To clarify, the following numbers compare an NBA player’s shot rating in the game to the player’s percentage on an average contested shot in real life: In fact, the developers formulated a direct conversion chart, and Wang gave Complex a peek at it. The main factor: What is the player’s numerical rating on the 100-point scale? Wang states that a player’s numerical, in-game rating is directly tied to the player’s real-life stats. Many factors figure into how big or small this window is. The first window is the the main part of the meter, which grows and shrinks depending on the player’s distance from the basket. “What’s the best way to construct it so that it’s a visual aid, and you don’t have to stare at it?” Wang wonders.Ĭurrently, in 2K16, the shot meter stops at the midpoint. Most likely, according to Wang, 2K17 will have a meter that moves from left to right or right to left.Īdditionally, he explains that there are two shot windows that a player must consider in order to make the perfect shot.

Not so much in regards to altering anything significant about the 'under the hood' mechanics, but perhaps seriously editing the shot meter’s aesthetic appearance. The developers are even looking ahead to NBA 2K17.

It’s easy to imagine that in a competitive gaming environment, the option to turn off the meter will be a stipulation that places every participant on an equal playing field. Players who find the meter distracting now have the option to turn it off. In NBA 2K16, the developers made some concessions to this small, but hardcore part of the fanbase. Each successive patch is scrutinized and analyzed for its buffs and nerfs, and the shot meter provides an objective measure of those quantities.

And lastly, it invited the audience into an internal discussion that developers had been having for years-to what degree should the players’ real life stats matter when it comes to the video game players’ shooting abilities? It’s a fluid dynamic that’s gone back and forth over the years, but with the addition of the shot meter, the debate is evident and out in the open. It could also take their minds off of everything else happening on the court, sacrificing team strategy for shot timing. The shot meter, however, allowed new players to shortcut what other players had learned organically. The best players are the ones who don’t stare at the meter.

Best shot on 2k16