News Post

NHL 09 Q&A: EA Sports Hockey League Revealed (Gamespot)

02:47 PM - July 21, 2008 by Joborule

Gamespot has posted an interview with David Littman, Producer of NHL 09. They've also posted 2 video clips as well.

Quote:


	Gamespot: "Tell us about the development of the EA Sports Hockey League in NHL 09. What was the goal with the EASHL feature and what was the toughest challenge you ran into when developing this feature?" David Littman: "When we came up with this idea, it was directly related to the fact that everybody on our team at one point or another wanted to be a professional hockey player. Some did play high level hockey but others, who are big hockey fans, wanted to get that experience as well. So we took our online team play experience from last year and discussed taking the next logical step--a full six-on-six [game] but with an environment where everybody is a unique player in the world."

Game: NHL 09Reader Score: 9/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PC / PS2 / PS3 / Xbox 360Votes for game: 47 - View All

NHL 09 Videos

Member Comments

# 21 Bahnzo @ 07/23/08 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Qb


	It sounds like the more you play and the more you do, the more you can accumulate points for your player which is what has me worried. The ranked-game crowd plays insane amounts of games while scoring inordinate amounts of goals and registering exorbitant bodycheck totals. If my fears about the system prove true, in time those players will have 99 rated supermen to go along with their questionable methods. I don't know, I guess I just feel like its going to be hard to find a decent game as a part of this league. Not to mention that if it follows the ranked format from 08, it will be only 5 minute periods with speedy gameplay. Anyways, I'm just saying that while I'm very excited to play 6v6, the EASHL (while a cool concept) may not be my thing...

This was the first thing I thought of when we were discussing this earlier. An unfortunate reality of this is going to be: people with inordinate amounts of time forming teams of maxed out players using any and all methods available to win.

It's never about who plays a good game of hockey, but who figures out how best to exploit the hockey game.

It's a brilliant idea, but with the fiasco that NCAA has shown so far with it's online dynasty, I really have my doubts as to how well it will work...at least this year. I suspect it will take a year of having it out there and letting the masses find all it's holes before it will be really worthwhile. But here's hoping.....

# 22 wildhockey19 @ 07/23/08 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bahnzo


	.....It's a brilliant idea, but with the fiasco that NCAA has shown so far with it's online dynasty, I really have my doubts as to how well it will work...at least this year. I suspect it will take a year of having it out there and letting the masses find all it's holes before it will be really worthwhile. But here's hoping.....

Exactly. Its going to be like every other MMORPG; people without a job/friends/girlfriend or any other thing that pulls a normal person away from a game will alway be the ones with all the best attributes and items. Theres just nothing to do about it other than try and level the playing field for the everyday gamer. Patches and such will probably take care of the major problems, but like you stated this feature will have to take time to mature as the flaws and bugs arise. Hell, look at WoW, how long has that been out, like 4 years! And they are still trying to improve on the fairness of the game.

With that said, I am as excited as Michael Jackson at a Chucky Cheese. I cant wait for this game to drop. The christening of the first ever sports MMORPG is epic and for it to be in my favorite sports franchise is unfathomable! Sure I know that again, there are going to be those few who use all the loop holes to win, but lets face it, I 'm not buying the game to try and be #1 on the leaderboards; thats just asinine to think of, so I will take my 1-2 *** kicken of cheesers to play those 15-20 quality games with the everyday gamer.

Peace.

# 23 ChaseB @ 07/23/08 02:49 PM

Do you guys have leftover questions as it relates to this feature, gameplay, etc?

# 24 wildhockey19 @ 07/23/08 02:55 PM

do you know if in Be a Pro both off and online if you can "loss" attribute points.Like, if you go out and have a really bad game, 4+ mins in penalties or having a plus/minus of something like -3, can you actually loss points rather than just not gaining that many?

# 25 ChaseB @ 07/23/08 03:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wildhockey19


	do you know if in Be a Pro both off and online if you can "loss" attribute points.Like, if you go out and have a really bad game, 4+ mins in penalties or having a plus/minus of something like -3, can you actually loss points rather than just not gaining that many?

