Monday Tip-Off: Planning Classic Team Rosters
We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Join me as I begin the week here at the NLSC with my opinions and commentary on basketball gaming topics, as well as tales of the fun I’ve been having on the virtual hardwood. This week, I’m tipping things off with some thoughts on planning classic team rosters.
When I discovered the NLSC way back in 1997, and the work that our founders and others in the community were doing, it wasn’t long before I was hooked on modding (or patching, as we called it back then). I’d already been tinkering with the rosters in NBA Live 96 PC, trying to update them for the new season as best I could with what could be done in-game. By the end of the year, I was working on a 1998 season roster. That tipped off a long tenure of updating rosters for NBA Live, and although it was a fun time in our community, I did eventually get burned out on modding.
Of course, the lure of modding is strong, so I’ve remained reluctant to close the door on being more involved in the scene. I’ve dabbled here and there, and as I noted last year, I want to be judicious when choosing projects to work on. That way, they stand a much better chance of being completed. However, even as I’ve taken a step back from modding, ideas for new rosters have frequently come to mind and subsequently joined a long list of projects to consider. Some of those ideas include retro season and classic team rosters for my all-time favourite games. I’m particularly keen on the latter at the moment, but to that end, classic team rosters definitely require some planning.
I was still maintaining current rosters for the final four NBA Live games on PC when NBA 2K11 brought us classic teams via the Jordan Challenge. As I was on the verge of burnout at the time, I was mostly focused on the essentials of keeping those games up to date. At the same time, the inclusion of retro squads in NBA 2K did plant the idea of adding classic teams to my roster at some point. It’s something that a few of us had attempted in rosters for older games over the years, and now the concept was definitely in vogue. Although I was never able to add a classic team contingent to my rosters, I did manage to add two Dream Teams, and expanded the Decade All-Stars.
My original plan for adding classic teams to my current roster update – had I been able to make it happen – was to include squads that were featured in NBA 2K. The logic here is that they were clearly popular and established choices, and would fit the theme of updating NBA Live PC as an alternative to the contemporary NBA 2K release. To that end, my original vision for an Ultimate Jordan roster mostly took cues from NBA 2K11, albeit with some additional teams to account for every season in MJ’s career. It’s a logical approach, but at the same time, it’s derivative and lacking in imagination. Sure, a number of those teams are absolute must-haves, but there are other options.
As such, as I look to revive that project solely for NBA Live 06 – a far less daunting undertaking, and in a game that I actually still want to play – I’m considering other teams. For the Jordan Challenge, it made sense to feature both the 1997 and 1998 Jazz, as The Flu Game and The Last Dance undoubtedly deserved to be celebrated. The inability to license players like Charles Barkley and Reggie Miller also limited their options. Since modding doesn’t have such limitations, there’s no reason that the 1997 matchup in my roster can’t be the Houston Rockets with Charles Barkley, Clyde Drexler, and Hakeem Olajuwon instead…as long as I have the required art, of course.
Variety and creative choices are important to keep in mind for classic team rosters in general. Dee’s Ultimate Classic Teams Roster is a perfect example here. Obviously, it includes some of the best teams in NBA history, but it’s not just a roster of champions and powerhouses. That’s a fine idea for a classic team roster, but Dee got creative with his choices, adding fun video game teams and other squads that were nostalgic for one reason or another. Underdog squads can be fantastic additions to classic team rosters, thanks to short-lived lineups featuring exciting stars and memorable role players. The UCTR has definitely inspired some ideas that I’d like to explore with future projects.
Indeed, even the official NBA 2K rosters have included more unorthodox choices for retro teams over the years. The 2000 Toronto Raptors weren’t a legendary squad, and there was obviously no need for them in the Jordan Challenge or NBA’s Greatest, but it’s a blast having a classic team featuring a young Vince Carter on its roster! On that note, the 2003 Mavericks, 2008 Hornets, and 2010 Trail Blazers aren’t among the best teams in NBA history, but there’s something memorable about all of them. Moreover, they’re fun to put on the virtual hardwood! When you’re creating classic team rosters, enjoyment should be a deciding factor as much as win-loss records and NBA titles.
