I need help with 2K12 - BAD

[Franchise408]

I just got 2K12 earlier this week, and I'm trying to run an Association, but I desperately need help.

I can't win. Like seriously, it's impossible for me to win.

I don't know if there are some major changes from 2K10 and 2K11 that I'm unaware of - I'm certainly no 2K noob. I wouldn't call myself the best 2K player, but I think I know what I'm doing, at least against the CPU.

But on my Association, I'm running it on All-Star difficulty, Simulation settings. It doesn't matter the opponent, the deficit always inflates to 20+ within the first half as my offense just absolutely stalls midway through the 1st quarter. I try to run plays, sometimes I try to just go freestyle and see what opens up, and nothing gets open. I turn the ball over constantly - off of simple stuff, my PG bouncing the ball off his foot bringing it up court, routine passes getting picked off by the defense, I can post up Dwight Howard in a mismatch against a guard and lose that battle, my wide open shots don't fall. I've won 1 game in Association, in overtime against the Wizards. In all, I've only won 2 games period in this year's version of the game. I go into practice mode and run a scrimmage, and I lose to the B squad...

I'm struggling and I don't know what's left to do. I don't want to give up on the game, but it's getting frustrating watching as I turn the ball over 15 times a game, while the CPU maybe turns it over 3 times, or watching as my wide open, A quality shots with perfect releases brick off the rim, while the CPU hits fadeaways from the 3 point arc while falling out of bounds.

[Raw Energy]

Re: I need help with 2K12 - BAD

that's just how 2k12 works bruh on all star. it's even worser on hall of fame. you just have to grind it out. find the right sliders on here use paul pierce rosters that should help some what.

[juandalen]

Re: I need help with 2K12 - BAD

Have faith in God and I am very sure that god will gonna help you!!!

[JerzeyReign]

Re: I need help with 2K12 - BAD

You have two options sir:

1. Swallow your pride and lower the difficulty. Pro will give you some good games and it'll allow you to get used to the new game.

2. Find some sliders that will work for you. The problem is that if you're struggling on default All Star the sliders that'll work for you will probably have the AI playing like Pro anyway.

I was getting so many good games at Pro (slider adjustments) that I forgot I was playing on Pro. I eventually have moved up to All Star to see if I can capture the same type of games.

[VDusen04]

Re: I need help with 2K12 - BAD

Have faith in God and I am very sure that god will gonna help you!!!

In addition to this, I'd also suggest becoming accustomed with icon passing (if you haven't already). This allows you perform lead passes, which in turn will help you create space for your pass recipient, thus cutting down on the turnovers.

As others mentioned, I'd also definitely recommend dropping down to pro. Prior to 2K12, I'd been playing on all-star for every iteration of 2K I could remember. For some reason though, Pro felt like the new all-star to me. I'm to the point where I could probably bump up to all-star now, but I'm still having a significant amount of fun on pro, so that's where I'm chilling for now.

[marginwalker12]

Re: I need help with 2K12 - BAD

If you're playing with the Magic, adjust your defensive settings. Van Gundy's coaching profile isn't really high on the pressure. So the CPU will kill you on wide open 3 pointers all day. Don't play up on defenders, they will drive past you. Shade your on-the-ball defender to where you have help behind you if they should drive. If you have issues with on-the-ball d, play someone off the ball. Turn clutch factor off, game option and sliders.

Offense, set up the offense a little further away from the 3 point line. You need to create space. Learn how to influence shots close to the rim. Don't lead up with your right hand on the left hand side of the basket. Don't post up in the low block. Post higher up creating almost a diagnol line to the basket. This gives you more space to put together moves. Don't go straight up with the ball, use a pump fake. Don't drive with three defenders in the paint. Drive the baseline, once again, there's more space than if you drive from atop the key.

If the CPU goes on a run of 6, call time out. Get new people in. Don't stick with the same line up coming out of a time out. Make defensive adjustments. And d-up QRich on any wing player killing you at the moment.

[VDusen04]

Re: I need help with 2K12 - BAD

I'd also suggest not gambling on defense. Many times in the past I've been guilty of getting lucky and picking an opponent's pocket. That success then makes me want to jump passing lanes and attempt to poke the rock away from the opposing point guard while they set up at the top of the key. These gambles in turn open up many opportunities for the computer to create and score.

In contrast, I've often found playing good, solid, straight up defense is often rewarding in 2K12, leading to tough shots at the end of the shot clock and possible transition opportunities at the other end as a result.

[Franchise408]

Re: I need help with 2K12 - BAD

Nothing has helped, if anything, it's getting worse.

