NHL 26 Be A Pro Mode Feedback
Wanna start off by saying some of the new additions since NHL 25 have been great. I have some negligible gripes with the VA work, but muting works great. However, some things have stuck out to me as ...
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Thanks for taking the time to read the post EA_Barry , I had some additional thoughts that I think may also be useful to some degree. Albeit, some are relatively niche.
One thing I personally struggle with GREATLY in NHL 26 is movement and controls, granted I only picked the series back up with NHL 23 and havent played regularly since maybe pre-2018. But, there are a lot of mechanics added over the years and I find it frustrating that there are no context sensitive tutorials for specific mechanics, which leaves players who are unfamiliar with their application/usage smacking their head against the wall trying to figure out the "how/why" some things work the way they do. I have seen the control indicators pop up in some proper contexts such as the (L2/LT to evade net battle) but aside from small instances where they have you somewhat "stuck" I only ever remember it as a visual box, not a learned mechanic to apply when necessary.
Small example can be turning a skater around, I am slowly understanding that quick direction shifts can easily cause stumbles, BUT, even in some instances, trying to maintain momentum and properly turn the player in the direction you wanna face results in confusing motions and the realization that I genuinely don't understand how movement works, nor does the game explain what I'm missing. I'll take it a step further, with camera preference having my team moving "north" or upwards and my controls also locked to reflect this, I had a sudden epiphany that there's a disconnect between the players actions and the intended ones. If you use defensive stick and hold your right stick to the right, your player always reaches to THEIR RIGHT, not necessarily the right side of the screen if you're coming back "down". I dont know if that makes sense or if ALL actions are effected in this sense, but I genuinely cant find a control style that mentally makes sense to me, camera relative feels horrible because if the net is off to one side or the other of me, attempting forehand or backhand glides results in unintended amd weak shots.
On top of that, other mechanics I have little to no understanding of how they function in context are; Board Battles, Net Front Battles, shove checks, Vision Control/Backskating, stick handling/tying/lifting(maybe? I have had some successful lifts but it feels like it doesnt properly effect player possession?) And I get that a lot of this is "inherited knowledge from previous games" and pretty much useless for other players who understand the application of these things, but this can be extremely discouraging for people who want to get into and learn the game. I feel like the game would benefit greatly for including instructionals on these tools alongside the ability to freeskate and practice team strategies.
I briefly mentioned in my initial post that the game could include a feature for BAP where the game could help you understand your role in the teams strategy, and last night I had an interesting idea for how this could be applied. I like how the game can show you positional aid boxes to give you an idea of roughly where you should be, and I think that could be applied in a more comprehensive form. You could adapt this positional aid in a practice(breakout/rush defense/defensive zone scenario) and give the player a box to stay in that would keep them in proper defensive positioning. Or instead of moving box, it could be a drawn up play with an animation showing what you should be aiming for in theory(X's vs O's on a whiteboard with motion showing positioning in different situations)
EA_Aljo
Community Manager
Community ManagerOne thing I personally struggle with GREATLY in NHL 26 is movement and controls, granted I only picked the series back up with NHL 23 and havent played regularly since maybe pre-2018. But, there are a lot of mechanics added over the years and I find it frustrating that there are no context sensitive tutorials for specific mechanics, which leaves players who are unfamiliar with their application/usage smacking their head against the wall trying to figure out the "how/why" some things work the way they do. I have seen the control indicators pop up in some proper contexts such as the (L2/LT to evade net battle) but aside from small instances where they have you somewhat "stuck" I only ever remember it as a visual box, not a learned mechanic to apply when necessary.
Hi there. Thanks so much for reaching out. Have you tried using the On-Ice Trainer? Enabling this will show pop ups at various times. There are also numerous tutorials on YouTube. What controls in particular are you having trouble with?
Small example can be turning a skater around, I am slowly understanding that quick direction shifts can easily cause stumbles, BUT, even in some instances, trying to maintain momentum and properly turn the player in the direction you wanna face results in confusing motions and the realization that I genuinely don't understand how movement works, nor does the game explain what I'm missing. I'll take it a step further, with camera preference having my team moving "north" or upwards and my controls also locked to reflect this, I had a sudden epiphany that there's a disconnect between the players actions and the intended ones. If you use defensive stick and hold your right stick to the right, your player always reaches to THEIR RIGHT, not necessarily the right side of the screen if you're coming back "down". I dont know if that makes sense or if ALL actions are effected in this sense, but I genuinely cant find a control style that mentally makes sense to me, camera relative feels horrible because if the net is off to one side or the other of me, attempting forehand or backhand glides results in unintended amd weak shots.
