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Qb · 03-03-2009, 01:04 PM

Well, the time has finally come! Due in part to logging a lot of time in the EASHL and not being satisfied with the offline play, I never found a sweet spot for offline sliders. With the patch cleaning up some of the issues I had with the game, I think I'm there. I've been using settings close to these for a while now, so I only made a few small tweaks after the handful of games I played today with the patch.

DIFFICULTY: All-Star (sorry superstars, I can't hack it up there...)
PERIOD LENGTH: 10 Minutes
PENALTIES: Three clicks (one below max)

Changed penalty setting from original post. There were far too many calls at max, but it seems that it can be on the low side with it @ 3. But I think it's better to have 7 or 8 combined PPs than 15...

GAME SPEED: 0
PUCK CONTROL: 1
FIGHT DIFFICULTY: 3
FATIGUE EFFECT: 6
AI LEARNING: 6

I like the pace/flow of SPD/ACC at 0/1 and the maxed out fatigue effect punishes you for leaving guys on the ice. Puck control at 1 makes for some sloppy play and probably helps to keep it a bit more realistic in terms of who can do what with the puck.

FATIGUE RECOVERY: 1
ACCELERATION: 1

Again, ACC @ 1 provides a nice flow to the game (for me). You have to be a little smarter with your angles to puck since you can't turn on a dime. I feel this also cuts down on some of the goofy stuff the AI can do. I've been getting great TOI numbers and distribution with FR @ 1. Big-time d-men will play 25+ mins for the CPU while top forwards will often crack the 20 min mark. For the user this really helps with special teams, but the only drawback is that you could probably play your top lines a little too much if you're smart with your changes. I get good TOI numbers, but I try to roll my lines as a real coach would...

HITTING POWER: 0
AGGRESSION: 3
POKE EFFECTIVENESS: 5

The patch sure seems to have made the AI (on both sides) more puck-aware, so I don't see the need to have aggressiveness jacked up. I'm seeing a good blend of positional play and puck-chasing when appropriate. Poke @ 5 seems to balance well with PC @ 1, plus I still think it helps to generate some tripping calls. Hit power is a no-brainer for me...

PASS SPEED: 1
SAUCER PASS SPEED: 4
PASS INTERCEPTIONS: 6
GOALIE PASSING: 6

Pass Speed @ 1 provides a nice balance. The AI can't whip the puck around quite as fast, but the you can get the puck across the ice without waiting an eternity (my experience with it @ 0). I don't use the saucer pass nearly as much as I did in 08, but will occasionally use it to move it around the boards. I highly recommend using the manual slap-pass technique to move the puck into space or for bank-passing. Goalie Passing @ 6 seems to make the goalies come out to play the puck more, but I've also edited a lot of the goalies puck playing frequency. FWIW, Mkharsh has tried these out and said he noticed the same thing. I'm assuming he didn't edit...

SHOT ACCURACY: 3
SHOT POWER: 3

Here's where I made a change after the patch, dropping ACC to 3 from 4. I've had the following scores -- 3-1, 5-2, 4-3 (SO) and 2-1 (OT). Even before the patch I was starting to see some high-scoring games (for myself & the CPU) with ACC @ 4. I'll monitor my GF/A over the course of 10 dynasty games and take it from there...

SHOT BLOCKING: 6
HOOK EFFECTIVENESS: 6
PENALTY SHOT FREQUENCY: 6
GOALIE COVER: 4

Defense, defense, defense! I love me some good defensive hockey, so all of these are aimed at tightening up that side of the game. I know Redshirt said Hook Effectiveness has no effect, but I see more pinning along the boards and have a harder time carrying the puck with it maxed. I had it at four prior to patch under the theory that it caused the AI to do the annoying machine gun cross checking in front of the net (Catcatch's idea), but that seems to be toned down post-patch. PS Freq hasn't yielded many calls in all my offline games, but I haven't seen many times it should be called. There's also the theory that it causes the AI d-men to play higher up in the NZ. If true, that would be another reason to have it maxed, as they still tend to back off a bit more than they do in the real NHL. Goalie Cover @ 4 seems to cut down on floaty rebounds the goalie can't corral, but I still see plenty of nice kick-outs on low shots and some rebound goals.

