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NBA Playgrounds |OT| More entertaining & less predicable than the NBA play-offs!

Ah!

Where are the people who were complaining? Congrats Saber. I will download this as soon as I ger a switch next month (and splatoon2)
Here. Still took too fucking long, the loading times are still bad and the file size is still bloated. Not seeing what took them so long tbh, bunch of liars if you ask me. I do like the shot meter though and I was able to beat Dirk and Magic so there is that.
 
Here. Still took too fucking long, the loading times are still bad and the file size is still bloated. Not seeing what took them so long tbh, bunch of liars if you ask me. I do like the shot meter though and I was able to beat Dirk and Magic so there is that.
Only thing they "lied" about was the mention that online would come out in a few days after the game launched.
They have come through with everything they promised, they just hit bumps in the road with one version of the game.
If the subsequent updates come out in a timely fashion from now on, everything is hunky dory.
 

jmizzal

Member
Press the + button.

Edit - I might have misunderstood, that's to switch to challenge mode.

thanks thats what I was asking

anybody wanna do a quick challenge match

Switch needs to hurry up and get friend messaging, I have friends with the game, challenge mode its like setting up friends matches but you cant messages friends on Switch lol
 

bumpkin

Member
These are by no means comprehensive, but I decided to take some screen shots (in portable mode) before I updated the game and afterwards. It's not a night and day difference, but there is a difference...

Title Screen
PrePatch1.jpg

PostPatch1.jpg

Pre-Match Camera Pan (NY)

Jump Ball

Also, after only playing three online matches, I'm pretty sure I've already made some enemies. The first match, I wasn't even playing "hard" and I got out to a double digit lead and they never caught up. In the second match, they were trying to spam threes - as Ewing (WTF?) - and so I countered that and beat them. The third match, I ran into a Curry and LeBron pair and guess what their strategy was? Yeah, spam threes. I only won by a basket, but their strategy fell apart when I started saving lottery meter to shove them as they tried to shoot the three(s).

It's nice being able to play online though, finally!
 

Dizzan

MINI Member
Grinding is too painful. Please give me an option to buy players. I'm not 12 and I don't have 4 hours a day to grind.

Or just make it a little less time consuming!!
 
So the rumble no longer makes a super loud "Weeee" noise at all times when joycons are attached to the system (basically rumble at max)?

I liked the game, but that was a deal breaker. Didn't even finish a full game... :/
Yeah, they fixed that.
It does rumble on those occasions but it's not annoying buzzing like before.
It's easily softer but you still feel rumble.
 

jonno394

Member
If Saber were smart they'd do a sale on Playgrounds right now, especially on Switch. The Snake Pass sale did wonders and i think sale+finally patched would work well.

They risk pissing off early adopters though...
 

derFeef

Member
The imrpovements are a bit disappointing seeing those comparisons shots.
Hopefully the game loads and plays a bit better now though - had no time to try it out yesterday.
 

tanasten

glad to heard people isn't stupid anymore
Wow, the Switch Patch ... now in 27 seconds the match are loaded and the game looks much better on the Portable Mode than before (720P? close I think)

And Online Play is looking good for me, even I had a laggy games.
 

rainz

Member
How does this compare to NBA JAM?

+Better Graphics
+Updated Teams/Rosters

+/- Different Gameplay, depends if you like it better or not.. with 4 point shots etc

- Worse controls
- Rebounding and ball physics seem way off even for an arcade game...
- Layups can miss very very easily and go flying... strange at first.
- Worse announcer

Overall its a decent game and nice to play sometimes with friends etc but my friends at least found it quite annoying due to the non pickup and play nature of the shot meter even for layups..
 
The imrpovements are a bit disappointing seeing those comparisons shots.
Hopefully the game loads and plays a bit better now though - had no time to try it out yesterday.
I can't tell much of a difference between the two in those screens posted but I definitely could right when I booted it up after the update.
I doubt it's 720ishp but it's a noticeable improvement.
The loading right before you play is a nice upgrade too though not lightning fast.
 
The imrpovements are a bit disappointing seeing those comparisons shots.
Hopefully the game loads and plays a bit better now though - had no time to try it out yesterday.

Wouldn't go off the screenshots.

Switch saves them all at a lower resolution than they are displayed on screen (docked or handheld).

So if you take a pic of a 720p game and 1080p game, the pics will both be saved at the exact same lower resolution.
 

derFeef

Member
I can't tell much of a difference between the two in those screens posted but I definitely could right when I booted it up after the update.
I doubt it's 720ishp but it's a noticeable improvement.
The loading right before you play is a nice upgrade too though not lightning fast.

Wouldn't go off the screenshots.

Switch saves them all at a lower resolution than they are displayed on screen (docked or handheld).

So if you take a pic of a 720p game and 1080p game, the pics will both be saved at the exact same lower resolution.

