They only have to work with 10 players thats not even a full soccer team so its always going to have better graphics and animations theres lees players to worry about so it means more can go into each player.
- The number of players obviously would mean a little worse graphics, but graphics don't make a game by themselves, can't see this being a valid point at all.
- Animations are very chepa processor's wise, so it doesn't matter how many players there are, you can have top-notch animations for any game currently. It's a matter of production (filming a LOT of animations) and knowledge (having a good bliending animation engine, amongst other things.
The Court is tiny so they can put more detail it and into everything else.
- Again that is hardly a point. I don't care much if staidums are more or less detailed.
Its just an easier game to make so its always going to be easier to make amazing.
- I partly agree in the fact that football is a harder game to recreate, mainly because individuality and teamplay blend in a much more complex way than in basketball. But at the same time, EA does basketball games, and are SHIT at it, even if it seems to be an "easier" sport to simulate. So, maybe 2k is doing a lot of things right?
- Most of the things that 2k does right would translate very well to a football game: presentation, career mode, trading and general managers simulation, individuality, great animations, good lightning engine...
Now, the important things that could prevent them from doing a football game are:
- Long-term investment: As someone said, they should aim for PS4, and have an initial developing period of 2-3 years. That means a lot of money, and in the current economical situation it's not a safe bet.
- Big investment: It's not only a long-term investment, but a big one. You have to take licenses for a lot of things, buy a lot of technology and build a team from scratch. That's just a lot lot of money.
- Lack of specific professionals and managing. They would need to develop a new physics engine for the football ball and collisions, a basic engine to all teamwork related things, passing system from scratch... and most of all, AI. Right now having the best professionals make the difference and they have their best people in the NBA game. That's why other games by them may suck. They concentrate the best there and it's not easy to find brilliant programmers out there. Look the difference in technical aspects between Fifa and PES, it's ridiculous. They should sign someone very experienced and do a blind bet for several years.
- Actually it is. The things that make the difference in 2k is HOW the game is designed and HOW is meant to be played. They have invested less money than EA in the last years yet they have a vastly superior product (in fact, EA has no product right now...). So there must be some brains involved. And good ones indeed.
Great Managing --> Great design --> Great programming --> Great gameplay.