NHL EHM Beta Demo available

[Karim]

That's a good question, gtmarc. I didn't try line matching but I know there's an option for it.

I really hope it's checking line versus line #1 or defence pairing against line #1 and not line #1 vs. line #1, line #2 vs. line #2, etc....

[BigDPW]

One thing that bugs me is that the defensive pairings and forward lines seem to be linked... Meaning when your 1st line is our so are your top defensive pair...

You can choose to have the checking line against the opposing top line though...

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by BigDPW

One thing that bugs me is that the defensive pairings and forward lines seem to be linked... Meaning when your 1st line is our so are your top defensive pair...

Are they linked in-game, or only on the Tactics screen? I assumed that was only a move to save screen real estate. If not, that's an issue.

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

I finally managed to fire it up yesterday. It looks good, so far. Not surprisingly it really feels like an odd mixture of CM and EHM. There are traits of both and it sort of confuses me at times, but I'll get a handle on it.

I decided to give the Wings a try, mainly just to get a feel for the team and checkout any database issues. There were a quite few database issues for the Wings (I checked the SI boards and they seem to have been mentioned and taken care of), the oddest being Kevin Miller (of the Kip, Kelly, and Kevin Miller bros) being listed as a young, hulking 6'4" defenseman and Jiri Hulder (the Wings top offensive prospect) being listed as a goalie. It sounds like those issues are behind us. Though with glaring database errors like that, you can't help but wonder what is wrong with the "hidden" ratings or other things you can't see that might effect game play. I have confidence though that, in the end, it will turn out all right. Also, I understand that the guy in charge of the database for the Central Division flaked out or something.

I only got through two exhibition games and, man, do the Wings suck! I was using the top line-up and lost 2-0 to the Rangers (getting outshot 38-16) and then beat the Caps 6-4. Perhaps it's the coaching or perhaps it's the database errors. I dunno.

Excellent HB!


Thanks,

Todd

[BigDPW]

I am not really sure but they seemed linked on the tactics screen... How come we don't know who is on the ice with the demo anyway... I think I remember hearing this was fixed already...

[Maple Leafs]

Playing as, surpisingly enough, the Leafs... I've been shopping Alexi Ponikarosvky all year. Nobody wants him. I tried to package him in a deal for various players I like... Mike Fisher, Jon Cheechoo, and others. Everything was rejected. The trade AI seems very conservative. I end up leaving Ponikarovsky as "available" all season long with no takers.

Finally, today I get an offer. Oh happy day! Someone's willing to make a deal! I'll take anyone at all at this point! Just tell me what the offer is.

It's from the Blues.

They're offering Mike Danton.

(sigh)

[TroyF]

When Danton's agent is negotiating his contract as though it were a life and death situation, keep in mind that it might be just that. Throw in a few extra bucks for the guy, maybe he'll help you out on another client later on.

[Hurst2112]

1st   Joe Thornton               Bruins                     82       52     
2nd   Todd Bertuzzi              Canucks                    80       49     
3rd   Erik Cole                  Hurricanes                 82       46     
4th   Brett Hull                 Red Wings                  77       45     
5th   Marian Hossa               Senators                   82       45     
6th   Ilya Kovalchuk             Thrashers                  81       40     
7th   Pavol Demitra              Blues                      66       40     
8th   Jarome Iginla              Flames                     82       39     
9th   Jamie Langenbrunner        Devils                     82       39     
10th  Glen Murray                Bruins                     82       37     
11th  Jere Lehtinen              Stars                      82       37     
12th  Alexander Mogilny          Maple Leafs                78       37     
13th  Jaromir Jagr               Rangers                    79       36     
14th  Markus Näslund             Canucks                    82       35     
15th  Mike Knuble                Bruins                     82       34     
16th  Alexei Kovalev             Canadiens                  82       34     
17th  Rico Fata                  Penguins                   82       33     
18th  Mark Recchi                Flyers                     79       33     
19th  Bates Battaglia            Capitals                   82       33     
20th  Patrik Elias               Devils                     82       32     
21st  Eric Lindros               Rangers                    66       32     
22nd  Alex Tanguay               Avalanche                  81       32     
23rd  Mike Modano                Stars                      82       32     
24th  Fredrik Modin              Lightning                  82       32     
25th  Anson Carter               Kings                      82       31     
26th  Scott Walker               Predators                  77       31     
27th  Olli Jokinen               Panthers                   82       31     
28th  Peter Bondra               Senators                   79       31     
29th  Jean-Pierre Dumont         Sabres                     82       30     
30th  Brenden Morrow             Stars                      82       30

