"the AI’s obsession with “positioning” and how they’re constantly ruining good plays by “covering” in scenarios where no hockey team would ever “cover” because it wouldn’t be considered an “out of position” play"
Amen brother. Feels like the game is made for - A-B-C - ground rules of hockey newbies -.
Almost everyone I play, seem to put focus on being - exact - in position, except from when they just running wild, totally out of position.
But this obsession with being "positioning" makes the gameplay pretty stagnate.
I can be two zones away from the puck carrier, with my center, but still be in perfect positioning. But it dosent always feels like the game and I, think the same way about this kinda things.
I wish the AI were simply “made for newbies” because my teammate AI would simply prioritize getting the puck over worrying about some random spot lol. When coaching hockey, it’s always hard to teach structure and positional discipline to younger teams. I’ve never once had to teach someone “go get the puck” because it’s a natural tendency lol.
When playing offline, your AI teammates look like they’re allergic to the puck. They want nothing to do with it. This is most seen when on the PowerPlay and you have to watch your 4 teammates start immediately trapping rather than applying an extra 1-2 guys to pressure the puck like all PowerPlay units do. I should add that my strategies are on full forecheck and aggressive offense with puck side attack defense so why are they trapping?
The AI make a relatively impressive list of game mechanics look absolutely useless because they can’t even perform rudimentary hockey tasks. First forward on a forecheck pressures the puck. Weakside wings/dmen don’t randomly skate to the corner and stare at the glass in their defensive zone. When running a PowerPlay, you play your position and stand relatively still a lot of the time. It should be impossible to make a play because my AI are in a continuous toilet bowl cycle trying to “cover” for someone every time you move the puck carrier a micro-inch out of their spot to make a play. The play can never be made because it relies on everyone else keeping their structure.
Would also love to see the intended logic of the forechecks. The forechecks in this game look miserable a lot of the time for the user so I really want to know what my AI want me to do. There’s many different ways to run a 1-2-2, a 2-3, a 2-1-2 so what do they actually want? A 2-3 rarely results in an AI teammate actually helping me forecheck. A 1-2-2 never results in the proper structure of a 1-2-2 or “foosball” forecheck. So what the heck do they want/expect lol? Also, a weakside lock is essentially a 1-2-2 so what’s the difference? On the topic of logic, what position is assigned to where when running an umbrella? You win an offensive zone draw and watch all 4 of your AI immediately sprinting and getting confused while you stand still so where does everyone actually want to be lol? It’s almost comical watching.
The AI need some serious work to get this game up to a truly impressive level. Also need to get rid of their intended functionality/glitch or the speed glitch. Absolutely insane how that’s still in the game despite complaining about it for years. Totally ruins the entire game experience.
I feel you here. Running the Powerplay is so cumbersome. They are always moving to spots that are nowhere near danger. You cannot run a legit PP in this game and I hate that. You are almost at a disadvantage with the man advantage.
The constant moving and "covering" for everyone makes this game rough sometimes. Running an offensive zone Overload is such a cluster. Guys do not cut to the net, they do not overlap. We need to be able to create our own plays.
"the AI’s obsession with “positioning” and how they’re constantly ruining good plays by “covering” in scenarios where no hockey team would ever “cover” because it wouldn’t be considered an “out of position” play"
Amen brother. Feels like the game is made for - A-B-C - ground rules of hockey newbies -.
Almost everyone I play, seem to put focus on being - exact - in position, except from when they just running wild, totally out of position.
But this obsession with being "positioning" makes the gameplay pretty stagnate.
I can be two zones away from the puck carrier, with my center, but still be in perfect positioning. But it dosent always feels like the game and I, think the same way about this kinda things.
I wish the AI were simply “made for newbies” because my teammate AI would simply prioritize getting the puck over worrying about some random spot lol. When coaching hockey, it’s always hard to teach structure and positional discipline to younger teams. I’ve never once had to teach someone “go get the puck” because it’s a natural tendency lol.
When playing offline, your AI teammates look like they’re allergic to the puck. They want nothing to do with it. This is most seen when on the PowerPlay and you have to watch your 4 teammates start immediately trapping rather than applying an extra 1-2 guys to pressure the puck like all PowerPlay units do. I should add that my strategies are on full forecheck and aggressive offense with puck side attack defense so why are they trapping?
The AI make a relatively impressive list of game mechanics look absolutely useless because they can’t even perform rudimentary hockey tasks. First forward on a forecheck pressures the puck. Weakside wings/dmen don’t randomly skate to the corner and stare at the glass in their defensive zone. When running a PowerPlay, you play your position and stand relatively still a lot of the time. It should be impossible to make a play because my AI are in a continuous toilet bowl cycle trying to “cover” for someone every time you move the puck carrier a micro-inch out of their spot to make a play. The play can never be made because it relies on everyone else keeping their structure.
Would also love to see the intended logic of the forechecks. The forechecks in this game look miserable a lot of the time for the user so I really want to know what my AI want me to do. There’s many different ways to run a 1-2-2, a 2-3, a 2-1-2 so what do they actually want? A 2-3 rarely results in an AI teammate actually helping me forecheck. A 1-2-2 never results in the proper structure of a 1-2-2 or “foosball” forecheck. So what the heck do they want/expect lol? Also, a weakside lock is essentially a 1-2-2 so what’s the difference? On the topic of logic, what position is assigned to where when running an umbrella? You win an offensive zone draw and watch all 4 of your AI immediately sprinting and getting confused while you stand still so where does everyone actually want to be lol? It’s almost comical watching.
The AI need some serious work to get this game up to a truly impressive level. Also need to get rid of their intended functionality/glitch or the speed glitch. Absolutely insane how that’s still in the game despite complaining about it for years. Totally ruins the entire game experience.
I feel you here. Running the Powerplay is so cumbersome. They are always moving to spots that are nowhere near danger. You cannot run a legit PP in this game and I hate that. You are almost at a disadvantage with the man advantage.
The constant moving and "covering" for everyone makes this game rough sometimes. Running an offensive zone Overload is such a cluster. Guys do not cut to the net, they do not overlap. We need to be able to create our own plays.
I laugh watching the overload in this game. What offense would ever be generated by 3 guys constantly just leaving the net front and cycling lol? Behind the net allows for some good cycling too but the forwards out front are absolutely useless at actually getting open so that’s pretty painful to watch. Crash the net has been my lesser of 3 evils that I run for all lines. Sometimes when I’m lucky, one of my 3 AI forwards will actually get in a spot to screen the goalie when the puck is at the point! They usually like to just get in tie-up battles about 10 feet off to the side but I get lucky every now and again lol...again, this isn’t even like asking for in-depth strategies. Can my AI simply screen a goalie on crash the net? Can they show any interest in scoring when running the overload? And the PP...oh my the PP, I’m glad I don’t see many with my sliders when they’re actually working. I think I should just turn penalties off. As fun as it is watching your Weakside 1T guy on the PP leave his spot to come stand directly next to my guy in the middle (who is covered, essentially allows one defender to cover two options now) rather than going to the backdoor, I just do not really enjoy running them that much. Shocking, I know.
"the AI’s obsession with “positioning” and how they’re constantly ruining good plays by “covering” in scenarios where no hockey team would ever “cover” because it wouldn’t be considered an “out of position” play"
Amen brother. Feels like the game is made for - A-B-C - ground rules of hockey newbies -.
Almost everyone I play, seem to put focus on being - exact - in position, except from when they just running wild, totally out of position.
But this obsession with being "positioning" makes the gameplay pretty stagnate.
I can be two zones away from the puck carrier, with my center, but still be in perfect positioning. But it dosent always feels like the game and I, think the same way about this kinda things.
I wish the AI were simply “made for newbies” because my teammate AI would simply prioritize getting the puck over worrying about some random spot lol. When coaching hockey, it’s always hard to teach structure and positional discipline to younger teams. I’ve never once had to teach someone “go get the puck” because it’s a natural tendency lol.
When playing offline, your AI teammates look like they’re allergic to the puck. They want nothing to do with it. This is most seen when on the PowerPlay and you have to watch your 4 teammates start immediately trapping rather than applying an extra 1-2 guys to pressure the puck like all PowerPlay units do. I should add that my strategies are on full forecheck and aggressive offense with puck side attack defense so why are they trapping?
The AI make a relatively impressive list of game mechanics look absolutely useless because they can’t even perform rudimentary hockey tasks. First forward on a forecheck pressures the puck. Weakside wings/dmen don’t randomly skate to the corner and stare at the glass in their defensive zone. When running a PowerPlay, you play your position and stand relatively still a lot of the time. It should be impossible to make a play because my AI are in a continuous toilet bowl cycle trying to “cover” for someone every time you move the puck carrier a micro-inch out of their spot to make a play. The play can never be made because it relies on everyone else keeping their structure.
Would also love to see the intended logic of the forechecks. The forechecks in this game look miserable a lot of the time for the user so I really want to know what my AI want me to do. There’s many different ways to run a 1-2-2, a 2-3, a 2-1-2 so what do they actually want? A 2-3 rarely results in an AI teammate actually helping me forecheck. A 1-2-2 never results in the proper structure of a 1-2-2 or “foosball” forecheck. So what the heck do they want/expect lol? Also, a weakside lock is essentially a 1-2-2 so what’s the difference? On the topic of logic, what position is assigned to where when running an umbrella? You win an offensive zone draw and watch all 4 of your AI immediately sprinting and getting confused while you stand still so where does everyone actually want to be lol? It’s almost comical watching.
