How to tell in the first 5 minutes wether or not you will most likely win or lose your HUT game
September 24, 2019 9:26PM
edited September 2019
Here’s 2 things to look for in the first 5 minutes of your HUT game vs a human opponent that will let you know you most likely stand no chance of winning.
First one is easy to notice early....skate around with the puck, don’t pass.... If your opponents AI teammates close in with lightning speed and pressure you then you are in trouble because next don’t personally skate after your opponent when he has the puck. If he can skate freely without a single AI teammate putting pressure on him you are finished. Get ready to give up goals because guys camped in front of the net will stuff them in all day while you try and defend 5 players all by yourself. This random AI play that varies game to game regardless of strategy settings is a big question I posed to the Devs in another thread but they have yet to address it.
Second thing to look for, your passing. Regardless of your opponents skill he’s just one man controlling 1 player at a time. If your passes are going nowhere near where you aimed them or always being intercepted by an opponents AI teammate you are in trouble. This goes hand in hand with the random AI play but even when you have an open man your pass will be 3 feet off target. Meanwhile your opponent has tape to tape magnet passes. Yep your most likely going to lose.
These 2 things are instantly noticeable and you immediately no longer feel like your playing your opponent but fighting your own AI. Likewise when you pile up 7 goals on your opponent in a non competitive game because the random AI has blessed you it’s simply not much fun.
It’s supposed to be a game we play against each other but too often it feels like the game is playing you.
First one is easy to notice early....skate around with the puck, don’t pass.... If your opponents AI teammates close in with lightning speed and pressure you then you are in trouble because next don’t personally skate after your opponent when he has the puck. If he can skate freely without a single AI teammate putting pressure on him you are finished. Get ready to give up goals because guys camped in front of the net will stuff them in all day while you try and defend 5 players all by yourself. This random AI play that varies game to game regardless of strategy settings is a big question I posed to the Devs in another thread but they have yet to address it.
Second thing to look for, your passing. Regardless of your opponents skill he’s just one man controlling 1 player at a time. If your passes are going nowhere near where you aimed them or always being intercepted by an opponents AI teammate you are in trouble. This goes hand in hand with the random AI play but even when you have an open man your pass will be 3 feet off target. Meanwhile your opponent has tape to tape magnet passes. Yep your most likely going to lose.
These 2 things are instantly noticeable and you immediately no longer feel like your playing your opponent but fighting your own AI. Likewise when you pile up 7 goals on your opponent in a non competitive game because the random AI has blessed you it’s simply not much fun.
It’s supposed to be a game we play against each other but too often it feels like the game is playing you.
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Replies
This was spot on
I’ve changed strategies. It doesn’t seem to matter. I’m not saying it’s built in momentum. I’m not saying it’s scripted or ice tilt.....but there is definitely a problem in the random way your AI plays both on defense and offense. There is a notable difference when they all play smart or play wandering brain dead hockey regardless of strategy.
The question about random AI play was posed in specifics to the Devs last year and now this year and it remains unanswered . As long as they won’t address those questions people will speculate and even argue over wether it’s connection, strategies, momentum, DDA, or RNG
My issue with passing isn’t a stand alone issue. It goes hand in hand with the random AI play. If your opponents AI is playing well they will close off all the passing lanes leading to more interceptions, like wise if your AI is playing braindead they don’t move around to get open so you take more chances leading to bad passes and more interceptions. When the roles are reversed you will have a much higher pass completion percentage and as a result usually more goals.
I want an answer to the random AI play because it absolutely 100% dictates the direction a game goes in and really places human skill on the back burner. Basically it ends up being an uneven playing field from the drop of the puck and it’s totally out of user control.
This! We ant it to be a skill game. Not an random AI-game.
The AI did the same thing in 19
Still awaiting a Dev response on the AI
It's the connection. Who gets a better one, gets also an advantage.
That's my opinion. .
I agree that connection is responsible for speed and puck control issues. I need an explanation as to the random play of the AI. I simply don’t see connection deciding how amazingly smart and near perfect your AI plays or how braindead wandering they are. Likewise I’m not sure how connection dictates wether your goalie stands on his head or stands there like a cone.
This AI play question is the one I want the Devs to address. I’m not saying it’s intentional ice tilt but it’s definitely random and obviously drives the outcome of a game in a certain direction so I think wanting an answer for the community is fair and warranted.
I used to think that way, however, there are players having these same issues with OFFLINE modes as well. You'd have to assume there is something in the programming of the game itself for that to happen.
If this was only an ONLINE problem I'd be inclined to agree with what you said.
When playing against good players online, I will get scored 8-10 goals with the most defensive settings on without any possibility to do anything. Even though I beat superstar AI teams on Draft Champions or Squad battles 99% of the time by more than 3 goals. Some games though, I will be unbeatable.
The frustrating part is the double whammy.
Not only your defenders won't intercept one timers or block shots, your goalie won't stop a slow backhand easy shot, most poke checks will draw a penalty... but your passes will be intercepted constantly, your shots will be weak and blocked, and when you will have the perfect cross crease you score all the time one timer... the goalie will make the save like if it was nothing. And they will take out the puck out of your stick and never draw a single penalty.
On top of that, I will dominate the AI on superstar for the entire game. In the last minute, if he shots, he will score 90% of the time. It's so bad that if I'm up by 5 goals on a Squad game, I will ON PURPOSE trip the shooter to prevent a shot from being fired. Then win the face off and rag the puck until the end.
I can't count the times where I was scored 1, 2 or 3 goals in the last 30 seconds of a Superstar game playing with the most defensive strategies just by point shots or insane perfect plays where you can't do anything and weak shots that just gets in.
This is real, and it's not just lag or strategies.
That would be a fine answer if an EA Dev would confirm it and state that the game is programmed to be that way. However I doubt that’s the answer and here’s why.....EA HUT is a mode where you build your team either through effort or spending money on micro transactions. You then take that team and compete in competitive season play where rewards are given to those who achieve a certain ranking, the better the ranking the better the prize....
....if the AI is programmed to randomly play good or bad to replicate the ups and downs of real hockey then it would be counter productive to the main purpose of the mode. Random luck on how your AI plays would be paramount and all the other aspects of the mode rendered useless or at least of little importance. Bottom line is it takes much of the games outcome out of the users control.
So the question remains is random AI play intentional or is it a problem that needs to be corrected?