Players Backing Out

Honestly, this “younger audience” needs to grow up a bit. Use adversity to grow rather than constantly complaining it’s not fair. Veterans, like myself,  have earned our strips. Maybe try making friends with a few vets and putting your time in. Ive lost count of the number of level 1 noobs I’ve taken in and shown how to compete. As club regulars have moved on we’ve replaced them with new rookie players. It’s one of the things I love about this franchise. It’s not a spoon fed, laid back experience. Rather, it’s an extremely competitive game that rewards time investment and knowledge. If you really give it a try, take your lumps, & try to learn from each game…you’ll realize how rewarding of an experience it is. Adding SBMM would literally take away everything that makes this game special. You will never grow as a player without playing against advanced competition.  

I understand what you are saying and get that its more a positional thing which I did try to teach them along with changing strategies. It was more me trying to relay the options of the new player experience when trying to play CHEL. 

When we enabled clubs we found more teams where it was only exploits. That was why we turned it off in the first place. Maybe your team plays more on skill but that is not a large part of the NHL community that we saw. 

I do agree that max level doesn't always determine skill cause we beat teams that had players like that. Its more the fact that the lack of variety for some teams/players you play against sucks the fun out of the game (not yours).  

I'm not the highest knowledge on the in's and out's but if the mindset of the community is what was stated in the above comment then how is EA NHL trying to bring in a younger audience? That was basically what I have meant from the start. Due to factors like no matchmaking and OP builds, One-tee + green Tee, the LT exploit it shows a new player that the experience you are offering is not worth it for them to play or buying the game. 

First off I want to state that this is CHEL only do the need to frantically change is irrelevant. Would be nice to stay at the topic at hand please. 

Secondly, I understand myself on how to defend it, I was teaching my nephew and his friends (new players to NHL) about the game and how it works. The fault of the game is that Green Tee mixed with One tee (as one example - LT spam is another) puts a premise on the game for High skill players to only exploit for wins, where they wanted to enjoy playing hockey (there was fun game they were matched up with lower tier players who played actual hockey). 

"And if theses 'new' players are attempting to play a mode that's inhabited by users who've literally been playing this game for 30 years, then they have a very disillusioned perspective of their skill-level and it's no wonder they would be frustrated trying to learn how to play a game in its most competitive game modes. "

Lastly, If you the mentality of the NHL community is based on then there is no wonder why the player counts are so slow. This negative mentality is harmful to any game let alone NHL. Whereas, I was trying to voice an option based on my experience of trying to help and grow the NHL 25/26 community and was directing their thoughts and options of a new player trying to play any game mode in CHEL. 

"Just like real hockey, there's more than one way to score." There is but 98% of games matched with max level or close to that level there was no other skill but one-tee being used (so you are defending the same and only play over and over). 

If they are still using the same play over and over again and you're constantly defending it so it's not successful, you've taken away their ability to score. Yes, this can get frustrating. Although, I take a certain amount of pleasure in shutting down someone using the same move repeatedly. You also see less of this as you climb the ranks as more skilled players know how to score with more than D to D one Ts.

Max level isn't really an indicator of skill. Besides the glitch that occurred causing everyone to gain more exp than they should have, all you need to do is play a lot to hi max level. You would think this would make someone higher skilled. That's not always the case though. There are tons of very skilled players that are not max level just like there are max level players that aren't as good as you'd think they'd be.

I have seem many players just hold LT down and skate side to side and back and forth and side slide through players - Yes, you can poke check but your likelihood to get the puck from this and not the LT player getting the puck back was less then 25%. 

25% seems like an arbitrary number. There are some that would have a much higher success rate against the LT exploit. You also can get your body in the way.

"Elite Edges was removed to make for a more even playing field. This was before the LT exploit was discovered." - What makes this one worse then the others? Please provide more details on this. 

Elite Edges was used by nearly everyone. Removing it means having more variety to builds. I'm not saying it's worst than others. Again, this was before the LT exploit. 

We played with club team off cause those games were even more non exciting and boring when we did go up against a club team.

You could always enable club games. I personally will only play club games when I'm doing drop-ins as the quality of teammates is normally a lot better.

