NHL 12 News Post

Exclusive NHL 12 Producer Blog: Signature Traits

03:08 PM - July 13, 2011 by ChaseB

Operation Sports is happy to bring you an exclusive look at the "signature traits" being included in NHL 12. EA Canada developer Novell Thomas will be detailing this new gameplay addition and how it should change the way folks play NHL 12.

Quote:


	Hey, my name is Novell Thomas and I�m a producer on NHL 12. As mentioned in an earlier blog by Sean Ramjagsingh called Gameplay Enhancements, NHL 12 has over 300 gameplay refinements and many other great additions as well. One of those additions, which I�m going to go into detail about, is Signature Traits.

Be sure to check out the four new screenshots in high resolution in our screenshots section. Finally, the end of this blog also contains the first details about the NHL 12 demo.

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Member Comments

# 21 speels @ 07/13/11 08:39 PM

The best part is players can have multiple traits! A non-physical set-up man will be money!!!

# 22 MizzouRah @ 07/13/11 11:37 PM

Sounds great, but the proof is in the pudding.. so to speak.

Will be looking forward to reading impressions though!

# 23 BlueNGold @ 07/13/11 11:47 PM

So can the Community Day guys give their impressions of this now that EA has revealed it?

# 24 BaylorBearBryant @ 07/14/11 12:00 AM

Playoff Crumbler - Henrik Sedin, Daniel Sedin, everyone on the Caps

# 25 Gagnon39 @ 07/14/11 03:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beal99


	why does the Duncan Keith shot say "chicago stadium" on the ice? Did EA lose the rights to put "United Center?"

I don't know and that's what I'm worried about. I made a post about this. As far as the signature traits, it sounds very good. I just hope rookies develop faster in Be A GM mode.

# 26 ComaFaction @ 07/14/11 07:26 AM

Minor gripe, but isn't it about time Timmy's mask style was included in the game? I mean, he's won two Vezina's in 3 years now...let's give him his virtual due.

# 27 Qb @ 07/14/11 11:07 AM

This makes Qb happy, even if it wasn't much of a surprise to me. I hope we can edit them.

# 28 SGMRock @ 07/14/11 11:44 AM

I always thought the Sniper, Playmaker, Defensive Dman, Offensive Dman and so on all had to do more with out their experiance points are divided up and where they get a discount so to speak on upgrading or where they progress more at the end of the season. I don't think EA ever really make those be how the players would act so much as were they would progress better.

So with that being said these should be an addition to those I would think, though they don't really say in this blog.

# 29 Fiddy @ 07/14/11 11:57 AM

no love to defense at all.. sigh!!

but this stuff is a very welcome addition to the game..

# 30 Scarbro73 @ 07/14/11 02:27 PM

This is super cool! Now let's concentrate on player attributes so that the fastest skaters actually look fast, hardest shots are the hardest and the best dekers are the best. Let's widen the skill gap between the players so they don't all feel the same!

# 31 cup4blues @ 07/14/11 07:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fiddy


	no love to defense at all.. sigh!! but this stuff is a very welcome addition to the game..

[sarcasm]No you can either have your defense skate up on the rush and get caught coming back or you can have your defense pinch all the time and keep giving up breakaways! Best defense is offensive defense![/sarcasm]

# 32 Vikes1 @ 07/14/11 09:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scarbro73


	This is super cool! Now let's concentrate on player attributes so that the fastest skaters actually look fast, hardest shots are the hardest and the best dekers are the best. Let's widen the skill gap between the players so they don't all feel the same!

Yep. Hopefully the "Player traits" will help to do a better job on the separation and differences between players.

Maybe others have noticed this too....in my GM modes, many times I've given up a first goal of the season to a forth line enforcer type, by having him deke me out like a superstar. Which leads to the game comments of...."He took his hands out of the ice buckets!" I know I'm really not very good at the game...but man, I've had that happen a bit too much.

# 33 tabulaRasa @ 07/15/11 09:44 AM

is excessive poke spamming a trait? If so, �t would be the most comman trait online. That and offensive stick down and throwing yourself on the ice like a pathetic fool.

# 34 tabulaRasa @ 07/15/11 09:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BaylorBearBryant


	Playoff Crumbler - Henrik Sedin, Daniel Sedin, everyone on the Caps

Colin the Clown and his minions in the zebrasuits gave boston the cup.

# 35 FBeaule04 @ 07/15/11 11:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rogie Vachon


	LOL...yes,just like in real life,......"pylon" and "turnover machine"

I mean, let's be honest and not nitpicking on EA two seconds. They are able to make a difference between Max Lapierre, Tom Pyatt or Mathieu Darche in comparison with Crosby, Stamkos or Getzlaf. That a good job right there so players feel different.

What I can't understand is the fact that you have "rushing D" and another type of D. That means that guys like Boyle, Campbell or Markov will react exactly the same as guys like Green, Doughty or Keith. People who watch hockey enough knows that Mike Green can't play in his zone to save is life while Andrei Markov is pretty solid. Both are solid puck movers and chance takers, but the comparison stops there!

In the same way, guys like Chris Pronger will play the same as Johnny Boychuk or Matt Carkner? Because I mean, these are 3 stay back D, but I guess there's a difference between the 3 of them.

I'll have to see, but like I said, since NHL 11 is a dangle-fest, McDonald's Caravan Tour hockey game, there's no surprise to me that again, we will see D-man get dangles out of their skates by players who wouldn't even dangle their mother to get their pop-tarts out of the toaster!