It was just a general query. If you guys have various questions still about the game as a whole I'd pursue something to alleviate that.

# 26 ohyeahbaby123 @ 07/23/08 03:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChaseB


	It was just a general query. If you guys have various questions still about the game as a whole I'd pursue something to alleviate that.

That would be great!

My question: Will we be forced to play dump n chase this year? I mean, does the CPU have good enough neutral zone a.i to where I have to dump it in and set up that way?

# 27 wildhockey19 @ 07/23/08 04:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wildhockey19


	do you know if in Be a Pro both off and online if you can "loss" attribute points.Like, if you go out and have a really bad game, 4+ mins in penalties or having a plus/minus of something like -3, can you actually loss points rather than just not gaining that many?

This is my question.

# 28 kerosene31 @ 07/23/08 04:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChaseB


	Do you guys have leftover questions as it relates to this feature, gameplay, etc?

Basically, does it reward players for how well they play, or how often? As was said, will people with tons of time to play stack up a super team, and leave those of us with a life in the dust?

# 29 kerosene31 @ 07/23/08 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ohyeahbaby123


	That would be great! My question: Will we be forced to play dump n chase this year? I mean, does the CPU have good enough neutral zone a.i to where I have to dump it in and set up that way?

From the videos posted in that article, I'm not encouraged. Passing still seems fast and really accurate. The entire reason the trap or left wing lock works in the NHL is because passing through a crowded neutral zone is hard. In 08 passing is basically a click of the button, and automatic every time.

Why dump and chase when you can pass from end boards to end boards with lightning speed?

Being able to do it is one thing, but having a real reason to is another.

I'd so love to put a trap team together in this league and start frustrating all the hot dogs and cherry pickers who will play... but we'll see if that's even viable.

Also, unless they add an interference call, dumping is going to be hard. All I'm gonna do is hold you up at the blueline. Although this is the way the real NHL is going unfortunately as well.

They did say they've added it, and have added a ton of defensive controls, so somehow they are making defense viable in 09... I'm just skeptical. There is a lot more to D than poke checks and stick lifts.

# 30 pf8363 @ 07/24/08 04:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyDeicide


	The only way this will work for guys like us is if a team of sim minded players who know how to play hockey are able to counter all the cheese with proper hockey sense and play. I seriously doubt that that we have enough tools to stop all the cheese especially if the league speed is above slow. I think it might still be fun tho trying to frustrate the cheesers with a good sim team maybe play spoilers and take some of them down . Kinda turn the tides on them so to speak.

its not that hard to do in 08, i beat someone ranked in the top 5000 2-0 the other day, the guy had 4 shots all game! i kept forchecking and playing such solid nuetral zone D, that he got so frustrated and continuously turned the puck over. he was a cheeser too, one of those guys that just swerves around all the way up the ice hoping that his opponent is stupid enough to chase him and let him into the zone. the end result with these guys is usually a "cross-grain wrister," which we've all seen. the problem with the cheesers in 08 is that they no so little about actual hockey, and there are so few sim players, that when they see actual hockey, they dont know what to do.

# 31 Choneen @ 07/24/08 02:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChaseB


	It was just a general query. If you guys have various questions still about the game as a whole I'd pursue something to alleviate that.

My questions are concerning the online BAP.

In the Gamespot interview with Littman, he mentions that if you don't have enough people to play an EASHL game, your team is filled up with "average CPU players". I'm just wondering if these are random computer generated players, or actual players from an NHL team.

I'd also like to know approximately how many games they expect it will take to max out your created player.

Have they made any changes to how injuries are caused? Last year, it seemed as if the only way to have a player injured was with a hip-check. Are injuries enabled in EASHL?

Any additional info on the fighting engine would be nice too. (i.e. how fights are started, controls..)

# 32 jaguar8311 @ 07/24/08 03:03 PM

2 questions that someone can clairfy regarding EASHL

1. if it's manual goalies, wont there be alot of goals being scored?

2. are there any line changes?

Thanks

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