NHL 14: Gameplay Improvements & Hockey IQ Analysis - Wiggy's Blog

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NHL 14: Gameplay Improvements & Hockey IQ Analysis Stuck

Posted on July 26, 2013 at 05:04 AM.

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Last Friday EA posted a new blog that outlines some of the gameplay improvements for NHL 14. The changes appear to touch all aspects of the game, and they also address some lingering concerns that people have had over the last couple of years. Then again, some of these things should have been dealt with before now (players facing the wrong way, line change logic, etc.)

I will say that it is nice to see EA actually respond to some feedback and give concrete examples of how these changes will actually affect gameplay, but of course we won't really know the extent of that effect (or whether these changes have created new problems) until we get to put the game through its paces. A couple alterations to the AI logic seem really promising, so I hope those actually plug some of the flagrant gaps that the AI has had to deal with in NHL 13.

Looking at the changes...

Offensive AI Changes

Quote:


	Player Facing: Players will do a much better job opening up for passes/shooting opportunities. You will notice that they will better position themselves to let their own team�s shots through, and get ready for deflections and/or resulting rebounds.

This will be a good change, but it was sort of strange that it even needed to be made, as NHL 12 did a decent job of this. Annoyingly, this also translated over to human control in NHL 13, where you weren't able to face the way you wanted. It'll be nice to see the AI actually stay square to the play, especially if they can read your moves behind the net or when you're being pinned on the half-boards. It's always frustrating to hit the AI with a good pass and then have them release a wimpy backhander because they weren't anticipating and facing the play.

Quote:


	Keeping the Puck In: Players are now more aware when they are close to the blueline and will take the extra care needed in ensuring they keep the puck in the offensive zone.

If the AI actually plays with some urgency when it's pressured at the blueline, that will be a meaningful change. Obviously, anybody -- whether human or AI -- is prone to make some mistakes when under duress, and you'll even get some bad bounces. But when computer teammates and opponents are easily hurried and make poor puck-moving choices, it can really lead to some silly breakaways. I hope this means that they'll turn away from certain hits and fire the puck up the boards from time to time.

Quote:


	Avoiding Offsides: Players will do a better job of adjusting their route to ensure they remain onside as the play enters the zone.

I found the offsides pretty relaxed in terms of enforcement in NHL 13, so I only really like this change if it means the offsides will actually be called properly. I never found the AI going offsides all that often anyway, but some adjustment to account for the momentum-based skating is probably a good thing.

Quote:


	Shooting Analysis: Smarter decision making based on where the goalie is and the situation. Affects the types of shots they take and the location of the shot. For example: If they see someone on their team driving the net on an odd-man rush, they�re more likely to shoot low at the pads to produce a rebound.

If this "improvement" makes the AI shoot more in general, I'll be happy. Too often they seem to wait for perfect lanes and setups before letting one fly. They should be using the opposing traffic and posted-up teammates as potential screens and deflection targets, and this change seems to be indicating that that will happen. I did notice more deflections and shots through traffic in the build I played at E3, so it would make sense that the AI would follow suit in order to jive with this change. Also, less slapshots driven into teammates' legs by the AI would be swell.

Defensive AI Changes

Quote:


	Gap Control: Defenders will be more aware of the gap between themselves and the forwards as they breakout, progress through the neutral zone and into the defensive end. They will also make smarter decisions in selecting whether they should play loose or to tighten the gap by recognizing their opponent�s offensive ability versus their own defensive capabilities.

If the vision cone and strafing abilities of the defenders have been buffed, then it stands to reason that d-men should be able to close off the gap a lot better this year. Too often AI in NHL 13 will just passively stare up ice, allowing for easy zone entry and minimal pressure. The lack of point pressure is also maddening when a team has gained the zone. I would hope that the AI accounts for its hitting power, stick checking and shot blocking when making these kinds of reads, as defenders need to take some educated risks to close off a gap once in a while. Just the same, if a team is able to move the puck laterally very quickly at the points, the defenders should be slightly more passive.

Quote:


	Blueline Entry: A.I. defenders do a better job of recognizing the approach of an incoming offensive attack and will pick their moments to step up and lay a hit at the blueline, get a stick towards the puck or in the passing lane, or drop back into a more controlled gap. This will result in the need to read the defense when entering the zone and to vary the approach accordingly.

I'd like to see defenders trying different things to prevent zone entry, especially if they outnumber or are outnumbered on the play. However, I could definitely see some scenarios where an AI impotently goes for a poke-check or hit and whiffs horribly (as they do now), leading to some of the silly breakaways we've seen in NHL 13. If the AI is actually able to threaten with a hit at the blue line and use the poke-check the odd time, it could make dump-and-chase actually viable.

Quote:


	Player Facing: A.I.defenders will do a better job of ensuring they�re facing the proper direction and are aware of where the puck is when covering point-men and forwards in front of the net.

Again, if the vision cone has been improved, then it stands to reason that the defenders will be better suited to shadow attackers and not give up ridiculous breakaways. It's pretty frustrating to watch players online just using pure speed to blow by hapless d-men, so this change is most welcome.

Line Change Logic Changes

Quote:


	Players now have more awareness of the right time to change. They�ll do a better job of understanding the risks and rewards when determining whether they should come off or stay on for a critical situation, based on the opportunity vs. pressure and/or time of game.

I've seen plenty of lazy line changes in NHL 13, so improvement in this area is long overdue. It always seems to be that line changes never fully complete before something goes wrong. Defenders seem to be particularly guilty of not getting off when they have an opportunity -- say, on a dump-in -- and then there are strange sequences where they get off the ice when the play is near the bench, even though the other team is approaching the blueline (but along the boards). Ultimately, it would be nice if EA has tuned the logic so that when you have a change locked in, the near-side players will go off when the puck is going up the ice, and the others will follow once a forecheck is ongoing.

Special Teams Changes

Quote:


	Power play logic has been improved to ensure that a team on the Power Play isn�t overly committed to attacking. This ensures that the PP team can still be defensive minded when they need to be.

I think this ties into the improved defensive vision, as I honestly found that AI would hang back behind the blueline on the PP this year, but then they wouldn't be able to respond quick enough if the puck went the other way. By allowing them to back off naturally and with more vision, this change actually makes some sense. Still, when your team is maintaining a good gap against the opposition and is cycling the puck well, none of your AI should be thinking too passively.

Final Thoughts

The main changes that excite me here are improved defensive AI and vision. If this can curb some of the ridiculous breakaways and actually make AI defenders a moderate threat to actually hit or impede, then the flow of the game will definitely be changed for the better. Having players face the right way and position their body correctly will also be welcome, but I'm curious to see if that will work on reverses along the boards and angled plays near the net. It's frustrating when an AI doesn't recognized the space it's been given -- or it does but isn't ready for the pass.

I fully expect a couple of these changes to not change up the feel from NHL 13 that much, but I hope that the important ones truly impact gameplay in a positive way.

Comments

# 1 milesizdead @ Jul 26

With the short time I had with NHL14 last week, I felt that all of these improvements were there, and did indeed make the game more like real hockey. Apart from the new collision engine the game felt like NHL13.5, but in a good way. Everything that was good in 13 is now improved and especially the AI would surprise me often, for example in the way they swapped places during PP, in 13 they were mostly in human player's way

I liked 13 already, but 14 felt really good to play. Looking forward to the season ticket release

# 2 onac22 @ Jul 26

Like the article says these things should have been fixed years ago. But I guess the development of new HUT cards is more important than the game itself.