How about a fix to the goalies
This is TOTY 92 Hellebuyck ,absolutely ridiculous how bad the goalies are https://youtu.be/nmxmDb82e-M?feature=shared
Forum Discussion
This is just my opinion, but I firmly believe a goalie's ability to make a save is somewhat determined by human actions. If you make a terrible positional lapse, I'm of the belief (not saying this is true) that the goal probability calculations are affected if the game determines you've made a particularly egregious error.
In your example, you can see there's a defender being controlled by a human. This is determinable by observing the player actively skating towards his goalie during an incoming rush.
This was a terrible defensive lapse that allowed McDavid to take a totally uncontested backhand.
When you consider the nature of Ultimate Team modes where every player is OP and maxed out attributes mean every shot can be pinpoint accurate, the way this play shakes out is par-for-the-course in HUT.
This is just my opinion, but I firmly believe a goalie's ability to make a save is somewhat determined by human actions. If you make a terrible positional lapse, I'm of the belief (not saying this is true) that the goal probability calculations are affected if the game determines you've made a particularly egregious error.
I'm curious, if we assume that your hypothesis is true, do you think that's how the game should be designed? To me it seems like a bit of overkill. If you're making bad decisions defensively it should naturally create more and better opportunities for the offence. I don't feel like crippling the goalies on top of that would be necessary.
I'm curious, if we assume that your hypothesis is true, do you think that's how the game should be designed?
If true, I don't think there's really any other way to engineer goal scoring. This is a game, remember. Just 1's and 0's. There isn't any 'hockey logic' that is inherent; it needs to be designed with a certain level of randomness that comes with the nature of the sport.
Once again, I can't tell you for certain if this is true or not but here is my personal opinion on how the underlying game engine determines whether a goalie makes a save or not:
- Physics simulation - The game tracks the puck's velocity, trajectory, and position in 3D space.
- Collision detection - The game constantly checks if the puck intersects with the goalie's hitbox (an invisible volume representing the goalie's body and equipment).
- Goalie AI and attributes - Several factors determine if a shot beats the goalie:
- Reaction time based on the goalie's stats/rating
- Current position and movement state
- View of the puck (is it screened by other players?)
- Shot attributes (speed, placement, type of shot)
- Save animation selection - If the goalie can reach the puck, the game selects an appropriate save animation (glove save, pad save, etc.)
- Randomization factor - Most games include some element of chance based on:
- Player shooting skill
- Goalie rating
- Situation difficulty (breakaway vs. long shot)
- Game difficulty settings
If you're making bad decisions defensively it should naturally create more and better opportunities for the offence. I don't feel like crippling the goalies on top of that would be necessary.
True! But I don't necessarily think this should be considered 'crippling the goalie'. Remember; the goalie is just a player model that chooses from a database of animations based on the current game state.
The game essentially calculates: "Based on this shot's properties, the goalie's position and attributes, and a touch of randomness, the goalie should perform X-save animation with a certain % probability that the puck avoids the goalie hit-box"
It's my belief that % probability adjusts in real-time based on human defensive actions, combined with certain actions performed by the puck carrier such as a fake shot/pass, X-Factor, a well timed deke, etc.
Again, I don't necessarily think this is the exact logic EA is using, but I'd wager it falls within their overall philosophy regarding shot success.
Fair enough. Although I do think goalies letting in shots like in OP's clip is getting pretty close to crippled. It's a weak, un-screened backhander from just inside the top of the circle that squeaks through. it just looks and feels terrible IMO.
For me, I think if the game is going to tweak probabilities on the fly I'd rather see a bump to shot accuracy and speed rather than lowering the goalie's abilities or animation choices. So many goals this year are shots that go off the edge of the blocker and into the net or otherwise squeeze though the six and seven holes. The shot placement/goalie animation choice combinations result in a large number of goals that just don't look like goals that should be scored on a regular basis. Even if the end result is the same, I think people would feel better about being scored on if the shots are picking corners or are off the post and in rather than "through" the goalie.
I think there's a big psychological difference between "great shot beat my goalie" and "how did that shot beat my goalie?".
Again, I can't say this is how the logic is working, just a theory.
I'd rather see a bump to shot accuracy and speed rather than lowering the goalie's abilities or animation choices.
This is a good approach and EA does this by way of X-Factors and some other attributes that 'kick-in' based on the player's inputs.
So many goals this year are shots that go off the edge of the blocker and into the net or otherwise squeeze though the six and seven holes. The shot placement/goalie animation choice combinations result in a large number of goals that just don't look like goals that should be scored on a regular basis. Even if the end result is the same, I think people would feel better about being scored on if the shots are picking corners or are off the post and in rather than "through" the goalie.
It's true. One thing I don't think gets talked about often enough is the aim assistance during shooting. We have the option for auto-aim and manual aim, but no description of what these options actually do under-the-hood.
My assumption would be that auto-shot aiming results in what you've described - the game choosing to place the shot in such a way that if it goes go into the net, the goalie reaction is realistic. But that begs the question; does manual shot aiming give an advantage in the sense that you can place a shot at a spot in the net where animation selection becomes cumbersome? And does that have a realistic parallel to a player choosing shot placement for the same reason (forcing the goalie to make a movement decision)?
Intriguing questions that I doubt will be answered because the explanations may include exploitable details.
- Physics simulation - The game tracks the puck's velocity, trajectory, and position in 3D space.
