NHL 14 Trailer and Developer Diary - Enforcer Engine

[gopher_guy]

Fighting is definitely not what they should be focusing on, IMO.

HOWEVER, that said: it looks awesome. The players in that video seem to behave very realistically, and finally other players actually stay on the ice and react to what's happening. I like that fights can (seemingly) happen organically based on something that happens on the ice. Instead of the super lame "Oh, I think I'll start a fight now."

Hopefully they can add a bit of depth to the game with this for us offline players. It would be cool if they could implement this engine in the GM mode, to have players "remember" things that happen in the season.

For example, if I injure a CPU team's player on a check from behind, I'd love it if that team's enforcer would remember that and pick a fight with me the next time we play them. It would just reduce that feeling that playing a season in BeAGM is not just 82 completely separate and isolated games in a row.

[canucksss]

I agree with gopher guy...this new feature is great. Finally after several years EA was able to correct the missing players, both on ice and in bench, during the scrum.

BUT I want to see more improvements namely: PRESENTATION and GAMEPLAY.

If this is the only significant change in 14, still not buying. My worry is that even in OFFLINE BaGM, I might see multiple fights per game.

[jsquigg]

While fighting is improved, it isn't as big a part of hockey as it ever was before. A clean hit in the middle of the ice is way more likely to lead to a scrum. This shouldn't be a back of the box feature, it should have been a subtle improvement. I have no doubt it will be a random, game to game thing that happens too often and in situations where it wouldn't happen in real life. I will gladly be proven wrong.
This is just another reason why I enjoy 09 the best. It isn't more realistic if the realistic elements added aren't implemented right. 90 times out of 100 it's a scrum that happens, not a one on one fight like it used to.

[BigD]

I need this. NOW!

[GlennN]

Looks good! The fighting engine was definitely due for an overhaul.

[giantsharks]

This looks great, but like most of you i hope its not over done. Hopefully there will be some post whistle scrums that dont lead to fights for presentation sake. I wonder and hope if its a planned fight, like were two guys agree to go, if they take their helmets off and on more spontaneous fights they leave them on? All in all it looks pretty awesome, we will see how its executed.

[Dispatch]

This looks great in my opinion. The fighting engine thats in there now is atrocious. Now with this new fighting engine I'll be more inclined to put some points into my fighting in the EASHL mode.

[Tonic]

This looks really cool and I'm really excited about this feature! I remember back in 09 or 10 when they added after the whistle stuff, and seem to have taken it out for the most part (by shortening the time after the whistle). I thought it was a really cool idea but never implemented properly (i.e. players in the NHL don't just pair off and cross check each other back and fourth all the time). Now, it looks like it will be implemented properly! Yay!

I also hope that if there isn't a fighter on the ice to stand up for a teammate and I make a line change, someone coming on the will stand up for him (or at a later time). Excited to see more of this