NBA Live 07 Q&A

Regular Shacknews readers know I've been playing NBA Live for several years now, logging far more hours than I have in games like Counter-Strike. The majority of my time has been spent with current-gen releases, and that certainly didn't change with last year's NBA Live 06 release for the Xbox 360. It was very pretty, but missed quite a number of features. NBA Live 07 looks to be much improved when it comes to that. I had the opportunity to ask next gen producer Tim Tschirner about this year's changes and additions.

Shack: NBA Live 06 was a pretty solid Xbox 360 launch title, but it was missing several features found in the current-gen release and wasn't perhaps as polished as it could have been. When NBA Live 07 development started, what were your main goals? Tim Tschirner: For NBA LIVE 06 we created the whole game from scratch to deliver a truly Next Gen experience with a true Next Gen look and feel. It was necessary in order to lay the proper foundation for the game, but unfortunately this strategy didn't give us the time to implement all of the feature depth that we wanted to have. So for NBA LIVE 07 we focused on Gameplay innovation and Feature depth. We have completely re-written the AI and Animation system and created a new Gameplay experience centered around Athletic Performance. We added a full-featured Dynasty Mode, a new Next Gen All-Star Weekend and we will introduce an ESPN integration package that will have everything like the Ticker, ESPN.com articles, PodCasts, and ESPN Motion (Video). Shack: One thing that last year's release lacked was the Superstar moves that were put in the Xbox and PS2 release. We know its in this year's version, but you've expanded upon it quite a bit right? Tim Tschirner: We've definitely made some major upgrades this year. For starters, players can now be multiple superstar types. So, a player like LeBron isn't just a High Flyer or a Scorer or a Play Maker. Now he can be all three. A simple button press in Gameplay will change his Superstar type so that you have ultimate control over his actions. By enabling players to be multiple types we have been able to differentiate players from one another in greater detail than the pas. We've also been able to separate the Superstar types into three levels this year. Level 1 Superstars are those up and coming players in the league who can pull off the occasional highlight moves. Level 2 Superstars are potential All-Star players who wow the crowd on a regular basis. And Level 3 Superstars are those players who are a fixture on ESPN highlights every night. The T-Mac's, Wade's and KG's of the league. As each level progresses so does the number of moves that the player will have in their arsenal. So, a Level 1 player will have 4 moves, a Level 2 will get 4 more for a total of 8, and Level 3 Superstars get yet another 4 moves for a total of 12. These players can also get 'In the Zone'. Basically, we track momentum internally, based on made shots, missed shots, assists, blocks, rebounds, made Freestyle superstar moves, etc. Once a team is deemed in momentum their Level 3 Superstars will have access to a few more highlight caliber moves to pull off. For example, our High Flyers will be able to pull off some former great dunks in the NBA. Think Dee Brown ‘Eyes Shut' and JR Smith's ‘Behind the Back'. However, you won't be able to pull these off too easily in traffic, so you'll need to create a Fastbreak situation with these players to be successful. Finally, from a control standpoint, we've moved all controls onto the Right Stick this year for a number of reasons. First off, it allows us to add a ton of new moves since we can add a variety of inputs to pull them off. We're no longer limited to tap versus hold on the button. Now we can add ¼ circles, ½ circles, full circles, etc. Second, it is much more organic and will feel like you have way more control over your players. The best example is for a Play Maker. Instead of pressing a button to trigger a behind the back pass, now you sweep the analog stick down from right to left to simulate the player's arm when making this pass. It's a lot of fun once you get the hang of it. There is a learning curve to Superstars this year, which will reward those players who practice it more. Level 1 controls are the easiest to perform, as they are simple straight actions (up, down, left and right). Level 2 are more complex as they are quarter circles (up and right, up and left, down and right, and down and left). And, level 3 are even more complex with half circles (Right Up and Left, Right Down and Left, Left Up and Right, and Left Down and Right). Finally, when your player is 'In the Zone' you need to do a full circle with the Right Stick by starting with Up and then going clockwise all the way back to Up. With all of these changes to Superstars this year no single player is alike. Shack: We'll also see Dynasty Mode in 07. What kind of new features will we see here. Tim Tschirner: This year, you will see the deepest and most authentic Dynasty Mode in the history of NBA LIVE. Everything you do will revolve around the Team Chemistry logic. We all know how important it is for a team to get along well on and off the court. We have seen in the history of this sport some very strong teams on paper disappoint the fans due to poor team chemistry, or vice versa.

