Goalie fatigue needs to go in NHL 25
The fatigue system was a good idea, but very poorly implemented. Puck retrievals during fatigue as well as clearing the zone continue to be absolutely atrocious. An NHL player can lob a puck from the...
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EA_Aljo
Community Manager
Community ManagerIt's really not preferring offense over defense. Offense is more attractive to most people because they prefer scoring goals to shutting them down. Offense also has the flashier moves just by nature of the position. Defense can be a very challenging position to play well. It's something a lot of people just don't focus on. I've played many opponents with a strong offensive game, but are very much lacking on defense. The tools are there to be a good defender. A lot of people just don't master them.
The flip dump is not a good example of us preferring offense over defense. Flipping the puck out isn't the only way to get it out of your zone. I'm not happy about it either, but I get why it needs to be there so the pressure system actually means something. Otherwise, why have it if you can escape that pressure so easily?
The older, non-weak, flip dump came with the risk of icing or flipping it over the boards for a delay of game penalty. It wasn't necessarily easy to avoid both when you were under pressure from forecheckers. And as thebrazenhead75 said, it's a commonly used hockey play. I still don't understand the perceived need to nerf it. As you say, there are other ways of clearing the puck from your zone... why weren't they nerfed too if you want it to be super difficult to break pressure?
I mean back in October I had this idea that I felt was a great compromise to their system. Probably also super hard to program in also I would assume.
This is actually much better than what is currently allowed in the game and should've been implemented in NHL 24
I see where you're coming from. It does seem like nerfing the flip dump might have been an overreach, especially considering the natural risks like icing or a delay of game penalty. If the goal was to make it harder to clear the puck, it would be interesting to know why this specific play was targeted and not others. Maybe the devs were trying to balance the game in a way we're not seeing yet?
As I recall, the reason given for the high flip nerf was literally that it made the pressure system pointless. At the time, I pointed out that if the system was so easily defeated by such a rudimentary play, then maybe the system was poorly designed.
But the high flip doesn't make the pressure system pointless. As I pointed out, there was risk to the high flip. And frankly, if the offense wants to maintain pressure, they should maintain puck possession.
I forgot to mention in my earlier post my biggest pet-peeve about the weak puck flip. The AI wasn't retrained on how to clear the puck on the penalty kill. They still try to use the puck flip whenever they get possession on the PK and fail to clear it most times. Best case they get it out to center ice... they can never, ever clear it all the way down the ice without carrying down themselves. It also messes up their ability to execute dump-and-chase... they expect the old, more powerful dump in, but only get a weak flip part of the way to where they want the puck to go.
A big part of why the AI is so horrendous these days is because every year game mechanics are added/changed/removed, but the AI is rarely updated to understand the changes. The AI still only partially understands 3-on-3 overtime play, only partially know how to run the 1-3-1 PP, they only use a fraction of the dekes available to players, they rarely (if ever) use DSS, etc, and are generally dumbfounded when a human player uses those mechanics that they aren't aware of.
Sorry for the rant.
Playing D has always been generally harder to learn and master but EA has always given more tools and makes it easier for the offence. It’s been a major complaint from so many players throughout the years.
As for the flip dump. It’s a commonly used easy hockey play. If the offensive team isn’t good enough to substain pressure you don’t make it easier for them by nerfing a defensive ability. Yet by doing so you make it harder for the defensive team. The pressure system should be natural yet EA forces it. EA wants the pressure system it seems on every offensive zone play.
- EA_Aljo
What new tools would you add to defense?
Is mayonnaise a new tool?
Jokes aside, and it's not so much a new tool as much as it's reworking an existing mechanic, but I think defensive skill stick needs to be reworked. Currently, you can't use it to defend odd-man rushes to take away passing lanes because as soon as you initiate the dss, your speed is completely nerf'd and skaters can instantly speed past you.
Dss can be used against cpu players with some success, but that success doesn't translate at all to playing against human players. Human players don't move or play anything like cpu players, and humans pass better. All of these things make dss pointless against human players as you're much faster, and more likely to make a play on the puck without using dss.