I've had several good games today with these exact settings. I've lost all of them, but they were fun, competitive and I didn't feel cheated. I gave up a few fluky goals, made a few dumb mistakes (damn passing engine) and haven't capitalized on some good chances. I'm not the best player out there and I played on All-Star throughout my dynasty on 08, so some may not find these challenging enough. If that's the case, try them on Superstar -- but I haven't, so I won't be much help in terms of questions regarding what to change for that level.

I'll likely start a test dynasty to track some stats over 10 or so games before starting a "real" one after cleaning up the rosters. I'll let you guys know how things pan out...

Red71Star · 03-03-2009, 02:50 PM

Wow! Great explanation of your settings. I will try these with my Kings PS3 dynasty. Thanks for the work you put in.

Qb · 03-03-2009, 02:55 PM

People seemed to enjoy the ones I did for 08 (posted as q_bert183) and a few had asked for ones for 09, so what the heck. I hope they work out for you, RedStar. Let me know what you think...

canucksss · 03-03-2009, 04:02 PM

first off, can i still play my existing dynasty with this recent patch? if yes, then i'll try to adjust my personal slider (slight improvement based on my likings from other recommended sliders) using your slider. and ill post later my observation. thanks bud for doing this.

Qb · 03-03-2009, 05:07 PM

Hmm, CPU just took 4 holding penalties in my last game and I had 9 PPs total. Maybe an aberration, but I'll be keeping an eye on it and might have to lower the hook effectiveness a click...

mkharsh33 · 03-03-2009, 05:47 PM

i'll give these a run tonight...just got home from work so i'm looking forward to these.

i'm going to start my dynasty after the trade deadline updates i'll make to my roster file.

regarding the goalies...the game i played this morning on this setting Q has i saw the goalies come out even MORE and playing the puck WAY out of goal, so that's a good thing.

i've also noticed the puck being played across the crease even more than before the patch. like Q, i prefer the game to be more defensive and these will definitely provide a challenge.

finally, having aggression at 3 is perfect...at 4 it feels like the computer AI gets an unfair advantage and a lot of stupid penalties called. with the patch the penalties will be called even more anyway, so 3 is perfect.

Qb · 03-03-2009, 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by canucksss


	first off, can i still play my existing dynasty with this recent patch? if yes, then i'll try to adjust my personal slider (slight improvement based on my likings from other recommended sliders) using your slider. and ill post later my observation. thanks bud for doing this.

Yes, the patch should affect your saved dynasty.

Burbruee · 03-03-2009, 07:47 PM

Oh, these sliders together with the new patch are a GREAT combination.
I downloaded the patch a couple of hours ago, and used these slider settings.

I was playing with Vancouver and played against Colorado.
The game felt amazing, and realistic too. I like playing defensive, but I haven't really enjoyed it as much as I wish until now.
I knew that I had to be really careful about the penalties from what I've read on these forums last week from the PS3 folks, and expected it to be called more, but I couldn't even imagine that it would be called this much. It took less than 5 seconds before I got my first penalty, and my first and only thought was "YESS!!! ;D"

I ended up being one or two men short pretty much the entire first period. Not because I hit a lot where it isn't allowed. But that I poke check at every chance I get, resulting in a couple of tripping penalties. There was this one time that I was right in front of the net and barely touched the guy that I didn't thought should be called. But I was very pleased.

The CPU team pressed pretty hard on the power play and scored the first goal (Forsberg, I haven't updated my rosters)
But with Colorado being on the power play for so much did allow me to train my defense, and it took until the second period before they would score again. Before the first period was over I was able to take the lead by scoring two goals, one of them shorthanded.

By the end of the first period there had been a total of 9 penalties called. This is awesome.. And so much better than 3-4 PER GAME. ;-)

Second period, I got called a lot again, 5 times this period. I managed to clear the puck out of the zone once dumping it all the way down, where one of my players follow, pokes it away from his opponent and hits him, does a little spin and finally a simple deke and it's yet another shorthanded goal and I now have a two goal lead despite having so many penalties against me.
I hadn't had so much time to be on the attack, but up to this point I think that I played excellent on the defense and it felt close to what I watch on TV.
By the end of the period they score a goal and it's 3-2 Vancouver, on to the third.