For NBA LIVE 07, we have managed to grasp this dynamic and translate it into a very deep and meaningful feature for Dynasty Mode. Indeed, having good team chemistry increases your team ratings, which allows you to win more games, and naturally bad team chemistry will go the other way. As a GM, your role will be to make sure you build and maintain strong team chemistry. In order to achieve this, you will have to hire a strong staff first. The addition of the Assistant Head Coach will be a critical piece of the puzzle, as he will be in charge of scheduling off-day events or researching rumors in the league. These two tasks, like all other tasks in LIVE 07's Dynasty Mode, will have a direct or indirect impact on your team chemistry, so make sure you pay special attention to them. Another new feature this year is the Player Rotation. This allows users to specify the Playing Time and Start % for each of their players. So if they want to see their favorite player shine in the league, even though by default this player does not get a lot of playing time, they have the ability to control this by putting him on the team's front line. Another other great feature we have put in is the ability to start the Dynasty Mode under different conditions: 1. The regular way that starts in pre-season with Staff Hiring. 2. The Fantasy Draft, which allows you to build your fantasy team from scratch by signing existing NBA players. 3. The 2006 NBA Draft option, which allows you to start the Dynasty Mode by re-living the 2006 NBA Draft that took place in New York, and change the course of events. Finally, there are the Dynasty Mode Help screens. We have created 50 screens worth of information that speaks to what is contained in LIVE 07's Dynasty Mode and how to best use all of this information to be successful throughout a 25 year Dynasty. Shack: All-Star Weekend is also back. Is there anything in here that the current-gen versions didn't already have, or is this another feature sync? Tim Tschirner: There are several new changes to the mode. First, like the 5on5 practice gym, there is an All-Star practice gym where you can access the All-Star Weekend Menu, take the Dunk Tutorial or just shoot around in a cool environment. Second, the entire mode has a Vegas visual theme, in honor of the 07 All-Star Weekend location. We wanted to have an over-the-top feel to the game modes, so you will see some really cool visuals like fireworks when you make a big dunk or hit a money ball in the 3 Point Shootout. We are really happy with how the look of the mode came to life this year. Third, there have been some Gameplay modifications. All of the dunks that existed in past iterations were re-captured to fit our new dunk system and you will find that the gather part of the dunks are much shorter than in the past. As a result, it is more challenging to cue up tougher tricks like the 540 and 720. We have also thrown in a Nate Robinson toss that reproduces his behind-the-back, under-the-leg lob from the 06 Dunk Contest. For the 3 Point Shootout, signature shots now come into play and you will have to learn the different release points for each player to be successful. For example, Ray Allen's release is earlier in the shot window, to account for his quick release, while Dirk's release is a little later as he tends to fade a bit while shooting from high above his head. In the past, all of the signature shots in the mode were timed the same, so if you got the timing for one, you had it for all of them. Now there is more of a learning curve which we think the users will really appreciate. Finally, the audio for the mode has been completely re-done with Greg Anthony joining Ernie Johnson in the booth for some speech that is very entertaining. As usual, they will call you out if you struggle but they will also give you your due when you do well. Their dynamic commentary adds a lot to the mode and users will definitely break out in laughter during various competitions. Shack: Tell us about the signature moves and shots that you've added to NBA Live 07.

