Matchmaking
Guys I’m calm person and also not really good at playing these kind of games. But don’t you wanna really do sth with this rank system otherwise I will vomit… rly discussing
Forum Discussion
Starting with NHL 25 EA decided to prioritize finding match ups fast regardless of the quality of the end result. The rationale being that the player base has dwindled to the point where any filters on the search ( skill level, matching number of players, etc ) would result in unacceptable search times.
Personally, I think it's a flawed strategy. Teams that insist on matching an equal number of human players will just back out of every uneven match up resulting in long times between matches even if each search is fast.
But IMO the biggest issue is the lack of any consideration of skill in the match up logic. Feeding new or lower-skill players into a meat grinder against top-tier teams does nothing to grow the game or retain new players. At a certain level of skill gap it can be beneficial to play better teams in order to learn from the experience and grow, but with the current system it's much more likely the lower ranked team is just going to be beaten down with no real chance to learn anything except how to be frustrated with the game.
EA_AljoCommunity Manager
The rationale being that the player base has dwindled to the point where any filters on the search ( skill level, matching number of players, etc ) would result in unacceptable search times.
The playerbase has not dwindled. Of course, it's possible to play other teams more than once. I'm not saying that doesn't happen. I just see a lot of speculation that the playerbase is dead. Which it most certainly isn't.
There were frequent complaints that matchmaking takes too long. We also get feedback from upset players regarding watching replays or the intermissions are too long. We get complaints when pretty much any screen doesn't instantly load or for anything where you're not actively playing the game. Not matching by division helps speed up matches to get you playing faster. Also, the division isn't necessarily an indicator of their skill. They may not play as often as others so their division is lower, but they still have the skill to play in higher divisions. They also could have drop-in players with them. So, division isn't always a fair representation of the skill of your opponents.I get it. Everyone wants easier competition. It's frustrating to lose. No matter the game, there's always going to be differing levels of skill. The best I can recommend is to use these matches where you're playing a higher skilled team as a learning experience. You're going to have a hard time improving as a team without taking on tougher competition.
That said, I would love to see a filter in place where you can choose to wait for a team closer to your own division with the understanding you're going to have a harder time finding matches. I have consistently relayed this feedback. I just don't think this will happen with 26.
I agree on using those mismatches as a learning experience. A lot of players won't want to hear it but it does help you get better if you can look past the irritation factor. Our team has definitely improved from trying to avoid the "just quit out" mentality.
That being said, I think playoffs are a different beast. Due to the current matchmaking, your success or failure depends too heavily on your luck in matchmaking. Even with each round being a best-of-7, its not enough to correct for the unfair matchups if you are unlucky. In the playoffs it really should take the individual RP of each of the players, average it out to get a current average team RP, and then set a cap against other teams current average team RP. Say you cant match with a team outside +/- 2000 average RP.
In my opinion the playoffs are one of the balanced. Because you get similar RP opponents that doesn't have like 3000RP more than you have. So for me playoffs was shockingly good experience because you got similar opponents agains you. Thats my personal take. If i played random games vs other clubs it was a nightmare sometimes, because that all were 2-4ranks higher players and more RP players.
Playoffs 1point, random team vs 0point
First off. Thank you for taking time to respond. It is difficult to Address complaints all day.
If we don't tell what's wrong. How can you make a product that is good ????
If the population is not low or dwindled. Why can't you match 2 v 2 or more competitive or balanced games ??
We played 6 games in round 1 got ousted. Played 5 of those against much superior ranks. Played 2 in round 2 or joining again. Got matched against 4 purples , against us 2, who were either just too good or too good at exploits like short side dekes... etc. So, we stopped playing playoffs.
Losing is not the issue. We lost close games to Purple because we do play a good HOCKEY game. Not a VIDEO game style that you seem to cater too.
If you want to continue to have a job and continue this Title for years to come. Listen to the community. Not the youtubers..... the majority PAYING customers don't give a hoot about Moose heads.. fancy moves. McDavid speed for every player. We want a fun competitive game that is well made by the developers.
Thanks again for keeping us aware of your efforts and replies.
Not a VIDEO game style that you seem to cater too.
This is a video game.
We want competitive games.. don't have to win. We want hockey games. Fun hockey games.
I’d recommend joining a league that matches your skill level. EA has built in the ability to run private leagues, including private matches and even an API for stat tracking. There are plenty of leagues out there actively looking for players.
With EASHL, you’re always going to face strong competition. That’s simply the nature of online gaming. Matchmaking pulls from a global player pool that includes some of the best players in the world. If you want to improve, you have to learn how to compete against teams like that.
I understand the frustration. It can feel like certain teams score at will or exploit mechanics, especially if you haven’t developed the skills to counter them yet. That’s not fun. But this isn’t unique to NHL or EA SPORTS. Every multiplayer game ever made has a subset of players who can dominate others. That reality isn’t going away, and EA isn’t going to be the first developer to achieve perfect, 100% real-world realism.
that's also jut the competitive nature of games. In the real world, playoffs are seeded so the top team plays against the bottom team. The best I can advise is to stick with those difficult games to better learn how to play higher skilled teams.
This absolutely nails it. To build on that, most of the gameplay “issues” people complain about are the same ones high-skill teams deal with every game. The difference is those teams know how to manage them and still come out on top.
Why? Because they understand they’re playing a video game and approach it as such. They don’t get angry mid-game over sequences that don’t line up with their expectations of real-world hockey. Instead, they recognize anomalies and either adapt to neutralize them or use them to their advantage. That awareness and adaptability is a big part of what separates top-level teams from everyone else.
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