defensive ai infront of the net is awful

[actionhank]

Re: defensive ai infront of the net is awful

Didn't they advertise how all the ai players are much more aware of everything going on on the ice in 15? How were the ai players in 14 then?

That was one of the things i saw in all of the gameplay videos that pretty much sealed it up that i wasn't getting NHL15. The defensive AI everywhere looked terrible. First they just back up in front of you. No attempts to break up the plays. Then, when they do move from a position that's hardly the best, it's to chase the player with the puck halfway up the boards, leaving the net wide open.
The suction tie-ups look like they're still in too. It would be nice if defense would get half the attention stick handling and goofy stick-riding seems to get in the series.

[Smirkin Dirk]

Re: defensive ai infront of the net is awful

I will have to try that. I haven't messed around at all with strategies simply because they don't save.

I can't believe such a basic option as saving strategies isnt in.

[TjJunior]

Re: defensive ai infront of the net is awful

Until they add complete stick control on defense along with drastically improved stick physics, the defense will always seem bad. Its not even the AI because the CPU has the same tools we have, a basic poke check, basic stick lift, and basic board play. The best tool is a body check, which is all the CPU does because everything else is so mundane, forcing the CPU to wait for the perfect moment to throw the body. We as humans are more willing to be aggressive and put ourselves in bad position to try and gain puck control, but the CPU won't no matter what we try and force upon it. I can't tell you how many times I see my stick on the puck carriers just ghosting. If they don't add this in 16 shame on them. In fact it should have been implemented, its in 2k8. Come on man!

[Smirkin Dirk]

Re: defensive ai infront of the net is awful

I managed to capture this. Luckily, the Panthers D was the CPU otherwise I may have broken a controller.

https://<iframe width="560" height="...reen></iframe>

[Viktor]

Re: defensive ai infront of the net is awful

Well at least Luongo hit him for getting in the way.

[Smirkin Dirk]

Re: defensive ai infront of the net is awful

haha he did to.

[thejudicata]

Re: defensive ai infront of the net is awful

Playing online, I'd say about 80% of the goals scored against me are passes across the net where my defender has perfect position covering the offensive player, but the puck still goes through.

I would say roughly 40% of my goals are scored the same way, one-timer pass to completely covered player that gets to him anyways.

There seems to be some kind of odd momentum function on this. For example a turnover, big hit, or big deke, your passes seem indefensible immediately afterwards.

I get that big momentum swings are helping a team out, but it needs to be tuned down IMO.

[actionhank]

Re: defensive ai infront of the net is awful

Playing online, I'd say about 80% of the goals scored against me are passes across the net where my defender has perfect position covering the offensive player, but the puck still goes through.

I would say roughly 40% of my goals are scored the same way, one-timer pass to completely covered player that gets to him anyways.

There seems to be some kind of odd momentum function on this. For example a turnover, big hit, or big deke, your passes seem indefensible immediately afterwards.

I get that big momentum swings are helping a team out, but it needs to be tuned down IMO.