I am usually a solely offline player and really enjoy the experience that is offered. I have played over 350 games in my offline franchise mode, but after playing 40+ games or so online in CHEL I can fully understand why the player base is slow low. I found the game in that mode more of a chore then fun and even found myself lost interest in wanting to playing NHL 25. 

I only play online. Offline play is fantastic for many people. Some of us like the level competition that comes from playing against human opponents. It's a very different game that relies more on skill than manipulating AI opponents.

I think the difference in our view of the gameplay is that you see it as a veteran player to CHEL - you understand and are willing to bend to how the game wants you to play and not just to play the game - whereas I saw it from new players or casual player who just wanted to get on and play some hockey... the issue is that to a degree CHEL doesn't offer that. 

My club doesn't bend to how the game wants us to play. None of us LT, none of us abuse D to D one Ts. We take advantage of what our opponents give us. We pay attention to how they play and build a strategy around it. We're vocal, we call out their tendencies, we set up plays. If you're leaving the points open all the time or you're letting us skate into the slot, you bet we're gonna go for those.  Just like a real team would.  The same goes for a good rebound or tip opportunity. Because, again, there's more than one way to score.

MasterB89 wrote:

to them (new players to NHL games) they don't see the game offering more then that one single experience and EA NHL being fully okay with this fact, making them lose interest and seeing that its really the only way you should try to score in the game and not trying to learn how to score more ways. Its the perception that is given that is the real issue here. 

If players are only seeing one-timers scored against them - it's because they're playing defense in a way that allows their opponents to score that goal at will. That's not a fault of the game. 

Most 'new' players just frantically switch defenders they're controlling, mashing poke check and body check while trying to chase down a puck carrier. These players need to learn how to play actual defense. 

And if theses 'new' players are attempting to play a mode that's inhabited by users who've literally been playing this game for 30 years, then they have a very disillusioned perspective of their skill-level and it's no wonder they would be frustrated trying to learn how to play a game in its most competitive game modes. 

"Just like real hockey, there's more than one way to score." There is but 98% of games matched with max level or close to that level there was no other skill but one-tee being used (so you are defending the same and only play over and over). 

I have seem many players just hold LT down and skate side to side and back and forth and side slide through players - Yes, you can poke check but your likelihood to get the puck from this and not the LT player getting the puck back was less then 25%. 

"You're going to have to play more conservative D." Yes, you do but I can stand by this as not being a fun experience. A lot of their complaints where :"0h wow.. another one tee", "is this all the game is about". To them (new players to NHL games) they don't see the game offering more then that one single experience and EA NHL being fully okay with this fact, making them lose interest and seeing that its really the only way you should try to score in the game and not trying to learn how to score more ways. Its the perception that is given that is the real issue here. 

"Elite Edges was removed to make for a more even playing field. This was before the LT exploit was discovered." - What makes this one worse then the others? Please provide more details on this. 

What is happening with matchmaking for you? 98% of our games we are matched with close to max level players which with 4 players or less. There were games where we had 2 players on the other team and the game would get stuck in a locating players loop. Times where we couldn't ready up but was trying to find players (after 5 minutes I knew that this glitch exists and had one player leave and join back to fix it, but it again ruins the experience for a casual who is coming from other sports games), also, times where we were going into a game but got stuck on the matchmaking screen and not load. 

We played with club team off cause those games were even more non exciting and boring when we did go up against a club team.

I am usually a solely offline player and really enjoy the experience that is offered. I have played over 350 games in my offline franchise mode, but after playing 40+ games or so online in CHEL I can fully understand why the player base is slow low. I found the game in that mode more of a chore then fun and even found myself lost interest in wanting to playing NHL 25. 

I think the difference in our view of the gameplay is that you see it as a veteran player to CHEL - you understand and are willing to bend to how the game wants you to play and not just to play the game - whereas I saw it from new players or casual player who just wanted to get on and play some hockey... the issue is that to a degree CHEL doesn't offer that. 