The AI need some serious work to get this game up to a truly impressive level. Also need to get rid of their intended functionality/glitch or the speed glitch. Absolutely insane how that’s still in the game despite complaining about it for years. Totally ruins the entire game experience.
I feel you here. Running the Powerplay is so cumbersome. They are always moving to spots that are nowhere near danger. You cannot run a legit PP in this game and I hate that. You are almost at a disadvantage with the man advantage.
The constant moving and "covering" for everyone makes this game rough sometimes. Running an offensive zone Overload is such a cluster. Guys do not cut to the net, they do not overlap. We need to be able to create our own plays.
I laugh watching the overload in this game. What offense would ever be generated by 3 guys constantly just leaving the net front and cycling lol? Behind the net allows for some good cycling too but the forwards out front are absolutely useless at actually getting open so that’s pretty painful to watch. Crash the net has been my lesser of 3 evils that I run for all lines. Sometimes when I’m lucky, one of my 3 AI forwards will actually get in a spot to screen the goalie when the puck is at the point! They usually like to just get in tie-up battles about 10 feet off to the side but I get lucky every now and again lol...again, this isn’t even like asking for in-depth strategies. Can my AI simply screen a goalie on crash the net? Can they show any interest in scoring when running the overload? And the PP...oh my the PP, I’m glad I don’t see many with my sliders when they’re actually working. I think I should just turn penalties off. As fun as it is watching your Weakside 1T guy on the PP leave his spot to come stand directly next to my guy in the middle (who is covered, essentially allows one defender to cover two options now) rather than going to the backdoor, I just do not really enjoy running them that much. Shocking, I know.
This happens constantly. A pass option allows the defenders easy coverage and this in turn causes bunching. On the overload they stand so close to you on the half wall that you cant do anything. Any pass you make is to someone who will be in a bad spot upon reception.
This game has some nice underlying mechanics but this tendency to bunch up and completely destroy space is a game-killer. The AI are so aimless. Not to brag, but I played Division 1 club ice hockey in college. Never, even at that level which is not super high, did I ever see any player just skate around aimlessly. There is always space to get to, support position to be in, an overlap to run, etc.
Offline, like you it seems, I can get it to be manageable. Sliders are getting better with time and testing. Trying to slow it down while speeding up the animations. I cannot though get this to play like hockey no matter what I do and it is frustrating. The AI on superstar is a disaster.
The AI on Superstar: can instantly hustle, make micro-movements that no human can actually execute, they peel away from a breakout so many times that they stagnate in their own zone over and over again, the CPU AI forecheck like a heatseeking missile and my AI blows right past guys.
I agree with you we dont need advanced tactics. We simply need basic hockey plays programmed into the game. If that isnt an option then let me do it with a create a play thing like we used to have.
"the AI’s obsession with “positioning” and how they’re constantly ruining good plays by “covering” in scenarios where no hockey team would ever “cover” because it wouldn’t be considered an “out of position” play"
Amen brother. Feels like the game is made for - A-B-C - ground rules of hockey newbies -.
Almost everyone I play, seem to put focus on being - exact - in position, except from when they just running wild, totally out of position.
But this obsession with being "positioning" makes the gameplay pretty stagnate.
I can be two zones away from the puck carrier, with my center, but still be in perfect positioning. But it dosent always feels like the game and I, think the same way about this kinda things.
I wish the AI were simply “made for newbies” because my teammate AI would simply prioritize getting the puck over worrying about some random spot lol. When coaching hockey, it’s always hard to teach structure and positional discipline to younger teams. I’ve never once had to teach someone “go get the puck” because it’s a natural tendency lol.
When playing offline, your AI teammates look like they’re allergic to the puck. They want nothing to do with it. This is most seen when on the PowerPlay and you have to watch your 4 teammates start immediately trapping rather than applying an extra 1-2 guys to pressure the puck like all PowerPlay units do. I should add that my strategies are on full forecheck and aggressive offense with puck side attack defense so why are they trapping?
The AI make a relatively impressive list of game mechanics look absolutely useless because they can’t even perform rudimentary hockey tasks. First forward on a forecheck pressures the puck. Weakside wings/dmen don’t randomly skate to the corner and stare at the glass in their defensive zone. When running a PowerPlay, you play your position and stand relatively still a lot of the time. It should be impossible to make a play because my AI are in a continuous toilet bowl cycle trying to “cover” for someone every time you move the puck carrier a micro-inch out of their spot to make a play. The play can never be made because it relies on everyone else keeping their structure.
Would also love to see the intended logic of the forechecks. The forechecks in this game look miserable a lot of the time for the user so I really want to know what my AI want me to do. There’s many different ways to run a 1-2-2, a 2-3, a 2-1-2 so what do they actually want? A 2-3 rarely results in an AI teammate actually helping me forecheck. A 1-2-2 never results in the proper structure of a 1-2-2 or “foosball” forecheck. So what the heck do they want/expect lol? Also, a weakside lock is essentially a 1-2-2 so what’s the difference? On the topic of logic, what position is assigned to where when running an umbrella? You win an offensive zone draw and watch all 4 of your AI immediately sprinting and getting confused while you stand still so where does everyone actually want to be lol? It’s almost comical watching.
The AI need some serious work to get this game up to a truly impressive level. Also need to get rid of their intended functionality/glitch or the speed glitch. Absolutely insane how that’s still in the game despite complaining about it for years. Totally ruins the entire game experience.
I feel you here. Running the Powerplay is so cumbersome. They are always moving to spots that are nowhere near danger. You cannot run a legit PP in this game and I hate that. You are almost at a disadvantage with the man advantage.
The constant moving and "covering" for everyone makes this game rough sometimes. Running an offensive zone Overload is such a cluster. Guys do not cut to the net, they do not overlap. We need to be able to create our own plays.
I laugh watching the overload in this game. What offense would ever be generated by 3 guys constantly just leaving the net front and cycling lol? Behind the net allows for some good cycling too but the forwards out front are absolutely useless at actually getting open so that’s pretty painful to watch. Crash the net has been my lesser of 3 evils that I run for all lines. Sometimes when I’m lucky, one of my 3 AI forwards will actually get in a spot to screen the goalie when the puck is at the point! They usually like to just get in tie-up battles about 10 feet off to the side but I get lucky every now and again lol...again, this isn’t even like asking for in-depth strategies. Can my AI simply screen a goalie on crash the net? Can they show any interest in scoring when running the overload? And the PP...oh my the PP, I’m glad I don’t see many with my sliders when they’re actually working. I think I should just turn penalties off. As fun as it is watching your Weakside 1T guy on the PP leave his spot to come stand directly next to my guy in the middle (who is covered, essentially allows one defender to cover two options now) rather than going to the backdoor, I just do not really enjoy running them that much. Shocking, I know.
This happens constantly. A pass option allows the defenders easy coverage and this in turn causes bunching. On the overload they stand so close to you on the half wall that you cant do anything. Any pass you make is to someone who will be in a bad spot upon reception.
This game has some nice underlying mechanics but this tendency to bunch up and completely destroy space is a game-killer. The AI are so aimless. Not to brag, but I played Division 1 club ice hockey in college. Never, even at that level which is not super high, did I ever see any player just skate around aimlessly. There is always space to get to, support position to be in, an overlap to run, etc.
Offline, like you it seems, I can get it to be manageable. Sliders are getting better with time and testing. Trying to slow it down while speeding up the animations. I cannot though get this to play like hockey no matter what I do and it is frustrating. The AI on superstar is a disaster.
The AI on Superstar: can instantly hustle, make micro-movements that no human can actually execute, they peel away from a breakout so many times that they stagnate in their own zone over and over again, the CPU AI forecheck like a heatseeking missile and my AI blows right past guys.
I agree with you we dont need advanced tactics. We simply need basic hockey plays programmed into the game. If that isnt an option then let me do it with a create a play thing like we used to have.
I play 1/2 of each game as both teams, so that helps me sliders-wise because I can play on Pro and increase the sloppiness + turn pass assist completely off + buff goalies to make Pro a lot more difficult than try to make All-star or superstar even remotely enjoyable to play. The problem is, when the sliders/underlying game code decide that this is going to be a perfect execution, super fast, air hockey style of gameplay, Pro becomes just laughably easy. This happened to meet three nights ago and I haven’t even had the will to boot up the game again. I’m just so tired of it and I’m so tired of EA acting like this doesn’t exist or that us slider-makers are crazy.
"the AI’s obsession with “positioning” and how they’re constantly ruining good plays by “covering” in scenarios where no hockey team would ever “cover” because it wouldn’t be considered an “out of position” play"
Amen brother. Feels like the game is made for - A-B-C - ground rules of hockey newbies -.
Almost everyone I play, seem to put focus on being - exact - in position, except from when they just running wild, totally out of position.
But this obsession with being "positioning" makes the gameplay pretty stagnate.
I can be two zones away from the puck carrier, with my center, but still be in perfect positioning. But it dosent always feels like the game and I, think the same way about this kinda things.
I wish the AI were simply “made for newbies” because my teammate AI would simply prioritize getting the puck over worrying about some random spot lol. When coaching hockey, it’s always hard to teach structure and positional discipline to younger teams. I’ve never once had to teach someone “go get the puck” because it’s a natural tendency lol.
