+-----------------------------------------------+ | NBA 2K8(360) | |-----------------------------------------------| | FAQ/Strategy Guide by strawhat | | Version 1.1 | | Last Update: 6/28/08 | | E-mail: plasmad00d13smooth{at}gmail[dot]com | +-----------------------------------------------+ ============================================================================== ~Table of Contents ============================================================================== {1.0} Introduction {2.0} Controls {3.0} OFFENSE (3.1) Scoring (3.1.1) Jumpshot Timing (3.1.2) Layups/Dunks (3.2) Fastbreak (3.3) Running Your Offense {4.0} DEFENSE {5.0} On the Fly Settings {6.0} IsoMotion Moves {7.0} NBA Blacktop {8.0} Modes (8.1) Main Modes (8.2) Options (8.3) Features {9.0} Sliders Explained {10.0} Stats Explained {11.0} Options {12.0} Association Mode (12.1) Main Menus (12.2) Coaching, Development, and Reward Points (12.3) Scouting and Drafting (12.4) Player Roles, Personality, and Satisfaction (12.5) Free Agency {13.0} Achievements {14.0} Codes {15.0} FAQ {16.0} Ending Note: For easy searching, highlight a section name and number(without the spaces at the beginning), press Ctrl + F and paste the section name in the menu. Press find and voila! For Mac users, use the command key in place of the control key. Version History: ============================================================================== 1.1: - Overhauled the defense section - Added some post moves and triple threat moves to the IsoMotion moves section. 1.0: - Completed the FAQ. Disclaimer: ============================================================================== This may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other web site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and violation of copyright. Sites allowed to host this FAQ: www.gamefaqs.com faqs.ign.com www.honestgamers.com www.1up.com www.supercheats.com gamershell.com xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx {1.0} Introduction xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx NBA 2K8 is the next installment of the NBA 2K series. With it come new features such as lock down defense, the dunk contest, etc. and also better collision sensitivity. Many moves were cleaned up such as the broken spin step and the dunkathon that was online play. It's also much harder this time around so "Hall of Fame" difficult really is pretty difficult. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx {2.0} Controls xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx For everyone who's played the previous installments of NBA 2K, the controls have mostly stayed the same. Menu: +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Button | Effect | |----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | A | Confirms selection, skips scenes. | | B | Cancels selection. | | Y | Brings up options menu, when available. | | X | Change between help and ticker at the bottom. | | LT | Scrolls left for teams. | | RT | Scrolls right for teams. | | LB | Scrolls left(change jersey, position type, etc.) | | RB | Scrolls right(change jersey, position type, etc.) | | Right Analog | Brings up menu. | | Left Analog | Highlights options. | +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ Offense: +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Button | Effect | |----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | A | Pass to a teammate. | | B | Nothing. | | Y | Hop step(Spin Move: RT + Y). | | X | Shoot. | | LT | Combine with other buttons for triple threat moves. | | | Post up with big men. | | LB | Use Dual-Player Control | | RT | Turbo/run, combine with left analog stick for isomotion | | | techniques. | | RB | Icon pass. | | Back | Timeout. | | Start | Pause. | | Right Analog | Pull back to shoot. | | Left Analog | Move player. | | D-Pad Right | Call set plays. | | D-Pad Left | Coach settings. | | D-Pad Down | On the fly substitutions. | | D-Pad Up | See who's hot. | | LT + A | Alley-oop. | | RT + A | Fancy pass. | +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ Defense: +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Button | Effect | |----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | A | Switch players. | | B | Take charge. | | Y | Jump. | | X | Attempt steal. | | LT | Lockdown defense, box out. | | LB | Call for double team. | | RT | Turbo, hold for more aggressiveness in block or steal. | | RB | Icon switch. | | Back | Intentional Foul. | | Start | Pause. | | Right Analog | Strife in direction pointed. | | Left Analog | Move player. | | D-Pad Right | Call set defensive plays. | | D-Pad Left | Coach settings. | | D-Pad Down | On the fly substitutions. | | D-Pad Up | Change player matchups. | +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx {3.0} Offense xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx OK, let's get straight to the meat of the FAQ. Offense refers to the team that controls the ball and is trying to score. The point of the offense is to score points by putting the ball in the bucket. There are several ways to do this: hitting a jumpshot(for 2 or for 3), hitting free throws, and hitting a layup or a dunk. This everyone knows. The problem that most people run into is not knowing how to score. A countless number of people I've seen tries to wiggle the control stick with Kobe, run up and down the court with him and then putting up a bad jumpshot. Others complain about not being able to hit even a wide open jumpshot or missing layups. Some of the solutions to do this is learning the game's controls, and others are just learning how to play better basketball. IF YOU WHINE ABOUT THE COMPUTER CHEATING ON DEFENSE, THEN THIS SECTION IS FOR YOU. ============================================================================== (3.1) Scoring ============================================================================== ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (3.1.1) Jumpshot Timing ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ First thing you need to do is to learn the TIMING of each individual player's jumpshot. Go to practice mode with your favorite team and start shooting with them. !!! THE GOAL HERE IS TO RELEASE THE BALL(control stick/X button) AT THE PEAK OF THE JUMP !!! Yes, the game will say that your release is perfect pretty much every time, but this IS NOT the case. In practice mode, find a spot on the floor and keep shooting until you get down the majority of your jumpers. Keep in mind that even though you are open, you WON'T always hit. Learn to release the stick as soon as the animation for bringing the ball up is complete. When done right, the shooting animation should be fluid instead of chunky when the player holds the ball up too long or releasing it while the player is still moving up. Players also have "hotspots". You'll see a some yellow bars on a player which indicates how well their range is from that area. The more bars, the higher chance of the shot going in. Some spots will also rumble, indicating a sweetspot for the player. In those spots, the shots won't be guaranteed to go in, but it'll still be at a much higher percentage than usual. Try to learn each player on your team's hotspots. Remember, not all players have them. A player heating up will also increate their chances of hitting a shot. The yellow bars you see will turn red after hitting a certain number of shots at a high percentage. If the shooting streak continues, the bars will flash red and shots from a hotspot are pretty much automatic. Keep in mind the opposite effect also happens when a player misses a lot. Check section 3.3 for more information on heating up. One more thing to remember is that if you shoot as soon as a player catches the ball, it's not likely that the player has "squared up"(in other words, is ready to shoot) to the basket. Yes, you'll get the shot off faster, but there's also a slightly lower chance of you hitting the basket. !!! THREE POINTERS HAVE A DIFFERENT RELEASE THAN TWOS !!! Yes, the goal is still the same: Releasing the ball at the peak of the jump. But from what I've seen, you'll have to hold it a bit longer to get the ball at the peak of the jump. It is considered a wide open look when: --------------------------------------- 1. There is no one within a five foot radius guarding you. 2. Your defender does not jump to contest your shot. This happens when they're not playing lock-down defense or they're just lazy. 3. Your defender is late contesting the shot. The ball is barely off your fingertips, but your defender is just barely rising off the ground. If you can continue to find wide open looks, you can score a lot of points. However, the AI is usually smarter than to leave you wide open. You'll be guarded 99% of the time if all you do is pass, pass, pass, shoot. You'll need a strategy, which will be covered later. