Pucking Ridiculous (The OBG Chronicles): Realism, Really?

Feature Article

Submitted on: 11/12/2010 by Stephen Holley

Thank you once again for reading another edition of Pucking Ridiculous (The OBG Chronicles). It has been a while since my last article, but this time around I want to broach the subject of realism in hockey and sports games in general.

Is It Possible, and do we understand the side effects of the demand for more realism?

In this edition of Pucking Ridiculous, we will address both topics.

Is it Possible?

That one should be obvious. If you will be so kind as to walk over to your gaming system of choice, insert your copy of NHL 11, and then press the power button you will see the most realistic hockey game ever made. The gameplay slider guru that I am, I'm sure I could make NHL 11 come close to playing a realistic game of stick and puck with full-length 20-minute periods -- NHL 11 is just that versatile.

Personally, I play nine-minute periods while never simulating games.

Now, as an almost obligatory disclaimer, I know that I have to state the obvious: things can always improve. The gameplay is not perfect by any means. However, in the case of NHL 11, obligation is the only reason I will say that.

It's a damn good representation of the sport.

Yeah, maybe it is not the most realistic hit, but it looks awesome.

Do We Consider the Side Effects of Realism?

I don't know about you guys, but many times during my "gaming career" I have asked myself, "Self, why would you want this game against the Panthers in the middle of October to last around two hours? Why self, why?" I could not even imagine the thought of tackling a baseball season with full sim settings. Kill me now!

I mean seriously, what the hell are you thinking self? Generally speaking, too many sports gaming enthusiasts constantly demand perfection, oftentimes in a rude fashion, while persistently clogging Internet forums with their ill-humored protests. They demand that everything be just as it is in the real world -- and now, damn it! As the EA Sports slogan famously declares, "If it's in the game..." Well, you know the rest.

The truth of the matter is that there is an inescapable necessity for balance in all things, including our quest for sports gaming Nirvana. I'd say my balance is about an even split between fun and sim. There was a time when it was a different story.

But something happened when I began to play the games and accept them for what they are, which is truly amazing feats of technological bliss. And with that thought in mind, a game like NHL 11 can really come to life.

Plus, there is just not enough time in life for everything to be realistic in my game. And frankly, I think that's a good thing.

This is yet another edition of Pucking Ridiculous (The OBG Chronicles). Before I leave you, I'm going to go ahead and give the Jaroslav Halak and the St. Louis Blues a shout out, jumping out to a 9-1-2 start.

Thank you, Montreal.

(Ed. Note - This was written before the Blues got dismantled by the Blue Jackets and then lost to the Predators in OT. So, all the Blues fans should thank Stephen for jinxing them.)

NHL 11 Videos

Member Comments

# 21 adembroski @ 03/01/11 06:48 AM

I think the key to making a good "sim" game and still having it be a good user experience is to identify what needs to be done in abstract and making sure that area is dealt with in a manor that doesn't detract from the experience.

One of the advantages that exist in American football that other sports don't have is that the actual on-field play time is only about 15-20 minutes per game. That means, I believe, we can be as realistic as we want to be without forcing the player to sit through a 3-hour game. Baseball shares this advantage, and that's why, I think, the most realistic sports games thus far have been baseball games (High Heat, MVP, and now The Show)

Hockey, Basketball, and Soccer on the other hand, have to deal with a continuously running clock that rarely stops, and is almost never running during dead ball situations (well, it does in soccer, but then it runs after the 90 minute mark to make up for it). So certain areas of the game have to be treated abstractly in order to make up the difference.

In basketball, this is generally the play setup. Meaning, watching the NBA, you tend to see a lot of situations where the ball is held in a spot for a long period of time while players get position, the point guard reads the play, etc. NBA 2k11 glosses over this, getting right into the ball movement. This allows the user to play shorter quarters but end up with a realistic number of possessions.

For hockey and soccer, it's a bit of what basketball does... you rarely see a man in FIFA hold the ball on a spot for an extended period of time... but also a lot of transition play. In FIFA, you don't see back-and-forth 50/50 balls as much as in real life, and in NHL, you see fewer changes of possession between the blue lines. The games encourage you to get into attacking position. Less time in transition equals more time on attack, and thus you can create a realistic number of chances on goal in NHL.

