NLSC Your source for basketball video games.

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, I’m breaking down what I feel are the five worst parts of playing with randoms online.

One of the best parts of modern basketball games is that we’re able to meet up with a bunch of other people we don’t know to play online. Likewise, one of the worst parts of modern basketball games is that we’re able to meet up with a bunch of other people we don’t know to play online. Snarky echoes aside, online gaming will always be a mixed bag, no matter what the genre. Not everyone is about playing fair, or being cooperative. The experience is usually better if you’re teaming up with people that you know, but that isn’t always feasible.

That’s when you end up teaming with randoms. Again, this isn’t unique to basketball games, but hoops games present some unique drawbacks. Since there’s only one ball, not everyone can take an active role at all times as they might in other genres, such as a shooter. Everyone is used to being Player One, and is therefore unwilling to defer to teammates they don’t know. In all fairness it isn’t always a nightmare, and it’s better than not being able to play at all, especially with the new restrictions on team Pro-Am. Nevertheless, it’s often a less than ideal basketball gaming experience. Here are, in my opinion, the five worst parts of being in that situation.

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NBA Live 19 Patch 1.16 is now available on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. As always, it will come through automatically as long as your console has an active Internet connection. If you encounter any issues, try restarting your console, or checking for the update manually.

The latest update adds the newly unveiled Earned jerseys to all 5v5 modes. 3v3 now has 15 points as the win condition, and hitting Level 100 will allow you to start a new player at Level 50. Reward tiers for Court Battles have also been adjusted (with a new fourth tier added), new rosters and audio have been pushed through, and some gameplay tweaks have been made.

Please see below for the full release notes for NBA Live 19 Patch 1.16. You can also find a complete update history for NBA Live 19 over in our Wiki. Feel free to share your impressions of the patch in the comments section below, as well as join in the discussion here in the NLSC Forum.

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Let’s get caught up on the latest mods for NBA 2K19 PC! Today’s new and updated files include player faces and current rosters. Check them out at the links below!

MonkeymanJSV
Zach LaVine Face
Josh Smith Face
Dedric Lawson Face
Cam Reddish Face

Torogi
Jarrett Allen Face

Shuajota
Shuajota’s Realistic Roster (Updated to v6.6)

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 the mentors in NBA 2K15’s MyCAREER.

NBA 2K15 stands out as quite a noteworthy game in the NBA 2K series. It was the first time that the PlayStation 4/Xbox One version was ported to PC, and the first PC release to be available exclusively through Steam with no disc-based physical copies. The game also continued the story-driven MyCAREER concept, becoming the first game in which you didn’t start your rookie season on opening night. The story of how you make it to the league featured cameos from NBA players who acted as mentors, with the real players voicing their virtual counterparts in cutscenes.

On one hand, this was an improvement over similar cutscenes in NBA 2K14, in which the MyPLAYER character was voiced while the NBA players’ dialogue was just text. On the other hand, many of their performances were notoriously and hilariously bad, as discussed in an article over on Cracked a couple of years ago. Nevertheless, it was an idea that had merit, influencing presentation and features in subsequent games. At the very least, there’s some humour to be found with the mentors in NBA 2K15, so let’s take a look back…way back…

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Aside from offering up some impressions on the NLSC Podcast, we haven’t really been covering NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 since its release. As such, I haven’t been posting any bulletins regarding the official patches, but I’d like to remedy that today by noting that Patch 1.04 is now available for the game. It includes:

• New Christmas Playground
• 10 new Christmas themed outfits
• 35 Players unlocked
• 29 new Vanity items
• Fixes for minor issues and Stability improvements

Dennis Rodman and Karl Malone are among the new players unlocked in the new update. As is generally the case, the patch will come through automatically as long as you have an active Internet connection. If you encounter any difficulties, try restarting or checking for the update manually.

Feel free to leave any impressions or thoughts about NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 in the comments section below. If you’d like to take the discussion to the NLSC Forum, we have a topic for the game here in our Other Basketball Games board.

Today’s file additions for NBA 2K11 PC feature more court and arena updates from DaCrispy. Download them all at the links below!

DaCrispy
Washington Wizards 2018-19 Court
Washington Wizards 2018-19 Arena
New Orleans Pelicans 2018-19 Court
New Orleans Pelicans 2018-19 Arena
Memphis Grizzlies 2018-19 Court (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.

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 how future NBA 2K games could craft a better MyCAREER story.

As much as I’ve criticised the approach, I am somewhat fascinated by the concept of the MyCAREER story. It’s been done rather badly in a couple of games, be it the way it’s affected the gameplay experience, the narrative, or both. As such, it would be nice to have the option of a straightforward career mode. At the same time, a lot of effort has gone into the approach over the years, and it’s paid off with a couple of rather good and enjoyable tales. Since the concept doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, it’s vital that Visual Concepts does the best job possible with it.

When it comes to the MyCAREER story approach – in particular, the times it hasn’t been done well – there have been a few common drawbacks since its debut in NBA 2K14. Ill-fitting back stories and unlikeable personalities for the player character, annoying NPCs and cringe-worthy cutscenes, a lack of story branching, meaningless decisions, and general intrusiveness, are among the most prominent issues. The good news is that these problems can be remedied, and if backed by a well-written narrative with characters that aren’t annoying in a bad way, a story can enhance MyCAREER. To that end, this is how I’d like to see the MyCAREER story crafted in future games.

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Episode #268 of the NLSC Podcast is out now! This week, Kenny and I have new content and title updates for NBA Live 19 and NBA 2K19 to discuss, some NBA news to catch up on, and as always, some stories about what we’ve been doing on the virtual hardwood.

