Bad goalie animations = cheap feel in scoring (Videos)

[phillyfan23]

From impressions thread, but here I include videos to illustrate.

Scoring feels worse in nhl 25 because of how the goalie animations move way too fast. Their reflex is too quick and it doesn't make for a satisfying goal. It's not making it harder to score, but it feels cheaper and it makes it feel like you are beating an animation not the ratings of a goaltender.

For example: U have auston matthews shooting high glove right underneath the bar, in real life, the puck whould whizz so fast, that the puck goes ABOVE the glove because the goalie just wasn't quick enough. This is how it was in nhl 23/24.

But in nhl 25, the goalie's glove animation is TOO quick, that he overplays puck, so the puck goes underneath the glove. When the puck passes the goalie, the goalie's glove is ABOVE the cross bar.

Here are some videos I uploaded. These 5 goals were from just 2 games and a period.

1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lbUpZWX83A

2) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zA8Xq_0MW_g

3) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oS6OOUjRMdo

4) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6uzCp3JMvQ

5) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKs7FHOrZOw



If this happens rarely just like real life fine, but it happens way way too much and it's just not believable. practically every game has this goal. One game I scored 2 of these goals, and the cpu also scored 2. I tried putting goalie save reaction 0, 100, editing goalies down by 30 points in each of their high low glove/stick. Still there.

Same thing happens when you shoot blocker side, the blocker is so unrealistically quick, that the puck will go between the blocker and the goalie's body. Just not realistic at all. It's like the goalie is missing frames. I'm playing a game of nhl 24 and the cpu has scored 3 goals BEYOND the reach of goalie limbs, not between limbs like described above. This is a huge deal for me as it completely takes the joy of scoring when these instances happen. BTW I have my shot power slider at 68/100. Tried at 50/100, and problem still there

[phillyfan23]

Now I post 3 videos from only 1 and a half period played on NHL 24 and see the diference.

1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFuMggkKzwI

look at the cpu 5 hole. how it is not completely closed when the shot arrives. The reflexed looks believable and results in a good hockey play. a harder wrist shot from foerster or tippett, could have beaten the goalie 5 hole.

2) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1F40trcwdQ

A slapshot attempt on the rush yields a beautiful looking save. The puck goes BEYOND the glove, but was saved by the lower pad. Again believable reaction times and results in a good hocley play.

3) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4mRF7V7Doo

a high glove shot by the cpu properly handled by goalie ai. no overplaying, no cheap goal.

sorry for the long pause in this video, had to admire my created michkov.

I'm vocal about this because believe this can be fixed via a tuner. I've already sent this to an EA game rep, so hopefully it can be passed along. Last time I tried this was for Madden 22 playcalling in 4th quarter. They actually changed it in a patch a month later. Hopefully this can happen here too.

[phillyfan23]

Double post

[KvltBear]

I don't own the game yet but I've noticed the same thing from the cpu v cpu games I've been watching on youtube. Couldn't really put my finger on it until you explained it but yeah, goalies look drastically worse and completely unsatisfying unlike in 24. They look totally robotic now and I'm really confused why they changed anything. Would be great if they changed it back.

[PernellKarl076]

This thread gives me chills down my spine ! 😮

You know what we went through with our ROBO Goalies back in 23… Ouch !

Now, phillyfan23, since I didn’t play 24, were the goalies without question mark in that edition ? If they were better (animation and in general) why would they have gone backwards in 25 ?

[phillyfan23]

Quote: Originally Posted by KvltBear

I don't own the game yet but I've noticed the same thing from the cpu v cpu games I've been watching on youtube. Couldn't really put my finger on it until you explained it but yeah, goalies look drastically worse and completely unsatisfying unlike in 24. They look totally robotic now and I'm really confused why they changed anything. Would be great if they changed it back.

When I played during trial mode, I felt it was robotic right away. But when getting the gamebafter release and a lot more sample size, the problems showed themselves like the vids I showed.

[phillyfan23]

Quote: Originally Posted by PernellKarl076

This thread gives me chills down my spine ! �� You know what we went through with our ROBO Goalies back in 23… Ouch ! Now, phillyfan23, since I didn’t play 24, were the goalies without question mark in that edition ? If they were better (animation and in general) why would they have gone backwards in 25 ?

The goalies in 23 had fast reaction times but they stopped the puck yielding low scoring games and too high a save percentage. We just reduced 5 rating attributes by 30 points : high/low glove, high/low stick and 5 hole, and it fixed the problem.

Nhl 24 had zero issues and was great at release.

Nhl 25 is hardcoded animations. I reduced the goalie ratings by 50 points this time, and the cpu goalie let in more or less the same amount of goals due to the overplaying the puck animations. Ive been editing sliders and goalie ratings for 25 with zero success. Needs a patch to dial it back to 24.

I think they did this perhaps for online where goals are scored using money plays. These animations could maybe reduce those money plays. I cant comment because i dont play online.

But for me, it is the number one issue for 25. It makes playing a 93 rated goalie morenor less the same as playing an 81 rated goalie. Both use the bad animations.

In 24, the higher rated goalies had quicker reflex animations than lower rated goalies like it should and every thing was still believable. You still score proper goals agaiinst the good goalies but realistic and makes playing shestrkin a much more different experience than when you play a backup scrub.

25 Needs a patch/tuner to dial it back because sadly, ratings/sliders cant fix this right now, unlike 23.

[phillyfan23]

Check the nhl highlights of last night game bw van-cgy....11 goals were scored.mostly clean shot goals.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yb6HS8UEU_g

ALL the clean goals scored, the puck went beyond limbs. High shots went above the glove or blocker stick. Lower shots went beyond pads.

Not one instance of a high glove shot that the goalie overplays due to god like reflexes and the puck goes underneath the glove/blocker or between the body and the blocker which happens every single game Ive played on NHL 25. At least one of those type of cheap goals by me and the cpu. Too many cheap leaky goals.

Nhl 24 goalies and scoring events resemble the highlights I posted.