Something changed in the gameplay...
I've seen a few post here and on Reddit that I couldn't agree more with. Since the last update about a week ago something definitely changed in the gameplay. I've seen your awnser on a thread ...
Forum Discussion
Okay, so why does it seem like your entire player base is experiencing the same issue? Is it possible the game speed changed as a result of changing something else in the patch? Has the dev team considered this? Do you realize that it’s in EA’s best interest to reduce the game speed as the majority of your player base would spend more time/money on the game? Did it occur to you that the better option would be to investigate this issue as opposed to gaslighting the people who keep you guys employed? It’s so backwards how you treat people on this platform, deny deny deny and do anything except investigate something that is clearly an issue amongst the player base.
Even if you just rolled back all the changes you’ve made since pre launch, that would be a MASSIVE improvement over what the state of the game is now. You would collectively see a paradigm shift amongst everyone commenting on here, they would actually feel like EA listens to feedback. Go figure.
I pay $100 a year to have the game actually be immersive and fun at launch then the tuner completely ruins whatever positive changes were made on the new title. Make. The. Change.
Leave the game alone after you release it instead of making dumb backwards changes a couple weeks in. Who are you trying to please here besides your boss?
Okay, so why does it seem like your entire player base is experiencing the same issue?
Because the nature of social media gives one the impression that "everyone" is experiencing it.
There have been zero changes. The people claiming the game speed has changed are simply just witnessing the META evolve from their skillset.
Players are discovering that if you maintain player momentum without making drastic cuts and stop-starts, you can get some good speed and movement through otherwise flat-footed players.
The primary complaints are coming from HUT players who don't seem to grasp that teams now have players with 99 SPD and 99 ACC on them. Those players weren't as prolific 3-weeks ago.
This nuance seems to escape the typical crowd that wants to blame EA for everything. They dont' want to listen to explanations, they don't want to hear about routes or player momentum - they just want to be told they're right and social media gives that to them.
Conflating social media "outrage" with general consensus is a continuing problem with echochambers.
It’s not the nature of social media though… it’s my entire club, and all the other people I play with that are experiencing this. We played the night before the latest tuner and the night after. Something major happened overnight, and it involves either the speed of gameplay, skating speed, or the player overalls are too high and making the game feel arcadey. We all felt it, the game was borderline unplayable. In fact, a lot of us have lost interest in playing competitively because the game doesn’t feel competitive anymore nor does it reward team based play and individual skill. It rewards speed, tiny builds, and people that abuse the game mechanics such as speed boost while hitting.
The people that come on here to voice issues like these are typically the biggest fans/investors in the EA NHL franchise. They tend to play that game a lot, for some on a daily basis. To see such a dramatic change happen overnight, especially right after a tuner update, is suspicious to say the least.
Let’s say you’re right and the dev team hasn’t changed anything on their end. Should you consider the issues we’re having, amongst the plethora of unaddressed issues from years past that plague this game, or are you here to deny and antagonize anyone who thinks differently? Would your team ever consider updating the game to reflect the changes that your hardcore fan base wants to see such as slower game speed, better matchmaking, best game location, etc? Why remove features that have actually worked well in the past?
Such a strange business model. EA would actually make more money if they applied the feedback from the community, but they continue to deny any wrongdoing, remove functional features, release “tuners” that “enhance” the gameplay experience, and re-release said functional features as new features years later. There were some really nice additions to NHL 25 and we’re grateful for that, but to go backwards a couple weeks in via tuners or whatever have you, while not addressing things that are clearly not popular (fix the matchmaking!!) puts a sour taste in a lot of people’s mouths.
Mind boggling.