Exploits in games no matter a skill or not ruin the game as a whole. You can state that NHL hockey can be repetitive but the CHEL experience is one dimensional - that is where my issue lies with it. Does Ovechkin have more then one way to score goals or is he solely one-tee? Does any player (NHL) just skate backwards all the time or sideways when deking the puck at the same time? If so, please name them for me please. That is my point, the variety in online play is lost to the non-balanced experience that is offer. 

Just like real hockey, there's more than one way to score. We can't really stop someone from taking the same shot over and over again. We are all very capable of doing that though. It's up to us to recognize they're doing this and defend it. How would you force people to mix up their shooting strategies?

I still haven't seen someone only skate backwards or sideways. Yeah, they will do this at times. In my experience, if they're doing this and they got past defense, then it doesn't really matter that they're exploiting the LT. You're already beat. You didn't get in front of them and impede their movement. They most likely beat you on the outside and cut in to the slot. That happens regardless of exploiting LT or not. They can't do this without getting past the defense. If you go up against someone doing this repeatedly, you're going to have to play more conservative D.

Plus, I really am now curious to why elite edges was removed from CHEL? If all exploits can be defended in the game? When i looked it in it it seems to be have been removed for a more balanced experience. So which one is it?

Elite Edges was removed to make for a more even playing field. This was before the LT exploit was discovered.

For me; I don't personally care about the online experience but playing with my nephew and his friends - wanting to build a club team and enjoy some games of hockey was lost due to the over usage and the non existent matchmaking (the rare times we played players close to our tier level they were fun games and actually hockey, it was when we played max level players where it was exploit spams). 

What is happening with matchmaking for you? My club ran 5 games last night in a little under 3 hours. We had no matchmaking issues at all. There 5 of us with a computer goalie.

Exploits in games no matter a skill or not ruin the game as a whole. You can state that NHL hockey can be repetitive but the CHEL experience is one dimensional - that is where my issue lies with it. Does Ovechkin have more then one way to score goals or is he solely one-tee? Does any player (NHL) just skate backwards all the time or sideways when deking the puck at the same time? If so, please name them for me please. That is my point, the variety in online play is lost to the non-balanced experience that is offer. 

Plus, I really am now curious to why elite edges was removed from CHEL? If all exploits can be defended in the game? When i looked it in it it seems to be have been removed for a more balanced experience. So which one is it?

Yes, I do say you can defend these actions (one-tee and the L2) exploits but it ruins the fun overall and makes it more a chore then actually playing or learning hockey. 

For me; I don't personally care about the online experience but playing with my nephew and his friends - wanting to build a club team and enjoy some games of hockey was lost due to the over usage and the non existent matchmaking (the rare times we played players close to our tier level they were fun games and actually hockey, it was when we played max level players where it was exploit spams). 

Due to these facts they have given up, uninstalled the game and went back to other sports games + already decided to skip on purchasing NHL 26. 

This doesn't help to build a younger player base for the online experience (whereas the online player base is low to begin with). 

 Yes, you will but can you define this as hockey then? Plus, isn't that more of a fault on how the game is build, and that as a game it can't be balanced properly?

What about the people that can stop these players? Would they say the game isn't balanced properly? I definitely understand you and your club are having a difficult time with that. That doesn't mean the game isn't properly balanced.  That would be a difference in skill. Regardless of what tactics a team is using. Cheese vs more authentic hockey play.

Also, its not the fact that we can't stop them and keep it close most games its the fact that it sucks the fun and enjoyment of the game doing the same thing over and over, in ways it also shows how the skill has been removed from the mode and replaced with exploits only. 

If they played more authentic hockey, according to your ideals of this, wouldn't that still be doing the same thing over and over again? Wouldn't that get boring? Don't get me wrong, I would much prefer to play teams using legit hockey strategy and mechanics. I'm in agreement with you. Just saying, the idea of doing something over and over again getting boring goes both ways.

