WOC Defense

I actually meant to touch on regaining possession and forgot, totally agree. There's a lot of times I knock a puck down and then just stand on top of it until they come take it again. There isn't a pickup button, unfortunately. 

Appreciate you relaying this to the team. I do hope defense is priority #1 over nerfing trucs, wheels and ee.

I personally don’t think the game is fast at all. Just need defense to be where it was at last game cycle. If that happens, game will be perfect.

EA_Aljo wrote:

The game isn't tuned so that young and casual fans have fun scoring.

But you have to admit that the game has been designed for young fans? We wouldn't have these 'fortnite' style customizations, masks (not goalie masks, but sharks and wolves!), unless it was to attract the young or the juvenile... or are you saying that mature players want this sort of thing? I doubt many are attracted to this game because of these novelties.

 Of course, hockey isn't exactly known as an high brow sport, and this game has some astonishingly immature players, be they young or old. You can see this in all the trolling with the player names and player likenesses, and even trolling when playing. That is another topic though, suffice to say EA isn't exactly stomping down the trolls.

And as for catering for casuals, you only have to look at the total control controller scheme to say this is very casual. Dekes and hits with a simple press of a button does not spell hard core gamer, does it? I dont think the skill  stick system is particularily difficult to master, compared with say, EA's football game?

And in the same vein, playing forward has been made substantially easier this year, and if this isn't to allure casual players, then why do it? Gamers want challenging but balanced games, too easy games get boring. And you have to remember that hockey fans tend to be all ages, at least personally it annoys me to see these CHEL additions in recent years, all the unnecessary customizations for added 'fun'. 

Just wanted to share an example of where I feel like my defender played very solid staying with his guy to defend a backdoor tap in and I still got scored on and he was not rewarded with a breakup of some kind. I feel like this is the feeling of the majority of players, that any slight movement on the ice places you in a position that will not get you rewarded and that being in position is one thing but then also to have stick position makes defense unbalanced from that of the offense. I realize he's not in perfect position but that kind of brings home my point that its alot easier to hit a pass on offense (especially with icon passing) where as on defense you need to be a little too perfect because they're not aiming for you. I think it needs to be more forgiving on defense, making it a little more important for the offense to find a true open lane.

Personally, I don't think the game is specifically tuned to make offense easier but that doesn't mean that it isn't that way even if unintended. I do think a massive bump in defense is needed and has been needed for years, its a bit overdue.