I followed much of the advice given in this thread, I've gone on YouTube to look at tutorials, tried to lab in practice mode, studied my players to find out what their strengths and weaknesses are offensively, and none of it is working. Even if I manage to keep the game close for a period of time, there is an inevitable point in the game where everything just falls apart, any pass I try to make gets turned over, any shot I try to make is a miss, or blocked, and the CPU swells a lead to 15-20 points, and of course I can never recover. I have had shooting at low as 30% as a team. For ****s and giggles, I went into practice mode with the difficulty lowered to Pro, and still nothing. The B-squad of Orlando's backups swelled their lead, and I still couldn't get shots to fall.

I cannot drive to the basket. Anything I do with isomotion ends up with, best case scenario, my players just get pushed off their drive, and I have to just give it up and reset up the offense. Worst case scenario, the ball dribbles off my foot or I fall out of bounds. In previous games, I was able to use iso-motion to get my guys open looks or get them to the basket. Now, trying to drive is just pointless. Anytime I get an open lane for Dwight Howard driving to the basket, the pass is stolen and turned over. I can kind of work him in the post, but nowhere near as effectively as I've been able to in past games.

I just don't get it. I'll be the first to admit I've never been the world's greatest NBA 2K player, but I've never been this bad. 2K10, I ran a pretty damned good Orlando squad, and was probably my best year, even able to pick up victories online which I'm typically not great at. 2K11 I didn't play much, but what little bit I did, I could at least win games. But 2K12, I literally cannot win a game. In my entire time playing 2K12, I have won 2 games - one was an exhibition game to test out the difficulty setting - All-Star - and I beat the CPU by like 24. In Association mode, I got one win against Washington, that I had to go into overtime to get. Outside of those 2 games, I have lost every single game that I have played, and even going into practice mode on Pro against backups resulted in what would have been a loss if it were a real game. It's ruining my Association mode.

It's not so much that the CPU is too good, it's that something on my end is completely incompetent. I have enough experience and success with 2K12 throughout it's history that I don't think it's just all me as a player.

[Guffers]

Re: I need help with 2K12 - BAD

The game is really, really hard. I've been playing for 148 hours according to Steam and the CPU still shoots 55% or more on me... On Pro. You have to decide whether or not you want to spend your free time being frustrated or not. This year has been maddening to be honest. I can't see myself buying 2K13 at this point. I'm all for realism and challenge but I don't think I should have to treat the game like a second job in order to become proficient.

By all means keep trying but you are probably best to leave it for a few days and cool off.

[demencia_total]

Re: I need help with 2K12 - BAD

The only way I've been able to compete on a regular basis is by adjusting the mid-range & 3pt shooting sliders slightly in my favor. Before, it seemed that even when I had a wide open shot I would end up missing, while the CPU would hit challenged shots consistently. Since I made the adjustments with the help of some slider sets, I've been able to compete on All-Star and the game has become a lot more enjoyable.

Still, in some cases I seem to miss very easy opportunities because the layup/close shot logic can be absolutely horrendous on the user end. A lot of times the game seems to trigger some crazy animations in situations where a simple layup would suffice. I don't think any slider set can really help with this problem though.

[VDusen04]

Re: I need help with 2K12 - BAD

Nothing has helped, if anything, it's getting worse.

It's not so much that the CPU is too good, it's that something on my end is completely incompetent. I have enough experience and success with 2K12 throughout it's history that I don't think it's just all me as a player.

Is Pro the lowest setting, or is there one lower? Why not use Pro in real games and not just in practice mode? Or do you? Have you have experimented with the lowest possible difficulty in real games?

It's certainly not all on you though. I'm not sure anyone would claim that. I've had a fair amount of complaints about this game (many more than 2K11). The defense does indeed seem to be able to predict dribble drives and slide magically into place. However, I've found ways to make things work that are still based in the fundamentals of basketball. One of the big differences for me between 2K12 and 2K11 is the one-on-one dribble evasions seem to require your player to take the long way around a defender, as opposed to slithering past like in previous titles (I don't like it, but that seems to be how it is this year).

However, through it all, I'd still recommend starting on the lowest difficulty possible and familiarizing oneself with how the playcalling system works in 2K12 (it was tough for me to pick up initially, even as someone who frequently used 2K11's version). Also, another fairly big note, I'd suggest not trying to get to the rim by all means possible. 2K12 is huge on the mid-range game. The point of a lot of my dribble drives is to get to 15 footer range.

The game is really, really hard. I've been playing for 148 hours according to Steam and the CPU still shoots 55% or more on me... On Pro. You have to decide whether or not you want to spend your free time being frustrated or not. This year has been maddening to be honest. I can't see myself buying 2K13 at this point. I'm all for realism and challenge but I don't think I should have to treat the game like a second job in order to become proficient.

