These need to be brought back into the game and working properly for online modes. Not only are they how you grade us but it will give players a better sense of what they should be doing.
Agreed. I think guides and a better feedback system are required, and I think it will be helpful to those who simply dont know where to be and when, but a lot of times we are talking about the folks who dont really care where they are supposed to be cause, well "F Off!!! I paid my $80 and I will play the game how I want!"
You could make grades more meaningful (again)... but for these people I think the "teamplay punishment" system is a better road to take. I hope they continue to work on that and refine it.
Here's a crazy idea. Maybe EA should implement a system where you lose fatigue more quickly when playing out of position? Let's not worry about how much EA could screw it up, but having a mechanic where you lose less stamina than normal if you are following your team's strategies could be what's needed here (in addition of course to letting players know where they're expected to be).
Nicky i love how crazy that idea is but thats going way too far. I would imagine a proper system for that should only apply to EASHL and BAP however.
Also worth noting that players could troll each other by changing the strategy to the opposite of what the team should be doing to win, just so other players get fatigued.
Imagine playing VS as a team that plays tight point in the defensive zone, and all your AI controlled players are penalized because they dont know how to attack the point. Likewise, a team that protects the net being penalized when the player controlled skater makes a good decision to step up and nearly creates a breakaway multiple times in one shift.
Increase stamina burn and staying in your zone and gliding gains stamina faster ... like real life.
EA could add individual stamina bars so you could monitor your own stamina instead of guessing based on overall line stamina. (Something we've been asking for for years)
A system that *intelligently* monitors teamplay and positioning, and doles out the following:
Stage 1 - Warning:
The announcers start making comments on the players play "Oh man Ray!!! What is he doing over there?! He got caught WAY out of position! I don't know Doc but he'll be lucky not to sit a shift for that one..."
Stage 2: Sit a shift
After 3 Stage 1 violations, if behaviour continues, player is actually forced to sit a shift and watch from the bench (like when sitting for a penalty).
Stage 3: Benched.
After 2 Stage 2 violations, player is forced to watch the rest of the game from the bench. Quitting before the game is over strips them back to level 1 and deletes all their unlocks.
Here's a crazy idea. Maybe EA should implement a system where you lose fatigue more quickly when playing out of position? Let's not worry about how much EA could screw it up, but having a mechanic where you lose less stamina than normal if you are following your team's strategies could be what's needed here (in addition of course to letting players know where they're expected to be).
I think there needs to be a better fatigue system anyways.
I also like the idea of there being a guide to show players where they should be, however that would take a lot of work as the AI don't even know where they are supposed to be most of the time. How many times do you try to skate up the ice and have your own AI skate into you impeding your progress and ability to skate? Right now it's like the AI isn't programmed to "see you" and adjust his route accordingly.
Nicky i love how crazy that idea is but thats going way too far. I would imagine a proper system for that should only apply to EASHL and BAP however.
Also worth noting that players could troll each other by changing the strategy to the opposite of what the team should be doing to win, just so other players get fatigued.
Imagine playing VS as a team that plays tight point in the defensive zone, and all your AI controlled players are penalized because they dont know how to attack the point. Likewise, a team that protects the net being penalized when the player controlled skater makes a good decision to step up and nearly creates a breakaway multiple times in one shift.
There are absolutely a ton of caveats to this, but it could be done if EA put enough work into it. Trolling the strategies in drop-ins would be among the least impactful ways of trolling, but it could be solved by having the game choose the strategies for you, or having the team vote on proposed strategy changes (maybe only giving users the options of playing more or less aggressive).
Yes, the AI would need to understand far better how to play each strategy, but that's sort of been known for awhile now. As for allowing players to play outside of their strategy when required, I don't think this is something where one or two plays would end up making a big difference, it's more of a way to reward teams for actually playing a system. Jumping the D to D passing lane a few times a game isn't a big deal, but if you're doing that multiple times a shift when your coach asked you to protect the net, there needs to be some sort of penalty for doing so.