There is a setting that lets you play with camera down (south ) controls, but you can't use both of these at the same time. IE: up controls when you're moving up, down controls when moving down. If you can get me video of a situation you're having trouble with, it'll be easier to advise. Personally, I try to keep my players in stride so I will have them carve instead just stop and reverse direction. Which often results in panic turns and can take longer to recover from.
On top of that, other mechanics I have little to no understanding of how they function in context are; Board Battles, Net Front Battles, shove checks, Vision Control/Backskating, stick handling/tying/lifting(maybe? I have had some successful lifts but it feels like it doesnt properly effect player possession?) And I get that a lot of this is "inherited knowledge from previous games" and pretty much useless for other players who understand the application of these things, but this can be extremely discouraging for people who want to get into and learn the game. I feel like the game would benefit greatly for including instructionals on these tools alongside the ability to freeskate and practice team strategies.
Tie ups in front of the net require the player you're tying up to be almost not moving. I use this very frequently. You can hold the A/X button to tie up their stick.
Vision control handles backskating. This will pivot your player. Many of us play with auto backskate turned off so you have more freedom with going into a backskate. There are times the game automatically does it when you may not want it to.
Shove checks are just a quick flick of the right stick in the direction of the player you want to shove. Don't spam this or you'll get a cross-checking penalty.
I briefly mentioned in my initial post that the game could include a feature for BAP where the game could help you understand your role in the teams strategy, and last night I had an interesting idea for how this could be applied. I like how the game can show you positional aid boxes to give you an idea of roughly where you should be, and I think that could be applied in a more comprehensive form. You could adapt this positional aid in a practice(breakout/rush defense/defensive zone scenario) and give the player a box to stay in that would keep them in proper defensive positioning. Or instead of moving box, it could be a drawn up play with an animation showing what you should be aiming for in theory(X's vs O's on a whiteboard with motion showing positioning in different situations)
Appreciate the feedback. It would be good to have a deep tutorial system for newer players. I'll pass on this on to the team.
Hey EA_Aljo appreciate the response!
Hi there. Thanks so much for reaching out. Have you tried using the On-Ice Trainer? Enabling this will show pop ups at various times. There are also numerous tutorials on YouTube. What controls in particular are you having trouble with?
I play with pretty much all of them on, but the levels at which they're applied can be extremely confusing. Ex, Beginner shows introductory controls, intermediate introduces new ones "as you learn", expert only shows you controls you dont use, and adaptive "bases this setting on your difficulty". But my main issue with this approach is this, the game will give you hints as to when you can perform an action, but it doesnt teach you the nuances or proper application of the action, example, just because you have the hint and the ability to tie a stick up, doesn't mean it'll be a clean action. But the game treats "complete an action X times" the same as "learning how to use something". It feels kinda like learning how to write numbers or letters without learning what they mean.
There is a setting that lets you play with camera down (south ) controls, but you can't use both of these at the same time. IE: up controls when you're moving up, down controls when moving down. If you can get me video of a situation you're having trouble with, it'll be easier to advise. Personally, I try to keep my players in stride so I will have them carve instead just stop and reverse direction. Which often results in panic turns and can take longer to recover from
This is the thing that confounds me. I don't really know how to explain it much better than I did but I'll try again. If my shooting controls are locked with "ALWAYS UP", it feels like while I am coming back into my end facing my goalie "flips" how my defensive stick maneuvers(right stick held to the right causes player to extend or reach out to THEIR RIGHT or MY LEFT instead of where I am pointing the right stick on my controller) which creates unnecessary confusion playing defense. At least, how I understand "always up" to apply would imply that "my right" is always the "right side of the screen" not "my players' right side" which is context dependant on where they are facing at the time. And "camera relative" just feels like a dice roll on what direction means what. (Just for clarification, Im not talking about an impossible stick direction through the player, but actions that feel mirrored depending on where I am going, and I'm not particularily talented enough to record while I play to show what I'm doing on the controller while the game is doing this. It also doesnt happen 100% of the time but is more often than not)
In regards to the skating, I know its significantly easier to "roll your thumbstick around to the direction you want to go" to not waste time with "stop n starts" from drastic direction changes. But even with autobackskate currently turned off, I struggle to find consistency in my ability to control where Im positioned because even the explanations you gave for both skating and Vision control are so vaguely unhelpful that you basically explained what I already knew about both features but nothing in-game teaches you how to understand their application, which is why I say "you're left smacking your head off a wall figuring them out". For example, "This will pivot your player" congrats, I figured that out a long time ago, yet the game has nothing further to help me learn HOW TO UTILIZE IT PROPERLY.
