Seriously...can we nip this in the bud? Is '24 going to have any changes that will differentiate itself from '23? I'm not talking about a couple of new automated animations that require no input to accomplish, but actual changes that the player base has asked for?Is CHEL going to be any different than the outdoor drop in with clown gear no one likes? The same 1's, 3's, and 6's format for everything?Will the same netcode be copied and pasted ensuring it takes multiple attempts to get a 6's game filled?Will the same disconnects and game crashes that you blame on our connections occur?Literally, will anything at all be different that we, as a player base, can look forward to for once?Just tell us now and be up front...is this going to be an overpriced cut and paste of 23 or will 24 finally have something to convince me to pay anything ever again for this franchise?

@heartcell yeah, look across all EA sports titles..NBA Live is dead, 2K made a game and kept investing in new installments EA did not want to spend money to improve their game to compete with 2K. EA pulled the plug on the title as 2K just kept widening the gap.Madden.. 2K started to make a MUCH better game in the ps2 Era. You could make your crib, face celebrities, mini games, franchise was pretty deep. First person camera mode.. game informer at the time had an article that asked whether or not 2K was gonna leave Madden in the dust.. EA bought the license as they had no interest in competition and it was easier to buy exclusive rights than make a better game. To this day I think 2K on ps2 is a better football Sim than madden on ps5.Fifa.. PSE was their only competition, I don't really follow either game or play them. I've heard both were decent games but EA had the licenses bought and so PSE despite many saying it had somewhat better gameplay kinda fell out. I've heard EA actually invests in this game and makes most of their money on it. Maybe it's because they actually had competition too.Their racing games are almost all outclassed by other titles.NHL there is no competition, so no money is being put into developing the game. They put out a title people buy it (albeit I believe less people every year) but if they put almost nothing into the game and still get a return it must be good business. I'm sure there are people crunching numbers that beleive not investing in the game will yield more profit. Maybe they're right. Personally I would think if they invested in a few more programmers maybe more than 3 things can be added over the course of a year, I'm not sure how many programmers they currently have but it is shocking how few things can be added AND broken... maybe something as big as sticklifts wouldn't be broken for an entire year. I get not updating the game to focus on the next.. but sticklifts being broken for a year is pretty unacceptable. I think 1 patch could have been added. The only way this game improves is if the people crunching the numbers thinks that investing in the game will yield more profit. We all know the only way that happens. Unless 2K or someone comes along and makes a game then this series is just gonna float with little to no improvements, bugs that have plagued the game will stay because there is 0 reason to fix it if people are gonna buy anyway. I'd love to make the argument that maybe more people would buy if the game was improved but who knows, probably not worth it to them to spend a few hundred thousand to find out.

@Sega82mega As long as EA prices NHL like a 'AAA' game I think it's fair to expect 'AAA' quality from the game ( although what constitutes 'AAA' quality is a crapshoot these days ). Especially when they're asking that top-tier price on a yearly basis.

@Stud44qc Imo World of Chel aka 6v6 humans is the most simulation experience you can get because it's controlled by the players. Sure the overall gameplay in all modes isn't realistic but when all humans are deciding the game it's the realest of the real.

