NHL 13 Gameplay Video

[RealmK]

Quote: Originally Posted by bwiggy33

It doesn't work in NHL 12. You put it to the max and it doesn't work at all. Unless I'm missing a tuner update or patch. In 11 they finally put it in the game and it worked, as did the slider for it. In 12 it suddenly didn't work. I don't really know how one year it happens and the next it doesn't.

The slider is broken in 12. it worked fine in 11 imo. Heck even in 12 if you pressure the cpu enough and finish checks, they do panic and miss passes just not enough. Really the game is at the point with between the new skating, and such it just needs more tuning so that sliders have more of a drastic effect for the offline sim guys, or the sliders have a higher range of clicks.

Remains to be seen if EA takes the ball and runs with it, or falls a little short. For me personally the new skating engine and AI should be enough to at least make me happy with the game this year. Though I would like to see the passing made less accurate happen.

[Weapon X]

Quote: Originally Posted by bwiggy33

... I don't really know how one year it happens and the next it doesn't.

Because coding new elements into a pre-existing system isn't an exact science. If you add a new element to a system, it can incidentally tweak other elements under the table. Hence why deep and thorough play-testing of every aspect from every angle is ideal, but sadly rarely the reality due to time or budget constraints.

WX

[RealmK]

Quote: Originally Posted by Weapon X

Because coding new elements into a pre-existing system isn't an exact science. If you add a new element to a system, it can incidentally tweak other elements under the table. Hence why deep and thorough play-testing of every aspect from every angle is ideal, but sadly rarely the reality due to time or budget constraints. WX

Exactly. That's really the crux of having a 10 month yearly cycle, you never have enough time to totally test what you're implementing for changes to see their effect on every other system in the game. I honestly think that's part of the reason they spent so much time on AI this year and added so many forecheck/backcheck strats.

I'm guessing here, but I would imagine that kind of thing might be more easier to tune than making sure a change in one the physics engines running the game, somewhere doesn't completely break a slider for example.

Not that it's any excuse to not fix via a patch, the NHL series generally gets 2 patches a cycle, unless it was a code thing that was far too time consuming/resource consuming to fix in a patch.

[waspman3]

Anybody that purchased last years edition knows it can only get better. I'm sold.

[gamerk2]

Quote: Originally Posted by RealmK

Exactly. That's really the crux of having a 10 month yearly cycle, you never have enough time to totally test what you're implementing for changes to see their effect on every other system in the game. I honestly think that's part of the reason they spent so much time on AI this year and added so many forecheck/backcheck strats.

Cosigned. I've worked on massive, legacy systems, and there are times were you do a "minor" change that causes things to break with JUST the right inputs applied. I can say a 10 month cycle isn't nearly enough for making major changes and clamping down bugs.

Ideally, you'd have two teams working in parallel: One working on product support (patches and the like), and one working on the next release. Works better then having to do both at once.

[bwiggy33]

Quote: Originally Posted by Weapon X

Because coding new elements into a pre-existing system isn't an exact science. If you add a new element to a system, it can incidentally tweak other elements under the table. Hence why deep and thorough play-testing of every aspect from every angle is ideal, but sadly rarely the reality due to time or budget constraints. WX

That makes a lot of sense. However, I just don't know how they didn't realize it was broken before they shipped it, or at least didn't attempt to fix it in a patch. I mean hell it was spoken by so many people that A. every pass was being caught no matter the speed or direction and B. That the slider for it wasn't working. You would have thought that through all of the patches and tuners they put out that they would have got it fixed. Maybe I'm wrong on that, but to me I just see it as laziness. They had to have some idea at how to fix it.

I could be completely wrong on all of this but that's how many of us feel. I can live with them just coming out and saying "everyone we know that pass reception is an issue, but we cannot come up with the solution to add it in a patch or tuner. It will be fixed for 13" It's simple and it will get people like myself to shut up because we know nothing can be done. The thing is they have no communication with us at all.

A prime example of what I'm talking about is The Show (yes I'm bringing it up again). There was some glitch happening online and people were livid that it wasn't fixed in the first patch. The Show dev person came out and said "I know people are having this problem but we have not been able to make the glitch occur therefore we cannot find the error in coding. If people could tell us the situation it occurs that will help with finding the problem." All it took was a simple statement and it got people to shut up about the problem and help The Show dev team find the reason why the problem was happening.

Maybe they don't have time to do this stuff but you would think that at least the person who releases the patch notes could update on issues that have yet to be addressed or why they can't be addressed. I just hate when things get hidden from me. I'd rather hear the bad news than be left wondering why something wasn't fixed and why it can't be fixed.

[plaidchuck]

Well if they can only release half a completed game a year how about for half the price... but honestly they should only put one out every two years.. update rosters and ratings, a few patches and some tuners would suffice..

[RealmK]

Quote: Originally Posted by plaidchuck

Well if they can only release half a completed game a year how about for half the price... but honestly they should only put one out every two years.. update rosters and ratings, a few patches and some tuners would suffice..

So one slider being broken consists of a half completed game now? Seriously plaid, just don't buy 13. You and harshy can start a boycott EA club or something.