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

EA_Aljo
Community Manager
2 years ago
@rsandersr47

What you said was this - "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."

As well as this - "Cross play.. but it was only half done. There are also posts about how the two games don't behave the same.. so I would suggest that means it's broken.."

You didn't say everyone. I was saying that there are still many people that don't get this error. That doesn't mean there is no problem though of course.

Presentation is a different issue. It had to be removed. It wasn't something we wanted to do by any means.

I'm not posting clips of my own play to protect my privacy since I play on my personal account.

Your misinformation are assumptions and opinions on our development along with why other games are no longer around. You're saying we have no reason to fix bugs, which really isn't true at all.

The change to stick lifts was based on community feedback and their own vision for the game. We had a lot of complaints that they were too easy and being used in situations they shouldn't be. I get that people here feel this should be easy to get perfectly right, but that's really not the case. The intent this time was to have them not be overpowered and used appropriately. I don't think we quite hit the mark there, but it is better than getting lifted from behind. Which, was a big complaint. It also has always been pretty easy to take a penalty with it. It's been widely known as "the penalty button" for years. There are of course those that are good at using it with taking few penalties.

Yes. For some, with having offline mode issues, the game is unplayable. I get that. That's not what I'm talking about though. Your example of Crash Bandicoot is a good one, but again, why play a game that is deemed broken for hundreds of hours or more?
RelentlessJ84
2 years ago
@EA_Aljo

"I'm not posting clips of my own play to protect my privacy since I play on my personal account."

Wouldn't it literally just show your player name and not your PSN/Gamertag?

"The change to stick lifts was based on community feedback and their own vision for the game. We had a lot of complaints that they were too easy and being used in situations they shouldn't be. I get that people here feel this should be easy to get perfectly right, but that's really not the case. The intent this time was to have them not be overpowered and used appropriately. I don't think we quite hit the mark there, but it is better than getting lifted from behind. Which, was a big complaint. It also has always been pretty easy to take a penalty with it. It's been widely known as "the penalty button" for years. There are of course those that are good at using it with taking few penalties."

I still see people in perfect position try stick lift and get penalized, so if that is what you call "working as intended" then there's something wrong with that.
EA_Aljo
Community Manager
2 years ago
@RelentlessJ84

You can still see my club abbreviation and such. I'm just not comfortable sharing sharing this, but I'll try to go in to a replay and get some clips. That should be relatively anonymous.

@RelentlessJ84 wrote:
@EA_Aljo

I still see people in perfect position try stick lift and get penalized, so if that is what you call "working as intended" then there's something wrong with that.

Again. This is why I'm saying it could be improved. There are times positioning is good and penalties are still being taken. It's possible this is an animation issue where it's not lining up with when the stick lift is initiated. Stick lift was made to be more difficult to be successful with. That part is working as intended. In no way am I saying it's perfect and without issue though.
TTZ_Dipsy
Legend
2 years ago
It's fairly quick but i'm pretty sure the game shows both player name and gamertag so it can be tricky to properly edit videos and stuff.

I've seen a few of the devs online and have been told a lot of people play regularly outside of work hours (which can be quite taxing coming from previous game tester). What's most important is the regular community providing as much info as possible - proof the team can't just refute on paper.

A bicycle with a broken handlebar or pedal can still technically be ridden (rode?). I wish people wouldn't use buzzwords all willy nilly but here we are lol. Some things like presentation needed to be removed and goalies... well, you could literally remove em entirely and it wouldn't make a difference so ehh ** shrugs while balancing hands **
KlariskraysNHL
Hero+
2 years ago
@EA_Aljo The problem in my eyes was they overtuned the sticklift penalty. They always seem to take the extreme with things 1 way or the other. Now I get the community hated the sticklift from behind stuff but now we have lots of times you can be right beside someone and go for a lift that results in a penalty. The whole sticklift feature needs reworked to be more of a lift and swipe motion as a way of taking the puck. Also that part of the community hates defense in general.
KidShowtime1867
Hero
2 years ago
@KlariskraysNHL wrote:
@EA_AljoThe problem in my eyes was they overtuned the sticklift penalty. They always seem to take the extreme with things 1 way or the other. Now I get the community hated the sticklift from behind stuff but now we have lots of times you can be right beside someone and go for a lift that results in a penalty. The whole sticklift feature needs reworked to be more of a lift and swipe motion as a way of taking the puck. Also that part of the community hates defense in general.
There should be an option for a hard stick lift (higher risk/reward) and a regular one based on the pressure put on the stick lift button. Regular one is an automatic whiff (no penalty) unless PERFECTLY positioned, and the other one is a gamble with the risk/reward ratio adjusting based on positioning.
EA_Aljo
Community Manager
2 years ago
@KlariskraysNHL wrote:
@EA_Aljo The problem in my eyes was they overtuned the sticklift penalty. They always seem to take the extreme with things 1 way or the other. Now I get the community hated the sticklift from behind stuff but now we have lots of times you can be right beside someone and go for a lift that results in a penalty. The whole sticklift feature needs reworked to be more of a lift and swipe motion as a way of taking the puck. Also that part of the community hates defense in general.