I think the key thing you missed in my initial comment is this, "its not that I dont know what the controls do, its that the game doesnt teach you the context of how to apply it" like for example, you explained that "Tie ups in front of the net require the player you're tying up to be almost not moving." But nowhere does the NHL26 tell you that they can't be moving(or, if it does, I have not found it), or that you can lose these battles by not shoving or fighting for position. It's mostly a frustration point of "these mechanics are often so poorly explained or explained with such little context, that they invite more mistakes than they give reward for success". Like take stick tying, I know you already understand its timing and use, but from my time learning it, if you act on a hint because the game tells you it's available with your positioning, and you get 2min for interference, how many more times are you likely to try it to figure out when you can or should tie the stick? It creates an uncertainty of whether or not you should follow the hints or if they're even valid. Or Vision control having both Positive and Negative effects on your ability to intercept passes based on positioning but gives you nothing more than "where your stick is" as guidance for properly intercepting. There might be a significant rewarding feeling to getting this mechanic right, but if its so frustrating to learn, I'm going to forego learning it and just run em over every time🤷♂️
This is why I am pointing out that there should be context scenarios to learn these mechanics within. I know that consumes Dev time for other projects, but it feels like large portions of the games knowledge and mechanics are either; grandfathered in from previous titles, or is outsourced to the community to provide explanation for new players, which also invites misinterpretation/misrepresentation from the community of how things actually function. Neither of which looks great🤷♂️
Also, I have yet to find any tutorial on youtube that actually breaks any mechanic down in the context for "what to do with these tools". I have seen many strategy guides but everything I find presumes you know how to apply mechanic feature and just tells you timing and positioning. Not "how to get to that level of understanding". Lastly, try looking up any "skating tutorial" for NHL games and all you are gonna find or be bombarded with is tutorials for how to abuse Vision control(LT/L2) on offense for easy goals, which isn't what I'm trying to learn, I'm trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong when turning around the 5-10 times I fall over, because its not as simple as "going a drastically different direction too fast". So, if you have any sources for an actual breakdown of mechanics in their application/context, I'd be more than happy to look at them. I might be even able to help point out where the game is failing players in this way. *EDIT* even browsing EA's own NHL youtube channel, I cannot find anything that would break down how a feature functions or how its supposed to be used aside from "split second depictions" that show the feature in a marketing like "sales pitch"
I know some people would be annoyed having to skip a tutorial for the game, but I personally dont know if I can continue buying/playing future titles knowing there are significant chunks of the game that I frustratingly dont understand how to apply and there's nothing to explain what I'm doing wrong🤷♂️
- EA_Aljo
Thanks for all the feedback. It's appreciated!
So, for the controls issue you mentioned, I'll pass it on to the team. Unfortunately, my advice is to just keep playing and you'll develop that muscle memory. Many of us have been playing this game so long that our brains just naturally process the direction players are face and our hands respond appropriately.
In regards to the skating, I know its significantly easier to "roll your thumbstick around to the direction you want to go" to not waste time with "stop n starts" from drastic direction changes. But even with autobackskate currently turned off, I struggle to find consistency in my ability to control where Im positioned because even the explanations you gave for both skating and Vision control are so vaguely unhelpful that you basically explained what I already knew about both features but nothing in-game teaches you how to understand their application, which is why I say "you're left smacking your head off a wall figuring them out". For example, "This will pivot your player" congrats, I figured that out a long time ago, yet the game has nothing further to help me learn HOW TO UTILIZE IT PROPERLY.
Learning how to use backskate properly is a skill that takes time to master. There are different applications for it so it can be situational. Some will use it to angle their player better to protect the puck. They'll pivot while carrying the puck and turn their back to the defender. I personally play WoC almost exclusively as a defender. So, I use backskating to skate back into my zone while trying to take away lanes and shooting options. Or I'll be backskating and poke checking when the carrier is within reach. Vision Control is also just good for facing the net you're trying to score on. If you find yourself facing away from the play, hitting backskate will orient you towards the net. I get how this all sounds confusing. It's just one of those things that takes time to get used to.
