Would 1 more patch be possible?

[BlueNGold]

In case Redshirt still roams around here, I was wondering if 1 last patch would be possible before NHL 11 comes out? It's likely too late and I know EA is well underway on 2011 but I figured I would check to see.

Some things I'd like to see patched:

-Be A GM free agent glitch. Already been discussed a ton here but too many great players sit in free agency, basically forever. Most notably Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews in the 1st season. Don't know why this happens but it really ruins Be A GM.

-Forechecking. Not that it should be effective all the time, but to me forechecking is basically non existant. Maybe I'm doing something wrong....I don't know.

-Dump & Chase. The reason I think dump ins are not as effective as they should be is because the CPU D men can pivot and turn to retrieve the puck way too fast. It seems like the CPU has a little hint of a speed advantage on dump ins and too many times you don't even get to lay a hit on them when you dump it.

-Shooting. I honestly would have preferred if they kept the way shots were post patch in NHL 09 in terms of the missed ones. IMO there isn't enough missed shots in 10. Also, the lack of goals on clean wrist shots is another issue. Of course we don't want to be sniping every time down the ice with grinders but I wouldn't mind seeing a bump in these types of goals.

-Interference. Why does this always end up disappearing? I don't know if I'm the only one but when I play I see absolutely clear interference calls that should be made but are not. It's at least 2-3 times a game too.

-Offensive AI for CPU teammates. Someone pointed this out in the "What powerplay strategy do you use?" thread but even when your strategy is set to "crash the net", your CPU teammates will skate away from the net when you shoot and not crash the net. I'm also pretty sure there is an issue with "behind the net" that someone mentioned but I don't know exactly what it is.

-Switching. This is a somewhat small issue but an annoying one nonetheless. It's also probably an issue that will have to wait to be addressed for NHL 11 but I figure I should still point it out. Anyways, I'm tired of pressing R trigger 20 times and only being able to switch between 2-3 players. I don't understand why it can't just be set up where you press the R trigger and it cycles through each player on your team one by one. It's especially annoying when you want to switch to an enforcer on your team post whistle to fight or defend a teammate but it won't let you pick that player.


These are some of the things I feel need to be addressed. I'm sure there's more I'm forgetting or that other people will post.

Don't get me wrong though, I still love this game and have a good time playing it but I wouldn't mind seeing 1 more patch to get this game as close to perfection as possible.

[tcrews]

It was me you were talking about in the other thread, the 'crash the net' strategy. Ironically for some people they claim it's not a problem at all. I'm all about me being the one that's wrong and love to hope that that's the case because it means I can fix it. But I have tried and tried again. I'd say for every 15 to 20 times I take the puck down to the circle (as instructed by the nhl 04 video and an EA friend that I've known forever), I'm able to actually get my guy to crash the net and attack one time, mayyyybe twice, but rarely. On top of that, my third attacker, the one who is supposed to rush the middle, never, ever does. They just skate off. And while I doubt another patch will be let out, though I'm hopeful. I have to agree with every point you made. I make it a point not to pester my friend about certain work related things because if I get in the habit I'll never stop asking him. But this might be one I have to ask.

The forecheck is a huge part of many teams game. The CPU's passing at times is quite superhuman and your CPU teammates, even if the pass is slowly trickling towards the opponent and happens to cross in front of them, instead of taking one step forward and intercepting it, they just skate backwards away from the puck. Which ultimately leads to games, where you have to switch players at a ridiculous pace because a. you don't have control who you switch to, it automatically goes to the guy that the CPU thinks is best for you, which is quite often wrong. And B. the HUM teammates run away from the puck and act as though they're afraid of it. You shoot, they skate backwards, the cpu shoots, all 5 CPU players can be down low banging away at the puck and your guys will stay at their respective positions, guarding the point and high slot while your goaltender is getting beaten with sticks. And yeah, I mean, if the CPU can bang away at rebounds and stick around to actually follow a playset. Why can't our teammates? Clearly the programming is there, the CPU turns so many rebounds into goals, and I love it because it's realistic. But I don't love that I'm mostly unable to do the same thing because my teammates are completely inept.

