NBA 2K15 News Post

Top Engineers Spent the Entire NBA 2K15 Dev Cycle Working on Network Infrastructure

08:22 AM - September 25, 2014 by Steve_OS

Whenever the NBA 2K series is mentioned, the servers are without question, high on the hit list for complaints. In NBA 2K14, problems were still happening well into December last year.

Rob Jones, senior producer for NBA 2K15, mentioned in an interview with Polygon, that they put two of their top dogs on the network infrastructure.

Quote:


	According to Jones, two of Visual Concepts' top engineers spent the entire NBA 2K15 development cycle working on network infrastructure. The studio rewrote the game's matchmaking logic as well as the way it delivers content to players. The developers also compartmentalized the various modes, so if connectivity for, say, MyTeam goes down, the problem hopefully won't prevent people from playing MyCareer. On the back end, NBA 2K15 will alert Visual Concepts' support staff as soon as a problem crops up. And it will give players error codes, so they'll be able to look up specific issues online.

Hopefully the servers hold up a lot better this year. We will find out on October 7th, when NBA 2K15 releases for Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3 and PC.

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Member Comments

# 121 rspencer86 @ 10/09/14 12:51 PM

Good job, good effort, 2K. Delivered as promised.

# 122 RustyRocket56 @ 10/09/14 12:57 PM

Now I'm guessing all they did was make the cars/buses move outside the park. 'Top men' Indeed.

# 123 mqtcelticsfan @ 10/09/14 02:11 PM

You had one job!

# 124 amedawg00 @ 10/09/14 03:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StrictlyForBuckets


	I have a fantastic internet connection and for every other device/game I own it works great. This game, not so much. It actually barely works at all...so good for you but this is a huge widespread issue. I also noticed you slipped the word "Casuals" in there as if to say you are above those other modes. If they aren't for you then fine, but no need to state it like that.

I clearly jumped the gun after one lucky night of not having any connectivity issues. Was in the same boat last night unable to connect to anything let alone rank matches. My apologies. I simply gave them the benefit of the doubt. Fool me once....welp...u know how the saying goes.

# 125 Boilerbuzz @ 10/09/14 04:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mqtcelticsfan


	You had one job!

I highly doubt they had one job. It's not like the stuff they were responsible for before just went away. I think this catastrophe is all about load. And if there were a beta, these issues could have been addressed BEFORE launch.

Quote:

Originally Posted by amedawg00


	I clearly jumped the gun after one lucky night of not having any connectivity issues. Was in the same boat last night unable to connect to anything let alone rank matches. My apologies. I simply gave them the benefit of the doubt. Fool me once....welp...u know how the saying goes.

I don't know. Sometimes I have no issue. Other times, everything is totally broken. At least it shows that something CAN work and it's not just hosed from the ground up.

# 126 robbysteinz @ 10/09/14 04:46 PM

Sock length and right tattoos is more of a priority for 2k than the game actually working. LIVE please give them competition

# 127 Boilerbuzz @ 10/09/14 04:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by robbysteinz


	Sock length and right tattoos is more of a priority for 2k than the game actually working. LIVE please give them competition

Live is lurking in the 2K boards? Shouldn't they be trying to ship a passable game instead of trolling 2K boards?! 😏

# 128 VDusen04 @ 10/09/14 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boilerbuzz


	I highly doubt they had one job. It's not like the stuff they were responsible for before just went away. I think this catastrophe is all about load. And if there were a beta, these issues could have been addressed BEFORE launch.

I don't think he meant that literally, haha. It's an internet meme that helps describe situations where things go unbelievably haywire.

# 129 Boilerbuzz @ 10/09/14 04:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VDusen04


	I don't think he meant that literally. It's an internet meme that helps describe situations where things go unbelievably haywire.