True, I will see for myself. Loading improvements is already a big thing for me :)
 

tanasten

glad to heard people isn't stupid anymore
True, I will see for myself. Loading improvements is already a big thing for me :)

Yeah, I agree with that. Loading reduced more than half, and it even loads much faster than the PS4 version too (which takes a minute to load an match!)

This is probably, with the addition of the online mode, the biggest improvement on this patch.
 

jmizzal

Member
+Better Graphics
+Updated Teams/Rosters

+/- Different Gameplay, depends if you like it better or not.. with 4 point shots etc

- Worse controls
- Rebounding and ball physics seem way off even for an arcade game...
- Layups can miss very very easily and go flying... strange at first.
- Worse announcer

Overall its a decent game and nice to play sometimes with friends etc but my friends at least found it quite annoying due to the non pickup and play nature of the shot meter even for layups..

The main thing I like about this over NBA Jam is the fact that I can play as any pair of players together and not forced to play as the same team.

I was able to play Paul George and Westbrook the new OKC duo, NBA Jam I wouldnt be able to do that.
 

bumpkin

Member
I can't tell much of a difference between the two in those screens posted but I definitely could right when I booted it up after the update.
I doubt it's 720ishp but it's a noticeable improvement.
The loading right before you play is a nice upgrade too though not lightning fast.
The differences are pretty obvious in the screens, IMHO. I'm not a resolution-hound so I couldn't tell you if the resolution was upped at all, but you can see that the image is clearer, edges aren't as fuzzy. The loading is definitely where the most obvious improvement is.

I don't understand all the hate surrounding the shot meter other than really auspicious placement (bottom center). It does require a little bit of twitch reflexes to time the release when you square up from low-percentage areas, but it's not super broken or something. I wonder if people expect that if you stop the reticle dead-center of the colored area, the shot should be guaranteed 100% it'll go in, regardless of the player's rating in that area?

Overall, I'm pretty happy with the update.
 

derFeef

Member
Game loads way faster and graphics look indeed better. I also kinda like the stamina change, it seems like it also applies to the AI and they feel less cheesy?
BUT I am not sure how progression works again? Do I need to finish the challanges to get to the next tournament location? Because I finished Paris but only 2/4 challanges there.
 
+Better Graphics
+Updated Teams/Rosters

+/- Different Gameplay, depends if you like it better or not.. with 4 point shots etc

- Worse controls
- Rebounding and ball physics seem way off even for an arcade game...
- Layups can miss very very easily and go flying... strange at first.
- Worse announcer

Overall its a decent game and nice to play sometimes with friends etc but my friends at least found it quite annoying due to the non pickup and play nature of the shot meter even for layups..

Is that still a thing? Ugh, I thought that was tightened up via patch?
 

Glix

Member
Update is great. No more steal spam.

Graphics look a lot better in portable mode, could partly be placebo, and game just "feels" better.

I love the shot meter, and how it is implemented.

FINALLY, very pleased with my purchase.
 

bumpkin

Member
Game loads way faster and graphics look indeed better. I also kinda like the stamina change, it seems like it also applies to the AI and they feel less cheesy?
BUT I am not sure how progression works again? Do I need to finish the challanges to get to the next tournament location? Because I finished Paris but only 2/4 challanges there.
All you should need to do to unlock the next tournament is win the four games. The challenges are optional and only serve to unlock extra goodies
different basketballs to use in Exhibition
. The nice thing is once you beat a challenge, it's beaten regardless of whether you win or lose the game.
 
Really thinking about picking this up for my Switch. I've read countless impressions on it. I played NBA Jam on my SNES like it was my life blood growing up. I've been needing to scratch this itch for a long time.
 

derFeef

Member
All you should need to do to unlock the next tournament is win the four games. The challenges are optional and only serve to unlock extra goodies
different basketballs to use in Exhibition
. The nice thing is once you beat a challenge, it's beaten regardless of whether you win or lose the game.

Hmm then I am not sure what I am missing here?

 

bumpkin

Member
Hmm then I am not sure what I am missing here?
That's... Weird. I don't recall having to do anything other than win the four games. You won all four games, right? Maybe try quitting/closing the game and re-playing and winning the Final game again?

I went back after beating all of the tournaments and did the challenges after the fact. Some of them simply aren't beatable while winning the game too.
 

derFeef

Member
That's... Weird. I don't recall having to do anything other than win the four games. You won all four games, right? Maybe try quitting/closing the game and re-playing and winning the Final game again?

I went back after beating all of the tournaments and did the challenges after the fact. Some of them simply aren't beatable while winning the game too.

I just played all and won all again, restarted, played exhibition, entered torunament again, nothing... don't tell me my game is glitched, after I am having fun again :-(
 

bumpkin

Member
I just played all and won all again, restarted, played exhibition, entered torunament again, nothing... don't tell me my game is glitched, after I am having fun again :-(
Hmm... I honestly don't know. I posted a question about it on the Facebook community page for the game and tagged the CEO and another Saber guy. I'll let you know if they say anything.