Tim Tschirner: We have a ton of signature jumpers in the game this year. We spent a couple of days at Mocap focused on getting these to look as authentic as possible. For example, we have T-Mac, Pierce, Kobe, Brand, KG, Prince, Ginobili, Walker, Webber, Allen, Bosh, Arenas, Vince, Camby, AI, Bibby, Yao, Marion and a whole lot more. We've also been able to bring in a couple NBA players to Mocap this year and have been able to get their signature jumpers, freethrow routines and dunks in the game. So, when you're playing with D-Wade, Melo, Pau and Boris Diaw it's actually their shots and actions. We also have a ton of freethrow routines this year as well. From Rip to J-Kidd we have a number of routines, all with signature facial animation. It's pretty cool to see players taking deep breaths and have their cheeks billow out. Shack: The AI system is brand new in this year's release. Why did you decide to go this route? Tim Tschirner: Re-writing the AI was a necessity for us to be able to get LIVE to the level we know it should be at. We wanted the players to look and feel like real-life athletes that play true to life to their NBA counterparts. These players need to not only move like NBA players, but think like them as well. The old AI system would not allow us to achieve this vision, so it was necessary for us to re-write everything. From shots, to dunks, to rebounds, to passing, to offense, to defense, to the way players move, everything is new. We've been able to lay the foundation for taking LIVE to where it needs to be. We also took on a new animation tool, ANT, which has allowed us to do some pretty amazing things with animations that had not been possible with our old tool. The biggest impact this tool has given us is with our player movement - now our players move like human beings. They have an understanding of their weight and momentum, and will have to plant and cut when changing directions. No longer are they able to warp around the court like a water bug. We're quite excited about what we've been able to accomplish with our AI this year. And we're even more excited about what we'll be able to do in the future. Shack: Freethrows..a lot of people had problems with the new system. Have you done anything to clarify what people are supposed to be doing when shooting freethrows? Of course, there's no helping Ben Wallace... Tim Tschirner: The biggest change we've made to free throws this year is to give you feedback after they've shot the ball. We let you know if you shot too early, too late, missed right or missed left. We will also show an overlay with a meter showing the path the analog stick took when shooting the shot. You'll see how close you were to the sweet spot, and will also see how different players like Nash and Shaq have different success windows. At any point during the free throw you can press the Y button to pop up the instructions on how to shoot the free throw. We've also done a few under the hood changes to make them easier and more responsive to shoot. Head over to the next page for more on graphics, player emotions, online play, and ESPN integration. _PAGE_BREAK_ Shack: What about graphics. NBA Live 06 was a fantastic looking game, but with an extra year of 360 knowledge under the belt, has the team been able to squeeze more polygons or performance out of the hardware?

Tim Tschirner: Last year we pushed the hardware to the limit to get the player and environment models to look fantastic, but this year we pushed it even harder to bring the players and the environments to life. We focused a lot of effort on facial animation and a technology we call 'Procedural Awareness' which gives each player physical and emotional reactions to the events around them. The players will focus their attention on the ball and other players, as well as other points of interest like the backboard or the coach, depending on the situation. Procedural Awareness also drives facial animation, so you can actually see how a player feels about what is happening in the game. We also pushed the player appearance even further this year, with vast improvements in player shaders and textures for very lifelike skin and uniform fabric, and a new muscle deformation system. The environments have also seen some serious improvement. Last year, each arena was built from scratch specifically for Next Gen after an extensive reference gathering project involving dozens of photographers and every NBA arena in North America. This year we continued to improve on them with new crowd, lighting and effects. Environments for All Star Weekend are all-new and very Next Gen, complete with pyrotechnics! Shack: You've also added a range of emotions for the players right? Tim Tschirner: Yes - this falls under the realm of Procedural Awareness. While the game is going on players will be aware of their surroundings and look at appropriate targets to show this off. So a ballcarrier will look around to his teammates, look up at the hoop and look at his check. As that check gets closer he will focus more on his check than his teammates. This applies to all other players, as off-ball defenders will look back and forth from their check to the ball and offensive teammates will focus on the ball while trying to get open. Players will also show emotion when the whistle blows and these are all context sensitive as well. At the beginning of the game you'll see players chewing gum, breathing, and occasionally talking. As the game progresses and becomes more intense, the players attitudes will display this. Players will look angry when a call is made against them, and