NHL 15 News Post

NHL 15's Online Team Play is a Rushed, Incomplete Mess

01:54 PM - October 22, 2014 by RaychelSnr

My familiar team of five had been waiting since August for this day, when Online Team Play would finally be patched into the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of NHL 15.

Yet last night, none of my longtime EASHL teammates came home with a new copy of NHL 15, after learning that we could not join the same lobby or send each other match invitations in this "next-gen" version of Online Team Play.

Wasn't that the whole point of Online Team Play, to begin with -- you and your boys challenging cliques from around the world? I thought so, but apparently, EA Canada thought otherwise.

Read More - NHL 15's Online Team Play is a Rushed, Incomplete Mess

Game: NHL 15Reader Score: 6.5/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS3 / PS4 / Xbox 360 / Xbox OneVotes for game: 16 - View All

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# 1 bigwill33 @ 10/22/14 02:20 PM

When it is removed completely next year the excuse will be "Well, our data shows that people just didn't use the mode as much as we thought they would have."

# 2 Vermin @ 10/22/14 02:21 PM

I can't say as I'm terribly surprised, but don't get me wrong. This is not a slam against the developers. Here is a development team who has been constantly beaten for the lack of gameplay modes despite how well the on-ice product plays. (Contrast this to NBA 2K15 which earned much higher scores despite the fact that many of their added modes are unplayable, inaccessible, or unstable - take your pick.)

Looking at the way the OTP screen is set up (with the lock icon on the goaltender), it appears that this is a work-in-progress mode. Something that would have been admittedly rushed in order to get player access to it faster (and providing plenty of beta-like feedback from use) with the expectation that it will be modified, updated, improved, etc. in the coming days/weeks/months. Granted that holds our belief that this will be the case and the developers will be expected to deliver.

Am I saying that this excuses the work-in-progress state of the game? Not necessarily. We are seeing the same type of slow-trickle release from Destiny where the game didn't meet expectations and is slowly improving. The Golf Club has also seen additional updates improving the overall quality of the game and adding features. Is this the new face or the new reality of games? Is this approaching the subscription model that Rich Grisham is often discussing on the Press Row Podcast? Maybe. Just maybe.

# 3 AdamJones113 @ 10/22/14 02:31 PM

... Yet Rammer told us that it was a "last minute decision" whether OTP was going to be in the opening-release version.

OffsidesTimePoor play

# 4 speedtrucker @ 10/22/14 02:44 PM

I'm saddened by this update but I shouldn't have been... oh well hopefully it gets fixed before the game hits EA Access. my buddies and I had already decided we aren't getting back on board with NHL until they prove they have the current gen game back up to the "norm". so we will wait for it to drop on EA Access for OTP and hopefully these issues have been ironed out when that happens.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigwill33


	When it is removed completely next year the excuse will be "Well, our data shows that people just didn't use the mode as much as we thought they would have."

sad but true.

# 5 SVCbearcat10 @ 10/22/14 02:48 PM

I find it funny. If they delayed it a month to make it better, then all hell breaks out because they promised it in October. They deliver in October and get ripped because it wasn't ready yet. This franchise is in a no-win situation for the next 2 years; which is a shame because gameplay is outstanding.

# 6 DirtyJerz32 @ 10/22/14 02:56 PM

This is the reason why I wanted nhl 15 for the Xbox One. You just saved me and my friends $63. Thanks!

# 7 Dylonus @ 10/22/14 04:26 PM

No offense to the author of this article, but 90% of what you're complaining about has happened since the inception of OTP. Most of this is nothing new. It's not about EA, it's basically about poor play of random teammates.

# 8 juice2142 @ 10/22/14 05:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dylonus


	No offense to the author of this article, but 90% of what you're complaining about has happened since the inception of OTP. Most of this is nothing new. It's not about EA, it's basically about poor play of random teammates.

exactly.... but if you cant play with your friends to eliminate this.... that's the point

# 9 snc237 @ 10/22/14 06:36 PM

Ya playing OTP with randoms have always been rough. However when it's not even your guy on the ice where stats don't really count for anything guys grieve even more. I was excited to play with my friends, not a random gong show.

# 10 ericromain @ 10/22/14 06:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dylonus


	No offense to the author of this article, but 90% of what you're complaining about has happened since the inception of OTP. Most of this is nothing new. It's not about EA, it's basically about poor play of random teammates.