I totally realize that the odds that EA is able to pull something like this off is almost zero, I think it gets at the real heart of the problem in the game right now, which is that the game feels like it was designed by that super-opinionated guy in your beer league that always yells about how wide open he is, has an excuse for any mistake they make on the ice, always complains to the refs about the penalty call they missed, constantly chirps everyone on the other team, tries to dangle every time he gets the puck, and even though it only works 5% of the time will keep bringing up that one time he got by for the whole night . Their view of what's fun is just so skewed that I just go find something else to do because you know it's not going to change.
Nicky i love how crazy that idea is but thats going way too far. I would imagine a proper system for that should only apply to EASHL and BAP however.
Also worth noting that players could troll each other by changing the strategy to the opposite of what the team should be doing to win, just so other players get fatigued.
Imagine playing VS as a team that plays tight point in the defensive zone, and all your AI controlled players are penalized because they dont know how to attack the point. Likewise, a team that protects the net being penalized when the player controlled skater makes a good decision to step up and nearly creates a breakaway multiple times in one shift.
There are absolutely a ton of caveats to this, but it could be done if EA put enough work into it. Trolling the strategies in drop-ins would be among the least impactful ways of trolling, but it could be solved by having the game choose the strategies for you, or having the team vote on proposed strategy changes (maybe only giving users the options of playing more or less aggressive).
Yes, the AI would need to understand far better how to play each strategy, but that's sort of been known for awhile now. As for allowing players to play outside of their strategy when required, I don't think this is something where one or two plays would end up making a big difference, it's more of a way to reward teams for actually playing a system. Jumping the D to D passing lane a few times a game isn't a big deal, but if you're doing that multiple times a shift when your coach asked you to protect the net, there needs to be some sort of penalty for doing so.
I totally realize that the odds that EA is able to pull something like this off is almost zero, I think it gets at the real heart of the problem in the game right now, which is that the game feels like it was designed by that super-opinionated guy in your beer league that always yells about how wide open he is, has an excuse for any mistake they make on the ice, always complains to the refs about the penalty call they missed, constantly chirps everyone on the other team, tries to dangle every time he gets the puck, and even though it only works 5% of the time will keep bringing up that one time he got by for the whole night . Their view of what's fun is just so skewed that I just go find something else to do because you know it's not going to change.
I was thinking more along the lines of pressuring the puck carrying defenseman. Odds are a clear breakaway from picking off a pass on the blue line is ruined by a spontaneous magical bouncing puck mechanic in this game.
Otherwise, somebody go ahead and give this man the comment of the thread award.
First few replies I think got hung up on the grades part of my OP. Grades was just a way to say " hey these guides that are already in the game but don't work in Drop or EASHL would help players like myself. Get better grades by playing how I should be playing and thus overall giving my team a better chance of winning". As far as rewards they're right. There are no true rewards other than playing fundamentally sound offense or defense. Which is what I'm getting at with the working guide systems. I understand they'll be people who don't care but for league players and club players it would be a huge upgrade in skilled players if the Forechecking and Defensive zone guides worked in online/EASHL modes. Give us these tools so when we do find players who are trying they have help/visual aid. I think these guides could really help improve the quality of the game just by being a toggle on/off for all online modes. I know people who turn everything off day 1. Which is fine but these tool sets could help refine mine and others experience.
Also, since on the subject of STA. Answer is.... Linechanges. In NHL15 with No EASHL only OTP they had linechanges. So why they don't have them now? No idea. Not a hard concept here. They have it now setup as you fatigue faster playing defense. So it seems like you should be able to just get to the redline and dump the puck for a line change. Depending on what build you have you have more STA. It's just a huge part of the game and can be easily recreated by as simple as getting a new guy on the ice. You can take this even farther but I won't. Line changes need to be in the game EA because it's in the game!
I am in the same boat. I also believe line changes would add so much to EASHL. It would be a dream to see 19 live players aside (nobody wants to be a backup goalie) with actual line configurations for even strength, PP, PK...etc.
The issue with line changes in NHL 15 was that half the players had no idea they needed to. This was due in part to the very flawed stamina system, and because only 1% of players manually changed lines. The game would pop up the next line automatically that needed to appear, as it does in VS, but not even direct the players to the bench as you would see in BAP for example.
