Issues with the AI "balance"

I really wish there was more understanding of what players actually go through when being asked to provide “proof” or “evidence” of gameplay issues in NHL 26. I don’t have a reliable way to capture clear 1080p clips — even straight from my PS5, the video quality drops significantly once transferred to my phone, making it almost impossible to show small interface details like stamina gauges nor can I show a display of what my sticks are doing when something is taking place, so how exactly do I "show" when the games not doing as it should.

To actually highlight an issue like excessive stamina burn, I’d have to record continuously with my phone, which still wouldn’t guarantee catching the exact moment it happens in enough detail. Using instant replay isn’t an option either since the game doesn’t display stamina gauges during replays. Virtually every clip I’ve shared has been filmed off-screen from instant replay, and honestly, those end up looking better than the low-resolution clips the system gives me (for some reason, NHL clips are the only ones that degrade to under 480p on my phone when downloaded).

When we make these requests, it's so we can see what you're experiencing. It's not because we don't believe you. It helps us understand what you're reporting. Not everyone plays the same so we don't all see the same exact issues. 

You don't need 1080p clips. Just use the built in game DVR. That's plenty good. You can see the stamina gauges just fine with it. They should still show up in when recording clips since it records exactly what's on your screen. You don't need to use instant replay. Just hit the button to grab the last few minutes. I believe PS5 has that. Xbox has a really quick press of 2 buttons to record the last 30 seconds. There's some help for this here. Unfortunately, we can't see your controller inputs.

What’s really frustrating is that despite already submitting videos and giving clear examples when possible — even ones showing obvious issues like glaring missed penalty calls, absolutely distorted or disfigured defending AI, or physics bugs such as pucks randomly launching off the ice — the same problems keep happening months later. So, it’s fair to ask: what’s the point of players reporting detailed issues if nothing seems to change and significant portions of the "target audience" are vocally unhappy with EAs product as suggested by NUMEROUS POSTS asking for various basic fixes such as menu interfaces, memory leak issues, significant numbers asking for a PC release for numerous years. Instead the only innovations added conveniently contribute to a new way to monetize or nickle and dime the customer base with the latest hip thing.

There have been many issues resolved over the years due to the clips we get from the community. It's often a long process though. Especially, when it comes to gameplay updates. Because, changing something that seems simple can throw other things out of whack or straight up break them. So, we need to spend the proper amount of time to troubleshoot them. 

Oh and a future note: when saying "the only update to the game was X" remember, the recent "button passing fix" broke a lot of other stuff and had to be rolled back, so just because things arent correlated, doesnt mean it wasnt the cause.

The icon passing update didn't break a lot of other stuff. It caused slow passes when using icon passing. Nothing else was broken because of it. When someone makes the claim that gameplay is different due to the patch, we need to see that since there were no gameplay changes that would affect what they're reporting.