# 36 Fiddy @ 07/15/11 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tabulaRasa


	is excessive poke spamming a trait? If so, �t would be the most comman trait online. That and offensive stick down and throwing yourself on the ice like a pathetic fool.

yup, this stuff needs addressed some how.. they want the user with full control, but yet when you load up and play you see idiots like that playing..

# 37 speels @ 07/15/11 12:07 PM

People seem really worried about this, but I have not read anywhere that they are taking the player types out of the game. All I have read is that they are going to have traits. So maybe, before everybody complains about there only being 2 defense traits, we should get that answered. With the player types, you could have a defensive defensemen that jumps into the play when he sees the time is right, or and offensive defenseman that will be brutal in his own end (Mike Green) but act like a forward on the PP.

Until I here that the player types are out, I'm going to look at it like now we have snipers or playmakers, or grinders, that can have different traits and this opens a whole lot more options for player separation. For example, maybe Pavel Datsyuk can be a 2-way forward that is really an offensive juggernaut, and maybe now we could have someone like a Chris Simon who was a tough guy, but could snipe 20 goals. I see the limits as endless right now, at least until we find out if the replaced player types with traits!! That's just my 2 cents.

# 38 plaidchuck @ 07/15/11 12:26 PM

On the D side of things the "rush" trait could be nice to make the heavily o-minded AI D jump into the rush, which has never happened before in the game. But I agree for D they really need to find a way to differentiate between the two way type players vs. the stay at home ones, and also the "stick artists" and great positional players like Lidstrom.

I also find it odd they have a "pinching D" trait... I don't think this is really exclusive to one type of player, I mean every D will pinch if they feel they have an opportunity to continue a cycle..

# 39 Al_Tito13 @ 07/15/11 12:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by speels


	People seem really worried about this, but I have not read anywhere that they are taking the player types out of the game. All I have read is that they are going to have traits. So maybe, before everybody complains about there only being 2 defense traits, we should get that answered. With the player types, you could have a defensive defensemen that jumps into the play when he sees the time is right, or and offensive defenseman that will be brutal in his own end (Mike Green) but act like a forward on the PP.

The problem is that I've personally never seen any differenciation between a player's type and another.

# 40 ChaseB @ 07/15/11 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SGMRock


	I always thought the Sniper, Playmaker, Defensive Dman, Offensive Dman and so on all had to do more with out their experiance points are divided up and where they get a discount so to speak on upgrading or where they progress more at the end of the season. I don't think EA ever really make those be how the players would act so much as were they would progress better. So with that being said these should be an addition to those I would think, though they don't really say in this blog.

The player types certainly have a lot to do with ratings in OTP. Beyond that, I didn't get the impression the old player types are being removed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ComaFaction


	Minor gripe, but isn't it about time Timmy's mask style was included in the game? I mean, he's won two Vezina's in 3 years now...let's give him his virtual due.

Boston sucks, but I agree.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Money99


	Chase, I know that you played mostly human-vs-human, but even then, did you notice your opponents strengths and weaknesses when controlling different player types and sizes?

You definitely notice size and speed. As for the traits, you notice it more with "elite" players from the start obviously because you know those guys better, but I also did not know about the "traits" at the time of playing the game so it was harder for me to really look for certain things.

Quote:

Originally Posted by therussian92


	I like this addition. I think this was a perfect time to begin introducing these traits, especially since Madden is re-introducing player traits to their game. I just hope this doesn't replace the traditional player roles such as Playmaker, Sniper, etc. While I could probably tell you every NHL player's tendency in NHL game terms by now, it's nice to have in there when it comes to younger players and prospects.

Again, I don't believe the sniper thing and all that are being chucked.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FBeaule04


	What I can't understand is the fact that you have "rushing D" and another type of D. That means that guys like Boyle, Campbell or Markov will react exactly the same as guys like Green, Doughty or Keith. People who watch hockey enough knows that Mike Green can't play in his zone to save is life while Andrei Markov is pretty solid. Both are solid puck movers and chance takers, but the comparison stops there! In the same way, guys like Chris Pronger will play the same as Johnny Boychuk or Matt Carkner? Because I mean, these are 3 stay back D, but I guess there's a difference between the 3 of them.

Yeah, this is why I don't think OFD and TWD are being removed. I also think ratings will matter more, which obviously opens up the gap.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tabulaRasa


	is excessive poke spamming a trait? If so, �t would be the most comman trait online. That and offensive stick down and throwing yourself on the ice like a pathetic fool.

Ha, I hope this year if you go down on the ice you can slide back into your own net and take out your goalie -- that would be magical. On a serious note, I think since it's easier to tie guys up in front now, it will hopefully naturally remove some folks' need to dive in front of the net. It's also easier to stick lift from the front this year, so maybe that will help folks to do more than just poke like crazies.

Quote:

Originally Posted by plaidchuck


	On the D side of things the "rush" trait could be nice to make the heavily o-minded AI D jump into the rush, which has never happened before in the game. But I agree for D they really need to find a way to differentiate between the two way type players vs. the stay at home ones, and also the "stick artists" and great positional players like Lidstrom.

Agreed. Hopefully this is just the first step.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Al_Tito13


	The problem is that I've personally never seen any differenciation between a player's type and another.

Also agreed for the most part. It becomes especially prevalent online where the only differentiation you see is that if you get mauled on every check it probably means he's a tough guy and not a sniper -- and even that can't just be assumed.

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