NLSC Podcast #521: No NBA License? No Problem!

Talk about the NLSC Podcast, Monday Tip-Off, Wayback Wednesday, The Friday Five, Top 10 Plays of the Week, and our Parsec Tournaments! This is also a section for NLSC and community announcements, and other site-related topics.

Re: NLSC Podcast #380: Why Isn't This On PC?

Postby Andrew on Sun Jun 20, 2021 11:32 pm

NLSC Podcast #380: Why Isn't This On PC?

Hosts: Andrew & Dee4Three

We're not sure if it's a first for modding as a whole, but we may have engaged in the first remote modding session in the history of our community! Our efforts ensured that we'll be able to set up retro teams in NBA Live 10 quickly and easily, which we've already tried with fun results. We've also revisited NBA Jam: On Fire Edition and NBA Street Vol. 2 this week, and were reminded why we love them. Of course, it also makes us wistful about the current selection of basketball titles. Meanwhile, Madden 22 PC being a Current Gen port raises some concerns. We also catch up on recent mod releases including NBL 2K21 and a great Larry Bird face, and note a potential NBA 2K22 leak. In this week's mailbag, we recall NBA Action 95 for the Sega Genesis, and compare toxicity among NBA 2K gamers to other communities.

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Join in the conversation right here in the Forum! Additionally, feel free to hit us up with any feedback on the episode, as well as mailbag questions and topic suggestions for future episodes. The show also comes out on our YouTube channel, so be sure to subscribe for future episodes and other video content.

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Re: NLSC Podcast #380: Why Isn't This On PC?

Postby Ermolli on Wed Jun 23, 2021 5:32 am

After watching your NBA Live 10 highlights on Youtube, it gave me an itch to play it again after so many years, so thanks to both for that. I guess that by being on PC (thanks to RPCS3), sharing and modding rosters would be easier but I don't think if it's enough demand for it after being released more than ten years ago.
Parsec is really an incredible program. Being able to play old console-exclusive videogames from someone else's PC is truly something I wouldn't have believed when I was younger. Haven't tried the program yet but it's something I've considered doing with my brothers by playing offline co-op games.

The Madden news is disappointing for sure. I guess it's because not many people have been able to upgrade GPUs (due to the shortage of stock) so not many people would be able to enjoy the game but it sucks for the ones with good PCs. I expect the same for FIFA to have also a current-gen port even though its playerbase sure is higher and PES 2022 might release a next-gen port.
About the playerbase from PC vs console in regards to sports videogames, has it always being that lopsided? I didn't care back then but it's clear that since the PS3/Xbox 360 the shift and priorities are with consoles.

Crazy to think one could consider NBA 2K14 an old game, but then you're right, it was released almost 8 years ago. I remember when I watched the first PS4 trailer and being blown away and now we're in a new generation of consoles, one can lose perspective of time easily without looking back.
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Re: NLSC Podcast #380: Why Isn't This On PC?

Postby Andrew on Wed Jun 23, 2021 12:55 pm

It would definitely be a niche modding project, but I think it'd be for us and our gaming sessions as much as anything else. That's a good point about the GPU shortage. Console sales have always outnumbered PC sales. We've always focused on the PC version because of modding, but yeah, we've always been the minority in that regard. And yeah, time goes quick!

Thanks for tuning in and sharing some thoughts! We really appreciate it. :)
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Re: NLSC Podcast #380: Why Isn't This On PC?

Postby sticky-fingers on Wed Jun 23, 2021 5:20 pm

Great show again.
Just surprised you didnt mention that EA has been hacked.
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Re: NLSC Podcast #380: Why Isn't This On PC?

Postby Ermolli on Wed Jun 23, 2021 10:25 pm

Andrew wrote:It would definitely be a niche modding project, but I think it'd be for us and our gaming sessions as much as anything else. That's a good point about the GPU shortage. Console sales have always outnumbered PC sales. We've always focused on the PC version because of modding, but yeah, we've always been the minority in that regard. And yeah, time goes quick!

Thanks for tuning in and sharing some thoughts! We really appreciate it. :)


I know that people have been able to find ways to mod console games on PC, I think I've seen someone trying with Fight Night so I guess that there could be a chance to mod Live 10. But as you said, maybe it's too niche to bother trying, editing roster would be good also.