With that being said, I’m also a fan of themes for classic team rosters. Going back to the aforementioned Ultimate Jordan project, the concept is to feature the fifteen NBA squads that Michael Jordan was a part of – thirteen in Chicago, two in Washington – and a noteworthy opponent from each year in his career, potentially with a couple of bonus teams as well. Other ideas include the most famous Finals matchups, if not an assortment of the greatest champions in history. Underdog teams, great video game teams, classic Playoff showdowns by decade, each team’s best squad within a decade, defunct clubs, and the worst teams we’ve ever seen, are just some that come to mind!
Suffice it to say, there’s no shortage of ideas for classic team rosters. Furthermore, there’s crossover between certain ideas, with some teams (or a lineup from around the same time) fitting into multiple mods. To that point, once a couple of rosters that can share assets are complete, it becomes easier to spin them off into other projects. It is important to start somewhere though, so as I consider these various ideas for classic team rosters, I’m doing my best to not get pulled in multiple directions! It’s also why I started out by adding missing Legends to NBA Live 06 PC. It’s a solid base for any project that I attempt, with content that I can immediately use in several rosters.
Expanding on a point that I briefly touched upon, in planning classic team rosters, it’s also important to consider the art that’s required. Unless it’s a minimalist project – and those are undoubtedly worthwhile, too – you’ll want to ensure that the faces, jerseys, courts, logos, and any other updates are available to you, or can feasibly be created. As I’ve pointed out when discussing ways to revive the retro modding scene, some ideas are technically viable, but with the community largely moving on from those older games, there are fewer hands to help out with anything that isn’t already in the archives. In that case, the solution is to use placeholders, or choose projects carefully.
Speaking of minimalist modding though, I remain an enthusiastic advocate for it. Whether it’s rolling back the rosters or updating them with the tools and assets on hand, or creating makeshift classic teams out of the default rosters and any retro jerseys that can be selected, I can attest to that being a lot of fun! Comprehensive modding projects will always be very impressive and something that I’ll support and encourage, but don’t sell minimalist roster modding short. There’s tremendous creative satisfaction in being able to cobble something together without any external tools or new assets, not to mention a fresh new scenario to play out in a treasured favourite.
Needless to say though, even if it’s a minimalist project, you need to take stock of the limitations, from the content that’s available to what can and can’t be added or edited. Whether it’s messing around with NBA 2K6, putting together matchups for the NBA 2K14 Retro Series using the PlayStation 4 version of the game, or assembling those makeshift classic teams in NBA Live 10, some ideas just aren’t feasible; at least to my satisfaction. Perhaps an idea will work better with a different game, or maybe it’s only viable with more in-depth modding capabilities. It doesn’t pay to become fixated on an idea that’s far too complicated, or perhaps too half-baked as a minimalist mod.
Ultimately, you need to be enthusiastic about any modding project you undertake. Right now, creating retro and classic team rosters for old favourites that I’d like to keep in my rotation is what appeals to me. I’m sure that there are some people who’ll scoff at that idea, dismissing it as being doubly hung up on nostalgia. Here’s the thing, though. As nice as it would be if I could enjoy the modern NBA more than I do – what with being a long-time basketball fan – I’m not going to force it. The same goes for recent NBA 2K titles. I’m not looking for clout, or fame, or to charge for mods, as so many people are unfortunately doing these days. Being niche doesn’t concern me.
I’m just interested in scratching a creative itch, and finding new ways to enjoy some of my all-time favourite basketball video games! They’re always fun to revisit as-is, but the retro modding scene has untapped potential. I’m not saying that I’ll never at least consider a current roster update again, but classic team rosters offer so many advantages. The lineups are static, so you’re never playing catch-up. Logos, jerseys, courts, and so on, aren’t going to change moving forward. As long as you’ve got the art that you need, you’re set! There’s a sense of completion that doesn’t always come with current rosters. And hey, it can be perfectly healthy to indulge your nostalgia!
In planning to indulge that nostalgia through modding and classic team rosters, I’m going to keep what I’ve talked about here in mind. NBA 2K’s selection of retro teams is a good frame of reference, but it’s worth looking beyond them. Unorthodox choices can be a ton of fun to play with, not to mention spotlight overlooked parts of NBA history. And of course, while it’s great to be imaginative and ambitious, we should always consider what’s feasible given the resources on hand, and how long it’ll take. After messing around with some minimalist rosters on console, I’m eager to dive into bigger projects for old favourites on PC, from classic team mods to other fun ideas.
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