Monday Tip-Off: Envisioning A Return To Modding
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 by envisioning a return to modding.
I’ve said it before, but even though I haven’t been regularly maintaining a roster update for over a decade and my modding output in general has been sporadic, the interest – indeed, the itch and the urge to mod – is still there. Lingering memories of burnout and the more finicky and frustrating aspects of modding don’t exactly help me to get motivated, but I also fondly recall the creative satisfaction of the hobby. It’s why I’ve dabbled here and there, without committing to any larger projects.
To that end, this isn’t some grand announcement of a huge return. If there’s one thing that I’ve learned from other attempts at returning to modding over the past decade or so, it’s to avoid jumping the gun and announcing a big project that I can’t guarantee I’ll deliver on! At the same time, my casual dabbling with minimalist modding and other ideas has encouraged me to get more involved again, and even consider tinkering with NBA 2K25. I touched on this when I shared some of my roster mod philosophies, but as I envision a possible return to modding, it’s essential that I choose projects that appeal to my interests, not to mention suit my current habits on the virtual hardwood.
A perfect example is the work-in-progress ABA mod that I’ve dubbed NBA Live 76. As Dee and I discussed back in Episode #547 of the NLSC Podcast, the pre-release speculation that the 70s might be the new era coming to MyNBA in NBA 2K25, a keen interest in the history of hoops, and the fact that NBA Live 06 PC remains one of my all-time favourite basketball video games, were all factors in taking on the project. Four of the seven teams from the 1976 ABA season went on to join the NBA, and all of them have the requisite throwback jerseys in NBA Live 06. I’ve also been able to locate a substantial number of retro mods in our archives, with assets that I can re-use.
In short, the project is viable, and could potentially grow into a more comprehensive mod if a couple of other people get on board. That obviously becomes more likely if there’s a tangible beta/demo release that’s fully playable, but can be enhanced with further art updates. This is the best way to approach retro modding, especially for a title as old as NBA Live 06. Sure, if you can produce a complete mod right out of the gate and in a timely fashion, by all means go for it! It’s a tall order when most of the modding community has moved on however, so while ambitious ideas are great, it’s wise to consider sensible compromises that allow them the best chance of succeeding.
Beyond the viability of a reasonable workload and assets already at my disposal, there are a couple of other reasons that this ABA mod has ignited my interest in a return to modding. I mentioned the importance of choosing projects that appeal to my interests and basketball gaming habits, and NBA Live 76 undoubtedly checks those boxes. It allows me to delve into the history of basketball, and bring it to life in a game that is not only one of my all-time favourites to play and mod, but one that I’d like to make a bigger part of my retro basketball gaming rotation. While the creativity of making a mod can be immensely satisfying, I’d prefer projects that I actually want to play with.
This means focusing on mods that enhance my enjoyment of a game, whether it’s an old favourite or a more recent release. If it’s a roster that changes things up by adding the ABA, replicating a classic season, or creating some other new experience, I want it to be for a game that I’m eager to play. With my enthusiasm for retro gaming, I’d like to develop little mods and fixes that make them even more fun to play in 2024 and beyond. I’d like to work with what’s in the game already, repurposing existing (and indeed, hidden) assets for minimalist projects that nevertheless freshen things up. I’d like to create some quick, small updates that can help others out in their projects.
Basically, as I envision being more active in the modding community, I’ll be sticking to making what I want to make, for the games that I want to play and mod. Needless to say, this may mean some more niche projects that don’t get as much attention, but I’m fine with that. With a project like NBA Live 76 for NBA Live 06 PC, I’m clearly not doing it for fame, or to get thousands of downloads (though I certainly hope it will be enjoyed by others, too!). It’s something that I actually want to use myself, and I was delighted when Dee and I connected on Parsec to play with a very early beta. I want to create mods that are fun for me, and then share them with the community.
This is of course a very old modding philosophy, one that I strongly believe we should promote. However, it’s also an extension of the minimalist modding that I’ve been doing when revisiting games on console. I’ve had fun rolling back NBA 2K6’s rosters to the 2005 season, and setting up games with makeshift classic teams and all-time squads. It’s been an enjoyable staple of my basketball gaming over the past few years, but it got me thinking. There are games on PC that I can do that in as well; games like NBA Live 06, which I’d like to make a bigger part of my rotation once again. Furthermore, there are far more modding possibilities on PC than console!
And so, I’ve amended my list of potential modding projects to focus on the games that I want to play, and the mods that I’d like to have available for those titles. To that end, ideas for rosters that I originally envisioned creating for NBA Live 2005 through 08 are now pencilled in for NBA Live 06 only. While it’s a sensible approach, it’s still a wistful decision. I’ve developed methods of converting rosters between those games, and it’s regrettable not giving retro gamers a choice between them. As such, I won’t completely rule out conversions of any projects I complete, but it’s wiser and far less daunting to choose just one game, and then consider possibly converting a mod later.
