When Goalies were Goalies
November 19, 2017 9:42PM
edited November 2017
Ah... I remember when actual skill in nets meant something. I mean, sure, the animations and movements were not very realistic, but just look at how goalies could keep up with the shooters back then. Save animations were smooth and precise. Going from the post, to the top of your crease, back to the post to the other post was lightning fast and responsive.
Heck, I was rocking a 6'0" 198 Lbs, 71 OVR goalie back then. I was moving all over my crease and making big saves! Most other "competitive" goalies in LG built themselves a towering 6'9" 175 Lbs, 78 OVR goalie and parked him in the middle of his crease all game long.
Man I miss those days...
Don't get me wrong, NHL 18 goalies are improved from NHL 17. But nothing like what we used to be able to do. Being a goalie meant being useful to your team back then.
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Replies
It's funny you've wanted more realism for years and now when they make goalies a little more realistic than they were in the past you want them to go back.
Game used to be less realistic but it was a lot more fun. Just like your old goalies, eh bud?
What we wanted is something that makes sense most of the time. NHL 14 rarely made sense. As I said, the movements and animations in the game sometimes needed you to suspend your sense of belief. And that was the problem.
Gameplay wise everything looks so smooth back then compared to now. The animations for goalies are more or so still the same but just feels clunky compared to old gen. Idk why they can't just make the movements smooth like old gen, since animations are pretty much still the exact same. Imagine playing with those smooth movements plus having RVH post hugs? Maybe in 2020.
Anyone know how the sales were for the game this year? Didn't Rammer allocating most of the resources to 3s instead of improving gameplay since he thought it will bring in more casuals players to the game? Yet people online has been the lowest I seen ever, really think its time for him to go and Ben to be the lead producer for this series.
Mate
MY REALISM doesn't allow pucks, sticks, to physically pass through other objects
MY REALISM doesn't allow a AI goalie to pass the puck (to the stick tappers) through 2,3,4 guys legs (guys crashing the net) to an open player
MY REALISM doesn't make puck pick ups a comedy act
MY REALISM doesn't allow a invincibility bubble around a player that is holding the RS to either side and gliding
Let's analyse this for a second. I come out to make a save, puck stays in front of my pads. I mash the Y button to cover, goalie misses once, twice. Then an opposing player THRUSTS the puck through me (along with his hockey stick). Puck comes to rest behind me. While still mashing Y to cover the puck, goalie starts to lie backwards to smother the puck under him. But another opposing player THRUSTS his stick through my torso, hitting the puck and pushing it into the net.
What can I do here? Nothing. I'm at the mercy of the game's animations which are automated at this point. Nothing I do, none of my inputs matters.
Here's another example of how the goalies now are NOT rewarding:
Granted, the opposing player is on a breakaway. But I followed him in correctly. He gets his stupid "lateral acceleration boost" b*llsh*t that allows him to swing much wider and faster than a normal skater with the puck would. Does my goalie stretch out a limb to cover the open part of the net? Of course not! He tucks his limbs close to his body and allows the shot to go through. EXACTLY like a real goalie would!!
(BTW, I'm being sarcastic on that last part).
Not only that, but the shot goes low glove and the goalie does a high glove/shoulder shrug save attempt... ****??
This game is anything but realistic and playing goalie (although better than last year) is still not as fun as it should be.
Oh, and one last thing. Check this pick below:
To the Genius at EA who designed the game to allow WHITE GOAL POSTS ON A WHITE ICE SURFACE... I hope you slip on a banana peel and land head first in a mound of dinosaur droppings...
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You moved ever so slightly, therefore, the animation of you running to the bench kicked in and they scored an empty net goal. /s
New Vaughn VPG Ventus Clouds! They're lighter than air... Because they ARE AIR!! Need the best pads to stop pucks? Well too bad! Cuz pucks will go through you... Dummy!
The one constant I notice in these videos of pucks going through goalies is that a stick is almost always also going through them. Seems to be a correlation to me.
Pucks go through pads (especially "underneath" the pad, as in that video) all the time without a stick hitting the goalie.
And this was during an OFFICIAL Leaguegaming game. The other team made the goal posts WHITE so that I'd have trouble knowing where the net was behind me. GGs EA...