NBA Playgrounds' first major patch fundamentally changes how shooting works


And lots more





As he points out early into the game, it's nearly impossible to know what constitutes a "perfect release" under the new method. NBA Playgrounds has a quirk where it awards an extra point for the rare perfect release. Even when it's in the middle of the slider, it still won't necessarily be enough for the game to consider it "perfect." However, that's relatively insignificant compared to the fact that players will now reliably be able to tell why they're struggling on offense. 

Other changes were also included in the 1.1.0 update. Now, players can match up against friends rather than just against random online opponents. But, it's via an arcane system of agreeing on a unique code and then simultaneously entering it to be paired up against one another. There's no party system or direct challenging one another. There's also a new online reputation system to punish people who intentionally disconnect; that's a major problem that NBA Playgrounds' online component has had in its opening month.

Additionally, Saber adjusted the steal action to "better fit the intended gameplay." NBA Playgrounds launched with the steal motion using no stamina, which was quickly tweaked. Now, it's possible to steal the ball from behind, which players have had a polarizing reaction to. Alongside this, a bunch of the challenges have been made easier, including the one that required getting 15 steals in the Las Vegas quarterfinal (which was obscenely, hair-pullingly difficult even when you were trying to throw the game in service of getting those 15 steals).

Lastly, 15 new NBA players were added for free, and Shaq was put on five more rosters (Magic, Heat, Suns, Cavaliers, Celtics) instead of the sole spot on the Lakers that he used to occupy. In celebration of this, let's watch Shaq and Charles Barkley get in a fight on television two nights ago where Shaq told Barkley that "people question why you're in the hall of fame" and Barkley retorts with "I'm going to throw one of these chicken wings at your fat ass."

NBA Playgrounds Update 1.1.0 [Steam]

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Brett Makedonski
Brett MakedonskiManaging Editor   gamer profile




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