LoL. Good one. I am the wiser now. 😄

# 130 Mauer4MVP @ 10/09/14 04:56 PM

Yep. 10chara

# 131 PhiPsi1 @ 10/09/14 04:56 PM

Has anyone been able to download a roster, edit it, and save it locally on our PS4 (or XBone) hard drive? Every time I try to download a roster to edit it says no content found BUT I download that same roster to use during Quick Game...

Any help would be great fellas! Cheers!

# 132 iLLosophy @ 10/09/14 06:03 PM

Serious question - has Take Two had any games that had a great multiplayer/online mode with this many people that has gone well? I don't mean one on one type games, I mean games types where there's at least 6 people interacting in the same server/game?

Starting to think this might be a bigger problem than just 2K. If you compare Take Two to other big name developer/publishers, there's very little history/experience with large scale online gaming.

# 133 Boilerbuzz @ 10/09/14 08:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iLLosophy


	Serious question - has Take Two had any games that had a great multiplayer/online mode with this many people that has gone well? I don't mean one on one type games, I mean games types where there's at least 6 people interacting in the same server/game? Starting to think this might be a bigger problem than just 2K. If you compare Take Two to other big name developer/publishers, there's very little history/experience with large scale online gaming.

This is actually a good question and not a veiled slight. I don't know. Can't think of many really good games that didn't have rough launches. Can't think of ANY that didn't crash and burn without a beta.

# 134 Boilerbuzz @ 10/09/14 08:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RogerBlack


	GTA 4 and Red Dead Redemption comes to mind. I don't remember a ton of (Day 1) connectivity issues with multiplayer modes / death matches in those games, on the PS3. GTA 5 Online was another story tho. That was very problematic.

Nope. They all had issues. And I don't think it's just Take Two. Remember SimCity? That one was epic.

# 135 MFDOOMBOT @ 10/10/14 04:01 AM

I am the lead network architect for a medium sized web hosting company. I actually design the data center infrastructure and have a wealth of knowledge in the matter of server management.

I'm going to create a thread tomorrow to give my two cents on what seems to be the real issue with 2k's history of fail with their online components in their games, but to give a quick overview, they need to completely overhaul their data centers & do not have the budget to do so. This is causing their architecture team to put band-aids on the problem instead of truly fixing their issues.

All a symptom of higher management not understanding that their games have outgrown their current setup. You have to remember that 2K started as a division of cash strapped SEGA at the tail end of their being a hardware company.

In order to truly have an infrastructure to handle the amount of traffic a game like NBA2k produces, they'd need to have their own data center (ala Micro$oft, Apple & Google) They'd have to replace all of the outdated servers, network hardware they currently have (while still maintaining servers for current games)

It's basically a cost issue & the 1 year turnaround for 2k16 doesn't really allow them to do this. Along with a marketing department that would rather have back of the box features (where we get Pharrell being paid to "curate" the soundtrack) than an actual data center that can handle the load.

It's a bad situation for any Sysadmin/Netadmin team, one that won't be fixed as long as millions of people buy the game and the Top Men are turning a profit.

I'll go a bit more in depth when I have a chance to write my thread, but really it comes down to, no real competition to force major changes. Myself & millions of others still pay $60 for have *** products.

# 136 Boilerbuzz @ 10/10/14 04:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rtkiii


	man this guy is smart and handsome

And funny in his bizarro mind. 😊

# 137 Quigley2324 @ 10/10/14 04:13 AM

It's nice to hear from an expert's perspective on such a glaring issue, but that should make us even more upset with 2k. If their servers aren't built to handle the ever increasing workload for their games, then WHY are they making everything, including what should be offline modes reliant on their online servers?!