You had players on the ice for over 5 minutes of in game time per shift due to these issues. The lack of coherent communication between OTP teammates also didnt help the situation.
hmm i still think almost no one would ever want to play with line changes where you are talking more than 5 humans per team. but maybe, for realism, you could do something with a line change where you tire faster and need to go to the bench and you just switch controls to the guy jumping off the bench.
i still would like them to just put all resources into make the game as it stands today work properly. my motto for EA is "don't ADD... FIX"
hmm i still think almost no one would ever want to play with line changes where you are talking more than 5 humans per team. but maybe, for realism, you could do something with a line change where you tire faster and need to go to the bench and you just switch controls to the guy jumping off the bench.
i still would like them to just put all resources into make the game as it stands today work properly. my motto for EA is "don't ADD... FIX"
That's another idea that is thrown around a lot that i like. The possibility to allow the forwards to have a seperate player per line, same for defensemen. When the line change is called, your current player jumps off for whatever player you assigned to the fresh line.
However i do not like the idea of a "clone" of your player coming off. That would greatly kill the potential for EASHL teams to be able to actually implement strategies for once into team building.
Perhaps the goalie could also opt to switch for a different goalie build if his main does not do well against a particular strategy the other team is using.
It would be a dream to see 19 live players aside (nobody wants to be a backup goalie) with actual line configurations for even strength, PP, PK...etc.
The day I have to wait on a virtual bench for a virtual line change is the day I quit gaming.
I dont think it would be THAT bad. For one, lots of line changes would happen after whistles, and you would be playing in VS mode game time, so line changes would be relatively quick on an organized team. Perhaps 2 or three rushes per shift would be suitable.
Although i think tons of people would prefer the other idea i mentioned above for line changes without interrupting the game for players.
How is there any talk of more than 6 players per team, when the average EASHL game is played with 2.1 players per team.
Need to get that number up first, and thats by promoting 6v6 to casuals, and that wont be possible without Join-In-Progress or casual 1 period games that quickly get built back up to 6v6 between games.
Yeah the stamina system is flawed. They need to add the BAP visuals to EASHL to work. Yet, that's what this post is about. Bringing in more working visual aides for EASHL like you have in BAP. Allow the players to learn defense and Forechecking. Notify them when their low on STA for a line change. Imo these visual aides will help players play better thus produce a better overall product. Which should in turn keep more players from quitting.
As far as line changes go. They need to be in the game. It's a big missing part of hockey. If not, **** is there a energy system? Makes no sense. Yeah I wouldn't want 20 guys playing but atleast a clone line change should be happening by now. With future intent for actual different player lines in the near future. However, EA DEVS seem to baffle me when it comes to features/additions to the game.
Replies
yep.
grades mean nothing.
CR means nothing to.... oh... I dunno... 95% - 99% of the user base?
You could make grades more meaningful (again)... but for these people I think the "teamplay punishment" system is a better road to take. I hope they continue to work on that and refine it.
Also worth noting that players could troll each other by changing the strategy to the opposite of what the team should be doing to win, just so other players get fatigued.
Imagine playing VS as a team that plays tight point in the defensive zone, and all your AI controlled players are penalized because they dont know how to attack the point. Likewise, a team that protects the net being penalized when the player controlled skater makes a good decision to step up and nearly creates a breakaway multiple times in one shift.
EA could add individual stamina bars so you could monitor your own stamina instead of guessing based on overall line stamina. (Something we've been asking for for years)
A system that *intelligently* monitors teamplay and positioning, and doles out the following:
Stage 1 - Warning:
The announcers start making comments on the players play "Oh man Ray!!! What is he doing over there?! He got caught WAY out of position! I don't know Doc but he'll be lucky not to sit a shift for that one..."
Stage 2: Sit a shift
After 3 Stage 1 violations, if behaviour continues, player is actually forced to sit a shift and watch from the bench (like when sitting for a penalty).
Stage 3: Benched.