Eastern Conference

Pos     Team                       Pld  Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Pts
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st  Pl Devils                     82   30   3    8    154  82   22   5    13   144  125  113  
2nd  Pl Bruins                     82   32   1    8    173  94   16   10   13   130  133  109  
3rd  Pl Hurricanes                 82   22   7    12   144  97   16   6    19   107  122  89   
4th  Pl Rangers                    82   25   5    10   134  89   16   6    16   98   110  97   
5th  Pl Senators                   82   28   6    7    152  80   13   6    20   85   115  96   
6th  Pl Flyers                     82   29   4    8    157  103  9    5    27   82   122  85   
7th  Pl Maple Leafs                82   21   6    12   130  99   14   4    21   95   119  84   
8th  Pl Panthers                   82   25   1    14   113  91   10   9    20   88   122  83   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9th     Thrashers                  82   25   5    9    136  104  10   3    26   90   150  82   
10th    Penguins                   82   20   6    12   124  100  12   6    22   101  140  80   
11th    Islanders                  82   21   8    10   125  99   9    8    23   94   135  79   
12th    Lightning                  82   21   4    16   121  105  13   5    23   93   139  77   
13th    Canadiens                  82   19   7    14   112  108  11   5    25   94   142  73   
14th    Sabres                     82   22   4    15   126  106  11   1    28   89   144  72   
15th    Capitals                   82   17   7    14   107  99   11   3    25   93   141  71   


Western Conference

Pos     Team                       Pld  Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Pts
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st  Pl Avalanche                  82   24   7    9    147  96   23   5    11   127  109  109  
2nd  Pl Red Wings                  82   21   5    15   121  104  21   4    15   122  124  94   
3rd  Pl Kings                      82   27   5    9    135  83   13   6    19   96   124  94   
4th  Pl Flames                     82   26   2    12   138  87   18   3    20   99   113  94   
5th  Pl Canucks                    82   29   3    9    163  95   10   7    21   100  127  91   
6th  Pl Stars                      82   23   3    13   131  90   13   7    20   117  133  85   
7th  Pl Sharks                     82   23   3    15   111  96   14   4    20   90   125  84   
8th  Pl Mighty Ducks               82   25   4    10   138  98   11   4    24   80   122  84   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9th     Predators                  82   19   9    13   133  109  16   3    22   110  139  82   
10th    Wild                       82   20   10   10   110  72   10   6    23   70   130  79   
11th    Blues                      82   22   5    14   131  99   11   4    24   91   136  77   
12th    Bluejackets                82   20   8    12   125  102  10   4    27   85   144  73   
13th    Oilers                     82   20   8    12   116  102  8    7    25   77   124  73   
14th    Coyotes                    82   20   5    15   121  104  9    4    28   85   148  68   
15th    Blackhawks                 82   18   1    21   104  112  4    2    34   73   175  49

Pretty good stats. If anybody else wants to see other things, let me know.

[bbor]

19th Bates Battaglia Capitals 82 33

This looks wrong...but admitedly i don't know much about Bates.

[Hurst2112]

Well, it is a little high, but in their cup year, he did have something like 21 goals and 25 assists. Also, I think the rosters reflect the 'post talent dump' of the Caps. So, a guy like Bates would be a key player on a lower grade roster.

[klayman]

Come on. The Rangers making the playoffs? I hope they fix that in the gold master.

[Karim]

How come W/L/T don't add up to 82 for some of the teams? Are OTL off the screen?

[Tekneek]

Originally Posted by TroyF

When Danton's agent is negotiating his contract as though it were a life and death situation, keep in mind that it might be just that. Throw in a few extra bucks for the guy, maybe he'll help you out on another client later on.

If he survives. With the few extra dollars, Danton might not have to ask a 19 year old girl to find a hitman.

[Maple Leafs]

Stats look pretty good for me so far. The "Drn" column on the stats screen will probably a confuse a few North Americans, but I realize all that is being looked at.

In my game (which is only up to half a season so far), I'm seeing very little trading around the league. I think there have been maybe a half dozen deals, and all have been very small.

Speaking of trades, the multi-day delays during trade talks is officially annoying me. It seems to be getting longer as the season goes on. I've actually had times where I load up my saved game, sim a few days, then suddenly get a note about some trade from a week ago that I don't even remember. I realize that the instant dealing of other sims is probably unrealistic, but shouldn't there at least be a "I need to know now" button? Not to mention that it seems to take a few days for a trade to go through after it's announced-- not realistic for an NHL sim. I've heard that the delay goes away for the trade deadline, which would be great.