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (3.1.2) Layups/Dunks ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Like jumpshots, you will NOT always hit layups, although there is a considerably higher chance. How many times have your cursed at Rafer Alston for missing a layup in real life? How many times have you stomped on the floor after seeing Rafael Araujo miss a shot from right below the basket? See, these things happen in the game, too. Controls for layups/dunks: +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Direction(on right analog) | Effect | |----------------------------|----------------------------------------------| | Left | Left handed layup/Fancy dunk | | Right | Right handed layup/Power Dunk | | Down | Reverse layup(or leaning back)/Reverse dunk | | Up | Normal layup/dunk | +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+ Depending on whether your player is a right-handed player or a left-handed player, the layup's chance of going in will change. A righty will be more likely to hit a right-handed layup than a lefty and vice-versa. Not all players can pull off fancy or power dunks. Don't expect Eddy Curry to do a windmill or AK47 to dunk over three people. Use the appropriate type of dunk for each player. Big guys can use power, and guys with high dunk ratings can do better fancy dunks. Never forget that a dunk or layup and be contested and blocked. Don't try to take it in when there are three guys waiting for you in the paint. That is asking for a miss. Even on a fancy dunk like a windmill, if Nate Robinson happens to jump at the right time behind the dunker, Nate will block it. Don't expect layups to go in every single time, although they do have a much higher chance of hitting than jumpshots. One thing you might want to consider(in case you didn't know), if you pass to a player and immediately use the shot stick near the basket, you go in for a quick layup. Also, if you combine something like a crossover to a layup or a spin move into the paint and a layup, there's a higher chance of you being fouled. ============================================================================== (3.2) Fastbreak ============================================================================== A fastbreak is when a team throws a quick outlet pass after a rebound or from out of bounds and sends the offense running. The defense must quickly rush back to defend them, often leaving slower guys behind. This sets up an easy opportunity to score a layup or dunk, especially when there are more offensive players running than defense. This section will be a little basic. The most important thing is to USE YOUR HEAD. If it's a 3 on 2 fastbreak, don't try to take it in with one player. This will make you miss the layup. Instead, dribble forward near the sideline and pass the ball to the middle and find the open man. Two people cannot defend three. Sometimes, you can kick it out for a three, but don't just run up to the three point line for a pull up jumper, unless you're really THAT open. If you want to start a fastbreak, you should make sure that the team starts running back quickly. You can do this by pressing left during the game, then turning up the fastbreak slider all the way up. Although you won't get as many rebounds, you can score easier if you do. Make quick passes up the paint and use icon passing, covered in the passing section. Keep in mind, don't keep rushing into the paint. Sometimes, the other team will get back in time. In this case, you're going to have to bring the ball back out and setup your offense. The first thing you should do is look for any mismatches. This will be covered in a few sections, but basically if there are any big guys on little ones, back them into the paint. The AI will almost definitely send a double at you, in which you just pass out for an open jumper. ============================================================================== (3.3) Running Your Offense ============================================================================== Gameplan -------- When your team steps out onto the court, you must know several things. First, who is your first scoring option? Second? Third? How are you going to score? Are you going to pound the ball into the paint? Run your SG off many screens? Isolate for an excellent one on one player? Know the strengths and weaknesses of your players. Mismatches ---------- After deciding your "gameplan", look for advantages withing the opposing lineup. Looking for mismatches if key for easy buckets. Remember that mismatches won't always be Yao Ming on Nate Robinson, but if you have say, Eddy Curry on Aaron Gray, that is a mismatch. Eddy Curry gets the weight advantage AND Okur is not the best defender in the post. What you going to do? Pound the ball to Curry every single time until the defense adjusts. Double Teamed ------------- If you are ever double teamed, look for the open man. If someone decides to double or even help, there is someone open! Know who is defending who. If it's the Knicks playing the Nets and Jason Kidd comes over to double team Curry, who should be open? That's right, Stephon Marbury. Before you pass to him, quickly check to see if there is someone rotating over to cover Marbury. If so, who's that guy's man? Did Richard Jefferson just come over to help cover the wide open man Kidd left? This should all be done in a fraction of a second. You can't always hold the ball while being double teamed; someone will eventually steal it or cause a jump ball. If you can, try to avoid double teams. You'll usually be able to see if someone goes off their man to try and double team you. If you see the opposing team is all around the halfcourt line, they're looking to trap you, in which case you should dribble away from the defenders or quickly pass the ball upcourt. Shot Selection -------------- I know it's self-explanatory, but always go for a good shot. As the offense, it's your job to work down the shot clock and make the opponent work on defense. This will eat up some clock if you're leading, and can also break the momentum if your opponent is on a run. Sometimes it's OK to pass on a three with 20 left on the shot clock and try to get a better, closer shot with a higher chance of going in. Heating Up ---------- After you get a string of baskets in, a player will get "hot". You can tell by looking at the bars on the bottom of the player you're controlling. When they're red, it means the player has a higher chance of making baskets. If you score more baskets in a row after that, the bars will begin to flash red. During this time, the player will be able to make baskets from places he normally can't and shots from "hotspots" will pretty much be automatic when given a slight window. On the flipside, if you miss a certain number of baskets in a row, the player will become "cold" and the bars will turn blue. Get the player back on track with an easy layup. If you continue to miss, the bars will turn purple and even making simple shots will become a challenge. Whenver a timeout is called or the quarter ends, the player will go back a little closer to normal. So when your player's hot, don't call timeout and if your player's cold, call it or put him on the bench. Timeouts also disrupt any of the opponent's players if they're hot/cold. Also, if your don't give your hot player any shots on offense, he'll go back to normal too. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx {4.0} Defense xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx You've heard the saying before. You can't win a championship without playing good defense. Lock-On Defense --------------- Know when to use this. Out on the perimeter, lock-on D is not very useful. If you're not guarding a three point shooter, sag off of him. And even if he is, stay close but don't use lock-on d. With LT held, your player will bite more often on fakes. Only hold LT when the opposing player starts to drive into the paint or whips out a bunch of isomotion moves. You can defend without LT just fine if the opposing player is just hanging around the perimeter waiting to set up a play or pass. While LT is held, you can move the left stick away from the ballhandler (relative to camera angle) to sag off. Do this to help gain an extra step to prevent the drive, and ONLY if the ballhandler is a poor shooter. Move the left stick towards the ballhandler to play him tightly. This will prevent the shot. If you move the left stick left or right, you will jump in that dribbling lane to help prevent penetration, although it will leave you open if you guess wrong. Preventing A Drive ------------------ When the ballhandler is dribbling, you can use "directional influence" to push them towards the direction that