Dynasty Mode 

Dynasty Mode can be large and daunting, especially for beginners. While the basic mechanics of it are fairly easy to grasp, it can difficult to cultivate the perfect squad. The CPU is much stingier on trades, and you'll have to scout and draft well in order to compete. Here are some key tips that should help you develop a respected Dynasty. 

Keep Your Eye on Upcoming Free Agents
You can find this selection in the GM's Desk section of the Dynasty Mode menu. It will help you keep an eye on guys who will be coming up for free agency in the next season. Just make sure you don't sign or draft a need that could obviously be filled by one of the marquee players about to be released to the market, and you'll be golden.

By the Same Token...
Don't just rush out and resign your whole team during the resigning period. Instead, let some of the middle-tier players slip into the free agent market. You'll still be able to compete for them, and ultimately sign them if they are really important to you. The problem with resigning everyone during the resigning period is that you won't see what else is out there. You could end up signing a player of lesser skills when a more talented (and sometimes even cheaper) player is on the market.

Improve in Training Camp
Training Camp, the first stop on the Dynasty Mode train, affords you the opportunity to improve your squad in four key areas:

• Shooting: Training on shooting will affect a player's Field Goal, 3 Pointers, Free Throw and Inside Scoring ratings.
• Defense: Training on defense will affect a player's Block, Steal, Defensive Rebound, and Defensive Awareness ratings.
• Offense: Training on offense will affect a player's Pass, Dribble, Offensive Rebound and Offensive Awareness ratings.
• Conditioning: Training on conditioning will affect a player's Strength, Speed, Quickness, Jumping and Stamina ratings.

There are a mere 100 points to spend on each of these categories, in increments of 5. While you might be tempted to put all of your beans into offensive categories, it is actually the opposite that works best. Sink 50 points into Defense and 50 points into Conditioning.

Here's why. The CPU-controlled players play the majority of your defense, as you are usually only controlling the guy on the ball. The other four guys are out of your control, but if you make them better at D, there is a better chance that they will put themselves into good position to make a steal, snag a defensive rebound, etc.

As for conditioning, it will allow your stars to spend more time on the court without their ratings taking a hit. Since your starters will almost always be your best guys, the more minutes you can get them, the better. It's that simple. Conditioning also helps improve some fundamental ratings categories, which can give you that extra edge that you need.

Use Dynasty Development
One way to make your squad better during the season (short of being great at controlling the players) is by hiring coaches to help in various ratings categories. In order to hire them, however, you'll have to earn Dynasty Points by completing objectives during gameplay. The more impressive you play, the more points you will accrue.

There are two ways you can go about this. You can hook up a Training Session, which can help an Individual or have a Team Session, which is preferable. But the best way to go is actually the Dynasty Extras selection. This allows very focused ratings-growing, and it has a much more diverse range of prices.

Hiring coaches and doctors in the Dynasty Extras menu allows you to improve the ratings of your entire team, and the length of time you want the ratings to last for. The Whole Season selection is always preferable, as it will give you the best shot to compete down the stretch. However, sometimes the 10 Games option is a little more manageable points-wise. What's more, your increased ratings will likely help to generate even more Dynasty Points. And the circle of life is complete.

So what should you develop? Here's where you should focus on your team's deficiencies. While it always helps to increase your team's Stamina rating with Conditioning, it might be a better idea (especially if you already boosted Stamina in Training Camp) to bolster your Shooting or 3 Point Shooting across the board. Review your individual player stats to see what the whole team needs help with, then go after those categories aggressively.

Save Some Points for Scouting!
Scouting is a crucial element this time around, primarily because you want to build your team through the draft. Therefore, don't throw all of your Dynasty Points into Training Sessions and Extras. Instead, make sure you are scouting players throughout the year. Earn some points, scout some players.

Try to look at the guys that will be available to you. If you plan to win the championship (or at least make the playoffs), you aren't going to have a crack at the Top 10 athletes on the list. However, if you aren't getting it done, and will finish in the bottom half of the league, take a gander at the candidates at the top of the list in the positions you most desperately need.