When playing offline, your AI teammates look like they’re allergic to the puck. They want nothing to do with it. This is most seen when on the PowerPlay and you have to watch your 4 teammates start immediately trapping rather than applying an extra 1-2 guys to pressure the puck like all PowerPlay units do. I should add that my strategies are on full forecheck and aggressive offense with puck side attack defense so why are they trapping?
The AI make a relatively impressive list of game mechanics look absolutely useless because they can’t even perform rudimentary hockey tasks. First forward on a forecheck pressures the puck. Weakside wings/dmen don’t randomly skate to the corner and stare at the glass in their defensive zone. When running a PowerPlay, you play your position and stand relatively still a lot of the time. It should be impossible to make a play because my AI are in a continuous toilet bowl cycle trying to “cover” for someone every time you move the puck carrier a micro-inch out of their spot to make a play. The play can never be made because it relies on everyone else keeping their structure.
Would also love to see the intended logic of the forechecks. The forechecks in this game look miserable a lot of the time for the user so I really want to know what my AI want me to do. There’s many different ways to run a 1-2-2, a 2-3, a 2-1-2 so what do they actually want? A 2-3 rarely results in an AI teammate actually helping me forecheck. A 1-2-2 never results in the proper structure of a 1-2-2 or “foosball” forecheck. So what the heck do they want/expect lol? Also, a weakside lock is essentially a 1-2-2 so what’s the difference? On the topic of logic, what position is assigned to where when running an umbrella? You win an offensive zone draw and watch all 4 of your AI immediately sprinting and getting confused while you stand still so where does everyone actually want to be lol? It’s almost comical watching.
The AI need some serious work to get this game up to a truly impressive level. Also need to get rid of their intended functionality/glitch or the speed glitch. Absolutely insane how that’s still in the game despite complaining about it for years. Totally ruins the entire game experience.
I feel you here. Running the Powerplay is so cumbersome. They are always moving to spots that are nowhere near danger. You cannot run a legit PP in this game and I hate that. You are almost at a disadvantage with the man advantage.
The constant moving and "covering" for everyone makes this game rough sometimes. Running an offensive zone Overload is such a cluster. Guys do not cut to the net, they do not overlap. We need to be able to create our own plays.
I laugh watching the overload in this game. What offense would ever be generated by 3 guys constantly just leaving the net front and cycling lol? Behind the net allows for some good cycling too but the forwards out front are absolutely useless at actually getting open so that’s pretty painful to watch. Crash the net has been my lesser of 3 evils that I run for all lines. Sometimes when I’m lucky, one of my 3 AI forwards will actually get in a spot to screen the goalie when the puck is at the point! They usually like to just get in tie-up battles about 10 feet off to the side but I get lucky every now and again lol...again, this isn’t even like asking for in-depth strategies. Can my AI simply screen a goalie on crash the net? Can they show any interest in scoring when running the overload? And the PP...oh my the PP, I’m glad I don’t see many with my sliders when they’re actually working. I think I should just turn penalties off. As fun as it is watching your Weakside 1T guy on the PP leave his spot to come stand directly next to my guy in the middle (who is covered, essentially allows one defender to cover two options now) rather than going to the backdoor, I just do not really enjoy running them that much. Shocking, I know.
This happens constantly. A pass option allows the defenders easy coverage and this in turn causes bunching. On the overload they stand so close to you on the half wall that you cant do anything. Any pass you make is to someone who will be in a bad spot upon reception.
This game has some nice underlying mechanics but this tendency to bunch up and completely destroy space is a game-killer. The AI are so aimless. Not to brag, but I played Division 1 club ice hockey in college. Never, even at that level which is not super high, did I ever see any player just skate around aimlessly. There is always space to get to, support position to be in, an overlap to run, etc.
Offline, like you it seems, I can get it to be manageable. Sliders are getting better with time and testing. Trying to slow it down while speeding up the animations. I cannot though get this to play like hockey no matter what I do and it is frustrating. The AI on superstar is a disaster.
The AI on Superstar: can instantly hustle, make micro-movements that no human can actually execute, they peel away from a breakout so many times that they stagnate in their own zone over and over again, the CPU AI forecheck like a heatseeking missile and my AI blows right past guys.
I agree with you we dont need advanced tactics. We simply need basic hockey plays programmed into the game. If that isnt an option then let me do it with a create a play thing like we used to have.
I play 1/2 of each game as both teams, so that helps me sliders-wise because I can play on Pro and increase the sloppiness + turn pass assist completely off + buff goalies to make Pro a lot more difficult than try to make All-star or superstar even remotely enjoyable to play. The problem is, when the sliders/underlying game code decide that this is going to be a perfect execution, super fast, air hockey style of gameplay, Pro becomes just laughably easy. This happened to meet three nights ago and I haven’t even had the will to boot up the game again. I’m just so tired of it and I’m so tired of EA acting like this doesn’t exist or that us slider-makers are crazy.
Encountered this three days ago but in reverse. Set up my sliders. So we know, I use game speed 6, skating speed at 5, agility at 75, acceleration at 55. I put speed at 6 to hope and make puck pick ups and receptions not burley movements. Have to make other changes to pass speed and shot power to accommodate for the fast gameplay. Etc. No big deal.
Anyway. Made the changes to current sliders 4 days ago. Game still felt fast and too quick. Didnt seem like my changes were in effect. This game is awful when it is fast. Load up 3 days ago and the game is really slow...the way I wanted it and it plays way better.
I was like, umm what? I have heard of this speed glitch and read about it on OS quite a bit. Something is going on. I dont believe it to be malicious but something happens with the sliders and when/if they are working.
"the AI’s obsession with “positioning” and how they’re constantly ruining good plays by “covering” in scenarios where no hockey team would ever “cover” because it wouldn’t be considered an “out of position” play"
Amen brother. Feels like the game is made for - A-B-C - ground rules of hockey newbies -.
Almost everyone I play, seem to put focus on being - exact - in position, except from when they just running wild, totally out of position.
But this obsession with being "positioning" makes the gameplay pretty stagnate.
I can be two zones away from the puck carrier, with my center, but still be in perfect positioning. But it dosent always feels like the game and I, think the same way about this kinda things.
I wish the AI were simply “made for newbies” because my teammate AI would simply prioritize getting the puck over worrying about some random spot lol. When coaching hockey, it’s always hard to teach structure and positional discipline to younger teams. I’ve never once had to teach someone “go get the puck” because it’s a natural tendency lol.
When playing offline, your AI teammates look like they’re allergic to the puck. They want nothing to do with it. This is most seen when on the PowerPlay and you have to watch your 4 teammates start immediately trapping rather than applying an extra 1-2 guys to pressure the puck like all PowerPlay units do. I should add that my strategies are on full forecheck and aggressive offense with puck side attack defense so why are they trapping?
The AI make a relatively impressive list of game mechanics look absolutely useless because they can’t even perform rudimentary hockey tasks. First forward on a forecheck pressures the puck. Weakside wings/dmen don’t randomly skate to the corner and stare at the glass in their defensive zone. When running a PowerPlay, you play your position and stand relatively still a lot of the time. It should be impossible to make a play because my AI are in a continuous toilet bowl cycle trying to “cover” for someone every time you move the puck carrier a micro-inch out of their spot to make a play. The play can never be made because it relies on everyone else keeping their structure.
Would also love to see the intended logic of the forechecks. The forechecks in this game look miserable a lot of the time for the user so I really want to know what my AI want me to do. There’s many different ways to run a 1-2-2, a 2-3, a 2-1-2 so what do they actually want? A 2-3 rarely results in an AI teammate actually helping me forecheck. A 1-2-2 never results in the proper structure of a 1-2-2 or “foosball” forecheck. So what the heck do they want/expect lol? Also, a weakside lock is essentially a 1-2-2 so what’s the difference? On the topic of logic, what position is assigned to where when running an umbrella? You win an offensive zone draw and watch all 4 of your AI immediately sprinting and getting confused while you stand still so where does everyone actually want to be lol? It’s almost comical watching.
The AI need some serious work to get this game up to a truly impressive level. Also need to get rid of their intended functionality/glitch or the speed glitch. Absolutely insane how that’s still in the game despite complaining about it for years. Totally ruins the entire game experience.
I feel you here. Running the Powerplay is so cumbersome. They are always moving to spots that are nowhere near danger. You cannot run a legit PP in this game and I hate that. You are almost at a disadvantage with the man advantage.
The constant moving and "covering" for everyone makes this game rough sometimes. Running an offensive zone Overload is such a cluster. Guys do not cut to the net, they do not overlap. We need to be able to create our own plays.
I laugh watching the overload in this game. What offense would ever be generated by 3 guys constantly just leaving the net front and cycling lol? Behind the net allows for some good cycling too but the forwards out front are absolutely useless at actually getting open so that’s pretty painful to watch. Crash the net has been my lesser of 3 evils that I run for all lines. Sometimes when I’m lucky, one of my 3 AI forwards will actually get in a spot to screen the goalie when the puck is at the point! They usually like to just get in tie-up battles about 10 feet off to the side but I get lucky every now and again lol...again, this isn’t even like asking for in-depth strategies. Can my AI simply screen a goalie on crash the net? Can they show any interest in scoring when running the overload? And the PP...oh my the PP, I’m glad I don’t see many with my sliders when they’re actually working. I think I should just turn penalties off. As fun as it is watching your Weakside 1T guy on the PP leave his spot to come stand directly next to my guy in the middle (who is covered, essentially allows one defender to cover two options now) rather than going to the backdoor, I just do not really enjoy running them that much. Shocking, I know.
