Community ManagerThe VAST majority of online players are 160lbs with great speed and there's no disadvantage to doing so. How many players in the NHL are 160lbs? You've nerfed the poke check and being able to defend cross crease passes, and made checking more difficult. Attempted hits and poke checks take you out of position easily and you've made it overall much more difficult to defend. For primarily defensive players, it's made it more difficult and less fun, which leaves us short on defensive players and way too heavy on tiny, speedy forwards. Balancing this would make a much better overall experience for real hockey fans.
@Zacrates66I think the adjustments to hitting has improved the game. Suction hits from previous iterations was a disgrace to the game and made it into a hit fest. Once you learn how to hit in 24, hitting becomes more rewarding and skill based.
The issue with defense is that the tools to their disposal do not function the way they should. Being IN POSITION, Poke checks, stick lifts, tie ups, box outs, defensive skill stick, LB to put one knee and your stick on the ice, and diving on the ice, all have negative effects when you use them, which in turn gives an advantage to the offense.
- Being IN POSITION is often not rewarded. Slow, simple passes go right through you that a peewee player could disrupt, and players will often skate right through you like you're lathered in butter. In real life, positioning matters more than anything else in hockey.
- Poke checks slow you down (and poke check auto aims, instead of being manual aim, which is another problem)
- Defensive Skill Stick slows you down (not to mention when you initiate defensive skill stick, it ALWAYS has to begin with an auto aim poke check, which causes unnecessary penalties)
- Stick Lift, while better than 23, still causes more penalties than it should, and it's not manual aim (e.g., you want to stick lift someone in front of the net, but the puck carrier is behind you, your player will whip around and try to stick lift the player behind you, instead of the intended target)
- Tie Ups sometimes are too difficult to initiate, and the way they are implemented (animation based) doesn't make sense.
- Box Outs sometimes are too difficult to initiate, and the way they are implemented (animation based) doesn't make sense.
- LB to put one knee/stick on ice, if the puck is anywhere near your legs, the puck will always perfectly go between your legs. Feels contrived.
- LB+RB to dive one ice, if the puck is anywhere near your armpit, the puck will always go underneath your armpit. Feels contrived.
I agree with every single word you said. Also, I should have been more clear. I actually Love the new hitting! I was just saying, it's a bit more difficult. Personally that doesn't affect me a ton, as I'm not much of a hitter. I agree with the positioning aspect the most. I'm very sound positionally and it definitely isn't a big enough reward for doing so. I think in general, there's too much reward for players that don't play it like real hockey. I wish they would leave the arcade style to 3s and reward real hockey plays by real hockey players. I'm even ok with drop in being a bit arcade like, but in club and competitive they need to set the defense and goaltenders up to succeed as much as the offense.
I've been playing since 93. Religiously. I love this game. It's been frustrating a lot, but I still love it. I just want to see them create the best possible experience to actual hockey fans, instead of setting it up too be 160lb players scoring 6 goals a game. Lol thanks for the response! I hope they read what you wrote!
So I guess the devs think that poke-checking and pass interceptions are working the way they should and are absolutely ok despite the videos in various threads in this forum?
@CarlitosCZE wrote:So I guess the devs think that poke-checking and pass interceptions are working the way they should and are absolutely ok despite the videos in various threads in this forum?
That's also my understanding.
Their analytics department probably revealed that catering to bad players and reducing the skill gap places more weight on the players attributes which entices pay-to-win and dlc purchases. RIP simulation hockey games.
@Pengman wrote:@Zacrates66I think the adjustments to hitting has improved the game. Suction hits from previous iterations was a disgrace to the game and made it into a hit fest. Once you learn how to hit in 24, hitting becomes more rewarding and skill based.
The issue with defense is that the tools to their disposal do not function the way they should. Being IN POSITION, Poke checks, stick lifts, tie ups, box outs, defensive skill stick, LB to put one knee and your stick on the ice, and diving on the ice, all have negative effects when you use them, which in turn gives an advantage to the offense.
- Being IN POSITION is often not rewarded. Slow, simple passes go right through you that a peewee player could disrupt, and players will often skate right through you like you're lathered in butter. In real life, positioning matters more than anything else in hockey.
- Poke checks slow you down (and poke check auto aims, instead of being manual aim, which is another problem)
- Defensive Skill Stick slows you down (not to mention when you initiate defensive skill stick, it ALWAYS has to begin with an auto aim poke check, which causes unnecessary penalties)
- Stick Lift, while better than 23, still causes more penalties than it should, and it's not manual aim (e.g., you want to stick lift someone in front of the net, but the puck carrier is behind you, your player will whip around and try to stick lift the player behind you, instead of the intended target)
- Tie Ups sometimes are too difficult to initiate, and the way they are implemented (animation based) doesn't make sense.
- Box Outs sometimes are too difficult to initiate, and the way they are implemented (animation based) doesn't make sense.
- LB to put one knee/stick on ice, if the puck is anywhere near your legs, the puck will always perfectly go between your legs. Feels contrived.
- LB+RB to dive one ice, if the puck is anywhere near your armpit, the puck will always go underneath your armpit. Feels contrived.
PREACH!
@Pengman wrote:@Zacrates66I think the adjustments to hitting has improved the game. Suction hits from previous iterations was a disgrace to the game and made it into a hit fest. Once you learn how to hit in 24, hitting becomes more rewarding and skill based.
