NHL 24 Patch 1.5.0 Feedback

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@SummerOfDekes wrote:Does stick tie-ups using the A button count as a net battle?

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This is a good question. From my understanding, a net-battle is tied to holding Y/Triangle while engaging with an opponent at the net-front. But it's a good question to see if a stick tie-up also counts as a net battle. 

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@Treatmentworke66 wrote:
@internetg611Like I've said total control is a joke ,players using total control hardly get charging penalties

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This is inaccurate. Players using total control do get charging penalties. If using total control seems like such a massive advantage to you, then maybe you should adopt that control scheme? 

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@phomi99 wrote:

It's the current hitting mechanics unfortunately. I think we're stuck with this. It's either zero hitting or speed boost hitting. Why they changed it in the first place is beyond me but we're stuck this year.

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I'm not a fan of the heat-seaking speed boost, but the overall change to hitting is refreshing. Making a big hit is satisfying. Once you get the timing behind your opponent's hitting strategy, they can be avoided much easier.

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@Treatmentworke66 wrote:
@KidShowtime1867That's what you say about the total control I say different ,and no I won't use total control because there is no feel of accomplishment in just pressing a button

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You push a button for passing though. You flick UP on RS for a shot (one 'button' press). You push a button for poke check. You push a button for stick lift. 

Previously, you held up on RS for a body check. 

EA has changed it so that hitting is actually more than "just pressing a button"

For a shove, yes - press B/Circle. It's effective at knocking players off the puck and should not be expected to knock players down. of course, it shouldn't always be expected to knock a player off the puck either. There are a lot of variables at play such as body positioning, momentum and of course the attributes at play between any two given players. 

For a shoulder check, hold B/Circle and release for a big hit. You need to time the release. You cannot just hold B/Circle and hope that your player magnetically transforms their path to magically hit the puck carrier as with previous years. You need to aim properly and time the release. Same goes for those using RS; flick it for a shove, hold down and then time the UP input while aiming the trajectory of your body using LS. 

The same aforementioned variables are at play in these scenarios too. There's more to be taken into consideration when trying to lay a big hit than in previous years where your player would just magnetically suction the opponent into a hit using RS. It was a crutch that many players leaned on and now EA is asking players to time their hits instead. 

We should appreciate the added complexity in hitting because it opens the game up against an opponent who spams it. I was in favor of the removal of the speed burst on the shove/shoulder check animations but it was clear many users were still reliant on the auto-aim that came with players that had big hitting attributes/X-Factors. 

I'd like the speed burst to be toned down and any kind of auto-aim that's linked to higher hitting attributed to be lessened.

I feel nerfing truculence and the speed boost hitting was all that was needed to bring hitting in line with what people were asking for. Any sort of connection desparity between you and your opponents make timing based inputs a disaster for this sort of online game, why doesn't the hip check have some sort of timing aspect to its release? Why is the form of hitting that favors small speedy forward builds the most effective hitting mechanic in the game? Hitting is far from a good place with the new controls and the addition of the OP hipcheck this year, such a poor balance imo.

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@SummerOfDekes wrote:

Interesting patch. Glad to see defense getting some attention. 

Question for you, @EA_Aljo. Does stick tie-ups using the A button count as a net battle? I ask because it's one of the main tools I use when playing defense and was trying to figure out a build that would make net battles easier to win. Would this update mean that performing stick tie-ups would be more effective with  the Bouncer x-factor? Also, are shoves in front of the net affected by Bouncer?

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Stick tie-ups count as a net battle. The change to bouncer won't make it easier to engage in net battles. Once you're in one though, you'll get more benefit. Shoves wouldn't directly be affected unless you're engaged using the Y/Triangle net battle. They could get a bit of a boost indirectly since limb are stronger.

@phomi99 

The tuner notes are included in the patch notes here.

@KidShowtime1867I like the fact that you need to control your hitting and how it's more complex but if they make hitting harder while simplify the Michigan which should be a much harder mechanic? Isn't that backwards. Your punch in a fighting game is harder but the finishing moves are now one button.... What logic is used there? Plus the skill stick does not shove the same compared to using the button from my testing. Plus with skill stick you can't hip check.... Its those inconsistencies that causes faults to having such a huge difference in controls. 

@EA_Aljo  

Chinese team home and away jerseys is wrong.

China wears this jersey at World Championships  🔽

                       (Home)                                                (Away)   

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@MasterB89 wrote:

if they make hitting harder while simplify the Michigan which should be a much harder mechanic? Isn't that backwards. 

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Despite what people are claiming, scoring the Michigan is not just as simple as a button press. You need to initiate the animation by holding Y/Triangle and then time the release of Y/Triangle in order to execute the maneuver successfully - and even then, a defender and/or a goalie can stop it.

So, although the initialization of the Michigan has been simplified, the timing in executing it, ensuring there's enough time and space to execute it flawlessly combined with the current defensive and goalie positioning means there's still a myriad of variables that the player needs to take into consideration when trying to use it to actually score a goal. 

I don't necessarily think they made hitting 'harder'. They simply adjusted the mechanic to have a push-release to force the user to be a bit more methodical when timing the hit. That said, the speed boost does much of the assisting in the aiming of the hit, which is why many were happy with the short-lived nerfing of it. 

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@MasterB89 wrote: Your punch in a fighting game is harder but the finishing moves are now one button.... What logic is used there?  

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The problem with this analogy is that the 'finishing move' in a fighting game is always 100% successful if the player simply enters the right inputs. For The Michigan, all of the variables I described above come into play and there's simply no guarantee that you're going to actually score by simply hitting the right button. 

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@MasterB89 wrote:Plus with skill stick you can't hip check.... Its those inconsistencies that causes faults to having such a huge difference in controls. 

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The game is designed to be used with Total Control. When you're using a control scheme that is outdated, you're going to have to give up some control. This was the case with NHL '94 controls when the Skill Stick came out and now you're seeing the evolution of the control scheme result in Skill Stick now being the lesser option to Total Control.