Gamechanger event #1 (very early impressions)

[iFnotWhyNoT]

Here's my suggestion for the direction of the franchise to the Dev's and Game Changers.

Gameplay aside... This community, like many other communities have extremely devoted and talented gamers. These guys build websites, blogs, analyze attributes, create rosters, put together pdf's with team strategies etc, all for the community to engage with and build up the game to be as "simulation" as it can possibly be. Create your game that allows these guys to tweak the game by making the core of the game completely editable and shareable. This has to be the direction for appeasing the "sim" crowd.

Let us edit and share - rosters, strategies, sliders, and team creations.

Add - player tendencies, expand the arena customization expansion to also offer team re-branding and arena re-branding by securing funds to open a new arena in the same city.

I'll stop now as this is turning into a wishlist but you get the idea. The direction should be to create tools that give others the ability to change up and share. The sliders this year is the perfect start. For 18 I'm hoping roster share and others become easily editable and shareable.

What people like and how people perceive things is subjective but the giving people the tools to build the type of game they want is the key for success.

[bad_philanthropy]

Agree with the poster above.

Also, as was mentioned earlier, it's probably time for EA to go to a subscription model with these sports games and ensure a bit more cost certainty and revenue year over year. It's tough to develop for modern hardware with only a year (or less than) cycle and with what's clearly a shoestring budget.

I've actually been very impressed by what has been done and attempted with NHL 17's gameplay. What I think is a huge stumbling block is how high the learning curve is for its mechanics. I don't feel like the trainer thing does a good job really explaining things.

It's sort of like EA should produce a series of tutorials on the mechanics that integrate footage of real hockey to explain what they are attempting to represent and how it maps to their game mechanics.

One last thing. I've never wanted a sim where I have to play 20 minute periods to have a realistic experience. I want a convincing scale model of real hockey (real hockey plays, no crazy hitting, etc...) and I think with the current slider toolbox I can achieve that for the most part. There are a ton of mechanics and aspects of the core gameplay that need an overhaul or retooling, but overall I really like the series' direction this year.

[s_mkheidze]

Quote: Originally Posted by KoryDub

The group is currently filled with great guys. Great guys with great visions, great feedback and solid involvement in helping guide NHL down the path we all want it to go down. Don't let this 'fallout' give you a bad impression of the program. I hope to maybe show up here at OS more often. You're all much more welcoming than the often volatile EA forums. However, I will no longer comment on this specific situation.

Well...Honestly, I could not care less about all this drama between you and DJ...But what does give me a negative impression of the program is the lack of results since it's inception. Yeah...we got sliders....yay. Guess what, the sliders are akin to putting lipstick on a pig. Any such "improvements" will amount to nothing so long as the the developers continue to cut corners when it comes to programming the bloody AI.

I have been playing EA NHL sine 1993...hell I own every single iteration of the game through to this last release. But I have run out of patience with this team...they implement the lamest features into the game...features that the majority of NHL gamer DO NOT WANT. I want solid AI, I want the game to be as editable as possible (cyberfaces, goalie masks ETC...), I want shareable rosters and created players cause we all know how wonderful a job this team does with updating rosters.

To me either the whole gamechanger group are a bunch of yes men or the devs just don't really care about the suggestions that the group provide. Regardless, I am through giving them my money until they fix the game and make it worth buying and playing again.

/rant

[DJ NEO]

So I learned again the one thing here.

People don't wanna hear the truth. They wanna have this illusion that someone talk to them and listen to their wishes.
They need a clown that keeps that illusion alive no matter what, with how the team is full of passionate individuals, fulled with great feedback, visions and all that PR crap.

No matter that all we really get was sliders.

Don't ever try to bring some light in how things really works and so break that illusion. The people will start turn away from you sooner or later, like if that reality was your fault.

They will say that you hate the game and bashing the devs, "don't understand the dynamic of gaming development" or.. well basically anything, that helps that illusion come back.

It is like this in Europe, your country.. at any level or importance of a human life.

Lesson learned

[DJ NEO]

Quote: Originally Posted by s_mkheidze

Well...Honestly, I could not care less about all this drama between you and DJ...But what does give me a negative impression of the program is the lack of results since it's inception. Yeah...we got sliders....yay. Guess what, the sliders are akin to putting lipstick on a pig. Any such "improvements" will amount to nothing so long as the the developers continue to cut corners when it comes to programming the bloody AI. I have been playing EA NHL sine 1993...hell I own every single iteration of the game through to this last release. But I have run out of patience with this team...they implement the lamest features into the game...features that the majority of NHL gamer DO NOT WANT. I want solid AI, I want the game to be as editable as possible (cyberfaces, goalie masks ETC...), I want shareable rosters and created players cause we all know how wonderful a job this team does with updating rosters. To me either the whole gamechanger group are a bunch of yes men or the devs just don't really care about the suggestions that the group provide. Regardless, I am through giving them my money until they fix the game and make it worth buying and playing again. /rant

Good and now tell me.

If you knew that basically everything you​ just named, everything this community wanted forever was thrown out of the window or "deprioritized" not as an exchange for some other meaningful feature, but for something that is exactly opposite that sim community keeps asking for year after year.

Something that I personally think is almost disrespectful for the game of hockey and will change the series forever. Suck the resources from the series and take​ time from development.

With all that knowledge, what would you do in my shoes?

[SeaTownGamer]

Quote: Originally Posted by DJ NEO

Hey man, so as desperate protest basically I don't like what is happening to the game/where it's heading/where are pressure resources spent, couldn't​ change it, so I left. I tried really hard tho. I might give you guys some details why I do believe it is the best what I can do right now for the future of series (not for 18, the damage was already set), when I get home from work. If you're interested of course

Of course we want to know and what do u mean by the damage is already set?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[SeaTownGamer]

Quote: Originally Posted by DJ NEO

Just remember it was business decision, by business guys, not the actual developers. They could either do their job or jump off the ship. I still think that Ben Ross is doing all he can to really push as much hockey as possible to the final game. David, the guy that works on the presentation, is doing a great job with the left resources too. So definitely wait and see, make your own opinion.

From what I gather from your first paragraph NHL 18 will put huge emphasis on ultimate teams. Why.....EA.....Why! Smh


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[s_mkheidze]

Quote: Originally Posted by DJ NEO

Good and now tell me. If you knew that basically everything you​ just named, everything this community wanted forever was thrown out of the window or "deprioritized" not as an exchange for some other meaningful feature, but for something that is exactly opposite that sim community keeps asking for year after year. Something that I personally think is almost disrespectful for the game of hockey and will change the series forever. Suck the resources from the series and take​ time from development. With all that knowledge, what would you do in my shoes?

DJ,

I am with you...I may not be as hardcore as you, but I am with you. It is pretty obvious to me what their focus is....all one has to do is look at the last 5-6 years. If anyone actually believes that they are putting countless hours into making the hockey game that we want...well compare this game with MLB the show.......yeah, no.

I think it is good that you left as they were not all that interested in the direction that you wanted the game to go. It's what I would have done.