14 DAY TRIAL // NBA Live 14 will receive a brand new update this week, and developer EA Tiburon has confirmed that plenty of new things are included in the patch, namely a shootaround training mode, but also upgrades to the visuals, gameplay, and more.
NBA Live 14 appeared last year as the first title in EA's Live basketball series and, while it didn't match up to NBA 2K14, it certainly has quite a few fans.
Now, EA Tiburon has revealed that a brand new content update is coming this week across all platforms.
Among the major new things included in the patch is a shootaround mode that allows users to take their favorite basketball players and practice with them in the gym.
Various upgrades to the visuals are also included, in order to make players look less like plastic models, and to the gameplay, as the dribbling mechanic has been patched.
Check out the full list of details about the things featured in NBA Live 14's new update below, via the official website.
SHOOTAROUND
From the start, many of you have told us that your biggest frustration with the game is the lack of in-game tutorials or a practice mode. We hear you loud and clear, and it’s been a priority for our team to build something that helps fans come to grips with the intricacies of NBA Live. The first step down this road is the new Shootaround mode, which you’ll see in the update. In Shootaround, you can take any NBA player into the gym and get a feel for all the dribbling controls and signature moves, as well as the many ways you can shoot the ball and various gather types. This is the place where you can learn the timing and flow of dribble moves for each of your favorite players, as well as see how each guy handles the ball. Without a defender in your face and no shot clock to worry about, it’s our hope that you can take your time to really get a feel for how to best string moves together and become a more effective player.
VISUAL UPGRADES
Since we shipped NBA Live 14, our graphics team has revisited some of the lighting and textures in order to further improve the game’s visuals. We realize that the lighting technique we used caused some players to look smooth, clay-like or even “plastic.” After tuning lighting and color values with think there’s a marked improvement, and we’ve made sure to touch every player and every uniform to enhance their look. Some of the changes are subtle, but overall you should see that every player on the court looks better and they’re really starting to pop from the gameplay cameras.
GAMEPLAY IMPROVEMENTS
Gameplay has been a big focus of previous updates, and that continues here. We’ve improved responsiveness and control for first steps, plus dribble moves, which will give some of the league’s best players a more explosive first move and the ability to quickly change gears to blow by a defender. We’ve made multiple improvements to passing with ball physics, pass speeds and branch points within animations for improved responsiveness. We’ve worked to make passing and catching feel better and improve animation quality. Better responsiveness improves your ability to move the ball around the perimeter in the half court. Also, you’ll see how much better the overall flow of the game feels, especially in transition. Preserving momentum while passing and catching on the run makes transition more fun, and provides more opportunities to push the ball to a teammate and get to the basket for an easy bucket.
A FEW OTHER DETAILS
In addition to all the changes I’ve already described, we’re also introducing the official court and jerseys for NBA All-Star Weekend in New Orleans, as well as some additional Adidas Hardwood Classic uniforms and a new basketball complete with the signature of new NBA commissioner Adam Silver. For all you Live Season fans, we’ve moved the camera to default to normal broadcast view rather than player lock and we’re adding variety in the types of Challenges you’ll see day-to-day. We’ve also addressed some additional camera issues that you’ve pointed out in Big Moments in Live Season, as well as some other bug fixes in that mode and Ultimate Team.
The new update will be out this week on PS4 and Xbox One.