As Aljo has said, there are indeed things being done related to community concerns and we should acknowledge that.
The direction of the game is limited in scope for what they are willing or able to correct however.
If it can be considered "realistic" it isn't a priority. They aren't attempting to present an "NHL" game, but their own "EASHL/CHEL" version of hockey gameplay.
That means cutting corners, a lack of balance, and "unique" presentation. (I don't personally consider these things to be good.)
When they implement their own ideas they tend to go all-in with drastic changes, but when it comes to community suggestions they tend to adjust incrementally to appease the feedback rather than go all the way towards a solution. Some things are subjective and gradual adjustments make sense, while others actually require a full correction.
When they do attempt a "full" correction, it often has unintended consequences or doesn't actually result in a "fix". Sometimes it simply makes things worse.
The pressure system is a prime example of an addition with good intentions where they went "all in" with a design choice. The problem is that it wasn't well thought out and they are reluctant to adjust such a "feature" to the point where it functions as it "should".
The intention was promising. Encourage more of a team dynamic and setting up in the zone to implement more offensive hockey strategies.
- Issue #1 is that there is so much programmed into the game to give a rush strategy the advantage with a single player controlling the puck or a simple cross crease, that there's no advantage to building a strategy around the pressure system.
- Issue #2 is that they had to "break" other things to implement it, such as nerfing the speed and height of dumps to prevent teams from easily clearing the zone.
- Issue #3 is that they had to "incentivize" using the new mechanic by making goaltenders fall flat on their face with regularity when pressure is achieved, combined with defenders skating in molasses and losing all their stamina.
That's not an exhaustive list, but an example of what happens when they add new elements without thorough consideration on how they present in a "hockey" game and without understanding the extent of the impact these "features" will have when put into practice.
There is no planned progression towards building a better game. The direction of the series is only to make each game "different enough' to justify it as a stand-alone product.
Many, if not most of us, are disappointed because we are expecting something that isn't even in the long term vision of the franchise.
BAP and Franchise are not seen as important enough towards sales to invest in. It's too labor and knowledge intensive to create a realistic version of hockey.
The focus is on purchases after sale (microtransactions) such as HUT and now Battlepass.
There are things that simply will not be done with the current version of the game. There always are. The only hope is that "your" thing becomes the one they focus on for the next version (25) and becomes the selling point of the game. Maybe next year they completely rework franchise mode for example instead of major overhauls to CHEL or gameplay.
For the here and now, the best we can really hope for are that they at least work the bugs out. There are still issues with custom jerseys in club for example and that's AFTER they applied a "fix".
In short, it's not that "nothing" is being done. It's that some things you (and I) want aren't being done and aren't going to be done. Some require a new game but most require a willingness to prioritize specific areas. Let the team know what you expect moving forward.