you want. This is key to defending the paint and trapping. Directional influence works like this: while the ballhandler is moving, push the left stick diagonally towards the hand with the ball. For example, if I'm using the broadcast camera angle and Sam Cassell is dribbling up the court with his LEFT hand, I'll have my defender move close in front of him and tilt the left stick diagonally towards the lower left. Cassell will be pushed left. When Cassell decides going left isn't working, he'll probably try going the other way and dribble with his right hand back towards the center of the court. Predict this, and when he switches hands, YOU start tilting the left stick diagonally RIGHT towards his ball hand. This can either create a "counter bump" preventing penetration or push the ballhandler back and pressure him towards a different direction. If the ballhandler is close to the halfcourt line, you can use directional influence to try and create a halfcourt violation or you can try to get him to the corner and doubleteam him with a halfcourt trap. For those with crappy ballhandling/passing skills, you can pressure them all the way up the court and try to get them to throw a bad pass or (rarely) cause an 8 second violation. You can also draw a charge to prevent a drive, but I find this very risky. If you guess the wrong direction, it's an easy bucket for the offense. If you guess right but are too late, it's a blocking foul and another 1-2 points plus putting you in foul trouble. You should try to draw a charge when you predict the opponent is going to use an isomotion move or a jumpstep/spin hopstep. Stealing -------- First thing you must remember is that constantly tapping X to steal the ball is a bad way to play defense. It will leave the ballhandler free to drive in easily and draws fouls sending them to the line. However, there are times in which you should attempt to pick the opponent clean. When using directional influence (above), pressuring the opponent near the sideline or halfcourt line will often lead to a certain dribbling animation in which the ballhandler slows down a bit and looks awkward. When this animation appears, you can bet that he's going to pass the ball to the nearest player to avoid a backcourt violation. When you see it happen, use icon switching(RB) to quickly switch to the defender nearest to the ballhandler. As the pass comes, stay close to the recipient of the pass and pick the ball away! Another way to get a clean steal is to predict where the pass is going. Look at the entire court to see if a play is developing. The computer likes to have players run off screens. When you see this, switch to the defender that is about to get picked off and run around the screen and get ready for the steal, or at the very least prevent the pass from getting through. I also notice that if the player doesn't work out and the ballhandler is not the PG, he'll pass to the player in the corner. Get ready to jump in for a steal here, too. Transition Defense ------------------ This really isn't something you have to worry about offline unless you're playing the Suns. Generally, people like to run with the ball. They'll throw lead passes on a fast break which leads to an easy dunk. How to stop this? First, you can turn your "Off Rebound --- Get Back" slider all the way right so your players will run back more on defense. You can also switch to a guard right after your shot goes up and run back. To stop the lead pass, you're going to have to stay in front of a player and not behind them. This will make the opposing player botch the pass. Defensive Sets -------------- The game has you do a halfcourt man-to-man defense by default, and to be honest it works pretty well for the most part. But when you're having trouble, you should change the defensive set depending on the offense played. If the offense is shooting a lot of threes, use a 3-2 zone to defend the perimeter. If the opposing team has bad perimeter shooting, use a 2-3 zone to stop the drives to the inside. There are few other defensive sets such as the box and 1, used to defend a good point guard or superstar. Other things you should consider full court defensive sets. Don't abuse the fullcourt press. An opponent can easily pass out of it and quickly get it to the frontcourt, and then you'd have to have your defense run back. If you're going to use a fullcourt press/trap, try to steer them towards the baseline by tapping LT while you're directly in front of them. When they cross the halfcourt line, double them in a corner. If the opposing player is a poor passer, it can sometimes result in a TO, or you can just anticipate the pass and pick if off yourself. Defending A Superstar --------------------- Superstars(rated 90+) are very talented and hard to stop on defense. You'll probably notice online and even the computer will use those players a lot and give your defense a lot of trouble. Try to guard that superstar when he has the ball. Use lock-on defense when he starts to drive. If he's hot, throw a double at them and risk letting the other team hitting a 3. Other strategies include guarding the superstar off the ball and predicting when the pass will get there, picking it off. If the superstar is a big who posts up (Duncan, KG) attempt a steal from their backside or throw a double team at them. For perimeter players (Kobe, Lebron), have an offguard try to steal the ball if they like to pull isomotion one-on-one moves. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx {5.0} On the Fly Settings xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx While playing in the game, you can press a button on the D-Pad to bring up some menus. You can still use the left stick to control your player while using the D-Pad to change the settings. Press B to cancel out of the menus. Left - Coach Settings --------------------- Timeout - You can set this option to auto or manual. On auto, the game will automatically use a timeout for you. Timeouts restore some fatigue and cools off "hot" players. The AI will typically use a timeout when opposing teams go on large runs or when a lot of your players are cold. Substitution - Allows you to switch the pattern of substitutions. For fatigue, the computer will automatically switch out tired players. For rotation, the computer will sub out your players based on the preset rotation, which can be fixed under coaching menu in your Association file or Roster if it is a quick game. I don't think you can change the online rotation. Be aware that although there is a rotation, the computer will at times freely sub players in an out, whether or not they are playing well or sub back and forth within a matter of minutes. The last option is manual, which is self-explanatory. Int. Foul - This is intentional foul. Late in the game, your players will automatically foul players if the game is close and you're behind. You can change it from auto to manual. Offensive Tempo - This sets the tempo of your team. A higher tempo means that your players will work harder for garbage buckets and run more on the court. It consumes more stamina at higher levels. Defensive Pressure - A high defensive pressure will cause your players to be more aggressive going for a steal or block, and also play tighter. Use a high defensive pressure for teams that are hitting shots from the perimeter. Box out - Fast break - You can set this so your players will go more for the defensive rebound or run back to start a fast break for an easy bucket. Get back - Offensive board - Similar to the previous stat. You can either have your players get back on defense or try to go for an offensive rebound. Right - Play Call ----------------- This brings up a menu where you can access all the plays that you set to the buttons. You can change it to whatever you like in the playbooks menu during the game. Each team has their own set plays, but every team will have these: Quick Screen: SF comes off a screen to get open. Post Up: Center will post up on the block closest to him. Isolation: All players will clear the paint for the ballhandler. Pick and Roll: C sets pick, then rolls to the basket. Down - Substitutions -------------------- Allows you to see the fatigue rating of the players who are on the court/ checking in on the next dead ball. You can quickly switch out players here by pressing left/right on the D-Pad or switch to a preset lineup(set under Roster in main menu/Coaching if you're playing Association) by pressing LB/RB. Up - Heat Check/Defensive Assignments ------------------------------------- New to NBA 2K8. If you have the ball, press up to see if any of your players are hot or cold. You can also see the number of FGM. On defense, you can switch each player's assignment to make for better matchups as well as automatically double(offline