# 138 strawberryshortcake @ 10/10/14 04:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlackOut32


	I am the lead network architect for a medium sized web hosting company. I actually design the data center infrastructure and have a wealth of knowledge in the matter of server management. I'm going to create a thread tomorrow to give my two cents on what seems to be the real issue with 2k's history of fail with their online components in their games, but to give a quick overview, they need to completely overhaul their data centers & do not have the budget to do so. This is causing their architecture team to put band-aids on the problem instead of truly fixing their issues. All a symptom of higher management not understanding that their games have outgrown their current setup. You have to remember that 2K started as a division of cash strapped SEGA at the tail end of their being a hardware company. In order to truly have an infrastructure to handle the amount of traffic a game like NBA2k produces, they'd need to have their own data center (ala Micro$oft, Apple & Google) They'd have to replace all of the outdated servers, network hardware they currently have (while still maintaining servers for current games) It's basically a cost issue & the 1 year turnaround for 2k16 doesn't really allow them to do this. Along with a marketing department that would rather have back of the box features (where we get Pharrell being paid to "curate" the soundtrack) than an actual data center that can handle the load. It's a bad situation for any Sysadmin/Netadmin team, one that won't be fixed as long as millions of people buy the game and the Top Men are turning a profit. I'll go a bit more in depth when I have a chance to write my thread, but really it comes down to, no real competition to force major changes. Myself & millions of others still pay $60 for have *** products.

Looking forward to the write up tomorrow or the following day.

2k MLB series (now out of commission) for the past couple (2011??, 2012??) years I believe offered $1 million dollars for throwing a perfect game. That's $2 million dollars. Would that or could that amount make a noticeable dent in revamping 2K's server issue? What is an educated estimated cost to get it to par?

# 139 Boilerbuzz @ 10/10/14 04:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlackOut32


	I am the lead network architect for a medium sized web hosting company. I actually design the data center infrastructure and have a wealth of knowledge in the matter of server management. I'm going to create a thread tomorrow to give my two cents on what seems to be the real issue with 2k's history of fail with their online components in their games, but to give a quick overview, they need to completely overhaul their data centers & do not have the budget to do so. This is causing their architecture team to put band-aids on the problem instead of truly fixing their issues. All a symptom of higher management not understanding that their games have outgrown their current setup. You have to remember that 2K started as a division of cash strapped SEGA at the tail end of their being a hardware company. In order to truly have an infrastructure to handle the amount of traffic a game like NBA2k produces, they'd need to have their own data center (ala Micro$oft, Apple & Google) They'd have to replace all of the outdated servers, network hardware they currently have (while still maintaining servers for current games) It's basically a cost issue & the 1 year turnaround for 2k16 doesn't really allow them to do this. Along with a marketing department that would rather have back of the box features (where we get Pharrell being paid to "curate" the soundtrack) than an actual data center that can handle the load. It's a bad situation for any Sysadmin/Netadmin team, one that won't be fixed as long as millions of people buy the game and the Top Men are turning a profit. I'll go a bit more in depth when I have a chance to write my thread, but really it comes down to, no real competition to force major changes. Myself & millions of others still pay $60 for have *** products.

You should send them your resume. I'm sure they never thought to hire someone with a background such as your's.

😙

Seriously though, no one really knows but the people that know. All of this is speculation no more valid than the kid flipping fries. No offense.

But I will give your post a read for sure. I might learn something. You could be right.

# 140 spankdatazz22 @ 10/10/14 06:59 AM

I'd think it's hard for a non-insider to say exactly what the problem could be. We've seen developers of games that have huge online components have issues (Bungie, Dice), games that are developed by multiple developers have initial online issues (Call of Duty series with it's rotating development team), etc. Not sure if I'm mistaken but even online-only games like Titanfall have had their share of issues. But hard to say if the problem is the developer, the producer, or what. GTA5 famously delayed the online portion of their game and still had major online issues for a month+ after it was released. I still read that the Playstation network has issues from time to time, although I'm not sure if the reactions to the issues are merited based on the quality of the network. Then again you have games like Madden or FIFA that don't seem to have the same issues - but I base that on purely anecdotal evidence on my part.

I say all that not to excuse NBA2K's issues; just saying I'd think it's hard for anyone on the outside to understand the complexities of how these various online components interact

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