This happens constantly. A pass option allows the defenders easy coverage and this in turn causes bunching. On the overload they stand so close to you on the half wall that you cant do anything. Any pass you make is to someone who will be in a bad spot upon reception.
This game has some nice underlying mechanics but this tendency to bunch up and completely destroy space is a game-killer. The AI are so aimless. Not to brag, but I played Division 1 club ice hockey in college. Never, even at that level which is not super high, did I ever see any player just skate around aimlessly. There is always space to get to, support position to be in, an overlap to run, etc.
Offline, like you it seems, I can get it to be manageable. Sliders are getting better with time and testing. Trying to slow it down while speeding up the animations. I cannot though get this to play like hockey no matter what I do and it is frustrating. The AI on superstar is a disaster.
The AI on Superstar: can instantly hustle, make micro-movements that no human can actually execute, they peel away from a breakout so many times that they stagnate in their own zone over and over again, the CPU AI forecheck like a heatseeking missile and my AI blows right past guys.
I agree with you we dont need advanced tactics. We simply need basic hockey plays programmed into the game. If that isnt an option then let me do it with a create a play thing like we used to have.
I play 1/2 of each game as both teams, so that helps me sliders-wise because I can play on Pro and increase the sloppiness + turn pass assist completely off + buff goalies to make Pro a lot more difficult than try to make All-star or superstar even remotely enjoyable to play. The problem is, when the sliders/underlying game code decide that this is going to be a perfect execution, super fast, air hockey style of gameplay, Pro becomes just laughably easy. This happened to meet three nights ago and I haven’t even had the will to boot up the game again. I’m just so tired of it and I’m so tired of EA acting like this doesn’t exist or that us slider-makers are crazy.
Encountered this three days ago but in reverse. Set up my sliders. So we know, I use game speed 6, skating speed at 5, agility at 75, acceleration at 55. I put speed at 6 to hope and make puck pick ups and receptions not burley movements. Have to make other changes to pass speed and shot power to accommodate for the fast gameplay. Etc. No big deal.
Anyway. Made the changes to current sliders 4 days ago. Game still felt fast and too quick. Didnt seem like my changes were in effect. This game is awful when it is fast. Load up 3 days ago and the game is really slow...the way I wanted it and it plays way better.
I was like, umm what? I have heard of this speed glitch and read about it on OS quite a bit. Something is going on. I dont believe it to be malicious but something happens with the sliders and when/if they are working.
Well I’ve seen EA people write on these forums that the speed glitch doesn’t exist. So at this point, with no further acknowledgement despite this being the 3rd game in a row I’ve complained about this issue, I can only assume it is something programmed into the game and the lack of acknowledgement makes me believe that even more. The intention of this mechanic in like 2013 when it was probably added to the game code was probably not malicious, but it makes all of the in-depth sliders that have been added this generation completely useless. I can usually get through 2 games a night before it hits and then I lose the will to play because all I want to do is play the game according to my sliders. I don’t find EAir hockey fun, especially when you’ve given me the ability to change the way the game feels only to cancel said changes out under the hood every few games.
"the AI’s obsession with “positioning” and how they’re constantly ruining good plays by “covering” in scenarios where no hockey team would ever “cover” because it wouldn’t be considered an “out of position” play"
Amen brother. Feels like the game is made for - A-B-C - ground rules of hockey newbies -.
Almost everyone I play, seem to put focus on being - exact - in position, except from when they just running wild, totally out of position.
But this obsession with being "positioning" makes the gameplay pretty stagnate.
I can be two zones away from the puck carrier, with my center, but still be in perfect positioning. But it dosent always feels like the game and I, think the same way about this kinda things.
I wish the AI were simply “made for newbies” because my teammate AI would simply prioritize getting the puck over worrying about some random spot lol. When coaching hockey, it’s always hard to teach structure and positional discipline to younger teams. I’ve never once had to teach someone “go get the puck” because it’s a natural tendency lol.
When playing offline, your AI teammates look like they’re allergic to the puck. They want nothing to do with it. This is most seen when on the PowerPlay and you have to watch your 4 teammates start immediately trapping rather than applying an extra 1-2 guys to pressure the puck like all PowerPlay units do. I should add that my strategies are on full forecheck and aggressive offense with puck side attack defense so why are they trapping?
The AI make a relatively impressive list of game mechanics look absolutely useless because they can’t even perform rudimentary hockey tasks. First forward on a forecheck pressures the puck. Weakside wings/dmen don’t randomly skate to the corner and stare at the glass in their defensive zone. When running a PowerPlay, you play your position and stand relatively still a lot of the time. It should be impossible to make a play because my AI are in a continuous toilet bowl cycle trying to “cover” for someone every time you move the puck carrier a micro-inch out of their spot to make a play. The play can never be made because it relies on everyone else keeping their structure.
Would also love to see the intended logic of the forechecks. The forechecks in this game look miserable a lot of the time for the user so I really want to know what my AI want me to do. There’s many different ways to run a 1-2-2, a 2-3, a 2-1-2 so what do they actually want? A 2-3 rarely results in an AI teammate actually helping me forecheck. A 1-2-2 never results in the proper structure of a 1-2-2 or “foosball” forecheck. So what the heck do they want/expect lol? Also, a weakside lock is essentially a 1-2-2 so what’s the difference? On the topic of logic, what position is assigned to where when running an umbrella? You win an offensive zone draw and watch all 4 of your AI immediately sprinting and getting confused while you stand still so where does everyone actually want to be lol? It’s almost comical watching.
The AI need some serious work to get this game up to a truly impressive level. Also need to get rid of their intended functionality/glitch or the speed glitch. Absolutely insane how that’s still in the game despite complaining about it for years. Totally ruins the entire game experience.
Loving this post. The few months that I have been here, I have seen zero comment from the dev team about the tactical aspects of the game. It's almost like they wanted to put in the irl hockey systems, but they don't know how they actually work. I am a methodical guy and it **** me off to watch how my powerplay unit just set ups randomly. It's like hockey is a game for boneheads who forechecks when they feel like and decides randomly during the play who plays which position on the PP. Where are 2-1-2 forecheck, 1-1-3 neutral zone formation, 1-3-1 powerplay or 3+1 shorthanded system? Those are nearly the default systems in the NHL, so why are they not in the game? Just hire a hockey coach to help with strategies, doesn't have to be a NHL coach, because these are basic stuff. After that hire an European coach to develop plays in European series, because the game plays differently there than in North America.
@EA_Aljo is it possible to get the default positions for the players in Umbrella powerplay if there is any?
"the AI’s obsession with “positioning” and how they’re constantly ruining good plays by “covering” in scenarios where no hockey team would ever “cover” because it wouldn’t be considered an “out of position” play"
Amen brother. Feels like the game is made for - A-B-C - ground rules of hockey newbies -.
Almost everyone I play, seem to put focus on being - exact - in position, except from when they just running wild, totally out of position.
But this obsession with being "positioning" makes the gameplay pretty stagnate.
I can be two zones away from the puck carrier, with my center, but still be in perfect positioning. But it dosent always feels like the game and I, think the same way about this kinda things.
I wish the AI were simply “made for newbies” because my teammate AI would simply prioritize getting the puck over worrying about some random spot lol. When coaching hockey, it’s always hard to teach structure and positional discipline to younger teams. I’ve never once had to teach someone “go get the puck” because it’s a natural tendency lol.
When playing offline, your AI teammates look like they’re allergic to the puck. They want nothing to do with it. This is most seen when on the PowerPlay and you have to watch your 4 teammates start immediately trapping rather than applying an extra 1-2 guys to pressure the puck like all PowerPlay units do. I should add that my strategies are on full forecheck and aggressive offense with puck side attack defense so why are they trapping?
The AI make a relatively impressive list of game mechanics look absolutely useless because they can’t even perform rudimentary hockey tasks. First forward on a forecheck pressures the puck. Weakside wings/dmen don’t randomly skate to the corner and stare at the glass in their defensive zone. When running a PowerPlay, you play your position and stand relatively still a lot of the time. It should be impossible to make a play because my AI are in a continuous toilet bowl cycle trying to “cover” for someone every time you move the puck carrier a micro-inch out of their spot to make a play. The play can never be made because it relies on everyone else keeping their structure.
Would also love to see the intended logic of the forechecks. The forechecks in this game look miserable a lot of the time for the user so I really want to know what my AI want me to do. There’s many different ways to run a 1-2-2, a 2-3, a 2-1-2 so what do they actually want? A 2-3 rarely results in an AI teammate actually helping me forecheck. A 1-2-2 never results in the proper structure of a 1-2-2 or “foosball” forecheck. So what the heck do they want/expect lol? Also, a weakside lock is essentially a 1-2-2 so what’s the difference? On the topic of logic, what position is assigned to where when running an umbrella? You win an offensive zone draw and watch all 4 of your AI immediately sprinting and getting confused while you stand still so where does everyone actually want to be lol? It’s almost comical watching.
The AI need some serious work to get this game up to a truly impressive level. Also need to get rid of their intended functionality/glitch or the speed glitch. Absolutely insane how that’s still in the game despite complaining about it for years. Totally ruins the entire game experience.
