Revert The Goalie Update
It's time to admit you had no idea what you were doing when you made the AI goalies dumber, the game is somehow in even worse shape afterwords. The AI goalies now let in everything from everywhere, ...
Forum Discussion
EA_Aljo
Community Manager
Community ManagerWe're aware of the feedback on goalies as well as how they're playing so hopefully, we'll see changes in the future. Also, while they are obviously letting in some weak goals, the examples you provided aren't going to happen with every shot. They're also saving a high amount of shots from the points. I see more good goals scored than weak ones. Still though, it's always frustrating to have shots that seemingly should be saved end up in the back of the net.
@EA_Aljo wrote:We're aware of the feedback on goalies as well as how they're playing so hopefully, we'll see changes in the future. Also, while they are obviously letting in some weak goals, the examples you provided aren't going to happen with every shot. They're also saving a high amount of shots from the points. I see more good goals scored than weak ones. Still though, it's always frustrating to have shots that seemingly should be saved end up in the back of the net.
Yes, of course not every single one of those shots is going to go in, but the point is that I can go into practice mode one on one with the goalie and throw unscreened, weak wrist shots from the blue line and put a good number of pucks past the goalie. That shouldn't happen. In real life, when you see plays like that, it's because you looked up "worst NHL goals ever" on YouTube. Those kinds of horrendous goals happen rarely in the NHL, but we see them all the time in this game.
The goalies are either not good enough, or the skaters are way too strong. I mean, the build I used in those examples has about 83 wrister accuracy and 85 wrister power. Why should those shots be going in at all?
- EA_Aljo
Why shouldn't those shots go in though? These are still supposed to represent professional players. Just because they have a score in the 80s doesn't mean they shouldn't be allowed to score.
@EA_Aljo wrote:Why shouldn't those shots go in though? These are still supposed to represent professional players. Just because they have a score in the 80s doesn't mean they shouldn't be allowed to score.
Because it's an unscreened shot from a mile away? Any pro goalie who let in those kinds of shots would quickly be unemployed.
Just to be clear, there's a reason why pro hockey teams fight so hard to protect the net front and middle slot while conceding point shots. It's because point shots aren't dangerous by themselves. Point shots are really only dangerous when there's a screen or deflection. If neither of those two things are happening, as is the case in my clips, then those shots are the easiest thing in the world for goalies to deal with. And, yet, here we are where the goalies in NHL 24 are falling over themselves in sheer terror of weak wrist shots from the blue line with no screen.
- EA_Aljo
As I said, goalies could use improving. I get just as frustrated as the rest of you with them. I also see them regularly saving point shots though. This doesn't mean they're working perfectly of course. I've sent on the feedback that has been provided about goalies so the team is very aware of them. It's not something that's going to change overnight though. When they're updated, we'll announce it.
@EA_Aljo No disrespect at all but this is a baffling response to the videos @SummerOfDekes presented to you. I don't think anyone said skaters with stats in the mid-80s SHOULDN'T be allowed to score. He was talking about unscreened, soft wristers from the point giving goalies way more trouble than they should OR straight up hitting the back of the net.
This is one of those "realistic" things that shouldn't be modeled in the game, IMO. Do goalies IRL have "brain farts" or momentary lapses and let in absolute softies? Of course... but what should such an inconsistency be modeled in this hockey video game? One of the key aspects of solid game design is having the consequences of our actions be predictable, right?
To give an example of the opposite of this and frame it in a different genre: If you're playing a platformer like Mario and go to jump over a gap but suddenly, Mario doesn't jump because he got distracted by a Goomba in the distance and you fall into the gap, you'd be dissatisfied, right? I know I would. That would be an unearned consequence of an action I performed correctly.
This game (and all sports games) have enough "dice rolls" in them by their very nature. I think making certain things "impossible" can be helpful in terms of game design. Making it so that it's impossible for an unscreened wrister to beat a goalie from so far out would be a GOOD thing in my opinion. Taking randomness out of the game where you can result in a more satisfying experience. Or, to compromise, leave the randomness for offline, non-competitive modes as a slider that can be opted into.
- EA_Aljo
@NeonSkyline21 wrote:
@EA_Aljo No disrespect at all but this is a baffling response to the videos @SummerOfDekes presented to you. I don't think anyone said skaters with stats in the mid-80s SHOULDN'T be allowed to score. He was talking about unscreened, soft wristers from the point giving goalies way more trouble than they should OR straight up hitting the back of the net.
What they said was -"Any pro goalie who let in those kinds of shots would quickly be unemployed."
I took this to mean they should always stop those shots. Again, the high majority of these will be stopped.