It's mostly a frustration point of "these mechanics are often so poorly explained or explained with such little context, that they invite more mistakes than they give reward for success".
We most certainly are lacking these details in the game. Hopefully, we'll see this change in the future. As it is now, so much is just continuing to play to learn all those nuances.
This is why I am pointing out that there should be context scenarios to learn these mechanics within. I know that consumes Dev time for other projects, but it feels like large portions of the games knowledge and mechanics are either; grandfathered in from previous titles, or is outsourced to the community to provide explanation for new players, which also invites misinterpretation/misrepresentation from the community of how things actually function. Neither of which looks great🤷♂️
That's absolutely fair to say. It would be great if there was an in depth training mode to help teach new players the finer mechanics.
I'm trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong when turning around the 5-10 times I fall over
It would be great to get video of this. I don't know of any instances where your player will just fall over from skating. As mentioned, there are panic turns where your player stumbles when making quick changes in direction that result in them taking a moment to get settled and skating again. But, it sounds like this might not be what you're experiencing so video would really help in this case.
if you have any sources for an actual breakdown of mechanics in their application/context, I'd be more than happy to look at them.
If you can tell me exactly what you need help with, I'll do my best to explain it. I know that doesn't take away from the fact that we don't have tutorial videos, but I would at least like to do all I can to get you some answers.
I know some people would be annoyed having to skip a tutorial for the game, but I personally dont know if I can continue buying/playing future titles knowing there are significant chunks of the game that I frustratingly dont understand how to apply and there's nothing to explain what I'm doing wrong🤷♂️
Your frustrating is understandable. I know it would be a pretty daunting task to be a new player and learn all these controls. Starting off using the Hybrid controls may help. You could learn the general mechanics of the game and then move on to Total Control/Skill Stick or just stick with Hybrid if that works for you.
Again, thanks so much for all the feedback. It's really appreciated. Feel free to ask about specific mechanics that are confusing you and I'll do all I can to help.
I appreciate the effort and in-depth explanations EA_Aljo .
Unfortunately, my advice is to just keep playing and you'll develop that muscle memory. Many of us have been playing this game so long that our brains just naturally process the direction players are face and our hands respond appropriately.
I think that's sort of my foundation-level issue with how "we learn to play NHL" is there's rarely rhyme or reason GIVEN to the player when they come across various interaction failures. Something like a "Early/Perfect/Late" indicator after pokes/lifts/checks would help someone like me, as it would give some indication as to "why" you just missed the attempt. I mean, even a "low stick check stat" or "puck control too high" might explain the odd occasions it feels like someone just walks through them. I kinda get that sometimes with Big Rig(I think that's the one that lets you fight off checks) text under a player.
Learning how to use backskate properly is a skill that takes time to master. There are different applications for it so it can be situational. Some will use it to angle their player better to protect the puck. They'll pivot while carrying the puck and turn their back to the defender. I personally play WoC almost exclusively as a defender. So, I use backskating to skate back into my zone while trying to take away lanes and shooting options. Or I'll be backskating and poke checking when the carrier is within reach. Vision Control is also just good for facing the net you're trying to score on. If you find yourself facing away from the play, hitting backskate will orient you towards the net. I get how this all sounds confusing. It's just one of those things that takes time to get used to.
I think I can relate to a good portion of what you are saying here, as I do fairly well when dealing with "straight-forward defense" in the way you describe it here, ahead of the play, back to your own net and controlling lanes. I'm fairly good at timing my pokes but there are often times where it feels like there is significant resistance to putting my player in that shot/pass lane where skating the wrong way/out of position feels emphatically easier than normal. for example, I can trace my opponents movements near perfectly from their zone to my own blueline with little to no issue. But crossing that blueline it suddenly becomes slightly harder to actually stay on the puck side of the attacker instead of just following the body. its a counter intuitive thing to me because I don't know how else to describe that "crossing large distances seems easier than making minor adjustments" and it's this confounding inability to close small but barely "out-of-reach" gaps on the AI that I feel myself genuinely dumbfounded on. That last bit about the slight orientation, I also understood to some some degree. However, this is where we get back to the "smack your head on a wall until it makes sense" because the game relies on learning through doing instead of explaining, where an explanation alongside an exercise showing you how to do said thing would do infinitely more for gathering new players instead of leaving them to figure it out for themselves and giving up because it isnt explained and doesnt make sense without underlying knowledge.