By all means keep trying but you are probably best to leave it for a few days and cool off.

I don't find myself to be a super great player myself, but I still believe there's a great chance for mostly anyone to become proficient at this game without becoming maddeningly frustrated. It's not that hard (unless one insists upon playing at a high difficulty level out of the box).

[blues rocker]

Re: I need help with 2K12 - BAD

The only way I've been able to compete on a regular basis is by adjusting the mid-range & 3pt shooting sliders slightly in my favor. Before, it seemed that even when I had a wide open shot I would end up missing, while the CPU would hit challenged shots consistently. Since I made the adjustments with the help of some slider sets, I've been able to compete on All-Star and the game has become a lot more enjoyable.

Still, in some cases I seem to miss very easy opportunities because the layup/close shot logic can be absolutely horrendous on the user end. A lot of times the game seems to trigger some crazy animations in situations where a simple layup would suffice. I don't think any slider set can really help with this problem though.

yep...this year, the more I played 2k12 the more it became apparent what a mess the game was in
certain areas. It feels to me like they tried to add too much variety to the animations, so as a result you end up with a bunch of inefficient and inappropriate animations...in 2k11 the animations were simpler and quicker, and for most of the basic movements like crossovers and layups the animations were the same for every player - to me this was a good thing because it ensured that you wold get an appropriate animation no matter who you were controlling...but now it feels like in 2k12 they tried to give every player unique animations for every type of movement...so it has become a mess - sometimes you get an effective animation, a lot of times you don't. I'd rather have each player have the same animations for basic movements, instead of this mess i'm dealing with in 2k12. The unresponsive control and poor animation selection have become so frustrating for me that I have pretty much given up 2k12 and now I'm just waiting for 2k13.

[Franchise408]

Re: I need help with 2K12 - BAD

Okay so the general consensus then is that 2K12 is indeed harder in general than 2K11 and 2K10?

I hadn't really lowered the difficulty settings yet because I feel like I'm almost there, like I said, except for a few contested shots here or there that I don't think should be made, the CPU isn't really doing anything cheap. But my ability to get myself shots set up, and then when I do their rate of actually dropping, has been real tough.

[Guffers]

Re: I need help with 2K12 - BAD

I think its much harder. Probably too hard on pro. I dont mind 2K making the game brutal on higher difficulties but pro shouldnt have me tearing my hair out after playing older editions on allstar and superstar.

I dont think that the CPU is outright cheating but they do seem to be able to punish user mistakes far more effectively than you can return the favor. Sometimes you start a game and just know that its not going to be your night. I beat the Mavs by 14 in my first game in my new Bulls franchise and then got cleaned up by the Hornets the next night. They shot 9/11 contested shots to start the game. After that it got ugly and I only managed to draw within 8 with a very late run in the 4th. When the CPU is shooting 65% through 3 quarters its quite hard not to want to quit.

[Coach2K]

Re: I need help with 2K12 - BAD

What I find fascinating about this game is that it is a challenge and in the two forums I hang out in, this one and the one at 2ksports, there are two philosophies to getting better in the game.

I might take some heat for this, but in this forum, the key to improvement is nearly always slider adjustment and over at 2k, the key to improvement is learning how to play on default sliders.

To me, there are two kinds of slider adjustments. The first are the ones that change the difficulty for shots. For example, you could adjust your slider to 100 for 3 point shooting and then hit all of your 3 point shots.

Then there are the ingame slider adjustments for defensive pressure, help defense, etc.

I am not really for adjusting the ones that give you and edge over the computer but am certainly agreeable to adjusting the in game sliders.

I am also in agreement with others here in that you are playing at too high a difficulty level and that icon passing is a must.

There are a lot of factors that go into improving. And really, to improve, there are a number of steps.

Now before I get started with my suggestions, I do want to point out that I am not the best player at the game, nor do I profess to be. I'm just a 45 year old guy who loves basketball and this game is great when you get the right people playing it.

Since I've started playing, I've played hours and hours against others in my league on 12 minute quarters learning how to win and I still struggle against the computer like you.

That being said, here is what I would recommend.

The first step is that you must know your team inside and out. You've got to find out exactly what they are good at. I play as the Pacers. These are the basic steps to improvement with some examples.

