Q&A: NBA Live's online five-on-five

EA Canada producer Julien Carron tells GameSpot about EA Sports' virtual b-baller and its brand-new support of 10-player online games.

This has been a strong year for EA Sports. In addition to raking in piles of cash with entries in its juggernaut Madden NFL and NCAA Football franchises, games such as NHL 08 and the recently released NBA Live 08 have met with both commercial success as well as critical acclaim, which is something the NBA Live franchise has been struggling with for some time.

On top of that, after suffering criticism for its subpar online sports efforts for years, EA Sports finally seems to be jumping into the online pool with both feet. Both NHL 08 and NBA Live 08 support online leagues for the first time in both franchises' history. Today, the publisher is announcing a free patch to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation versions of Live 08 that will allow online team play for up to 10 players on different consoles. That's something that basketball fans have been hoping for since the advent of online play in console hoops games.

The new feature will allow online team play for up to 10 players, with artificial intelligence players filling in open positions. Naturally, voice chat will be available and isolated from the opposing team. Final details on the size of the patch and release information are still in the works, but EA representatives have said the patch should be available in mid-to-late November. To get more details on the new online team-play feature, we spoke with Julien Carron, online producer with EA Canada.

GameSpot: Before we get into the news, let's talk a bit about NBA Live 08. First, how did you feel about the final product and how has fan response been for the game so far?

Julien Carron: We are really proud of the work we did to get NBA Live 08 to where it is today. We went back to the drawing board and started with the fundamentals of five-on-five gameplay to get a solid foundation set for the franchise. We then layered on some new features that added complexity and authenticity to the game, and some additional innovations at dynasty and online for depth. Most importantly, we made a game that is fun to play. We are getting a great response from our fans and are turning heads of those not loyal to our franchise as well.

GS: The series has obviously made a leap in quality this year. In your opinion, what's the biggest improvement to this year's game?

JC: The biggest improvement to our game has to be the solid fundamentals. Our game plays great--and that's really the key.

GS: What facet or feature did you want in Live 08 that didn't make it in?

JC: Online team play is the only major feature [that] did not make it in time in the final game. We were very close but felt like it was not quite ready, and we did not want to disappoint our fans. So we made the decision to wait until it was ready.

GS: Tell us about the online team-play patch. Will players be able to lock in their positions in the menu before a game begins?

JC: Yes, in the online team-play flow, one of the screens is dedicated to player lock for every player. Focusing on one player with or without the ball is in line with our vision of what online gaming will be in the near future.

GS: For games that feature fewer than 10 players, will there be player switching, or will you be locked into position? Also, have you had to do any AI tweaks to help AI opponents deal with human players?

JC: For player locking, the user will have the choice. If he decides to lock on a player, he'll be locked regardless of the number of users on the team. If he decides not to lock to a position, he'll be able to swap between nonlocked players as long as there are not five users per team. Obviously, if there are five users on a team, each user will be locked to a player. We did not do many AI tweaks for year one, but we're definitely focusing on this for NBA Live 09.

GS: From your point of view, how does having 10 "real" players on the court change the dynamics of the game?

JC: From our point of view, it's a revolutionary change. You are replacing artificial intelligence with human intelligence. This adds an element of unpredictability that creates emotion and excitement. This is why user-versus-user games are so addictive. And by multiplying this by 10, we are giving you a whole new experience.

GS: Will you be able to play five-on-five games in online leagues?

JC: Unfortunately, this [is] unavailable for NBA Live 08, but this is something we are looking at going after in the future.

GS: Was this always planned as an add-on after the game was in stores?

JC: No, as I explained earlier, it was in our plans to ship with the disc, but we felt it was not quite ready for our fans. We are, therefore, happy with our decision to take a bit more time and do it right.

GS: It seems like EA Sports is finally making the big push in online play for sports, with the inclusion of online leagues and now the five-on-five patch. What's next for Live's online suite? We know you can't give away the farm, but perhaps you can give us a hint of where things are heading?

JC: I am sure you can see from above what our goals are. It is our goal to create a dedicated online sports-gaming community, and right now, we're really at the tip of the iceberg. Playing full games using all human intelligence completely changes how you play. We now have teamwork, communication, and community at the forefront. We look forward to continuing down this path.

GS: Thanks for your time, Julien.

