NHL 14 News Post

More Details on the NHL 14 Enforcer Engine

12:05 AM - April 22, 2013 by whoisdo

EA Sports has revealed some more details on the NHL 14 Enforcer Engine.

All-new Third Person Presentation: Say goodbye to the first person fighting system that was introduced in NHL 10. The Enforcer Engine brings an all-new authentic third person experience that will never break you away from the on-ice action.
Post-Fight Celebrations: Fights are intense. Winning a fight is electrifying. You will celebrate the thrill of winning a fight by engaging the crowd or taunting your opponent.
Everyone is Live: No more first person fighting mini-game where everyone leaves the ice. Players on the ice will interact with each other, pairing off and jostling. The ref will also be a part of the action.
Real Fight Damage: Theblack eyes, bruising and lumps you take in a fight will last throughout the game. NHL hockey can be a battle. Now you�ll have the scars to prove it.

Source - EA SPORTS details fighting changes in 'NHL 14' (GoodGameBro)

Game: NHL 14Reader Score: 7/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS3 / Xbox 360Votes for game: 6 - View All

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Member Comments

# 1 Storm12 @ 04/22/13 12:17 AM

It will be put into otp, although nobody really fights in otp (They are all pest who can't fight ala sean avery). No need to worry about it not being put into otp.

# 2 JezFranco @ 04/22/13 08:39 AM

I wouldn't mind if fighting turned from zero fun, to even remotely entertaining.
Fighting is a way to change the pace of the game, and give your team a slight edge on some occasions... so while I'm not screaming of joy for an overhauld fighting mechanic, every change is for the better.

# 3 whoisdo @ 04/22/13 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JezFranco


	I wouldn't mind if fighting turned from zero fun, to even remotely entertaining. Fighting is a way to change the pace of the game, and give your team a slight edge on some occasions... so while I'm not screaming of joy for an overhauld fighting mechanic, every change is for the better.

I find myself only getting into fights when I accidentally hit the goalie after the play stops, or if I try and poke the puck out & it triggers a fight with the goalie (someone else jumps in, usually).

Fighting works decently well for my club, as we'll find the best player on the opposing team and try to take him/her out if they're getting too many scoring chances. They typically don't take the bait at first, but if you provoke them enough... they do. I'll gladly sacrifice a defender for 5 minutes when we can take out someone with the ability to score 2+ goals a game.

I'm not a big fan of the FP fighting now, so I'm glad to see the changes.

# 4 Rhouston @ 04/22/13 12:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Segagendude


	Big deal. If I wanted that, I'd buy Fight Night. After I see it once just to see, I'll probably turn fighting off anyway. This is almost as bad a "new feature" as breaking glass.. Call me uninspired thus far.

I feel like a lot of people might feel this way because of how crappy fights in the NHL series have been. So as most people skip or turn off fighting in the recent editions, there's that temptation to do the same with NHL 14.

However to compare a brand new fighting engine to being able to break glass is like comparing apples to staples -- eating one is good for you; the other, not so much...

Fighting is a large part of the hockey experience (there's a reason why it's tolerated in this sport and not in others...) and can get a team and an entire arena that little extra "umph", whereas the broken glass is just there for "realism" sake (although it doesn't happen too often in the real game), and ultimately slows the game down.

If EA does this right and allows fighting to impact a team's performance (as well as having the CPU induce a fight now and then), then I think this could be pretty cool.

# 5 THESHAMISASHAME @ 04/22/13 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rhouston


	I feel like a lot of people might feel this way because of how crappy fights in the NHL series have been. So as most people skip or turn off fighting in the recent editions, there's that temptation to do the same with NHL 14. However to compare a brand new fighting engine to being able to break glass is like comparing apples to staples -- eating one is good for you; the other, not so much... Fighting is a large part of the hockey experience (there's a reason why it's tolerated in this sport and not in others...) and can get a team and an entire arena that little extra "umph", whereas the broken glass is just there for "realism" sake (although it doesn't happen too often in the real game), and ultimately slows the game down. If EA does this right and allows fighting to impact a team's performance (as well as having the CPU induce a fight now and then), then I think this could be pretty cool.