will look happy when the call is in their favour. As the intensity increases so do their reactions. This also applies to coaches, they will get more animated as the game goes on. Shack: Let's not forget about online features. Anything new here? Tim Tschirner: Yes - this year we added the Multiplayer Co-op mode. Up to 4 users can now form a team on one console to play online against a team of up to 4 other users on a different console. For the more competitive groups, we also have a Leaderboard system specific to this game mode which tracks wins and losses. This will add a lot of depth for online battles, as a team of 4 can be extremely challenging to play against if they have enough experience. We also added the EA Locker which is essentially an Online storage device. It allows you to upload Rosters and individual Created Players which you can then share with other users. You can also download Rosters and Created Players from the EA Lockers of other users. Shack: Marv Albert and Steve Kerr teamed for new commentary last year. Did they record any additional lines for 07? Tim Tschirner: Absolutely. We booked the same amount of recording time with Marv and Steve as we did last year and got about 12,000 more lines to build on the brand new speech foundation from a year ago. Like last year, we rarely used scripts for Marv. Steve has never read from a script for any of his color commentary. As a result, you will find that our speech is very natural and not contrived since the comments are coming from Marv and Steve themselves. We have added a number of new speech events like a detailed half-time summary and some really cool fourth quarter speech that provides accurate and entertaining end-of-game analysis. There are a lot of other small situations that we have accounted for this year (like color commentary on turnovers, second chance points and blowout speech etc.). Also, like last year, we focused on getting performances from our audio talent that mimics their broadcast style as closely as possible and there are many occasions where you will Marv and Steve giving each other a hard time just like they do on the air. The most noticeable additions to speech are the player specific comments. We have in-depth, insider speech from Marv and Steve about over 120 players in the league. We think you will appreciate the insight and stories that Marv and Steve have regarding the best players in the league ranging from Kobe's number switch to Dirk singing Hasselhoff at the line. Some comments are triggered in game, but most are heard when players are at the line shooting free throws. Shack: Let's talk achievements. Like many of last year's launch titles, Live 06 didn't have the most challenging ways to get a thousand points. Have you added more achievements for this year's release? Tim Tschirner: Yes - we have 15 achievements this year which range from having to be achieved through reaching certain goals during regular Gameplay to having to compete online against other users. Shack: Last year's loading screen where you could immediately take the virtual court to practice was extremely well done. Have you made any additions to this?

Tim Tschirner: Thanks, glad to hear that you liked this feature. We felt it was really important for the Next Gen feel of the game. The feature is still in NBA LIVE 07 and we have turned the Practice Gym into a fully transformable one. You can practice in the main Gym and when you go to the All-Star Weekend it transforms into an All-Star flavored Gym complete with spotlights and pyrotechnics. When you go into Dynasty Mode it transform into a Dynasty Mode Gym with the banner of your team and big screen that folds up from the ground. Shack: On to ESPN integration. What will we be seeing here? Pretty much everything from a news ticker to video streaming right? Tim Tschirner: Yes, there are four major components to the ESPN integration: 1. The ESPN Sports Ticker keeps you informed of scores and news, including all worldwide sports. You will also be able to filter this information to match your preferences. 2. The ESPN Radio broadcasts articles from various ESPN programming. You will be able to listen to these articles while navigating the menus or playing Dynasty. In addition to this, the ESPN SportsCenter Updates will bring you fresh ESPN news every 20 minutes. 3. The ESPN Motion delivers video streaming from recent ESPN broadcasts that you will be able to watch and listen to. 4. ESPN News contains a large number and range of text and image-based articles that you can read. You can also filter the content and can decide if you want to get news from the entire NBA or only for your favorite NBA team. Shack: Of course, there are plenty of people who don't plan to purchase a next-gen console just yet. What can current-gen players expect to find improved? Tim Tschirner: From an overall feature set the games are similar. For example, Total Freestyle Control is a new feature on all platforms. There might be subtle differences in between the different versions but for the most part the games play the same. In some cases next gen simply takes a feature and advances it because it has the power to do more. For example, Freestyle Superstars has a special unlockable “In The Zone” level in next gen. Also, current gen has an ESPN integration package but next gen has full ESPN integration with ESPN Motion. For the most part, however, the feature set between current gen and next gen is pretty much the same. NBA Live 07 is set to be released September 25 on Xbox, PS2, PC, PSP and Xbox 360 with a PS3 release following in November.