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

PernellKarl027
3 years ago
@KidShowtime1867

I disagree with this.
Tie ups need to be easier. They would stop a lot of the cross-crease stuff and tie-ups go a long way in defending tip-ins as well.
right now, you need to be slow and calculated to initiate a tieup whereas I believe it should be much easier.
As for escaping them, pressing Vision control (LT) works all the time. That part of the mechanic works great.
I agree with your disagreement, lol !
I'm talking strictly OFFLINE here, but Tie ups are a pain… I mostly play locked on D and they are very hard to do, and when they do work, it’s seems to always be a hit or a miss. When I focus on trying to do one, I miss my other assignments in front of goal and I pay the price, lol !
Maybe I don’t have the right technique, but yeah, not my go to play…
EA_Aljo
Community Manager
3 years ago
@PernellKarl027

I use stick tie ups very frequently in EASHL. The player you're trying to tie up needs to be almost completely stopped.
PernellKarl027
3 years ago
@EA_Aljo wrote:
I use stick tie ups very frequently in EASHL. The player you're trying to tie up needs to be almost completely stopped.
@EA_Aljo
Wow ! I must be tired this morning, lol ! MY BAD, yes Tie ups are not that hard, I meant NET BATTLES…. The Boardplay battles I can do them almost at will, but in front of the net, that’s a completely other story…
TTZ_Dipsy
Legend
3 years ago
I get sucked in automatically into tie-ups from a computer (usually in their end way far away from the puck), and its super annoying trying to get out of it.

I'm all for making it easier for humans to initiate but we need some sort of faster QTE or button setup to get out of it - especially for 3v3 because, while it is the meta, players can easily just short-side cheese the goalie when they can't pass (yes, you can do it in 6v6 but there are way more obstacles for the puck carrier).
EA_Aljo
Community Manager
3 years ago
@PernellKarl027 wrote:

@EA_Aljo

Wow ! I must be tired this morning, lol ! MY BAD, yes Tie ups are not that hard, I meant NET BATTLES…. The Boardplay battles I can do them almost at will, but in front of the net, that’s a completely other story…

Gotcha. I never use net battles. Just always found it easier to tie up the stick. It comes in very handy when going up against teams that frequently go for tips. I'd certainly like to see the net battle system improved.
KidShowtime1867
Hero
3 years ago
@EA_Aljo wrote:
@PernellKarl027
I use stick tie ups very frequently in EASHL. The player you're trying to tie up needs to be almost completely stopped.
It would be nice if the threshold for what qualifies as 'almost completely stopped' is increased. I don't want to be able to stop a player going full speed in his tracks with a tie up, but I should be able to tie up his stick for a few crucial frames while he continues his trajectory.
right now we're limited to throwing a poke check or timing a stick lift (which is a penalty 75% of the time) to a player receiving a pass while in-stride. I can tie someone's stick up in real life while they skate by me, I should be able to do that in NHL '24.
EA_Aljo
Community Manager
3 years ago
@KidShowtime1867 wrote:

It would be nice if the threshold for what qualifies as 'almost completely stopped' is increased. I don't want to be able to stop a player going full speed in his tracks with a tie up, but I should be able to tie up his stick for a few crucial frames while he continues his trajectory.

right now we're limited to throwing a poke check or timing a stick lift (which is a penalty 75% of the time) to a player receiving a pass while in-stride. I can tie someone's stick up in real life while they skate by me, I should be able to do that in NHL '24.

Yeah, I agree with this. It would be good to see that threshold raised. I also agree using a regular stick lift isn't a good idea. While I've gotten pretty good at them and don't take penalties often, the positioning has to be just right and doing this in front of the net doesn't really provide that. I don't usually have a problem when skating parallel to someone and lifting from the side or at an angle with some distance between us, but it's really just in specific situations this works. Doing a regular lift in front of the net is just too risky, unfortunately. For now at least.
heartcell
3 years ago
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.
rsandersr47
Seasoned Ace
3 years ago
@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.
EA_Aljo
Community Manager
3 years ago
@rsandersr47

There is a huge amount of misinformation in your post. You're welcome to share your thoughts, but you're making claims that these are facts when they really are not. Other than there are no other hockey games like ours. Currently, that's the case, but that doesn't mean there's no investment in development on our end. You're making a lot of assumptions.

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

101 Replies

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