Second Next-Gen NBA 2K14 Patch Arrives; Problems Continue for Troubled Game

The highly anticipated patch for NBA 2K14 released today on the Xbox One and is expected within a matter of days on the PS4. The update was meant to address the crashes being experienced by many in MyCareer and other modes while also offering various fixes, improvements, and additions. Given that some consumers have been unable to play 2K14 the crashing was obviously the priority here. 

Unfortunately the patch does not appear to provide the solution to the crashing problems. Reports of crashing continuing post-patch have started flowing in. To make things even worse MyPlayers have been stripped of everything that had been equipped on them. Go to The Park and you’ll see everyone wearing default gear. Many of these things now missing were actually secured by people after having spent actual money on them and it’s unclear why this has happened.

It doesn’t appear that any changes have been made to the VC economy either despite the overwhelming backlash against the implementation and its payouts and costs.

NBA 2K14 has stumbled ever since what at first was perceived to be a strong launch. From all the instances of crashing, to the VC complaints, lapsing roster updates – and now a patch that has failed to address the issues properly – it’s been a rough month for 2K Sports which has taken unanticipated hits to its prized brand. For those still having serious trouble with the game it might be time to start pursuing refunds and leaving complaints with the Better Business Bureau.

Continue on for the full details of the patch, a significant update that deals with a huge number of things, and leave thoughts and personal observations after playing in the comments!

GENERAL

Fixed an issue in The Park where matches were not starting appropriately, in addition to a large number of optimizations for this experience.

Addressed a number of issues that were known to cause disconnects during head-to-head and Team-Up gameplay.

Corrected an issue where an assigned dunk package would sometimes not be used in The Park.

Fixed a number of issues that should result in a much more stable experience for users playing in Leagues.

Addressed an issue where the user would encounter a lengthy blank black screen during the initial launch sequence in certain conditions.

Fixed a bug where user Settings weren’t properly saving in specific situations.

Fixed a case where the user would experience a loss of controller functionality despite having a controller turned on (XB1).

Fixed a case where the user would enter into an unresponsive state after a second user signed in and then subsequently signed out (XB1).

Fixed an issue where the title did not send game invites to all Xbox Party members when a user enters a joinable online matchmaking session (XB1).

The title will now receive game invites if the user is already in an Xbox Party with the host (XB1).

Addressed an issue where blocked users were allowed to enter matchmaking with each other (XB1).

Fixed an issue where the title would shut down when resuming from low-power standby (XB1).

GAMEPLAY

Slightly reduced the shot % penalty on fouls in order to create more appropriate ‘and-1’ situations.

Tuned shooting percentages such that they fall more in line with our expected results.

Addressed an issue where teams would call timeouts back-to-back in certain situations.

Fixed an issue where the camera would sometimes stay on the scorer after a made shoot, often resulting in a 5-second inbound violation.

Passes are now more accurate along the sideline, on fast breaks, and when passed to receivers who are in the middle of coming to a stop.

Shortened the distance receivers are led down court (when passing) during regular transition (non-fast break) offense.

Fixed an issue where the rebound button would sometimes be ignored when engaged in a boxout.

Made several improvements to the dribbling model in order to smooth out ball movement.

Adjusted physics calculations on in-air collisions to make defenders ‘stronger’.

Tuned shot blocking logic such that defenders are more aware of attempting blocks when the ball is still rising, and less likely to target the ball on its way down (when goaltending will be called).

Tuned down the likelihood that poorly rated blockers will get their blocking hand in perfect position in front of the ball.

Players who successfully block a shot are now more aware and will have a greater chance of recovering the loose ball if it falls nears them.

Fixed an issue where players who shouldn’t be physically able to body-up in ride collisions were able to do so at a higher than expected frequency.

Tuned the body-up system in order to reduce the amount of clipping present in this sequence.

Made several improvements to fix overextension of player elbows during steal/rebound opportunities in order to reduce arm pops, and to improve hand/ball interaction.

Addressed a very rare case where a defender would snap up from the ground right after getting knocked down.

Pump Fakes have been tuned to correct an issue where some players would twitch when performing the fake.

Addressed a rare issue where the game would potentially hang after a player fouled out during a Team-Up game.

A new and improved ‘Beluba’ camera is now available for your use.

Corrected a commentary issue where the commentators would discuss (and often praise) a player for a given statistic when the sample size of the stat does not merit the discussion.

A number of other smaller changes have been made to address issues as well as enhance the user experience.

MyCAREER

Fixed a hang that was known to occur when loading save files where a purchased accessory had been equipped.

Fixed an issue where users would get stuck in the Shooting Drill when they had previous changed their Shooting Type to Real Player %.

The in-performance VC earnings overlay will now match what is actually given to the user upon returning to the travel scene between games.

Addressed an issue where player names were occasionally not showing up correctly when dynamic goals were handed out.

Corrected an issue where the title would not resume following a timeout called shortly after halftime.

Fixed a hang that could occur when the game would try to simulate ahead in scrimmages.

Fixed an issue where games would be unintentionally simulated when viewing the NBA.com headline about clinching a playoff spot.

Corrected a rare issue where the user would be unable to progress past the All-Star break after playing many seasons.

Corrected a rare issue where users would not get the VC reward for accomplishing a milestone.

Users will no longer get drafted 30th overall after turning in an impressive performance in the Rookie Showcase.

Additional ‘fake’ rookies (some quite good) will no longer be generated after the NBA Draft at the outset of the mode.

Identified a rare case where the game could hang in the dunk contest at all-star weekend if the user left the controller unattended for a period of time (this fix applies for MyGM all-star dunk contest as well).

Addressed discrepancies between dynamic goals and follow-up press conferences, headlines, and social media messages.

Fixed an issue where the reporter would reference a stat incorrectly when asking the user a press conference question after a played game.

Tuned AI behaviors such that teammates that are unhappy with your MyPLAYER will now show it more often after the whistle.

Corrected a very rare issue where a user’s attributes would be lowered to 25 in all categories.

Players will now retire completely in later seasons at an appropriate age (rather than sitting in free agency).

A number of smaller issues (e.g. social media message cleanup) in addition to further mode tuning have been performed in this patch to enhance user satisfaction.

MyGM

Corrected an issue where some users would hang when attempting to start the mode with an edited roster.

Addressed a bug where players would ask for contracts in the MLE pricing range when they clearly deserve contracts of much greater worth.

Corrected an issue where certain injuries were not properly healing in the expected amount of time.

Addressed a display error on the Team Finances pricing graphs where it would display the user’s team as earning $0 in specific situations.

Fixed a number of issues pertaining to the hiring and firing of head coaches and assistant coaches. This should now be more reliable.

Corrected and optimized a number of owner goals to ensure they always fire at appropriate times (e.g. staff hiring goals will now always respect the available budget) and that they don’t conflict one another.

Staff goals will now fire in the offseason even when the user has opted to simulate past the Staff Signing period.

There will now always be a minimum level staff member available to sign when the user’s team does not have the budgetary funds available for a higher level staff member.

Addressed an issue where players that retired to become coaches would get their name randomized.

Corrected a rare hang that would occur when the user’s team suffered an in-game injury where the user later performed an in-game save to resume the game at a later time.

When asking the CPU to rebuild lineups, the player roles set by the user will now be respected in most situations.

Tuned player morale/player roles logic to be slightly more forgiving.

Tuned the height ranges for generational players to be more in-line with our original intentions.

A number of other smaller corrections and tunings have taken place to enhance user satisfaction.