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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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
Community Manager
Community ManagerThanks 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?
- EA_Aljo
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.
I can certainly see the benefit in that for new players.
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.
I think even with explaining this in game, it's one of those things you just have to feel out and learn by experience, but I also get what you're saying and it would be good to have a defensive tutorial.
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
It still tremendously helps to see video of your issues. Just something to keep in mind.
I do worry that some critiques won't get the much needed attention they deserve
The lack of beginner-friendly tutorials has been mentioned in the past. I know the team is also aware of it. We'll have to wait and see if it happens.
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.
We've had some complaints that panic turns occur too easy and I have to agree. The team has this feedback as well. As far making them happen less, this is what I mean about being conscious of keeping your player in stride rather than wait to recover from a panic turn. I can't really go into more detail on these since they really just a sudden change in direction when you're at a speed fast enough to cause them.
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."
This just comes with experience. There are a nearly unlimited amount of scenarios we could discuss. If you have specific ones in mind, please grab a video.
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
I personally haven't noticed passes going in the wrong direction when board played. I'm not saying there are no issues here though. Unfortunately, without seeing input controls on-screen, we can't tell exactly where you were aiming when the pass was made. I'll add this to my feedback though.
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.
You need to be standing at an angle where your stick can reach theirs. Hold down the button and if they aren't moving, it should tie them up. We would all like to see a better system in place though. It hasn't been updated in many years so hopefully, this gets some attention in the future.
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.
Incidental contact is most likely why the puck is getting knocked loose. Especially, if there's a fair amount of traffic. You'll hear the sound of sticks connecting. The best way to keep possession is to keep the puck out of reach. For me, the best way to do that is to keep the puck moving by passing. Stick handling is also key to this as you can often pull the puck to your forehand/backhand to keep it just out of reach. Skating into traffic with the puck often means you're going to lose it so best to stay out of those situations as much as possible. Of course, it's going to frequently happen though.
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?
I personally have not. I'm just more of an online player so I don't really have any input here. Sorry about that!
EA_Aljo wrote: "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."
NBLSXSopeX wrote "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."
here's the problem. I have the stick em up X-factor AND my pass interception slider all the way to 100 AND poke check slider all the way to 100 AND poke check power almost to 100 and I miss more than I connect and that is in MY zone. there should be no way I miss ANY poke checks anywhere but especially in my zone but I do. and as far as the interceptions goes, I should not miss any (but I do) and I put the CPU sliders all the way to 0 (zero, ZERO) and they pick me off more than I do. that is the problem. so in the game, Cale Makar (I used him cause I just played the Avalanche) has 'stick checking' at 96. so in my game sliders, if I leave the 'attribute effects' slider at 5/10 and put the interception and poke check accuracy slider to 0 then he really should only poke check or intercept a pass 50% (or lower) of the time, is that correct? and he has the highest rating of all Avalanche D-men but I picked off 8 out of 10 times during that game. and even with my measly 76 stick checking stat, if I have both of mine to 100 I should connect 9 to 10 out of 10 times but maybe I connect 3-5 out of 10. so the point is it doesn't matter what "indicators" they give the game is set to have you fail more than the AI which is wrong. and also I put the 'reception reaction time' slider for the CPU to 70 and human at 40 so according to the description they should not have enough reaction time to poke check or intercept a pass as much as they do but they do.
so in the game, Cale Makar (I used him cause I just played the Avalanche) has 'stick checking' at 96. so in my game sliders, if I leave the 'attribute effects' slider at 5/10 and put the interception and poke check accuracy slider to 0 then he really should only poke check or intercept a pass 50% (or lower) of the time, is that correct?
I dont think this part is quite accurate. As far as I understand "Attribute Effects" to function is like placing weights to balance the scale before weighing. So, in your Makar example, his stick checking is 96 but with attribute effects being at 5/10 there is less of a gap between his stick checking and say a 90 stick checking player there'll still be small differences, but theyre smaller due to stats holding less weight. A better example I typically use is speed. If you set acceleration and speed to 100, it makes everyone as a whole faster, but attribute effects at lower values means there's less of a speed difference between others and McDavid, whereas high values would increase the stats weight and allow McDavid to show the "true difference" between his speed rating and a high 80/low 90s skater. So to simplify it, 0/10 would be as close to a level playing field with every player using almost slider settings alone and 10/10 would be your players stats heavily influencing the sliders on a player-player basis.
. I have the stick em up X-factor AND my pass interception slider all the way to 100 AND poke check slider all the way to 100 AND poke check power almost to 100 and I miss more than I connect and that is in MY zone. there should be no way I miss ANY poke checks anywhere but especially in my zone but I do. and as far as the interceptions goes, I should not miss any (but I do) and I put the CPU sliders all the way to 0 (zero, ZERO) and they pick me off more than I do.
Even at 100 accuracy and power, it doesn't perform miracles. It won't suddenly override a poke to make it make contact if it isnt going to anyways. To kind of exemplify this better, as far as I understand, stick checking affects speed and accuracy of a check, so 96 stick checking is faster and more accurately executed. So saying "there should be no way I miss ANY poke checks" sounds a little absurd.
I will say there are some strange oddities with poke checking where Ive had sticks go under pucks and sticks and do nothing but it's not impossible to figure out.
so the point is it doesn't matter what "indicators" they give the game is set to have you fail more than the AI which is wrong. and also I put the 'reception reaction time' slider for the CPU to 70 and human at 40 so according to the description they should not have enough reaction time to poke check or intercept a pass as much as they do but they do.
This is where I wholly disagree. I dont think "its set to have you fail more than the AI" but I would go to say "its easier for them to gain possession" in the context that they seem to recover from stick lifts/pokes significantly faster than players even when you lift their stick successfully.
Secondly, "reception reaction time" is in regards to passing and how long they take to react to receive a pass or loose puck(i could be wrong about the loose puck part) reception reaction time, to my understanding, does not impact general reactions for poking or intercepting(maybe a little on intercepting because its still "receiving"?) But I interpret it like this "reception reaction time" effects how "long it would take"/"if you have time to" reach behind you to catch a pass that was a little behind you, obviously not just in that 1 scenario, but that "time to receive/gain control" of the puck
Sorry if there's a lot you gotta correct in my interpretations EA_Aljo
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