That's what's always driven me insane. The inability to actually control what i do isn't as bad when i just don't get to decide if my player tries to bat a puck out of the air or tie up with another player (as infuriating as that animation is...), but when i can't control when my player tries to hit the puck, or even receive a puck sliding towards me, and it's left entirely up to the computer, it causes a problem.
EA's problem seems to have become that they got away from an animation oriented game. They wanted gameplay to look more natural, so they got rid of a lot of the canned animations that would lead to weird collisions and dekes, opting to go for as much physics based material as possible. The downside is, they've never give the player the control they need for their players.
Defensive controls are still years behind the deking and shooting of the offensive skill stick, but the worst part of it is, even trying to do well with the limited means you're given, it's still a roll of the dice if your player even notices the puck sliding past him.
My idea for defensive controls have been beaten to death by me, where you use the left trigger to act as a modifier for what the right stick does. Say, not holding anything causes you to poke check in that direction, while holding L2 you would pivot to face the offensive player (something that i hate that they got rid of. Skating backwards was nice with L2, but the inability to hold it and actually pivot in place leads to all sorts of goofy defending) and then maybe holding L1 would give you the option to hit up, and the speed that you hit it up equals the force that you go for the stick lift. Too hard/too far out and you're likely to get a highsticking call, holding L1 and pushing down could try to slash at another player's stick, but, would limit your ability to stick lift briefly. Maybe have pushing left and right on the stick to try and wrap your stick around with the speed and number of stick taps in either direction increasing your likelihood of a hooking/holding call.
I just want EA to make defense more than a semi-controlled coin-toss. I want to be rewarded for good positioning and punished when i take too many risks in an attempt to keep our lead.
Swiping at the puck was a cool idea, but it's not very easy to pull off, and not very handy when you do.
Hopefully with NHL16 EA gets a whole new team, and some new creative ideas, because while the offensive side got off to a jump and has slowly improved, and defensive side has become frustrating and boring to play.
If i have to have another year of seeing a 5mph pass slide past 2 forwards, past my defender, and through my skates as i stand trying frantically to find the pixel on my screen to pick it up, as the goalie goes into some spastic dance, while he shakes in place watching it slide through his pads...i may have to swear off digital hockey forever.

[canucksss]

Re: defensive ai infront of the net is awful

I managed to capture this. Luckily, the Panthers D was the CPU otherwise I may have broken a controller.

https://<iframe width="560" height="...reen></iframe>

What mode is this and the difficulty? If your player is near the goalie, sure this could happen...but he's far enough and for this thing to happen is shameful. This kind of bs play was in the past, I remember in my last NHL (13) this happens too.

[Smirkin Dirk]

Re: defensive ai infront of the net is awful

What mode is this and the difficulty? If your player is near the goalie, sure this could happen...but he's far enough and for this thing to happen is shameful. This kind of bs play was in the past, I remember in my last NHL (13) this happens too.

It's superstar, BAGM.

Funny thing, I gave up an OT gamewinner on a similar play.

My defender screens out my goalie, then an attacker smashes him over.

And for those who know more than me, is this goalie interference?

https://<iframe width="560" height="...reen></iframe>

[Splitter77]

Re: defensive ai infront of the net is awful

biggest problem i have with the game.
they need to add a stick tie up button, or player tie up.

as for this season, maybe they can do something in a tuner or patch, where the player rarely collects the pass if he is being bumped by a defender?? they gotta do something, because its very frustrating when all the cpu does is whip passes to the crease.

[actionhank]

Re: defensive ai infront of the net is awful

It's superstar, BAGM.

Funny thing, I gave up an OT gamewinner on a similar play.

My defender screens out my goalie, then an attacker smashes him over.

And for those who know more than me, is this goalie interference?

https://<iframe width="560" height="...reen></iframe>

In real life, it would likely be. The problem is with the game the ability to change the acceleration and speed sliders leads to AI that aren't meant to go at the speeds they are, so momentum takes them on all of these wonky paths that lead to skating fullspeed into walls with pucks, and running into their own goalies. The goalie AI behind the nets and the animation has been terrible for a while not, but when the AI run into each other, it seems that since it's not a "hit" from the player to the goalie it doesn't count as anything.
I've noticed that in NHL14 goalie interference practically never counts, unless a shot it taken on net at the instant you're running into the goalie. Unfortunately, i never get them from a guy crashing the net, just goofy AI skating at weird angles and clipping the goalie.

[canucksss]

Re: defensive ai infront of the net is awful

It's superstar, BAGM.

Funny thing, I gave up an OT gamewinner on a similar play.

My defender screens out my goalie, then an attacker smashes him over.

And for those who know more than me, is this goalie interference?

https://<iframe width="560" height="...reen></iframe>

I would say yes.... http://www.nhl.com/ice/page.htm?id=26480 (Rule 69 - Goalie interference penalty)

But hey...its EA.... perhaps its not in the game.

[fiddlerpaul]

Re: defensive ai infront of the net is awful

Well, hopefully this new patch is going fix all these problems...