only) and setting their defensive pressure. LB - Individual Play Call ------------------------- I'm not sure if this falls under "On the Fly Settings", but while you're controlling the ball, you'll see a dotted white circle underneath one of your teammates. Press RB to bring up a menu. You can make them do specific actions. A: Come off screen B: Set Screen X: Get Open Y: Post Up xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx {6.0} Isomotion Moves xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Most of these moves can be chained into a crossover. http://youtube.com/watch?v=HNiU5_8e1TM Excellent reference video by boligt. Crossover --------- Throw the left stick towards the hand that is not controlling the ball for a basic cross. To do a double cross, throw the stick towards the noncontrolling hand and then back. Spin Move --------- Tilt the left stick towards the controlling hand, then make a 360 either counter clockwise for dribbling with the right hand or clockwise for the left. It will work when the defender is shading one side of the ballhandler more than the other, but it will also be picked off at once if someone reaches in from the other side. Hesitation ---------- Tap LT while moving. Can be chained into a crossover. Stutter ------- Tap RT. There's a difference between this and hesitation. Can be chained into a crossover. In and Out ---------- Tap the left stick towards the opposite hand, but not all the way. Quickly pull it back towards the ball hand. Behind the Back --------------- Same as spin move except holding RT. Can be picked off from behind. Half Spin --------- Spin the left stick opposite the direction of the controlling hand. Triple Threat Moves ------------------- Hold LT + RT and move the left stick towards a direction. Release it to explode out of triple threat and move to the basket. Post Moves: Turn-Around Hook Shot --------------------- Tilt the right stick towards your off hand to do a turn around hook shot over your opponent. Spin ---- Hold RT and tilt the left stick towards your off hand. Doesn't work all the time and can be picked off against a good post defender. Drop Step --------- Hold RT and press Y. Like the spin move, doesn't really work against a good post defender. Fadeaway -------- Tilt the right stick away from the post defender. Difficult to hit, and I don't think it uses the post offense stat. Up and Under ------------ Tilt the left stick away from the defender, then back towards him. Hook Shot --------- Shoot holding the right stick towards your ball hand. Triple Threat Moves: Hold LT and RT along with the direction indicated, then release to explode out of each of these. Jab Step: Right Step Over: Left Protect Ball: Down xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx {7.0} NBA Blacktop xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx There are five modes here. Dunk Contest/School ------------------- In Dunk School, you get to practice for the Dunk Contest. To do a dunk, tap a direction on the right stick around the free throw line area, then tap it again to lift off. Press RT when the bar reaches the gray area and your dunk will be successful. It has somewhat of a high difficulty curve(or I could just really suck) so it's good to practice for a bit. You can select many dunkers and household players, but not everyone is available to be chosen. Press Y to bring out some props and increase your score. After winning a Dunk Contest, Vince Carter, Jason Richardson, Lebron James, Tracy McGrady, or Kobe Bryant MIGHT challenge you. If you want the achievement, hope that Kobe shows up and beat him. The easy wasy to get the achievement is to have the other four players in the dunk contest, so that way it's either Kobe or no one. 3 Point Shootout ---------------- Select the players you want in the contest and see who can make the most three pointers. Each made shot is worth one point except for the moneyball, which is the last ball on each rack. They're worth two a piece. The timing for each shot is very sensitive, so you're really going to have to know a player's timing well. Remember that in practice mode, the game lies to you and tells you a shot is perfect when it's not. Wait until you get a string of baskets to see for sure whether or not you got the timing right. For three pointers, you'll have to hold it a bit longer. Pickup Games ------------ This is just a bunch of street games. Select the number of players you want in the game, choose a side, select which place you want to play and whether it's half or full court, and just play. Keep in mind that there are no fouls, so hack away all you want. There's also no lockon defense. If you press LT and B, you can pull out some tricks ONLY if your player has good handles. Don't expect Al Jefferson to start tricking anyone. Press a direction on the left stick with LT and B for more combos. 21 -- Similar to a pickup game. Every baller knows how to play 21 right? Pick three players and the first player that you pick will break ice, in other words decide who gets first possesion(and point). Make a bucket over the other two players to get two points. You'll get rewarded with up to three free throws, worth one point each. If you miss one, then another player rebounds. First to 21 wins, but it must be EXACTLY 21. Same controls as in pickup games; LT + B and a direction on the left stick for tricks, no lockon defense. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx {8.0} Modes xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx When you load up the game, after you press Start you'll see a menu leading to many options and modes. I'll describe each one here, with an exception of Association/Season which will get a more in-depth look in its own section. ============================================================================== (8.1) Main Modes ============================================================================== Quick Game ---------- As soon as the game loads, you will be taken to a team selection screen. Select the teams and press start to begin! NBA Blacktop ------------ Where you go to play street games. See section {7.0} NBA Blacktop for more information. Association/Season ------------------ These two modes are basically the same. You take control of your favorite franchise and try to make a run to the championship. In season mode, you'll have a few less options since it's only for one season. For association mode, you'll take it for as long as you want. You get to draft rookies, trade players, and all of that stuff. More explained in its own section. Playoffs -------- Appeared to have taken place of "Tournament" from the previous games. You pick the eight teams on both conferences who made the playoffs and pretty much just sim it as if it were Association except starting in April. Rookie Challenge ---------------- Pit the 2007 draft team vs the 2006 draft team. More a preset quick game than a game mode. Practice -------- You can practice moves by yourself here, or against a another player. Choose the team that you want to practice with and you'll find yourself in an open gym. Here, the game will tell you the quality of your shot when you release it. You can practice your Isomotion moves, triple threat, and others. You can't practice defense here, however. There's also a free throw practice for you to practice the release for your free throws. Just one thing to keep in mind: Although the game tells you that your shots are sometimes "perfect", they might actually not be. Judge for yourself by seeing if they go in or not. Oftentimes, there's a more precise release for each player. Situation --------- Create a situation for yourself. Choose two teams, seconds left on the clock or shot clock, which quarter it is, and other options. Basically, it lets you relive a situation. Can T-Mac really get 13 in 35 now? ============================================================================== (8.2) Options ============================================================================== This isn't really the same menu that you get when you pause during a game. There are a few more things you can do in the main menu. Manage Roster - Team Roster ----------- You can manage your roster here. Choose Team Rosters to move around players to different teams, change their jersey number, their tendencies, stats, and appearances. Keep in mind you can't touch the premade teams such as 90's West Allstars. Keep in mind, any moves that you make must be SAVED. Team Lineups ------------ Change the lineups for a team. Does Chris Webber now play off the bench? You can change that here. Create a Player --------------- Here, you can create your own player. Granted, the options aren't very wide in the PS2/XBox versions. In fact, it's still the same as in 2K6, which was the same as 