NHL 14 News Post

NHL 14 Available Now - Post Your Impressions Here

02:07 PM - September 6, 2013 by RaychelSnr

The NHL 14 early release for season ticket subscribers is available now. Be sure to share your impressions of the full retail version of the game below!

Impressions only! Q&A here.

Our review for NHL 14 is coming up next week!

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

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# 221 18 eighty 5 @ 08/09/14 10:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by letsgopens66


	I'm about 70 games through my season in BAGM, and I have to say this game is a 6/10 at best. Here's all the things that need to be fixed, in my opinion: -The brain dead AI is terrible. My players have no idea where to be on the forecheck, and often all drift to one point the ice, leaving their assignments. In the offensive zone, my forwards can never seem to settle in the correct spot in the slot, no matter the formation. Also, they are absolutely terrible providing support along the boards. Oh, and get rid of that 'play' where the D will pinch towards the slot every time I move up the half boards with a winger in the offensive zone. -Speaking of board play, it needs to be completely redone. There still a ton of suction going on, and the fact that players can kick it in any direction is ridiculous. For instance, just today I was playing a game where Wayne Simmonds was pinned on the boards behind the net and managed to kick it out perfectly into the slot where a Flyer (can't remember who) one-timed it past my goalie. Absolutely ridiculous and not realistic at all. Overall, board play is just a vast simplification of the actual board play in the NHL and it needs to expanded on and fine tuned. -Hitting. Not every hit needs to be a huge hit, EA. It's dumb that I can't even skate towards a lose puck without accidentally running into an opposing player and getting two for elbowing/charging/boarding. I've also lost two defensemen for the season in my BAGM because they were steamrolled at the blue line while just standing in the offensive zone. They both broke their legs. Seriously, how often do defensemen get crushed at the blue line while cycling the puck? The hitting engine needs a decent overhaul. -CPU AI quirks. Because god forbid I ever get the puck standing still within two feet of a CPU player. Whenever that happens, I'm instantaneously spam checked until the puck magically flies off my stick and right to another CPU player. It's like the CPU players go into overdrive and I just have to hold on for dear life. -Goalie puck cover logic needs to be rewritten. Half the goals I give up are because Fleury misses a puck he tries to cover. I mean I'm 40-22-4 in my BAGM right now (playing on default Superstar hardcore), so it's not like I have problems winning. The problem is that this game is not even close what we all want in a hockey simulation. NHL 08 got everyone pumped for the future of hockey gaming, but the games haven't progressed like I imagined they would. There's always next gen hockey, but I doubt it gets any better.

I agree with all of this. It is a shame that the CPU gets such obvious advantages because the complete transparency in what is happening really detracts from the good stuff in the game.

I would love it if the CPU just didn't have such severe boosts even if it meant I won every game because at least the play would center around some balanced universals. Those universals would dictate how hitting and suction behaved They would dictate the speed of the skaters according to the stats of the players and would either allow both teams to have small, fast turning circles or turning circles dictated by stats and the physics engine.

It is a killer to see so many loose pucks go straight to the CPU who are given faster bursts of speed, tighter turning, bubble protection and magnetic sticks.

The other thing is to rework how all AI respond to loose pucks evenly or according to their stats. The CPU already knows where the puck is going to be the moment the puck comes off a stick, goalie or board. The human player ai are so transparently dumbed down on this that it looks ridiculous to see elite hockey players unaware and incapable of doing simple things like motor for the loose puck or take possession of the damn thing as it comes within stick reach. The player ai are made to look plain foolish and again it takes away from the immersion of playing in the NHL.

Also, why is every team rated so high? Is it because they don't want potential customers turned off the game if they discover their favorite team sucks as bad as it does in real life? Is it to stop everyone from playing with only the best teams? I don't understand this. If it is to appease the potential consumers that they can have a competitive team no matter who they support then I think that is silly. It is irrelevant in the end anyway because the poor AI and weighted CPU advantages will make up for it the end.