@FrOhl2011 wrote:@KlariskraysNHLNope! Im 100% certain that im far more experienced than you.I can guarantee you that Follisimo is a far more experienced player. @FrOhl2011 wrote:And IRL ive heard that NHL board is looking to change the ot ”rules”.This just isn't true, so I'd check with your sources.@FrOhl2011 wrote:all the real experienced gamers i know have quit playing the game just because all of the problems, glitches and ”cheats”, (there is not actual cheats IN the game it self) and the additions of non reality modes.I don't think anyone really knows who you are 🤐@FrOhl2011 wrote:We had a good EASHL team when it was exklusive 6v6 play. But it faded alway with the addition of other modes. Longer waiting time and less actuall games made it just boringI think the waiting time for finding a game depends a lot on your regional server, and whether or not you've enabled crossplay and relaxed your search settings. Our team plays 6's 3-4 nights a week and the only time searching for a game is an issue is during the finals. There's some weird matchmaking going on there that makes things take much longer. Other than that, haven't really had this issue.@FrOhl2011 wrote:Now, the problem was/is that most of those team/clubs is the ”exklusive” rights of friends only.I don't even know what that means.@FrOhl2011 wrote:Its the lack of commitment of the developers to fix this that frustrerates the most of them.But again, its what ea want..We all deal with the little frustrations in this game, but there's a lot of us still playing because it's fun. I don't think it's fair to comment on the 'commitment' of the development team when you (likely) don't have any experience in the nuts-and-bolts of what it takes to put out a game like this every year. But I'm sure you'll tell us all about your engineering background now.@FrOhl2011 wrote: But guess what. Im planning to stay around for atleast 40 more years! Active playing or not. Im collecting the hockey games. Even if i never play them.Well it seems you're part of the problem you're describing. If you're not a fan of the product, then stop telling the company you ARE by giving them $$$ every single year. Vote with your wallet. @FrOhl2011 wrote:I can say that ive played every single hockey game that has excisted! But im still older than the first.i know my english is bad. Its not my native language but i think i make me understandable enough.”Brett Hull Hockey” baby!And the Zamboni drive i period break in the twoK series! Or the ”avatars” in the 8bit games.That's nice and all, but don't forget you're talking to a group of people who have played all of those games too. You're not the only one who played Brett Hull Hockey. Some of us are true OG's and have been here since "NHL Hockey" back in '91 on the Sega Genesis. But we don't use that experience as a reason to say things like :@FrOhl2011 wrote:@KlariskraysNHLNope! Im 100% certain that im far more experienced than you.And i know whats wrong with the game AND what excists and not. Period!We all know what's wrong. We all watch and play hockey IRL - and so do the developers. But making a videogame is incredibly difficult and trying to cater to every single person's particular tastes when it comes to virtualizing a sport is probably the hardest game development in existence. It's not like you can invent lore like in most games. It's a sport that people are intimately familiar with at a micro scale - we know what equipment players wear, we know the brad of pads goalies should have, we know where the water bottle should be, etc. When developing a new MMORPG or FPS shooter, developers have the luxury of inventing fantasy to create unique gaming moments and gameplay sequences.EA SPORTS needs to tirelessly recreate the action of a real-world sport that people have an eagle-eye for the details. You'll never please everyone.

I honestly have no hope for this years NHL game and this is due to me being disappointed in the quality of games EA has pushed out the last couple of years. The last two installments of F1 have been, from what I have read, well below par when compared to '20 and '21 and think of me what you will, I am still bitter about Battlefield 2042. I am still playing on NHL 22 and the only reason I purchased that release was because the Kraken were added to the game. I mainly play the Be a Pro mode and the '22 version was just a copy and paste job from the previous years mode and that was rather horrendous. I feel as if EA and other developers just put all their focus into the microtransaction crap and not even bother putting out a polished game anymore, their certainly not worth the $50-60 when they release.

So EA...is there any reason to think '24 will look/play any different than '23?

101 Replies

KlariskraysNHL
Hero
2 years ago
@Moxrox84 You'll find out when they finally show off what NHL 24 will have. My guess is we are still a month or 2 away before we see what NHL 24 has to offer. Only thing we knew is they are working on full crossplay ability.
Moxrox84
2 years ago
If more crossplay is their advertising campaign, it means more of the same for '24.
rsandersr47
Seasoned Ace
2 years ago
@Moxrox84 I agree, 23 was halfway to cross play.. you can't take 2 years for a AAA company to add cross play and that be one of the most focal areas of improvement. That being said I won't be surprised if it is. It's sad to see all the players that love this series but I just don't get the impression that the people working on it have any real passion for the game or maybe even the sport tbh. Just seems every sports title out there is soaring past this game.
Sega82mega
2 years ago
EA is a AAA company but is our EA hockey game considering to be an trippel A title?

I dont know how it works, if every game that comes from a trippel A company becomes to be a trippel A game... 🤔

Becuase EA hockey dosent deserve to have that high demands, I mean when have they ever lived up to that.

Best, but also most difficult, would be to have non direct expectations and just take whats given.

But im sure when trailers and other info is startin to come, the hype and the expectations will follow.

EA is good at making a buzz about their own game, to build castles in the air and then have to explain themselves the whole year when things didnt become to be what everyone was expecting.

But would be fun to get a game were at least 50% of the people on this board was positive.