2K5. Cool, huh? You might not care, but the 360's CAP mode has improved. Anyway, in CAP Mode, you can choose a player's name, their looks, skin color, stats, tendencies, a bit more. Only 10 CAPs can be made. Create Team ----------- Choose 12-15 of your favorite players and see what happens when they're put together. You can only use this team in Quick Game. Only 2 teams can be made. Playbooks --------- I usually leave this alone. This allows you to set shortcuts for the plays of all the teams in the game. Reset Roster ------------ If you were fucking around a lot with the roster, select this option and it'll go right back to default. This will delete your CAPs, roster moves, stats changes, and so on. It'll be like you had never touched it. Other Options - Gameplay -------- This allows you to change settings. Explanations in the options section. Presentation ------------ This allows you to change settings. Explanations in the options section. NBA Rules --------- This allows you to change settings. Explanations in the options section. Game Sliders ------------ This allows you to change settings. Explanations in the sliders section. Coach Settings -------------- This allows you to set Timeouts and Substitutions to manual or auto. You can also choose to show a message when the game chooses a play for you, or when you manually do it yourself. Controller Setup ---------------- This allows you to change settings. Explanations in the options section. ============================================================================== (8.3) Features ============================================================================== My NBA ------ Adjust your sliders here. Just one of the many places where you can access My NBA. VIP Viewer ---------- View your tendencies, stats, and other numbers that you've racked up as you played your game. Also allows you to log in to ther VIP files that you have. Trophy Room ----------- View trophies unlocked by getting achievements. 2K Beats -------- Customize the music that plays through the menus and view information about their artists. 2K Reelmaker ------------ Take replays that you saved when you played games and turn them into some sort of highlight reel. Codes ----- You can enter codes here. As more codes are discovered, I'll be sure to place them in the codes section. These codes can unlock jersies, new teams, shoes, and others. Credits ------- See the guys who made the game and thank them for their effort. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx {9.0} Sliders Explained xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx You'll notice that there a bunch of sliders that you can change in the main menu under My NBA or several other options. Some of you guys don't know what they all do, so I'll explain here. Press Start to change between your settings and your opponent's settings. Shooting: --------- Close Range Shot Success These sliders all affect how well you Mid Range Shot Success shoot the ball. The lower the bar, the 3-Point Shot Success lower your chance of making that shot. Dunk Success Layup Success Free Throw Success Tendencies: ----------- Flashy Passing These don't really affect you when you Fouling play the game. These control the CPU's Pass Intercept tendencies. The higher it is, the more Onball Steal likely they are to do something. For Contest Shot example, a higher three point tendency Close Shot means that the team will shoot more threes Midrange than a team with low three point tendency. 3pt Each player also has their own set of Drive tendencies which affect what they do as Dunk well. These are all fairly self- Dunk in Traffic explanatory. Back to Basket Triple Threat Fadeaway Hookshot Putback Defense ------- Rip Success Pick Success Pick Strength These three stats are based on your defense. For Rip Success, how often are you actually going to steal the ball when you attempt it? How often will the opposing player actually crash into your pick? And if they do, how often will they be stuck behind the pick? These are what these three factors do. Attributes ---------- Steal Most of these things you won't really have Block to change. These are all little things. Ball Handling Like for Defensive Rebounding, how often Dunk will your guy box out and rebound? Is Offensve Awareness their handling good enough so they won't Defensive Awareness get the ball stolen so easily? If you get Offensive Rebounding injured, how much will your stats get Defnsive Rebounding affected by? Injury Chance Injury Effect Clutch Factor xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx {10.0} Stats Explained xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Along with sliders and tendencies, each player will have a number of stats that tell you how well the player performs. Position: The players position. It can go PG, SG, SF, PF, or C. You can't change it. Overall: The overall rating of the player. I don't know how it's calculated, but pretty much represents the player as a whole. This one is automatically changed by the computer when you change other stats. Shot Close: How well the player is at a jump shot up close. Shot Medium: The player's ability to shoot a mid-range jumper. Shot 3pt: The player's ability to shoot beyond the arc. Shot FT: How well the player is at making free throws. Keep in mind that when real FT percentage is turned off in the options menu, this won't matter as much. Layup: How well the player is at finishing near the hoop. Dunk: How often a dunk will go down. Ball Handling: How often the player will get stripped while dribbling. Pass: A higher pass rating means that a pass will get picked off less often. Low Post Offense: How often a player can score in the post. Low Post Defense: How well a player can defend from getting banged into the post. Block: How often a player can block a shot. Steal: How often a player can steal a pass or strip the dribbler. Reb off: How often a player will dive in for the offensive board. Reb def: How often a plyer will box out for the defensive board. Speed: How quick a player is when running up the court. Stamima: Represents quickly a player will get tired. Durability: How often a player will get injured. Usually unlikely, no matter how low this stat it. Off Awareness: I'm actually unsure what this stat does. I think it's how often you'll find an open man, or how often the game will do a double-clutch shot for you to avoid a block. Def Awareness: How well you can guard a player that tries to cross you up and things like that. Potential: How much stats will improve over time. Strength: I think it has to do with the ability to back down defenders. Vertical: Ability to get up for rebounds, jump balls, blocks, etc. Shoot off dribble: Ability to shoot off the dribble. Shoot in traffic: Ability to shoot in crowds, usually around the paint. Quickness: Ability to explode out of triple threat? Not sure. Hustle: How often the player will dive for loose balls, off rebounds, etc. Hands: I think it's how well a defender can strip the ball off the dribble. Onball Defense: Affects the range where you can use Lock-On D, and how well your man stay on him. Standing Dunk: How well you player can dunk without a running start. Playing Time: ...self-explanatory. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx {11.0} Options xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx The options menu allows you to change various settings like the type of sound and also turn off some rules of the NBA. Since nobody cares about whether the sound is stereo or mono, I'm going to touch up on some of the actual reasons that you would go here. Replay ------ You can save a replay here to use in the Reelmaker. Press Y and X to zoom in and out, the D-Pad to move the cursor around, the right stick to rotate the camera, and start to save the replay. LT and RT player and rewinds the current replay. There are other controls which are displayed by pressing the back button, but these are probably the only ones you'll use. My NBA ------ Here, you can set the sliders which are explained at the top. You change both team and game sliders. You can't change player tendencies in this menu, however. You also have access to your offensive and defensive playbooks and assign them to a shortcut on the D-Pad for quick execution. Gameplay -------- Here, you can access several settings. Difficulty: Switch between Rookie, Pro, Allstar, Superstar, and Hall of Fame. Hall of Fame is really hard this time around. ;) Right Stick Defense: Camera Relative means that the controls correspond to the camera angle. For example, in 2K camera view, left would move the player left. In Broadcast however, moving the stick left and make the player move back. Absolute is the opposite; no matter what the camera angle is the controls will always be the same. Subsitution