Med speaks on how it all began from a fan to a modder.
NBA 2K12 (2011-2012)
The Ultimate Base Roster for NBA 2K12, the greatest mod to have ever existed was what made me want to get into NBA 2K for PC. In NBA 2K12, I never really shared any of my private roster work back then, even though I had already been editing NBA Live & 2K rosters back in the Play Station 2 days.
NBA 2K13 (2012-2013)
It was in NBA 2K13 when I decided to release my own series of updated NBA rosters, including 10 NBA Legends teams. With the absence of UBR for NBA 2K13, I decided to call it "Med's Ultimate Roster", because of the addition of the new teams. RED MC was still called REDitor during the time. I didn't have all of the licenses for it, I didn't know how to use it properly. Still, apparently people still liked my work for NBA 2K13.
NBA 2K14 (Late 2013)
When NBA 2K14 was released, I wanted to change a few things, I stopped my idea of adding retro teams to focus more on the current NBA roster's quality. It was there that more creative ideas on how to systematize a few things that I knew COULD be done, but still hadn't been done by others too.
PBA 2K14 (Late 2013 to Early 2014)
After a rather successful late 2013, I was lucky enough to be invited to be part of the legendary PBA 2K Modding Team (known as Pinoy 2K Modders or PBA 2K Team). With PBA 2K having existed as early as PBA 2K10, and with other PBA mods since the NBA Live series, I knew there were big shoes to fill. I knew there were a lot I could contribute on a technical aspect (compatibility, a more organized system, proper editing, uploading and file sharing) but in all honesty, I didn't even watch the PBA during that time.
If some of you remember, the very first few versions of PBA 2K didn't have the same quality as it does now, even regarding rosters. I didn't watch the league, I didn't know who was good without looking at stats, I didn't know their tendencies, positions, animations, etc. It was when I dedicated my time to watching the PBA on TV, and even live at times that I got a grasp of it and basically fell in love with it.
Hiatus & Comeback (Mid 2014 to Late 2014)
In early 2014, I took a 9-month long hiatus because of a motherboard crash. A lot of you already know this, and for those who were there during the time, and still here now, I salute you. When I came back in late 2014, I wanted to bring something new to the table, something to make up for my absence. That's where I got the idea for the website for PBA 2K14 (the old Google Sites for those who visited it before).
FIBA 2K14 (2015)
As early as January 2015, I also had the idea of putting the same touch on FIBA 2K by dwadeflash. Luckily, he shared his resources and knowledge with me and literally after MONTHS of researching, working hard on a completely new roster, and as far as collaborating with international members of the NBA 2K community such as the Americans, Lithuanians, Spanish and Chinese, we were able to successfully make our dream come true, a comprehensive FIBA 2K mod.
Kuroko No Basuke (2015)
During this time, I personally was watching Kuroko No Basuke (anime), and thought to myself to create my own roster for Kuroko No Basuke & Slam Dunk. I didn't like the existing mods, I wanted to make it my own so I made the rosters, using cyberfaces from other modders. It was supposed to be just an open source roster, where you place your own cyberfaces to make it compatible since I didn't have a modding team. I didn't know who was good at making cyberfaces for anime.
Launch of the Website (2015)
The idea of adding another pair of mods to the duo of NBA Roster Updates & PBA 2K14 led me to the idea of having a full website dedicated to all of the mods, effectively renaming "Med's Ultimate Roster" to "Med's NBA Roster". We are all thankful for HoopsVilla's Sid Vishnoi, who was very kind enough to help create and build the website for free. We owe it all to him, that we are able to download these updates easily.
Kuroko V Slam Dunk (2016)
Luckily, I was able to collaborate with the great KoroX and Seushiro and we were able to bring a dream come true by having an anime roster, with my touch, for FREE. We all know the drama with anime mods, and with the latest release of the MyCareer/Association-compatible roster, I really feel as if it is now a success.
With all of these mods having existed since previous versions, I always think to myself, what can I do differently? I don't do this just to be "the man" who makes all of these mods. I wanted it to be my own. I didn't want to take what others already made. Everything had already been done before, but not quite the way I have been doing it for the past few years, no.
I always thought of creative ways of bringing an AUTHENTIC experience for NBA, FIBA, PBA, and anime basketball to NBA 2K. We are all lucky enough that I am able to collaborate with the BEST modders in the world. You have to work with the best, to be able to share the best work with others, free of charge. We listen to everyone's comments and requests (even though we don't usually take requests, we still consider them at times).
I am proud of the amount of dedication and creativity I put into these mods, I feel like we've done things we never thought were possible in NBA 2K. I always felt like we could push it to the limit, making each mod completely different from the others, but at the same time, it has that similar Medevenx-style branding. It has that Medevenx seal of quality and approval.
My message is don't be afraid to say what everyone else is thinking, don't be afraid to try something different, don't be afraid to share your works even though you haven't made any name for yourself. Always carry yourself professionally and try to present yourself the best way you can without coming out as a fake.
I am thankful for the personal brand being held high regarding all of my mods. I feel as if the mods are now cemented into the hearts of people. I am glad that all of you are enjoying the mods, some even much more than I expect. I thank you all. It is definitely one hell of a journey so far, and we're going to go Icefrog's DotA on Warcraft III for NBA 2K14! I am here for the long run and I am here to stay. I hope the other modders will stay with us too, so we can keep continuing this legacy for NBA 2K14!