Exactly and I hope it isnt over blown in determining gameplay kind of like how scea uses pitcher confidence .

# 6 ps3veron @ 04/22/13 02:18 PM

Love the Real Fight Damage option. Really thought that once I bruised another player, he would re-appear like he just had a nose job!

# 7 porky14 @ 04/22/13 09:48 PM

Probably fighting wil be banned in the real "NHL next year"

# 8 PensDynasty87 @ 04/22/13 10:38 PM

I don't see them banning fighting in the NHL next year. It's part of the sport as mentioned before. I can energize a team and or the crowd to get into the game. The only thing I think they should change about fighting is if one guy takes his helmet off the other should too. If u got the balls to fight then take the helmet off. Yeah it's already a rule if u have a visor u gotta take it off so what's the difference. Yeah some will say it will give more of a chance to hit ur head off the ice but ull see more broken hands with the helmet on than u will see heads split open with them off.

# 9 bwiggy33 @ 04/22/13 11:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rhouston


	I feel like a lot of people might feel this way because of how crappy fights in the NHL series have been. So as most people skip or turn off fighting in the recent editions, there's that temptation to do the same with NHL 14. However to compare a brand new fighting engine to being able to break glass is like comparing apples to staples -- eating one is good for you; the other, not so much... Fighting is a large part of the hockey experience (there's a reason why it's tolerated in this sport and not in others...) and can get a team and an entire arena that little extra "umph", whereas the broken glass is just there for "realism" sake (although it doesn't happen too often in the real game), and ultimately slows the game down. If EA does this right and allows fighting to impact a team's performance (as well as having the CPU induce a fight now and then), then I think this could be pretty cool.

Completely understand where you're coming from, however I still hate the move. This game just has too many other gameplay related issues that should be fixed before introducing a new fighting system. Fights take 30 seconds or so of a 60 minute hockey game. To focus on that when other issues are prevalent, is the worst possible thing that could happen for people looking for a better hockey experience.

Also, fighting basically only happens at the beginning and middle of a season. At the end of the year and playoffs, fights don't happen very often. It's all scrums after the whistle. They could have just as easily added more scrums after whistles and kept the fighting system and it would be just as fine. I will 100% guarantee that fighting will do nothing but more than fill up the lines energy meter. There won't be any momentum swings or anything like that. This is EA just implementing a new system to draw even more casual non sim fans in. To me it just seems like a waste of a gameplay item

# 10 13whitebread @ 04/23/13 04:51 AM

Will the announcers describe the action of the fight or will there be silence and only crowd and player noises?

# 11 leafnut24 @ 04/23/13 01:47 PM

Is it just me, or is anyone afraid that EA is going to over do the fight celebrations thing. Pretty rarely do you ever see a fighter celebrate like the trailer showed after winning a fight, unless you're Brian McGratten.

# 12 Splitter77 @ 04/23/13 03:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by leafnut24


	Is it just me, or is anyone afraid that EA is going to over do the fight celebrations thing. Pretty rarely do you ever see a fighter celebrate like the trailer showed after winning a fight, unless you're Brian McGratten.

i hope there can be multiple fights going on at once.
and i hope there are cpu vs cpu fights and you can control your player to come in as a third man in and bundle the guy.

# 13 MizzouBravesFan @ 04/23/13 04:36 PM

So now that everyone is "live" are we going to see huge brawls with multiple fights?

Also it'd be nice if they made fighting mean something and used it in Franchise...like starting rivalries and upping old ones, teams remembering fights/hits/cheapshots etc. from earlier games in the season, etc.

# 14 Money99 @ 04/24/13 08:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by leafnut24


	Is it just me, or is anyone afraid that EA is going to over do the fight celebrations thing. Pretty rarely do you ever see a fighter celebrate like the trailer showed after winning a fight, unless you're Brian McGratten.

