NHL 12 News Post

New NHL 12 Hockey Ultimate Team Video

01:15 PM - August 3, 2011 by HawkeyMediaPlus

The new NHL 12 Hockey Ultimate Team (HUT) video has been posted on the GameStopCanada YouTube account. Clement Kwong, a producer working on the game, details some of the changes that will be making their way into HUT for NHL 12.

The two key improvements mentioned in this video are the fact that you can save 20 different HUT lineups, and that you can download a friend's team and use it to earn pucks for that user.

The varying lineups will be a big help when trying to enter tournaments. Certain tourneys have certain requirements, and many of those tournaments really never got touched by many users because it was such a hassle to change an entire squad purely to play a single game (potentially) before being knocked out of the tournament. On a personal level, I just like being able to save different lineups because it staves off boredom. You amass a ton of players in this mode as time progresses, and being able to try more of them out on the ice is a nice perk.

Being able to download another person's roster and earn him or her pucks is certainly a different take on things, but it sounds a little dangerous. I'm not sure I see why people would go out of their way to earn someone else pucks rather than spend that time earning pucks for their own team -- there also seems like there could be some "puck farming" going on here if more than one person can use your team offline at once.

At the end of the video, Kwong mentions that EASHL info is coming next week, and that there is still another "exciting" announcement on the horizon.

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# 1 FBeaule04 @ 08/03/11 03:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HawkeyMediaPlus


	http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iS_FQ...layer_embedded 1. Multiple lineups is cool 2. You can now play your friends team offline 3. EASHL info next week 4. Big announcement shortly after

It took EA 1 year to figure that it was an essential feature for the mode to be succesfull while most of guys in here we're saying it before the game launch last year.

At least, they react, so it's ok. We can start trying to see if this mode can be interesting without having to play idiots who cheat all game long.

# 2 ChaseB @ 08/03/11 03:31 PM

Going to tag this as news, so don't change the original post Hawkey.

# 3 ChaseB @ 08/03/11 03:46 PM

By the way, it sounds like you don't play against another person's team, rather you download that team and earn pucks FOR them. At least that's what he said. Logic would say it would be more like how other games have done it where you DL a person's team and play against it -- EA has it set up this way for the Facebook games.

# 4 HawkeyMediaPlus @ 08/03/11 03:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChaseB


	By the way, it sounds like you don't play against another person's team, rather you download that team and earn pucks FOR them. At least that's what he said. Logic would say it would be more like how other games have done it where you DL a person's team and play against it -- EA has it set up this way for the Facebook games.

For the Facebook games? Does that mean the big announcement has to do with social media? Also I would have preferred to be able to play against my friends team online too.

# 5 ChaseB @ 08/03/11 04:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HawkeyMediaPlus


	For the Facebook games? Does that mean the big announcement has to do with social media? Also I would have preferred to be able to play against my friends team online too.

I'm just saying in the Facebook Superstars games you can play against another person's team even when they are not around.

# 6 jyoung @ 08/03/11 04:49 PM

So you still can't play against your friends' HUT teams in unranked games or something?

Lame if true.

# 7 ChaseB @ 08/03/11 04:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wEEman33


	So you still can't play against your friends' HUT teams in unranked games or something? Lame if true.

Yeah, I don't know, I'm going to shoot out an e-mail.

# 8 ChaseB @ 08/03/11 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wEEman33


	So you still can't play against your friends' HUT teams in unranked games or something? Lame if true.

Errrr, no you can definitely play against your friend's team now -- they already announced that quite some time ago I believe. (Or maybe that was just for Madden?) Again, sending the e-mail now.

# 9 jyoung @ 08/03/11 05:08 PM

Madden 12 Ultimate Team added the "Play a Friend" feature this year.

# 10 ericromain @ 08/03/11 05:44 PM

Nice additions, but a bit underwhelming. I still look forward to playing a lot of this mode online.

# 11 GrandMaster B @ 08/03/11 07:14 PM

One reason I did not like the HUT mode is because the game speed was at a slower pace than other modes and you could not adjust the speed.

# 12 jyoung @ 08/03/11 08:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GrandMaster B


	One reason I did not like the HUT mode is because the game speed was at a slower pace than other modes and you could not adjust the speed.

Actually, this is exact reason why I liked playing HUT.

For once you could win a faceoff back to your defensemen and not worry about having some ridiculously fast winger stick-lift your point man the second his stick touches the puck.

NHL 11's acceleration and agility physics are way off in the normal game. It was much less arcadey in HUT.

But I stopped playing HUT because you couldn't challenge friends, and the tournament modes didn't give you pucks or advance you in the bracket if the other guy quits on you.

# 13 plaidchuck @ 08/03/11 08:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wEEman33


	Actually, this is exact reason why I liked playing HUT. For once you could win a faceoff back to your defensemen and not worry about having some ridiculously fast winger stick-lift your point man the second his stick touches the puck. NHL 11's acceleration and agility physics are way off in the normal game. It was much less arcadey in HUT. But I stopped playing HUT because you couldn't challenge friends, and the tournament modes didn't give you pucks or advance you in the bracket if the other guy quit on you.