The third was a period where the game changed. It was pretty much the same for the first 10 minutes, a couple of penalties, good defense from both sides etc. There was this one time where my goalie goes VERY FAR OUT to stop the puck, about half way to the blue line! I really liked that as that's something not very common in the game (haven't seen it before)
I got on a power play for a change, and was able to cycle the puck pretty good and find ways to pass the puck. Didn't score, though I really liked the feel of it. Much improved from before the patch + my old sliders. They didn't really go at me very agressively as I cycled the puck, neither did they stand still and do nothing. They actually played a really good defensive play. Just as I had been doing the entire game.

So when it's about 10 minutes left of the game, I start to loose my concentration a bit, and my defensive skills aren't very good then. They manage to beat me two times in less than a minute and they have are now leading the game. Score is 4-3.

I never really manage to get back in the game and they score yet again, it's 5-3 for Colorado and it's the final score.

I just couldn't be happier about the game at the moment.. I haven't played it since November, but now I have a reason. New patch, new sliders and playoffs are starting here in Sweden.

Here are some clips from the game, nothing special though. The past parts weren't saved. (great defense, goalie going out far etc)

http://www.easportsworld.com/en_US/video/4073269
http://www.easportsworld.com/en_US/video/4072785
http://www.easportsworld.com/en_US/video/4072379
http://www.easportsworld.com/en_US/video/4072237

Take a look while you can, they won't be there for long..

Thanks for your awesome sliders Qb, and thanks to EA for reviving their game for me and many others.

