NBA 2K24 is packed with AI goodness on both ends of the floor for new gen consoles. Here are some of the highlights that the AI engineers and Da Czar have cooked up for you.
The first thing we wanted to address this year was how the offensive AI uses its dribble move arsenal to attack. The goal was to make the AI more aggressive in setting up its moves, and more deliberate with what moves it used based on different situations. We’ve enhanced the AI’s ability to understand the defender’s positioning using the new defensive shading system we previously talked about. AI ball handlers will better assess the situation and then dip into their arsenal of moves to make the most appropriate attack. They now understand how to set up the defender, read the defender’s counter, and then attack openings with appropriate combos based on their move set and tendencies.
In order to make the AI attack more effective, we knew we had to mix up the timing of the AI’s drive attempts. To do this, we engineered the AI to prefer the earliest attack opening, or what we call, first move attack priority. If given the opportunity, the AI will attack quickly after a single move or before a move is even performed. However, if a user remains in great guarding position, the AI will continue to set up with single and double moves to try and create an opening.
In addition to making the AI ball handlers attack more intelligently, we also wanted to make sure they replicated their real life counterparts authentically. So, we built a brand new signature AI attack system that allows us to assign all of the stars a dynamic signature attack package that contains up to four signature combinations. Each single combination can contain up to 4 single move sets or two combo move sets. We can even create variations that allow for AI move progression.
For example, we can combine Kevin Durant’s between the legs cross, with a between the legs cross and step back. With early move priority, these moves won’t be scripted. He can launch and attack after the between the legs as a single move, or launch after the between the legs cross. If the user is still in great guarding position, he can decide to attack with any of the other combos in his attack package or just pull up for a shot. It’s a very powerful system that we can dynamically update throughout the season, and ensures that our AI is never predictable in its one-on-one game.
The next major improvement is the AI’s execution of the pick and roll. For NBA 2K24, the roll man understands how to keep a spacing relationship with the ball handler and can vary their roll path to the rim, based on the ball and how they’re being defended. To complement this, the AI passer has also been given a much better understanding of open vs. covered passing lanes, alley-oop opportunities, and lob pass opportunities over the top of the defense.You will have to check up on scorers coming off ball screens in this year’s game. The AI is acutely aware of what shots are available based on defensive coverage, so you’ll see AI scorers use a variety of reads to score on the pick and roll.
On the coaching side of things, dynamic game-plans give us flexibility in how the AI chooses to scheme their offenses from one game to the next. AI coaches will track efficiency by looking at points per possession for play types, freelance pick and roll, freelance post, and freelance isolation actions. They’ll also track mismatch attempts for isolation and post, as well as mid-range and three-point shooting possessions.
Instead of pre-determining between a team’s top scorers and who should get the lion’s share of the offensive possessions, the AI coach performs pre-game matchup evaluations, adding more weight to the player with the better matchup. It can also dynamically change weights as the game goes on based on efficiency for each scorer on the floor. If LeBron James has the better matchup and is scoring well, the game-plan will dive deeper and add more weight to the plays he’s most successful with. On the flip side, the AI will also adjust if their primary scorer is struggling. So, if LeBron is having an off night, you’ll see the 2nd and 3rd scoring options get more plays run for them.
Last year, we built and re-wrote almost all of our major defensive systems. This year was all about refining them to deliver our best effort to date. Every phase of our defensive game has improved. From transition defense, where we can identify when the ball handler has been picked up, allowing the anchor to leave the paint and get to their man, to making the “NO THREES” setting work as intended. Rotations are sharper and more varied; pick and roll defense is tighter and smarter; and this year, players can choose to turn off drive, pick and roll. We’ve also improved cutter help individually as well to have more control over their Defensive Focus settings.
NBA 2K24 also features performance-based defensive adjustments. In the past we knew how many points and assists the leading scorers had on offense and would make adjustments based on that information. However, the adjustments the AI made had to be generic because it wasn’t obvious how a given player racked up that scoring and assist total. This year our refactored success and action engine can track exactly how scorers are doing their damage. This engine can decipher post-scoring, off-screen actions, isolations and whether or not players are getting buckets at the rim. It can detect spot-up shots vs. players who like to come down and fire up long distance threes after a few dribble moves. Each of these scenarios have their own defensive adjustments that the AI will automatically roll out depending on how efficiently the scorers are making shots. As a user, with our adaptive engine turned on, these adjustments will automatically be made for you. But if you choose, you can also make your own adjustments using the defensive settings.
The defensive AI is stingier with sending help until we know the opponent can actually take advantage of a particular opening. So at the beginning of games, you may notice drastically less help as your teammates wait to see if your opponent can actually take advantage of an open lane compared to last year. Of course, you’re free to turn off the auto adjustments and make your teammates help right from the jump if that’s the way you want to run your defense.