Friday, September 2, 2011

Seat at the table

Whats good family ?

I know some of you are eagerly awaiting my preview of NBA 2K12. But there is a reason for my silence. 2K gave the Sim Nation a powerful gift this year. After retiring from Operation Sports I was allowed an inside view into the development of NBA 2K12. While I am not the first to have the opportunity it has certainly never been done to this degree. That is a credit not to me of course, but to the good folks over at 2kSports.

While I have had unique looks at both EA and 2K in the past. This... was entirely different. I was allowed to not only watch their process, but interject, suggest, and haggle (rarely successful) for changes that benefit our community.

Before I left for 2K I combed though OS and 2K's forums and read , started or inquired into already established threads about what the Nation was interested in. It was fun as well as challenging to solicit feedback from those who had no idea they might end up contributing directly to the making of NBA 2K12.

Some leaped at the chance unknowingly, to their own benefit. While others, amazingly, passed on the opportunity like Rondo does open jumpers at crunch time.

While I can’t and won’t say what all has been added or adjusted to the game as a direct result of your input and analysis. I will say this. Practically everything I had on my list was either already worked on, fixed on the spot, or improved upon as much as was possible at that stage in the development cycle.

It was an amazing experience to witness the translation of community feedback into tangible improvements in the game. To say 2k does not care or listen to its fans is not only a fallacy. It's almost offensive.

2k was more than generous with their time and human resources and never made me feel like I should just shut up and go stand in the corner. Although Mr Lee, an incredible lead engineer might prefer that.

The standing internal motto at 2k was simply this. Does it make the game better ? If it did and the resources were available they went at it with reckless abandon.

Far from a one way exchange I received an edumacation (Jethro) on the trials and challenges that face a team as they translate thought into action, action into math, and math into code.

When I check back in with you. I will talk a bit about the process and maybe even diagram a play or two for you.

We all know that we are a passionate but admittedly niche community. What does it say then about 2k that in a year with no competition, they would pull out all the stops and give our community, THE Sim Nation a seat at the table ?




21 comments:

  1. WOW. that's incredible Czar. its every fans dreams to see good suggestions implemented in to the game. they couldn't have chosen a better representative. This gives me supreme confidence in the direction 2K is taking. "Don't play videogames" is the stuff of legends bro.

    ReplyDelete
  2. That's good to know about how involved you are with Visual Concepts in the development process of NBA 2K12. Share what ever information you can with us but don't get carried away with it. I wouldn't want you being on the fringe of violating any type of NDA policy that's been arranged with you and VC.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Its such an incredible thing to have guys working on the game that want to see the same things you think about become a reality in the game, and take it further to make it happen!

    Ill have my preorder in store

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks Kruza yeah man That is why I have been relatively quiet. I don't break any news just comment afterwards. It a sacrifice in a way but well worth it.

    @mag Thanks man ! Appreciate it.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm glad 2K came to a knowledgeable person to help them improve their game. I know they got good suggestions for you. And whatever was changed, I know was changed for the better. Tell them Sim Citi is watching............

    ReplyDelete
  6. DA_CZAR REALLY DOES THIS ,FOR THE LOVE ...NO OTHER WAY 2 PUT IT. THANX MY G'

    ReplyDelete
  7. WHERE'S THE SIM CITI T-SHIRTS @? I NEED 1 ASAP ...

    ReplyDelete
  8. Da_Czar said...

    Thanks Kruza yeah man That is why I have been relatively quiet. I don't break any news just comment afterwards. It a sacrifice in a way but well worth it.

    @mag Thanks man ! Appreciate it.
    September 2, 2011 6:26 PM .......... IF I HAD THE INSIGHT LIKE YOU ID B SINGING LIKE SAMMY THE BULL ON THE GOTTI TRIAL

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hey Dzar, this is Wang. I am excited to see you back this time every year. Cant wait to see bring us some real gam play. Great wishes to you and to all your family. Thx.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Wang what up ? Yes it's been a minute. Your wishes are warmly received. Thank you for stopping by !

    @prez Man I am going as hard as I know you or anyone else would if they had the opportunity. Good looks fam ! I see you. Just trying to get it off the ground.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hope that 2k keeps this approach of integrating the sim city president (and the 1st lady too) as a mean to improve their game and please their fans.

    Now that the playcalling insight was released, am eagerly looking foward to watch one of your visual pieces of art, showing us the real extend of what they so elocuently described.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Also hope that every other company within the sports videogame genre, would take notes and integrate both in order to improve their products.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Lol, after every Czar vid there was the obligatory "2K, hire this man" comment. This is a step in that direction. I don't know if you're working for them, but it's good to see that at least you're working with them.

    Props to VC for listening to the community and there's no one I'd want to speak for me on the subject of NBA 2K than Da Czar.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Big man, you KNOW I'd be upset if you went into a corner and kept quiet. :P You sitting in a corner doesn't make the game better.

    ReplyDelete
  15. i love every 2k to man but the one thing dat seam to bother me is the sneakers like come on 2k we talkin the best game and everything should be include even kicks no more to dem plain kicks you put on players with no sneaker deals everybody in the nba wear some kind of kicks from the scrubs to the elite n 2k needs to fix dat to me dats the only thing dats stopin you from doin COD numbers. im 4real 2 everytime someone comes to my house n play 2k the first thing they look 4 is the kind of kicks these players have on n to me you have the nba rights so it nothing wrong with callin every team n ask dem to give you a list of all te players and the kicks they would be wearing dat season. his is not something dats gonna take a whole yr or dev. team to make so please make it happen thank you KING OF 2K over n out

    ReplyDelete
  16. Czar this was a great read and makes me even more excited to see what feedback and insight from yourself and fellow OS have contributed to this years game. I look forward to your reviews

    ReplyDelete
  17. I find it 'rather huge' that 2k would take the time to hear what 'we' want....and to include you (Czar) as our spokesman speaks volumes...@ times i curse their Server but the product that i dropped $64.64 for is nothing short of amazing~~~~i've spent the last few years upping my game/building~perfecting and theres always a voice in the back of the head that asks "how can they make this better"....each year they somehow do it...Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on 2k12..

    ReplyDelete
  18. Seems like yesterday I was watching your youtube videos... wait, that was yesterday. This is good stuff bruh. So when is the 'Sim Nation' site coming?

    ReplyDelete
  19. Great insight Czar. This is one of the reasons I respect the 2K team so much. Very glad and impressed they included you in this process. This seems like it may be the most cerebral game of basketball yet and that's obviously a byproduct of their openness to your input and that of OS. Really hope they allow 10 teams 10 days this year. That was one of my favorite parts of the 2k buildup last year.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I have to second Czar's words about the crew at 2K. I also spent some time there during the time Czar was there and brought a great deal of community feedback as well. The team is very open to feedback and suggestions and it is why they make such an incredible product year after year. I can honestly say that Czar brings a OS/Gaming community intelligence to the 2K team like none other. Props to you Czar for the effort you put into making us all enjoy ourselves to the fullest every year.

    I was impressed with all of the things that were corrected "on the spot" during my visit and the amount of effort these guys put into every detail of the game. We are in for a special year of sim hoops. I'm looking forward to it for sure...!

    ReplyDelete