After 2 Stage 2 violations, player is forced to watch the rest of the game from the bench. Quitting before the game is over strips them back to level 1 and deletes all their unlocks.
I think there needs to be a better fatigue system anyways.
I also like the idea of there being a guide to show players where they should be, however that would take a lot of work as the AI don't even know where they are supposed to be most of the time. How many times do you try to skate up the ice and have your own AI skate into you impeding your progress and ability to skate? Right now it's like the AI isn't programmed to "see you" and adjust his route accordingly.
There are absolutely a ton of caveats to this, but it could be done if EA put enough work into it. Trolling the strategies in drop-ins would be among the least impactful ways of trolling, but it could be solved by having the game choose the strategies for you, or having the team vote on proposed strategy changes (maybe only giving users the options of playing more or less aggressive).
Yes, the AI would need to understand far better how to play each strategy, but that's sort of been known for awhile now. As for allowing players to play outside of their strategy when required, I don't think this is something where one or two plays would end up making a big difference, it's more of a way to reward teams for actually playing a system. Jumping the D to D passing lane a few times a game isn't a big deal, but if you're doing that multiple times a shift when your coach asked you to protect the net, there needs to be some sort of penalty for doing so.
I totally realize that the odds that EA is able to pull something like this off is almost zero, I think it gets at the real heart of the problem in the game right now, which is that the game feels like it was designed by that super-opinionated guy in your beer league that always yells about how wide open he is, has an excuse for any mistake they make on the ice, always complains to the refs about the penalty call they missed, constantly chirps everyone on the other team, tries to dangle every time he gets the puck, and even though it only works 5% of the time will keep bringing up that one time he got by for the whole night . Their view of what's fun is just so skewed that I just go find something else to do because you know it's not going to change.
I was thinking more along the lines of pressuring the puck carrying defenseman. Odds are a clear breakaway from picking off a pass on the blue line is ruined by a spontaneous magical bouncing puck mechanic in this game.
Otherwise, somebody go ahead and give this man the comment of the thread award.
I am in the same boat. I also believe line changes would add so much to EASHL. It would be a dream to see 19 live players aside (nobody wants to be a backup goalie) with actual line configurations for even strength, PP, PK...etc.
The issue with line changes in NHL 15 was that half the players had no idea they needed to. This was due in part to the very flawed stamina system, and because only 1% of players manually changed lines. The game would pop up the next line automatically that needed to appear, as it does in VS, but not even direct the players to the bench as you would see in BAP for example.
You had players on the ice for over 5 minutes of in game time per shift due to these issues. The lack of coherent communication between OTP teammates also didnt help the situation.
i still would like them to just put all resources into make the game as it stands today work properly. my motto for EA is "don't ADD... FIX"
Agreed. This has already been discussed fully in another topic.
That's another idea that is thrown around a lot that i like. The possibility to allow the forwards to have a seperate player per line, same for defensemen. When the line change is called, your current player jumps off for whatever player you assigned to the fresh line.
However i do not like the idea of a "clone" of your player coming off. That would greatly kill the potential for EASHL teams to be able to actually implement strategies for once into team building.
Perhaps the goalie could also opt to switch for a different goalie build if his main does not do well against a particular strategy the other team is using.
I dont think it would be THAT bad. For one, lots of line changes would happen after whistles, and you would be playing in VS mode game time, so line changes would be relatively quick on an organized team. Perhaps 2 or three rushes per shift would be suitable.
Although i think tons of people would prefer the other idea i mentioned above for line changes without interrupting the game for players.
Need to get that number up first, and thats by promoting 6v6 to casuals, and that wont be possible without Join-In-Progress or casual 1 period games that quickly get built back up to 6v6 between games.
6v6 has to become the norm!
As far as line changes go. They need to be in the game. It's a big missing part of hockey. If not, **** is there a energy system? Makes no sense. Yeah I wouldn't want 20 guys playing but atleast a clone line change should be happening by now. With future intent for actual different player lines in the near future. However, EA DEVS seem to baffle me when it comes to features/additions to the game.
Do as I do.