I tend to setup clock settings to create a realistic number of scoring chances. For NHL, I'm looking at time on attack and shots on goal (not just shots, as anyone can put up 30 shots, but how many of them were quality chances?). For FIFA, I'm looking at shots on goal and corners. In Madden/NCAA, it's total offensive snaps, and for NBA, I'll generally get the field goal percentages right then adjust to get the scores close.

In closing; no, I don't want to play a 2-3 hour game in order to have realism. I recognize the need to abbreviate some aspects of, particularly, basketball, hockey, and soccer. But within what the game decides to focus on, I do expect realism.

# 22 dickey1331 @ 03/01/11 04:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adembroski


	I think the key to making a good "sim" game and still having it be a good user experience is to identify what needs to be done in abstract and making sure that area is dealt with in a manor that doesn't detract from the experience. One of the advantages that exist in American football that other sports don't have is that the actual on-field play time is only about 15-20 minutes per game. That means, I believe, we can be as realistic as we want to be without forcing the player to sit through a 3-hour game. Baseball shares this advantage, and that's why, I think, the most realistic sports games thus far have been baseball games (High Heat, MVP, and now The Show) Hockey, Basketball, and Soccer on the other hand, have to deal with a continuously running clock that rarely stops, and is almost never running during dead ball situations (well, it does in soccer, but then it runs after the 90 minute mark to make up for it). So certain areas of the game have to be treated abstractly in order to make up the difference. In basketball, this is generally the play setup. Meaning, watching the NBA, you tend to see a lot of situations where the ball is held in a spot for a long period of time while players get position, the point guard reads the play, etc. NBA 2k11 glosses over this, getting right into the ball movement. This allows the user to play shorter quarters but end up with a realistic number of possessions. For hockey and soccer, it's a bit of what basketball does... you rarely see a man in FIFA hold the ball on a spot for an extended period of time... but also a lot of transition play. In FIFA, you don't see back-and-forth 50/50 balls as much as in real life, and in NHL, you see fewer changes of possession between the blue lines. The games encourage you to get into attacking position. Less time in transition equals more time on attack, and thus you can create a realistic number of chances on goal in NHL. I tend to setup clock settings to create a realistic number of scoring chances. For NHL, I'm looking at time on attack and shots on goal (not just shots, as anyone can put up 30 shots, but how many of them were quality chances?). For FIFA, I'm looking at shots on goal and corners. In Madden/NCAA, it's total offensive snaps, and for NBA, I'll generally get the field goal percentages right then adjust to get the scores close. In closing; no, I don't want to play a 2-3 hour game in order to have realism. I recognize the need to abbreviate some aspects of, particularly, basketball, hockey, and soccer. But within what the game decides to focus on, I do expect realism.

Thats a very good point and I have never thought of it that way.

# 23 slickdtc @ 03/02/11 11:53 AM

He's absolutely right. If people want the game to be realistic, then they have to play realistic. You don't see players in real life do the things we can in the video games because it would not work in reality. But within a game, a limited intelligence game, players can get away with unrealistic things. The developers have to account for this while also making sure the realistic playing gamers aren't shortchanged either.

I, for one, recognize the incredibly tough balance. That's why, over the last few years, I've relaxed my stance on realism in games. I want developers to strive for realism, but if they can't deliver 100%, I realize that's just a fact of life. If the effort is there, I can't complain. If a game is thrown together sloppily, that's something I can not approve of.

# 24 slickdtc @ 03/02/11 11:58 AM

Let me also touch on something else he touched on in his post: shortening games to account for the gamer's attention span. Let's face it, not many can sit through a 3 hour game of repetitive gameplay (like sports games). I've struggled with this more then ever; my Madden games take 1.5 hours to play (15 minutes accelerated clock). NHL games take 45 minutes-to-an-hour (10 minute periods). Baseball games vary based on scoring/hits. Funny, my FIFA games take the shortest (20-30 minutes, 6/7 minute quarters) when soccer has the longest matches of any sport. That's probably also due to me being a soccer video game fan and not necessarily following the actual sport of soccer too much. I know for a fact I don't play like they do in real life.

Anyway, what developers must do is add in-game save features. Can't tell you how many times I've saved mid-game in the MLB The Show series. Did it a lot with Madden 06 back on XBOX. Why has it been taken out? It'll be tougher to incorporate in NHL, but it SHOULD be in.

# 25 15 Step @ 03/06/11 12:59 PM

wrong thread.

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