Loving this post. The few months that I have been here, I have seen zero comment from the dev team about the tactical aspects of the game. It's almost like they wanted to put in the irl hockey systems, but they don't know how they actually work. I am a methodical guy and it **** me off to watch how my powerplay unit just set ups randomly. It's like hockey is a game for boneheads who forechecks when they feel like and decides randomly during the play who plays which position on the PP. Where are 2-1-2 forecheck, 1-1-3 neutral zone formation, 1-3-1 powerplay or 3+1 shorthanded system? Those are nearly the default systems in the NHL, so why are they not in the game? Just hire a hockey coach to help with strategies, doesn't have to be a NHL coach, because these are basic stuff. After that hire an European coach to develop plays in European series, because the game plays differently there than in North America.
@EA_Aljo is it possible to get the default positions for the players in Umbrella powerplay if there is any?
You’ll never get this answered because I don’t think there are specific positions lol. The AI is just programmed to interpret their understanding of positioning and “fill” empty spots. And yeah, pretty crazy the 1-3-1 and 3-1/1-3 haven’t been added into the game since everybody runs those now. Crazy that edit lines doesn’t have specific positions for the PP rather than simply putting a line out and hoping they go to a useful spot. I truly don’t know if there’s another sports game in the market that is as lacking in strategies to play the respective sport than this one. There’s tons of options but the AI don’t execute the options correctly if I’m understanding them correctly, but idk if I’m ever understanding them correctly because I can’t tell what the AI wants me to lol.
Like I said, there’s a few different ways to execute a 1-2-2 or a 2-3 so simply having a “2-3” option means nothing to me. Is the 1-2-2 passive the “foosball” 1-2-2? My understanding of the Weakside lock never seems to happen in this game. It involves both outside forwards to always apply pressure in the corner while your middle forward attempts to deny a center breakout. Due to the nature of the outside forwards being so wide and low, it requires your strong-side D to keep a tighter gap on the wall and move down from the blueline. Your AI NEVER pinch in this game lol. It ruins the entire forecheck because you can have them pretty pinned/congested down low, but the AI opponent will find a way up the strong side due to your dman refuse to play an aggressive gap as the forecheck requires.
I made this point on another thread but I’ll say it again. Let my strategies determine the risk. I’m not setting strategies so the AI can overrule me, play super passive, and totally disrupt what I’m trying to do. If I’m on full attack, I expect my strong-side D to pinch 100% of the time. It’s up to me, the user, to manually control the strong side D and dial him back. If I don’t touch him, I expect him to run the strategies I’ve given him. It’s my fault if he gets beat, but it’s not my fault if the forecheck was a pinch away from success and my AI decided it’s a great time to be passive. Like the sliders that are either glitched/broke or purposefully changing under the hood, you’ve given me a lot of strategies to tinker with, and I’d like for my AI to adhere to those strategies rather than do whatever they want because they “read” something that made them be passive and ruin my forecheck.
@untouchable_BF1 Lol if that is true about the positions in the powerplay (seems like it, cos there are no answers), well it is just crazy for a game that sometimes call itself a simulation. Agree that we should have the ability to pick up the positions for the powerplay and choose the faceoff guy separately. About the forecheck: The F2 or D1 depending on the system are the most important puck interceptors in any scheme, but it turns into a mess quickly because A, you can't really trust your Ai buddies to press as a team or doing the actual tasks (like F1 steers the game to the weak side, F2 prevents the D-D, F3 takes the middle/covers the D1, D1 pinches and D2 covers) and B, you can quickly swap the players but you can't control them all at once so the pressing turns into this weird hovering around in the OZ.
@untouchable_BF1 Lol if that is true about the positions in the powerplay (seems like it, cos there are no answers), well it is just crazy for a game that sometimes call itself a simulation. Agree that we should have the ability to pick up the positions for the powerplay and choose the faceoff guy separately. About the forecheck: The F2 or D1 depending on the system are the most important puck interceptors in any scheme, but it turns into a mess quickly because A, you can't really trust your Ai buddies to press as a team or doing the actual tasks (like F1 steers the game to the weak side, F2 prevents the D-D, F3 takes the middle/covers the D1, D1 pinches and D2 covers) and B, you can quickly swap the players but you can't control them all at once so the pressing turns into this weird hovering around in the OZ.
Yeah it’s dumb because your AI won’t finish the play that they should. If I close in with F1 and have the guy cut off from support, I will switch to F2/D1 whoever is there in close proximity to capitalize on my initial forecheck. In essence, I’m choosing to break my structure to make a play. This however never can be capitalized on because your F1 will immediately skate away from the great spot you just put him in, because he’s more concerned about your F2/D1 structure than he is about simply continuing his task/assignment which is pressuring the puck carrier.
Imo, the user teammate AI needs to just do their assigned jobs. Let the user pull AI players out of given assignments. Stop having the AI “read” plays or “cover” the moment I do them. Let users make mistakes. I think the most frustrating part about 1v1/1vCPU modes is watching your AI decide that they’re smarter than you and try to makeup for your “positional mistake” which was actually a calculated risk by you that you were willing to take. Those moments of “covering” usually lead to even MORE dangerous opportunities because not only were you taking a calculated risk by commuting a 2nd player to the given scenario, but one of your two players is actively skating away from the play which is allowing the opponent an easy escape route due to the lack of pressure and now we essentially have 1 guy behind the play because he’s chasing the carrier who just escaped thanks to the computer believing that it’s super smart and should override the human’s choices, and the CPU is now skating to the strong side corner or something stupid while the play is actively moving towards the Weakside.
This stuff has been happening for this entire generation. They have so many of the right pieces in place for a great game, but the AI just hold this game back so so much. It’s a pretty enjoyable experience for your first game of the night assuming the speed glitch/intended backend slider adjustments aren’t telling you how you should play the game, but this stuff happens routinely and I just get exhausted by the end of game 2 watching it. Pair it with the CPU breaking physics with their skating every shift and making impossible micro movements like they’re a bubble hockey guy on a rod and it just gets a little much very quickly.
If the CPU actually adhered to the same physics a user did, I would happily boost them up to an acceptable level of difficulty for me + have way more enjoyment while playing. The AI, in many aspects, need a lot of work to capitalize on the rather impressive game mechanics found in this series.
I assume this can’t be done in nhl 21, but hopefully it can be done in 22.
Right now my goalie (who is a butterfly goalie and controlled by the AI) is trying to make a kick save on every low blocker side shot like he’s Ed Belfour in 1999. Can we please have the kick save animation removed from the game (or only have it for stand-up goalies)?
Kick saves are dead and have been for a long time. Goalies don’t shift their body away from the puck and lift their stick to stop low far side shots—they go into a butterfly and lean/use their hands.
I love that my goalie doesn’t catch behind his head anymore and instead catches in front of his body. Now I just need him to not create unnecessary holes when trying to stop low shots.
It has been a while. Christmas and family have been taking up my time.
Anyway, here are my updates:
1. None of my friends want to play anymore.
"Cross crease is all you see. It is boring." - Adam.
"Every game we play is the same. I want dynamism. " - Dan.
"This game is reliant on who can exploit it better. 1 in 10 games is hockey, the rest is loop, loop, force a pass. Who cares if we win? That is not the point. Total monotony." - Mike.
We have all been playing this game together since club was introduced and now it seems like that is over. This game is not for people like us anymore. People who love hockey cannot experience the essence of the game anymore. It is speed, glitz, and goals. No strategy. Completely discouraging as I do not believe it will get better.
2. Even when a thread is made to be constructive you have people who bring nothing to the table other than conspiracy theories, poor Aljo who has to defend the game at all costs, and not a peep from a developer. This is beating a dying horse.
3. Given my short time here I do not find this forum helpful in anyway. So many things about this game is a mystery. The lack of customization is a buzzkill.
4. With this said, I sign off. Contributing here is a waste of time. I wish everyone the best. For those of you who enjoy this game, I envy you. For those of you who do not, you are going to continue to be forgotten. If you want change, stop spending money on this game and load up old versions of hockey. The chances the next gen brings better change is slim. Clown gear, arcade hockey is what you will have.
[quote="MaskedMan2014;c-2176431"]It has been a while. Christmas and family have been taking up my time.
Anyway, here are my updates:
1. None of my friends want to play anymore.
"Cross crease is all you see. It is boring." - Adam. "Every game we play is the same. I want dynamism. " - Dan. "This game is reliant on who can exploit it better. 1 in 10 games is hockey, the rest is loop, loop, force a pass. Who cares if we win? That is not the point. Total monotony." - Mike.
We have all been playing this game together since club was introduced and now it seems like that is over. This game is not for people like us anymore. People who love hockey cannot experience the essence of the game anymore. It is speed, glitz, and goals. No strategy. Completely discouraging as I do not believe it will get better.
2. Even when a thread is made to be constructive you have people who bring nothing to the table other than conspiracy theories, poor Aljo who has to defend the game at all costs, and not a peep from a developer. This is beating a dying horse.
3. Given my short time here I do not find this forum helpful in anyway. So many things about this game is a mystery. The lack of customization is a buzzkill.
4. With this said, I sign off. Contributing here is a waste of time. I wish everyone the best. For those of you who enjoy this game, I envy you. For those of you who do not, you are going to continue to be forgotten. If you want change, stop spending money on this game and load up old versions of hockey. The chances the next gen brings better change is slim. Clown gear, arcade hockey is what you will have.
I hope 2021 is a better year for everyone.[/quote]
Farewell. Weve lost another seemingly good who just wants a HOCKEY game. Ea when are you gonna wise up and admit the direction you are going with this game is trash? Real hockey fans who know the sport well are leaving so you can sell to fairweather fans who will move on quickly and then you'll have no sales. Youre shooting yourselves in the foot and instead of trying to stop the bleeding, you keep jamming your fingers in the open wound and infecting it.