On that subject, does anyone know what the "Delay" option does when finalizing a deal? I tried it once, but never heard back from the team.

Next to my goalies on the Tactics screen is a "B" button. What does it do, and why can't I click it?

Question: is there anywhere I can see my team's finances? The only mention of it I really see is the occasional info from the board about how much I can spend. Is there a payroll screen or some other area where I can see details about how I'm doing financially, or should I just assume it's OK until the board says it isn't?

[henry296]

The B I belive is for backup. You should also see a S

Todd

[Simms]

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

Question: is there anywhere I can see my team's finances? The only mention of it I really see is the occasional info from the board about how much I can spend. Is there a payroll screen or some other area where I can see details about how I'm doing financially, or should I just assume it's OK until the board says it isn't?

From your roster screen, click the grey "Info" button on the left. You'll see a page with general info about the league you play in, your affiliates, etc. At the top of that screen is a drop-down that says "View". Click that and select "Finances" (or "Income" or "Expenditures" if you want a more detailed balance sheet.)

[riz]

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

Stats look pretty good for me so far. The "Drn" column on the stats screen will probably a confuse a few North Americans, but I realize all that is being looked at.

In my game (which is only up to half a season so far), I'm seeing very little trading around the league. I think there have been maybe a half dozen deals, and all have been very small.

Speaking of trades, the multi-day delays during trade talks is officially annoying me. It seems to be getting longer as the season goes on. I've actually had times where I load up my saved game, sim a few days, then suddenly get a note about some trade from a week ago that I don't even remember. I realize that the instant dealing of other sims is probably unrealistic, but shouldn't there at least be a "I need to know now" button? Not to mention that it seems to take a few days for a trade to go through after it's announced-- not realistic for an NHL sim. I've heard that the delay goes away for the trade deadline, which would be great.

On that subject, does anyone know what the "Delay" option does when finalizing a deal? I tried it once, but never heard back from the team.

Next to my goalies on the Tactics screen is a "B" button. What does it do, and why can't I click it?

Question: is there anywhere I can see my team's finances? The only mention of it I really see is the occasional info from the board about how much I can spend. Is there a payroll screen or some other area where I can see details about how I'm doing financially, or should I just assume it's OK until the board says it isn't?

The trading response times during normal business hours (ie. away from deadlines and drafts) have been shortened nowadays and they will be instant around the crucial times as they are already in the beta.

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by riz

The trading response times during normal business hours (ie. away from deadlines and drafts) have been shortened nowadays and they will be instant around the crucial times as they are already in the beta.

Excellent news.

(By the way, does the "crucial times" include the Christmas roster freeze? I think I remember losing some deals around that time in the demo because the teams didn't get back to me until the freeze had begun.)

[Johnny93g]

some questionable all-stars

East
John Grahame....1 game...only 26 minutes played
Mike Dunham....6 wins, 15 losses, 3.14gaa
Patrik Lalime....becasue he's Patrik Lalime
Marcus Ragnarsson...5 points
Colin White...11 points
ONLY 3 DEFENSEMEN were selected to the east team....

West
Johan Hedberg...he's a backup...played 11 games...won 2
Jocelyn Thibault....4 wins, 21 losses
Phillipe Boucher...11 points
John-Michael Liles...13 points
Robert Lang...20 points, in 51 games
Martin Rucinsky...21 points in 51 games
ONLY 3 DEFENSEMEN were selected to the west team

Also...will coaches be named to the team....1 head coach, and 2 assistants for each team

[Danny]

Originally Posted by Johnny93g

some questionable all-stars

East
John Grahame....1 game...only 26 minutes played
Mike Dunham....6 wins, 15 losses, 3.14gaa
Patrik Lalime....becasue he's Patrik Lalime
Marcus Ragnarsson...5 points
Colin White...11 points
ONLY 3 DEFENSEMEN were selected to the east team....

West
Johan Hedberg...he's a backup...played 11 games...won 2
Jocelyn Thibault....4 wins, 21 losses
Phillipe Boucher...11 points
John-Michael Liles...13 points
Robert Lang...20 points, in 51 games
Martin Rucinsky...21 points in 51 games
ONLY 3 DEFENSEMEN were selected to the west team

Also...will coaches be named to the team....1 head coach, and 2 assistants for each team

Looks like more like crappy all stars then questionable. Hopefully this will be greatly improved.

