NHL 14: Keys to Best Last Year's Effort

[geisterhome]

NHL 13 pretty much sucked so it won't be hard to best it. It will be impossible to make a good game out of the mess NHL 13 is.

[TDKing]

Custom season length for GM mode online and offline 20/42/82 PLEASE... Also the abiltity to set up a 7 game series online against a friend. Hey maybe even some type of online tournement mode.

[hydroshubong]

Quote: Originally Posted by bwiggy33

Fully but respectfully disagree. For me I really don't have fun with any game mode. If I play against a friend it's still the same issues that plague the game (Goalies, teammate AI, hitting physics). As I said to me it's a bad game with good parts to it. I used to think it was a great game, but I no longer do. Maybe it's a little harsh but if I don't enjoy the game then I don't really have any reason to say it's good. It's just my opinion. This game is great for someone who enjoys North South no offsides hockey. It's perfect for people who want a quick game against a friend or online, but to me I don't want to play that way offline, or in any other mode. Also as for saying they get shi* on, that's a little harsh. We are bringing up issues that have plagued this game since 07. They've made some really good improvements but overall the game plays very similar to earlier versions. I'd be completely o.k. with this, if there weren't areas of the game that need big improvements. The game had a solid foundation in 07, but they just haven't done enough to build upon it IMO. When they leave the same things unattended to each year, it just shows to me that they really don't care. I'm glad you like the game, but you can't hate people for bringing up areas of the game they don't like. Every game has it's flaws and the only way to make them better is to bring them up. Also you are 100% correct that NHL 94 was a fun game but not realistic. Expectations have changed since then though. With the technology they have we expect a lot.

I agree!
I don't know why, they know that there's a lot of problems , but they don't want to fix it! A lot of the issues are in the game since nhl 09! That's what they look like , when we find a problem

[06woz]

EA's NHL series has been the same thing every single year.

Woefully inadequate AI that is compensated for by robot-like goaltending in which Scott Clemmensen will play like a prime Hasek. The reason that EA hasn't added realistic goaltending: Every game would have 10+ goals scored because the tactical system play is non existant.

I also am not a fan of the oversights they have made to obvious hockey play.
-You cannot move your feet and hands at the same time. How is this still in the game?
-A standing still player looks unrealistic because they are standing still! Odd concept right?(sarcasm) Look at NBA's 2k series, at any given time every player on the court is doing SOMETHING. A player standing still with the ball isn't locked into one frame as players are in NHL.

[KeyserSoze15]

NHL 13 is a good game that needs some polishing arond the edges. Next year they need to bring a few things back and get rid of a few things.

1.I would say 85% of people play EASHL. So put some effort into it EA. Bring back ability to choose what division to play in. If my club is wants tough competition I should choose Elite.If I am a casual player let me be in pro or Amateur Division. Rename the Divisions Elite becomes NHL ,Pro be called AHL, Amateur be CHL. .
2. Stop catering to NOOBS . If I am Legend with 500 games played 1800 points along with the rest of my teamates ranked in Elite playing a amateur team with leading scorer having 200 games played and 150 points dont give them a Patrick Roy in net and my CPU a Ray Charles in net.
3. Not every EASHL team has 6 guys so stop giving bad teams awesome CPU D and Goalies. Go back two years ago if you were the better team you would dominate them 10-1 not put your skill ranking and team skill ranking a factor in CPU.
4. Allow better Custom Jersey Designing like NCAA Footbal has allow me to create my own logo. Have a Moderating or report thing like Call of Duty. Same logos for 3 years now shows lack of effort EA.
5. Better Physics hopefully I can be a 6'0" 200lb Playmaker skating full speed into a guy who is standing still and he doesn't budge. But I can stand still with a 6'0 200 Defenseman and Check a guy no problem. Physics busted still.
6. Make the game more SIM based. My club can set up play after play with 12 minutes of attack to oppsing teams 4 minutes attack with no offensive zone set up and throw crap on net but they score and be out shot 35 to 12 but there goalie stops everything from breakaways and Cross Creases. They shoot a weak wrister from point no screen and it goes in. Get a Momentum System in place.
7. Goalies stopping one timers on cross creases needs to be tuned way down . In the NHL a cross crease goes in probably 90% of the time. How to stop it if your opposing team its called play defense break the pass up.
8. Too many garbage goals.

[kerosene31]

I think the problem with the AI is that the new skating engine "broke" the CPU AI.

AI has never been a strong thing with the game, but this year the skating engine just ruined the offline game. The CPU can never take speed and momentum into account. They just keep getting beat by faster skaters over and over. We humans adjusted to it no problem, but the CPU never does.

To compensate, they cranked up the CPU cheese even worse than before.

[bwiggy33]

Quote: Originally Posted by kerosene31

I think the problem with the AI is that the new skating engine "broke" the CPU AI. AI has never been a strong thing with the game, but this year the skating engine just ruined the offline game. The CPU can never take speed and momentum into account. They just keep getting beat by faster skaters over and over. We humans adjusted to it no problem, but the CPU never does. To compensate, they cranked up the CPU cheese even worse than before.

That's a very valid point. I think the new skating was a great idea and it looks extremely real for the most part. However, as you said it broke the game as far as AI offline. In no way did I expect the new skating engine to be perfect for 13. That would have been completely unrealistic. A feature like this takes multiple years to completely perfect, if that's even possible. Hell look at the hitting physics they added three years ago. It's still nowhere near being great. What I did think though, was that it would be implemented well enough so that vital parts of the hockey would not be affected.

One of my biggest fears was having too many breakaways from d men not being able to transition from forwards to backwards fast enough. That proved true. I tried so many different skating sliders and it just always seemed I was getting anywhere from 3-7 breakaways per game. If I was in my defensive zone and I got a turnover at the hash marks of either faceoff circle, there was no doubt I could skate all the way down the boards and once I got to the far blue line, I could cut to the middle for a breakaway. It was all due to that "stuck in mud" feeling that defensmen got transitioning from forwards to backwards. The d men just don't anticipate a turnover and in turn are unable to transition quickly enough to play a 1 on 1 with the forward. Quite frankly though, I don't know how they could program something like anticipation in the game. It definitely cannot be easy. The thing is though, it's one of those areas you have to account for adding a new skating engine to the game. For me this is one big area that has turned me away from the game.

[kerosene31]

Quote: Originally Posted by bwiggy33

One of my biggest fears was having too many breakaways from d men not being able to transition from forwards to backwards fast enough. That proved true. I tried so many different skating sliders and it just always seemed I was getting anywhere from 3-7 breakaways per game. If I was in my defensive zone and I got a turnover at the hash marks of either faceoff circle, there was no doubt I could skate all the way down the boards and once I got to the far blue line, I could cut to the middle for a breakaway. It was all due to that "stuck in mud" feeling that defensmen got transitioning from forwards to backwards. The d men just don't anticipate a turnover and in turn are unable to transition quickly enough to play a 1 on 1 with the forward. Quite frankly though, I don't know how they could program something like anticipation in the game. It definitely cannot be easy. The thing is though, it's one of those areas you have to account for adding a new skating engine to the game. For me this is one big area that has turned me away from the game.

Yes, I never had breakaways in NHL12 unless I got lucky hitting a guy out of the penalty box. In 13, I get them all the time.

It isn't going to be easy for them to fix. They have to take into account the skating abilities of all the players on the ice, game situation, etc. I play D all the time in the game, so it is easy for me, but I don't know how a computer program is going to understand it. They never needed to make decisions quickly, as they used to just turn on a dime. Now they have to read the play and react before things go bad.