It has been a while. Christmas and family have been taking up my time.
Anyway, here are my updates:
1. None of my friends want to play anymore.
"Cross crease is all you see. It is boring." - Adam.
"Every game we play is the same. I want dynamism. " - Dan.
"This game is reliant on who can exploit it better. 1 in 10 games is hockey, the rest is loop, loop, force a pass. Who cares if we win? That is not the point. Total monotony." - Mike.
We have all been playing this game together since club was introduced and now it seems like that is over. This game is not for people like us anymore. People who love hockey cannot experience the essence of the game anymore. It is speed, glitz, and goals. No strategy. Completely discouraging as I do not believe it will get better.
2. Even when a thread is made to be constructive you have people who bring nothing to the table other than conspiracy theories, poor Aljo who has to defend the game at all costs, and not a peep from a developer. This is beating a dying horse.
3. Given my short time here I do not find this forum helpful in anyway. So many things about this game is a mystery. The lack of customization is a buzzkill.
4. With this said, I sign off. Contributing here is a waste of time. I wish everyone the best. For those of you who enjoy this game, I envy you. For those of you who do not, you are going to continue to be forgotten. If you want change, stop spending money on this game and load up old versions of hockey. The chances the next gen brings better change is slim. Clown gear, arcade hockey is what you will have.
I hope 2021 is a better year for everyone.
"Cross crease is all you see. It is boring." - Adam. Cause Adam don't know how to defend cross crease goals
"Every game we play is the same. I want dynamism. " - Dan. Cause Dan is trying only to score cross crease
"This game is reliant on who can exploit it better. 1 in 10 games is hockey, the rest is loop, loop, force a pass. Who cares if we win? That is not the point. Total monotony." - Mike. Cause Mike is not good enough to move up on division
this game is fun cause we can score many ways. from behind the net like last year as example.
[quote="Stephlefan6AX;c-2176467"][quote="MaskedMan2014;c-2176431"]It has been a while. Christmas and family have been taking up my time.
Anyway, here are my updates:
1. None of my friends want to play anymore.
"Cross crease is all you see. It is boring." - Adam. "Every game we play is the same. I want dynamism. " - Dan. "This game is reliant on who can exploit it better. 1 in 10 games is hockey, the rest is loop, loop, force a pass. Who cares if we win? That is not the point. Total monotony." - Mike.
We have all been playing this game together since club was introduced and now it seems like that is over. This game is not for people like us anymore. People who love hockey cannot experience the essence of the game anymore. It is speed, glitz, and goals. No strategy. Completely discouraging as I do not believe it will get better.
2. Even when a thread is made to be constructive you have people who bring nothing to the table other than conspiracy theories, poor Aljo who has to defend the game at all costs, and not a peep from a developer. This is beating a dying horse.
3. Given my short time here I do not find this forum helpful in anyway. So many things about this game is a mystery. The lack of customization is a buzzkill.
4. With this said, I sign off. Contributing here is a waste of time. I wish everyone the best. For those of you who enjoy this game, I envy you. For those of you who do not, you are going to continue to be forgotten. If you want change, stop spending money on this game and load up old versions of hockey. The chances the next gen brings better change is slim. Clown gear, arcade hockey is what you will have.
I hope 2021 is a better year for everyone.[/quote]
"Cross crease is all you see. It is boring." - Adam. [b]Cause Adam don't know how to defend cross crease goals[/b] "Every game we play is the same. I want dynamism. " - Dan. [b]Cause Dan is trying only to score cross crease[/b] "This game is reliant on who can exploit it better. 1 in 10 games is hockey, the rest is loop, loop, force a pass. Who cares if we win? That is not the point. Total monotony." - Mike. [b]Cause Mike is not good enough to move up on division[/b]
this game is fun cause we can score many ways. from behind the net like last year as example. [/quote]
Yes you CAN score many ways, but the other ways are easier and no matter how well defend still gets through. Cause stephaniefanax7383 doesnt speak for everyone.
I respect masked man alot and I know he's in this game for the thrill of hockey. Im of course sad to hear him leaving but that must be something we all have to decide on our own.
But just cause he are leaving, please don't leave this Constructive approach we got in this thread.
Instead of making it like 'every other' thread that all look the same.
Whats good about gameplay - whats bad about gameplay - how to make a difference. The only thing that interest me.
It has been a while. Christmas and family have been taking up my time.
Anyway, here are my updates:
1. None of my friends want to play anymore.
"Cross crease is all you see. It is boring." - Adam.
"Every game we play is the same. I want dynamism. " - Dan.
"This game is reliant on who can exploit it better. 1 in 10 games is hockey, the rest is loop, loop, force a pass. Who cares if we win? That is not the point. Total monotony." - Mike.
We have all been playing this game together since club was introduced and now it seems like that is over. This game is not for people like us anymore. People who love hockey cannot experience the essence of the game anymore. It is speed, glitz, and goals. No strategy. Completely discouraging as I do not believe it will get better.
2. Even when a thread is made to be constructive you have people who bring nothing to the table other than conspiracy theories, poor Aljo who has to defend the game at all costs, and not a peep from a developer. This is beating a dying horse.
3. Given my short time here I do not find this forum helpful in anyway. So many things about this game is a mystery. The lack of customization is a buzzkill.
4. With this said, I sign off. Contributing here is a waste of time. I wish everyone the best. For those of you who enjoy this game, I envy you. For those of you who do not, you are going to continue to be forgotten. If you want change, stop spending money on this game and load up old versions of hockey. The chances the next gen brings better change is slim. Clown gear, arcade hockey is what you will have.
I hope 2021 is a better year for everyone.
"Cross crease is all you see. It is boring." - Adam. Cause Adam don't know how to defend cross crease goals
"Every game we play is the same. I want dynamism. " - Dan. Cause Dan is trying only to score cross crease
"This game is reliant on who can exploit it better. 1 in 10 games is hockey, the rest is loop, loop, force a pass. Who cares if we win? That is not the point. Total monotony." - Mike. Cause Mike is not good enough to move up on division
this game is fun cause we can score many ways. from behind the net like last year as example.
Yes you CAN score many ways, but the other ways are easier and no matter how well defend still gets through. Cause stephaniefanax7383 doesnt speak for everyone.
I aree this game is one dimensional ,it has been for awhile but this year more than ever ,it it has always been who can exploit the poor mechanics of the game the best ,what EA refers to as the skill gap ...this year's game heavily favors the offense the game isn't balanced at all
Ill say one thing for sure:
Quote from OP:
"- Not having the ability to edit any attributes or see them get better-worse via your own play makes this mode feel useless anymore. I have a hard time believing that people are grinding for goal horn elements."
If you feel like a "grind" is required, maybe you are on the wrong track for the fixes. This game used to have attributes unlocks and it was the most dull experience in the game. People rushed through it asap to be done with it and THEN they played the game for the rest of the year without getitng tired despite not unlocking anything.
The goal horn elements should be gravy on top of a fun game. The problem is not the attributes but much deeper than that considering this game now needs a carrot at the end of a stick to play it dont you think?
Id even say that we went from a game where gameplay was the carrot to go through all these stupid attribute card unlocks to a game where you need unlocks to keep you playing the stupid game
It's a well reasoned list of things that would for sure make this game even more tight.
Would surprise me if stuff like this isn't on their 'wish-list'. Hopefully we se some of this when we move in to next-gen.
I really hope you are right. I am hoping that the next gen brings some of the greatness this game once had back. I dont know how you do it but I love your positivity Mega. I also hope people add to this - in a healthy way - to further reinforce the need for more customization options - better gameplay - and a better product.
I think we 'all' can do a better job together if we try to stay positive. If we think that the developers are one of us, instead of against us. We are all on the same boat here, but with alot of diffrent preferences of whats good and whats bad.
But I like what you sayin, and im defenetly behind you on this.
This is important for people to understand though - when people spend earned money on a product they think is lackluster and this doesnt get resolved in a timely manner (while being told the customer is always right and their satisfaction drives success) then frustration builds. Some things have been plaguing this game for 7 years now and we have seen very little movement. Offline players feel like they are neglected. There are many more EA responses on HUT threads which gives the picture that is their priority.
It is not easy for a lot of people to hold back that emotion especially when they come to a place like this.
I would like it if we had a gigantic gripe thread where people do less debating and more pleading their case. Some of us have good ideas and some do not.
Again though it is madness for a multi billion dollar company to be able to get away with what it does and give its customers the cold shoulder.
But I do like your positive and hopeful tone. I am jealous honestly. I have had this game since 95 and my excitement and hope for this game continues to go down. I do not want to dislike it. Hockey is my fav
We limit ourselves to what we respond to these days. We used to get involved in gameplay discussions, but there's almost always some sort of backlash so we've backed out of those conversations and are trying to just listen to feedback and make sure it gets seen. There are times we try to debunk assumptions and false claims, but that doesn't go well either. The HUT discussions have mainly centered around the DDA debate. Which we're also limiting our interaction on. We don't comment on bugs often because they are essentially bug reports and we have to wait for news from the dev team before we can really say anything about them.
You would see more interaction from mods/devs if things were more constructive here. Your post is an excellent attempt at constructive conversation. Hopefully, it stays that way. We would absolutely love to have these forums be a more constructive and friendlier place for all, but since there's a lot of hostility that comes after we respond, we've all taken a backseat to commenting as it just exacerbates the toxic nature here. We're not trying to give anyone the cold shoulder. We wish it didn't have to be that way as we're as much fans of this game as we are employees of the company that makes it. However, trying to keep the overall tone of the forums here to one that is welcoming and constructive is easier to do when we comment less.
