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Dev Diary Highlights NBA 2K12's Attention To Detail
Sports games always strive for a high level of realism, but a recent blog post by the art director for NBA 2K12 details just how much work goes into creating an authentic experience for gamers.
Lynell Jinks has posted a developer diary on the NBA 2K Facebook page that outlines the myriad improvements the team is making for the latest installment of 2K Games' basketball franchise. Unlike most recent developer diaries, this is the kind you actually have to read – but it should be worth it for sports fans, at least. Many of the details Jinks discusses are tied to the 2K12's NBA Greatest mode, which recreates classic games featuring Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Kareem-Abdul Jabbar, and 12 other stars. In order to recreate those games, however, 2K has also modeled an additional 150 retired players to play alongside them.
Jinks also outlines the work that has gone into presenting the classic games, including recreating era-accurate basketball hoops, press tables, overlays, and even the correct camera angles of the time. For modern day players, 2K is also updating 400 player heads and adding accurate tattoos for players based on hi-res photos provided by the NBA. I haven't played many basketball video games, but the amount of work 2K is putting into the game sounds impressive, and Jinks' post is an interesting look at the challenges developers have to contend with in order to accurately capture a sport for its fans, so check it out.
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