38 Comments

  • audioaxes

    Posted Oct 19, 2007 9:50 am PT

    first of all, about time! this was such a no brainer to implement in online sports games
    now to all those complaining about 5v5 gameplay, its not going to be too annoying dealing with hogs, you just have to watch who you play with
    you can easily build up a friends list of decent teammates in a day, i do this all the time in freestyle bball which has 3v3: if the person sucks, kick them or leave once the game is over, if they are good i add them to my list
    the only problem you may now have is more players disconnecting for whatever reason
    in other team games like shooters, its easy to handle when a person leaves and someone elses joins but in sports games its much more disruptive

  • DeltaCobra

    Posted Oct 15, 2007 7:02 am PT

    Bring back an NBA JAM/ RUN and GUN 2 with next gen graphics and broken backboards. You could do power up dunks with "on their head" button...

  • DuaneDog

    Posted Oct 12, 2007 4:46 pm PT

    Well I have to admit that I would never have suspected EA to be releasing ANYTHING after a game has it the shelf. Something this dramatic is out of step with their tendency to pretty much just wait until they can sell an all new product. I may have to check it out. Hopefully enough will be XBL to get games easily.

  • Salinas7938

    Posted Oct 12, 2007 11:47 am PT

    Sounds great but EA must fix their server which is never available.

  • RaiKageRyu

    Posted Oct 11, 2007 10:29 pm PT

    Makes sense.

    But I forsee ball hogs.

  • chucknorrisevil

    Posted Oct 11, 2007 6:34 pm PT

    All 10 players being real players...would be terrible, just chaos.

  • Del_The_Prophet

    Posted Oct 11, 2007 10:35 am PT

    Why do the bad games have to come up with the good gimmicks? It took 2K games until 2008 to finally put the slam dunk contest in the game. 2K Games needs to send some spys to EA so they can steal the good ideas and put them into a good game sooner than 4 years after EA does. I'm tired of waiting for you to catch up, 2K. And I'm tired of EA putting out sub par basketball games. Thank god they don't have the exclusive license for the NBA like they do with the NFL...Crap, I think I just gave them another good idea...

  • Darth_Tigris

    Posted Oct 11, 2007 9:36 am PT

    So who gets to be Kobe, Lebron or Wade? I think that would be the biggest fight. It'd be fun playing in an All-Star game, though. That way all 5 players get to be talented superstars.

  • coreyq

    Posted Oct 11, 2007 8:19 am PT

    IF I liked NBA LIVE (in which case I used 2 like it) I would get it just for the five I five game play. BUT!!!! I already have nba 2k8. O and I dont need anyone losing for me! Great Idea though thats something I dreamed of.

  • Pudgieluv

    Posted Oct 11, 2007 8:03 am PT

    Basketball needs a new idea for gameplay,! End o story !

  • feryl06

    Posted Oct 11, 2007 7:52 am PT

    it's easy to be a ball hog when an AI is guarding you, but once you have another person guarding you, it'll be a little harder.

  • porkchopxp

    Posted Oct 11, 2007 6:08 am PT

    There are two ways to police ball hoggery:

    1. Once a player has proven Him/Herself selfish, just don't pass them the ball, duh . . . This would be quite easy in a full 5v5 game especially if everyone on the given team have Mics running. A "Vote-To-Boot," feature would be nice, as well as, continued play if a player is booted and/or quits.

    2. Online achievements: Make the online achievements team-play-oriented heavy. Assists, rebounds, taking charges, setting picks etc . . . If you have everyone on a team trying to do their best Magic impression trying to rack up triple-doubles that might not be such a bad thing.

    I think this feature will be fantastic(if the lag and lobby waiting is kept minimal). I plan on channeling my inner Oakley-Worm-AC-Bobby Jones and becoming one of the best role players you'll find on XBL . . . heck, we can't all be Kobe or LeBron

  • JCblueside

    Posted Oct 11, 2007 3:06 am PT

    Yup GS interviewed me.

  • manifestlost

    Posted Oct 10, 2007 11:47 pm PT

    Granted i have yet to play this game, but from previous experience with the francise (and video basketball in general), i cant forsee how this will lead to anything but online ball hoggery. Basically, thats all you can do in video basketball since passing is notoriously unreliable. Its a great idea, but until passing is made intuitive and adjusts to defender location (i.e. bouncing the ball by the defender instead of directly through him) then gameplay will continue to remain one on one at best.

  • RageSet

    Posted Oct 10, 2007 10:31 pm PT

    Really does sound like a cool feature, but I just got NBA 2K8 and I really love it. It just feels like real basketball. (Try it on All-Star). Honestly, I never enjoyed the NBA Live style of B-Ball, even when it was truly popular. It felt like a mix of arcade and sim, whereas I love full simulations. Ball hogs or not, still a great feature and I hope the NBA 2K series copies it down the road.

