NHL 15 News Post

NHL 15: What the Ignite Engine Means

06:04 PM - January 28, 2014 by RaychelSnr

Now that we've seen a few games featuring the “Ignite” engine from EA Sports, it's a bit easier to understand where the NHL series may go with that technology and design philosophy powering its action. At the same time, the first batch of Ignite-powered games — NBA Live 14, Madden 25 and FIFA 14 — have all been rooted in the previous generation of consoles, showing glimpses of the next-gen gaming future while being firmly anchored to the past. The first “real” Ignite product will be EA UFC, and EA has put a lot of stock in how the sport of MMA — and the UFC brand, in particular — can help diversify their sports portfolio.

What can we take from the first Ignite games as well as EA UFC? Quite a lot, I think. From the design philosophy of those titles, it's possible to see what EA might have in store for the NHL brand, keeping in mind the fact that the folks in Burnaby working on NHL 15 only number in the dozens, not the hundreds that are found in other game studios.

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# 21 CT Pitbull @ 01/30/14 09:56 PM

not ONE reference to madden 25 in terms of adding a thing or two from madden to NHL..lol that says it all..off topic a bit but the Madden fellas MUST step their game up. WAY UP

# 22 Garism @ 01/31/14 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dlxsf18


	At the 20 second mark of this video you can see Crosby and Ovechkin hug, it could be a sign of things to come for celebrations. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxF9sqDWU0Q

Not too bad I must say

# 23 half-fast @ 01/31/14 02:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Honome


	For me the only thing that could save the future of EA Hockey game is competition. If 2K doesn´t ressurect their hockey game the EA´s NHL will become a new Madden, and that´s really sad.

I agree and have been saying this for years. Well put, but I will buy one more year, this year of course since theyve had almost a full year or next gen and playing fifa sometimes i cant help but wonder what nhl would be like ...

# 24 half-fast @ 01/31/14 02:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VinceJulien14


	I hope they get rid of user controlled goal celebrations, they've never looked natural in my opinion Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I hear you, limited options and they all look pathetic. Its for that reason I hope they make group celebrations as well as add several realistic looking solo celebrations. The game wouldnt be a real simulation without celebrations.

# 25 half-fast @ 01/31/14 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shutdown10


	The Ignite Engine is all fluff at the current moment. Ea Sports needs to put up are shut up with all their titles, Sure we know Fifa, NHL, and maybe UFC will do find, but what about Nba Live or Madden. Ignite Engine is a bust until proven wrong.

Ignite engine is not a bust. It hasnt matured yet, but it's done well for fifa so far, and soccer is the most popular sport in the world. Id hardly call it a bust. I share your anger for EA though ...

# 26 half-fast @ 01/31/14 02:49 PM

As an avid nhler since it's first game, I have some absolute musts for nhl 15. Better skating obviously, more realistic goaltending, even slightly smarter AI would be huge ... relevant in-game stats, and making more of a big deal about rivalries and season vs records. People are always impressed by nhl's stick handling, but i think it looks pretty dumb and is limited. Need to be more like fifa's ball skills, and by that I mean more dynamic. In nhl you can do a spin, but its the same spin every time, ending and exiting at the exact same moment. Really, that is ridiculous. You should be able to spin and prepare a shot, pass or exit at almost any point, not have to wait for the animation to complete.

NEW COMMENTARY. And one that note, commentary in all ea games that is a bit more up to the second and slightly smarter. Stick contact would be phenomenal, as it seems obvious the AI uses no stick contact to basically cheat.

# 27 gsize19 @ 01/31/14 07:33 PM

The fact that you can not import custom music is a downer. Hopefully Sony addresses this, as this is a driver for an NHL simulation for me, the between the play atmosphere. I enjoy this years version of NHL 14 and for the first time actually have went beyond one season of BeA GM, if they can create that "wow" factor, then it will be an instant hit. The EASHL was ground breaking when it came out, then after a couple of years, you start having to battle every glitch goal rather than play the game of hockey, top that with gamers who feel that you are literally battling for a money prize or a real stanley cup, the mode over the last couple of years has lost me. I am more into what can you do for me as a gamer that looks for a hockey sim offline, because God knows, when you play online against someone, you are going to get over 50% of the time one move wonders. The online gaming world in sports isn't about simulation, these companies need to realize that when they create a game. They need to create the sim for the offline players and then add bells and whistles for those that like playing online in an arcade style gaming experience. Once they learn this, then sports gaming will be off the charts.