I agree stick lift should be reworked. I really hope that happens. As far as taking the extreme route with things, it's not that we're looking to specifically take that route, but it can also be very challenging to find that sweet spot where it's perfect and doesn't cause other issues.
KlariskraysNHL
Hero+
2 years ago
@EA_AljoThey should never have nerfed Yoink. They have ruined the identity of a TWF by being below average overall. I see Playmakers doing the same amount of defense. TWF should be all about the stickplay imo but oh ya they complained about Yoink because they wanted to hold onto the puck too long in dangerous situations. I'm sorry but if you have 90 stickchecking and 90 def awareness and not lifting from far behind you should be taking that puck vast majority with no penalties.

Roles are meant to succeed where they should regardless of how people feel.
EA_Aljo
Community Manager
2 years ago
@KlariskraysNHL

I don't ever recall hearing about people being upset about Yoink. I don't recall hearing about it being nerfed either. Regardless, the feedback is definitely appreciated. I'd love to see the classes balanced better as well.
rsandersr47
Seasoned Ace
2 years ago
@KlariskraysNHL I've never used "yoink" I certainly wasn't gonna start this year haha. I think X factors need to be balanced more than archetypes. I feel the x factors available to each archetype are far more important than any of the stats. The X factors are just too game changing, especially in EASHL. I dunno who the developers take their feedback from but I think the top players need to work with the devs to discuss the X factors and how/ which to nerf.. I would also suggest a few of those top players being defenseman who play a shutdown defense so that we're not simply focusing on offensive X factors. I don't play much HUT but at least in that mode each X factor has a weight that it carries and you can only have so many good X factors. In EASHL everyone has a gold and 2 silver and they are not weighted. So having gold close quarters, Truculence/ shutdown D, and T2T or w/e is a possible build. That player can kinda do anything at that point. He can beat a goalie in close really easily, pass to anyone with less of a chance of being intercepted, and play really good defense whether he hits a lot or plays an all around defensive game. I personally don't mind the idea of X factors (they were intended to make players feel different from one another and they do that but when most people in EASHL are using the same Xfactors it sorta defeats this..) but they need to be balanced. Personally I would have a max points tank available for a build. If you get a gold X factor it's worth silver points x2 or x3 (again I would defer to someone who has played around with the X factors a lot more than me) so someone could maybe have 5 average silver Xfactors or 1 really good gold. Or maybe 1 average gold and 1 or 2 silver. It's either that or all Xfactors have to have the same viability which would be more difficult to balance imo.

Again, I don't mind CQ, 1TW, or Truculence but if they have gold in either of those then that's all they should get. Not many NHL players SHOULD have more than that if that's their gold. I would argue that maybe Ovi should have 1TW + silver Truculence (not sure what he has in game) he's also an absolute superstar player. Our players should only have 1 gamebreaking ability. It would also make the presentation more enjoyable. If someone has a top tier gold ability like the ones mentioned before (and they also have a lot of goals or hits, depending on the ability) the game could mention that before or just after puck drop.

As far as archetypes stats go, I think some builds are sorta pointless now. Before enforcer and defensive enforcer had buffed strength and hitting per pound. Now every build has the same hitting per pound. The only thing enforcer has going for it are the Xfactors (if you like one of those) and the ability to be really big. It makes a lot more sense to make a big PWF. Don't get me wrong I think enforcers should be worse at being bumped off of a puck (they aren't typically known to have good hands and skating around with the puck on your BH/ forehand shouldnt completely prevent you from being knocked off of it no matter how small the guy hitting you) but they should have a buff for hitting.

I'd also not restrict builds from any gold Xfactor.. I would argue that there are a lot of NHL players that I would have listed as an archetype that I would give an Factor that they shouldn't get based on their archetype.. EASHL should follow suit.

Forum Discussion

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

101 Replies

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