Also, and I'm in no way in favor of exploits, there's a certain amount of skill that goes into them. This includes defending them. And to my knowledge, there are no exploits that can't be defended. So, again, this comes down to skill on both ends of the ice. The LT abuse sucks. I hate it and I hate that people use it. But, I can also stop it. Not every time of course, but the rest of my team is also there backing me up. That's how we play as a team. We're conscious of where everyone is, our team and our opponents and get in position to best support each other. This comes down to chemistry and skill. Not only individually, but as a team. Nobody is going to win on exploits alone. If they are successful with them, it's because their opponents lacked the skill to defend them. Again, I'm not encouraging exploits. I hate them as well. I'd rather learn how to beat them than just give up and wish we were playing weaker opponents. I'm a big supporter of playing those better than you resulting in raising your own skill. 

Why put yourself through a poor hockey experience if you have a good feeling it will be a bad game to play?

Totally understandable. If my team is frustrated with a game, we'll back out. There are times when a team is just annoying to play against. We don't play every night. The guys on my club have limited time so we'll occasionally back out of a game that we know is just a frustrating experience.

I have been playing NHL games for 20+ years. I'm not online so I don't see it as often but I can understand why players complain about online modes. Its not a fun experience whatsoevoer for the casual player.

Online is a completely different animal than offline. The AI players have a certain amount of predictability that is very easy to overcome with practice. Humans are less predictable. And if you get a team of skilled players with great chemistry, they're going to be a dominating force. That's just not something you get with offline play. We were all casual at some time. However, we stuck with playing online and learned how to compete. You gotta deal with the frustration and losses to get better. It'll become more fun as you and your team improve.

You are not learning or getting better at hockey you are just learning how to stop and use exploits. What or how is that a positive incentive for new/casual players to play the game? They players I'm playing with are more into NBA and FIFA games but recently wanted to try and get into playing NHL online with friends - with the experience they are getting its pushing them back to those games cause they offer more user friendly experience starting out. I think that is why I brought this concern up. 

You should focus more on how you play rather than your opponents. Of course, adapting to their play is crucial. My point is, don't worry so much that they choose to exploit the game. Worry more about how you're going to combat that. You can't control them or what they do. My club doesn't use exploits. We will take advantage of what our opponents are giving us though. If you give up a breakaway, chances are good you're getting a short side forehand - backhand shot. If you let us skate into the slot, we're going low far side. If you give up the points, we're taking D to D one Ts. These are all authentic hockey plays. Just because they may have a higher chance of scoring doesn't mean they're exploits. A good coach is going to recognize the weaknesses in their opponents and act on them. That in itself is exploiting the weaknesses of the other team. 

To me a high score is 6 goals and it make take 1 or 2 to figure out what exploit they are going to use (some you can tell by their builds) which is why I can see players leave. 

"No matter the rank though, you're going to go up against players with the "win at all costs" mentality that use whatever cheese they can to win." Yes, you will but can you define this as hockey then? Plus, isn't that more of a fault on how the game is build, and that as a game it can't be balanced properly? Also, its not the fact that we can't stop them and keep it close most games its the fact that it sucks the fun and enjoyment of the game doing the same thing over and over, in ways it also shows how the skill has been removed from the mode and replaced with exploits only. Also, players may leave before games start if they see higher skill players and certain builds cause they know all it will be is them exploiting where lower tier players at least from my experience don't exploit as much. 

Why put yourself through a poor hockey experience if you have a good feeling it will be a bad game to play?

"If we had a larger playerbase, a tiered system may work." the problem with this statement is that you alone create this issue. You scare your new playerbase away from online modes due to the fact that you don't have any tier system. So you as a company state its an issue but creating the issue and scaring players away from the mode. 

We had interest at creating a club team as we finally got a full 6 players to play but the most we played of it the more they got frustrated by the lack of identity to how games are played online. We also now turn club teams off as well. Its solely for 6v6 or 3v3 for the modes that have interested them in the past. 

I have been playing NHL games for 20+ years. I'm not online so I don't see it as often but I can understand why players complain about online modes. Its not a fun experience whatsoevoer for the casual player.

You are not learning or getting better at hockey you are just learning how to stop and use exploits. What or how is that a positive incentive for new/casual players to play the game? They players I'm playing with are more into NBA and FIFA games but recently wanted to try and get into playing NHL online with friends - with the experience they are getting its pushing them back to those games cause they offer more user friendly experience starting out. I think that is why I brought this concern up.