NBA Live (98, 99, 2000, 2001)

[Jimbo]

I think this is where things go wrong. I'm not that knowledgeable about reg keys. Yeah, I did download the file from the guide, but wasn't sure what to do with it. I edited the file and changed the drive letter to D:. But I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do with it.

[Matt]

Ohhh ok. Just click on the nba.reg file in file explorer and it will ask you if you want to add it to the registry. Then click OK.

After that don't even bother trying 3Dsetup, just launch the game and let me know if that changes anything.

[Jimbo]

I figured it out like 2 seconds after posting the reply. Thanks, works and looks great!

Now, if I can just figure out how to edit accessories for all players...I thought it was possible. But that's for another thread (probably in another forum).

Thanks for the the dedication!

[Jimbo]

By the way, an off-topic question: How do I go from this message board back to the your main website page (classicgamefixes.wix.com)? Am I missing something or there is no link to it?

[Matt]

No, you weren't missing anything. Thanks for the heads up - I'll get a link posted.

BTW it's classicgamefixes.wix.com/home for the main page, classicgamefixes.wix.com leads to a 404 page. I despise having to have the /home part there, but that's how Wix gets you to pay for the premium hosting...LOL

[Jimbo]

Nice, I see it now. Keep up the good work!

[Jimbo]

By the way, you might want to visit the Operationsports forums. Every now and then there are some discussions about old PC sports games. Some people love these oldies and must have issues with them. You should check those threads out and join the discussion. you might earn a couple of more fans...

[Matt]

Yup, I've read some of those threads myself over the years. Come to think of it, I remember reading the REVIEWS of some of these games on Operationsports back when they originally came out. I remember them posting some of the first screenshots of Monster Truck Madness 2 on there and just being in awe of it. Time flies.

Well, you've inspired me to make posts on a few boards. I know a few people must visit here already because I see people downloading stuff off of my Box account every day. Very rarely do I hear back from anyone, though. Which kinda drives me nuts because I always want to know if my stuff is working for them or not. You and JP made my day when you wrote in.

Did you figure out what you wanted with the player accessories in Live?

[Jimbo]

Still haven't figured out the accessories thing, but that's not a big deal.

You might want to add a link to this board to every game manual. Maybe tell people their feedback is welcome and that they can post here questions/impressions.

By the way, for some reason I couldn't register here. I tried and tried but it wouldn't work for me, so I'm still a guest.
Also, Did you change the look of this forum? It looks like something straight from the late 90's. Fits quite well with the games we are dealing with here...ha.

[Jimbo]

Also, consider adding more subforums, more topics, more content. Maybe when you have more subfourms, even add some off-topic forum where people can discuss other things from years past, not just games. It will take having more registered users here, so the community here grows, but maybe some day you'll have lots of subforums and lots of posts here.

But you need to find a way to let people know about this place. A product can be great, but if no one has heard of it, it doesn't really matter. This is why I think you need to spread the word (wisely) anywhere you can.

By the way, whenever I looks for technical solutions for stuff like this (or actually pretty much anything), there's always a Yahoo Answers page with questions and answers. Maye you can somehow post an answer and elegantly "kidnap" it - in order to mention this place.

Good luck!

[Matt]

Ha, I did change the look. It's one of the free themes -- meant to look like Windows 98. Could not imagine anything more perfect for the subject matter. lol. I don't have the web site knowledge to pull it off, but if I could I would make the entire site look and function like an old Windows. Start menu and such. Maybe one day in the deeeep future. Right about the time I'm fixing Windows 8 era games for Windows 12.

Not sure why you couldn't register. I know jpjordan did, but he was the only one so far.

[Jimbo]

No problem, I can always post here as a guest, it's not a big deal. Keep up the great job!

Been actually playing NBA Live 2004 on my pc the last week (no problem running from 2003 and on), and been having fun. The great thing about playing these old games is that, in addition to enjoying it and it bringing back some memories, it helps you realize how the gameplay/graphics have improved in today's games. You play today's games and after a while you take it for granted. Then you play these old games and realize how different it used to be, how far we have come (well...not "we", but the guys who develop these games).

I was trying to think of a way to help you boost traffic here, but hasn't come up with anything yet. If I think of something, I'll let you know. When someone is doing a good job - especially for free, they deserve recognition.

[jimbo]

OK, finally I was able to register. I'll visit every now and then...

[Matt]

You're a good one, Jimbo - I really do appreciate the encouragement and kind words. The people who developed nGlide, dgVoodoo, and DxWnd are the ones who really deserve props, though. I'm just a messenger.

Is funny when you look at YouTube comments and such for some of the old games - you've always got the kids who think (justifiably so, I guess) that they are just the crappiest things. I'm thinking to myself...man, this was top of the line! lol. I still think the late 90s saw the biggest jump in graphics quality. Live is actually a good example - you look at Live '95 on PC, then jump ahead to Live '98 in 3D mode, and it's pretty incredible to think those games were only 3 years apart.

Let me know if you ever have another game you want me to look at - I'm taking any and all suggestions.

[jimbo]

Yeah, I totally agree. I was thinking a while ago, how I was missing the graphics jump these old 90's games took. If you compare the jump in today's yearly-released games (when it comes to the same generation) it's not even close. Live 95 was pretty close to Live 96. But Live 97 (as ugly as it was) blew my mind! Then Live 98...oh my! And Live 99 was my top Live back then. Still think it's one of the best. Graphics-wise, I don't think anything came close to this back then.

I think Live 2001 (as incomplete as it was) had a nice graphical boost. I thought Live 2000 looked very similar to Live 99, I actually preferred Live 99's graphics and gameplay (but as a MJ fan I couldn't refuse to play Live 2000). Live 2001 did something interesting - it brought different body shapes, lighting etc. (though hands looked too small). But more important, if I remember, Live 2001 was the first Live where players didn't jump that high, and verticals seemed realistic. I remember noticing it right away. I think it was also the first Live to add cutscenes (even if they weren't real time...or did Live 2000 had it before?).

Never played Live 2002 (didn't have a console back then, played all my games on the PC until 2003), but liked Live 2003 on the PC. My issue with it was that it was too arcady. Then I got my PS2, a copy of 2K3, and I was amazed. Then 2K4 almost destroyed the 2K series, and it took 2K5 and 2K6 to fix it. I've been a 2K guy since. Still played all Live games (other than Live 16), but 2K has been my game.

By the way, NBA Action '98 on the PC (the "father" of the 2K series) is still one of my favorite games. It looked pretty ugly even back then, but the gameplay was pure gold! I used to create MJ and put him on the Bulls. So many hours of fun....