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by Johnny93g

some questionable all-stars

Where can you see the full all-star rosters?

I had Alex Mogilny get passed over despite leading the league with 35 goals, but I can't say if that's a bad pick since I don't know who went instead of him.

[Johnny93g]

I got a message in the news saying Sundin was called up to the east all-star team for a match against the west.....I just clicked on the "east all-star" part to bring up the roster....it was in the news section.....also...it should say Sundin was selected....or named to the team....or he was voted in by the fans......cuz he wasnt called up....

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by Johnny93g

I got a message in the news saying Sundin was called up to the east all-star team for a match against the west.....I just clicked on the "east all-star" part to bring up the roster....it was in the news section.....also...it should say Sundin was selected....or named to the team....or he was voted in by the fans......cuz he wasnt called up....

Until they fix it up in the gold release, I'll just be happy they didn't refer to the all-star game as a "friendly".

[scooter]

[quote=Maple Leafs]Where can you see the full all-star rosters?QUOTE]

I'm pretty sure you can see the All-Star list if you go to the "Browse" menu (next to the "Game Options" menu), pick "Leagues", then "United States", and then "NHL All-Stars". I'm guessing because my screen says "The draw will be made on Saturday October 4th 2003". (Does that sound a little early in the season to anyone else?) I just play slow

[Hurst2112]

Originally Posted by Karim

How come W/L/T don't add up to 82 for some of the teams? Are OTL off the screen?

I can't see the code I pasted (I'm on a mac right now and it won't let me see anything). I think that if you scroll over, there is another set of standings for each team. I believe that when I copied from the 'print to file' txt doc, I didn't copy the headings for the colums. It would appear that 1 side is home and the other is away.

I think this is what you are talking about.

[Hurst2112]

DOLA:

I like the fact that you can vote on some year end awards. I was able to vote for the Vezina.

Also, about the end of the year, has anybody else had trouble signing veterans? Both Hull and Yzerman refused to sign with me, even after I made it to the WCFinals. I didn't live up to the board's expectations per say (they wanted me to at least get to the finals). There was an option to sign both to my staff but each of them said they weren't done playing yet. Yzerman was hurt a lot during the season, but Hull would have been a good keep (45 goals) for at least another year. I would have put up with his complaining a little longer...more than most teams would.

[Karim]

Originally Posted by Hurst2112

I like the fact that you can vote on some year end awards. I was able to vote for the Vezina.

That's pretty cool. I know NHL General Managers get to vote on some awards.

[Karim]

Q: Can you play as strictly a GM? Alternatively, if you coach most games, do you need a Head Coach as part of your staff?

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by Karim

Q: Can you play as strictly a GM? Alternatively, if you coach most games, do you need a Head Coach as part of your staff?

To the first question: apparently so, and you can even decide whether the coach can use his own strategy or has to stick to yours. But... it doesn't work right in the demo. They say the bugs will be fixed for the real relase.

The the second: I would assume you do.

[Hurst2112]

Concerning All Stars:

Is the skills challenge going to be in the final version? I noticed that it wasn't part of the All Star weekend. Also, I don't think I got an email about the All Star team selections.

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by Johnny93g

I got a message in the news saying Sundin was called up to the east all-star team for a match against the west.....I just clicked on the "east all-star" part to bring up the roster....it was in the news section.....also...it should say Sundin was selected....or named to the team....or he was voted in by the fans......cuz he wasnt called up....

OK, just checked my all-star rosters.

Bad news. I'm also seeing only three defencemen on each team. The player selection seems decent for the forwards, but the defencemen are terrible (Paul Martin, Colin White and Karel Rachunek in the East... total of six goals between them, if you're wondering). The goalies also seem to be mostly backups as well.

Not good... sounds like the all-star code needs a serious review.

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by henry296

The B I belive is for backup. You should also see a S

You are correct. Thanks.

Now the next mystery... what is the "L" button at the top of my lines screen, and why can I click it sometimes? And what does it mean when I click it and it changes color?

[Karim]

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

To the first question: apparently so, and you can even decide whether the coach can use his own strategy or has to stick to yours. But... it doesn't work right in the demo. They say the bugs will be fixed for the real relase.

That will be incredible if it's true and if the AI can do a reasonable job of creating lines and shifting strategy. Although I'll probably take a turn coaching here and there, I don't see myself doing the coaching for 82+ games and would prefer to be GM.

