Best level for goalies?

[adayinthelife]

So, I've been messing around with sliders on the early release for the past couple days trying to find a balance of something that's realistic but fun, and not going to give me an ulcer. I'm getting some pretty good results for the most part, and with tweaks the game really does play a level above what was offered in NHL 11.

One oddity that I'm finding however, is the goalies. I find that scoring goes way down on All-Star and Superstar (duh), but for BOTH teams. Most games I play seem to end up 2-1, 2-0 and if it's a real blow out... 3-1. The goal variety also leaves something to be desired, as it seems like only bad/lucky rebounds are going in for both myself and the CPU. Also, I played myself into four straight 0-0 ties after regulation last night. Two on All Star and two on Superstar.

So far when I've dropped things down the Pro level, I'm just finding that goalies feel more human. I'm seeing lots of goals for both teams (I don't think I've had a shut out for or against in my short time on Pro) and most importantly, lots of goal variety. Clean shots, screened shots, rebounds, shots the goalie gets a piece of but not enough, just a really broad range that I'm straight up not seeing on All Star or SS. The only downside is that on Pro it's simply too easy to completely dominate the CPU.

I'm just curious to see what others are experiencing when it comes to goalies on different difficulty levels? My experience thus far makes me wonder if I should be setting the difficulty to Pro and just upping the CPU skill via sliders, rather than using All Star (my usual) and trying to balance things.

[Steven547]

Quote: Originally Posted by adayinthelife

So, I've been messing around with sliders on the early release for the past couple days trying to find a balance of something that's realistic but fun, and not going to give me an ulcer. I'm getting some pretty good results for the most part, and with tweaks the game really does play a level above what was offered in NHL 11. One oddity that I'm finding however, is the goalies. I find that scoring goes way down on All-Star and Superstar (duh), but for BOTH teams. Most games I play seem to end up 2-1, 2-0 and if it's a real blow out... 3-1. The goal variety also leaves something to be desired, as it seems like only bad/lucky rebounds are going in for both myself and the CPU. Also, I played myself into four straight 0-0 ties after regulation last night. Two on All Star and two on Superstar. So far when I've dropped things down the Pro level, I'm just finding that goalies feel more human. I'm seeing lots of goals for both teams (I don't think I've had a shut out for or against in my short time on Pro) and most importantly, lots of goal variety. Clean shots, screened shots, rebounds, shots the goalie gets a piece of but not enough, just a really broad range that I'm straight up not seeing on All Star or SS. The only downside is that on Pro it's simply too easy to completely dominate the CPU. I'm just curious to see what others are experiencing when it comes to goalies on different difficulty levels? My experience thus far makes me wonder if I should be setting the difficulty to Pro and just upping the CPU skill via sliders, rather than using All Star (my usual) and trying to balance things.

Glad you brought this up. I play on PRO (sliders from NHL 11), and while they are more "human" like, as you stated they are still too easy. I'm assuming that ALL STAR is again the "level" playing field.

Goalies let a lot in on PRO. I see more five-hole goals and open netters on PRO, than I do slap / wrist shots.

I guess giving the HUM more advantage on ALL STAR might balance the game out.

[kauchy]

finding this aswell..thought it was because i had the player ratings slider raised..guess not

currently have a 28shot shutout with a 71rated goalie

maybe just drop goalie reaction..?

[kauchy]

dropped it by 1 for both & lost 4-2 lol..seems to work

[mkharsh33]

I am developing Pro sliders and must admit I'm really liking them. I have both sets of every goalie slider maxed out and am seeing some really solid goalie play.

I personally believe the lower levels of gameplay provide the most pure form of the game. You have to give the cpu some advantages, but I really don't mind that. I'm very, very close to a finalized set that have given me a lot of great games (using the season ticket early release). But I've seen a wide variety of goals and some GREAT goalie animations on Pro.

[adayinthelife]

I had a similar experience last year, though not quite as pronounced. I wasn't able to up the challenge enough on Pro last year without messing up the goalies too much. I'm hoping there's some middle ground this year since the CPU inherently are more aggressive offensively than in years past.

[mkharsh33]

I don't know how this information could get passed along, but I played a game in which the opposing cpu goalie passed it over the glass FOUR times in one game (for delay of game penalties each time). This was with goalie pass accuracy maxed out. This has been a known problem in this game...apparently EA continues to ignore this. I only saw the goalie make ONE intelligent pass when coming out to play the puck. Also, I started another thread on this, but goalies RARELY (if ever) play the puck behind the boards. Most goalies will stop it from circulating around the half boards, allowing their d-men to play it from behind the net. This would be a nice addition to add realism. EA needs to look at goalie puck control which is a key element of the NHL game...