Maybe console has always outnumbered PC sales but I guess that it wasn't like now, since at least there was (almost) always a Live PC port and EA had Madden and NHL for instance. I guess things aren't that bad now since FIFA, PES, Madden, NBA 2K, WWE 2K are on PC nowadays although we're to find out if they'll be next-gen ports or not for their future games (except Madden of course).
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Re: NLSC Podcast #380: Why Isn't This On PC?

Postby Andrew on Thu Jun 24, 2021 12:21 am

sticky-fingers wrote:Great show again.
Just surprised you didnt mention that EA has been hacked.


Thanks! We did forget about that, but it was a pretty full show. Probably a topic we can circle back to. Did anything else come out of it except some source code for Frostbite?

Ermolli wrote:I know that people have been able to find ways to mod console games on PC, I think I've seen someone trying with Fight Night so I guess that there could be a chance to mod Live 10. But as you said, maybe it's too niche to bother trying, editing roster would be good also.

Maybe console has always outnumbered PC sales but I guess that it wasn't like now, since at least there was (almost) always a Live PC port and EA had Madden and NHL for instance. I guess things aren't that bad now since FIFA, PES, Madden, NBA 2K, WWE 2K are on PC nowadays although we're to find out if they'll be next-gen ports or not for their future games (except Madden of course).


Absolutely, it was nice to at least get a PC release to work with back in the day. We'll have to see what the future holds, but EA releasing on both Origin and Steam when it comes to PC was an encouraging development. I'm sure we'd find ways of modding a new PC NBA Live either way should it ever happen, but it seems safe to say that most people prefer Steam to Origin, so it's great to have that choice.
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Re: NLSC Podcast #380: Why Isn't This On PC?

Postby sticky-fingers on Thu Jun 24, 2021 1:52 am

Andrew wrote:Did anything else come out of it except some source code for Frostbite?

not to my knowledge
there's an official EA live show tonight (19:00 utc+1) btw
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Re: NLSC Podcast #380: Why Isn't This On PC?

Postby Ermolli on Thu Jun 24, 2021 2:33 am

sticky-fingers wrote:
Andrew wrote:Did anything else come out of it except some source code for Frostbite?

not to my knowledge
there's an official EA live show tonight (19:00 utc+1) btw


I only knew about the source code and that it was related to FIFA.

Where did you get that EA has a live show today? The only thing that I've found is EA Play on July 22nd.
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Re: NLSC Podcast #380: Why Isn't This On PC?

Postby sticky-fingers on Thu Jun 24, 2021 5:56 am

it seems that there's much more than FIFA, but nothing about Live for what i read
my bad about EA live, I got confused :crazyeyes:
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Re: NLSC Podcast #380: Why Isn't This On PC?

Postby Andrew on Fri Jun 25, 2021 5:40 am

Mailbag Call for Episode #381!

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Re: NLSC Podcast #380: Why Isn't This On PC?

Postby Ermolli on Fri Jun 25, 2021 12:06 pm

Which aspects do you believe are yet to be implemented correctly in basketball videogames gameplay-wise?
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Re: NLSC Podcast #380: Why Isn't This On PC?

Postby Andrew on Fri Jun 25, 2021 3:37 pm

Ah, good one. (Y)
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Re: NLSC Podcast #381: Recurrent Fun, Not Recurrent Revenue

Postby Andrew on Mon Jun 28, 2021 12:07 am

NLSC Podcast #381: Recurrent Fun, Not Recurrent Revenue

Hosts: Andrew & Dee4Three

We have a lot on our minds this week! Our NBA Live 10 sessions continued with another epic clash that delighted us with its authenticity. NBA Action 94 and 95 were also briefly in the rotation, and they had their interesting points. Unfortunately, NBA Live 15 and 16 provided a reminder of staples that have been missing from the series for years. Playing NBA Live 10 as well as NBA 2K14 on PS4 also leads us to reminisce about external factors that tainted our first impressions of games we later came to enjoy. Meanwhile, a comment blaming the community for recurrent revenue mechanics has us fired up; suffice to say, we disagree! We also cover a recent fix in NBA 2K21 Next Gen, and answer a mailbag question about gameplay improvements that we're yet to see.

