NHL 17 Q&A #3 - New Animations, HUT, Draft Champions & Much More

[Steve_OS]

NHL 17 Producers are answering questions on their Ask NHL page, similar to how they did it last year. If you have questions, make sure to submit them here.

We've posted some of the questions and answers below, click here to read them all.

If you missed the first Q&A click here, the second Q&A can be read here.

The Orlando Solar Bears play at the amway center. Will the graphics of the stadium reflect that our will we get the generic arena like in the past games?

We will have the authentic center ice logo and center line and all of the home fans will be wearing the authentic jerseys as well, but the arena will not have the exact architecture of the Amway Center.

How many different things can you customize when it comes to your arena?

There are a lot of things you can customize in your arena. Everything from the base architectural design all the way to the in-arena presentation of music, special effects and lighting. As some examples you will be able to create a very unique brand having control over your board trim colour, seat pattern layouts/colour schemes, railing colours, goal light types, center ice logo design/layout,center line styles, stanchion styles/colours, goal spotlight effects, scoreboard types, special effects during intros/goals, goal songs, powerplay songs, and a bunch of other details.

Is there going to be speed differentials between skaters? For example nhl 15 and 16 made it so the defender no matter what position he was in if he turned it over at the blue line he some how was able to get back and break up the break away. Nhl 14 had it spot on with the acceleration and speed differences between players.

This is a bit subjective as there are differences in player speed/acceleration based on attributes but other effects such as fatigue, skating with the puck, etc. can have an impact. In a tuner for NHL 16, we actually reduced the impact skating with the puck has on your skating, especially when hustling and pushing it ahead. This will be the case in NHL 17 as well.

Will the 1-3-1 powerplay be in the game? It's the one that pretty much every team in the NHL uses now. Caps, Penguins, etc. Also are the behind the net and in front of net variations of the 1-3-1 in?

We haven't added new powerplay formations to the game this year.

Has EA considered adding a "classic teams" mode or roster? For example: any of the the Oilers teams from the 80"s, the 1997/1998,2002 Red wings, the early 90's Penguins, the 93 Canadiens or Kings and so on. It would be great to play as these teams in single matches or be able to add the teams/ or individual players to GM mode.

Thanks for the question Rob. We've definitely considered classic teams however there are some challenges when it comes to licensing. There is not a single union for all retired players which means that we have to license each player from each team individually which can be logistically challenging.

Read More - NHL 17 Q&A #3 - New Animations, HUT, Draft Champions & More

[Simple Mathematics]

If you are into HUT or EASHL, then this Q&A might interest you. I am strictly an offline franchise guy, so there is not much useful info here for me. I'm excited for these gameplay videos we are going to get though. Hopefully they show some good stuff.

[half-fast]

"Q: Is there going to be speed differentials between skaters? For example nhl 15 and 16 made it so the defender no matter what position he was in if he turned it over at the blue line he some how was able to get back and break up the break away. Nhl 14 had it spot on with the acceleration and speed differences between players.

A: This is a bit subjective as there are differences in player speed/acceleration based on attributes but other effects such as fatigue, skating with the puck, etc. can have an impact. In a tuner for NHL 16, we actually reduced the impact skating with the puck has on your skating, especially when hustling and pushing it ahead. This will be the case in NHL 17 as well."

This sounds like basically a roundabout way of saying, "No, we're leaving it as is because we need everyone to have fun and have a chance" ......... which I can't stand. When will EA will stop catering to overall fairness and start allowing better players to properly capitalize on their work? I have a friend who is abysmal at hockey, and yes when we play I destroy him, but somehow there are always stupid comeback goals that make no sense and D-man catchups. Ridiculous.

[sfpxgalaxy]

That's my main complaint about the game. Skating with the puck does not reduce the speed enough. It makes collapsing the only way to defend. Is there a way to change this setting in NHL 17 (or even in NHL16) ?

[Money99]

Quote: Originally Posted by sfpxgalaxy

That's my main complaint about the game. Skating with the puck does not reduce the speed enough. It makes collapsing the only way to defend. Is there a way to change this setting in NHL 17 (or even in NHL16) ?

It sounds like the new 0-100 sliders will help.
I believe we read previously that these sliders were hidden and their adjustments were the Tuners EA sent down.
They're basically giving us control over everything now. (or so I believe).