1. Start on the offensive side of the ball before you start worrying about defense.
2. Check out all of the ratings on your team. On my team, David West is 90 from mid range with some great post move skills. If I can get a shot with West on the left baseline from mid range and wide open, I know I'm going to hit it. Outside of an open dunk or layup, this is my first objective to get a high percentage shot with a guy who can shoot in an area he likes to shoot in.
3. This requires that you know all of your shot releases for all of your players, in particular your starters. PLUS, that you know where they like to shoot. Go into practice mode and look at each players hot zones. Set the settings in practice to hall of fame mode. Practice on the hardest mode for releases.
4. Don't worry about subs at first. In fact turn subs off. Learn your players one at a time. Fatigue doesn't matter in a single game but it will in your association. So it might be worthwhile to set up a season without fatigue on. During a game, if you see a player get tired, call timeout that should be enough.
5. By not subbing guys in at first, you'll learn that players icon. I know for example in my starting rotation Granger is sqaure. When subs come in, sometimes he is triangle and that confuses me some and I'm more likely to turn the ball over by hitting the wrong icon on a pass.
6. Learn how to icon pass and move your guy that is going to receive the pass with your stick - lead passing.
7. Be more disciplined with the ball, you can't throw just any pass, you have to look at the defense. And against certain teams, like Boston and Miami, you can't make the same kinds of passes you might normally make because they are much better defensively.
8. Look at each players abilities and see what they are good at. Going back to West for example, he is really good in the post. I work on the moves he is good at in practice mode and then use those in the game.
9. Work on shot selection and know what an open shot is. The best shot you can get is a dunk, followed by a wide open layup, followed by a wide open set jump shot with a player who can hit from that spot who you know their release. Bad shots are ones where there is a guy right next to you challenging the shot or shooting wild shots with defense in your face. And likewise, timing matters, if you hesitate when you have a wide open shot, it's less likely to go in. If when you see an open shot, you take it, you will most likely hit it depending on the players ratings of course.
10. Know your playbook inside and out. Know the timing of your plays and how it gets people open and see if that matches up with what a good shot is for your team.
11. Understand how momentum works in the game. If the other team gets it going, a time out is good but not the only solution. You must come out of the timeout and get a good shot. Often you don't need a timeout. If you can answer momentum with a good shot, you'll often hear the crowd hush on the road. That means you killed the momentum.
12. When you come down the floor, look at the defense. Are they playing you tight, are they doubling the post? Are they bringing help when you drive? Are you taking it to the rim and causing a collision and it messes up your shot? These things tell you how to play against that defense and over time you'll learn what to do. For example, if you drive the lane, get hit everytime and miss the shot, that tells you don't drive the lane and pull up and take the 15 footer. Also look for mismatches. Is there a guard on Howard? Then go into the post.

If I were you and I was to start playing the Magic, I know two things. Howard is a beast and they can shoot the three. I would look at Howards abilities which are all probably great in the post. I would work in practice mode on all of his shots and make it my goal to get it to him in the post. Eventually they'll double him down there leaving open wide open shooters. I'd probably pick and roll with him as well.

The other tip I would have about offense is when you don't have the break, pull it out, let all five guys get down there and have a look at what is going on without forcing it into the gaps. I know for a long time, I would do that and once I started being more patient on offense that helped.

On defense, it's a little tougher but I would probably start by controlling Howard. I know that there are alot of people that are big on being on ball defenders all game but honestly, I don't buy that.

The next step is to know what you know about your team about your opponent. Who do they like to shoot with? Where do they like to shoot? Your goal is to take those things away.

Don't extend your defense. Stay between your man and the basket. Don't constantly double team. Don't leave your feet. Don't constantly steal or try and block. These things hurt you more the higher the difficulty vs the CPU. Against a human opponent, you can do that more.

I usually don't make any adjustments on defense until I see what they player I am playing likes to do and then try and stop that. If I see someone constantly driving then I might turn up my help defense and double that player on the drive. If they are constantly driving to the lane and dishing to the big man, then I'll turn down help and take that away.

But your first line of defense against the CPU or anyone for that matter is good shots. Eliminating points off turnovers is key. Stop those and it is much easier. It is easy for the computer to shoot a high percentage if they are shooting layups all day. Force them to at least have to take on five guys.

And you have to block out. No matter who you are guarding, block out. This helps your team block out as a whole. I like to bring my guards down and help block out the big men. But I still face teams where I can't get rebounds. One thing that I've noticed big time is that they guy you are guarding amazingly ends up with the offensive rebound.

When you are on defense against the CPU, the key is disruption and confusing. Fake bringing help and recover. Go on ball d and create some contact. Pay attention to a guy cutting without the ball and take control of that guys defender to get him out there.

Look at the game in a series of steps. Take a guy, master him and move on. There's a lot of talent on that team. Play good basketball with it and you'll find ways to win just like in real life.

If you want to play me and are on PS3, friend me. My PSN is www-Coach2K-com. It's easier to help someone when you see how they play.

Practice and good luck.