Operation Sports Forums - NHL 16: EA Answers Questions About EASHL, Practice Mode & More

The NHL 16 development team once again answered more questions tonight over at their home base. You can find the responses below:

Will a full featured practice mode be back?

A full featured practice mode is high on our priority list but currently not planned for NHL 16.

Are the menus changed and more streamlined then 2015? Have you improved menu performance?

The menus have been worked on and we have made improvements to usability and performance.

Will the AHL affiliate teams be playable in Be a GM mode just like in the previous NHL?

All the AHL teams are back in GM Mode and your AHL affiliate is fully playable. So you can try and win the Stanley Cup and the Calder Cup.

In Be A Pro, are there different ways to start your career or do you always start in the CHL?

Hello Bryan. Be A Pro will allow you to play in three different ways. You can start on any NHL team but you would still have to earn your way to the roster. You can start in the CHL and work your way to being the number 1 pick or you can start at the entry draft where you play in the Memorial Cup and then go to the draft to see where you are drafted.

Will there be more kinds of penalties in NHL 16?

We haven't added new penalties to the game that we haven't had in the past but we have put focus on ensuring our current penalty logic is more solid such as calling boarding, charging, checking from behind and both regular and goalie interference more reliably.

Will you be able to take Timeout and changing Goalies without pausing the game?

Not for this year. We have added the Timeout sequences back into the game though, respecting all the unique bench locations of each of the stadiums and also added in Goalie Swaps so that the broadcast team can focus on the new goalie before the start of the next face-off.

Will Doc yell "score!" like he does in real life when someone scores a goal?

Yes, our audio team has done a great job of capturing the energy Doc has around goal calls. You will even hear some unique calls for some of the stars of the game to make the experience even more authentic.

I saw on the create a player video that there was the ability to select different sticks. Will selecting one stick over the other have an effect on game play or is this purely cosmetic? Thank you!

The effect of a shot comes purely from the ratings of the player taking the shot and the context in which the shot is taken. We have revisited the shot model to ensure players are accountable for how in control they are, the angle of the shot to their target and the direction they are travelling compared to their target. All of these factors can have an affect on both accuracy and power.

In the EASHL mode, will you be able to create your own player from scratch again? I got confused with the OTP where it says you play as nhl players.

You will play as your created pro character in EASHL. You will be able to use authentic players from each of the leagues/teams in OTP.

Will there be some sort of progression on the individual and team level in terms of attributes for EASHL?

Hi Scott, thanks for your question. When we set out to develop the new EASHL, our goal was to create a balanced, competitive experience. One of the first things on our list of things to tackle was whether or not to allow progression that boosted attributes. While we get progression was a rewarding design in the previous EASHL, it didn't necessarily create an even playing field for users who started playing later or didn't boost their stats, etc.