Also, while I don’t want to completely rule out the possibility of creating a current roster for an old game that’s a favourite of the community, it isn’t my first choice of mod. I’ve expressed my lack of enthusiasm for the current NBA in articles and on the podcast, and my feelings remain unchanged in that regard. In turn, I’m not particularly motivated to work on a 2025 season mod, even for a beloved favourite. It’s one of the main reasons that I was unsuccessful in my attempts to update NBA 2K11, even when the 2020 shutdown afforded me several months to make progress. What had been a fanciful thought some years prior quickly lost its appeal as I soured on the league.
My choice of game was also a factor. While I do enjoy NBA 2K11 and agree that it’s one of the best basketball video games of all-time, it isn’t necessarily my first choice for retro gaming, as it predates the series’ adoption of right stick dribbling. Creating a roster set in an era you’re not too fond of, in a game that you’re not sure you’ll play all that often, is a recipe for a doomed mod! It’s a lesson I should’ve learned from my last few years of maintaining rosters for NBA Live 2005-08. I was still playing NBA Live 06, but mostly my long-running Bulls Dynasty, rather than the current rosters. As for NBA Live 07 and 08, I was creating mods for games that I had no interest in playing!
That undoubtedly contributed to the burnout that saw me step away from modding, but the workload was also becoming overwhelming. The NBA Live PC Project for NBA Live 06 was conceived as a way to keep a well-received release updated when the series went console-only. Unfortunately, as the years progressed, it went from a community effort to “the community sits back and nags Andrew about the rosters”! The need for continual updates and art that I couldn’t create made working on current rosters stressful, and eventually unviable. I’d rather not return to a situation where I’m constantly prodded for updates, and relying on contributions that aren’t guaranteed.
Instead, I’d rather consider projects that can enhance retro gaming by making use of assets already at my disposal, such as the fixed final official roster for NBA 2K10 that added missing Legends, improved ratings for original Legends, and updated ratings for a few then-current players. I can really sink my teeth into such projects, because while they do still take time to properly complete, they don’t involve the same heavy workload as a current, retro, or classic team roster. Sure, they’re not as impressive as a total conversion or comprehensive update, but they still make those games more fun to revisit, simply by adding polish and content the official rosters didn’t account for.
Such minimalist projects aren’t just beneficial for mod users, but potentially modders as well. After all, while I made and shared that NBA 2K10 roster so that both I and anyone who downloads it can immediately play with those missing Legends, it’s also intended to be a potential base for further updates; not just for me, but anyone else who’d like to dabble with retro roster modding! If someone wants to create a 2006 season roster for NBA 2K10, or update the game for the 2025 campaign, or whatever, then using my roster as a base can save time if they’d also like their project to include that content. Sharing our work in this way only leads to better mods for everyone.
Rosters have been my bread and butter since I discovered the NLSC and modding – then called patching – way back in 1997. I’ve branched out a little over the years though, trying my hand at other updates and also a few fixes from time to time. When Dee mentioned his dislike of the Freestyle Superstars Replay overlay in NBA Live 06, I found a way to remove it. While that might’ve been a more popular mod circa 2006, it’s still handy to have now. The replay overlay fixes I made ten years ago continue to be useful when grabbing screenshots. My training fix for NBA Live 2004 was some twenty years overdue, but better late than never for my fellow retro hoops gamers!
I’d like to keep tinkering with smaller updates and fixes like those. Anything that I notice when revisiting an old favourite that I can possibly update, enhance, or fix is worth doing for my own enjoyment, and then sharing with the community. Again, this also includes work that could potentially facilitate larger projects. From fixing the incorrect arm textures of the unused faces in NBA 2K11 to unlocking the Dream Team in NBA 2K17, there are mods that are straightforward and fairly small in scope, but would nevertheless be useful to have. Polishing up some old projects by adding missing art, updating ratings, and fixing errors, is also something I’ll keep in mind.
As I recalled when I reflected on 23 years running the NLSC and approaching forty, it’s funny to think that as my twenties were drawing to a close, I felt that there was no way that I could still be modding in my thirties. Now, a decade later and on the brink of another milestone birthday, I can’t get my head around why I was gatekeeping my hobbies like that. It’s an attitude that I’ll readily push back on these days! Perhaps I’ve grown more sentimental as I’ve come to prefer retro gaming, attended a 20-year high school reunion, and gained more perspective in life. Certainly, that famous C.S. Lewis quote about the fear of childishness is an increasingly relatable sentiment as you age.
With that being said, in looking to return to modding, I envision a different approach to the one I had all those years ago. I no longer feel compelled to maintain a current roster update for the latest game, and I won’t be making big mods for games that I’m not playing. Some of my ideas are more ambitious and I’ll need to chip away at them, while others are smaller and should come together more quickly. The important thing is that they’ll be fun for me, and hopefully the community as well; even if it’s a niche group. Because modding, like gaming, should be about what you enjoy. I’d definitely lost sight of that some ten years ago, when my perspective was blurred by burnout.
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