03-03-2009, 01:04 PM	#1
Qb All Star OVR: 43 Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Pittsburgh Posts: 8,822	Qb's All-Star Sliders [post-patch] Well, the time has finally come! Due in part to logging a lot of time in the EASHL and not being satisfied with the offline play, I never found a sweet spot for offline sliders. With the patch cleaning up some of the issues I had with the game, I think I'm there. I've been using settings close to these for a while now, so I only made a few small tweaks after the handful of games I played today with the patch. DIFFICULTY: All-Star (sorry superstars, I can't hack it up there...) PERIOD LENGTH: 10 Minutes PENALTIES: Three clicks (one below max) Changed penalty setting from original post. There were far too many calls at max, but it seems that it can be on the low side with it @ 3. But I think it's better to have 7 or 8 combined PPs than 15... GAME SPEED: 0 PUCK CONTROL: 1 FIGHT DIFFICULTY: 3 FATIGUE EFFECT: 6 AI LEARNING: 6 I like the pace/flow of SPD/ACC at 0/1 and the maxed out fatigue effect punishes you for leaving guys on the ice. Puck control at 1 makes for some sloppy play and probably helps to keep it a bit more realistic in terms of who can do what with the puck. FATIGUE RECOVERY: 1 ACCELERATION: 1 Again, ACC @ 1 provides a nice flow to the game (for me). You have to be a little smarter with your angles to puck since you can't turn on a dime. I feel this also cuts down on some of the goofy stuff the AI can do. I've been getting great TOI numbers and distribution with FR @ 1. Big-time d-men will play 25+ mins for the CPU while top forwards will often crack the 20 min mark. For the user this really helps with special teams, but the only drawback is that you could probably play your top lines a little too much if you're smart with your changes. I get good TOI numbers, but I try to roll my lines as a real coach would... HITTING POWER: 0 AGGRESSION: 3 POKE EFFECTIVENESS: 5 The patch sure seems to have made the AI (on both sides) more puck-aware, so I don't see the need to have aggressiveness jacked up. I'm seeing a good blend of positional play and puck-chasing when appropriate. Poke @ 5 seems to balance well with PC @ 1, plus I still think it helps to generate some tripping calls. Hit power is a no-brainer for me... PASS SPEED: 1 SAUCER PASS SPEED: 4 PASS INTERCEPTIONS: 6 GOALIE PASSING: 6 Pass Speed @ 1 provides a nice balance. The AI can't whip the puck around quite as fast, but the you can get the puck across the ice without waiting an eternity (my experience with it @ 0). I don't use the saucer pass nearly as much as I did in 08, but will occasionally use it to move it around the boards. I highly recommend using the manual slap-pass technique to move the puck into space or for bank-passing. Goalie Passing @ 6 seems to make the goalies come out to play the puck more, but I've also edited a lot of the goalies puck playing frequency. FWIW, Mkharsh has tried these out and said he noticed the same thing. I'm assuming he didn't edit... SHOT ACCURACY: 3 SHOT POWER: 3 Here's where I made a change after the patch, dropping ACC to 3 from 4. I've had the following scores -- 3-1, 5-2, 4-3 (SO) and 2-1 (OT). Even before the patch I was starting to see some high-scoring games (for myself & the CPU) with ACC @ 4. I'll monitor my GF/A over the course of 10 dynasty games and take it from there... SHOT BLOCKING: 6 HOOK EFFECTIVENESS: 6 PENALTY SHOT FREQUENCY: 6 GOALIE COVER: 4 Defense, defense, defense! I love me some good defensive hockey, so all of these are aimed at tightening up that side of the game. I know Redshirt said Hook Effectiveness has no effect, but I see more pinning along the boards and have a harder time carrying the puck with it maxed. I had it at four prior to patch under the theory that it caused the AI to do the annoying machine gun cross checking in front of the net (Catcatch's idea), but that seems to be toned down post-patch. PS Freq hasn't yielded many calls in all my offline games, but I haven't seen many times it should be called. There's also the theory that it causes the AI d-men to play higher up in the NZ. If true, that would be another reason to have it maxed, as they still tend to back off a bit more than they do in the real NHL. Goalie Cover @ 4 seems to cut down on floaty rebounds the goalie can't corral, but I still see plenty of nice kick-outs on low shots and some rebound goals. I've had several good games today with these exact settings. I've lost all of them, but they were fun, competitive and I didn't feel cheated. I gave up a few fluky goals, made a few dumb mistakes (damn passing engine) and haven't capitalized on some good chances. I'm not the best player out there and I played on All-Star throughout my dynasty on 08, so some may not find these challenging enough. If that's the case, try them on Superstar -- but I haven't, so I won't be much help in terms of questions regarding what to change for that level. I'll likely start a test dynasty to track some stats over 10 or so games before starting a "real" one after cleaning up the rosters. I'll let you guys know how things pan out... Last edited by Qb; 03-16-2009 at 09:30 AM.

03-03-2009, 02:50 PM	#2
Red71Star Rookie OVR: 12 Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Los Angeles, Ca	Re: Qb's All-Star Sliders [post-patch] Wow! Great explanation of your settings. I will try these with my Kings PS3 dynasty. Thanks for the work you put in.

03-03-2009, 02:55 PM	#3
Qb All Star OVR: 43 Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Pittsburgh Posts: 8,822	Re: Qb's All-Star Sliders [post-patch] People seemed to enjoy the ones I did for 08 (posted as q_bert183) and a few had asked for ones for 09, so what the heck. I hope they work out for you, RedStar. Let me know what you think...

03-03-2009, 04:02 PM	#4
canucksss MVP OVR: 13 Join Date: Jan 2003	Re: Qb's All-Star Sliders [post-patch] first off, can i still play my existing dynasty with this recent patch? if yes, then i'll try to adjust my personal slider (slight improvement based on my likings from other recommended sliders) using your slider. and ill post later my observation. thanks bud for doing this.

03-03-2009, 05:07 PM	#5
Qb All Star OVR: 43 Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Pittsburgh Posts: 8,822	Re: Qb's All-Star Sliders [post-patch] Hmm, CPU just took 4 holding penalties in my last game and I had 9 PPs total. Maybe an aberration, but I'll be keeping an eye on it and might have to lower the hook effectiveness a click...