Method: Rotation, fatigue, or manual? Self-explanatory. Fatigue: Whether or not your players get tired. Injuries: Do you want injuries to affect you? Do you want there to be a chance of a real injury on the court? Playerlock: Lock on to a single player. Clutch Factor: Not sure. I'm guessing there's a hidden clutch rating for each player. Real Player FT - With this on, even when you have a perfect release on a free throw, it will sometimes miss depending on the player's actual free throw rating. The default is off, but I like to keep this on for the authenticity of the actual players. Game Speed: Change the slider to affect EVERY player's speed. Free Throw Difficulty: Doesn't affect anything if Real Player FT is on. Presentation ------------ These settings will all affect what you see while playing the game. Audio Presentation - This just changes audio sliders below to a set amount. Commentary Volume - Changes how loud you like to listen to Kenny Smith and other commentary. PA Vol - Changes the volume of the PA when calling out names and such. SE Vol - Changes the volume of sound effects, such as the swish of a made shot. Crowd Vol - Changes the volume of the crowd, such as cheering. Player Chatter Vol - Sometimes, you'll hear the players talking. Change their volume here. Action Replays - How often a replay is shown. Post Play Cuts - Same as above. Ballhandler Text - Displayers either the name or number & position. Free Throw Help - After every free throw, the game will tell you how your shot was, like if it was perfect or release slightly late. Free Throw Routine - Some players like Jason Kidd and Steve Francis have special routines each time they go to the Free Throw Line. You can turn stop their routines by turning off this option. Vibration - Self-explanatory. Do you want the game to rumble or not? Ticker ------ You know the bar at the bottom of your screen? You can change what you want shown with the options here. NBA Rules --------- These rules take effect when you play the game. You have to set them before you start playing. You can turn these on/off: Shot Clock Out Of Bounds Backcourt Violation 8 Sec Half Court 3 in the key Def 3 in the key 5 Sec Back to Basket Goaltending - Allow goalting or disallow it. Here are miscellaneous sliders that you can change for fouls. Charging Foul Blocking Foul Reach in Foul Shooting Foul Loose Ball Foul Controller Setup ---------------- If you don't like to the controls, you can change it to two other setups in this menu. You can change it for either controller. Camera ------ You can set up the camera here. I like to keep it on 2K so I can see where all my players are. Keep it on your favorite mode. Choose Side ----------- If you're a loser and want to switch sides during the game, go here and move your controller to the left/right side, whichever you want to be on. However, once you switch sides you can't get any more achievements or points for the crib, and any VIP stat recordings won't be kept. Oh yeah, you can't switch sides in Association or Season modes for an obvious reason. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx {12.0} Association Mode xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Pause: Resume Replay Coaching - Timeout Sub Matchups Settings: Timeout(a/m) sub run the play(a/m/o) late game fouling, sub method Playbooks AGame Stats: Teams box score gamestrack, injuries Options Quit This is THE most used mode for offline players. This mode lets you take control of any franchise and control it for an indefinite amount of time. You can scout new rookies, improve existing players, play against every team in the normal NBA schedule, and more. When you first start up the association, you'll go to an options screen. I'll explain what each option is. Pre-game Options: ----------------- Players - Choose how many teams you want to take control of in the game. Season Length - Choose between 29 gamaes, 58 games, or 82 games. It's just how many games you want to play in a season. Autosave - The game will automatically save after each played game or change in roster. Import Draft Class - From College Hoops 2K8. Team Chemistry - The better the chemistry, the higher the chance that you'll perform alley-oops and win games in simulations. Turn this on or off. Player Roles - Each player in the game has a specific role. If you don't want them, turn it off. Progressive Fatigue - If you have players that play excessive minutes, their rating will drop a bit and they'll get tired faster. If you want this off, you can turn it off here. Owner Firing - If you win very few games, you'll get fired. Turn this on/off. Trade Deadline - After the second or third week of February, you will no longer be able to trade with other teams until the postseason ends. Turn this on or off. Trade Override - If you want an unrealistic team, you can force trades for yourself. The other franchise will always accept. Turn this on/off. Allow CPU Trade - Self-explanatory. Preseason Games - Do you want preseason games? Toggle on/off. Injuries - Injuries during the season? Toggle on/off. Fantasy Draft Roster - Start your roster by scratch. Take players in a draft- like fashion with the other CPUs. Customize League - This option allows you to change teams from various conferences and divisions. If you want LA to become part of the Atlantic Division in the East, you can do that here as well as replace any team with a custom one. Substitution Method - Turn it to rotation, fatigue, or manual. Conf Quarterfinals - These four options are all the same. Choose how many Conf Semifinals - games you want in each round of the playoffs. Conference Finals - NBA Finals - Quarter Length - When you play the game, how long do you want the quarters to be? Sim Quarter Length - When you simulate a game(and for other teams), how long will they play? After this, select your favorite team. Each team has ratings and a personality for the boss. These things don't really matter. Just select your favorite. Afterwards, you'll be taken to a screen where you assign your player roles. Set your lineup, then you'll be taken to SimCentral. This and the calendar views are are about the same. In SimCentral, you view your schedule by week. On the left, you'll see the division standings. Press LT and RT to switch between them. On the right, you'll see various team records. The lower left shows your team's injuries and how long it'll take for them to recover and on the lower right you'll see your last three games and their results. On the calendar, you'll see all the games that you'll be playing that month. Press LT and RT to switch between months and LB and RB to switch between teams if you have more than one. Press A on a day with a game and a menu will pop up. You can select to play the game or simulate it. If you advance more than one day, you can choose to simulate all games. The red days are home games and the yellow ones are away. If you select a day, you'll also see the Daily View choice. Select this and you can check any game that you want to play in addition to your own team(s). On the bottom left, you'll see a chemistry meter. If you win games, it will go up. If you trade players, it will go down. A higher chemistry means that you'll win more games and your team will just overall play better. After every week, you have the chance to set up practice. You can choose to improve some of their stats at the cost of stamina. Know when to set practices. Give your team a day off sometimes, especially after back to back games where their fatigue will be very high. Once in a while, your player will get injured. If it's a minor injury, there's nothing to worry about. Your player will still play, but he'll be slower and less effective than usual. If it's a major injury and the player is out, well, then there's nothing you can do about it. Get a sub. If you have a good trainer on your staff, the number of days it takes to recover from injury will be reduced. ============================================================================== (12.1) Main Menus ============================================================================== Job Status ---------- This is really important if you turned on owner firing. You must have earned a profit and win games for the meter to go up. Try to keep it high. If it's low, you'll get fired. It usually takes a great deal of losses. Even while controlling the Knicks, it took me about a year and a half with some pretty bad players to get fired. Basically, if you run the team into the ground you're done. When you get fired or resign, you have the option to go to a new franchise. You can select among the worst of the franchises. Personnel --------- Under the General Manager menu, you'll find a variety of things to do with your current roster and personnel. Your