Why are goalies in WOC so bad? Just wondering what the goalie logic is because I've played about ten games straight where the opposing goalie gets a shut out against shots that should be going in, but our goalie lets up goals to truculence that just holds forehand. it makes zero sense and I think EA needs to figure out this issue because it's getting to the point where it seems like EA just cares that you give them money for both the game and in game currencies for HUT. If you're gonna release the ONLY NHL game for console and pc for that matter can you at least take the time to fix it when its buggy. I know I speak for most people when I say that an enforcer defenseman who for some ungodly reason has 90+ speed can deke out your whole team it makes the game useless and it makes the player classes worthless when you don't give practical boundaries to what a player can do. I can't believe how many close quarters 95 speeds I encounter that have no sense of how to play real hockey. I personally play defense and having to deal with a full team of either bruisers or speed demons makes the game so bad to the point where I can't see possibly buying this game in the future.TL:DR : Dont buy EA games its always a disappointment.

When I played Junior these shots were common, especially blocker side since it's their weaker end. Although that might be the goalie would adjust their play and cover those common areas. The opposing team would then have to setup by cycling the puck looking for a reasonable shot on net. In these games it was more defensive than offensive since the physicality added to the gameplay. As a D-man the job was to drive the opposing players to the outside laying them out before entering the zone. Strong-side D-men went for the check, while the weak-side covered the middle of the ice driving the right side opponents to the outside also. Goalies at a competitive level knew how to position properly and would stop the same shot if it was repeated numerous times. NHL 23 the goalies don't adapt and let in weak goals. It was costly for a GWC competitor to lose out based off a goal that bounced off the boards and went into the net when the goalie was staring right at it. Waiting for NHL 24 to fix things is too long of a way giving the current product is unacceptable for what we paid full for. Need to fix it or give us compensation to match the quality.

You don't even need Close Quarters this year - Heck, you don't even need to deke or shoot, the puck will always find its way to the back of the net

It's no real surprise there's a mix of opinions on goalies. How effective they are is really a mixed bag. They're a bit too effective against certain cross-ice passing plays. When these plays trigger a "desperation save" animation they result in saves more often then the probably should. Goalies also seem to be less impacted by screens than they should be. A bit too many "can't see the puck, but makes an easy glove save" plays happen. ( As an aside, is it me or are defending players screening their own goalie more "effective" than offensive players setting up the same screen? )On the other hand goalies are absolutely useless at certain aspects of the game. Breakaways/penalty shots are almost a guaranteed goal. And yes, they should be high-percentage chances but I'd like to see players actually need to make a smart move to beat the goalie rather than just be able to skate a straight line and shoot forehand every time. The two most egregious issues though are the extreme-angle short-side shots that goalies just can't handle and also goalies knocking pucks into their own net when trying to cover a loose puck. Of the two the short-side problem is the biggest one for me. It basically forces defenders to be much more aggressive against offensive players in what should be completely non-dangerous positions because you have to worry that a shot from there is going to beat the goalie when it never should. This opens up other, actual high-danger plays because defenders get pulled out of position.

@EA_Aljo Something I see happen again will be the whip shot coming back if the short side is made very hard to score on. Or we could see the move of the pull back and fast shot far side since the move brings the puck in closer and behind the skater which would pull the goalie more. I mean it's just common when you see them fix one area that you know another is opening up instantly.I don't think AI is far enough along in the game to be truly sporadic where it would possibly play the same movement differently.Only solution I ever had for changing up goalies was to get rid of the set animations for goalies and give each limb a range of movement to cover and how well it can be covered. There should be real life data that could help with that too.Also something that is huge to me is that aiming for corners just don't miss the net enough. I truly want to be able to just miss the net aiming for a snipe shot. I rock like 76-78 accuracy and the amount of times I can place the puck in great areas just shouldn't happen. So the shooting aspect also needs a rework.

@TTZ_Dipsy Idk about you but when I'm playing 6s we all having a good time win or lose. 90% of the time we aren't even talking about the game til we need to. Like last night we were making fun of 1 of our friends who is a Maple Leaf fan..But what is an AI that is considered good enough but not great or bad?I actually don't have problems playing goalie. It's mostly about the team in front of you playing defense. Any game you finish with an 80% or higher save is like a win in 6s. I had ideas for simple goalie controls for things like hugging posts and such where LB hugs Left post and RB hugs right post but nothing ever came of it.