# 28 drog1602 @ 02/01/14 10:13 AM

The new ignite engine means another eight years of excuses for poor game play.
You can bet that NHL15 will be nothing more than a port of NHL14 and a couple of gimmicks tossed in to try and sell it.

The EA sports games are all about HUT and micro transactions, that is the focus and not on quality of games.

Kinda sad when a fantasy manager sim seems more appealing than this series.

# 29 drog1602 @ 02/01/14 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dlxsf18


	At the 20 second mark of this video you can see Crosby and Ovechkin hug, it could be a sign of things to come for celebrations. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxF9sqDWU0Q

Group hugs had been in previous NHL titles (NHL10?), I will never understand why they took it out ( along with a multitude of other things). But looking at how the game plays and I guess one can understand the decision. The game play is all about one person doing it all and the team aspect has been pushed aside, so...

# 30 ed209_1 @ 02/01/14 03:25 PM

EA puts bullet-points on the back of the box and a lightshow to distract you, while lulling you with sweet buzzwords. It's like dancing with a girl then the lights come on at the end of the night.

# 31 Madwolf @ 02/01/14 08:52 PM

Well from playing Madden 25 on the PS4 I know the AI will be improved a lot. For some reasons, may be hardware limitations, EA's games on current gen hardware all had a "hive mindset." They didn't seem to have individual AI until they were the active player. It's one of the reasons defense suffered on Madden and on NHL, and one of the reasons that your players just seem to be completely oblivious to what's going on when playing offense.

Everyone has had some really good suggestions on what needs to be improved, and here's a few small things from me:

- Load times - What is EA Sports' deal when it comes to load times? They're all just stupid! When you put in Madden or NHL the game takes a fortnight to get to the screen where you press start, and then you have to wait while the menu system loads! I feel like I could do my laundry in the time it takes to just get to a screen that enables you to head towards a game. It's just silly. The menu's should be so "fancy" that they keep the game from loading in under 30 seconds.

- Player progression - I know that everyone has a theory on exactly how this works. Sometimes it seems like it's okay, and other times you're scratching you're head.

- Uploaded Replays - Feel like these always end up way to short. I want the time to be longer so you get a feel for the play.

# 32 gamerk2 @ 02/03/14 01:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Madwolf


	- Load times - What is EA Sports' deal when it comes to load times? They're all just stupid! When you put in Madden or NHL the game takes a fortnight to get to the screen where you press start, and then you have to wait while the menu system loads! I feel like I could do my laundry in the time it takes to just get to a screen that enables you to head towards a game. It's just silly. The menu's should be so "fancy" that they keep the game from loading in under 30 seconds.

Loading screens are just a way to hide the time it takes to load everything into memory. And on the PS3 in particular, that's a significant issue.

# 33 Madwolf @ 02/03/14 01:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gamerk2


	Loading screens are just a way to hide the time it takes to load everything into memory. And on the PS3 in particular, that's a significant issue.

I completely understand that, I'm just saying that it takes too long to load all that stuff. Into the game is fine, loading into the menu's is stupid! It should take 5 seconds to load menus tops.

# 34 m1ke_nyc @ 02/05/14 01:22 PM

Ive only played Madden next gen but from that game alone Ignite engine is not what they hyped it up to be. Now that could be different with FIFA but I havent played FIFA next gen. So going into NHL 15 I dont see what it can really do if so far its done little for Madden.