I don't think you have anything to worry about.
When has the EA NHL series ever implemented anything that was over-the-top or cheesy?

# 15 jake19ny @ 04/24/13 10:36 AM

I for one am glad they changed this. I could not stand the old fight engine. Its just me but I have one or two fights every game. If a goon type guy lays out one of my forwards I always go after him that shift or later when I have a goon on the ice. 2 goons happen to be lined up at the face off I usually start a fight. I actually am one of the few who enjoyed NHL 13. I tweaked it just enough to have fun with it. I came to terms a long time ago that we will never get everything we want. Hockey is a sport that requires split second reactions and you just cannot build an AI to have human reaction....not yet anyway. all that being said I hope this is not the only thing they improved upon. Im sure they can improve the defense AI a bit in fact as someone previously posted it was not bad out of the box and then ruined with a patch. I would like to see more board work and corner scrums for pucks. I hope for presentation changes and just my own personal pet peeve.....give some new goalie masks or a mask editor...some are down right hideous.
Heres to hoping we see some of things we want

# 16 GlennN @ 04/24/13 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MizzouBravesFan


	So now that everyone is "live" are we going to see huge brawls with multiple fights? Also it'd be nice if they made fighting mean something and used it in Franchise...like starting rivalries and upping old ones, teams remembering fights/hits/cheapshots etc. from earlier games in the season, etc.

I would love this, but I cannot imagine the NHL allowing it in a licensed product. The NHL tolerates fighting, but I have never seen them even tolerate, let alone promote, brawls at all.

I love your idea! That would really add to the immersion into your franchise universe!

# 17 JezFranco @ 04/24/13 11:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jake19ny


	I for one am glad they changed this. I could not stand the old fight engine. Its just me but I have one or two fights every game. If a goon type guy lays out one of my forwards I always go after him that shift or later when I have a goon on the ice. 2 goons happen to be lined up at the face off I usually start a fight.

You're not alone.
Especially when me and the guys were playing some co-op, and after a few

there's a big chance gloves will drop.
Payback scrums, or tactical fights are standard at late hours.

# 18 NHLandPESFan @ 04/24/13 01:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bwiggy33


	Completely understand where you're coming from, however I still hate the move. This game just has too many other gameplay related issues that should be fixed before introducing a new fighting system. Fights take 30 seconds or so of a 60 minute hockey game. To focus on that when other issues are prevalent, is the worst possible thing that could happen for people looking for a better hockey experience.

Exactly! I would really like to see things like variable season length in franchise mode, better passing and no more cheating goalies instead they are doing crap like this.

# 19 onac22 @ 04/24/13 01:25 PM

I'm still not sure what to think of this. So just to state what I interpreted.

At one point EA claims the computer will respond to a big hit on a star player by sending the enforcer across the ice dropping his equipment in a Tasmanian devil type tirade. I'm sure the Dev's are balancing this out but does that mean if I hit Kessel hard with Crosby, instead of the game doing nothing like this year, the game will now overcompensate and jump Crosby with Mclaren for throwing a hit.

A little sceptical about the whole thing. EA has not shown the ability to balance the frequency or use of these events for the AI. Does all of this suggest this year the Cpu will start jumping non fighters with goons? Like it doesn't happen enough on EASHL now the CPU gets to bully too.

Just sounds like it could have the potential to blow up in EA's face. Along with the one touch dekeing, I am very interested to see how all of this implements together.

On one hand it could turn into a great enforcer engine where standing up for your players is rewarded. EA's track history lately seems to point to the latter the game will fight at inapropriate times.

P.S. I love that Littman admitted the hitting was broken in 13. However doubt they really did anything about it.

# 20 Ninjoid @ 04/25/13 02:19 AM

The cpu needs to instigate fights for this to work....the lack of fights in cpu v cpu mode totally detracted from the game if you played it in that instance.

This has been a big issue over the last few iterations of the game....the cpu would start a fight and also fight itself on the old PS1 games but since the jump to PS3 this has been missing.

Hopefully this new engine, where all the players are live will work out for us cpu v cpu fans.

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