Anyone find a solution for CPU for the Dump and Chase?

[KvltBear]

Finally got the game for a few weeks now. I'm mainly a CPU vs CPU or coach lock player. Tweaking sliders has been a huge headache. And man am I tired of seeing the CPU dump the puck and fail to retrieve it 99% of the time. Anyone found a magic solution for this?

I've got bouncing puck receptions at 0, which helps if the puck bounces but this is actually pretty rare. I hate acceleration, it looks bad, but it seems to help the CPU actually reach the puck in time if it's at least 20. I'm not sure if reception reaction time actually effects the defense picking the puck up. I've messed with the board interaction sliders and the non puck carrier bouncing off the boards helps. But even that is rare. AI learning seems to help them on the forecheck if the opposing team gains possession but I'm still on the fence if I actually like that slider.

Nevertheless, even if the forechecker can make it in time to force a board battle, the CPU forechecking team can rarely manage to gain possession of the puck even if they "win" the board battle. Seemingly because the defender always ends up between the forechecker and the puck and they just can't maneuver around them to get it. Or, no one else from the forechecking team comes to support and poke the puck loose. Even if the defenseman bounces off the boards and the puck is literally loose, it's like they're going too fast and can't pick it up properly.

Yeah, the flip in to the end boards sucks. Why, why didn't EA hardcore them to flip it to the opposite corner? The dump along the boards animation they do is actually occasionally effective as it goes 3/4 around the boards and the opposite winger actually can get to it. If only they could do that from anywhere instead of being pressured right at the blueline by the boards.

[phillyfan23]

Re: Anyone find a solution for CPU for the Dump and Chase?

Finally got the game for a few weeks now. I'm mainly a CPU vs CPU or coach lock player. Tweaking sliders has been a huge headache. And man am I tired of seeing the CPU dump the puck and fail to retrieve it 99% of the time. Anyone found a magic solution for this?

I've got bouncing puck receptions at 0, which helps if the puck bounces but this is actually pretty rare. I hate acceleration, it looks bad, but it seems to help the CPU actually reach the puck in time if it's at least 20. I'm not sure if reception reaction time actually effects the defense picking the puck up. I've messed with the board interaction sliders and the non puck carrier bouncing off the boards helps. But even that is rare. AI learning seems to help them on the forecheck if the opposing team gains possession but I'm still on the fence if I actually like that slider.

Nevertheless, even if the forechecker can make it in time to force a board battle, the CPU forechecking team can rarely manage to gain possession of the puck even if they "win" the board battle. Seemingly because the defender always ends up between the forechecker and the puck and they just can't maneuver around them to get it. Or, no one else from the forechecking team comes to support and poke the puck loose. Even if the defenseman bounces off the boards and the puck is literally loose, it's like they're going too fast and can't pick it up properly.

Yeah, the flip in to the end boards sucks. Why, why didn't EA hardcore them to flip it to the opposite corner? The dump along the boards animation they do is actually occasionally effective as it goes 3/4 around the boards and the opposite winger actually can get to it. If only they could do that from anywhere instead of being pressured right at the blueline by the boards.

You have bouncing puck reception low thats good. Also pick up type effect needs to be adjusted.

But have you messed with the team strategy of the forechecking team??

You need to have an aggressive 2 man forecheck, with forecheck level higher for dump and chase teams. Also need to put carry/dump slider to lean heaviernon the dump. So they look to dump to retrieve the puck and not just to change lines.

I can tell you it is better in 25 than 24 because the flip puck is stronger and they use hard around dumps as well.

With edited strategies, the cpu has gotten many scoring chances/goals via the dump and chase.

[KvltBear]

Re: Anyone find a solution for CPU for the Dump and Chase?

You know I think team strategies are probably as much to blame as the AI itself. So many of the line strategies are so close to the mid line it's kind of meaningless. And the default 50-50 is way too quick to shoot. But, alas, the game is balanced around 3 minute periods at 4/6 speed. I was hoping to avoid editing team strategies so I could play franchise but maybe I'll give it a shot just to see.

Yeah the hard around is great, it actually works normally sometimes. The flip much less because they don't hustle to go pin the guy to the boards or battle for the puck. Or they run into them so fast they can't pick up the puck properly. I wish they could do the hard around from anywhere on the ice. As well as a slapshot that would travel all the way to the half boards on the other side. That's honestly probably the best type of dump type. Would really freshen things up instead of skating it in all the time. If the game was on PC we could probably mod it in but...yeah.