# 35 gb069 @ 03/11/14 12:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Honome


	For me the only thing that could save the future of EA Hockey game is competition. If 2K doesn´t ressurect their hockey game the EA´s NHL will become a new Madden, and that´s really sad.

i agree..i think it's time for 2k to make a comeback...have you seen nab 2k14 for ps4? it's insane...lol ea's nba live get's a shameful rating of 4 out of 10...that sounds like the ignite engine is a shyte engine...lets agree that e.a. are a shysty bunch...i just think they need competition...and i think 2k is ready

# 36 gb069 @ 03/11/14 01:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blueliner18


	Well the Ignite Engine didn't help Madden 25 or NBA Live's transition to next gen consoles so why am I to believe that NHL will be any better??? Especially since NHL production spends millions less than both Madden and NBA production crews. FIFA made the transition with slightly better visuals since the core gameplay was solid on current gen consoles. Plus EA has stiff competition with other soccer titles from other publishers. NBA Live was exposed badly as a poor attempt and venture back into the basketball market by EA because of NBA2K14 absolutely shines. Madden has no competition and honestly it's the same game whether played on current or next gen. Perhaps a slight edge visually in next gen versions, but only in replays and cut scenes. Main game play it is difficult to tell any difference. That is EA being EA...no competition so we will change our cover athlete and release the same damn game year, after year, after year. I expect nothing different for whenever they decide to release the next gen NHL. That is really disheartening for hardcore hockey fans like myself. I finally, after 10 years, did not purchase NHL14. I'm sick of the same old "are we SIM or are we ARCADE" broken, half baked game play that I've seen from this series since 08' (before that I was strictly 2KHockey on PS2, EANHL was really terrible back then IMO). Unless EA rebuilds everything and I mean everything, for NHL on Ignite I fail to see how it will be anything more than a carbon copy with better visuals.

i agree..e.a. is shady and servers are crap

# 37 thisis_markus @ 03/13/14 08:01 AM

The thing that could save all the EA Sports titles is realising that their audience will spend money no matter what.

By this, I mean that EA could easily create a fully simulation sports game and one that dabbles in the more "fun" aspects - and keep the "fun" one for things like Ultimate Team.

Be honest, most people would pay the £50/£60 for a real representation of the sport sim they are buying, those with more disposable income/kids will then also commit to buying a "Ultimate Team" version of each game as well. Even if the kids only pay for the Ultimate team version then EA will make the difference back in pack sales etc.

I'm a dreamer.

# 38 adayinthelife @ 03/14/14 11:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thisis_markus


	The thing that could save all the EA Sports titles is realising that their audience will spend money no matter what. By this, I mean that EA could easily create a fully simulation sports game and one that dabbles in the more "fun" aspects - and keep the "fun" one for things like Ultimate Team. Be honest, most people would pay the £50/£60 for a real representation of the sport sim they are buying, those with more disposable income/kids will then also commit to buying a "Ultimate Team" version of each game as well. Even if the kids only pay for the Ultimate team version then EA will make the difference back in pack sales etc. I'm a dreamer.

Obviously I'd love the idea, but this would essentially double their development costs and they'd need 2 teams to crank out 2 versions of the game every single year.

To me the key really lies in working with a single engine that allows more customization to gameplay, and thus allows both sides to be happy. By all means keep the "default" version of the game the way it is, so long as you have sliders that actually work and have a big time effect on the gameplay so that I can play a more simulation style version of the same game. It's not a perfect solution, but it seems like it would be the most realistic.

# 39 actionhank @ 03/15/14 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adayinthelife


	Obviously I'd love the idea, but this would essentially double their development costs and they'd need 2 teams to crank out 2 versions of the game every single year. To me the key really lies in working with a single engine that allows more customization to gameplay, and thus allows both sides to be happy. By all means keep the "default" version of the game the way it is, so long as you have sliders that actually work and have a big time effect on the gameplay so that I can play a more simulation style version of the same game. It's not a perfect solution, but it seems like it would be the most realistic.

It seems like it would be easier for them to make things complex at first, and scale them back, than it would be for them to make them simple, and try to force them to be complex.
That's what the current gameplay feels like. They started with a fun arcadey type gameplay, and said "guess we'll make it tougher.".
I'm really hoping NHL 15 steps it up. They've got the other games that have broken the ice with the new engine, so hopefully they can learn and adapt.
If they increase the customization, and physics, they'll be taking a huge step in the right directions. Same for the AI and goalies. Having defense that actually plays defense would be a nice step up.

# 40 RyanLaFalce @ 03/17/14 01:37 PM

I haven't gotten an NHL game in a few years. I'll definitely be purchasing NHL '15 when it comes out on the PS4.

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