[Simms]

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

You are correct. Thanks.

Now the next mystery... what is the "L" button at the top of my lines screen, and why can I click it sometimes? And what does it mean when I click it and it changes color?

It "Locks" the settings for the active line. What "locking" protects against, I'm not sure (AI changes when not coaching?)

[EagleFan]

The total games don't add up in the standings. I guessed that they were home and away but take the Avalance for example.

It says that they played 82 games but the numbers are:
24 won, 7 draws and 9 losses for what I believe to be home games. 24+7+9 = 40
23 won, 5 draws and 11 losses in what I guess are away games. 23+5+11 = 39
40 home + 39 away = 79 total


My best guess is that over-time losses aren't showing. Adding up the point totals, you get 106 points witht he win/loss/ties that are listed and they are listed as having 109 points. This is 3 more points which is the differential in the games played and accounted for.

[Marc Vaughan]

EagleFan - I think you're probably right .. will try and check tonight at some point (believe it or not I'm on holiday today and tomorrow ... apologies for the delay, normal service will resume after my kids half-term ends on monday ).

[riz]

Just to post a little update on some things discussed in this thread:

-All-star team selections have been fixed after the beta (both the quality of the selections as well as the 3 d-men issue)

-There is no skills competition in this version. I was planning on coding it but on the grand scale of things, it had to be postponed as there were more urgent areas to attend to. Will be coming in the future versions.

-Transfer/trade rumors. Fixed one of the most obvious things with this and trade rumors are now handled with better wording to suit the north american lingo You might still see "transfer" being mentioned when it is a player moving outside of the north american leagues or for example transfering from Europe to NHL. I know some of you'd prefer these to be referred to as "signings" and we'll work on developing a better terminology in the future to suit everyones needs

[Hurst2112]

-There is no skills competition in this version. I was planning on coding it but on the grand scale of things, it had to be postponed as there were more urgent areas to attend to. Will be coming in the future versions.

Thanks for the info. Not a real big loss if you are working on something else to better the game instead.

Rock on!

[Marc Vaughan]

Further to what Riz indicated - the printed league tables etc. have been redone and are working correctly now (ie. missing fields on tables now present etc.) ...

[Maple Leafs]

Not sure I've actually seen it mentioned anywhere... how long does the demo work for? Is it a one-season demo, 30-day trial, what?

[Marc Vaughan]

The demo runs for a full season in game time ... simply put - that should be enough time for you to get a decent feel for the game and decide if you want to get it or not ...

Hope this helps,

Marc

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by Marc Vaughan

The demo runs for a full season in game time ... simply put - that should be enough time for you to get a decent feel for the game and decide if you want to get it or not ...

Draft included?

If so, that should be plenty of time to evaluate the basics.

[Ryan S]

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

Draft included?

Yep, it expires just after the draft

[MizzouRah]

Damn, I need some time to mess with this demo.

Stupid work!


Todd

[Karim]

This has probably been answered already so I apologize but will this game be on the shelves in North America? I don't want to pre-order from overseas if I know I can just pick up locally.

[Marc Vaughan]

Originally Posted by Karim

This has probably been answered already so I apologize but will this game be on the shelves in North America? I don't want to pre-order from overseas if I know I can just pick up locally.

It will be available in America at retail, details of stores used for distribution and a release date will be announced when we have them (please bear in mind it is looking likely that the American release might be a little behind the European one).

[Ragone]

So you think ordering from a euro distributer would get the game to us before a american release in retail?

[Karim]

Ragone stole my question...

[JonInMiddleGA]

Not sure if this has been answered, so I'm just gonna ask (I looked, didn't see it, but could have missed it in a thread this size):

Is there an anticipated release date for a "gold" demo? If so, when?

(Best I can tell, the beta demo contains errors/problems that don't/won't exist in the final version, I think I'd rather wait & demo the real deal instead of the beta.)

Thanks in advance, and sorry in advance if I'm asking a question I should know the answer to.

Jon

[BreizhManu]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Not sure if this has been answered, so I'm just gonna ask (I looked, didn't see it, but could have missed it in a thread this size):

Is there an anticipated release date for a "gold" demo? If so, when?

(Best I can tell, the beta demo contains errors/problems that don't/won't exist in the final version, I think I'd rather wait & demo the real deal instead of the beta.)

Thanks in advance, and sorry in advance if I'm asking a question I should know the answer to.

Jon

the "real" demo is often available 2 weeks before the release of the game so maybe around the 20th of June.