Whats the saying about respecting yourself before expecting respect from others?
Its hard for a community to be respectful to the dev team when the dev team releases a game in such an embarrassing state each year. Where is the pride?
Take the menus for instance, they have been horrid for years. What kind of conversation are we suppose to have about this? Nobody here can name one game in the last 20 years with worse sluggish menus im sure. It would be akin to me handing out a report on toilet paper at work and then getting offended when im approached disrespectfully about it later.
The game crashes nonstop, there seems to be frequent and obvious bugs and glitches in every single aspect of the game...from crowd animations to celebrations to normal animations, to matchmaking to replays to announcers to fights...like everywhere...>I cant even focus on a couple of issues anymore as its a plague. throwing random made up stats here but I bet you that more than 50% of Early access (BETA) games released on steam are in better state than this AAA title.
Again, akin to me handing out a report so full of errors that my boss or clients would need to approach me angrily and wonder if I still care to work there or not.
So yah, maybe the balance issues are turning into attacks or disrespectful comments but how can you expect the playerbase to have faith in you or your product when the bare minimum polish of the game is so lacking. if you need budget or more staff or better training, bring this message to your bosses and have a meeting talking about the issues but at some point, you gotta make a change.
Replies
I feel you here. Running the Powerplay is so cumbersome. They are always moving to spots that are nowhere near danger. You cannot run a legit PP in this game and I hate that. You are almost at a disadvantage with the man advantage.
The constant moving and "covering" for everyone makes this game rough sometimes. Running an offensive zone Overload is such a cluster. Guys do not cut to the net, they do not overlap. We need to be able to create our own plays.
I laugh watching the overload in this game. What offense would ever be generated by 3 guys constantly just leaving the net front and cycling lol? Behind the net allows for some good cycling too but the forwards out front are absolutely useless at actually getting open so that’s pretty painful to watch. Crash the net has been my lesser of 3 evils that I run for all lines. Sometimes when I’m lucky, one of my 3 AI forwards will actually get in a spot to screen the goalie when the puck is at the point! They usually like to just get in tie-up battles about 10 feet off to the side but I get lucky every now and again lol...again, this isn’t even like asking for in-depth strategies. Can my AI simply screen a goalie on crash the net? Can they show any interest in scoring when running the overload? And the PP...oh my the PP, I’m glad I don’t see many with my sliders when they’re actually working. I think I should just turn penalties off. As fun as it is watching your Weakside 1T guy on the PP leave his spot to come stand directly next to my guy in the middle (who is covered, essentially allows one defender to cover two options now) rather than going to the backdoor, I just do not really enjoy running them that much. Shocking, I know.
This happens constantly. A pass option allows the defenders easy coverage and this in turn causes bunching. On the overload they stand so close to you on the half wall that you cant do anything. Any pass you make is to someone who will be in a bad spot upon reception.
This game has some nice underlying mechanics but this tendency to bunch up and completely destroy space is a game-killer. The AI are so aimless. Not to brag, but I played Division 1 club ice hockey in college. Never, even at that level which is not super high, did I ever see any player just skate around aimlessly. There is always space to get to, support position to be in, an overlap to run, etc.
Offline, like you it seems, I can get it to be manageable. Sliders are getting better with time and testing. Trying to slow it down while speeding up the animations. I cannot though get this to play like hockey no matter what I do and it is frustrating. The AI on superstar is a disaster.
The AI on Superstar: can instantly hustle, make micro-movements that no human can actually execute, they peel away from a breakout so many times that they stagnate in their own zone over and over again, the CPU AI forecheck like a heatseeking missile and my AI blows right past guys.
I agree with you we dont need advanced tactics. We simply need basic hockey plays programmed into the game. If that isnt an option then let me do it with a create a play thing like we used to have.
I play 1/2 of each game as both teams, so that helps me sliders-wise because I can play on Pro and increase the sloppiness + turn pass assist completely off + buff goalies to make Pro a lot more difficult than try to make All-star or superstar even remotely enjoyable to play. The problem is, when the sliders/underlying game code decide that this is going to be a perfect execution, super fast, air hockey style of gameplay, Pro becomes just laughably easy. This happened to meet three nights ago and I haven’t even had the will to boot up the game again. I’m just so tired of it and I’m so tired of EA acting like this doesn’t exist or that us slider-makers are crazy.
Encountered this three days ago but in reverse. Set up my sliders. So we know, I use game speed 6, skating speed at 5, agility at 75, acceleration at 55. I put speed at 6 to hope and make puck pick ups and receptions not burley movements. Have to make other changes to pass speed and shot power to accommodate for the fast gameplay. Etc. No big deal.
Anyway. Made the changes to current sliders 4 days ago. Game still felt fast and too quick. Didnt seem like my changes were in effect. This game is awful when it is fast. Load up 3 days ago and the game is really slow...the way I wanted it and it plays way better.
I was like, umm what? I have heard of this speed glitch and read about it on OS quite a bit. Something is going on. I dont believe it to be malicious but something happens with the sliders and when/if they are working.
Well I’ve seen EA people write on these forums that the speed glitch doesn’t exist. So at this point, with no further acknowledgement despite this being the 3rd game in a row I’ve complained about this issue, I can only assume it is something programmed into the game and the lack of acknowledgement makes me believe that even more. The intention of this mechanic in like 2013 when it was probably added to the game code was probably not malicious, but it makes all of the in-depth sliders that have been added this generation completely useless. I can usually get through 2 games a night before it hits and then I lose the will to play because all I want to do is play the game according to my sliders. I don’t find EAir hockey fun, especially when you’ve given me the ability to change the way the game feels only to cancel said changes out under the hood every few games.
Loving this post. The few months that I have been here, I have seen zero comment from the dev team about the tactical aspects of the game. It's almost like they wanted to put in the irl hockey systems, but they don't know how they actually work. I am a methodical guy and it **** me off to watch how my powerplay unit just set ups randomly. It's like hockey is a game for boneheads who forechecks when they feel like and decides randomly during the play who plays which position on the PP. Where are 2-1-2 forecheck, 1-1-3 neutral zone formation, 1-3-1 powerplay or 3+1 shorthanded system? Those are nearly the default systems in the NHL, so why are they not in the game? Just hire a hockey coach to help with strategies, doesn't have to be a NHL coach, because these are basic stuff. After that hire an European coach to develop plays in European series, because the game plays differently there than in North America.
@EA_Aljo is it possible to get the default positions for the players in Umbrella powerplay if there is any?
You’ll never get this answered because I don’t think there are specific positions lol. The AI is just programmed to interpret their understanding of positioning and “fill” empty spots. And yeah, pretty crazy the 1-3-1 and 3-1/1-3 haven’t been added into the game since everybody runs those now. Crazy that edit lines doesn’t have specific positions for the PP rather than simply putting a line out and hoping they go to a useful spot. I truly don’t know if there’s another sports game in the market that is as lacking in strategies to play the respective sport than this one. There’s tons of options but the AI don’t execute the options correctly if I’m understanding them correctly, but idk if I’m ever understanding them correctly because I can’t tell what the AI wants me to lol.
Like I said, there’s a few different ways to execute a 1-2-2 or a 2-3 so simply having a “2-3” option means nothing to me. Is the 1-2-2 passive the “foosball” 1-2-2? My understanding of the Weakside lock never seems to happen in this game. It involves both outside forwards to always apply pressure in the corner while your middle forward attempts to deny a center breakout. Due to the nature of the outside forwards being so wide and low, it requires your strong-side D to keep a tighter gap on the wall and move down from the blueline. Your AI NEVER pinch in this game lol. It ruins the entire forecheck because you can have them pretty pinned/congested down low, but the AI opponent will find a way up the strong side due to your dman refuse to play an aggressive gap as the forecheck requires.
I made this point on another thread but I’ll say it again. Let my strategies determine the risk. I’m not setting strategies so the AI can overrule me, play super passive, and totally disrupt what I’m trying to do. If I’m on full attack, I expect my strong-side D to pinch 100% of the time. It’s up to me, the user, to manually control the strong side D and dial him back. If I don’t touch him, I expect him to run the strategies I’ve given him. It’s my fault if he gets beat, but it’s not my fault if the forecheck was a pinch away from success and my AI decided it’s a great time to be passive. Like the sliders that are either glitched/broke or purposefully changing under the hood, you’ve given me a lot of strategies to tinker with, and I’d like for my AI to adhere to those strategies rather than do whatever they want because they “read” something that made them be passive and ruin my forecheck.
Yeah it’s dumb because your AI won’t finish the play that they should. If I close in with F1 and have the guy cut off from support, I will switch to F2/D1 whoever is there in close proximity to capitalize on my initial forecheck. In essence, I’m choosing to break my structure to make a play. This however never can be capitalized on because your F1 will immediately skate away from the great spot you just put him in, because he’s more concerned about your F2/D1 structure than he is about simply continuing his task/assignment which is pressuring the puck carrier.