  • Incubus420

    Posted Oct 10, 2007 10:12 pm PT

    Im gonna be a ball hog...And if thats the case so will all of you. Then i guess it doesn't Look like im gonna be playing alot. Sorry glass half empty today.

  • ddashboy242

    Posted Oct 10, 2007 9:39 pm PT

    That's good news.....

  • DeltaCobra

    Posted Oct 10, 2007 9:26 pm PT

    **** Perfect. sweet

  • nemesis8722

    Posted Oct 10, 2007 9:20 pm PT

    It's about freaking time.

  • omrikk87

    Posted Oct 10, 2007 8:23 pm PT

    its awesome just like they are gonna do to Fifa08 but that should have happen last year (on fifa) and 2 years (on nba).... better late then never

  • retrofraction12

    Posted Oct 10, 2007 8:10 pm PT

    lol, dreamcast could do that

  • playstation_wii

    Posted Oct 10, 2007 6:55 pm PT

    That's awesome.
    Thank goodness the PS3 can support that!

  • NicAgent

    Posted Oct 10, 2007 6:52 pm PT

    yea there will be some low-lifes that will ruin the game by deliberately letting the opposing team steal the ball when they have it

  • Franchise2k6

    Posted Oct 10, 2007 6:49 pm PT

    great. now i dont know what to get.. Nba2k8 or Nba Live08..damn

  • rudeboy_007

    Posted Oct 10, 2007 5:53 pm PT

    This is something I have always wanted. I am soooo glad NBA Live is doing this. IU already have 2k and like it a lot. But I am getting this game for the 5 player co-op (lock-on). I have a lot of friends and family who play online. This is like a dream come true. No if they could just add create a player where they develope over 5 seasons. Inside drive did a very good job with some of these features and I miss them tremedously.

  • s3lFc0nTr0l

    Posted Oct 10, 2007 5:49 pm PT

    great idea but it will be no fun, especially with random strangers

    i remember once at a bday party we had like 8 people playing a bball game on a multitap and it was just pure ballhog fest no fun

  • svenskamerikan

    Posted Oct 10, 2007 5:31 pm PT

    Clans - clans should be allowed like FPS games. That way you would minimize the ball hogging. If I had ten people that I often played with (at different times) I would make sure to share the ball if I thought that would help me to win games.....

  • Lemieux66

    Posted Oct 10, 2007 5:24 pm PT

    Be nice if they FIXED this feature in NHL08.

  • clawboy

    Posted Oct 10, 2007 5:21 pm PT

    Sorry but NBA2K8 is hands down the better game. EA will always have Madden but forget about b ball. If EA wants to do something then why don't they put out an SSX game for the Ps3. It's been a long time.

  • tenorio_rotc

    Posted Oct 10, 2007 5:20 pm PT

    i really think they should have done voice chat open while on the floor or be proximity based so you have to be close to another player on the floor for them to hear you and for it to be team only during time outs.
    Too bad you will never see 10 people playing this game at the same time. NBA 2k all the way.

  • Chemosh013

    Posted Oct 10, 2007 5:03 pm PT

    this year's live is much, much, much better than last years! i can't wait for some 5 on 5 bball action. kudos to EA for realizing that they needed to start from scratch and get the fundamentals down.

  • Dman4Life1217

    Posted Oct 10, 2007 4:48 pm PT

    Critically acclaimed? Only by this site. Everywhere else has this game being reviewed as average to poor. 10 actual players does sound like a good idea in theory, but in practice, you'll get a team of ball hoggers. If you don't believe me, buy Freestyle Basketball on teh PC. Even though it's limited to 3 vs. 3, it's ball hogging all day long

  • atreyu27

    Posted Oct 10, 2007 4:39 pm PT

    This is a great idea. I've enjoyed 2k a lot more than live.. but I can see that this year is pretty even and 5on5 is freaking awesome. Maybe i'll see about getting Live this year.

  • playa42018

    Posted Oct 10, 2007 4:30 pm PT

    I might buy my first basketball game since NBA jam....but why is voice chat isolated to just your team? Just like real basketball you can hear the other team yelling on the court and what about good ole' trash talking?

  • -sharp-shooter-

    Posted Oct 10, 2007 4:29 pm PT

    Not a good idea. Whoever gets the ball is going to be the person that will always shoot it. It will be full of ball hogs.

  • Thomas4

    Posted Oct 10, 2007 4:13 pm PT

    This would mean something if NBA2K games didn't exist. LOL.

  • MasterChief725

    Posted Oct 10, 2007 3:14 pm PT

    thats pretty cool, but I have never liked basketball games that much, and I dont like EA, ill stick with NBA 2K8 if I need a basketball game, just look at gamespot's review! first post BTW!

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