Yeah I hear you. All I do now is keep playing the one easy tournament where you get 2000 pucks for winning the tournament, so in the end you get about 3600 pucks in 4 games.. not bad.

# 14 FBeaule04 @ 08/04/11 09:33 AM

Would it be possible to get a number breakdown on how many people play the HUT which was suppose to be the best thing in the world as far NHL Dev team was concern.

You have a BaP mode that was out 3 years ago, and that was spectacular but needed refining. Instead of making something solid, they left it out to dry and work on new modes.

Frankly, I would really like to see a comparison on BaP online (we're you can play with your BaP against friends or other guys BaP, while you play against the non-human control team offline against the CPU.) against the HUT.

I know it's just me, but HUT as been, from the get-go, a gimmy mode without no interest. Maybe I'm too old for liking the "collect cards" experience.

# 15 ChaseB @ 08/04/11 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FBeaule04


	Would it be possible to get a number breakdown on how many people play the HUT which was suppose to be the best thing in the world as far NHL Dev team was concern. You have a BaP mode that was out 3 years ago, and that was spectacular but needed refining. Instead of making something solid, they left it out to dry and work on new modes. Frankly, I would really like to see a comparison on BaP online (we're you can play with your BaP against friends or other guys BaP, while you play against the non-human control team offline against the CPU.) against the HUT. I know it's just me, but HUT as been, from the get-go, a gimmy mode without no interest. Maybe I'm too old for liking the "collect cards" experience.

I play both OTP online (what you're calling BaP) and HUT a tonnnnn.

I was like you in that I didn't think I'd like HUT, but once I got over my stringent policy about being anti-fantasyland, it grew on me.

Both modes are quite popular -- and they did add improvements to BaP this year.

# 16 FBeaule04 @ 08/04/11 11:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChaseB


	I play both OTP online (what you're calling BaP) and HUT a tonnnnn. I was like you in that I didn't think I'd like HUT, but once I got over my stringent policy about being anti-fantasyland, it grew on me. Both modes are quite popular -- and they did add improvements to BaP this year.

OTP isn't BaP Online chase. What I want is a way to play 1 on 1 with friends, lock on the position I picked with my BaP, against friends who picked their position for their BaP and play lock too. In fact, it's an online league, but with the BaP way of doing things (would raise question on the playability for those who are stuck on 3rd line or backup goalie, but I just brainstorm with myself now for this mode).

For BaP, I know, they worked on it and I expect the mode to be more enjoyable than in NHL 11. Just to earn your shifts and to sim when your not on the ice could be pretty cool (will have to see how the sim engine react when you're on the bench).

For the HUT, I tried it, but since it was impossible to play against friends, I never got hook to the mode offline like I was with the BaP for exemple. Maybe another try this year will be more successful for me, will see.

# 17 ChaseB @ 08/04/11 12:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FBeaule04


	OTP isn't BaP Online chase. What I want is a way to play 1 on 1 with friends, lock on the position I picked with my BaP, against friends who picked their position for their BaP and play lock too. In fact, it's an online league, but with the BaP way of doing things (would raise question on the playability for those who are stuck on 3rd line or backup goalie, but I just brainstorm with myself now for this mode). For BaP, I know, they worked on it and I expect the mode to be more enjoyable than in NHL 11. Just to earn your shifts and to sim when your not on the ice could be pretty cool (will have to see how the sim engine react when you're on the bench). For the HUT, I tried it, but since it was impossible to play against friends, I never got hook to the mode offline like I was with the BaP for exemple. Maybe another try this year will be more successful for me, will see.

Oh so a regular game, just 1 on 1 as a single player. Fair enough. I think that might be a tough sell, but it's an interesting idea. I think for it to work you would have to still be heavily involved as the GM off the ice, but just be the one player on the ice who tries to sway the tide in your favor when not in the owner's box. Your effectiveness as a GM would help you build a strong supporting cast to make up for whatever you can't provide.

# 18 tabulaRasa @ 08/04/11 05:38 PM

Me and My friends are diehard hockeyfans, we love hut, Firstly the teambuilding and finding depth players and rookies is great fun if you are interested in actual teams and prospects. Secondly vs mode gameplay settings are awful Compared to hut settings, like others have mentioned. Overall i find more skilled and varied players in hut than in vs mode.

# 19 ChaseB @ 08/04/11 09:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hal Fowler


	I am going to give HUT another try this year. I love the hell out of HUT, in principle. The problem is, by selling packs instead of forcing users to earn packs, it takes a lot of the strategy out of the game. But if playing friends is in, the value of the mode increase significantly. The problem is, I don't want to buy packs, so I am only freeloading. I'd pay a monthly subscription, so that everyone was playing on the same level. But when you have to play guys online that spend $30-$100 a month on packs, it really blows. But I absolutely love how HUT lets you mange a roster and construct teams, though. It's just so well done, and I can spend hours on my team without even playing. But once I hit a spot where I feel like I really need to spend money, I bail.

I found I had more fun when I kept my team at a relatively low rating. It seemed to keep out a lot of the BS players that flooded the mode if your team got into the 90s.

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