More Issues With NHL - 26 Edition
What are we at now, part 14? 15 spanning 5 or so years? I dunno. My team's interest (and hope) is at an all time low and that twinkle in our eye has dulled but I'll still continue to make these for t...
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And another one.
1. Oldie but a goody palate cleanser: the classic ringing it off the bar into the crowd. Not a major issue but still one to consider as it breaks up the play in what, I'm no math magician so can only assume, isn't a proper display of physics.
2. A little threefer. I assume drop-in "Nuke" here was gonna go for a hit and that's why he missed the easy pickup - I wish there was something hard coded or even a toggle option in the menus where we can select which functions takes priority in these types of situations. This could help negate hitting when going for shots or the amount of double passes that take place (the latter you can L1 cancel but that also opens you up to shotblock trips and in my opinion needs too fast of a reaction).
You can't tell because there is no overlay (please bring this back and give us more options for them) but I could not for the life of me move in closer for the hit; there was some sort of invisible barrier that didn't want him to die.
I'm glad the goalie made the save here, probably because this specific animation is so rare but I want to bring up the fact AI goalies have been adding another foot or so to their max distance when making aggressive saves when players get up close.
3. Few more things to unpack here. Buddy gets a two for 1 special with his hit - To my knowledge, this was semi-fixed last year but I think this year's interference issues are why we scored. I was only able to do so because not only did my friend also proceed to pick their other guy, the goalie when into business for himself.
Now, I appreciate a good poke as much as the next guy but this was way too early, should probably have led to a trip, and sprawling out like that first thing was probably the worst choice that could have been made. I will give him brownie points for actually sticking with the play though. Thanks Obama.
4. He definitely lubed up with a whole tub of butter before the game because he was super slippery with Big Rig all game but this clip is about me breaking my arm again - Sometimes this just critically impairs control until the arm snaps back into place, but other times you can find yourself needing to get a whistle to fully "reset".
5. I am definitely going against momentum with a backhand, yes, but missing on these types of plays happens a lot. Like, a LOT a lot; I don't see why I shouldn't be scoring more, especially when the goalie doesn't react to it. Also 60% threat analysis seems pretty low for what is essentially an empty net with a gimme goal - Starting to feel like Patrik Stefan here.
6. I was able to get a nice hit from behind at the same time our drop-in gave 'im the 'ol booty blast - Neither of us got a penalty and it all led to a goal.
Steez here made 2 decent defensive attempts that ultimately fell flat - First immediately went back to us and then he tried in desperation to extend the stick which looks like it made contact but ultimately did nothing.
Sure, he wasn't looking in the direction of the first pass, but I can understand the frustration that comes from this - Instead of the puck coasting further to the side to take both players out of the play and slow things right down, instead of red continuing momentum to the side to reset the play, and instead of having the control to stop/pull back, it just lands right back on our tape.
Kudos on him for maintaining the line forward (I would have probably studder stepped there), but then that poke doesn't get in the way of my shot, it just turned incorporeal and the goalie has no chance. I don't know his pokechecking stats but having more deflection/redirection abilities as a defensemen would go a long way for this game, especially in 3's. Perfect storm of micro issues leading to the goal but when it's sped up in a real time setting, it gives the team on the losing end the illusion of dirty pool.
So the play continues on, Cheryl Pounder tells em it's all about us escaping a penalty call and that was the final straw, these guys quit out. We lost audio and the play still continued though... what would have happened if the AI scored on us to tie the game?
7. Yes, thank you! This screen is so much better than the strange "OF WORLD CHEL" stacked ice one. Please continue to use more backgrounds like this.
8. Lol so another one of those serendipitous plays that could have gone so bad so quick (and usually does; i'm actually amazed this didn't happen late in the game when we were making a comeback or it was tied and we'd lose like 1,500 RP if they scored).
No worries, he just casually loops around and takes out another two players again which gives us ample time on a two on 1. Hit the bar and it shot off into the crowd again...
9. Should this not have been goaltender interference? We been given goals and have had goals taken away for a lot less...