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03-03-2009, 05:47 PM	#6
mkharsh33 Hall Of Fame OVR: 35 Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 12,715 Blog Entries: 1	Re: Qb's All-Star Sliders [post-patch] i'll give these a run tonight...just got home from work so i'm looking forward to these. i'm going to start my dynasty after the trade deadline updates i'll make to my roster file. regarding the goalies...the game i played this morning on this setting Q has i saw the goalies come out even MORE and playing the puck WAY out of goal, so that's a good thing. i've also noticed the puck being played across the crease even more than before the patch. like Q, i prefer the game to be more defensive and these will definitely provide a challenge. finally, having aggression at 3 is perfect...at 4 it feels like the computer AI gets an unfair advantage and a lot of stupid penalties called. with the patch the penalties will be called even more anyway, so 3 is perfect. __________________ STEELERS INDIANS CELTICS

03-03-2009, 07:47 PM	#8
Burbruee Rookie OVR: 3 Join Date: Jun 2008	Re: Qb's All-Star Sliders [post-patch] Oh, these sliders together with the new patch are a GREAT combination. I downloaded the patch a couple of hours ago, and used these slider settings. I was playing with Vancouver and played against Colorado. The game felt amazing, and realistic too. I like playing defensive, but I haven't really enjoyed it as much as I wish until now. I knew that I had to be really careful about the penalties from what I've read on these forums last week from the PS3 folks, and expected it to be called more, but I couldn't even imagine that it would be called this much. It took less than 5 seconds before I got my first penalty, and my first and only thought was "YESS!!! ;D" I ended up being one or two men short pretty much the entire first period. Not because I hit a lot where it isn't allowed. But that I poke check at every chance I get, resulting in a couple of tripping penalties. There was this one time that I was right in front of the net and barely touched the guy that I didn't thought should be called. But I was very pleased. The CPU team pressed pretty hard on the power play and scored the first goal (Forsberg, I haven't updated my rosters) But with Colorado being on the power play for so much did allow me to train my defense, and it took until the second period before they would score again. Before the first period was over I was able to take the lead by scoring two goals, one of them shorthanded. By the end of the first period there had been a total of 9 penalties called. This is awesome.. And so much better than 3-4 PER GAME. ;-) Second period, I got called a lot again, 5 times this period. I managed to clear the puck out of the zone once dumping it all the way down, where one of my players follow, pokes it away from his opponent and hits him, does a little spin and finally a simple deke and it's yet another shorthanded goal and I now have a two goal lead despite having so many penalties against me. I hadn't had so much time to be on the attack, but up to this point I think that I played excellent on the defense and it felt close to what I watch on TV. By the end of the period they score a goal and it's 3-2 Vancouver, on to the third. The third was a period where the game changed. It was pretty much the same for the first 10 minutes, a couple of penalties, good defense from both sides etc. There was this one time where my goalie goes VERY FAR OUT to stop the puck, about half way to the blue line! I really liked that as that's something not very common in the game (haven't seen it before) I got on a power play for a change, and was able to cycle the puck pretty good and find ways to pass the puck. Didn't score, though I really liked the feel of it. Much improved from before the patch + my old sliders. They didn't really go at me very agressively as I cycled the puck, neither did they stand still and do nothing. They actually played a really good defensive play. Just as I had been doing the entire game. So when it's about 10 minutes left of the game, I start to loose my concentration a bit, and my defensive skills aren't very good then. They manage to beat me two times in less than a minute and they have are now leading the game. Score is 4-3. I never really manage to get back in the game and they score yet again, it's 5-3 for Colorado and it's the final score. I just couldn't be happier about the game at the moment.. I haven't played it since November, but now I have a reason. New patch, new sliders and playoffs are starting here in Sweden. Here are some clips from the game, nothing special though. The past parts weren't saved. (great defense, goalie going out far etc) http://www.easportsworld.com/en_US/video/4073269 http://www.easportsworld.com/en_US/video/4072785 http://www.easportsworld.com/en_US/video/4072379 http://www.easportsworld.com/en_US/video/4072237 Take a look while you can, they won't be there for long.. Thanks for your awesome sliders Qb, and thanks to EA for reviving their game for me and many others.

More Links

Qb's All-Star Sliders [post-patch]