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Join in the conversation right here in the Forum! Additionally, feel free to hit us up with any feedback on the episode, as well as mailbag questions and topic suggestions for future episodes. The show also comes out on our YouTube channel, so be sure to subscribe for future episodes and other video content.

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Re: NLSC Podcast #381: Recurrent Fun, Not Recurrent Revenue

Postby Ermolli on Tue Jun 29, 2021 8:24 am

When I played Live 15 back when it released it felt quite good to me, not as good as 2K15 but still I could enjoy it. After a year or so I realized it wasn't as good as I thought, so it had the reverse effect of the examples both mentioned in the episode, being an improvement (even if it really wasn't a huge one) over Live 14 made me feel like it was so much better than it really was.

Totally agree when talking about the obsession in the search for sim stats despite how it affects gameplay. Years ago I wouldn't play games until I could find some great sliders which would make games as sim as possible. Nowadays I try to balance that and having a good time. That doesn't mean that I'm more into arcade gameplay but I need an experience that is fluid, sim and fun; one which smart basketball prevails and is frustration free.

Thanks for the mention and by answering the question, interesting answers.
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Re: NLSC Podcast #381: Recurrent Fun, Not Recurrent Revenue

Postby Andrew on Wed Jun 30, 2021 12:26 am

Thanks for tuning in!

That can definitely happen too, when something doesn't hold up as well. I actually felt the same way about NBA Live 15 when I was considering a Wayback Wednesday article where I went back and completed some unfinished business in Ultimate Team before the servers shutdown. I'd played quite a bit of Ultimate Team and spent more time with NBA Live 15 than NBA 2K15, and while I regret not spending more time with NBA 2K15 when it was new, I did have a good time with NBA Live. However, calculating how many LUT games I've have to play and the time in which I'd have to play them, I realised that I no longer enjoyed the gameplay enough for it to be a fun exercise for a feature. I can revisit it these days and enjoy messing around with it, but as far as Ultimate Team was concerned, I couldn't commit that much time to it. Being a noticeable improvement over NBA Live 14 definitely helped NBA Live 15 look much better by comparison, too.
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Re: NLSC Podcast #381: Recurrent Fun, Not Recurrent Revenue

Postby Andrew on Sat Jul 03, 2021 5:24 pm

Mailbag Call for Episode #382!

We'll be recording this weekend, so hit us up ASAP!
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Re: NLSC Podcast #382: A Community Connected

Postby Andrew on Sun Jul 04, 2021 11:53 pm

NLSC Podcast #382: A Community Connected

Hosts: Andrew & Dee4Three

We haven't been able to get enough of Parsec as of late, but we're not the only ones taking a shine to it. More members of the community are participating in head-to-head games, with Parsec facilitating clashes in NBA 2K17 and NBA 2K19 using retro season and classic team mods. Speaking of retro season mods, which is our favourite so far? As for NBA Live 10, it's still on our agenda, as we've got plenty more ideas for Fantasy Teams mode! Fresh NBA 2K22 rumours give us something else to talk about this week, though we still miss the longer and more exciting preview seasons of yesteryear. In this week's mailbag, we answer a question about the new Space Jam game, which leads us to reflect on some other esoteric games starring basketball players.

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Re: NLSC Podcast #382: A Community Connected

Postby Andrew on Wed Jul 07, 2021 11:43 pm

Thanks to everyone who has tuned in to Episode #382 so far! Just putting out an early mailbag call for Episode #383, which we'll be recording this weekend. As always, feel free to hit us up with questions and topics; whatever's on your mind in regards to basketball gaming!

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Re: NLSC Podcast #382: A Community Connected

Postby Ermolli on Fri Jul 09, 2021 1:46 am

Which gameplay additions have been underrated in your opinion? Perhaps something related to a control scheme, a new option in controls, some adjustment to the AI, gameplan systems, etc.
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Re: NLSC Podcast #382: A Community Connected

Postby Andrew on Fri Jul 09, 2021 9:21 am

Thanks, great question! Definitely have some thoughts to share there.
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Re: NLSC Podcast #383: It's Still All Speculation

Postby Andrew on Mon Jul 12, 2021 12:08 am

NLSC Podcast #383: It's Still All Speculation

Hosts: Andrew & Dee4Three

Before we started recording this week's show, we played games of Double Dribble Playoff Edition and the SNES version of NBA Live 95. One holds up a little better than the other, but both were fun to revisit! Speaking of NBA Live, EA Sports are set to make an announcement regarding the return of one of their old series. Will it be their long-running NBA title, their college hoops series, or something else? Meanwhile, as the NBA 2K22 preview season looms, some apologists are already warming up their excuses. In this week's mailbag, we're talking about the peak era for basketball gaming, and underrated gameplay additions.

