 2K or NBA Live (as long as there is an NBA Live game to choose from this year). Congratulations once again to Pep, who won the giveaway last year.

To enter the giveaway, all you need to do is release a mod and upload it to our Downloads section during the month of March 2020, with “March Modness” in the description. The mod may be for any PC version of NBA Live or NBA 2K, but it must be your own work and remain hosted in our Downloads section. Please see below for the full terms and conditions of entry, and good luck!

Once again, I’ll be looking to get into the spirit of the event myself with at least a few releases. I’m hoping to finally get my 2020 season roster for NBA 2K11 out this month, as it feels it would be timely with all of the celebrations. I also have a few other ideas I’d like to explore, time permitting. Stay tuned for that, and the many fantastic releases I’m sure that we’ll see throughout our third annual March Modness!

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