# 222 shogunofharlem3 @ 08/09/14 07:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 18 eighty 5


	I agree with all of this. It is a shame that the CPU gets such obvious advantages because the complete transparency in what is happening really detracts from the good stuff in the game. I would love it if the CPU just didn't have such severe boosts even if it meant I won every game because at least the play would center around some balanced universals. Those universals would dictate how hitting and suction behaved They would dictate the speed of the skaters according to the stats of the players and would either allow both teams to have small, fast turning circles or turning circles dictated by stats and the physics engine. It is a killer to see so many loose pucks go straight to the CPU who are given faster bursts of speed, tighter turning, bubble protection and magnetic sticks. The other thing is to rework how all AI respond to loose pucks evenly or according to their stats. The CPU already knows where the puck is going to be the moment the puck comes off a stick, goalie or board. The human player ai are so transparently dumbed down on this that it looks ridiculous to see elite hockey players unaware and incapable of doing simple things like motor for the loose puck or take possession of the damn thing as it comes within stick reach. The player ai are made to look plain foolish and again it takes away from the immersion of playing in the NHL. Also, why is every team rated so high? Is it because they don't want potential customers turned off the game if they discover their favorite team sucks as bad as it does in real life? Is it to stop everyone from playing with only the best teams? I don't understand this. If it is to appease the potential consumers that they can have a competitive team no matter who they support then I think that is silly. It is irrelevant in the end anyway because the poor AI and weighted CPU advantages will make up for it the end.

Try the edits I posted in this thread. No CPU boost, they have to play fair and square like us. Give it a go. I was done with this game until I started tinkering with it.

Hoping to get NHL View working and I'll take the last EA update and globally edit and post that roster with skater and goalie attributes.

Check this thread: http://www.operationsports.com/forum...-ea-style.html

# 223 18 eighty 5 @ 08/10/14 02:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shogunofharlem3


	Try the edits I posted in this thread. No CPU boost, they have to play fair and square like us. Give it a go. I was done with this game until I started tinkering with it. Hoping to get NHL View working and I'll take the last EA update and globally edit and post that roster with skater and goalie attributes. Check this thread: http://www.operationsports.com/forum...-ea-style.html

Whoa, cheers Sho. Will do. I am on PS3, does that change anything?

# 224 shogunofharlem3 @ 08/10/14 02:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 18 eighty 5


	Whoa, cheers Sho. Will do. I am on PS3, does that change anything?

Shouldn't. Give it a go. Enjoy.

# 225 meep316 @ 08/10/14 11:17 PM

I just played NHL for the first time in a long time, and was reminded of how downright terrible the AI is. It's been the same for YEARS. I'm not kidding, it's unplayable. How the **** this dog **** won sports game of the year ever, nevermind multiple times, is literally the craziest thing I've ever heard. I can't even put into words how terrible it is.

Players just have absolutely 0 awareness whatsoever, especially in terms of where to skate on a breakout or entering the zone. Running around like chickens with their heads cut off. Unable to do the most obvious things, like skate to open space instead of crowding the guy with the puck (not supporting him, literally skating into him or just getting in the way). I know mites with better hockey sense than the AI in this game, and these are supposed to represent NHL players. Just garbage.

# 226 18 eighty 5 @ 08/11/14 08:19 AM

Wow, tried Shogunofharlems goalie changes and turned defensive and offensive awareness for all skaters of both Anaheim and the New York Rangers down to 36. Game plays much better. Goalies are really good.

The other thing the 36/36 does is remove the wonky skating that happens when the CPU starts to boost. Maybe this is tied to how the puck 'wants' to find the highest rated aware player on the ice? Like the ring in The Lord of the Rings "wants" to be found?

For those who are interested what I have found is that I have an even chance at getting the puck along the boards, there have even been some actual board scrums. CPU suction on the boards is also greatly reduced.

I have only played with these two teams because it takes ages to manually change each player on each team. I have played as both teams and the CPU doesn't do quick little turns nor if the puck is loose does it go to the CPU or does the CPU boost to get it. Magical magnetic sticks are greatly reduced too.

This play is as good as NHL 14 has been for me.

Now, the puck will go through sticks and skates on passes and sometimes when it is loose. All this does is even things up whereas the CPU previously took every loose puck or pass now both teams allow the puck to get through. This is reminiscent of old school hockey gaming and I think the game plays all the better for it.

Well done ShogunofHarlem!

One last thing, I am playing with Revampeds trade dead line rosters and ShogunofHarlems goalie sliders.

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