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Re: NLSC Podcast #383: It's Still All Speculation

Postby Ermolli on Tue Jul 13, 2021 4:36 am

Even though I'd welcome a new NBA Live (as long as it focus on what we've been asking for a while and not trying again for a “younger, new demographic“), the pessimist in me says that it'd be anything but Live.

Look, we’re not allowed to tell you much about this one yet, sorry. But we can say this Spotlight will highlight an extremely cool new addition to an extremely popular and long-running EA SPORTS franchise. We may have said too much already. Just keep your calendar free, OK?

Are we sure it has to be related to a new release of a dormant franchise? Couldn't be a new feature to an ongoing game? If it's the later I'd get that it's Hypermotion that will be on FIFA 22. It's "cool" and potentially revolutionary if it works as its marketed.

While I prefer EA to keep Live as its name, EA showed defeat with or without a name change. They've cancelled games and there hasn't been an update since the "We promise to check back regularly with updates" post almost two years ago.

If I had to choose a peak (a couple years instead of five/ten), I'd pick 2009/2010. It had NBA Live 10 which was the last great and well received Live game, NBA 2K10 with the first version of MyPlayer, NCAA Basketball 10 which was the last college basketball game and a fine game, the revival of NBA Jam, NBA Jam: On Fire Edition which was a great improvement, and NBA 2K11 which is considered one of the best basketball games of all-time.

Really good choices for the last question. I don't know if they underrated or underappreciated but I really like that you could make chase-down block or make quick shots to beat the buzzer when there's less than a second remaining. About the first one, not being able to contest a layup or dunk during a fastbreak was extremely frustrating knowing it was a sure basket, now a least you could foul and at least avoid a sure basket.
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Re: NLSC Podcast #383: It's Still All Speculation

Postby Andrew on Tue Jul 13, 2021 9:28 pm

Great point, that direct statement does change the context and likelihood somewhat. Completely agree in regards to NBA Live's silence, name, and direction. Right now, it just doesn't feel promising. It's a shame.

That 2009-2010 or 2011 span definitely works well as a smaller peak window. 2003-2005 also works there given NBA Live's quality at the time, the continued rise of NBA 2K, and the release of NBA Street Vol. 2. I've really been enjoying playing games from that 2009-2011 era right now though, so I absolutely agree that was a high point; apart from the NBA Elite 11 debacle of course. And like you said, you've also got the last of the college basketball games as well.

I think those are good examples of underrated additions/improvements too. There are still issues with it, but it is handy to be able to get shots off quicker than before. Chasedown blocks are fun...as long as you're on the right end of them. It was also frustrating when my player would break out a backscratcher on the break in online play, allowing an opponent to get a cheap swat. Then again, it was immensely satisfying when I was the one doing the blocking!

Thanks for the question and for tuning in!
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Re: NLSC Podcast #383: It's Still All Speculation

Postby Ermolli on Wed Jul 14, 2021 1:50 am

I considered 2003 to 2005 too since it had NBA Street Vol. 2, NBA Live 2005 and 06 which were one of the best games of the franchise (the PC/PS2 versions) but since I haven't played other games from those years I couldn't consider them. If I remember correctly, I read that ESPN NBA 2K5 wasn't as good as previous 2Ks since it drastically changed to a more arcade game, which wasn't really welcomed. Inside Drive was an underrated series from what I read, no idea about NBA ShootOut, NCAA March Madness, ESPN College Hoops or NBA Ballers.

Obviously those things could be tuned but I'm glad that they're available nowadays. Haven't considered it before but by choosing which hand to make a layup and the ability to double clutch, don't those things prevent chase-down blocks?
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Re: NLSC Podcast #383: It's Still All Speculation

Postby Andrew on Wed Jul 14, 2021 9:31 am

Sometimes. They're ways of eluding defenders, just as in real life. Sometimes we're still at the mercy of animation selection and physics, though.
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