I'm Sorry if this comes off as a rant. Don't get me wrong I love the game. But these are pretty glaring issues to anyone that's watched even one game of the playoffs this year and sees how big the forecheck is and how many scrums pile up all around the goalie and people are standing there banging away.

[BlueNGold]

Quote: Originally Posted by tcrews

It was me you were talking about in the other thread, the 'crash the net' strategy. Ironically for some people they claim it's not a problem at all. I'm all about me being the one that's wrong and love to hope that that's the case because it means I can fix it. But I have tried and tried again. I'd say for every 15 to 20 times I take the puck down to the circle (as instructed by the nhl 04 video and an EA friend that I've known forever), I'm able to actually get my guy to crash the net and attack one time, mayyyybe twice, but rarely. On top of that, my third attacker, the one who is supposed to rush the middle, never, ever does. They just skate off. And while I doubt another patch will be let out, though I'm hopeful. I have to agree with every point you made. I make it a point not to pester my friend about certain work related things because if I get in the habit I'll never stop asking him. But this might be one I have to ask. The forecheck is a huge part of many teams game. The CPU's passing at times is quite superhuman and your CPU teammates, even if the pass is slowly trickling towards the opponent and happens to cross in front of them, instead of taking one step forward and intercepting it, they just skate backwards away from the puck. Which ultimately leads to games, where you have to switch players at a ridiculous pace because a. you don't have control who you switch to, it automatically goes to the guy that the CPU thinks is best for you, which is quite often wrong. And B. the HUM teammates run away from the puck and act as though they're afraid of it. You shoot, they skate backwards, the cpu shoots, all 5 CPU players can be down low banging away at the puck and your guys will stay at their respective positions, guarding the point and high slot while your goaltender is getting beaten with sticks. And yeah, I mean, if the CPU can bang away at rebounds and stick around to actually follow a playset. Why can't our teammates? Clearly the programming is there, the CPU turns so many rebounds into goals, and I love it because it's realistic. But I don't love that I'm mostly unable to do the same thing because my teammates are completely inept. I'm Sorry if this comes off as a rant. Don't get me wrong I love the game. But these are pretty glaring issues to anyone that's watched even one game of the playoffs this year and sees how big the forecheck is and how many scrums pile up all around the goalie and people are standing there banging away.

Great post. You also reminded me of another issue I have that I'm adding to my 1st post, which is the switching.

It's probably an issue that will have to wait until next year but I'm tired of pressing R trigger 20 times and only being able to switch between 2-3 players. I don't understand why it can't just be set up where you press the R trigger and it cycles through each player on your team one by one.

It's especially annoying when you want to switch to an enforcer on your team post whistle to fight or defend a teammate but it won't let you pick that player.

[kutya]

i agree with the free agent issue.

How about the problem with GM mode if you switch to your AHL team and then can't go back to NHL? I just found out about this bug the hard way as i made the playoffs and made some good trades....all that time wasted for nothing.

I think EA has come a long way , especially with NHL. But how much do they really test if the trade bug and this GM bug are present? I played one season and figured it out. Come on EA, we pay good money for these games.

[Lubey]

I agree with the shooting. I love watching hockey and seeing a guy snipe from the top of the circle. Usually the shot is so fast you can't even see the puck until it's coming back out of the net. This is missing from the game. Like you said, it shouldn't happen every time, but if you're using a guy who can really shoot and you have an open lane you should be able to let one go.

I'm guessing there won't be another patch but hopefully it's something that will be improved in the next game.

[Tikker]

Quote: Originally Posted by Lubey

I agree with the shooting. I love watching hockey and seeing a guy snipe from the top of the circle. Usually the shot is so fast you can't even see the puck until it's coming back out of the net. This is missing from the game. Like you said, it shouldn't happen every time, but if you're using a guy who can really shoot and you have an open lane you should be able to let one go.\

I dunno, maybe people are doing it wrong, but I get probably 50% of my goals on big blasts from top of the circle, or from the point

the switching I do agree with tho. Most times I'd rather grab a back checking forward than the closest defenseman

[Axeshun]

I honestly don't know what everyones crying about when they refer to the lack of "clean shots", I score a ton of clean wrist shots but it usually has to be with one of my Superstars (I assume because they have high shot power).

To increase the chance of clean shots going in, I'd suggest turning up your wrist shot power/accuracy sliders.