With the AI learning slider at a value greater than 0 they seem to carry momentum into the zone when they dump more often than at 0 and forecheck in general better. That's the only slider I've seen meaningfully affect their, uh, dumping behavior.

Pickup type has helped as well but it's tough to tweak as it's probably the most sensitive slider on the passing tab. I've got it at 55 and it seems to make a difference. I think having reception ease at 40-50 has buffered it ok because before, at 0-20 range the players couldn't pick it up.

[Cycloniac]

Re: Anyone find a solution for CPU for the Dump and Chase?

You know I think team strategies are probably as much to blame as the AI itself. So many of the line strategies are so close to the mid line it's kind of meaningless. And the default 50-50 is way too quick to shoot. But, alas, the game is balanced around 3 minute periods at 4/6 speed. I was hoping to avoid editing team strategies so I could play franchise but maybe I'll give it a shot just to see.

Yeah the hard around is great, it actually works normally sometimes. The flip much less because they don't hustle to go pin the guy to the boards or battle for the puck. Or they run into them so fast they can't pick up the puck properly. I wish they could do the hard around from anywhere on the ice. As well as a slapshot that would travel all the way to the half boards on the other side. That's honestly probably the best type of dump type. Would really freshen things up instead of skating it in all the time. If the game was on PC we could probably mod it in but...yeah.

With the AI learning slider at a value greater than 0 they seem to carry momentum into the zone when they dump more often than at 0 and forecheck in general better. That's the only slider I've seen meaningfully affect their, uh, dumping behavior.

Pickup type has helped as well but it's tough to tweak as it's probably the most sensitive slider on the passing tab. I've got it at 55 and it seems to make a difference. I think having reception ease at 40-50 has buffered it ok because before, at 0-20 range the players couldn't pick it up.

Give my sliders a try. I play similarly to the way you do, and this was an issue I had.

Bumping AI learning did help. That's one slider I used to have at 0 for years, but I like it higher this year, along with difficulty adjustment.

[KvltBear]

Re: Anyone find a solution for CPU for the Dump and Chase?

I've reached more conclusions after working on this for way too much time.

First, stick with EAs rosters. Been using Vasy's for a few weeks and for whatever reason, the EA roster players are actually playing dumped pucks much more intelligently than the custom roster. Like they're taking a better angle at it and overall playing more intelligently whereas with Vasy's they just skated after it the same way every time. So idk if Vasy nerfed offensive awareness across the board or what, but I'm sticking with official rosters for now.

Second, the board interaction stumble sliders are basically useless. The puck carrier one WOULD solve most of the dumping problems except the AI KNOWs if it's above 0 and avoids the boards like the plague. Like they're repelled from them like a magnet. Totally ruins any proper board play, skating along the boards, cycling, etc. I wonder if this is why I had such a miserable time trying to tune nhl 24. I think I had this maxed out the whole time. And the non puck carrier one only hurts forechecking which rarely is effective to begin with. I'm on the fence as to have that at something >0.

Third, I plugged in AlTito's passing sliders, most of them, last night, out of frustration, and found that simply raising puck control rating effect to 70 will make them bobble the puck by the boards more often than not. And that leaving pickup type effect at 50 did not adversely affect it, it actually seemed to open up the passing game by the AI. It's possible the AI knows what that slider is at and deliberately avoids making certain plays because of it. But yeah, puck control rating slider at 70 seems to be enough. I'm still leaving bouncing pucks at 20.

Forth, I'm going to try AI learning one more time tonight but it just seems like it takes creativity and cycling out of the game and makes the AI force itself into the slot as efficiently as possible. For now at 0.

So, as long as puck control rating is at least at 70, and the players can reach the boards in time, it just comes down to winning the board battles and gaining control of the puck. Does anyone have any information on this? It seems like the team whose goalie is in that end of the ice wins 90% of the time regardless of other factors. Is it based on the checking rating sliders? Size? I don't know but it's frustrating how bad at wrestling control of the puck the AI is on the forecheck. I'm hoping AI learning will help with that now that I've figured out most other aspects.