personnel includes a head coach, assistant coach, and NBA Scout, 1-3 prospect scouts, and a trainer. A trainer helps keep injury durations low. Scouts help bring back useful information when looking at rookies. As for the two coaches, I can only assume that they help bring up the ratings of your players. Not too sure about that. Each one of your guys has a contract. After their contract expires, you can choose to extend it or hire a new candidate. Each spot must be filled at all times during the season. A better candidate will cost more money. Roster ------ Under General Manager, you'll see your current roster. You can change their jersey number, tendencies, shoes, and appearances, and stats. You can also choose to waive them during the season. If you want to look at your lineup, go to Coaching > Rotation. Select your starting five and the number of minutes each player will play. The order of your bench matters for your team rating. During the season, you can sign free agents. Keep in mind that if you're over the salary cap, you will not be able to sign anyone over the minimum of 350k. You might also be offered trades. Usually, the computer proposes really bad trades so it's best if you propose, which brings me to my next topic. Trading ------- Under General Manager, you'll find an option for trading and 3-way trade. For normal trading, choose who you want to ship out and select the player(s) and or pick(s) that you want. Keep in mind that if you're over over the CAP, their salaries must match in order for the trade to go through. If the trade goes through, you'll recieve your deal but take a hit to chemistry, if it's turned on. For 3-Way Trading, all the teams must have an equal amount coming in as going out if they are over the CAP. It's rather difficult to get a successful 3- Way Trade. Like a normal trade, you can only select up to three players/pick per side. Right below the trading option, you'll see trading block. Press LT and RT to scroll between different teams. These are the players that the team wants to dump. If you make an offer for these players, the computer will be more likely to give them up. You can also set your own players on the trading block by selecting your team name and an empty square. 2Ksports HQ ----------- This is basically your stat hub. View which teams have the best records and are on top of the power ranking. See who leads the league in scoring, which player leads your team in scoring, and others. You can also view your messages. Before February, you'll see All-Star Votes. See which players are closest to making the all star game. After the ASG, you'll see who leads the races for the awards such as MVP and Rookie of the Year. ============================================================================== (12.2) Coaching, Development, and Reward Points ============================================================================== Other than your lineups, you can set the strategy for your team. Select how deep you want to go into your bench, your tempo, and other settings. Most of these are explained in the options section. One important thing that you must look at is the progress sliders. These are all linked. If you increase one, the others will decrease and vice-versa. Choose which stat is the most important to you. After the season ends, you'll see results and your players' overall stats will raise. One bit of advice, don't deny fitness. Your players stats can also decrease. Without fitness, their stamina will be really, really low and they won't be able to last in a game for a very long time. Keep in mind that some players with high potential such as Lebron's stats will improve very quickly, no matter what you do. Young players stats tend to go up and older players stats tend to go down. That's just how life is. Another thing that you should look at is development. In development, you have 10 hours to assign players to different workouts. Each workout takes a different amount of hours depending on which activity you choose. Development is really for rookies and younger players that you plan to keep on the team for a long time. As the player gets better, each workout is harder to complete, so don't bother wasting those hours on guys like Kobe. Besides, if Kobe were any better he'd be banned. After a successful development practice, you'll see immediate improvements. Remember to decide what you want before choosing the practice. If you decide to cancel a practice, you won't get those hours back. Also, each player can only do a development workout once per month. You must assign your 10 hours every month, but you don't have to do them. Your hours will go back up to 10 the next month. Press Start to complete the workouts. If you cancel a workout, you won't get those hours back, so choose wisely. The hours also won't come back if your workout fails. Reward Points ------------- New to NBA 2K8 are reward points. Whenever you complete something good(win a championship, have a plyer make the allstar team, improve team record, etc.) you will get points. When you have earned enough, at the end of the season you can send the player to a special camp where they will improve a stats, such as potential. It's an important resource to stay a dynasty. ============================================================================== (12.3) Scouting and Drafting ============================================================================== During and after the season ends, you can take a look at players in the upcoming draft. Just go to General Manager > Scouting. Select Prospect List and you'll see all the rookies. Press select to see their NBA comparison and strengths and weaknesses. If you press A on a player, selct the scout that you want to go visit that player. A few days later, you'll get some more information on him. Be sure to read your messages. Depending on how good your scout is, you might pick up more information than others. You'll still never really get actual stats though, no matter what you do. Also, if you look at where each player is from, you'll notice instead of a college some will say China or France. These foreign players will take a few days longer to scout than the normal ones. Are they better? I don't know; it's up to the scout. Apart from the prospect list, you'll see the big board. This is a mock draft. It'll change as you play. A week before the draft after the season ends, you'll have the option of working out your players a bit more to get more information about them. You can choose a 5-on-5, 3-on-3, and others. You can only select one workout for the player. In addition, you can only use each workout a certain number of times. Each time you work them out, you'll get a bit of information on him. On the day of the draft, the draft order will be decided. If you didn't make the playoffs, you're considered a lottery team. You'll see the chances of you making the first pick, then the order will be shown. If you made the playoffs, then your pick is set in stone depending on your record. The best record will go last(30th), then the second best and so on. If you have a lottery team's pick, your team will be shown in the lottery picks. Sadly, there's no way to tell what team the pick that you have is from. The second round picks are decided by the first round picks. If you have the first overall pick, you will also have the 31st overall pick, assumning that you have your team's second round pick. OK, now onto the draft. Wait and see what each team picks before it's your turn. Then, make your decision. You can see the prospect list, the players you scouted, and what other teams have picked so far. If you're lazy, you can press Start to do a complete CPU draft. After drafting your rookies, you can choose to sign them. If you don't, they'll be released into free agency. ============================================================================== (12.4) Player Roles, Personality, and Satisfaction ============================================================================== Each player has a role with the team. They can be a starter, sixth man, role player, prospect, or benchwarmer. Increasing a player's role will also increase their satisfaction and viceversa. To keep players happy, give them roles that they deserve. If you don't, the satisfaction of the player will quickly drop and they will demand a trade. Now you won't be forced to trade the player and you can still raise their satisfaction, but while it's low their stats will be much crappier than usual. Each player has a different personality. There is Expressive, Unpredictable, Neutral, and Laid Back. Laid Back players will change slightly in their satisfaction level when their roles change while expressive and unpredictable can result in large differences. The latter two also affect team chemistry