Also, by this time we were on a 13 or so game win streak and Pink Whit had been there for at least 4 or 5 of em - Why do drop-in stats reset every single game even if they remain in the dressing room/lobby for multiple games? It'd be nice to see total session stats. Also, why are logos always so dark?
10. Activated my go go gadget extendy arm there and somehow scored - I wish there were some tweeks to the presentation here - my arm was broken, the stick was flexed the wrong way, the goalie's leg was stuck in the post, and he didn't even make an attempt to move into the pass - he instead just no look pokes at it.
11. I don't like how I snagged the puck and I guess the other team couldn't stomach it either and quite. I love how the hats just continue to rain down with everything else frozen; pretty decent amount for an away game.
12. I can't remember the exact reason I added this clip, probably the goalie getting easily deked. Anyway, I still think all players should have more natural awareness of where the puck is at any given time so there can, at least, visually, be more attempts at grabbing it.
13. This was apparently a grudge match - The other team only played 4 games total and we've never seen em before but I guess there can be a grudge when the other team is also using white jerseys... please fix this.
Also, should grudge matches not just be for dedicated clubs? Like, we had some random drop in playing with us. In the future I'd like to see actual grudge matches between teams who have a real history, complete with proper 4th xfactors that consider previous games shortcomings and positive aspects.
Goalie NO. Goalie BAD
14. Probably not interference but maybe charging? Whatever I did, it led to a goal.
We used to have those calls but they were a tad buggy and I assume the team figured it was easier to remove them than apply a complicated fix - I think we need to see a return of elbow calls, hits from behind, unsportsmanlike etc. if you want to continue using xfactors in their current state.
Stats like Discipline, Shotblock, and Durability are completely useless/pointless - We need to start tweaking how stats work in general (with vastly better descriptions) and maybe it's time to axe/create a select few
I assume drop-in "Nuke" here was gonna go for a hit and that's why he missed the easy pickup
Doesn't look like it. This just looks like a plain old missed pickup by the game. One could argue the incoming teammate and subsequent avoidance animation was queued which may have affected the pickup, but that's something that should be fixed, IMO. Good catch.
I was only able to do so because not only did my friend also proceed to pick their other guy
That guy was way out of position after chasing you for a body check. The pick looks awful, but it doesn't appear to be a body check or anything - just getting in the way. I don't think EA is going to add interference penalties unless a shove or body check is executed. This is why the avoidance animations are so important and many more need to be added. Another good capture.
this clip is about me breaking my arm again
This is just a missed hit and the ragdoll of your arm has no impact on why this missed. Big Rig did it's job here, but the angle of the hit was not conducive to generating real impact:
Should've angled the carrier more to the corner:
missing on these types of plays happens a lot. Like, a LOT a lot
I agree hitting the post can be frustrating, but I think you're overstating how often this happens. To be fair, if the recipient of the puck had been calm and steady and corralled the puck and moved forehand before shooting, this would be a goal. It seems you are just holding shoot and going towards the net. Not a bad idea because a lot of goals come from doing that, but you can also trigger a shooting animation that nerfs accuracy - such as the shovel backhand you executed here
Sure, he wasn't looking in the direction of the first pass, but I can understand the frustration that comes from this - Instead of the puck coasting further to the side to take both players out of the play and slow things right down, instead of red continuing momentum to the side to reset the play, and instead of having the control to stop/pull back, it just lands right back on our tape.
These are just advantageous pickups. Steezus' pickup was blind, as you mentioned - so there isn't a full reception. Your player had body positioning after the disruption and picks up the puck. Bad luck for Steezus but just the nature of positioning and puck luck. As for the puck simply being deflected wide of the entire play - I don't think the puck trajectory lent itself to doing so. Once someone interacts with it - like Steezus did - the angle changes but they aren't doing anything to increase the trajectory so much that it just glides into the zone.
On Steezus' part, he played it right by just keeping up with forward skating to get in between you two. However, he should've recognized you having the one timer and completely taken away the pass by getting right into your grill and forcing Jeffrey into a one on one with the goalie:
Here's a typical 2 on 1 and how I recognize the One-Timer and simply skate into the stick of the recipient and ensure I have body positioning to get the pickup animation:
Steezus seems to have adopted the, "If I'm in the pass lane, I should intercept it 100%" but as we've learned with EA's NHL series, there's been an added emphasis on reaction time. Steezus had enough reaction time to execute the automated poke reach, but was too in-tight to the pass in order to execute an actual pickup.