Unfortunately, a video is hard to grab for this because I can't show in replay when an input changes direction and where I am vs where I think I should be in a way where the video isnt just "take my word for what I am saying is happening". But I will see if I can get something set up
We most certainly are lacking these details in the game. Hopefully, we'll see this change in the future. As it is now, so much is just continuing to play to learn all those nuances.
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That's absolutely fair to say. It would be great if there was an in depth training mode to help teach new players the finer mechanics.I appreciate that you are looking at the honest criticisms I am putting forth and viewing it from the lens of someone who does not understand these nuances to the game. I do worry that some critiques won't get the much needed attention they deserve, which sort of puts this game in a similar position to Rainbow6Siege where the "learning curve" is so steep that it effectively removes the "curve" entirely and replaces it with a wall so high that new players wouldnt bother picking the game up late or the next installment if it leans on this same knowledge.
I'm trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong when turning around the 5-10 times I fall over
It would be great to get video of this. I don't know of any instances where your player will just fall over from skating. As mentioned, there are panic turns where your player stumbles when making quick changes in direction that result in them taking a moment to get settled and skating again. But, it sounds like this might not be what you're experiencing so video would really help in this case.That one is on me for an overall poor description, it's not straight up falling over unless I stumble into a fallen player or turn into an obstruction and try to continue turning, but more like what I would describe as "inconsistencies in triggering panic turns". Like, I know going hard from one direction to the exact opposite will easily incite these panic stumbles, but they'll also appear occasionally while normally rounding out corners. I've noticed that the weight shift that occurs during poke checks also seems to make these easier to come across but I'll see what I can do for video on this topic.
Your frustrating is understandable. I know it would be a pretty daunting task to be a new player and learn all these controls. Starting off using the Hybrid controls may help. You could learn the general mechanics of the game and then move on to Total Control/Skill Stick or just stick with Hybrid if that works for you.
I appreciate the sympathy🤣, It can definitely be confusing at times and depending on situational circumstances, but how do I say this? "I wouldn't say learning the controls is in itself hard. it's putting a proper context to the control that is the mental hurdle." I stick strictly to total control because it felt most comfortable compared to the skill stick I was used to from like NHL09 when I picked it back up in NHL23 and was quite stoked when I pulled my first michigan with the thumbstick🤣 I think that was "almost easier" than some other mechanics because there was more to work off when diagnosing "what the player did wrong" in terms of timing. (saying the skilled-up michigan was easier must be so confusing to read when I am talking about being confused by controls and mechanics🤣)
If you can tell me exactly what you need help with, I'll do my best to explain it. I know that doesn't take away from the fact that we don't have tutorial videos, but I would at least like to do all I can to get you some answers.
Board play would be a good start because I don't seem to have a good grasp on the way it works from either end, as the one being pinned, you seem to have some wiggle room for movement and the ability to pass 3 directions(up/down the boards or straight back) but they dont necessarily line up control wise how you normally assume a pass would.(holding up/down on the left thumbstick often times sends the pass out into no-mans land behind you instead of along the boards in the direction you intend, which made me think I'm supposed to point to another skater, but I only have 3 passes available, so maybe its just choosing one based on where that intended player is closest to path wise?) Also, if possible, the 3rd party approach to board battles would be useful as I seem to only be able to knock pucks loose to the opposition
Net Front battles and positioning still confuse me, thanks to your tidbit, I have gotten more success initiating but thats about as far as I understand it.
Puck protection in general(not just the angled 1 arm lean mechanic) as the carrier would be useful as well, as, even with my understanding of stick handling to keep the puck away from sticks or putting my players body between the puck and the AI, incidental contact and some stick lifts work where my player might opt to hook the guy in front of him make it quite easy to lose the puck without ever seeing/hearing any sign of it.
I personally play WoC almost exclusively as a defender.
Lastly, and I know this will not necessarily apply to your realm of knowledge, but have you tried defensive roles in Be-A-Pro in any of the "recent" years(say, as far back as NHL18 up to 25/26)? if so, what is your opinion on the "grading/interpretation" of defense-focused players?
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- EA_Aljo8 months ago