AI Goalie Animations Open Too Many Holes (WOC)

Question

This has been an issue for a couple of years, but in NHL 25 it seems to be at its worst. Essentially the animations chosen for goalies open up holes that allows for goals no reasonable professional goalie would be giving up on such a regular basis. "Off the blocker and in" has become an all to common phrase during club games.

Some up-front caveats before we get to the clip so the conversation doesn't go off the rails.

This is just one example of the problem. It happens on the glove side as well, although less frequently. It also happens on shots from much longer distances, as far out as the blue line.
This isn't a complaint about a goal being scored from this location. The slot is a high-percentage scoring area. The complaint is that this particular shot goes in when it should be a trivial save.
This type of goal is one I see scored both for and against multiple times a session. The clip below is actually me scoring the goal. It's bad no matter which team is scoring it.

In a nutshell the issue is that the animations chosen for goalies on shots that aren't at the perimeter of the net cause them to extend their limbs to or beyond the goal posts and open up holes for the puck to go in. If the goalies were more settled, or had access to less extreme animations these type of shots would end up resulting in the trivial saves they should be. In an ideal world goalies would have the ability to independently move their limbs to make saves where the puck is going instead of just picking a canned animation.

This reminds me a lot of an issue from back in NHL 22 where goalies were making desperation saves with the shaft of their stick at least once a game. What should be a miracle save was a regular occurrence because the canned goalie animation and the limited shot location would line up perfectly constantly.

summerofdekesii · Answer

I've said for a long time now that one issue with goalies is a lack of animations as well as the logic of when to use them.

https://www.xbox.com/play/media/2bRKbuz9sa

This is against an AI goalie, but the AI plays a part with human goalies as well, so it still applies.

Watch how the goalie moves as the pass is made at the point for a one-timer. In real life, the goalie would recognize that he has more than enough time to move over for the shot and would just use a t-push to do so in a calm and controlled manner. In NHL 25, the goalie completely panics and does a desperate butterfly slide so far over that he takes himself nearly out of the net for an easy cross-grain goal.

https://www.xbox.com/play/media/sKD9XLGMhi

Another AI goalie, so it's not an issue of a user goalie moving that creates this goal.

Goalie has the post sealed. Pretty much a guaranteed save if he just doesn't move. Instead, the game gives an animation where the goalie inexplicably moves off the post just long enough to give up an easy shortside goal.

There are times where goalies would and should do certain movements to make a save, but the contextual logic for when and where these movements should happen seems to be missing from the game.

I understand goals gotta be scored, but do the goalies need to be THIS handicapped? Goalies in this game are slow, they flop around constantly, they give bad animations, they throw pucks into their own net, etc.

This game is tedious to play for anyone not playing forward.

modulater83 · Answer

I've posted about both issues previously (the blocker one recently).&nbsp; Just wanted to chime in to add some additional weight.&nbsp; I see the exact same thing.&nbsp; Goalies allow too many "off the blocker and in" goals.&nbsp; And in general goalies over react and go full desperation to any type of deflection, block, change of angle.&nbsp; Even minor ones.&nbsp; This needs to be dialed back.

summerofdekesii · Answer

EA_Aljo&nbsp;https://www.xbox.com/play/media/2xBVXd2qxzThis is the kind of thing we're talking about. Pass goes from the boards to the point for a one-timer and the goalie just lays down on his stomach. In what world would a goalie do that? Any goalie would at least attempt to get up from the RVH and come out to the top of his crease. That's an AI goalie, too, so it's not just a player making a poor decision.https://www.xbox.com/play/media/He3AkbtG7tAnd the issue isn't necessarily about whether a goal is scored. In this second clip, the human goalie positions himself poorly and gives up short side. No problem with that being a goal. What I don't understand is the animations. Instead of being given a kind of lunging animation towards the post, the goalie makes a reaching animation into his own net. What sense does that make?&nbsp;

ea_aljo · Answer

Thanks for gathering the clips and passing on the feedback. I'll relay this to the team.

destroyer95 · Answer

As someone who primarily plays defense, I agree with everything said, and want to reiterate that goalies typically don’t help out much, even on supposed “routine” shots that find their way in more than they should. I don’t have any current clips to provide, but I agree with everything stated above, and it has all happened to me also. The goalie constantly moving off the post and letting in sharp angle goals is also one of my biggest pet peeves. Especially when I have the other side covered and there is nowhere to go or shoot except one spot, yet the goalie will move off the post for no reason and let in a goal. Something else I’ve experienced frequently also is when the goalie raises their blocker arm too high when making a save on a high shot, causing the puck to still make its way in under their arm after bouncing around or down. It’s definitely very frustrating as a defensive player to generally never be able to rely on the goalie to help you out. I wouldn’t even mind if they removed all the flashy save animations to get them right, and have the goalies just play a more stay at home basic style that makes they saves they should be making most of the time.&nbsp;

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AI Goalie Animations Open Too Many Holes (WOC)

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