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

[Fiddy]

Quote: Originally Posted by shogunofharlem3

I'm having a lot of fun with it but then this happens and completely wears me out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For years, been saying to get this removed. Even the stop at blue line and wiggle etc. Just remove that, or whatever triggers that, have the next step to dump the puck in or something. UGH

[jyoung]

Quote: Originally Posted by slickdtc

I'm reaching my breaking point with this game man. It's becoming a chore and a frustration to play. It's a shame because it has incredible moments the majority of the time. And I can take a flaw here and there, sparingly. But every game is starting to show where this game lacks: defensive AI, awful puck control along the boards (think they got too ambitious with physics here), board play in general lacks.

Yes, I stopped playing this game two months ago, mostly due to the dumb AI behavior at all three positions (forward, defense, goalie), limited defensive controls, not enough motion-captured animations in all phases of the game, wacky puck physics, and poor collision detection between every single limb and object on the ice.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs got me to boot up NHL 16 again this week, and already, I am ready to put this game away again for a long time.

The gameplay can still be fun when you have 4 or more human players on your team to limit (or with a team of 6, entirely eliminate) the AI's shenanigans. But 1 vs. 1 or 1 vs. CPU, this game is just unplayable for me when even a player like Shea Weber with 90+ defensive awareness will ignore the "collapsing" defense setting I've turned on and leave a man wide open in front of the net to come double team a skater that's already being smothered.

[shogunofharlem3]

Not only is the AI dumb. They are cheaters. Played a EASHL drop in game on Saturday. Both teams had 6 guys. Was a great game. We were up 3-0 to start the 3rd. Then of course, everyone but one guy on their team quit.

Long story short we ended up losing 6-3 to the AI. We couldn't pick up loose pucks. All of a sudden the passing that was so crisp, it was a great drop in game on my team, couldn't connect a 10 foot pass and the weird thing is every missed pass went right to the AI opponent.

It was absolutely infuriating. There was nothing and I mean NOTHING we could do to stop them in the 3rd.

I'll stick to my Be a GM. Even with its issues I have fun with it.

[slickdtc]

Hah, I didn't play this game for a week since my last post. Decided to pick it back up as I was a few games from completing my first season with the Predators when I left off.

Decided to go back to the base Pro sliders. (I've always played on Pro... don't know how you guys go higher!) Only some tweaks to fatigue sliders.

I've had great, fun, challenging without feeling cheap games since. Think I'm 2-3-0 in that span. I don't know if it's because it's late season, I was in a good mood, hadn't played in a week or what. But the frustrations I had weren't there in these run of games.

The flaws don't just magically disappear, but I think I had messed with my sliders too severely so any flaw was magnified tenfold. Now my goalie might compensate for a misstep leading to my defender getting burned unrealistically. But the goalie isn't so godly that he stops all mistakes I make. I've found a balance.

For now.

I had probably played too much too quickly. I got this game on President's Day, February 15th. Played 76 games of a season when I put it down a week ago, so about 2 months. Not to mention the 10-15 exhibition games I played before jumping in to my BAGM. Burnout? Maybe.

[gigemaggs99]

Quote: Originally Posted by slickdtc

Hah, I didn't play this game for a week since my last post. Decided to pick it back up as I was a few games from completing my first season with the Predators when I left off. Decided to go back to the base Pro sliders. (I've always played on Pro... don't know how you guys go higher!) Only some tweaks to fatigue sliders. I've had great, fun, challenging without feeling cheap games since. Think I'm 2-3-0 in that span. I don't know if it's because it's late season, I was in a good mood, hadn't played in a week or what. But the frustrations I had weren't there in these run of games. The flaws don't just magically disappear, but I think I had messed with my sliders too severely so any flaw was magnified tenfold. Now my goalie might compensate for a misstep leading to my defender getting burned unrealistically. But the goalie isn't so godly that he stops all mistakes I make. I've found a balance. For now. I had probably played too much too quickly. I got this game on President's Day, February 15th. Played 76 games of a season when I put it down a week ago, so about 2 months. Not to mention the 10-15 exhibition games I played before jumping in to my BAGM. Burnout? Maybe.

When you say base pro sliders do you mean the default sliders that shipped w/ the game?

I've been using Altitos sliders http://www.operationsports.com/forum...6-sliders.html

The problem I've been having is, when I play on Pro the game is very good vs the CPU but the defense will not stay in their position, they look like a bunch of little league players all of them will chase the puck-player into the corner and then leave 1-2 players wide open at the net for a 1-timer.