Really thinking about picking this up for my Switch. I've read countless impressions on it. I played NBA Jam on my SNES like it was my life blood growing up. I've been needing to scratch this itch for a long time.
I think the game is a lot of fun, I don't regret the purchase at all. If you're interested because you want NBA Jam on your Switch, temper your expectations. It plays differently than Jam. Also of note...

  • Shots, dunks and layups have a meter for timing
  • Alley-oops have weird timing that varies from player to player
  • Blocking is harder than in Jam, IMHO
  • Rebounding is even harder
  • The shoot button is really touchy and makes pump-fakes flaky
  • Cross-overs seem to be really random in the direction your player goes when performing one
  • Using the steal button drains stamina (turbo)
  • Shoving drains your "lottery meter"
  • The lottery meter can't be turned off
  • The lottery power-ups can help you sometimes, but can also lead to some very inopportune disadvantages against opponents (like a 2x multiplier on three pointers or dunks)
  • The announcers are nowhere near as entertaining as the NBA Jam guy
 

derFeef

Member
Hmm... I honestly don't know. I posted a question about it on the Facebook community page for the game and tagged the CEO and another Saber guy. I'll let you know if they say anything.

Thanks for that! They already responded to me on twitter that I should contact them per mail. I don't think they can do anything tho :(
 
Does this game have signature moves? Like Lebron has his one handed tomahawk, dream shake, Dirk's one leg fadeaway, etc etc? What about their shooting motions, like can you see the difference between Bird's shooting motion vs Steph Curry's?
 

Hegarol

Member
Does this game have signature moves? Like Lebron has his one handed tomahawk, dream shake, Dirk's one leg fadeaway, etc etc? What about their shooting motions, like can you see the difference between Bird's shooting motion vs Steph Curry's?
Signature moves are in for some players. I only know Dirk's and its in, not sure how accurate other moves are. Didn't notice any differences regarding shooting motions between players.
 

jmizzal

Member
Does this game have signature moves? Like Lebron has his one handed tomahawk, dream shake, Dirk's one leg fadeaway, etc etc? What about their shooting motions, like can you see the difference between Bird's shooting motion vs Steph Curry's?

The game has all those signature moves and more, Shaq dunk, Westbrook dunk, Steph Curry and Iverson crossover, Magic Johnson pass and some others.
 
Signature moves are in for some players. I only know Dirk's and its in, not sure how accurate other moves are. Didn't notice any differences regarding shooting motions between players.

The game has all those signature moves and more, Shaq dunk, Westbrook dunk, Steph Curry and Iverson crossover, Magic Johnson pass and some others.

Cool, I think I'm in for the Switch version now that the issues with patches are ironed out.
 

bumpkin

Member
Thanks for that! They already responded to me on twitter that I should contact them per mail. I don't think they can do anything tho :(
So far only the peanut gallery has chimed in and said what I did about re-playing/re-winning the Final.

It's a long shot, but maybe try to get gold on all four challenges too?
 

Nakasan

Member
Bought this yesterday now it's had the kinks ironed out. One thing I'm finding crazy frustrating is not being able to consistently dunk when I think I should be dunking. I'm holding zr to run at the net, hitting Y (on switch btw) when close to the hoop but sometimes it'll finger roll, sometimes it'll dunk and others they'll just take a shot.

Any ideas what I might be missing here?

Other than that I'm actually enjoying this more than I thought I would. Kudos to the devs.
 

jmizzal

Member
Bought this yesterday now it's had the kinks ironed out. One thing I'm finding crazy frustrating is not being able to consistently dunk when I think I should be dunking. I'm holding zr to run at the net, hitting Y (on switch btw) when close to the hoop but sometimes it'll finger roll, sometimes it'll dunk and others they'll just take a shot.

Any ideas what I might be missing here?

Other than that I'm actually enjoying this more than I thought I would. Kudos to the devs.

Make sure you stamina meter is almost full for dunks, also make sure you have a person who has higher dunk ratings too, players with low dunk ratings can dunk too but not at a higher %
 

Steiner

Banned
Bought this yesterday now it's had the kinks ironed out. One thing I'm finding crazy frustrating is not being able to consistently dunk when I think I should be dunking. I'm holding zr to run at the net, hitting Y (on switch btw) when close to the hoop but sometimes it'll finger roll, sometimes it'll dunk and others they'll just take a shot.

Any ideas what I might be missing here?

Other than that I'm actually enjoying this more than I thought I would. Kudos to the devs.

Unless I'm wrong, you have to hold Y and release at the right time, same as shooting, right?
 

Nakasan

Member
Make sure you stamina meter is almost full for dunks, also make sure you have a person who has higher dunk ratings too, players with low dunk ratings can dunk too but not at a higher %

Yessss that's it! I hadn't realised dunking takes stamina off your bar. Noice, thanks that's just helped me win my first online match!

Unless I'm wrong, you have to hold Y and release at the right time, same as shooting, right?

Yeah you're right, I just wasn't able to initialize the dunk in the first place.
 
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