Mission impossible, EA tell me?.. 🙄😏
PlayoffError
Hero
2 years ago
@Sega82mega As long as EA prices NHL like a 'AAA' game I think it's fair to expect 'AAA' quality from the game ( although what constitutes 'AAA' quality is a crapshoot these days ). Especially when they're asking that top-tier price on a yearly basis.
Sega82mega
2 years ago
@PlayoffError

Same time, a game you get for 50% sale 2-3 months after release.

I dont know, guess they wouldnt put a price on the game that didnt was good for business.

But 1 hockey game out there worth any money is EA, puts us consumers in a corner, if you like hockey on video game, what else to do then pay up.... 🤑
Edit; what actually constitutes 'AAA' quality'? Whats the rules?
CleanHeart
2 years ago
Will it look or play different? Probably not. We can hope but I assume we get MAYBE the ability to have more function with crossplay but I'd assume most of the broken stuff sort of remains or it gets fixed but the new crossplay changes make more problems that will last. I doubt they will even bother pretending they spend another year 'tweaking' the LT ballerina stuff as every year it seems they say they worked to make it more realistic and it's always the same, I doubt hit bubbles will be any different, I doubt the WoC see's anything new including the unlockables. I assume the top X-Factors will remain the top X-Factors and if you play chel you will have to grind so you can get that truculence you wanted, the close quarters you wanted or the elite edges(or all three). AI goalies will float from being beasts on one shot stop and absolutely putrid in every other aspect. I assume human goalies get no better. I would actually love if they spend an entire game cycle just focusing on goalies. Probably need like 2 or 3 straight years like that. Working on AI controlled and human controlled. They need to spend some serious efforts getting the gameplay feeling much better for all positions and THEN hopefully they can come to some acceptance for what it is and move on to working on all the modes and stuff. Franchise needs love, BAP needs love. Offline players even though I'm not one of them need love.
Marvie03
2 years ago
It'll be the same cut/paste job as every other year
NeonSkyline21
Seasoned Ace
2 years ago
@Sega82megaWell I think it's fair to call EA's NHL series a AAA series considering it's a FULL priced game that ALSO has a full-on microtransaction-based mode in HUT. It's safe to assume that EA makes way more money from this game than they're willing to invest just judging from the number of devs and resources allocated to this game.

So, AAA-level criticism is warranted, IMHO.
With that aside, I think it's foolish to assume the game will look/play much different than it has the past 2 years. Things will be slightly adjusted so that the meta SLIGHTLY shifts, but that's all one should/could expect.
Sega82mega
2 years ago
Some info I found out about triple A.

"The term "AAA Games" is a classification used within the video gaming industry to signify high-budget, high-profile games that are typically produced and distributed by large, well-known publishers. These games often rank as “blockbusters” due to their extreme popularity."

High budget EA hockey? You be the judge, but I dont think so.. Thats not how I have been learned.

" AAA is the term to designate the games with the highest production and marketing budgets, usually priced at around $60. The terms AA, A, or B are not used to designate game budgets or pricing. Indie Games are those that are created without the financial support of a publisher. "

Guess EA hockey qualify here, when it comes to the price, if $60 is correct.

" How long does it take to make a AAA game?
between 3 to 5 years
But for games in the AAA category, it's a good assumption to say that they take something between 3 to 5 years to develop. This can be a lot more if the gameplay or assets need to be done from scratch, or if the assets are already there from the previous year (like they do with Call of Duty)."

3-5 years.

And I dont think NHL games can call themselves a 'blockbuster' due to their extreme popularity.

Hellooo, anyoone online out there?

Im having a hard time classified EA hockey as a trippel A 'thang'.

Maybe Aljo know what exactly it takes to be a trippel A title?

A large, well-known publishers, is EA for certain.

Does really EA hockey 'live up' to the name as a AAA ?

"According to the report, AAA games that are greenlit now with potential releases in 2024 or 2025 typically receive development budgets of $200 million or higher — Call of Duty has already surpassed $300 million in development costs alone."

200 million dollar... That would have been something.

Is this something EA can talk about, Aljo what is our budget here in 'hockey land'? What budget are NHL 24 gonna have?

But no mather if its a trippel A or not, EA will always have a big pressure of succeeding, and I guess we all should have some expectations on our developers.

I will love to hear the hype for 24. Just because its fun.