Hockey Universe 2016

[LaStarza61]

I was just curious if anyone has purchased and played Hockey Universe 2016? It can be found here:

Hockey Universe - Your Icehockey Manager

(There's a demo available.)

I've already purchased it and think it's great... but was curious what others here think about it (I respect the opinions of members of this forum quite a bit). The interface kind of makes it look like a simple game... but I've found that it's one of those games that is "easy to learn, but hard to master." There is an amazing amount of stuff going on under the hood in this game... many, many decisions that can effect player and team performance in a positive or negative way. What is your philosophy as to pairing up players to room together on road trips? That is just one example of a decision that can affect a player's attitude and, in turn, affect his performance on the ice and potentially even his willingness to want to negotiate with you in the future. I hesitated to just give one example, because there are SO MANY more... yet it never seems like there's too much micromanaging... It's just fun. You can also try to influence a player's attitude by talking to them one on one. The games themselves are semi-quick played, but yield very realistic results... and there is an element of drama in the 3rd period of close games. A lot of customization available too. There's just too much to keep going on here! Give the demo a try. And like I said, it's not terribly impressive looking at first... so give it a chance.

Almost forgot to mention: There's a self-installing mod set available in the forum that gives you real-life logos and player pics and game sound... and updated rosters!

Highly recommended!

[SlyBelle1]

Wasn't a big fan of the prior game which I believe was called GM Hockey or something like that....I remember it having potential, but just seemed to fall short and seemed quirky. Plus if I remember correctly, the developer provided off an on support which made it concerning as to how long the game would be around and I don't think it had much fan support in forums and such.

I haven't tried the latest version so not sure how much has changed, but the pictures look similar to the past. If I am going to play a franchise hockey game, it will either be Franchise Hockey (from OOTP) or Eastside Hockey

[jbergey22]

I bought it but the website keeps getting moved around so i can never find updates. The game itself is fun if you can get in the mood in a non serious way. Not a real deep game but it has a fun little element where you can draft fantasy teams and do a lot of things without having to put a lot of time into it.

[SlyBelle1]

The funny part is I attempted to hit the "buy" button just to see the cost and instead it takes me to the forum, versus any kind of purchase page...must be hidden

[LaStarza61]

Originally Posted by SlyBelle1

The funny part is I attempted to hit the "buy" button just to see the cost and instead it takes me to the forum, versus any kind of purchase page...must be hidden

I agree that it's odd that the "buy now" button takes you back to the forum. Not sure why they did that. But if you click on the "Bionic Salmon" link at the top of the page I linked you to in my initial post in this thread and then click on "Game Info", you can see the prices of their various games. (Hockey Universe 2016 is $25.00 by the way).

You can also get prices and purchase the game thru a button on the main menu page after you open the game.

I'm going to see what I can do with the brand new 2000-01 Columbus Blue Jackets... I can already tell it's gonna be quite a challenge! But having a blast getting my team ready to kick off the season!

[LaStarza61]

Originally Posted by jbergey22

I bought it but the website keeps getting moved around so i can never find updates. The game itself is fun if you can get in the mood in a non serious way. Not a real deep game but it has a fun little element where you can draft fantasy teams and do a lot of things without having to put a lot of time into it.

Obviously you're entitled to your opinion, but I disagree with your statement that it's not a real deep game. It's an incredibly deep game! It just doesn't "look" like a real deep game. I think it would be a very popular game if it retained all the features it has now, but looked like Eastside Hockey Manager. Really the only thing it lacks is a detailed match engine... But it has a lot of features that Eastside Hockey Manager doesn't have at all.

[SlyBelle1]

Maybe I'll try the demo again, but just not sure I would play this much over the competition based on what I remembered....but thanks for the price and such.

[LaStarza61]

Originally Posted by SlyBelle1

Maybe I'll try the demo again, but just not sure I would play this much over the competition based on what I remembered....but thanks for the price and such.

No problem! And I'm really not trying to sell anyone on it. It's just that I have kind of rediscovered it and appreciate it enough that I wanted to share it with all you guys here!

[SlyBelle1]

Originally Posted by LaStarza61

No problem! And I'm really not trying to sell anyone on it. It's just that I have kind of rediscovered it and appreciate it enough that I wanted to share it with all you guys here!

That's appreciated...I'll give the demo a try and post back my comments to see if any different then the last version.

[SlyBelle1]

Downloaded the demo and seems to be the same game I remembered from the past...just not my cup of tea....plus, not much of a community for support. Glad your enjoying it and having fun with it.

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by LaStarza61

Obviously you're entitled to your opinion, but I disagree with your statement that it's not a real deep game. It's an incredibly deep game! It just doesn't "look" like a real deep game. I think it would be a very popular game if it retained all the features it has now, but looked like Eastside Hockey Manager. Really the only thing it lacks is a detailed match engine... But it has a lot of features that Eastside Hockey Manager doesn't have at all.

I suppose maybe I didnt exactly say it how I meant. It is deep as in features but I dont know that the tactical/in game strategy side of things is very deep. I am comparing it to some very deep tactical games however like Football Manager, OOTPBB, FOF, DDPB, FBCBB. Them are more team building oriented games IMO. Sure I dont know as much about hockey but I cant just look at a bunch of attributes in this game and think well that player would be a nice fit for my team. The biggest thing as far as tactical edge on this game is making sure your lines speak the same language. I am not saying I didnt enjoy the game because I did just saying as far as tactics I am used to more.

[bhlloy]

Yeah, seems interesting but the player attributes are awfully shallow (I didn't see one that pertains to defense, although I guess "control" might be it?) and I genuinely have no idea how my players affect the game on the ice. Scouting reports seem to suggest that the vast majority of the guys on my roster are the same player. Plus I got a CTD just before playing my first regular season game, I doubt I'll dive back in at this point - some interesting ideas but light years behind EHM (and I don't think EHM is that great of a game right now since the re-release)