I do everything in my power to control 1 defensive player and constantly fight him to stay in front of the goalie, he wants to keep going towards the puck on his own.

The 2nd issue I have is when I play my son he does 1 move. Again, we're playing on PRO and he will come in diagonal in front of the goalie and shoot as he passes in front of the goalie, the goalie will only move 1/3-1/2 across the crease and then he just stops moving laterally for an easy score for my son. It really really feels like cheese.

I bump it up to Superstar and the goalies don't let a thing in, is there somewhere in the middle? I like that the goalies stop the cheese stuff that they were allowing on Pro but now we can't score on breakaways to save our lives. We will get an occasional one-timer in but they are few and far between.

[bad_philanthropy]

The wiggling and blueline stopping and skirting has to stop. It needs to be easier to dispossess the puck from a player in this scenario.

When an opponent is moving around slowly in a small area it should be easy to just to either poke check them, shove them, or simply establish inside body position on them and dispossess the puck.

Dumping the puck, or chipping it forward, or attempting to find a pass when the way is blocked is essential.

Part of the problem is also that fronting a player is too slippery relative to the lateral movement ability of attacking skaters, and allows getting beat to the inside too likely even with a proper gap.

[Money99]

Quote: Originally Posted by slickdtc

Hah, I didn't play this game for a week since my last post. Decided to pick it back up as I was a few games from completing my first season with the Predators when I left off. Decided to go back to the base Pro sliders. (I've always played on Pro... don't know how you guys go higher!) Only some tweaks to fatigue sliders. I've had great, fun, challenging without feeling cheap games since. Think I'm 2-3-0 in that span. I don't know if it's because it's late season, I was in a good mood, hadn't played in a week or what. But the frustrations I had weren't there in these run of games. The flaws don't just magically disappear, but I think I had messed with my sliders too severely so any flaw was magnified tenfold. Now my goalie might compensate for a misstep leading to my defender getting burned unrealistically. But the goalie isn't so godly that he stops all mistakes I make. I've found a balance. For now. I had probably played too much too quickly. I got this game on President's Day, February 15th. Played 76 games of a season when I put it down a week ago, so about 2 months. Not to mention the 10-15 exhibition games I played before jumping in to my BAGM. Burnout? Maybe.

I feel the exact same way.
I fire up NHL 16 (or NHL 15 on the 360) every few days/weeks and I seem to enjoy it better that way.
The frustrations that had built up from NHL08>>>NHL14 seemed to taint any experience I had with the series.

But after being away from it for so long, I find I can play 1 game every few days or so and really enjoy the experience - warts and all.

I had a game the other day where Jamie Benn absolutely annihilated a water bottle.
I'm not even sure if I won the game or not, but that alone made it worth while.

[slickdtc]

Quote: Originally Posted by gigemaggs99

When you say base pro sliders do you mean the default sliders that shipped w/ the game? I've been using Altitos sliders http://www.operationsports.com/forum...6-sliders.html The problem I've been having is, when I play on Pro the game is very good vs the CPU but the defense will not stay in their position, they look like a bunch of little league players all of them will chase the puck-player into the corner and then leave 1-2 players wide open at the net for a 1-timer. I do everything in my power to control 1 defensive player and constantly fight him to stay in front of the goalie, he wants to keep going towards the puck on his own. The 2nd issue I have is when I play my son he does 1 move. Again, we're playing on PRO and he will come in diagonal in front of the goalie and shoot as he passes in front of the goalie, the goalie will only move 1/3-1/2 across the crease and then he just stops moving laterally for an easy score for my son. It really really feels like cheese. I bump it up to Superstar and the goalies don't let a thing in, is there somewhere in the middle? I like that the goalies stop the cheese stuff that they were allowing on Pro but now we can't score on breakaways to save our lives. We will get an occasional one-timer in but they are few and far between.

Yeah, Pro sliders as they are by default outside of tweaks to fatigue and other, non-difficulty sliders. It was hard not to mess with some, but i wanted the original experience and to try again to tweak from there. Haven't needed to touch them.

For me, the middle difficulty (Pro for NHL 16) is what I play on for all of my sports games. It's the most even setting. When you go up or down, you're giving a boost or bump to the CPU. I've played sports video games my whole life, a good decade and a half to two now, so it's not for lack of experience. I don't play online at all, and I try not to exploit any obvious flaws in the AI. Hell, I had to relearn to use one-timers after cutting them my game in past NHL games due to their over the top success rate.

I should note I also changed the game style to arcade. I wanted to open up the game, and thought maybe there was some hidden adjustments putting it to a more casual setting would bring about. Of course, with the tweaks it's set to custom now.