Imo, the user teammate AI needs to just do their assigned jobs. Let the user pull AI players out of given assignments. Stop having the AI “read” plays or “cover” the moment I do them. Let users make mistakes. I think the most frustrating part about 1v1/1vCPU modes is watching your AI decide that they’re smarter than you and try to makeup for your “positional mistake” which was actually a calculated risk by you that you were willing to take. Those moments of “covering” usually lead to even MORE dangerous opportunities because not only were you taking a calculated risk by commuting a 2nd player to the given scenario, but one of your two players is actively skating away from the play which is allowing the opponent an easy escape route due to the lack of pressure and now we essentially have 1 guy behind the play because he’s chasing the carrier who just escaped thanks to the computer believing that it’s super smart and should override the human’s choices, and the CPU is now skating to the strong side corner or something stupid while the play is actively moving towards the Weakside.
This stuff has been happening for this entire generation. They have so many of the right pieces in place for a great game, but the AI just hold this game back so so much. It’s a pretty enjoyable experience for your first game of the night assuming the speed glitch/intended backend slider adjustments aren’t telling you how you should play the game, but this stuff happens routinely and I just get exhausted by the end of game 2 watching it. Pair it with the CPU breaking physics with their skating every shift and making impossible micro movements like they’re a bubble hockey guy on a rod and it just gets a little much very quickly.
If the CPU actually adhered to the same physics a user did, I would happily boost them up to an acceptable level of difficulty for me + have way more enjoyment while playing. The AI, in many aspects, need a lot of work to capitalize on the rather impressive game mechanics found in this series.
Right now my goalie (who is a butterfly goalie and controlled by the AI) is trying to make a kick save on every low blocker side shot like he’s Ed Belfour in 1999. Can we please have the kick save animation removed from the game (or only have it for stand-up goalies)?
Kick saves are dead and have been for a long time. Goalies don’t shift their body away from the puck and lift their stick to stop low far side shots—they go into a butterfly and lean/use their hands.
I love that my goalie doesn’t catch behind his head anymore and instead catches in front of his body. Now I just need him to not create unnecessary holes when trying to stop low shots.
Anyway, here are my updates:
1. None of my friends want to play anymore.
"Cross crease is all you see. It is boring." - Adam.
"Every game we play is the same. I want dynamism. " - Dan.
"This game is reliant on who can exploit it better. 1 in 10 games is hockey, the rest is loop, loop, force a pass. Who cares if we win? That is not the point. Total monotony." - Mike.
We have all been playing this game together since club was introduced and now it seems like that is over. This game is not for people like us anymore. People who love hockey cannot experience the essence of the game anymore. It is speed, glitz, and goals. No strategy. Completely discouraging as I do not believe it will get better.
2. Even when a thread is made to be constructive you have people who bring nothing to the table other than conspiracy theories, poor Aljo who has to defend the game at all costs, and not a peep from a developer. This is beating a dying horse.
3. Given my short time here I do not find this forum helpful in anyway. So many things about this game is a mystery. The lack of customization is a buzzkill.
4. With this said, I sign off. Contributing here is a waste of time. I wish everyone the best. For those of you who enjoy this game, I envy you. For those of you who do not, you are going to continue to be forgotten. If you want change, stop spending money on this game and load up old versions of hockey. The chances the next gen brings better change is slim. Clown gear, arcade hockey is what you will have.
I hope 2021 is a better year for everyone.
Anyway, here are my updates:
1. None of my friends want to play anymore.
"Cross crease is all you see. It is boring." - Adam.
"Every game we play is the same. I want dynamism. " - Dan.
"This game is reliant on who can exploit it better. 1 in 10 games is hockey, the rest is loop, loop, force a pass. Who cares if we win? That is not the point. Total monotony." - Mike.
We have all been playing this game together since club was introduced and now it seems like that is over. This game is not for people like us anymore. People who love hockey cannot experience the essence of the game anymore. It is speed, glitz, and goals. No strategy. Completely discouraging as I do not believe it will get better.
2. Even when a thread is made to be constructive you have people who bring nothing to the table other than conspiracy theories, poor Aljo who has to defend the game at all costs, and not a peep from a developer. This is beating a dying horse.
3. Given my short time here I do not find this forum helpful in anyway. So many things about this game is a mystery. The lack of customization is a buzzkill.
4. With this said, I sign off. Contributing here is a waste of time. I wish everyone the best. For those of you who enjoy this game, I envy you. For those of you who do not, you are going to continue to be forgotten. If you want change, stop spending money on this game and load up old versions of hockey. The chances the next gen brings better change is slim. Clown gear, arcade hockey is what you will have.
I hope 2021 is a better year for everyone.[/quote]
Farewell. Weve lost another seemingly good who just wants a HOCKEY game. Ea when are you gonna wise up and admit the direction you are going with this game is trash? Real hockey fans who know the sport well are leaving so you can sell to fairweather fans who will move on quickly and then you'll have no sales. Youre shooting yourselves in the foot and instead of trying to stop the bleeding, you keep jamming your fingers in the open wound and infecting it.
"Cross crease is all you see. It is boring." - Adam. Cause Adam don't know how to defend cross crease goals
"Every game we play is the same. I want dynamism. " - Dan. Cause Dan is trying only to score cross crease
"This game is reliant on who can exploit it better. 1 in 10 games is hockey, the rest is loop, loop, force a pass. Who cares if we win? That is not the point. Total monotony." - Mike. Cause Mike is not good enough to move up on division
this game is fun cause we can score many ways. from behind the net like last year as example.
Anyway, here are my updates:
1. None of my friends want to play anymore.
"Cross crease is all you see. It is boring." - Adam.
"Every game we play is the same. I want dynamism. " - Dan.
"This game is reliant on who can exploit it better. 1 in 10 games is hockey, the rest is loop, loop, force a pass. Who cares if we win? That is not the point. Total monotony." - Mike.
We have all been playing this game together since club was introduced and now it seems like that is over. This game is not for people like us anymore. People who love hockey cannot experience the essence of the game anymore. It is speed, glitz, and goals. No strategy. Completely discouraging as I do not believe it will get better.
2. Even when a thread is made to be constructive you have people who bring nothing to the table other than conspiracy theories, poor Aljo who has to defend the game at all costs, and not a peep from a developer. This is beating a dying horse.
3. Given my short time here I do not find this forum helpful in anyway. So many things about this game is a mystery. The lack of customization is a buzzkill.
4. With this said, I sign off. Contributing here is a waste of time. I wish everyone the best. For those of you who enjoy this game, I envy you. For those of you who do not, you are going to continue to be forgotten. If you want change, stop spending money on this game and load up old versions of hockey. The chances the next gen brings better change is slim. Clown gear, arcade hockey is what you will have.
I hope 2021 is a better year for everyone.[/quote]
"Cross crease is all you see. It is boring." - Adam. [b]Cause Adam don't know how to defend cross crease goals[/b]
"Every game we play is the same. I want dynamism. " - Dan. [b]Cause Dan is trying only to score cross crease[/b]
"This game is reliant on who can exploit it better. 1 in 10 games is hockey, the rest is loop, loop, force a pass. Who cares if we win? That is not the point. Total monotony." - Mike. [b]Cause Mike is not good enough to move up on division[/b]
this game is fun cause we can score many ways. from behind the net like last year as example. [/quote]
Yes you CAN score many ways, but the other ways are easier and no matter how well defend still gets through. Cause stephaniefanax7383 doesnt speak for everyone.
But just cause he are leaving, please don't leave this Constructive approach we got in this thread.
Instead of making it like 'every other' thread that all look the same.
Whats good about gameplay - whats bad about gameplay - how to make a difference. The only thing that interest me.
I aree this game is one dimensional ,it has been for awhile but this year more than ever ,it it has always been who can exploit the poor mechanics of the game the best ,what EA refers to as the skill gap ...this year's game heavily favors the offense the game isn't balanced at all
Quote from OP:
"- Not having the ability to edit any attributes or see them get better-worse via your own play makes this mode feel useless anymore. I have a hard time believing that people are grinding for goal horn elements."
If you feel like a "grind" is required, maybe you are on the wrong track for the fixes. This game used to have attributes unlocks and it was the most dull experience in the game. People rushed through it asap to be done with it and THEN they played the game for the rest of the year without getitng tired despite not unlocking anything.
The goal horn elements should be gravy on top of a fun game. The problem is not the attributes but much deeper than that considering this game now needs a carrot at the end of a stick to play it dont you think?
Id even say that we went from a game where gameplay was the carrot to go through all these stupid attribute card unlocks to a game where you need unlocks to keep you playing the stupid game
Whats the saying about respecting yourself before expecting respect from others?
Its hard for a community to be respectful to the dev team when the dev team releases a game in such an embarrassing state each year. Where is the pride?
Take the menus for instance, they have been horrid for years. What kind of conversation are we suppose to have about this? Nobody here can name one game in the last 20 years with worse sluggish menus im sure. It would be akin to me handing out a report on toilet paper at work and then getting offended when im approached disrespectfully about it later.
The game crashes nonstop, there seems to be frequent and obvious bugs and glitches in every single aspect of the game...from crowd animations to celebrations to normal animations, to matchmaking to replays to announcers to fights...like everywhere...>I cant even focus on a couple of issues anymore as its a plague. throwing random made up stats here but I bet you that more than 50% of Early access (BETA) games released on steam are in better state than this AAA title.
Again, akin to me handing out a report so full of errors that my boss or clients would need to approach me angrily and wonder if I still care to work there or not.
So yah, maybe the balance issues are turning into attacks or disrespectful comments but how can you expect the playerbase to have faith in you or your product when the bare minimum polish of the game is so lacking. if you need budget or more staff or better training, bring this message to your bosses and have a meeting talking about the issues but at some point, you gotta make a change.