WOC Goalies are possibly the worst bots in any EA game put out

43 Replies

EA_Aljo
Community Manager
3 years ago
Hi there, @CrazyxDave38

If I'm understanding you right, the goalie for your opponents is always good while yours is always bad?
TheUnusedCrayon
Seasoned Ace
3 years ago
@EA_Aljo wrote:
Hi there, @CrazyxDave38
If I'm understanding you right, the goalie for your opponents is always good while yours is always bad?
Even Aljo is starting to troll here now, lol
EA_Aljo
Community Manager
3 years ago
@TheUnusedCrayon wrote:

@EA_Aljo wrote:

Hi there, @CrazyxDave38

If I'm understanding you right, the goalie for your opponents is always good while yours is always bad?

Even Aljo is starting to troll here now, lol

I'm just trying to get some clarification since the claim seems to be all AI goalies in WoC are bad, but they also say only their goalie is bad.
TheUnusedCrayon
Seasoned Ace
3 years ago
@EA_Aljo wrote:
@TheUnusedCrayon wrote:
@EA_Aljo wrote:
Hi there, @CrazyxDave38
If I'm understanding you right, the goalie for your opponents is always good while yours is always bad?
Even Aljo is starting to troll here now, lol
I'm just trying to get some clarification since the claim seems to be all AI goalies in WoC are bad, but they also say only their goalie is bad.
He's referencing how goalies are bad situationally on things they should be good at and vice versa.
crazyxdave38
Seasoned Novice
3 years ago
I’m saying that everyone we play knows how to cheese the goalie. If the goalie makes saves based off of percentages or something like that then it’s definitely broken. I know I’m not the only one who thinks this. Also player classes are destroyed when u can just make an enforcer that can do everything
crazyxdave38
Seasoned Novice
3 years ago
Again, people have found out rather quickly that the bot goalies can’t save certain shots. I’m in div 5 and I lost a game on four straight shots that became four straight goals because the goalie doesn’t seem to move correctly when people get in close
EA_Aljo
Community Manager
3 years ago
@CrazyxDave38 wrote:

Again, people have found out rather quickly that the bot goalies can’t save certain shots. I’m in div 5 and I lost a game on four straight shots that became four straight goals because the goalie doesn’t seem to move correctly when people get in close

Goalies are the same on both sides. The defense in front is not though. Even with both teams having AI defenders, how the humans are controlling their players is going to effect AI positioning. If your opponents are scoring the same goal 4 shots in a row, it would be good to recognize this pattern and adjust your strategies to better defend it.

I'm not saying goalies are perfect by any means. There's absolutely room for improvement. Chances are good that's not going to happen during NHL 23. In the meantime, it would be good to hone those defensive skills as well as adjust your defensive strategies to better counter your opponents.
xX_Dave_38_Xx
3 years ago
Its impossible to do this when poke checks don't work and people can pass through for the one tee anyways. People just set up the same shot every time and you can't do anything about it. We could have three people on the goal line and they still get the passes through it makes no sense. The game is severely broken and I don't see how it couldn't be fixed in 23 if you just had people look into it. You guys spend way too much time focusing on HUT and not enough time focusing on game glitches that haven't been fixed for months.
EA_Aljo
Community Manager
3 years ago
@xX_Dave_38_Xx

I play defense primarily in WoC. Normally, with an AI D partner. I haven't had a problem stopping cross-crease passes and using poke checks to break up plays. I've also seen other teams defend our attempts at those shots as well as land successful poke checks. Again, if you're seeing a team set up the same shot over and over again, you already know what they're going to do. Being able to recognize this and anticipate when it's going to happen will help your club get in better position to stop these shots.

This isn't saying the game is perfect by any means. I'm pretty frustrated with defending the same meta play over and over again, but what you're describing can be defended. You even mention that other teams are scoring on you, but you're not able to score on them. This sounds like your opponents are finding gaps in your defense and are exploiting that.
xX_Dave_38_Xx
3 years ago
dude u literally work for EA you have the power to fix the exploits if I have three players all trying to intercept the pass then its not a problem with our defense its a problem with the way passes are able to get by so easily

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WOC Goalies are possibly the worst bots in any EA game put out

43 Replies

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