Vorige week liet 2K Games weten welke unieke features de PlayStation 5-versie van NBA 2K21 zal bevatten. Gameplay director Mike Wang heeft op het PlayStation Blog gemeld dat er nog veel meer te vertellen is.

In de next-gen versie van NBA 2K21 zijn de ‘Badges’ herzien voor een betere ervaring en er zijn ook nieuwe toegevoegd. Zo kan je nog meer combineren om je speler sterker te maken op verschillende punten. Dit geldt ook voor de ‘Takeover abilities’, die eveneens flink zijn uitgebreid.

Op het gebied van AI zijn hele grote stappen gemaakt. Hierdoor voelt NBA 2K21 op de PlayStation 5 heel anders aan dan de PS4-versie. Ook na de lancering zal dit verder worden uitgewerkt. De belangrijkste features zijn als volgt:

Defense

  • New switching logic update: Both on-ball and off-ball screen logic has been rewritten and the auto-switching logic was refined to reduce bad switching instances. So expect to see fewer cases of the AI calling for a switch without a screen and leaving a player open.
  • Adaptive Coaching Engine (ACE) now has the ability to recognize and adapt to different types of off-ball actions including: Flare screens, Down screens, Back screens, and Handoffs.
  • Improved logic for CPU defenders to get in position to take charges.
  • Several improvements to transition defense.
  • Overhauled the Hedge defensive system for better screen positioning and angle targeting.
  • The player can now call for help defense by holding L1 instead of just calling for a double team. This is a great mechanic that you can use when guarding the ball; instead of hoping the AI selects the right time to send help, it’s now under your control with a simple press and hold of the button.
  • Improved logic for defenders in avoiding each other when moving around obstacles. This works hand-in-hand with the off-ball movement changes I detailed in last week’s blog.

Offense

  • Next-Gen Game Planning: This is a great new feature that allows players and AI to have more specific game plans for their teams. In the past, you could choose to run pick & rolls with LeBron, but the new system allows the AI to target a team’s best players. So for the Lakers, not only will they run pick & rolls, but you can have them run exclusively with LeBron and Anthony Davis. There’s a new game plan option in the pause menu. Here, players can select between 8 pre-selected game plans that they can access in game through the On-The-Fly-Coaching panel (OTFC). Each game plan has default options already set up for them, so the player can pick a single option and have all the important details for that game plan ready to go. Here are two examples of game plans you can choose:
  • Play Through Star: This game plan will have ACE automatically select the best scorer on the team and only run scoring actions for them, both via plays and freelance actions. It also sets the tempo and rebounding choices automatically to accommodate your star’s playing style.
  • Pound the Ball Inside: ACE auto selects the best post scorer on the team and will exclusively run post scoring actions and plays for them.
  • Double team counter intelligence: You’ll see the AI using less movement and create more spacing for shooters spotting up behind the three point line to punish excessive double teaming.
  • End of game logic: Improved the AI’s ability to time plays with the shot clock for buzzer beater situations.
  • Starters and Bench Favorite Plays: This year we expanded the favorite plays to allow players to set up one group of plays for their starting unit and another group of plays for the bench units.
  • Moved player-specific plays and player-specific ball screens back to the L1 button. This was something many people were requesting so they could get quick access to icon pick control again. Favorite plays are now mapped to the DPAD.
  • Play and freelance flow: As we have done every year, the play and freelance offensive flow has been greatly improved moving to next-gen. There are several actions that we just had a hard time getting to run smoothly in past 2K games, but thanks to the logic upgrades and vastly improved motion engine, everything flows extremely well in NBA 2K21 for next-gen.
  • Fixed AI players accidentally positioning themselves out of bounds.
  • New pick & roll spacing: New spacing code gives some of our pick & roll and isolation sets that extra adjustment on dribble penetration. It’s much more solid now but expect continued expansion on this module as the year goes along with our in-season play and AI updates.

De next-gen versie van NBA 2K21 lijkt haast een compleet andere game dan de current-gen versie. Er zijn nog meer verschillen, maar die zullen later uit de doeken worden gedaan. Volgens Wang gaat het om ‘jaw dropping’ nieuws dat je omver zal blazen.