On this week’s show…

• The December 4th content update for NBA Live 19 features some worthwhile fixes and additions. However, we’re still left wanting a little more out of the game.
• Patch 1.07 for NBA 2K19 likewise provides a few welcome fixes and new content. It also includes a gameplay adjustment that should cut down on some online cheese.
• Our Week in Basketball Gaming saw some fantastic performances, a determined grind for more VC, and a few less-than-stellar random online teammates (except for one).
• We wrap up Episode #268 of the NLSC Podcast with the usual NBA discussion. This week’s topics include recent trades and signings, parity in the West, and the continuation of an unofficial Melo Watch segment.

Click Play to listen to the show!

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:26:20 — 59.4MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

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.

Many people are still playing NBA 2K14 PC, and so our community is still pumping out some great mods for a prior gen favourite. In addition to another big update to skoadam’s U R Basketball mod, today’s file additions include a few more future prospect faces, and an updated Mall of Asia Arena court. Check them all out at the links below!

Blang
Ja Morant Face
Ignas Brazdeikis Face
Shamorie Ponds Face

Sastre Matulin
2018 Mall of Asia Arena Court (2019 World Cup Qualifiers) (Updated to v4.0)

skoadam
2K14 U R Basketball V62 [35 Complete Seasons Mods] + Accurate 18-19 Roster/Rotations [ALL Transactions 13th December 2018] (Updated to V62)

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.

Our modding community has provided a variety of updates in today’s batch of file additions for NBA 2K19 PC. Check out all of the new and updated releases at the links below!

MonkeymanJSV
Udoka Azubuike Face

bluejaybrandon
Terrance Ferguson Face & Tattoo Update

TwisT
Crowd Update – Southwest Division (Updated to v2.0)

Shuajota
Ding Yanyuhang Face (Updated to v2.0)
Shuajota’s Realistic Roster (Updated to v6.4)
Official Roster Update (Updated)

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 offers five tips for earning and managing VC in NBA 2K19’s MyCAREER.

Fighting the urge to buy VC to level up faster in NBA 2K19’s MyCAREER? You’re not alone, as the game is designed to push you in the direction of microtransactions. Since the situation is unlikely to get better anytime soon, I’ve decided that it would be more productive to focus on some content that helps gamers rather than critiques 2K’s design choices. After all, while microtransactions are strongly encouraged, VC can indeed be gained without spending real money. With that in mind, I’ve devised five tips that I hope will be useful for both earning and managing VC.

Before I get to the tips, I should emphasise that it’s still going to be a long process. As the push for recurrent revenue is quite aggressive, the grind is very real. Perseverance will pay off, however. Aside from the pre-order bonus for the standard edition, I’ve not spent any VC that I didn’t earn in-game, and as of this writing, I’m sitting at 74 Overall (starting from the base rating of 60). I did skip The Prelude for this player, though as a bonus tip, I would suggest that you play through it in order to get a head start on upgrades and Badges, as well as an opportunity for a higher salary out of the gate. With that being said, let’s take a look at some strategies for VC budgeting!

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Patch 1.07 has come through for NBA 2K19. It’s currently available for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of the game, with the PC and Switch patches coming soon. As always, the patch should download automatically as long as your console is connected to the Internet. If it doesn’t, try restarting, or checking for it manually.

The patch adds the latest uniform and shoe updates to MyCAREER, MyLEAGUE, and MyGM saves. According to reports over at Operation Sports, it unfortunately doesn’t update existing MyLEAGUE Online games. A couple of gameplay tweaks have also been made, including an adjustment to illegal screens. New player likenesses and action shots have been added, a few bugs have been fixed, and there’s some new functionality in MyTEAM and 2K Pro-Am. Unfortunately, the latter still doesn’t support less than five users per side, as in past games.

Please see below for the full patch notes. You can also find them here in our Wiki. Feel free to share your thoughts on the latest patch in the comments section below, as well as in this topic in our NBA 2K19 Forum.

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Newly minted Contributor DaCrispy has been doing some excellent work with NBA 2K11 PC, as you can see from today’s file additions. His latest releases include 2019 season court and arena updates, and a G-League mod. Pick them all up at the links below!

DaCrispy
Denver Nuggets 2018-19 Arena
Atlanta Hawks 2018-19 Arena
Milwaukee Bucks 2018-19 Arena
NBA G-League 2018-19 Update
Charlotte Hornets 2018-19 Court
Charlotte Hornets 2018-19 Arena

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 DBF files in the PC versions of NBA Live.

Our community has produced several amazing mods over the years. We’ve been able to go from fairly basic roster updates to comprehensive total conversions, and a wide variety of tweaks and enhancements. Of course, some games have been easier to mod than others. The feasibility of modding a game generally comes down to the format and structure of the files; the easier they are to decode and manipulate, the easier it’s been to develop tools to edit them. At times, developers have gone out of their way to make this task easier. CustomArt is one such example, while DBF files are another.

In short, the adoption of DBF files greatly expanded what we were able to accomplish with roster editing in NBA Live. It’s easily one of the most important developments in the history of our modding community, so let’s take a look back…way back…

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A new content update has come through for NBA Live 19. Unlike title updates, content updates are downloaded in-game, as long as your PlayStation 4 or Xbox One has an active Internet connection. Key features of the latest content update include:

• New Live Content Data for upcoming Live Events
• New shoes and gear
• Jerseys from this month’s top performers
• Holiday throwback “gifts” for icons – 3 throwback jerseys exclusively for Icons at only 1000 RP each, all through December.
• CANVAS Madsteez items for sale
• New Court Battles players
• Rosters Updated
• Fixed various issues with legends in court battles not appearing with their proper team info, portrait info or gear

For more information, check out this thread over on the official NBA Live Subreddit. As always, feel free to leave any thoughts in the comments section below, as well as take the discussion to our NBA Live 19 Forum!