NHL 16 Available Today For Xbox One & PlayStation 4, Post Your Impressions

[half-fast]

Quote: Originally Posted by bad_philanthropy

These are many of the things I do attempt, and have for many years in the NHL series. Despite these things I feel there are too many pucks getting through well-positioned d-men. The attacking AI has too much fidelity puck on stick versus a defender. There need to be some subtler animations where I can direct a player to the outside and engage them/jostle/jockey. Obviously I shouldn't be able to just step up and nail every attacking player at the blue line, but generally, as I said, too many pucks are getting through defenders in good position, not wildly poke checking, or anything like that.

I totally agree, and one result of what you're talking about is this one tic tac toe play they run every time they come down. I try to play real defence to see it happen, and like clockwork, the cpu do this play every time. My dmen literally drop assignment around my slot and leave position, and EA makes it my job to mad switch between my dmen and get them in the way. This is not how it should be, where you have to correct your ai do ns actions. It's like playing lemmings and having to build a bridge so they don't fall off the cliff. These are supposed to be pro hockey players.

Year by year it seems the nhl team just tweaks the players behaviour so there's a "new play" you have to stop every year. Otherwise the game is a good foundation for the future. We don't need more arenas or player details, graphic overhauls, we need better ai and especially better goalies, and a full year devoted to it.

[bad_philanthropy]

I'm glad someone else feels this way.

I also believe what makes it worse is how terrible the backcheck is—which we've discussed in this thread already.

[bad_philanthropy]

Here's an example of what makes defending difficult. I like the skating, I like how you have to be smart, but often you are not rewarded for good body position and the cpu is able to generate a scoring chance in the middle of the ice.

[adayinthelife]

Quote: Originally Posted by bad_philanthropy

Here's an example of what makes defending difficult. I like the skating, I like how you have to be smart, but often you are not rewarded for good body position and the cpu is able to generate a scoring chance in the middle of the ice.

Great examples. It's almost as if your stick only becomes an actual physical tangible thing when you have the puck, or when you hit the poke check button. Otherwise it's some sort of visual-only item.

[gopher_guy]

Yeah, stick on stick contact would be nice, just to curb things like in that video.

I'm sure they're worried about it becoming a sloppy game for casual players. But maybe realistic stick on stick (or stick on body, etc) contact could be something for hardcore mode.

[bad_philanthropy]

Quote: Originally Posted by gopher_guy

Yeah, stick on stick contact would be nice, just to curb things like in that video. I'm sure they're worried about it becoming a sloppy game for casual players. But maybe realistic stick on stick (or stick on body, etc) contact could be something for hardcore mode.

Yeah, the thing is, since they made skating realistic, and therefore much more difficult to get into a body position to poke check, or obstruct a player, or knock them off the puck, I absolutely need to be able to use my stick to manage space in defending. I can't just have no tools. If skating is going to be more realistic as a defender, stick contact has to be as well.

If I play it right positionally, and if the AI doesn't make a risky pass or deke past me, I should be able to force the cpu to get the puck in deep or take it behind the net.

[The Amaizen Blue]

Quote: Originally Posted by gopher_guy

Is anyone else playing BAP? It may be my imagination, but I feel like there's an issue with icing. I've iced the puck a couple times, and have still been allowed to change.

Yeah, same thing has happened here.

[CeilingPlayer]

Any idea where I can find real team strategies? I saw thread there when NHL 15 released but I can't find it anymore.