The issue with defense is that the tools to their disposal do not function the way they should. Being IN POSITION, Poke checks, stick lifts, tie ups, box outs, defensive skill stick, LB to put one knee and your stick on the ice, and diving on the ice, all have negative effects when you use them, which in turn gives an advantage to the offense.
- Being IN POSITION is often not rewarded. Slow, simple passes go right through you that a peewee player could disrupt, and players will often skate right through you like you're lathered in butter. In real life, positioning matters more than anything else in hockey.
- Poke checks slow you down (and poke check auto aims, instead of being manual aim, which is another problem)
- Defensive Skill Stick slows you down (not to mention when you initiate defensive skill stick, it ALWAYS has to begin with an auto aim poke check, which causes unnecessary penalties)
- Stick Lift, while better than 23, still causes more penalties than it should, and it's not manual aim (e.g., you want to stick lift someone in front of the net, but the puck carrier is behind you, your player will whip around and try to stick lift the player behind you, instead of the intended target)
- Tie Ups sometimes are too difficult to initiate, and the way they are implemented (animation based) doesn't make sense.
- Box Outs sometimes are too difficult to initiate, and the way they are implemented (animation based) doesn't make sense.
- LB to put one knee/stick on ice, if the puck is anywhere near your legs, the puck will always perfectly go between your legs. Feels contrived.
- LB+RB to dive one ice, if the puck is anywhere near your armpit, the puck will always go underneath your armpit. Feels contrived.
I play mostly chel 6v6.
@EA_Aljo here is perfect list for you guys what you should fix.
Also REMOVE that stupid HIP CHECK & MICHIGAN from face buttons.
I have to ask that where do you guys find all these ”great” ideas?
Seriously. This makes zero sense that somehow difficult hit/dekes are so easy to do with one button. Now everybody are spamming these.
In chel 6v6 games most of players (wingers and defenders) using a puck moving defenceman 183/185cm (6 ft) and 72kg (158lbs).
So many different player classes but most of them are useless.
Is this real icehockey? Come on EA.
Could you please focus on improving this game instead of totally ruining it?
LISTEN YOUR CUSTOMERS
I think the adjustments to hitting has improved the game. Suction hits from previous iterations was a disgrace to the game and made it into a hit fest. Once you learn how to hit in 24, hitting becomes more rewarding and skill based. The issue with defense is that the tools to their disposal do not function the way they should. Being IN POSITION, Poke checks, stick lifts, tie ups, box outs, defensive skill stick, LB to put one knee and your stick on the ice, and diving on the ice, all have negative effects when you use them, which in turn gives an advantage to the offense. - Being IN POSITION is often not rewarded. Slow, simple passes go right through you that a peewee player could disrupt, and players will often skate right through you like you're lathered in butter. In real life, positioning matters more than anything else in hockey. - Poke checks slow you down (and poke check auto aims, instead of being manual aim, which is another problem) - Defensive Skill Stick slows you down (not to mention when you initiate defensive skill stick, it ALWAYS has to begin with an auto aim poke check, which causes unnecessary penalties) - Stick Lift, while better than 23, still causes more penalties than it should, and it's not manual aim (e.g., you want to stick lift someone in front of the net, but the puck carrier is behind you, your player will whip around and try to stick lift the player behind you, instead of the intended target) - Tie Ups sometimes are too difficult to initiate, and the way they are implemented (animation based) doesn't make sense. - Box Outs sometimes are too difficult to initiate, and the way they are implemented (animation based) doesn't make sense. - LB to put one knee/stick on ice, if the puck is anywhere near your legs, the puck will always perfectly go between your legs. Feels contrived. - LB+RB to dive one ice, if the puck is anywhere near your armpit, the puck will always go underneath your armpit. Feels contrived.
Couldn't agree more. Quick pick + 90 defensive awareness and 20 foot passes still go right through my triangle or between my feet. I dropped Quick Pick entirely because it doesn't seem to make a difference intercepting pucks within normal range.
Net battles/tie ups are clunky and take you out of the game for almost 2 full seconds - plenty of time for a cross-crease to the empty post or a drive to the net. The biggest problem is that they're 100% necessary to prevent Big Tipper scum, and you usually just wind up screening your own goalie and he gives up a muffin anyways.
This game is in the worst place its ever been and its by far the least fun iteration I can recall playing. Maybe its just the cumulative impact of a decade of crap but this game is just awfully unenjoyable. At first I tried saving clips of things I deemed broken or not working as intended or just flat out not something seen in a hockey game, but it got to the point where I might as well just be recording entire games.
Year after year of poorly thought out features and bad code on top of bad code has made this game such a mess that I fear without a complete tear down that its just a lost cause. This game desperately needs to just be thrown out, take 3-4 years off, and rebuilt from the ground up.
Defense is non existent.
AI goalies basically operate the exact opposite to how they should.
I don't find offense very fun because we seem to be rewarded more for broken and nonsense plays than you are for good ones.
The menus/UI operate worse than gaming consoles did 2 decades ago. Seriously. How much useless crap do you have in these games and menus that make it so my ps5 can barely even load it?
Server issues making one team skate like a bunch of McDavids while the other team skates like their actual selves would on the ice.
Constant jersey/uniform glitches. I had to play a game last night where both teams were just in all black despite niether team actually wearing black and my teammates not having that issues at all. How fun.
I struggle to find a single redeeming or enjoyable thing about this game other than the fact that I like hockey, despite this game barely resembling the sport I know.