I agree, which is why I have never been able to get into OTP. I would love it if i could play unselfishly and be part of a team online. I just never got into it. I'm bad at making friends too

I think EA can program safeguards to minimize the user behavioral issues (ban idle players progressively, game misconduct after 3rd penalty, limit fighting, eliminating pausing, allow flagging/duncing of players by the other players and only allow dunces to play dunces). It all requires clever programming but it's the future of this game.

The perspective I've taken about this title is that EA Sports really under staffed the conversion to next gen. I suspect this was caused by EA's lack of direct NHL competitor. Outside of solid 1v1 gameplay and pretty visuals, I wonder if game modes/rosters/league structure/etc could better programmed by the open-sourced community.

# 11 whatanoob @ 10/22/14 07:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dylonus


	No offense to the author of this article, but 90% of what you're complaining about has happened since the inception of OTP. Most of this is nothing new. It's not about EA, it's basically about poor play of random teammates.

i agree 100% with what you said, you cant help trolls, no matter how hard you try, your always going to run into them from playing loud music, in the lobbies, or talking like hillbillies to annoy you,

going offsides or doing the tea bagging animations while they go offsides, that's issues we cant help unless we can invite our own friends to play the game,

however even if you play with your friends, that doesn't mean the other team is going to play fair,

only way it was competitive is when you played with your created players and played for the trophies,

i do agree the patch was rushed and it sucks do to the fact, you can only play with real teams,

i rather play the OTP where you have a created player and you can play with human goalies,

you would expect, after we shelled out money for the next gen console, that ea would put us next geners, priority, however thats not happening,

# 12 SinisterAlex @ 10/22/14 10:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by juice2142


	exactly.... but if you cant play with your friends to eliminate this.... that's the point

I had no issue last night getting me and two of my friends into a lobby last night. We played about 3 games and every single time we got into the same lobby.

# 13 MichaelAngeloTMNT @ 10/23/14 01:21 PM

Misleading Headline. The Mode works just fine. I have played three games so far, no lag, no other issues with servers. Sure you might have played with some bad players, but this mode works just fine.

# 14 Sheba2011 @ 10/24/14 03:55 AM

This game is just one train wreck after another. Even the "new" Draft mode isn't all that new. It's the same old mode with a timer and no GM phones (thank god). But everything else is exactly the same. I would never want to see anyone lose their job, especially in this economy but maybe its time for some new leadership at EA Canada.

# 15 Anoir @ 10/24/14 06:08 AM

It's just the same as random OTP has always been.

If people want and are willing to play together it can be really fun, but its horrible if you got bunch of goons spamming, deking alone always, not passing etc. Nothing's really changed in that aspect.

I do agree that you should be able to play with your friends, that being left out is just flat out stupid.

Also.. what the **** EA? Why no goalies in OTP? I don't understand that at all.. HUGE part of this game and NHL series in general for me was playing goalie in OTP/EASHL matches and enjoying the hell out of it.

I really hope they'd be willing to patch human goalies and friends to OTP.

# 16 DaveDQ @ 10/24/14 12:15 PM

In this era of gaming, where social integration is definitely trending, and players can join each other in party chats while gaming, calling a mode Online Team Play and not giving users the sure ability to play with each other as a team is a huge gaff.

# 17 thedudedominick @ 10/25/14 05:00 AM

I'm having fun playing OTP. Yeah you sometimes get a terrible teammate or two, but for the most part people just want to play the game as a team. Some of the best games I've had, nobody had a Mic, but people understood where to go on the ice and what to do.

It's not ideal, but me and my buddy were able to get into the same games by just starting the search at the same time.

# 18 Gotmilkman24 @ 10/25/14 11:41 AM

I'm enjoying OTP too.. my only complaint is the player colors.. everything is backwards lol...

# 19 fiddlerpaul @ 10/25/14 03:21 PM

When I read that EA sent some devs to UFC and never got them back (because they went on to finish FIFA) I knew we were getting the short end of the stick.
So many simple things like being able to play with friends should be an easy no brainer. All it takes is making lobbies. Same in HUT, why not able to play friends? OTP is bad enough without being able join your buds.
EA Sports: enemy of friendship.

# 20 thedudedominick @ 10/26/14 04:06 AM

One more recommendation for OTP, lock every league that isn't the NHL. Also don't allow the all-star teams to be selected. I don't want to play Team Canada vs the Red All-Stars every game.

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