No worries, he just casually loops around and takes out another two players again which gives us ample time on a two on 1. Hit the bar and it shot off into the crowd again...
Watching your team abuse truculence sure is grating. This works on novice teams for sure but you'd have a tough time against most skilled teams who implore solid D and know how to get around hit chasers.
Should this not have been goaltender interference? We been given goals and have had goals taken away for a lot less...
The defender is pushing the player into the goalie. This negates the interference logic.
This is why I keep harping on a truly next gen title, even if it's just for more animations and calculations - We've been at capacity for a while now and even left last gen behind but we're half way(+?) through current gen and still shifting what pieces we have around. We can technically already hit teammates in certain situations so maybe other than (or in combination with) avoidance animations, there can still be more awareness of both puck and player - If I make the decision to smash my own guy it should be on me.
The goalie is more of a pressing matter but running picks became frustratingly popular when people were getting used to the avoiding poke spam trips and eventual L2 spins since you completely shut down their speed. I wouldn't begin to know how to properly "fix" that but the way you can still knock players with it makes it something that needs to be looked into.
Him being slippery is fine but the ragdoll needs to be addressed - Realistically the animation makes sense but in-game when your arm (strictly arms, nothing else happens with legs or the head other than a rare and completely normal injury), is snapped past, say, 90° from your body unnaturally (ie via collision and not something like a manual poke sweep), your controls go haywire - The chances of this happening increase with the severity of the collision but can still happen from a nothing play.
Issues vary from just needing to wait for your arm to "settle" to things like severe control inversion or not being able to pass/shoot the puck; Kind of like it's mimicking a sort of temporary injury but any type of stoppage in play will fix it. Been happening since at least 23.
These backhands are a result of my player not being able to face north fast enough when resetting a left/right stutter after a botched rush or deflection/block that allowed us to reset. If I react fast enough I try to quickly deke to my forehand but I usually don't pull that off - Sometimes a weak wrister can happen which usually nets a goal.
Ehh I would say these backhands (hitting the post, never a huge miss to the left or into the goalie) are 50/50 at best; this is pretty much the exact spot I'd be in every time, plus or minus a few pixels.
It's just frustrating to see as a defender. It would be asking to much to see clear zones, cones, and peripherals of exactly how each single stat point affects your player but maybe 1 extra defensive awareness would have made a difference - A lot of people are running off of assumptions with builds at the moment, especially in 3v3.
You can try to cover the pass but the thing with 3v3 is, those were Steez's only 2 chances to stop the goal - literally. You can block me all you want (which was our set play and the right choice to try getting in the way of), but if given the chance to go 1 on 1 with the goalie, hoo boy Jeffrey is sinking it or getting tripped by another desperation poke. Even in your gif scenario that is a complete death sentence if Kedon went backhand forehand (or just flicking it with Backhand Beauty - definitely OP) and roofed it top right corner with the amount of room you open (both 3's and 6's). We currently don't have the logic for covering the receiver and letting the goalie handle the shooter, at least with the space given.
One of the teams we played was made up of 2 elites and a diamond - they play pretty much the same as everyone else until you start to swing the momentum - this tends to happen at a minutes left in the 2nd with rest of the game playing actual good and fun hockey, no matter what xfactors there are; wish it lasted longer but the amount of RP at stake means something at that point which is why I think there need to be changes to matchmaking. We'd all be forced into great hockey.
These types of hits happened before Truculence but it definitely makes it easier to pull off. 1 guy down is bad enough but 2 is instant situation critical in 3's. Elite isn't worth 85 points in my mind (though it's pretty close); the blue/purple one will serve you just fine. Having xfactors isn't necessarily the problem, I think the real issue is how they were added on top of AI and collision/physics telemetry that was never meant to accommodate them in the first place. The whole engine needs an overhaul for things to run smoother and cohesively
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