more when you lose and win games. To increase a player's satisfaction, increase their playing time, make sure they play well, and give them a role that they deserve, or an even better one. High satisfaction levels result in stat bonuses and viceversa. Moreover, it will also affect the player's trade value. No one wants a sad employee. A high team chemistry and high individual satisfaction will result in huge stat bonuses. ============================================================================== (12.5) Free Agency ============================================================================== During the offseason, there will be a period where you can get new players through free agency. First, before that period, you and other teams will decide whether or not they want to resign their players or pick up their options. The remaining players without a contract are then released. Go to the Free Agency menu and pick a player you want to sign. You'll see what the player wants. Try to offer them as low as possible, but still within a reasonable range. If you offer too low, they'll decline immediately. Things that affect whether or not they'll sign is their player role, money (obviously), no trade clause, and number of years on the contract. When making an offer, you have to make sure that it does not exceed your salary cap. If it does, you can only use the midlevel exception, which is about $5.35 million. After you make an offer, you'll have to wait awhile to see if the player will sign. You can view the offers that other teams have made and what the players thinks about them. You can change your offer here. After a few days (maybe more depending on the skill of the player), the player will tell you whether or not he'll sign with you. At that point, you'll be given the option to sign the player to a contract. This will be your last chance to change your mind about signing the player. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx {13.0} Achievements xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Total of 1000. 10 Online Ranked Wins --------------------- Amount: 25 To Get: Win 10 ranked games online. Any combination of blacktop and regular games will do. 20 Online Ranked Wins --------------------- Amount: 35 To Get: Win 20 ranked games online. 3 Online Ranked Win Streak -------------------------- Amount: 15 To Get: Win 3 ranked games in a row online. 5 Online Ranked Win Streak -------------------------- Amount: 20 To Get: Win 5 ranked games in a row online. Online Draft League ------------------- Amount: 10 To Get: Participate in an online draft. Online League Game ------------------ Amount: 15 To Get: Participate in an online league game. Online Ranked Game ------------------ Amount: 15 To Get: Win an online ranked game. Online Ranked NBA Blacktop Game ------------------------------- Amount: 15 To Get: Win an online ranked blacktop game. Online Tournament Game ---------------------- Amount: 15 To Get: Participate in an online tournament game. 15 Blocks --------- Amount: 20 To Get: Record 15 blocks as a team offline. 15 Steals --------- Amount: 20 To Get: Record 15 steals as a team offline. 15 Threes --------- Amount: 15 To Get: Record 15 three pointers as a team offline. 3-For-All --------- Amount: 20 To Get: Make at least 10 threes while shooting 45% from three. 30 Assists ---------- Amount: 20 To Get: Record 30 assists as a team offline. 2K Beats Playlist ----------------- Amount: 10 To Get: Go to 2K Beats and make a playlist. All-Heart --------- Amount: 15 To Get: Start the 4th Quarter losing by 10+ points, then come back and win. All-Hustle ---------- Amount: 15 To Get: Have 10 O.Rebounds, 5 Steals, and 5 Blocks in an offline game. Allen Iverson ------------- Amount: 25 To Get: Record 30 pts, 10 assists, and 5 steals with AI offline. Carmelo Anthony --------------- Amount: 25 To Get: Record 40 pts, 8 rebounds with Melo offline. Chris Bosh ---------- Amount: 25 To Get: Record 30 pts, 15 rebounds, and 2 blocks with CB4 offline. Chris Paul ---------- Amount: 25 To Get: Record 25 pts, 10 assists, and 5 steals with CP3 offline. (lol easier than AI but same number of achievement points) Dwight Howard ------------- Amount: 25 To Get: Record 25 pts, 15 rebounds, and 5 blocks with Dwight offline. Dwyane Wade ----------- Amount: 25 To Get: Record 30 pts, 9 assists, and 9 rebounds with Dwyane Wade offline. Gilbert Arenas -------------- Amount: 25 To Get: Record 35 pts, 5 threes, and 5 steals with Arenas offline. Kevin Garnett ------------- Amount: 25 To Get: Record 25 pts, 7 assists, and 15 rebounds with KG offline. Kobe Bryant ----------- Amount: 25 To Get: Record 40 pts, 5 assists, and 5 rebounds with Kobe offline. Lebron James ------------ Amount: 25 To Get: Record 35 pts, 7 assists, and 7 rebounds with LBJ offline. Kobe Bryant ----------- Amount: 25 To Get: Record 40 pts, 5 assists, and 5 rebounds with Kobe offline. Steve Nash ---------- Amount: 25 To Get: Record 20 pts and 15 assists with Nash offline. Yao Ming -------- Amount: 25 To Get: Record 30 pts, 15 rebounds, and 5 blocks with Yao offline. East vs West ------------ Amount: 15 To Get: User controlled team must win in this matchup in Allstar difficulty. Lakers vs Clippers ------------------ Amount: 15 To Get: User controlled team must win in this matchup in Allstar difficulty. Pistons vs Heat --------------- Amount: 15 To Get: User controlled team must win in this matchup in Allstar difficulty. Spurs vs Mavericks ------------------ Amount: 15 To Get: User controlled team must win in this matchup in Allstar difficulty. Suns vs Lakers -------------- Amount: 15 To Get: User controlled team must win in this matchup in Allstar difficulty. Suns vs Mavericks ----------------- Amount: 15 To Get: User controlled team must win in this matchup in Allstar difficulty. Create a Player --------------- Amount: 10 To Get: Create a player. Defensive FG% ------------- Amount: 15 To Get: Hold any team offline to below 40% shooting from the field offline. Good Hands ---------- Amount: 20 To Get: Record 20+ assists with less than 5 TOs offline. Ice Water --------- Amount: 15 To Get: Hit 15+ free throws with 85%+ accuracy offline. Inside Domination ----------------- Amount: 20 To Get: Score at least 60 points in the paint offline. Kobe Bryant Dunk-Off -------------------- Amount: 35 To Get: Win in a dunk contest in NBA Blacktop, then Kobe will randomly challenge you afterwards. Beat him. Lights Out ---------- Amount: 15 To Get: Attempt a minimum of 40 shots and shoot 55%+ offline. Lockdown -------- Amount: 20 To Get: Get 10 blocks and steals in an offline game. Rebound Margin +7 ----------------- Amount: 20 To Get: Get seven more rebounds than the opposing team offline. Second Unit ----------- Amount: 15 To Get: Get at least 40 bench points offline. Sprite Slam Dunk ---------------- Amount: 35 To Get: Win the dunk contest using Lebron James. Track Meet ---------- Amount: 15 To Get: Score at least 15 fast break points. Trivia ------ Amount: 35 To Get: Answer 30 trivia questions correctly. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx {14.0} Codes xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx +--------------------------------------------------+ | Code | Unlocks | |--------------------------------------------------| | haeitgyebs | 2008 All Star Jerseys | | agtaccsinr | Bobcats Racing Jersey | | cpares | Pacers Secondary Road Jersey | | uclerehanp | St Patrick's Day Uniforms | | llmohffaae | Superstars Team | | 2ksports | 2KSports Team | | nba2k | NBA Development Team | | payrespect | ABA ball | | vcteam | Visual Concepts team | | amcnreo | Valentine's Day Uniforms | +--------------------------------------------------+ xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx {15.0} FAQ xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Q: Are there any missing players in the game? A: Most notable is Jamario Moon since he's not in the players union, and there are a few missing here and there like Randolph Morris but pretty much most players that matter are in. Q: When will the new rosters be up? A: Wait. 2K has been really slow with the online roster updates this year. Or you can do them yourself. Q: I keep missing layups! A: If there's a defender close behind you, there's a good chance you would miss like in real life. Remember that layups aren't automatic in real life. If it really pisses you off however you can always up the sliders for them. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx {16.0} Ending xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx I hope this FAQ has helped you. If there's any questions, feel free to E-mail me. Credits *~-~-~-~* ~Thanks to CJayC of GameFAQs for the disclaimer. *salutes* ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Copyright 2008 {c} MG(Strawhat) END OF FILE