Concentrate on the prospects that have Average or Good potential. You may occasionally look at someone with Limited potential, but who wants to pick up a lame draft pick? Not you. When scouting them, you'll be able to look at three potential categories:

• Offensive
• Defensive
• Athletics

It's possible to check out a candidate for all three categories, but it'll also be expensive. Plus, you have to consider that you only have three scouts to send out at the same time. Therefore,  you'll want to focus on the element that is currently lacking in your lineup. For instance, if you have a point guard who can't score, scout your potential draft pick for Offensive skills. Playing a good portion of your games, rather than simming them, will give you a good idea of the skill areas where your team needs to improve. Take the knowledge of your team's weaknesses into Scouting and approach it intelligently.

Once you have sent your scouts into the field, they will come back with a report that you will receive via the PDA. Read the quick blurb on the player, then look at his individual report, scrolling to the right to see how he fared in each of the stat categories. If you want to scout further, and fill in some of the areas that remain ?s, select his name and commit more resources to his scouting.

Make sure you keep up with scouting throughout the season, and you should be able to profile quite a few of the athletes coming available in the draft. The better the total picture you have when heading into the draft, the more successful you will be drafting a player that will make a difference on your squad.

Postseason Scouting
Once you get to the postseason and go through the Draft Lottery, you'll have a week to further scout the guys you looked at during the season, which is a good reason to look at as many draft prospects as possible throughout the weeks.

Postseason scouting allows you to take your scouted players one-on-one with a member of your team. You can choose to play as or against the potential draft pick, which will give you an idea of how your new  guy might handle, or how he plays defense against an NBA superstar.

It's best to play as the athlete you're scouting, as this gives you the better of idea of how he will feel during the upcoming season. Take a look at how he handles the ball, how powerful he is, how he shoots, etc. If it's a big man, be sure to test how he backs down, dunks and blocks. It's also a good idea to use Freestyle control to see if he loses the ball on certain moves, as this will allow you to gauge his overall handles.

If you're looking at a guard, shoot from everywhere on the floor, drive the lane, and take the Freestyle out for a test drive. On defense, see how his stealing ability is, and make sure you turbo him around for a spell to try out the quickness.

Draft and Trade For Size
Everyone needs a big man  in the real NBA, and this is also the case in NBA Live. The old formula holds up this year as well--you'll want to draft and trade for as much size as possible. Even guys who don't have stellar ratings can be really good additions to your roster simply because they can bully players and get physical in the lane.

We mentioned this last year, and it still applies. You may also consider going with some unconventional lineups to try to push the boundaries of the game. It's not unheard of to have three large, imposing guys on your starting roster, as long as one of them can move somewhat. This will seal off the defensive end (especially in the 2-3 Zone) and make you almost impossible to guard on offense.

Sim if Need Be... But Intervene!
Make sure you sim games individually so that you can intervene if things start to go south during the course of the game. Obviously, the point is to have as many victories as possible, but if you don't want to play all of the games, you should at least be open to intervening in games that are headed toward a loss. If you're playing as a lower-rated team, you'll want to sim less. A lot of the simming appears to be based on ratings, and there aren't a whole lot of upsets when teams have a significant ratings disparity, so keep this in mind before you si

Ask Yourself: How Long Are You Going to Play For... Really?
Be honest. If you're not the type of person who's going to play more than one season, you don't need to be too concerned with locking yourself to high-ticket players or long-term contracts. Knowing roughly the number of seasons you're going to play through can make your life a lot easier. If you're only going to play one or two, you might as well blow it all on a title run, and forget about the mess you're going to make at the end of the year. If you know you're in it for the long haul, you'll have to be a little more judicious about your decision-making. 

Keep Injuries at Bay... Cheater
This tip still applies from last year: One thing that can devastate a team more than any other is injuries to your starting lineup. One way to get around that is by cheating. Sure, part of the fun of being a GM is rolling with the proverbial punches, but if you don't find the challenge of scrambling to find replacements particularly appealing, go to the Gameplay Settings in the Settings menu and turn the Injury Frequency to 0. It's not necessarily sporting, but hey! It's your team, and if you don't want them to get hurt, then damn it... it's up to you. After all, it's better than paying a Team Doctor 10,000 Dynasty Points, when you could be boosting ratings instead.

On to All-Star Weekend...

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