NBA 2K14 on next-generation consoles will feature a new gameplay foundation that developer Visual Concepts calls the "Eco-Motion Engine," and the studio went into detail on the engine in a new developer diary.
Eco-Motion, said NBA 2K14 senior producer Rob Jones, allows the developers to "really bring players to life in a way that we've never done before — to make the game look smarter, feel better, react in a more realistic fashion than it ever has." Visually, it brings a closer attention to detail to the game: better-looking lights, materials and facial expressions.
That last element is a key for Visual Concepts: the "eco" part of the engine's name refers to life, as in, bringing basketball to life, according to lead gameplay designer Mike Wang. The studio's mission is "making sure that these guys think, that they behave, that they act like they do in real life," said Wang. Eco-Motion extends to all parts of NBA 2K14, including rendering, animations and artificial intelligence.
Although the video makes it appear that Eco-Motion is exclusive to the PS4 version of NBA 2K14, that's not the case; this just happens to be a developer diary produced in conjunction with Sony. You can read more about next-gen NBA 2K14, which is a launch title on both PS4 and Xbox One, here.
